At last I
managed to seize her by the shoulders and in the extremity of my
distress I shook her roughly. If she hadn't quieted down then I
believe my heart would have broken. I spluttered right into her
face: "I won't let you. Here you stay." She seemed to recognize
me at last, and suddenly still, perfectly firm on her white feet,
she let her arms fall and, from an abyss of desolation, whispered,
"O! George! No! No! Not Ortega."
There was a passion of mature grief in this tone of appeal. And
yet she remained as touching and helpless as a distressed child.
It had all the simplicity and depth of a child's emotion. It
tugged at one's heart-strings in the same direct way. But what
could one do? How could one soothe her? It was impossible to pat
her on the head, take her on the knee, give her a chocolate or show
her a picture-book. I found myself absolutely without resource.
Completely at a loss.
"Yes, Ortega. Well, what of it?" I whispered with immense
assurance.
CHAPTER VII
My brain was in a whirl. I am safe to say that at this precise
moment there was nobody completely sane in the house. Setting
apart Therese and Ortega, both in the grip of unspeakable passions,
all the moral economy of Dona Rita had gone to pieces.
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