Поворот винта
Chapter 23
IfeltthatIsawhim,atanyrate,shutinorshutout.Hewasadmirable,butnotcomfortable:Itookitinwithathrobofhope.Wasn’thelooking,throughthehauntedpane,forsomethinghecouldn’tsee?—andwasn’titthefirsttimeinthewholebusinessthathehadknownsuchalapse?Thefirst,theveryfirst:Ifounditasplendidportent.Itmadehimanxious,thoughhewatchedhimself;hehadbeenanxiousalldayand,evenwhileinhisusualsweetlittlemannerhesatattable,hadneededallhissmallstrangegeniustogiveitagloss.Whenheatlastturnedroundtomeetme,itwasalmostasifthisgeniushadsuccumbed.“Well,IthinkI’mgladBlyagreeswithme!”
“Youwouldcertainlyseemtohaveseen,thesetwenty-fourhours,agooddealmoreofitthanforsometimebefore.Ihope,”Iwentonbravely,“thatyou’vebeenenjoyingyourself.”
“Oh,yes,I’vebeeneversofar;allroundabout—milesandmilesaway.I’veneverbeensofree.”
Hehadreallyamannerofhisown,andIcouldonlytrytokeepupwithhim.“Well,doyoulikeit?”
Hestoodtheresmiling;thenatlastheputintotwowords—“Doyou?”—morediscriminationthanIhadeverheardtwowordscontain.BeforeIhadtimetodealwiththat,however,hecontinuedasifwiththesensethatthiswasanimpertinencetobesoftened.“Nothingcouldbemorecharmingthanthewayyoutakeit,forofcourseifwe’realonetogethernowit’syouthatarealonemost.
