The Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw: Plays, Novels, Articles, Letters and Essays. GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

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СКАЧАТЬ case he should become worse in the night, and need to summon help. It is on my table, I believe.

      The old woman looked hard at Aurélie for a moment, and withdrew slowly.

      “Now that that lady is gone,” said the patient, blushing, “I want to tell you how grateful I am for the way you have helped me. If you knew what I felt when I opened my eyes as I lay there on the stones, and saw your face looking down at me, you would feel sure, without being told, that I am ready to do anything to prove my gratitude. I wish I could die for you. Not that that would be much; for my life is not worth a straw to me or anyone else. I am old enough to be tired of it.”

      “Young enough to be tired of it, you mean,” said Aurélie, laughing, but pleased by his earnestness. “Well, I do not doubt that you are very grateful. How did you come under my carriage? Were you really knocked down; or did you only dream it?”

      “I was really knocked down. I can’t tell you how it came about. It served me right; for I was where I had no business to be — in bad company.”

      “Ah,” said Aurélie gravely, approaching him with the pillow. “You must not do so any more, if we are to remain friends.”

      “I will never do so again, so help me God!” he protested. “You have cured me of all taste for that sort of thing.”

      “Raise yourself for one moment — so,” said Aurélie, stooping over him and placing the pillow beneath his head. His color rose as he looked up at her. Then, as she was in the act of withdrawing, he uttered, a stifled exclamation; threw his arm about her; and pressing his lips to her cheek, was about to kiss her, when he fell back with a sharp groan, and lay bathed in perspiration, and flinching from the pain of his wounded face. Aurélie, astonished and outraged, stood erect and regarded him indignantly.

      “Ah,” she said. “That was an unworthy act. You, whom I have succored — my husband’s friend! My God, is it possible that an English gentleman can be so base!”

      “Curse the fellow!” cried the young man, writhing and shedding tears of pain. “Give me something to stop this agony — some chloroform or something. Send for a doctor. I shall go mad. Oh, Lord !”

      “You deserve it well,” said Aurélie, “Come, monsieur, control yourself. This is childish.” As he subsided, exhausted, and only fetching a deep sigh at intervals, she relented and called the old woman who seemed to have been waiting outside for she came at once.

      “He has hurt his wound,” said Aurélie in an undertone. “What can we do for him?”

      The woman shrugged herself, and had nothing to suggest. “Let him make the best of it,” she said, “I can do nothing for him.”

      They stood by the sofa and watched him for some time in silence. At last he opened his eyes, and began to appear more at ease.

      “Would you like to drink something?” said Aurélie coldly.

      “Yes.”

      “Give him some soda water,” she said to the old woman.

      “Never mind,” he said, speaking indistinctly in his effort to avoid stirring his upper lip. “I don’t want anything. The cartilage of my nose is frightfully tender, but the pain is going off.

      “It is now very late, and I must retire, monsieur. Can we do anything further to ensure your comfort?”

      “Nothing, thank you.” Aurélie turned to go.

      “Mrs, Herbert.” She paused. “I suppose no one could behave worse than I have. Never mind my speaking before the old lady: she doesn’t understand me. I wish you would forgive me. I have been severely punished. You cannot even imagine the torture I have undergone in the last ten minutes.”

      “If you regret your conduct as you ought,” began Aurélie severely.

      “I am ashamed of it and of myself; and I will try hard to be sorry — in fact, I am very sorry I was disappointed. I should be more than mortal if I felt otherwise. But I will never do such a thing again.”

      “Adieu, monsieur,” said Aurélie coldly. “I shall not see you again, as you will be gone before I am abroad tomorrow.” And she left the room with a gravity that quelled him.

      “What hast thou been doing now, rogue?” said the old woman, preparing to follow Aurélie. “What is it thou shouldst regret?”

      By way of reply, he leered at her, and stretched out his arms invitingly.

      “Thou shalt go out from my house tomorrow,” she said threateningly; and went out, taking the lamp with her. He laughed, and composed himself for sleep. But he was thirsty and restless, and his face began to pain him continuously. The moon was still shining; and by its light he rose and prowled about softly in his stockings, prying into drawers and chiffoniers, and bringing portable objects to the window, where he could see them better.

      When he had examined everything, he sparred at the mantelpiece, and imagined

      himself taking vengeance on Anatole. At last, having finished the soda water, he lay down again, and slept uneasily until six o’clock, when he rose and looked at himself in a mirror. His hair was disheveled and dusty; his lip discolored; his eyes were inflamed; but the thought of rubbing his soiled face with a towel, or even touching it with water made him wince. Seeing that he was unpresentable, and being sober enough to judge his last nights conduct, he resolved to make off before any of the household were astir. Accordingly, he made himself as clean as he could without hurting himself. From his vest pockets, which contained fourteen francs, an English half-crown, a latchkey. a lead pencil, and a return ticket to Charing Cross, he took ten francs and left them on the table with a scrap of paper inscribed Pour la belle propriétaire — Hommage du misérable Anglais.” Then, on another scrap, which he directed to Aurélie, as follows:

      “I hope you will forgive me for behaving like an unmitigated cad last night, As I was not sober and had had my sense almost knocked out of me by a foul blow, I was hardly accountable for what I was doing. I can never repay your kindness nor expiate my own ingratitude; but please do not say anything about me to Mr Herbert, as you would get me into no end of trouble by doing so. I am running away early early because I should be ashamed to look you in the face now that I have recovered my senses — Yours, most gratefully—”

      He “took several minutes to consider how he should sign this note. Eventually he put down the initial C only. After draining the soda-water bottle of the few flat and sickly drops he had left in it the night before, he left the room and crept downstairs, where he succeeded in letting himself out without alarming the household. The empty street looked white and spacious in the morning sun; and the young man — first looking round to see that no one was at hand to misinterpret his movements — took to his heels and ran until he turned a corner and saw a policeman, who seemed half disposed to arrest him on suspicion. Escaping this danger, he went on until he found a small eating house where some workmen were breakfasting. Here he procured a cheap but plentiful meal,and was directed to the railway station, whither he immediately hastened. A train had just arrived as he entered. As he stood for a moment to watch the passengers coming out, a hand was laid gently on his arm. He turned, and confronted Adrian Herbert, who looked at him with a quiet smile.

      “Well, Charlie,” he said: “so this is Hounslow, is it? What particular branch of engineering are you studying here?”

      “Who told you I was СКАЧАТЬ