" Like her sex,
she took the benefit of the doubt, and intensified her perplexity and
misery by reading and misconstruing the all but unintelligible contents.
What then? Not only sobs and sighs, but moaning and beating of little
fists together, and outcries of soul-felt agony stifled against the
bedside, and temples pressed into knitted palms, because of one who
"sought _not to be_ acquainted," but offered money--money!--in pity to a
poor--shame on her for saying that!--a poor _nigresse_.
And now our self-confessed dolt turned back from a half-hour's walk,
concluding there might be an answer to his note. "Surely Madame John
will appear this time." He knocked. The shutter stirred above, and
something white came fluttering wildly down like a shot dove. It was his
own letter containing the fifty-dollar bill. He bounded to the wicket,
and softly but eagerly knocked again.
"Go away," said a trembling voice from above.
"Madame John?" said he; but the window closed, and he heard a step, the
same step on the stair.
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