.. I hope you didn't mind my bursting in on you--"
"Of course not," said I, politely.
He drained his glass. "The fact is," said he, "this war is a
nerve-racking business. I never dreamed I was so jumpy until I
came home. I hate being by myself. I've kept my poor devoted
mother up till one o'clock in the morning. To-night she struck,
small blame to her; but, after five minutes on my lones, I felt as
if I should go off my head. So I routed out the car and came
along. But of course I didn't expect to see Betty. The sight of
Betty in the flesh as a married woman nearly bowled me over. May I
help myself again?" He poured out a very much stiffer drink than
before, and poured half of it down his throat. "It's not a joyous
thing to see the woman one has been crazy over the wife of another
fellow."
"I suppose it isn't," said I.
Of course I might have made some subtle and cunning remark,
suavely put a leading question which would have led him on, in his
unbalanced mood, to confidential revelations. But the man was a
distinguished soldier and my guest. To what he chose to tell me
voluntarily I could listen. I could do no more. He did not reply
to my last unimportant remark, but lay back in his armchair
watching the blue spirals of smoke from the end of his cigar.
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