Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Part I - V
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
64 THE CONFESSION OF A FOOL
equinoctial gales ; I had decided to go by steamer to
Havre.
Furthemnore, my sister’s wedding was to take place
early in October, and this necessitated a further post-
ponement of my project.
During this time I received frequent invitations from
the Baroness. The cousin had returned to her parents,
and the three of us generally spent the evenings together.
The Baron, unconsciously influenced by the strong will of
his wife, seemed more favourably disposed towards me ;
moreover, my impending departure had reassured him
completely, and he treated me with his former friendliness.
One evening the Baroness’s mother was entertaining a
small circle of intin ate friends, when the Baroness,
stretched out listlessly on the sofa, suddenly put her head
on her mother’s lap and loudly confessed her intense
admiration for a well-known actor. Did she want to
torture me, to see the effect which such a confession
would have on me? I don’t know. But the old lady,
tenderly stroking her daughter’s hair, looked at me.
"If ever you write a novel," she said, "let me draw
your attention to this particular type of passionate
womanhood. It’s an extraordinary type ! She’s never
happy unless she is in love with some one else beside her
husband."
"It’s quite true what mamma says," agreed the
Baroness, "and just at present I’m in love with that
man! He’s irresistible!
"
"She’s mad," laughed the Baron, wincing, yet
anxiously trying to appear unconcerned.
Passionate womanhood ! The words sank into my
heart, for, jesting apart, those words spoken by an old
woman, and that old woman her own mother, must have
contained more than a grain of truth.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
