"
"Well, I--I--I got to go right afterwards," protested McTeague.
About half an hour after the dentist had left to go down town, Maria
Macapa had come in to see Trina. Occasionally Maria dropped in on Trina
in this fashion and spent an hour or so chatting with her while she
worked. At first Trina had been inclined to resent these intrusions of
the Mexican woman, but of late she had begun to tolerate them. Her day
was long and cheerless at the best, and there was no one to talk to.
Trina even fancied that old Miss Baker had come to be less cordial since
their misfortune. Maria retailed to her all the gossip of the flat and
the neighborhood, and, which was much more interesting, told her of her
troubles with Zerkow.
Trina said to herself that Maria was common and vulgar, but one had
to have some diversion, and Trina could talk and listen without
interrupting her work. On this particular occasion Maria was much
excited over Zerkow's demeanor of late.
"He's gettun worse an' worse," she informed Trina as she sat on the edge
of the bed, her chin in her hand. "He says he knows I got the dishes and
am hidun them from him. The other day I thought he'd gone off with his
wagon, and I was doin' a bit of ir'ning, an' by an' by all of a sudden I
saw him peeping at me through the crack of the door.
Pages:
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353