"Bringing out my mother and Mary."
"A failure?"
"It 's no use! They don't help me."
Rowland had fancied that Roderick had no more surprises for him; but he
was now staring at him, wide-eyed.
"They bore me!" Roderick went on.
"Oh, oh!" cried Rowland.
"Listen, listen!" said Roderick with perfect gentleness. "I am not
complaining of them; I am simply stating a fact. I am very sorry for
them; I am greatly disappointed."
"Have you given them a fair trial?"
"Should n't you say so? It seems to me I have behaved beautifully."
"You have done very well; I have been building great hopes on it."
"I have done too well, then. After the first forty-eight hours my own
hopes collapsed. But I determined to fight it out; to stand within the
temple; to let the spirit of the Lord descend! Do you want to know the
result? Another week of it, and I shall begin to hate them. I shall want
to poison them."
"Miserable boy!" cried Rowland. "They are the loveliest of women!"
"Very likely! But they mean no more to me than a Bible text to an
atheist!"
"I utterly fail," said Rowland, in a moment, "to understand your
relation to Miss Garland.
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