The Essential W. Somerset Maugham Collection. W. Somerset Maugham

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СКАЧАТЬ me. You need never fear that I shall feel bitter towards you. I can see that you have suffered--perhaps more than you have made me suffer. Good-bye!"

      "Is there nothing I can do, Mary?"

      "Nothing," she said, trying to smile, "except not to worry."

      "Good-bye," he said. "And don't think too ill of me."

      She could not trust herself to answer. She stood perfectly quiet till he had gone out of the room; then with a moan sank to the floor and hid her face, bursting into tears. She had restrained herself too long; the composure became intolerable. She could have screamed, as though suffering some physical pain that destroyed all self-control. The heavy sobs rent her chest, and she did not attempt to stop them. She was heart-broken.

      "Oh, how could he!" she groaned. "How could he!"

      Her vision of happiness was utterly gone. In James she had placed the joy of her life; in him had found strength to bear every displeasure. Mary had no thought in which he did not take part; her whole future was inextricably mingled with his. But now the years to come, which had seemed so bright and sunny, turned suddenly grey as the melancholy sky without. She saw her life at Little Primpton, continuing as in the past years, monotonous and dull--a dreary round of little duties, of little vexations, of little pleasures.

      "Oh, God help me!" she cried.

      And lifting herself painfully to her knees, she prayed for strength to bear the woeful burden, for courage to endure it steadfastly, for resignation to believe that it was God's will.

      X

      James felt no relief. He had looked forward to a sensation of freedom such as a man might feel when he had escaped from some tyrannous servitude, and was at liberty again to breathe the buoyant air of heaven. He imagined that his depression would vanish like an evil spirit exorcised so soon as ever he got from Mary his release; but instead it sat more heavily upon him. Unconvinced even yet that he had acted rightly, he went over the conversation word for word. It seemed singularly ineffectual. Wishing to show Mary that he did not break with her from caprice or frivolous reason, but with sorrowful reluctance, and full knowledge of her suffering, he had succeeded only in being futile and commonplace.

      He walked slowly towards Primpton House. He had before him the announcement to his mother and father; and he tried to order his thoughts.

      Mrs. Parsons, her household work finished, was knitting the inevitable socks; while the Colonel sat at the table, putting new stamps into his album. He chattered delightedly over his treasures, getting up now and then gravely to ask his wife some question or to point out a surcharge; she, good woman, showed interest by appropriate rejoinders.

      "There's no one in Tunbridge Wells who has such a fine collection as I have."

      "General Newsmith showed me his the other day, but it's not nearly so good as yours, Richmond."

      "I'm glad of that. I suppose his Mauritius are fine?" replied the Colonel, with some envy, for the general had lived several years on the island.

      "They're fair," said Mrs. Parsons, reassuringly; "but not so good as one would expect."

      "It takes a clever man to get together a good collection of stamps, although I shouldn't say it."

      They looked up when James entered.

      "I've just been putting in those Free States you brought me, Jamie. They look very well."

      The Colonel leant back to view them, with the satisfied look with which he might have examined an old master.

      "It was very thoughtful of Jamie to bring them," said Mrs. Parsons.

      "Ah, I knew he wouldn't forget his old father. Don't you remember, Frances, I said to you, 'I'll be bound the boy will bring some stamps with him.' They'll be valuable in a year or two. That's what I always say with regard to postage stamps; you can't waste your money. Now jewellery, for instance, gets old-fashioned, and china breaks; but you run no risk with stamps. When I buy stamps, I really feel that I'm as good as investing my money in consols."

      "Well, how's Mary this morning?"

      "I've been having a long talk with her."

      "Settled the day yet?" asked the Colonel, with a knowing little laugh.

      "No!"

      "Upon my word, Frances, I think we shall have to settle it for them. Things weren't like this when we were young. Why, Jamie, your mother and I got married six weeks after I was introduced to her at a croquet party."

      "We were married in haste, Richmond," said Mrs. Parsons, laughing.

      "Well, we've taken a long time to repent of it, my dear. It's over thirty years."

      "I fancy it's too late now."

      The Colonel took her hand and patted it.

      "If you get such a good wife as I have, Jamie, I don't think you'll have reason to complain. Will he, my dear?"

      "It's not for me to say, Richmond," replied Mrs. Parsons, smiling contentedly.

      "Do you want me to get married very much, father?"

      "Of course I do. I've set my heart upon it. I want to see what the new generations of Parsons are like before I die."

      "Listen, Richmond, Jamie has something to tell us."

      Mrs. Parsons had been looking at her son, and was struck at last by the agony of his expression.

      "What is it, Jamie?" she asked.

      "I'm afraid you'll be dreadfully disappointed. I'm so sorry--Mary and I are no longer engaged to be married."

      For a minute there was silence in the room. The old Colonel looked helplessly from wife to son.

      "What does he mean, Frances?" he said at last.

      Mrs. Parsons did not answer, and he turned to James.

      "You're not in earnest, Jamie? You're joking with us?"

      James went over to his father, as the weaker of the two, and put his arm round his shoulders.

      "I'm awfully sorry to have to grieve you, father. It's quite true--worse luck! It was impossible for me to marry Mary."

      "D'you mean that you've broken your engagement with her after she's waited five years for you?" said Mrs. Parsons.

      "I couldn't do anything else. I found I no longer loved her. We should both have been unhappy if we had married."

      The Colonel recovered himself slowly, he turned round and looked at his son.

      "Jamie, Jamie, what have you done?"

      "Oh, СКАЧАТЬ