Capitolo 81
back of his/her tall chair of office. A month more, or perhaps two. Not a lot
very you grieve, he thought. But certain. And me, unfaithful I have believed the
good God didn't listen when I prayed!
"Small Elsie is sure and happy with our aunt. Rarely she already speaks
of me. I have still had her, my care, my position, for almost six years.
Children forget soon. There will be a small money for his/her education,
and Aunt desires to adopt her/it. There is no anything of which I have need you are distressed to
goes away behind.
"If he had still loved me, if it were circumstance that has held our lives
I could separately send then, for him; but to die in arm that you/they have only contained me
out of compassion--happy to abandon their load as soon as the strength
both--no, I have to go without seeing again his/her face.
"And to-night I can only feel the great cheerfulness that has to be.
Suppose me I knew that there was twenty-five such more years as these!
Suppose should be an error, and I had to live!
* * * * *
I bewared of these hard words written to the photo. My eyes were
confused, but Tom tilted only back, immovable as before, lethargic as
before.
"How much time--" I started, provisionally.
"You lived later a week this", Callender responded, in his/her dry land,
emotionlesses express.
"And the man?"
"He was my brother", answered Callender. "You didn't see again never it. Him
him gotten married Miss Stockweis around one month later."
I thought about Ralph Callender, cold corrects, it slightly annoyed, as I have
always the wiseacre, of Miss Stockweis a dull blonde, purse-proud.
I grabbed the small poor photo and I raised reverently him to my lips.
"Forgive me, Tom" I said me, confused slightly. (I could never check my
impulses.) "The best thing that you can do is thank goodness for its death.
You think to a woman likes that--"
"Thanks", Tom tiredly said. "Yes, me the gladiolus of _am_."
And then I understood the brown and thin hand in mine really for a moment and felt
he/she weakly answers to my clasp.