The idea of accepting his money stirred her to a perfect frenzy. That
was piling it up.
All during the next week she worked at her machine in the office of the
furniture company, keeping strictly to herself, doing her work
impassively, efficiently, betraying no sign of the feelings that
sometimes rose up, the despairing protest and angry rebellion against
the dubious position she was in through no fault of her own. She swore
she would not leave Granville, and it galled her to stay. It was a
losing fight, and she knew it even if she did not admit the fact. If
she could have poured the whole miserable tale into some sympathetic
ear she would have felt better, and each day would have seemed less
hard. But there was no such ear. Her friends kept away.
Saturday of the second week her pay envelope contained a brief notice
that the firm no longer required her services. There was no
explanation, only perfunctory regrets; and, truth to tell, Hazel cared
little to know the real cause. Any one of a number of reasons might
have been sufficient. But she realized how those who knew her would
take it, what cause they would ascribe. It did not matter, though.
The very worst, she reasoned, could not be so bad as what had already
happened--could be no more disagreeable than the things she had endured
in the past two weeks.
Pages:
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67