Page 410 - sons-and-lovers

He went up to Clara’s bench.
‘Sorry I left these things littering about,’ he said.
She flushed scarlet. He gathered them together in his
fist.
‘They’ll be dirty now,’ he said. ‘You should have taken
them. I wonder why you didn’t. I meant to have told you I
wanted you to.’
He flung them out of the window into the yard below. He
just glanced at her. She winced from his eyes.
In the afternoon he brought another packet.
‘Will you take some?’ he said, offering them first to Clara.
‘These are fresh.’
She accepted one, and put it on to the bench.
‘Oh, take several—for luck,’ he said.
She took a couple more, and put them on the bench also.
Then she turned in confusion to her work. He went on up
the room.
‘Here you are, Pussy,’ he said. ‘Don’t be greedy!’
‘Are they all for her?’ cried the others, rushing up.
‘Of course they’re not,’ he said.
The girls clamoured round. Pussy drew back from her
mates.
‘Come out!’ she cried. ‘I can have first pick, can’t I,
Paul?’
‘Be nice with ‘em,’ he said, and went away.
‘You ARE a dear,’ the girls cried.
‘Tenpence,’ he answered.
He went past Clara without speaking. She felt the three
chocolate creams would burn her if she touched them. It

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