Chapter 13

Nadine Boynton came out of the hotel. As she hesitated uncertainly, a waiting figure sprangforward.

Mr Jefferson Cope was immediately at his lady’s side.

‘Shall we walk up this way? I think it’s the pleasantest.’

She acquiesced¹.

They walked along and Mr Cope talked. His words came freely if a trifle monotonously². It isnot certain whether he perceived that Nadine was not listening. As they turned aside on to thestony flower-covered hill-side, she interrupted him.

‘Jefferson, I’m sorry. I’ve got to talk to you.’

Her face had grown pale.

‘Why, certainly, my dear. Anything you like, but don’t distress³ yourself.’

She said: ‘You’re cleverer than I thought. You know, don’t you, what I’m going to say?’

‘It is undoubtedly⁴ true,’ said Mr Cope, ‘that circumstances alter cases. I do feel, veryprofoundly, that in the present circumstances decisions may have to be reconsidered.’ He sighed.

‘You’ve got to go right ahead, Nadine, and do just what you feel.’

She said with real emotion: ‘You’re so good, Jefferson. So patient! I feel I’ve treated you verybadly. I really have been downright mean to you.’

‘Now, look here, Nadine, let’s get this right. I’ve always known what my limitations werewhere you were concerned. I’ve had the deepest affection and respect for you ever since I’veknown you. All I want is your happiness. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. Seeing you unhappy hasvery nearly driven me crazy. And I may say that I’ve blamed Lennox. I’ve felt that he didn’tdeserve to keep you if he didn’t value your happiness a little more than he seemed to do.’

Mr Cope took a breath and went on:

‘Now I’ll admit that after travelling with you to Petra, I felt that perhaps Lennox wasn’t quite somuch to blame as I thought. He wasn’t so much selfish where you were concerned, as too unselfishwhere his mother was concerned. I don’t want to say anything against the dead, but I do think thatyour mother-in-law was perhaps an unusually difficult woman.’

‘Yes, I think you may say that,’ murmured Nadine.

‘Anyway,’ went on Mr Cope, ‘you came to me yesterday and told me that you’d definitelydecided to leave Lennox. I applaud your decision. It wasn’t right—the life you were leading. Youwere quite honest with me. You didn’t pretend to be more than just mildly fond of me. Well, thatwas all right with me. All I asked was the chance to look after you and treat you as you should betreated. I may say that afternoon was one of the happiest afternoons in my life.’

Nadine cried out: ‘I’m sorry—I’m sorry.’

‘No, my dear, because all along I had a kind of feeling that it wasn’t real. I felt it was quite onthe cards that you would have changed your mind by the next morning. Well, things are differentnow. You and Lennox can lead a life of your own.’

Nadine said quietly: ‘Yes. I can’t leave Lennox. Please forgive me.’

‘Nothing to forgive,’ declared Mr Cope. ‘You and I will go back to being old friends. We’ll justforget about that afternoon.’

Nadine placed a gentle hand on his arm. ‘Dear Jefferson, thank you. I’m going to find Lennoxnow.’

She turned and left him. Mr Cope went on alone.

II

Nadine found Lennox sitting at the top of the Graeco-Roman theatre. He was in such a brownstudy that he hardly noticed her till she sank breathless at his side. ‘Lennox.’

‘Nadine.’ He half turned.

She said: ‘We haven’t been able to talk until now. But you know, don’t you, that I am notleaving you?’

He said gravely: ‘Did you ever really mean to, Nadine?’

She nodded. ‘Yes. You see, it seemed to be the only possible thing left to do. I hoped—I hopedthat you would come after me. Poor Jefferson, how mean I have been to him.’

Lennox gave a sudden curt⁵ laugh.

‘No, you haven’t. Anyone who is as unselfish as Cope ought to be given full scope for hisnobility! And you were right, you know, Nadine. When you told me that you were going awaywith him you gave me the shock of my life! You know, honestly, I think I must have been goingqueer or something lately. Why the hell didn’t I snap my fingers in Mother’s face and go off withyou when you wanted me to?’

She said gently: ‘You couldn’t, my dear, you couldn’t.’

Lennox said musingly⁶: ‘Mother was a damned queer character…I believe she’d got us all halfhypnotized.’

‘She had.’

Lennox mused⁷ a minute or two longer. Then he said: ‘When you told me that afternoon—it wasjust like being hit a crack on the head! I walked back half dazed, and then, suddenly I saw what adamned fool I’d been! I realized that there was only one thing to be done if I didn’t want to loseyou.’

He felt her stiffen⁸. His tone became grimmer.

‘I went and—’

‘Don’t…’

He gave her a quick glance.

‘I went and—argued with her.’ He spoke⁹ with a complete change of tone—careful and rathertoneless. ‘I told her that I got to choose between her and you—and that I chose you.’

There was a pause.

He repeated, in a tone of curious self-approval:

‘Yes, that’s what I said to her.’

 

点击收听单词发音