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THE WINDOW

There he stood in the parlour of the poky littlehouse where she had taken him, waiting for her,while she went upstairs a moment to see a woman.He heard her quick step above; heard her voicecheerful, then low; looked at the mats, tea-caddies,glass shades; waited quite impatiently; lookedforward eagerly to the walk home, determined hewould make her give himtocarryher bag; HB: Blue pencil mark possibly indicating page break in the American edition.then heard hercome out; shut a door; say they must keep thewindows open and the doors shut, ask at the housefor anything they wanted (she must be talking toa child) and [∧] then,whensuddenly, in she came, stood fora moment silent, sad[%](as if she had been pretendingup there, and for a moment let herself be now),stood quite motionless for a moment against apicture of Queen Victoria wearing the blue ribbonof the Garter; when all at once he realised that itwas this: it was this:—she was the most beautifulperson he had ever seen.

With stars in her eyes and veils in her hair,with cyclamen and wild violets—what nonsensewas he thinking? She was fifty at least; she hadeight children. Stepping through fields of flowersand taking to her breast buds that had broken andlambs that had fallen; with the stars in her eyesand the wind in her hair—He took her bag.

HB (?): pencil mark, "Good-bye, EliseElsie," she said, and they walkedup the street, she holding her parasol erect and27