What beats me is how you found it all
out."
Thus the hours they spent together became to Howard not only a
source of joy, but an extraordinary simplification of everything.
Maud seemed to have lived an absolutely uncalculating life, without
any idea of making any position for herself at all; and it sickened
Howard to think how so much of his own existence had been devoted
to getting on the right side of people, driving them on a light
rein, keeping them deftly in his own control. Maud laughed at this
description of himself, and said, "Yes, but of course that was your
business. I should have been a very tiresome kind of Don; we don't
either of us want to punish people, but I want to alter them. I
can't bear stupid people, I think. I had rather people were clever
and unsatisfactory than dull and good. If they are dull there's no
reason for their being good. I like people to have reasons!"
They talked--how often they did that!--about the complications that
had beset them.
"The one thing I can't make out," said Maud, "is how or why you
ever thought I cared for that little boy. He was such a nice boy;
but he had no reasons. Oh, dear, how wretched he made me!"
"Well," said Howard, "I must ask you this--what did really happen
on that awful afternoon at the Folly?"
Maud covered her face with her hands. "It was too dreadful!" she
said. "First of all, you were looking like Hamlet--you don't know
how romantic you looked! I did really believe that you cared for me
then--I couldn't help it--but there was some veil between us; and
the number of times I telegraphed from my brain to you that day,
'Can't you understand?' was beyond counting.
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