。, "You can go to the deuce as far as I am concerned," he said, ashe reached the door. "I'm no sucker," and with that he opened itwith a jerk and closed it equally vigorously.
"And I'm telling you," he said in the end, slightly recoveringhimself, "what you'll not get."。, "No," answered the latter, "he's in his room. Do you wish tosend up a card?""No, I'll call around later," answered Hurstwood, and strolledout.
For relief, he arose and joined in conversation with a fewfriends who were drinking. He tried to get the interest ofthings about him, but it was not to be. All the time histhoughts would run out to his home and see the scene beingtherein enacted. All the time he was wondering what she wouldsay when the boy handed her the envelope.。,
There was no more to be done upon that score that night. He wenton brooding over his situation until midnight, when he repairedagain to the Palmer House. He wondered what the morning wouldbring forth, and slept anything but soundly upon it.Next day he went again to the office and opened his mail,suspicious and hopeful of its contents. No word from Carrie.Nothing from his wife, which was pleasant.。, "Mr. Drouet is hurt and in the hospital. He wants to see you.The cab's downstairs."
"Is it in Chicago?" she asked nervously. They were now farbeyond the city limits, and the train was scudding across theIndiana line at a great rate.。, Once at home, she changed her clothes and straightened the roomsfor herself. In the matter of the arrangement of the furnitureshe never took the housemaid's opinion. That young womaninvariably put one of the rocking-chairs in the corner, andCarrie as regularly moved it out. To-day she hardly noticed thatit was in the wrong place, so absorbed was she in her ownthoughts. She worked about the room until Drouet put inappearance at five o'clock. The drummer was flushed and excitedand full of determination to know all about her relations withHurstwood. Nevertheless, after going over the subject in hismind the livelong day, he was rather weary of it and wished itover with. He did not foresee serious consequences of any sort,and yet he rather hesitated to begin. Carrie was sitting by thewindow when he came in, rocking and looking out."Well," she said innocently, weary of her own mental discussionand wondering at his haste and ill-concealed excitement, "whatmakes you hurry so?"
。, Wait as he did, however, Carrie did not come. From potteringaround among the drawers, in momentary expectation of her arrivalhe changed to looking out of the window, and from that to restinghimself in the rocking-chair. Still no Carrie. He began to growrestless and lit a cigar. After that he walked the floor. Thenhe looked out of the window and saw clouds gathering. Heremembered an appointment at three. He began to think that itwould be useless to wait, and got hold of his umbrella and lightcoat, intending to take these things, any way. It would scareher, he hoped. To-morrow he would come back for the others. Hewould find out how things stood.
At one-thirty he went to Rector's for lunch, and when he returneda messenger was waiting for him. He looked at the little chapwith a feeling of doubt.。,
When she arrived in the business part it was quite eleveno'clock, and the business had little longer to run. She did notrealise this at first, being affected by some of the old distresswhich was a result of her earlier adventure into this strenuousand exacting quarter. She wandered about, assuring herself thatshe was making up her mind to look for something, and at the sametime feeling that perhaps it was not necessary to be in suchhaste about it. The thing was difficult to encounter, and shehad a few days. Besides, she was not sure that she was reallyface to face again with the bitter problem of self-sustenance.Anyhow, there was one change for the better. She knew that shehad improved in appearance. Her manner had vastly changed. Herclothes were becoming, and men--well-dressed men, some of thekind who before had gazed at her indifferently from behind theirpolished railings and imposing office partitions--now gazed intoher face with a soft light in their eyes. In a way, she felt thepower and satisfaction of the thing, but it did not whollyreassure her. She looked for nothing save what might comelegitimately and without the appearance of special favour. Shewanted something, but no man should buy her by falseprotestations or favour. She proposed to earn her livinghonestly.。, "You're angry at me because I deceived you," he said. "I didn'tmean to, Carrie. As I live I didn't. I couldn't help it. Icouldn't stay away from you after the first time I saw you."