Chapter 20

           Inthesquare,astheycameout,asuspendedmassofgasolineexhaustcookedslowlyintheJulysun.Itwasaterriblething—unlikepureheatitheldnopromiseofruralescapebutsuggestedonlyroadschokedwiththesamefoulasthma.Duringtheirluncheon,outdoors,acrossfromtheLuxembourgGardens,Rosemaryhadcrampsandfeltfretfulandfullofimpatientlassitude—itwastheforetasteofthisthathadinspiredherself-accusationofselfishnessinthestation.

           Dickhadnosuspicionofthesharpnessofthechange;hewasprofoundlyunhappyandthesubsequentincreaseofegotismtendedmomentarilytoblindhimtowhatwasgoingonroundabouthim,anddeprivehimofthelongground-swellofimaginationthathecountedonforhisjudgments.

           AfterMaryNorthleftthem,accompaniedbytheItaliansingingteacherwhohadjoinedthemforcoffeeandwastakinghertohertrain,Rosemary,too,stoodup,boundforanengagementatherstudio:"meetsomeofficials."

           "Andoh—"sheproposed"—ifCollisClay,thatSouthernboy—ifhecomeswhileyouarestillsittinghere,justtellhimIcouldn’twait;tellhimtocallmeto-morrow."

           Tooinsouciant,inreactionfromthelatedisturbance,shehadassumedtheprivilegesofachild—theresultbeingtoremindtheDiversoftheirexclusivelovefortheirownchildren;Rosemarywassharplyrebukedinashortpassagebetweenthewomen:"You’dbetterleavethemessagewithawaiter,"Nicole’svoicewassternandunmodulated,"we’releavingimmediately."