Read Online The Hollow by Agatha Christie - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Agatha Christie
Ads: Link
slowly, “That's an odd thing for you to say, Henrietta. You, who've been so successful.”
“Do you think of me as successful? How funny.”
“But you are, my dear. You're an artist. You must be proud of yourself - you can't help being.”
“I know,” said Henrietta. “A lot of people say that to me. They don't understand - they don't understand the first thing about it! You don't, Edward. Sculpture isn't a thing you set out to do and succeed in. It's a thing that gets at you, that nags at you - and haunts you - so that, sooner or later, you've got to make terms with it. And then, for a bit, you get some peace - until the whole thing starts over again.”
“Do you want to be peaceful, Henrietta?”
“Sometimes I think I want to be peaceful more than anything in the world, Edward!”
“You could be peaceful at Ainswick... I think you could be happy there. Even - even if you had to put up with me. What about it, Henrietta? Won't you come to Ainswick and make it your home? It's always been there, you know, waiting for you.”
Henrietta turned her head slowly. She said in a low voice:
“I wish I wasn't so dreadfully fond of you, Edward. It makes it so very much harder to go on saying no.”
“It is no, then?”
“I'm sorry.”
“You've said no before - but this time - well, I thought it might be different. You've been happy this afternoon, Henrietta. You can't deny that.”
“I've been very happy.”
“Your face even - it's younger than it was this morning.”
“I know.”
“We've been happy together, talking about Ainswick, thinking about Ainswick. Don't you see what that means, Henrietta?”
“It's you who don't see what it means, Edward! We've been living all this afternoon in the past.”
“The past is sometimes a very good place to live.”
“One can't go back. That's the one thing one can't do - go back.”
He was silent for a minute or two. Then he said in a quiet, pleasant and quite unemotional voice:
“What you really mean is that you won't marry me because of John Christow.”
Henrietta did not answer, and Edward went on:
“That's it, isn't it? If there were no John Christow in the world you would marry me.”
Henrietta said harshly, “I can't imagine a world in which there was no John Christow! That's what you've got to understand.”
“If it's like that, why on earth doesn't the fellow get a divorce from his wife and then you could marry?”
“John doesn't want to get a divorce from his wife. And I don't know that I should want to marry John if he did. It isn't - it isn't in the least like you think.”
Edward said in a thoughtful, considering way: “John Christow... There are too many John Christows in this world...”
“You're wrong,” said Henrietta. “There are very few people like John...”
“If that's so - it's a good thing! At least, that's what I think!”
He got up. “We'd better go back again.”
The Hollow
Chapter 7
As they got into the car and Lewis shut the front door of the Harley Street house, Gerda felt the pang of exile go through her. That shut door was so final. She was barred out - this awful weekend was upon her. And there were things, quite a lot of things, that she ought to have done before leaving. Had she turned off that tap in the bathroom? And that note for the laundry - she'd put it - where had she put it? Would the children be all right with Mademoiselle? Mademoiselle was so - so - would Terence, for instance, ever do anything that Mademoiselle told him to? French governesses never seemed to have any authority.
She got into the driving seat, still bowed down by misery, and nervously pressed the starter. She pressed it again and again. John said. “The car will start better, Gerda, if you switch on the engine.”
“Oh, dear, how stupid of me.” She shot a quick alarmed glance at him. If John was going to become annoyed straight away. But to her relief he was smiling.
That's because, thought Gerda, with one of her flashes
“Do you think of me as successful? How funny.”
“But you are, my dear. You're an artist. You must be proud of yourself - you can't help being.”
“I know,” said Henrietta. “A lot of people say that to me. They don't understand - they don't understand the first thing about it! You don't, Edward. Sculpture isn't a thing you set out to do and succeed in. It's a thing that gets at you, that nags at you - and haunts you - so that, sooner or later, you've got to make terms with it. And then, for a bit, you get some peace - until the whole thing starts over again.”
“Do you want to be peaceful, Henrietta?”
“Sometimes I think I want to be peaceful more than anything in the world, Edward!”
“You could be peaceful at Ainswick... I think you could be happy there. Even - even if you had to put up with me. What about it, Henrietta? Won't you come to Ainswick and make it your home? It's always been there, you know, waiting for you.”
Henrietta turned her head slowly. She said in a low voice:
“I wish I wasn't so dreadfully fond of you, Edward. It makes it so very much harder to go on saying no.”
“It is no, then?”
“I'm sorry.”
“You've said no before - but this time - well, I thought it might be different. You've been happy this afternoon, Henrietta. You can't deny that.”
“I've been very happy.”
“Your face even - it's younger than it was this morning.”
“I know.”
“We've been happy together, talking about Ainswick, thinking about Ainswick. Don't you see what that means, Henrietta?”
“It's you who don't see what it means, Edward! We've been living all this afternoon in the past.”
“The past is sometimes a very good place to live.”
“One can't go back. That's the one thing one can't do - go back.”
He was silent for a minute or two. Then he said in a quiet, pleasant and quite unemotional voice:
“What you really mean is that you won't marry me because of John Christow.”
Henrietta did not answer, and Edward went on:
“That's it, isn't it? If there were no John Christow in the world you would marry me.”
Henrietta said harshly, “I can't imagine a world in which there was no John Christow! That's what you've got to understand.”
“If it's like that, why on earth doesn't the fellow get a divorce from his wife and then you could marry?”
“John doesn't want to get a divorce from his wife. And I don't know that I should want to marry John if he did. It isn't - it isn't in the least like you think.”
Edward said in a thoughtful, considering way: “John Christow... There are too many John Christows in this world...”
“You're wrong,” said Henrietta. “There are very few people like John...”
“If that's so - it's a good thing! At least, that's what I think!”
He got up. “We'd better go back again.”
The Hollow
Chapter 7
As they got into the car and Lewis shut the front door of the Harley Street house, Gerda felt the pang of exile go through her. That shut door was so final. She was barred out - this awful weekend was upon her. And there were things, quite a lot of things, that she ought to have done before leaving. Had she turned off that tap in the bathroom? And that note for the laundry - she'd put it - where had she put it? Would the children be all right with Mademoiselle? Mademoiselle was so - so - would Terence, for instance, ever do anything that Mademoiselle told him to? French governesses never seemed to have any authority.
She got into the driving seat, still bowed down by misery, and nervously pressed the starter. She pressed it again and again. John said. “The car will start better, Gerda, if you switch on the engine.”
“Oh, dear, how stupid of me.” She shot a quick alarmed glance at him. If John was going to become annoyed straight away. But to her relief he was smiling.
That's because, thought Gerda, with one of her flashes
Similar Books
