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It was torment to Gordonto let her pay for his food.
Shes gone, said Gordon,
with a wave of his hand which was meantto explain everything. That burning,
bursting feeling wasdreadful. Gordon watched the lamp-starreddarkness streaming
past. He was proud that Ravelston should see her. Mysteriously the atmosphere
of the table changed.
He had fixed it up with Rosemary in another five minutes.
But somehow the second bottle of Asti was not such a success asthe first. As
well have the explanationnow as later. I hate to see you spending all that
money. I hate to think of you walking all that way.
At these surrendering words
a weak desire raised itself in him anddied away at once. The lights down in
hell will look just like that. They got into the taxi and were driven away,
Gordon sitting next toRosemary.
He recoiled from the thought; he fled back
intohis drunkenness as into a refuge.
He would have liked to tell the taximan
the history of his life.
That burning, bursting feeling wasdreadful.
Ravelstons
eyes looked pleadingly, guiltily across the table.
It is like bathing for a
second time on a summerday. He thrust his hand right into the front of her
dress.
There was onlya minutes consultation, and then the cashier came back.
I
dont care, she said indistinctly, her face buried in his coat.
He came after
her again and clutched herarm.
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