Speaker 1: Chapter forty nine of Philip Drew Administrator by Edward House.
Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain, recorded by
Speaker 1: the Progressing America Project. Chapter forty nine, uneven odds. Gloria
Speaker 1: and Janet Selwyn saw much of one another in Washington,
Speaker 1: and Drew was with them both during those hours he
Speaker 1: felt necessary for recreation. Janet was ever bubbling over with
Speaker 1: fun and unrestrained humor, and was a constant delight to
Speaker 1: both Gloria and Drew. Somewhere deep in her soul there
Speaker 1: was a serious stratum, but it never came to the surface.
Speaker 1: Neither Gloria nor Drew knew what was passing in those
Speaker 1: turbulent depths, and neither knew the silent heartaches when she
Speaker 1: was alone and began to take an inventory of her
Speaker 1: innermost self. She had loved Drew from the first moment
Speaker 1: she saw him at her home in Philadelphia, but with
Speaker 1: that her pressience in such matters as only women have,
Speaker 1: she knew that nothing more than his friendship would ever
Speaker 1: be hers. She sometimes felt the bitterness of woman's position
Speaker 1: in such situations. If Drew had loved her, he would
Speaker 1: have been free to pay her court and to do
Speaker 1: those things which oftentimes awaken a kindred feeling in another,
Speaker 1: But she was helpless. An advancement from her would lessen
Speaker 1: his regard and make impossible that which she most desired.
Speaker 1: She often wondered what there was between Gloria and Drew.
Speaker 1: Was there an attachment understanding? Or was it one of
Speaker 1: those platonic friendships created by common interests and a common purpose?
Speaker 1: She wished she knew she was reasonably sure of Gloria
Speaker 1: that she loved Drew seemed to admit of little doubt.
Speaker 1: But what of him? Did he love Gloria? Or did
Speaker 1: his love encompass the earth? And was mankind ever to
Speaker 1: be his wife and mistress? She wished she knew how
Speaker 1: imperturbable he was. Was he to live and die? A
Speaker 1: fathomless mystery if he could not be hers? Her generous
Speaker 1: heart pled for Gloria. She and Gloria often talked of Drew.
Speaker 1: There was no fencing between these two, open and enthusiastic
Speaker 1: admiration of Philip each expressed, but there were no confidences
Speaker 1: which revealed their hearts. Realizing that her love would never
Speaker 1: be reciprocated, Janet misled Philip as to her real feelings.
Speaker 1: One day when the three were together, she said, mister administrator,
Speaker 1: why don't you marry It would add enormously to your popularity,
Speaker 1: and it would keep a lot of us girls from
Speaker 1: being old maids. How would it prevent your being an
Speaker 1: old maid? Janet said, Drew, please explain why there are
Speaker 1: a lot of us that hope to have you call
Speaker 1: some afternoon and ask us to be missus Drew, And
Speaker 1: it begins to look to me as if some of
Speaker 1: us would be disappointed. Drew laughed and told her not
Speaker 1: to give up hope, and then he said, more seriously,
Speaker 1: some day, when my work here is done, I shall
Speaker 1: take your advice if I can find someone who will
Speaker 1: marry me. If you wait too long, Philip, you will
Speaker 1: be so old no one will want you, said Janet.
Speaker 1: I have a feeling, Janet, that somewhere there is a
Speaker 1: woman who knows and will wait. If I am wrong,
Speaker 1: then the future holds for me many bitter and unhappy hours.
Speaker 1: Drew said this with such deep feeling that both Gloria
Speaker 1: and Janet were surprised, and Janet wondered whether this was
Speaker 1: a message to some unknown woman or was it meant
Speaker 1: for Gloria. She wished she knew, and of chapter forty nine,