"Wilkie Collins - I Say No" - читать интересную книгу автора (Collins Wilkie)

In the brief interval that had passed, the weather had begun to change again.
The wind was as high as ever; but to judge by the lessening patter on the
windows the rain was passing away.
Emily began.
She was too grateful to her friend and school-fellow, and too deeply interested
in her story, to notice the air of indifference with which Francine settled
herself on her pillow to hear the praises of Cecilia. The most beautiful girl in
the school was not an object of interest to a young lady with an obstinate chin
and unfortunately-placed eyes. Pouring warm from the speaker's heart the story
ran smoothly on, to the monotonous accompaniment of the moaning wind. By fine
degrees Francine's eyes closed, opened and closed again. Toward the latter part
of the narrative Emily's memory became, for the moment only, confused between
two events. She stopped to consider--noticed Francine's silence, in an interval
when she might have said a word of encouragement--and looked closer at her. Miss
de Sor was asleep.
"She might have told me she was tired," Emily said to herself quietly. "Well!
the best thing I can do is to put out the light and follow her example."
As she took up the extinguisher, the bedroom door was suddenly opened from the
outer side. A tall woman, robed in a black dressing-gown, stood on the
threshold, looking at Emily.



CHAPTER III.
THE LATE MR. BROWN.
The woman's lean, long-fingered hand pointed to the candle.
"Don't put it out." Saying those words, she looked round the room, and satisfied
herself that the other girls were asleep.
Emily laid down the extinguisher. "You mean to report us, of course," she said.
"I am the only one awake, Miss Jethro; lay the blame on me."
"I have no intention of reporting you. But I have something to say."
She paused, and pushed her thick black hair (already streaked with gray) back
from her temples. Her eyes, large and dark and dim, rested on Emily with a
sorrowful interest. "When your young friends wake to-morrow morning," she went
on, "you can tell them that the new teacher, whom nobody likes, has left the
school."
For once, even quick-witted Emily was bewildered. "Going away," she said, "when
you have only been here since Easter!"
Miss Jethro advanced, not noticing Emily's expression of surprise. "I am not
very strong at the best of times," she continued, "may I sit down on your bed?"
Remarkable on other occasions for her cold composure, her voice trembled as she
made that request--a strange request surely, when there were chairs at her
disposal.
Emily made room for her with the dazed look of a girl in a dream. "I beg your
pardon, Miss Jethro, one of the things I can't endure is being puzzled. If you
don't mean to report us, why did you come in and catch me with the light?"
Miss Jethro's explanation was far from relieving the perplexity which her
conduct had caused.
"I have been mean enough," she answered, "to listen at the door, and I heard you
talking of your father. I want to hear more about him. That is why I came in."