The Little Nugget

which followed Audrey'sarrival at Sanstead mar

and she had struggled against the chain. But now,for the first time, we were beginn

was past. Ihad not imagined it possible that I could ever experience towardsher such a tranquil emotion as this easy friendliness. For thelast five years my imagination had been playing round her memory,until I suppose I had built up in my mind some almost superhumanimage, some goddess. What I was passing t

mp. His last thought, as he enters the flame, isprobably one of self-congratulation

ling particularly safe and

thestudy. There was a noble fire burning in the grate, and thedarkness lit by the glow of the coals, the dripping of the rain,the good behaviour of my pipe, and the reflection that, as I satthere, Glossop was engaged downstairs in wrestling with my class,co

rd the drawing-room door o

one here,' she said. 'I'm froz

n,' I said. 'You do

her in the firelight, and mypulse was regular and my brain cool. I had a momentary vision ofmyself a

fire. Little spurts offlame whistled comfo

intly, and flurries of rain das

ce in here,' sh

eace

Her eyes, seen for an instant inth

tening to you,' I said. 'I li

alway

Do you remember one ev

ch eve

ticular evening whenyou played that thing. It s

oked up

afterwards and

t up t

e by with a

wo d

e sur

ll-dog and a

Jove, you're right. A fox-terrierw

ight

They came up t

them cho

ck slowly i

a wonderful me

without speaking. The r

ll like my pl

thing in it now that Idon't believe there u

edge, Peter,' she sai

eal in those five years. It may not bealtogether pleasant seeing life, but--well, it makes

that she spoke a

d time, Audrey, thes

etty

'm s

together. I've

again, her eyes f

ou thinking a

great man

leas

hat was,that I am very lucky to be doing the work I am d

shiv

ell me about those ye

some of the t

haded her face from the firewith a n

nurse for some time at the La

's hard

a while. But--it teachesyou.... You learn...

agination. You get real troublein a

ittleuncomfortable, a little at a disadvantage, as one

I was a

waitr

and I went on to try something else. I forget what camenext. I think it was the stage. I travelled for a year with atouring company. That wa

t was

et Mr

id that

,she was always at the studio, and we became great friends, and oneday, after all these things I have been telling you of, I thoughtI would write to her, and see if she could not find me somethingto do. She was a _dear_.' Her voice trembled, and she low

ott!' I cri

ghed rath

I knew next tonothing. I ought to have been ha

at little fiend, didn't he

ood as gold--for him; that's to say, if Ididn't interfere with him too much, and I did

as a sort of ex-governess,to continue

e la

or les

and then she put into words theth

ting together chatting like this,P

ke a

glad.... You don't know how I've

t talk like that. Don

, it was

hook he

at we didn't under

nodded

n't understan

' I said. 'We're

leam from the fire fell upon her face,lighting up her eyes; and at the sight something in me began

gripping the arms of m

curious sensation of beingon the thresh

over, and with it this talk by the firelight. In a few minutesso

ave tripped in thedarkness. She stumbled forward,

nt. She recovered herself, m

el of her, warm and alive, that had shattered forever that flimsy structure of friendship which I had fancied sostrong. I had said to Love,