"James, Henry - The Turn Of The Screw" - читать интересную книгу автора (James Henry)

Oh yes; don't grin: I liked her extremely and am glad to this day
to think she liked me, too. If she hadn't she wouldn't have told me.
She had never told anyone. It wasn't simply that she said so,
but that I knew she hadn't. I was sure; I could see.
You'll easily judge why when you hear."

"Because the thing had been such a scare?"

He continued to fix me. "You'll easily judge," he repeated:
"YOU will."

I fixed him, too. "I see. She was in love."

He laughed for the first time. "You ARE acute.
Yes, she was in love. That is, she had been. That came out--
she couldn't tell her story without its coming out.
I saw it, and she saw I saw it; but neither of us spoke of it.
I remember the time and the place--the corner of the lawn,
the shade of the great beeches and the long, hot summer afternoon.
It wasn't a scene for a shudder; but oh--!" He quitted the fire
and dropped back into his chair.

"You'll receive the packet Thursday morning?" I inquired.

"Probably not till the second post."

"Well then; after dinner--"

"You'll all meet me here?" He looked us round again. "Isn't anybody going?"
It was almost the tone of hope.

"Everybody will stay!"

"_I_ will" --and "_I_ will!" cried the ladies whose departure
had been fixed. Mrs. Griffin, however, expressed the need
for a little more light. "Who was it she was in love with?"

"The story will tell," I took upon myself to reply.

"Oh, I can't wait for the story!"

"The story WON'T tell," said Douglas; "not in any literal, vulgar way."

"More's the pity, then. That's the only way I ever understand."

"Won't YOU tell, Douglas?" somebody else inquired.

He sprang to his feet again. "Yes--tomorrow. Now I must go to bed.
Good night." And quickly catching up a candlestick, he left
us slightly bewildered. From our end of the great brown hall