dBooks desire

She had taken the whole of a cabin on the quieter
deck below the promenade, paying for it nearly half
of what was left of the four thousand francs. The
first three days she kept to her cabin except at the
dinner-hour, when she ventured to the deck just outside
and walked up and down for exercise. Then followed
four days of nasty weather during which she did not
leave her bed. As the sea calmed, she, wretched and
reckless, had a chair put for herself under her window
and sat there, veiled and swathed and turning her face
away whenever a rare wandering passenger happened
to pass along. Toward noon a man paused before her
to light a cigarette. She, forgetting for the moment
her precautions, looked at him. It chanced that he
looked at her at exactly the same instant. Their
glances met. He started nervously, moved on a few
steps, returned. Said she mockingly:
``You know you needn't speak if you don't want to,
Stanley.''
``There isn't a soul on board that anybody ever
knew or that ever knew anybody,'' said he.


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