All this she told him bit by bit, only keeping back from him the last
development of the drama with the part that Edward Cossey had played
in it, and sad enough it made him to think of that ancient house of de
la Molle vanishing into the night of ruin.
Also she told him something of her own life, how companionless it had
been since her brother went into the army, for she had no real friends
about Honham, and not even an acquaintance of her own tastes, which,
without being gushingly so, were decidedly artistic and intellectual.
"I should have wished," she said, "to try to do something in the
world. I daresay I should have failed, for I know that very few women
meet with a success which is worth having. But still I should have
liked to try, for I am not afraid of work. But the current of my life
is against it; the only thing that is open to me is to strive and make
both ends meet upon an income which is always growing smaller, and to
save my father, poor dear, from as much worry as I can.
"Don't think that I am complaining," she went on hurriedly, "or that I
want to rush into pleasure-seeking, because I do not--a little of that
goes a long way with me. Besides, I know that I have many things to be
thankful for. Few women have such a kind father as mine, though we do
quarrel at times.
Pages:
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178