But he liked
Nellie Cotterill. She blushed so easily, and she so obviously worshipped
Ruth and admired himself, and there was a marked vein of common-sense in
her ingenuous composition.
On the Monday morning he was up early and off to Bursley to collect
rents and manage estates. He had spent nearly five pounds beyond his
expectation. Indeed, if by chance he had not gone to Llandudno with a
portion of the previous week's rents in his pockets, he would have been
in what the Five Towns call a fix.
While in Bursley he thought a good deal. Bursley in August encourages
nothing but thought. His mother was working as usual. His recitals to
her of the existence led by betrothed lovers at Llandudno were vague.
On the Tuesday evening he returned to Llandudno, and, despite the
general trend of his thoughts, it once more occurred that his pockets
were loaded with a portion of the week's rents. He did not know
precisely what was going to happen, but he knew that something was going
to happen; for the sufficient reason that his career could not continue
unless something did happen. Without either a quarrel, an understanding,
or a miracle, three months of affianced bliss with Ruth Earp would
exhaust his resources and ruin his reputation as one who was ever equal
to a crisis.
Pages:
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109