very carefully. Once Jane was allowed to take a position on the matter of selling the house, there would be no budging her. She had always been stubborn in her notions, absolutely unmovable. Blanche’s hand gripped the arm of her chair as Jane neared the doorway.
With no glance in Blanche’s direction, Jane carried the tray into the room and put it down on the desk with a deliberate abruptness, so as to produce a small angry clattering of china and silver.Immediately, she turned and started out again, but Blanche, moving forward, held out a hand to detain her.
“Jane…” Even to herself her voice sounded thin and unnatural. “Jane, I wasn’t ringing for lunch—thank you for bringing it—but there’s something I want to—to discuss with you.”
At the doorway Jane turned and looked back, her eyes dull now and unrevealing. For a moment Blanche could only stare at her, at the dumpy, defeated figure in the shapeless dress, at the preposterous dyed hair with its hard reddish sheen, and at the childish face seamed with age and bitterness. Seeing all this—compelled somehow at this moment to see it—Blanche was filled with a curious mixture of fear and pity. She turned her gaze downward to her hands.
“Jane, I’m afraid I’ve had some bad news. There have been certain reverses lately—financial reverses, you understand, and—according to Bert Hanley we’re going to have to give up this house. I’ve already——” She paused, aware of a subtle quickening in Jane’s attitude. “I should have told you sooner, I know that, but Bert kept thinking that things might change and——”
“When did you talk to Bert Hanley?”
Startled Blanche glanced up to find the dark eyes full upon her, level, alive, waiting, and she felt a sudden breathlessness.
“Why—it was last week, it seems to me.…”
Jane, staring at her unblinkingly, just perceptibly shook her head. “Bert Hanley didn’t call here last week. And you didn’t call him. I know.”
“I—well, no, we didn’t talk on the phone,” Blanche fumbled. “He wrote me a letter, actually. But that doesn’t make any difference.…”
Again Jane shook her head. “He didn’t write any letter, either. There hasn’t been a letter from his office since——”
“Yes, Jane, yes, there was!”
“I bring in the mail,” Jane said with maddening evenness. “I guess I’d know.”
Blanche’s face, by now, was hot with embarrassment. She moistened her lips nervously. “Then it must have come sometime before. He sent it with our allowance check.”
“That was nearly a month ago. This month’s check is almost due. Why——?”
“Jane,” Blanche broke in desperately, “it doesn’t matter when or how I heard from Bert. That’s not what we’re talking about. The point is…”
Before Jane’s merciless gaze, her voice fell weakly away into silence. A faint smile, it seemed, tugged at the corners of Jane’s mouth like a fleeting shadow.
“You’re lying,” she said calmly, flatly. “You’re just a liar, Blanche.”
Blanche started forward in her chair, but then the telephone shrilled and she looked around in a quick, convulsive movement toward the desk. The sound came so suddenly and so shockingly that she was unable even to get her chair into motion before Jane came back into the room and snatched up the telephone.
“Jane!”
Undeterred, Jane carried the phone from the room out into the hallway. With the briefest backward glance, she picked up the receiver. “Hello?” she enquired.
Too astonished to make any further protest Blanche listened in numb helplessness.
“Oh?… No.… No, she’s not here right now.… Oh, no, that’s not so at all.… Well, she’s mistaken; she isn’t interested at all.… Oh, yes, I’m sure.… Of course I am.… Well, then she’s changed her mind, so you can just forget it.… Oh, yes, I will if you want me to.… Oh, I’m sure all right, I’m positive.… Yes… Yes, I will.… All right,
With no glance in Blanche’s direction, Jane carried the tray into the room and put it down on the desk with a deliberate abruptness, so as to produce a small angry clattering of china and silver.Immediately, she turned and started out again, but Blanche, moving forward, held out a hand to detain her.
“Jane…” Even to herself her voice sounded thin and unnatural. “Jane, I wasn’t ringing for lunch—thank you for bringing it—but there’s something I want to—to discuss with you.”
At the doorway Jane turned and looked back, her eyes dull now and unrevealing. For a moment Blanche could only stare at her, at the dumpy, defeated figure in the shapeless dress, at the preposterous dyed hair with its hard reddish sheen, and at the childish face seamed with age and bitterness. Seeing all this—compelled somehow at this moment to see it—Blanche was filled with a curious mixture of fear and pity. She turned her gaze downward to her hands.
“Jane, I’m afraid I’ve had some bad news. There have been certain reverses lately—financial reverses, you understand, and—according to Bert Hanley we’re going to have to give up this house. I’ve already——” She paused, aware of a subtle quickening in Jane’s attitude. “I should have told you sooner, I know that, but Bert kept thinking that things might change and——”
“When did you talk to Bert Hanley?”
Startled Blanche glanced up to find the dark eyes full upon her, level, alive, waiting, and she felt a sudden breathlessness.
“Why—it was last week, it seems to me.…”
Jane, staring at her unblinkingly, just perceptibly shook her head. “Bert Hanley didn’t call here last week. And you didn’t call him. I know.”
“I—well, no, we didn’t talk on the phone,” Blanche fumbled. “He wrote me a letter, actually. But that doesn’t make any difference.…”
Again Jane shook her head. “He didn’t write any letter, either. There hasn’t been a letter from his office since——”
“Yes, Jane, yes, there was!”
“I bring in the mail,” Jane said with maddening evenness. “I guess I’d know.”
Blanche’s face, by now, was hot with embarrassment. She moistened her lips nervously. “Then it must have come sometime before. He sent it with our allowance check.”
“That was nearly a month ago. This month’s check is almost due. Why——?”
“Jane,” Blanche broke in desperately, “it doesn’t matter when or how I heard from Bert. That’s not what we’re talking about. The point is…”
Before Jane’s merciless gaze, her voice fell weakly away into silence. A faint smile, it seemed, tugged at the corners of Jane’s mouth like a fleeting shadow.
“You’re lying,” she said calmly, flatly. “You’re just a liar, Blanche.”
Blanche started forward in her chair, but then the telephone shrilled and she looked around in a quick, convulsive movement toward the desk. The sound came so suddenly and so shockingly that she was unable even to get her chair into motion before Jane came back into the room and snatched up the telephone.
“Jane!”
Undeterred, Jane carried the phone from the room out into the hallway. With the briefest backward glance, she picked up the receiver. “Hello?” she enquired.
Too astonished to make any further protest Blanche listened in numb helplessness.
“Oh?… No.… No, she’s not here right now.… Oh, no, that’s not so at all.… Well, she’s mistaken; she isn’t interested at all.… Oh, yes, I’m sure.… Of course I am.… Well, then she’s changed her mind, so you can just forget it.… Oh, yes, I will if you want me to.… Oh, I’m sure all right, I’m positive.… Yes… Yes, I will.… All right,
Similar Books
