Page:Adams - A Child of the Age.djvu/97

85 She stood, with her hands joined in front of her, holding the bag, and looked down at me.

'You've been very ill, sir,' she said, and gave her head a shake.

'I assure you, madam, that you are mistaken. I have just woken up.—"Abou ben Adhem, may his tribe increase," and so on.' 'You have been insensible for on two days,' she said.

I stared at her round shadowed eyes. She nodded her head, and, I saw, smiled at me.

'—Insensible?… Why I have never fainted in my life.' I saw an open letter on the table-cloth in that dusky light.

I let my head sink on to the pillow with a sigh and shut my eyes. Memory had flowed back on to me.

'I have brought you some grapes,' she said, 'I thought you might like them.'

I raised my head again, and opened my eyes in the room, now full of light. I had not noticed that she had lit the gas.

'You are kind; but'

'You will not take them?'

'No, thank you.'

'Oh very well! I shall throw them out of the window then!—Why shouldn't you take a present from me?…. I haven't paid you back the four shillings I owed you yet: but I can—now.' She took out a purse: unhasped it: opened the leaves: put in two of her fingers, and then, with a quick lift-up of her head and a bright smile came towards me, holding two florins in her extended palm.

'I only lent you three,' I said. 'And I have got no change! Think of that! Only gold and silver. Isn't it ridiculous? Will you eat some of the grapes?… Please!'

A pause.

'It was kind of you to bring me them,' I said, 'and I am—afraid I must have been giving you a great deal of trouble … Miss' Oh no! none! You will eat them then?'

I was silent. 'Oh, Miss'