Her unacknowledged reason for
inventing the calumny she recited so glibly for Dolly, was the hope that
Dolly would go straight to Rose with it.
That couldn't fail, she thought, to break down Rose's attitude of icy
indifference and precipitate a quarrel; and a quarrel was what she
wanted. Because quarrels led to reconciliations. She wanted Rose to be
angry with her and then forgive her, although the latter part of her
hope was quite unconscious.
As I say, Rose understood. She didn't work the thing out in detail;
didn't want to. But she knew that if she sought Olga out and demanded an
explanation of the detestable things she'd said about her, the scene
would terminate in a torrent of self-reproach from Olga, protestations
of undying love, fondlings ...
So Rose shuddered and said nothing. The only thing to do about the whole
unspeakable business was, as far as possible, to disregard it.
It wasn't possible to disregard it utterly, because the story was
evidently spread. She became conscious of a touch of contemptuous
hostility on the part of everybody.
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