large/9146/troubledmarriages_1406_librivox_64kb_mp3/troubledmarriages_02_various_64kb_104
large/9146/troubledmarriages_1406_librivox_64kb_mp3/troubledmarriages_02_various_64kb
English
9146
The fire smoked feebly under a newly administered shovelful of 'slack', and a heap of ashes and cinders littered the grate. A pair of walking boots, caked in dry mud, lay on the hearth rug just where they had been thrown off. On the mantelpiece, amidst a dozen other articles which had no business there, was a bedroom candlestick; and every single article of furniture stood crookedly out of its place. THE FIRE SMOKED FEEBLY UNDER A NEWLY ADMINISTERED SHOVELFUL OF SLACK AND A HEAP OF ASHES AND CINDERS LITTERED THE GRATE A PAIR OF WALKING BOOTS CAKED IN DRY MUD LAY ON THE HEARTH RUG JUST WHERE THEY HAD BEEN THROWN OFF ON THE MANTELPIECE AMIDST A DOZEN OTHER ARTICLES WHICH HAD NO BUSINESS THERE WAS A BEDROOM CANDLESTICK AND EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE OF FURNITURE STOOD CROOKEDLY OUT OF ITS PLACE
ten minutes after ten. He let himself in with his latch-key, hung up his hat and overcoat by the sense of touch, and, groping his way upstairs, opened the door of the first floor sitting-room. At the table in the centre of the room sat his wife, leaning upon her elbows, her two hands thrust up into her ruffled hair; spread out before her was a crumpled yesterday's newspaper, and so interested was she to all appearance in its contents that she neither spoke nor looked up as Willoughby entered. Around her were the still uncleared tokens of her last meal: tea-slops, bread-crumbs, and an egg-shell crushed to fragments upon a plate, which was one of those trifles that set Willoughby's teeth on edge--whenever his wife ate an egg she persisted in turning the egg-cup upside down upon the tablecloth, and pounding the shell to pieces in her plate with her spoon. The room was repulsive in its disorder. The one lighted burner of the gaselier, turned too high, hissed up into a long tongue of flame. SSURING HIMSELF IT WAS ONLY TEN MINUTES AFTER TEN HE LET HIMSELF IN WITH HIS LATCHKEY HUNG UP HIS HAT AND OVERCOAT BY THE SENSE OF TOUCH AND GROPING HIS WAY UPSTAIRS OPENED THE DOOR OF THE FIRST FLOOR SITTING ROOM AT THE TABLE IN THE CENTER OF THE ROOM SAT HIS WIFE LEANING UPON HER ELBOWS HER TWO HANDS THRUST UP INTO HER RUFFLED HAIR SPREAD OUT BEFORE HER WAS A CRUMPLED YESTERDAY'S NEWSPAPER AND SO INTERESTED WAS SHE TO ALL APPEARANCE IN ITS CONTENTS THAT SHE NEITHER SPOKE NOR LOOKED UP AS WILLOUGHBY ENTERED AROUND HER WERE THE STILL UNCLEAR TOKENS OF HER LAST MEAL TEA SOPS BREAD CRUMBS AND AN EGG SHELL CRUSHED OF FRAGMENTS UPON A PLATE WHICH WAS ONE OF THOSE TRIFLES THAT SET WILLOUGHBY'S TEETH ON EDGE WHENEVER HIS WIFE ATE AN EGG SHE PERSISTED IN TURNING THE EGG CUP UPSIDE DOWN UPON THE TABLECLOTH AND POUNDING THE SHELL TO PIECES IN HER PLATE WITH HER SPOON THE ROOM WAS REPULSIVE IN ITS DISORDER THE ONE LIGHTED BURNER OF THE GASOLE TURNED TOO HIGH HISSED UP INTO A LONG TONGUE OF FLAME
large/9146/troubledmarriages_1406_librivox_64kb_mp3/troubledmarriages_02_various_64kb
file
download/librilight/large/9146/troubledmarriages_1406_librivox_64kb_mp3/troubledmarriages_02_various_64kb.flac