James only was silent, disturbed, to the bottom of his
soul.
Presently Francie said: "Do you know, I think Uncle Jolyon is terribly
changed this last year. What do you think, Aunt Hester?"
Aunt Hester made a little movement of recoil: "Oh, ask your Aunt Julia!"
she said; "I know nothing about it."
No one else was afraid of assenting, and James muttered gloomily at the
floor: "He's not half the man he was."
"I've noticed it a long time," went on Francie; "he's aged
tremendously."
Aunt Juley shook her head; her face seemed suddenly to have become one
immense pout.
"Poor dear Jolyon," she said, "somebody ought to see to it for him!"
There was again silence; then, as though in terror of being left
solitarily behind, all five visitors rose simultaneously, and took their
departure.
Mrs. Small, Aunt Hester, and their cat were left once more alone,
the sound of a door closing in the distance announced the approach of
Timothy.
That evening, when Aunt Hester had just got off to sleep in the back
bedroom that used to be Aunt Juley's before Aunt Juley took Aunt Ann's,
her door was opened, and Mrs. Small, in a pink night-cap, a candle in
her hand, entered: "Hester!" she said. "Hester!"
Aunt Hester faintly rustled the sheet.
Pages:
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274