It was not so easy returning. He ran into his wife. He tried to dodge her,
but without success.
"James, where did you get that black eye?" tragically.
"It's a daisy, ain't it, Molly?" pushing past her into Nora's room and
closing the door after him.
"Father!"
"That you, Nora?" blinking.
"Father, if you have been fighting with him, I'll never forgive you."
"Forget it, Nora. I wasn't fighting. I only thought I was."
He raised the lid of the trunk and cast in the gloves haphazard. And then
he saw the paper which had fallen out. He picked it up and squinted at it,
for he could not see very well. Nora was leaving the room in a temper.
"Going, Nora?"
"I am. And I advise you to have your dinner in your room."
Alone, he turned on the light. It never occurred to him that he might be
prying into some of Nora's private correspondence. He unfolded the
parchment and held it under the light. For a long time he stared at the
writing, which was in English, at the date, at the names. Then he quietly
refolded it and put it away for future use, immediate future use.
"This is a great world," he murmured, rubbing his ear tenderly.