"
"It's all off, all the same," he said, and began to shamble down the path;
but he'd lost his fire.
"Yes," I said, following him to the gate. "It's off all right, and angels
from heaven wouldn't bring it on again. I never had it in my mind for an
instant moment to take any man but you, and if I haven't been patient and
long-suffering, waiting till your insulting caution was at an end, then
God never made a patient woman. But it's off, as you truly remark, and I'm
very well content to remain the relic of John Stocks, who valued me and
who died blessing my name."
He went out with his head down and his nose very near touching his
stomach; and after he'd gone I got in the house so limp as a dead rat. I'd
bluffed it all right to Gregory; but when my flame cooled, I found the
tears on my face and let 'em run for an hour. Then I calmed down and
licked my bruises, so to speak, and felt a terrible wish for to hear a
friendly fellow creature and get a bit of sympathy out of someone. For I'm
a very sociable kind of woman; so I put on my bonnet and was just going
round to see Mrs. Vincent and ask after the new baby and then tell my
tale, her being a dear friend to me and her family also, when another man
came to my door and there stood my son Rupert--him known as 'Mother's
Misfortune,' to distinguish him from my dear eldest one.
I wasn't in no mood for Rupert, and I told him so, but I marked he was
mildly excited, and that being a most unusual state for him, I stopped
five minutes and axed him what he'd come for.
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