She could not to-
day, however, rid herself of the feeling that some mystery lay behind
the incident of the morning. She began to frame excuses. She speculated
whether it were possible that Arthur were secretly painting the
portrait of his friend's wife, to produce it as a surprise to them all.
She said to herself that Ninitta naturally knew models, and might
easily have enough of a feeling of comradeship remaining from the time
when she had been a model herself, to lend or give them articles of
dress. Unfortunately, she knew how Ninitta kept herself aloof from her
old associates since the birth of her child, and the explanation did
not satisfy her.
No faintest suspicion of positive evil entered Edith's mind. She was
only vaguely troubled, the incident forming one more of the trifles
which of late had made her very uneasy in regard to her husband. She
told herself that she had confidence in Arthur; but the woman who is
forced to reflect that she has confidence in her husband has already
begun, however unconsciously, to doubt him.
"The question is profound enough," Mrs. Frostwinch answered Edith's
words in her even tones, which somehow seemed to reduce everything to a
well-bred abstraction. "Of course the thing for a Woman to do is to
remain determinedly ignorant until it would be too palpably absurd to
pretend any longer; and then she must get away from him as quietly as
possible.
Pages:
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177