As it was, no such
consequence as this followed Mrs. Wragge's appearance in the parlor; for
no such consequence was now possible.
Events which had happened earlier in the morning, events which had
happened for days and weeks past, had vanished as completely from
Magdalen's mind as if they had never taken place. The horror of the
coming Monday--the merciless certainty implied in the appointment of the
day and hour--petrified all feeling in her, and annihilated all thought.
Mrs. Wragge made three separate attempts to enter on the subject of the
housekeeper's visit. The first time she might as well have addressed
herself to the wind, or to the sea. The second attempt seemed likely
to be more successful. Magdalen sighed, listened for a moment
indifferently, and then dismissed the subject. "It doesn't matter," she
said. "The end has come all the same. I'm not angry with you. Say no
more." Later in the day, from not knowing what else to talk about, Mrs.
Wragge tried again. This time Magdalen turned on her impatiently. "For
God's sake, don't worry me about trifles! I can't bear it." Mrs. Wragge
closed her lips on the spot, and returned to the subject no more.
Pages:
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799