You've been a good
girl, and there has been nobody of your class about. Mr. Mortimer is, I
dare say, a gentleman, and I must confess I was afraid that you might
mistake a feeling of generosity to him for something stronger; but that
was only an idle fancy, I see. It would have been unfortunate if it
were otherwise, for he is very poor indeed. His small salary must be
all taken up in keeping himself, his widowed mother, and a younger
sister."
Allis gave a sudden start. She had not known these particulars of
Mortimer's life; but they carried certain explanations of his conduct.
Quite casually she had formed an impression that he was penurious;
something he had dropped about not being able to afford certain
pleasures. That was where the money went--to support his mother and
sister. Unwittingly her mother was pleading the cause of two men.
The mother's talk depressed Allis greatly. Why should this troublesome
matter come to her when she had so much to bear, so much to do. It gave
her quite a shock to find that as her mother talked she was not thinking
of Crane at all. She could not picture his face, even; just the narrow-
lidded eyes peeped at her in her thoughts once or twice; it would be
horrible to look into them forever and ever.
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