Bellew and
Pendyce"! And this would go down to fame in company with the pitiful
stories she had read from time to time with a sort of offended interest;
in company with "Snooks v. Snooks and Stiles," "Horaday v. Horaday,"
"Bethany v. Bethany and Sweetenham." In company with all those cases
where everybody seemed so dreadful, yet where she had often and often
felt so sorry, as if these poor creatures had been fastened in the
stocks by some malignant, loutish spirit, for all that would to come and
jeer at. And horror filled her heart. It was all so mean, and gross, and
common.
The letter contained but a few words from a firm of solicitors
confirming an appointment. She looked up at Mr. Paramor. He stopped
pencilling on his blotting-paper, and said at once:
"I shall be seeing these people myself tomorrow afternoon. I shall do my
best to make them see reason."
She felt from his eyes that he knew what she was suffering, and was even
suffering with her.
"And if--if they won't?"
"Then I shall go on a different tack altogether, and they must look out
for themselves."
Mrs. Pendyce sank back in her chair; she seemed to smell again that
smell of leather and disinfectant, and hear a sound of incessant
clicking. She felt faint, and to disguise that faintness asked at
random, "What does 'without prejudice' in this letter mean?"
Mr.
Pages:
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277