Alpha Book

They had scarcely seen one
another since that unhappy meeting in the Stuyvesant Club; and now,
remembering what he had written to Eileen, he emerged with a start from
his contented dreaming, sobered by the prospect of seeking Gerald.
For a moment or two he hesitated; but he had said in his letter that he
was going to do it; and now he rose, looked around for his pipe, found
it, filled and lighted it, and, throwing on his dressing-gown, went out
into the corridor, tying the tasselled cords around his waist as he
walked.
His first knock remaining unanswered, he knocked more sharply. Then he
heard from within the muffled creak of a bed, heavy steps across the
floor. The door opened with a jerk; Gerald stood there, eyes swollen,
hair in disorder, his collar crushed, and the white evening tie
unknotted and dangling over his soiled shirt-front.
"Hello," said Selwyn simply; "may I come in?"
The boy passed his hand across his eyes as though confused by the light;
then he turned and walked back toward the bed, still rubbing his eyes,
and sat down on the edge.


Pages:
378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402