{"id":128,"date":"2021-05-18T11:16:51","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T15:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/awakening\/?post_type=chapter&p=128"},"modified":"2022-02-01T11:20:13","modified_gmt":"2022-02-01T16:20:13","slug":"29","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/awakening\/chapter\/29\/","title":{"raw":"Chapter XXIX","rendered":"Chapter XXIX"},"content":{"raw":"Without even waiting for an answer from her husband regarding his opinion or wishes in the matter, Edna hastened her preparations for quitting her home on Esplanade Street and moving into the little house around the block. A feverish anxiety attended her every action in that direction. There was no moment of deliberation, no interval of repose between the thought and its fulfillment. Early upon the morning following those hours passed in Arobin\u2019s society, Edna set about securing her new abode and hurrying her arrangements for occupying it. Within the precincts of her home she felt like one who has entered and lingered within the portals of some forbidden temple in which a thousand muffled voices bade her begone.\r\n\r\nWhatever was her own in the house, everything which she had acquired aside from her husband\u2019s bounty, she caused to be transported to the other house, supplying simple and meager deficiencies from her own resources.\r\n\r\nArobin found her with rolled sleeves, working in company with the house-maid when he looked in during the afternoon. She was splendid and robust, and had never appeared handsomer than in the old blue gown, with a red silk handkerchief knotted at random around her head to protect her hair from the dust. She was mounted upon a high stepladder, unhooking a picture from the wall when he entered. He had found the front door open, and had followed his ring by walking in unceremoniously.\r\n\r\n\u201cCome down!\u201d he said. \u201cDo you want to kill yourself?\u201d She greeted him with affected carelessness, and appeared absorbed in her occupation.\r\n\r\nIf he had expected to find her languishing, reproachful, or indulging in sentimental tears, he must have been greatly surprised.\r\n\r\nHe was no doubt prepared for any emergency, ready for any one of the foregoing attitudes, just as he bent himself easily and naturally to the situation which confronted him.\r\n\r\n\u201cPlease come down,\u201d he insisted, holding the ladder and looking up at her.\r\n\r\n\u201cNo,\u201d she answered; \u201cEllen is afraid to mount the ladder. Joe is working over at the \u2018pigeon house\u2019\u2014that\u2019s the name Ellen gives it, because it\u2019s so small and looks like a pigeon house\u2014and some one has to do this.\u201d\r\n\r\nArobin pulled off his coat, and expressed himself ready and willing to tempt fate in her place. Ellen brought him one of her dust-caps, and went into contortions of mirth, which she found it impossible to control, when she saw him put it on before the mirror as grotesquely as he could. Edna herself could not refrain from smiling when she fastened it at his request. So it was he who in turn mounted the ladder, unhooking pictures and curtains, and dislodging ornaments as Edna directed. When he had finished he took off his dust-cap and went out to wash his hands.\r\n\r\nEdna was sitting on the tabouret, idly brushing the tips of a feather duster along the carpet when he came in again.\r\n\r\n\u201cIs there anything more you will let me do?\u201d he asked.\r\n\r\n\u201cThat is all,\u201d she answered. \u201cEllen can manage the rest.\u201d She kept the young woman occupied in the drawing-room, unwilling to be left alone with Arobin.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhat about the dinner?\u201d he asked; \u201cthe grand event, the coup d\u2019\u00e9tat?<\/i>\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cIt will be day after to-morrow. Why do you call it the \u2018coup d\u2019\u00e9tat?<\/i>\u2019 Oh! it will be very fine; all my best of everything\u2014crystal, silver and gold, S\u00e8vres, flowers, music, and champagne to swim in. I\u2019ll let L\u00e9once pay the bills. I wonder what he\u2019ll say when he sees the bills.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cAnd you ask me why I call it a coup d\u2019\u00e9tat?<\/i>\u201d Arobin had put on his coat, and he stood before her and asked if his cravat was plumb. She told him it was, looking no higher than the tip of his collar.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen do you go to the \u2018pigeon house?\u2019\u2014with all due acknowledgment to Ellen.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cDay after to-morrow, after the dinner. I shall sleep there.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cEllen, will you very kindly get me a glass of water?\u201d asked Arobin. \u201cThe dust in the curtains, if you will pardon me for hinting such a thing, has parched my throat to a crisp.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cWhile Ellen gets the water,\u201d said Edna, rising, \u201cI will say good-by and let you go. I must get rid of this grime, and I have a million things to do and think of.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen shall I see you?\u201d asked Arobin, seeking to detain her, the maid having left the room.\r\n\r\n\u201cAt the dinner, of course. You are invited.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cNot before?\u2014not to-night or to-morrow morning or to-morrow noon or night? or the day after morning or noon? Can\u2019t you see yourself, without my telling you, what an eternity it is?\u201d\r\n\r\nHe had followed her into the hall and to the foot of the stairway, looking up at her as she mounted with her face half turned to him.\r\n\r\n\u201cNot an instant sooner,\u201d she said. But she laughed and looked at him with eyes that at once gave him courage to wait and made it torture to wait.","rendered":"

Without even waiting for an answer from her husband regarding his opinion or wishes in the matter, Edna hastened her preparations for quitting her home on Esplanade Street and moving into the little house around the block. A feverish anxiety attended her every action in that direction. There was no moment of deliberation, no interval of repose between the thought and its fulfillment. Early upon the morning following those hours passed in Arobin\u2019s society, Edna set about securing her new abode and hurrying her arrangements for occupying it. Within the precincts of her home she felt like one who has entered and lingered within the portals of some forbidden temple in which a thousand muffled voices bade her begone.<\/p>\n

Whatever was her own in the house, everything which she had acquired aside from her husband\u2019s bounty, she caused to be transported to the other house, supplying simple and meager deficiencies from her own resources.<\/p>\n

Arobin found her with rolled sleeves, working in company with the house-maid when he looked in during the afternoon. She was splendid and robust, and had never appeared handsomer than in the old blue gown, with a red silk handkerchief knotted at random around her head to protect her hair from the dust. She was mounted upon a high stepladder, unhooking a picture from the wall when he entered. He had found the front door open, and had followed his ring by walking in unceremoniously.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome down!\u201d he said. \u201cDo you want to kill yourself?\u201d She greeted him with affected carelessness, and appeared absorbed in her occupation.<\/p>\n

If he had expected to find her languishing, reproachful, or indulging in sentimental tears, he must have been greatly surprised.<\/p>\n

He was no doubt prepared for any emergency, ready for any one of the foregoing attitudes, just as he bent himself easily and naturally to the situation which confronted him.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease come down,\u201d he insisted, holding the ladder and looking up at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she answered; \u201cEllen is afraid to mount the ladder. Joe is working over at the \u2018pigeon house\u2019\u2014that\u2019s the name Ellen gives it, because it\u2019s so small and looks like a pigeon house\u2014and some one has to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arobin pulled off his coat, and expressed himself ready and willing to tempt fate in her place. Ellen brought him one of her dust-caps, and went into contortions of mirth, which she found it impossible to control, when she saw him put it on before the mirror as grotesquely as he could. Edna herself could not refrain from smiling when she fastened it at his request. So it was he who in turn mounted the ladder, unhooking pictures and curtains, and dislodging ornaments as Edna directed. When he had finished he took off his dust-cap and went out to wash his hands.<\/p>\n

Edna was sitting on the tabouret, idly brushing the tips of a feather duster along the carpet when he came in again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anything more you will let me do?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is all,\u201d she answered. \u201cEllen can manage the rest.\u201d She kept the young woman occupied in the drawing-room, unwilling to be left alone with Arobin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the dinner?\u201d he asked; \u201cthe grand event, the coup d\u2019\u00e9tat?<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be day after to-morrow. Why do you call it the \u2018coup d\u2019\u00e9tat?<\/i>\u2019 Oh! it will be very fine; all my best of everything\u2014crystal, silver and gold, S\u00e8vres, flowers, music, and champagne to swim in. I\u2019ll let L\u00e9once pay the bills. I wonder what he\u2019ll say when he sees the bills.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you ask me why I call it a coup d\u2019\u00e9tat?<\/i>\u201d Arobin had put on his coat, and he stood before her and asked if his cravat was plumb. She told him it was, looking no higher than the tip of his collar.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen do you go to the \u2018pigeon house?\u2019\u2014with all due acknowledgment to Ellen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDay after to-morrow, after the dinner. I shall sleep there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEllen, will you very kindly get me a glass of water?\u201d asked Arobin. \u201cThe dust in the curtains, if you will pardon me for hinting such a thing, has parched my throat to a crisp.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile Ellen gets the water,\u201d said Edna, rising, \u201cI will say good-by and let you go. I must get rid of this grime, and I have a million things to do and think of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen shall I see you?\u201d asked Arobin, seeking to detain her, the maid having left the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the dinner, of course. You are invited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot before?\u2014not to-night or to-morrow morning or to-morrow noon or night? or the day after morning or noon? Can\u2019t you see yourself, without my telling you, what an eternity it is?\u201d<\/p>\n

He had followed her into the hall and to the foot of the stairway, looking up at her as she mounted with her face half turned to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot an instant sooner,\u201d she said. But she laughed and looked at him with eyes that at once gave him courage to wait and made it torture to wait.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"menu_order":29,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-128","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":3,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/awakening\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/awakening\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/awakening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/awakening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/awakening\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":225,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/awakening\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/128\/revisions\/225"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/awakening\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/3"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/awakening\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/128\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/awakening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/awakening\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=128"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/awakening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=128"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/awakening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}