'
The smell of what was offered her proved sufficient to restore Jane;
she shook her head and put the glass away. After an uncomfortable
silence, during which Joseph dragged his feet about the floor, Clem
remarked:
'He wants you to take him home to see your grandfather, Jane.
There's been reasons why he couldn't go before. Hadn't you better go
at once, Jo?'
Jane rose and waited whilst her father assumed his hat and drew on a
new pair of gloves. She could not look at either husband or wife.
Presently she found herself in the street, walking without
consciousness of things in the homeward direction.
'You've grown up a very nice, modest girl, Jane,' was her father's
first observation. 'I can see your grandfather has taken good care
of you.'
He tried to speak as if the situation were perfectly simple. Jane
could find no reply.
'I thought it was better,' he continued, in the same matter-of-fact
voice, 'not to see either of you till this marriage of mine was
over. I've had a great deal of trouble in life--I'll tell you all
about it some day, my dear--and I wanted just to settle myself
before--I dare say you'll understand what I mean.
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