Prev | Current Page 212 | Next

Hichens, Robert Smythe, 1864-1950

"A Spirit in Prison"


Gaspare remained beside her quietly. He often stood near her after
they had been talking together, and calmly shared the silence with
her. She liked that. It gave her an impression of his perfect
confidence in her, his perfect ease in her company.
"Don't you ever think that you can put a knife into destiny, Gaspare,"
she asked him presently, using an image he would be likely to
understand, "as you might put a knife into a man who tried to force
you to do something you didn't wish to do?"
"Signora, what would be the use? The knife is no good against Destiny,
nor the revolver either. And I have the permesso to carry one," he
added, with a smile, as if he realized that he was being whimsical.
"Well, then, we must just hope that Destiny will be very kind to us,
be a friend to us, a true comrade. I shall hope that and so must you."
"Si, Signora."
He realized that the conversation was finished, and went quietly away.
Hermione kept the letter of Artois. When he came back to the Bay she
wanted to show it to him, to ask him to read for her the meaning
between its lines.


Pages:
200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224