Denry did not like this.
The situation almost creaked under the complicated stresses to which it
was subject. The wonder was that it did not fly to pieces long before
evening.
VI
The pride of the principal actors being now engaged, each person was
compelled to carry out the intentions which he had expressed either in
words or tacitly. Denry's silence had announced more efficiently than
any words that he would under no inducement emerge from his castle. Ruth
had stated plainly that there was nothing for it but to go home at once,
that very night. Hence she arranged to go home, and hence Denry
refrained from interfering with her arrangements. Ruth was lugubrious
under a mask of gaiety; Nellie was lugubrious under no mask whatever.
Nellie was merely the puppet of these betrothed players, her elders. She
admired Ruth and she admired Denry, and between them they were spoiling
the little thing's holiday for their own adult purposes. Nellie knew
that dreadful occurrences were in the air--occurrences compared to which
the storm at sea was a storm in a tea-cup. She knew partly because Ruth
had been so queenly polite, and partly because they had come separately
to St Asaph's Road and had not spent the entire afternoon together.
Pages:
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124