Page:Gissing - The Nether World, vol. III, 1889.djvu/277

 the difficulty in his budget; he winced whenever such demands encroached upon the poor weekly income of which every penny was too little for the serious needs of the family. Feeling that if he sat and thought much longer a dark mood would seize upon him, he rose hastily.

“I shall try kindness with her. Don’t say anything more in her hearing.”

He went to the kitchen-door, and cried cheerfully, “My dinner ready, girls?”

Annie’s voice replied with a timorous affirmative.

“All right; I’ll be down in a minute.”

Treading as gently as possible, he ascended the stairs and entered his bedroom. The blind was drawn down, but sunlight shone through it and made a softened glow in the chamber. In a little cot was sitting his child, May, rather more than a year old; she had toys about her, and was for the moment contented. Clara lay on the bed, her face turned so that Sidney could not see it. He spoke to her, and she just moved her arm, but gave no reply.

“Do you wish to be left alone?” he asked, in a subdued and troubled voice.