Page 251 - sons-and-lovers

now, and the proud setting of the temples. His hand lin-
gered on her shoulder after his kiss. Then he went slowly to
bed. He had forgotten Miriam; he only saw how his moth-
er’s hair was lifted back from her warm, broad brow. And
somehow, she was hurt.
Then the next time he saw Miriam he said to her:
‘Don’t let me be late to-night—not later than ten o’clock.
My mother gets so upset.’
Miriam dropped her bead, brooding.
‘Why does she get upset?’ she asked.
‘Because she says I oughtn’t to be out late when I have to
get up early.’
‘Very well!’ said Miriam, rather quietly, with just a touch
of a sneer.
He resented that. And he was usually late again.
That there was any love growing between him and Miri-
am neither of them would have acknowledged. He thought
he was too sane for such sentimentality, and she thought
herself too lofty. They both were late in coming to maturity,
and psychical ripeness was much behind even the physical.
Miriam was exceedingly sensitive, as her mother had always
been. The slightest grossness made her recoil almost in an-
guish. Her brothers were brutal, but never coarse in speech.
The men did all the discussing of farm matters outside. But,
perhaps, because of the continual business of birth and of
begetting which goes on upon every farm, Miriam was the
more hypersensitive to the matter, and her blood was chas-
tened almost to disgust of the faintest suggestion of such
intercourse. Paul took his pitch from her, and their inti-

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