DOI article:
Cross, Victoria: Theodora: a fragment
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21805#0164
Theodora
160
cc I am certainly not likely to,” I answered. u All this you’ve
just told me alone would be enough to choke me off. I have always
thought I could never love a decent woman unselfishly enough,
even if she gave up nothing for me ; and, great heavens ! I should
be sorry to value myself, at—what do you say she has ?—six
thousand a year ? ”
“ Leave the woman who falls in love with the cut of your nose
to do the valuation. You’ll be surprised at the figure ! ” said
Digby with a touch of resentful bitterness, and getting up
abruptly. “ I’ll look round in the evening,” he added, buttoning
up his overcoat. “ Going to be in ? ”
cc As far as I know,” I answered, and he left.
I got up and dressed leisurely, thinking over what he had said,
and those words “ six thousand ” repeating themselves unpleasantly
in my brain.
The time was in accordance with strict formality when I found
myself on her steps. The room I was shown into was large,
much too large to be comfortable on such 'a day ; and I had to
thread my way through a perfect maze of gilt-legged tables and
statuette-bearing tripods before I reached the hearth. Here burnt
a small, quiet, chaste-looking fire, a sort of Vestal Harne, whose heat
was lost upon the tesselated tiles, white marble, and polished brass
about it. I stood looking down at it absently for a few minutes,
and then Theodora came in.
She was very simply dressed in some dark stuff that fitted
closely to her, and let me see the harmonious lines of her figure as
she came up to me. The plain, small collar of the dress opened
at the neck, and a delicious, solid, white throat rose from the dull
stuff like an almond bursting from its husk. On the pale, well-
cut face and small head great care had evidently been bestowed.
The eyes were darkened, as last night, and the hair arranged with
infinite
160
cc I am certainly not likely to,” I answered. u All this you’ve
just told me alone would be enough to choke me off. I have always
thought I could never love a decent woman unselfishly enough,
even if she gave up nothing for me ; and, great heavens ! I should
be sorry to value myself, at—what do you say she has ?—six
thousand a year ? ”
“ Leave the woman who falls in love with the cut of your nose
to do the valuation. You’ll be surprised at the figure ! ” said
Digby with a touch of resentful bitterness, and getting up
abruptly. “ I’ll look round in the evening,” he added, buttoning
up his overcoat. “ Going to be in ? ”
cc As far as I know,” I answered, and he left.
I got up and dressed leisurely, thinking over what he had said,
and those words “ six thousand ” repeating themselves unpleasantly
in my brain.
The time was in accordance with strict formality when I found
myself on her steps. The room I was shown into was large,
much too large to be comfortable on such 'a day ; and I had to
thread my way through a perfect maze of gilt-legged tables and
statuette-bearing tripods before I reached the hearth. Here burnt
a small, quiet, chaste-looking fire, a sort of Vestal Harne, whose heat
was lost upon the tesselated tiles, white marble, and polished brass
about it. I stood looking down at it absently for a few minutes,
and then Theodora came in.
She was very simply dressed in some dark stuff that fitted
closely to her, and let me see the harmonious lines of her figure as
she came up to me. The plain, small collar of the dress opened
at the neck, and a delicious, solid, white throat rose from the dull
stuff like an almond bursting from its husk. On the pale, well-
cut face and small head great care had evidently been bestowed.
The eyes were darkened, as last night, and the hair arranged with
infinite