The Awakening and Selected Short Stories - Page 124/161

Mariequita thought that perhaps Philomel's mother might come for a few

days, and money enough.

Beholding Mrs. Pontellier make her appearance, the girl had at once

suspected a lovers' rendezvous. But Victor's astonishment was so

genuine, and Mrs. Pontellier's indifference so apparent, that the

disturbing notion did not lodge long in her brain. She contemplated with

the greatest interest this woman who gave the most sumptuous dinners in

America, and who had all the men in New Orleans at her feet.

"What time will you have dinner?" asked Edna. "I'm very hungry; but

don't get anything extra."

"I'll have it ready in little or no time," he said, bustling and packing

away his tools. "You may go to my room to brush up and rest yourself.

Mariequita will show you."

"Thank you," said Edna. "But, do you know, I have a notion to go down to

the beach and take a good wash and even a little swim, before dinner?"

"The water is too cold!" they both exclaimed. "Don't think of it."

"Well, I might go down and try--dip my toes in. Why, it seems to me the

sun is hot enough to have warmed the very depths of the ocean. Could you

get me a couple of towels? I'd better go right away, so as to be back in

time. It would be a little too chilly if I waited till this afternoon."

Mariequita ran over to Victor's room, and returned with some towels,

which she gave to Edna.

"I hope you have fish for dinner," said Edna, as she started to walk

away; "but don't do anything extra if you haven't."

"Run and find Philomel's mother," Victor instructed the girl. "I'll

go to the kitchen and see what I can do. By Gimminy! Women have no

consideration! She might have sent me word."

Edna walked on down to the beach rather mechanically, not noticing

anything special except that the sun was hot. She was not dwelling upon

any particular train of thought. She had done all the thinking which was

necessary after Robert went away, when she lay awake upon the sofa till

morning.

She had said over and over to herself: "To-day it is Arobin; to-morrow

it will be someone else. It makes no difference to me, it doesn't

matter about Leonce Pontellier--but Raoul and Etienne!" She understood

now clearly what she had meant long ago when she said to Adele

Ratignolle that she would give up the unessential, but she would never

sacrifice herself for her children.

Despondency had come upon her there in the wakeful night, and had never

lifted. There was no one thing in the world that she desired. There

was no human being whom she wanted near her except Robert; and she even

realized that the day would come when he, too, and the thought of

him would melt out of her existence, leaving her alone. The children

appeared before her like antagonists who had overcome her; who had

overpowered and sought to drag her into the soul's slavery for the rest

of her days. But she knew a way to elude them. She was not thinking of

these things when she walked down to the beach.