The Painted Veil

III

SHE went out on to the verandah and watched him leave the house. He waved hishand to her. It gave her a little thrill as she looked at him; he was forty-one, but hehad the lithe figure and the springing step of a boy.The verandah was in shadow; and lazily, her heart at ease with satisfied love, shelingered. Their house stood in the Pleasant Vale, on the side of the hill, for they couldnot afford to live on the more eligible but expensive Mount. But her abstracted gazescarcely noticed the blue sea and the crowded shipping in the harbour. She couldthink only of her lover.Of course it was stupid to behave as they had done that afternoon, but if hewanted her how could she be prudent? He had come two or three times after tiffin,when in the heat of the day no one thought ofstirring out, and not even the boys hadseen him come and go. It was very difficult at Tching-Yen. She hated the Chinesecity and it made her nervous to go into the filthy little house off the Victoria Road inwhich they were in the habit of meeting. It was a curio dealer's; and the Chinesewho were sitting about stared at her unpleasantly; she hated the ingratiating smile ofthe old man who took her to the back of the shop and then up a dark flight ofstairs.The room into which he led her was frowsy and the large wooden bed against thewall made her shudder."This is dreadfully sordid, isn't it?" she said to Charlie the first time she met himthere."It was till you came in," he answered.Of course the moment he took her in his arms she forgot everything.Oh, how hateful it was that she wasn't free, that they both weren't free! Shedidn't like his wife. Kitty's wandering thoughts dwelt now for a moment on DorothyTownsend. How unfortunate to be called Dorothy! It dated you. She was thirty-eightat least. But Charlie never spoke of her. Of course he didn't care for her; she boredhim to death. But he was a gentleman. Kitty smiled with affectionate irony: it was justlike him, silly old thing; he might be unfaithful to her, but he would never allow aword in disparagement of her to cross his lips. She was a tallish woman, taller thanKitty, neither stout nor thin, with a good deal of pale brown hair; she could neverhave been pretty with anything but the prettiness of youth; her features were goodenough without being remarkable and her blue eyes were cold. She had a skin thatyou would never look at twice and no colour in her cheeks. And she dressed like—well, like what she was, the wife of the Assistant Colonial Secretary at Tching-Yen.Kitty smiled and gave her shoulders a faint shrug.Of course no one could deny that Dorothy Townsend had a pleasant voice. Shewas a wonderful mother, Charlie always said that of her, and she was what Kitty'smother called a gentlewoman. But Kitty did not like her. She did not like her casualmanner; and the politeness with which she treated you when you went there, to teaor dinner, was exasperating because you could not but feel how little interest shetook in you. The fact was, Kitty supposed, that she cared for nothing but herchildren: there were two boys at school in England, and another boy of six whomshe was going to take home next year. Her face was a mask. She smiled and in herpleasant, well-mannered way said the things that were expected of her; but for allher cordiality held you at a distance. She had a few intimate friends in the Colonyand they greatly admired her. Kitty wondered whether Mrs. Townsend thought her alittle common. She flushed. After all there was no reason for her to put on airs. Itwas true that her father had been a Colonial Governor and of course it was verygrand while it lasted—every one stood up when you entered a room and men tookoff their hats to you as you passed in your car—but what could be more insignificantthan a Colonial Governor when he had retired? Dorothy Townsend's father lived ona pension in a small house at Earl's Court. Kitty's mother would think it a dreadfulbore if she asked her to call. Kitty's father, Bernard Garstin, was a K.C., and therewas no reason why he should not be made a judge one of these days. Anyhow theylived in South Kensington.