The Second Mrs. Tanqueray Arthur W. Pinero (free children's online books txt) đ
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dog!â âMrs. Cortelyon, the Orreyeds, this man! What an everlasting nightmare for you!
Aubrey
Oh, we can forget it, if we choose.
Paula
That was always your cry. How can one do it!
Aubrey
Well make our calculations solely for the future, talk about the future, think about the future.
Paula
I believe the future is only the past again, entered through another gate.
Aubrey
Thatâs an awful belief.
Paula
Tonight proves it. You must see now that, do what we will, go where we will, youâll be continually reminded ofâ âwhat I was. I see it.
Aubrey
Youâre frightened tonight; meeting this man has frightened you. But that sort of thing isnât likely to recur. The world isnât quite so small as all that.
Paula
Isnât it! The only great distances it contains are those we carry within ourselvesâ âthe distances that separate husbands and wives, for instance. And so itâll be with us. Youâll do your bestâ âoh, I know thatâ âyouâre a good fellow. But circumstances will be too strong for you in the end, mark my words.
Aubrey
Paulaâ â!
Paula
Of course Iâm pretty nowâ âIâm pretty stillâ âand a pretty woman, whatever else she may be, is alwaysâ âwell, endurable. But even now I notice that the lines of my face are getting deeper; so are the hollows about my eyes. Yes, my face is covered with little shadows that usenât to be there. Oh, I know Iâm âgoing off.â I hate paint and dye and those messes, but, by-and-by, I shall drift the way of the others; I shanât be able to help myself. And then, some dayâ âperhaps very suddenly, under a queer, fantastic light at night or in the glare of the morningâ âthat horrid, irresistible truth that physical repulsion forces on men and women will come to you, and youâll sicken at me.
Aubrey
Iâ â!
Paula
Youâll see me then, at last, with other peopleâs eyes; youâll see me just as your daughter does now, as all wholesome folks see women like me. And I shall have no weapon to fight withâ ânot one serviceable little bit of prettiness left me to defend myself with! A worn-out creatureâ âbroken up, very likely, sometime before I ought to beâ âmy hair bright, my eyes dull, my body too thin or too stout, my cheeks raddled and ruddledâ âa ghost, a wreck, a caricature, a candle that gutters, call such an end what you like! Oh, Aubrey, what shall I be able to say to you then? And this is the future you talk about! I know itâ âI know it! He is still sitting staring forward; she rocks herself to and fro as if in pain. Oh, Aubrey! Oh! Oh!
Aubrey
Paulaâ â!
Trying to comfort her.
Paula
Oh, and I wanted so much to sleep tonight! Laying her head upon his shoulder. From the distance, in the garden, there comes the sound of Drummleâs voice; he is singing as he approaches the house. Thatâs Cayley, coming back from The Warren. Starting up. He doesnât know, evidently. Iâ âI wonât see him!
She goes out quickly. Drummleâs voice comes nearer. Aubrey rouses himself and snatches up a book from the table, making a pretence of reading. After a moment or two, Drummle appears at the window and looks in.
Drummle
Aha! my dear chap!
Aubrey
Cayley?
Drummle
Coming into the room. I went down to The Warren after you?
Aubrey
Yes?
Drummle
Missed you. Well? Iâve been gossiping with Mrs. Cortelyon. Confound you, Iâve heard the news!
Aubrey
What have you heard?
Drummle
What have I heard! Whyâ âEllean and young Ardale! Looking at Aubrey keenly. My dear Aubrey! Alice is under the impression that you are inclined to look on the affair favourably.
Aubrey
Rising and advancing to Drummle. Youâve notâ âmetâ âCaptain Ardale?
Drummle
No. Why do you ask? By the by, I donât know that I need tell youâ âbut itâs rather strange. Heâs not at The Warren tonight.
Aubrey
No?
Drummle
He left the house half-an-hour ago, to stroll about the lanes; just now a note came from him, a scribble in pencil, simply telling Alice that she would receive a letter from him tomorrow. Whatâs the matter? Thereâs nothing very wrong, is there! My dear chap, pray forgive me if Iâm asking too much.
Aubrey
Cayley, youâ âyou urged me to send her away!
Drummle
Ellean! Yes, yes. Butâ âbutâ âby all accounts this is quite an eligible young fellow. Alice has been giving me the historyâ â
Aubrey
Curse him! Hurling his book to the floor. Curse him! Yes, I do curse himâ âhim and his class! Perhaps I curse myself too in doing it. He has only led âa manâs lifeââ âjust as I, how many of us, have done! The misery he has brought on me and mine itâs likely enough we, in our time, have helped to bring on others by this leading âa manâs lifeâ! But I do curse him for all that. My God, Iâve nothing more to fearâ âIâve paid my fine! And so I can curse him in safety. Curse him! Curse him!
Drummle
In Heavenâs name, tell me whatâs happened?
Aubrey
Gripping Drummleâs arm. Paula! Paula!
Drummle
What?
Aubrey
They met tonight here. Theyâ âtheyâ âtheyâre not strangers to each other.
Drummle
Aubrey!
Aubrey
Curse him! My poor, wretched wife! My poor, wretched wife!
The door opens and Ellean appears. The two men turn to her. There is a momentâs silence.
Ellean
Fatherâ ââ ⊠fatherâ ââ âŠâ!
Aubrey
Ellean?
Ellean
Iâ âI want you. He goes to her. Fatherâ ââ ⊠go to Paula! He looks into her face, startled. Quicklyâ âquickly! He passes her to go out, she seizes his arm, with a cry. No, no; donât go!
He shakes her off and goes. Ellean staggers back towards Drummle.
Drummle
To Ellean. What do you mean? What do you mean?
Ellean
Iâ âI went to her roomâ âto tell her I was sorry for something I had said to her. And I was sorryâ âI was sorry. I heard the fall. Iâ âIâve seen her. Itâs horrible.
Drummle
Sheâ âshe hasâ â!
Ellean
Killedâ âherself? Yesâ âyes. So everybody will say. But I knowâ âI helped to kill her. If I had only been merciful!
She faints upon the ottoman. He pauses for
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