Speaker 1: Chapter thirteen of Wired Love by el Achieva Thare This
Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. The wrong woman,
Speaker 1: somewhat exultant over the new aspect of affairs and unable
Speaker 1: longer to endure the strain of the load of love
Speaker 1: who was carrying about with him, Quimby came to a
Speaker 1: desperate determination there was no other than to confide in
Speaker 1: his room mate and once dreaded rival, and then provided
Speaker 1: he was not thrown out of the window or kicked downstairs,
Speaker 1: and asked his advice about how to render himself clearly
Speaker 1: understood by her, at the same time relating his former
Speaker 1: unfortunate attempt. This program he carried into effect one morning
Speaker 1: as Clem was blacking his boots. Perhaps he had made
Speaker 1: pirate calculations on a blacking brush hitting a man with
Speaker 1: less damage than some larger article. I say, Clem, Quimby began,
Speaker 1: I want to ask good vice. You know I am
Speaker 1: at your service, my dear boy, replied the unsuspecting Clem,
Speaker 1: rubbing away at his boot. Well, I want to know
Speaker 1: the fact is U I am boiling over with love?
Speaker 1: What exclaimed Clem, looking up with an amused smile. You
Speaker 1: are not in love with sin too? Are you with sin? Do?
Speaker 1: These words were balmed to the soul of Quimby and
Speaker 1: gave him courage to answer eagerly. Ah, No use in
Speaker 1: that for me? You know it it is she, miss
Speaker 1: Rogers natty, you know. The blacking brush left Clem's hand,
Speaker 1: but not to fly at the expectant Quimby. It simply
Speaker 1: dropped onto the floor, while Clem gave vent to his
Speaker 1: feelings in a prolonged whistle. This is possible, he said,
Speaker 1: having thus relieved himself of his first astonishment. I might
Speaker 1: have suspected as much if I had stopped to think. Though, Yes,
Speaker 1: U I think I should it plain enough, you know,
Speaker 1: said Quimmy candidly. You see, h I tried to tell
Speaker 1: of it once before you came here, when you were invisible,
Speaker 1: you know, But some way she didn't just understand and bolted,
Speaker 1: you know. So just tell me how to do it.
Speaker 1: That is a good fellow, For do it I must.
Speaker 1: Clem picked up his blacking brush and very deliberately smeared
Speaker 1: the boot he had just polished with another coat of blacking.
Speaker 1: Before answering, how can I tell you? He said? At last,
Speaker 1: you don't suppose proposing as an everyday habit of mine.
Speaker 1: Do my day, boy, I never proposed in my life,
Speaker 1: but you you ought to. I mean you will sometime,
Speaker 1: you know. Just give me a start, you know, pleaded Quimby,
Speaker 1: sitting down on the edge of the bed. Shall I
Speaker 1: call her and propose for you, inquired Clem, somewhat ironically,
Speaker 1: and glancing at the sounder. Noo now now, cried Quimby,
Speaker 1: in great alarm at this proposition. She might think herself,
Speaker 1: you know, in which case the rejection would be sure,
Speaker 1: said Clem. Then, flinging his brush savagely into a corner,
Speaker 1: he added as he went out, you must settle it yourself,
Speaker 1: old fellow. No one can help us in those matters.
Speaker 1: There is no duplex. Quimby was therefore left to his
Speaker 1: own devices, and his own devices brought about a most
Speaker 1: extraordinary result That same evening, Natty, coming over to Sinn's room, and,
Speaker 1: finding how absent, sat down to await her return, which
Speaker 1: Missus Simpson asshorter would be very soon. There was no
Speaker 1: gas lighted, and in the dusk Natty remained, feeling perhaps
Speaker 1: an affinity with the somm shadows of the twilight as
Speaker 1: she sat musing, now wishing see he had left her
Speaker 1: life forever, and he left it with the odors of
Speaker 1: musk and bear's grease about him. And now despising herself
Speaker 1: for the weakness, she found it so hard to overcome.
Speaker 1: She became conscious of a denser shadow in the shadows
Speaker 1: of the open door. Oh oh, A big pardon is it? Sin?
Speaker 1: Asked this shadow in the voice of Quimby. No, Natty replied,
Speaker 1: Sin is out. Uh uh, A big pardon is it you?
Speaker 1: The shadow asked, with accents of delight. Natty acknowledged the
Speaker 1: you and you you are alone. Natty glanced around the room,
Speaker 1: hoping the Duchess had strayed in so she might truthfully
Speaker 1: say no, but she was compelled to reply in the affirmative.
Speaker 1: Glorious opportunity. It must not be wasted. Up, I will explain,
Speaker 1: you know, he exclaimed, excitedly and incoherently. But to Natty's surprise,
Speaker 1: instead of entering, he darted away in such a tremendous
Speaker 1: hurry that he stumbled and fell as he distinctly heard
Speaker 1: his skull bang against his own door. But his last
Speaker 1: words were too ominous, and she was too well acquainted
Speaker 1: with his peculiarities to flatter herself. She was permanently relieved
Speaker 1: of his company. He had perhaps gone to brush his
Speaker 1: hair or take some quieting drops, but she knew he
Speaker 1: had certainly not gone to stay. And not being exactly
Speaker 1: in the humor for his company, Natty resolved to fly ignominiously.
Speaker 1: Afraid of returning to her own room lest she might
Speaker 1: meet him and be taken captive, she quietly retired into
Speaker 1: Sinn's bedroom. In a few moments she heard him stumbling
Speaker 1: over a stool in the parlor, and was just thinking
Speaker 1: that if he should take it into his head to
Speaker 1: remain any length of time, she would be in rather
Speaker 1: a predicament, when her surprise she heard him say, I
Speaker 1: must speak. I hope this time I shall remember what
Speaker 1: I have so often, so often said in the privacy
Speaker 1: of my own apartment to if I might confess it
Speaker 1: to a pillow, a pair of pants, and a coat
Speaker 1: placed in a chair as a poor effigy of you,
Speaker 1: you know, will you will? You don't speak, But let
Speaker 1: me alone hear me, and let the flow of language come.
Speaker 1: He paused, and in the greatest bewilderment, Natty stared at
Speaker 1: the opposite wall, did he, by some powerful intuition, discern
Speaker 1: that she was within hearing distance, or was he, in
Speaker 1: his disappointment, rehearsing to an empty chair. Before Natty could
Speaker 1: decide between these two solutions of his conduct, another voice,
Speaker 1: the voice of Celeste, said, faintly and affectedly, oh, Quimby.
Speaker 1: And then Natty comprehended the situation. After her own retreat,
Speaker 1: Celeste had entered and taken the just vacated chair. It
Speaker 1: was twilight. Celeste wore a black dress like hers, her
Speaker 1: hair was dressed in the same style and was the
Speaker 1: same color. And Quimby had mistaken her for Natty, And
Speaker 1: in his excitement and struggle with that flow of language,
Speaker 1: he did not notice even that it was not Natty's
Speaker 1: voice saying, Oh Quimby. For he continued, you may reject me.
Speaker 1: I'm afraid you will. But I must say it, you
Speaker 1: know I must, or I shall. I shall explode and
Speaker 1: fly into atoms. Here Celeste gave a little scream, but
Speaker 1: he went on determinedly, making the most of his glorious opportunity.
Speaker 1: I am not like other fellows, you know that is
Speaker 1: I mean, I have not the bras. If I may
Speaker 1: so express myself, and I am always doing something wrong,
Speaker 1: but I am used to it. Do you know? The
Speaker 1: question is could you get used to it? For I
Speaker 1: have a heart that is, that is honest, and it
Speaker 1: beats all full of love, of love for you know,
Speaker 1: I mean. There was a murmured oh from Celeste as
Speaker 1: Quimby paused to wipe from his brow the perspiration called
Speaker 1: forth by his arduous undertaking. What shall I do? Frantically
Speaker 1: thought the perplexed listener, divided between the ludicrous part of
Speaker 1: the affair and her desire to save him from the
Speaker 1: dilemma into which he was rushing. What can I do? Oh?
Speaker 1: If sin would only come? But sin came not, And
Speaker 1: while Natty paused, irresolute and not knowing what course to take,
Speaker 1: Quimby went on to his fate. I have thought sometimes
Speaker 1: that you liked some other fellow, clem. I mean, Natty
Speaker 1: felt herself blush in the darkness. But I do hope
Speaker 1: not thought has made me boil in secret often. And
Speaker 1: he loves sin, you know. Natty's color left her face
Speaker 1: as quickly as it had come. But oh, and he
Speaker 1: went down on to his knees with a whack that
Speaker 1: made the vases on the mantle jingle. Let me tell
Speaker 1: you what I tried twice before to say, what is
Speaker 1: always in my thoughts. Uh? Are you tore you the
Speaker 1: ground you walk on?
Speaker 2: And have ever since I first saw your nose? I
Speaker 2: beg pardon, but I fell in love with your nose?
Speaker 2: And will you can you tell me that you don't
Speaker 2: love any other fellow Clem I mean, and share my
Speaker 2: little property and be be missus Quimby, you know.
Speaker 1: Oh really, Ah, such a trying moment. But dear dear Quimby,
Speaker 1: I never cared for Clym, never ownly for you, and
Speaker 1: I am yours. With these words, Celeste precipitated herself into
Speaker 1: his arms, and the next moment Natty heard a crash
Speaker 1: as they both fell on the floor. The sudden shock
Speaker 1: of recognition that then burst upon him weakened him to
Speaker 1: such an extent that he could not support himself, much
Speaker 1: less her, so down they went. He must know who
Speaker 1: it is, now, thought Natty with a sigh of relief.
Speaker 1: And meanwhile, Sir Leicester had picked herself up, but Quimby
Speaker 1: still remained flat on the floor, bracing himself up by
Speaker 1: his hands on either side and staring at her motionless.
Speaker 1: Fortunately it was too dark for her to see the
Speaker 1: expression of his face. Did you hurt yourself? Asked Celeste
Speaker 1: at length, Let me help you up. We are to
Speaker 1: help each other, now, you know. Quimby groaned, Oh, misery,
Speaker 1: he gasped. This my destiny is this? My destiny is
Speaker 1: too much for me, Oh, the evil deeds of darkness.
Speaker 1: Listen to me. I implore you. It is all a mistake.
Speaker 1: I thought, of course, it was a mistake. He did
Speaker 1: not suppose. I thought you fell purposely, did you, dear? Quickly,
Speaker 1: interrupted Celeste, blindly a wilfully misunderstanding. Who shall say, wit?
Speaker 1: But please get up? Sin may come at this Quimby
Speaker 1: scrambled to his feet with startling suddenness, and exclaiming, hastily,
Speaker 1: I will, I will write and tell you all all.
Speaker 1: I have an engagement now with a friend just around
Speaker 1: the corner. He rushed from the room and would have flown,
Speaker 1: but the pertinacious Celeste had followed, and just as he
Speaker 1: reached the outside hall, regardless of the publicity, flung herself
Speaker 1: around his neck and would have flown. But the pertinacious
Speaker 1: Celeste had followed, and just as he reached the outside hall,
Speaker 1: regardless of the publicity, to lund herself around his neck,
Speaker 1: this time without bringing him to the ground. It is
Speaker 1: not necessary to write, she cried, pray, do not take
Speaker 1: such a trifle so much to heart. Remember I am yours.
Speaker 1: And another voice from the stairs just above the pair
Speaker 1: interrupted her. It was the voice of fish Blake Pear,
Speaker 1: and it said, huggin marryer. Oh, I will, wailed the
Speaker 1: now alarmed Quimby, as Celeste, blushingly withdrew from her embrace
Speaker 1: of him, I will see you tomorrow if if I live,
Speaker 1: and striking his forehead with his hand, he burst away,
Speaker 1: bounded frantically down the stairs, and fled ejaculating. I know it.
Speaker 1: I had a presentiment for my youth. Excuse his eccentricity,
Speaker 1: par Celeste said. He loves me so much, poor fellow,
Speaker 1: and get enough of that, he growled with contempt. And
Speaker 1: he has a nice little property, added Celeste, as they
Speaker 1: went upstairs. But when he is the thing, fish blake
Speaker 1: Pere said, with undisguised plainness. Natty emerged from her retreat
Speaker 1: on the hasty exit of Quimby and Celeste, so full
Speaker 1: of regret for the flight that had proved so disastrous
Speaker 1: to him that the ludicrous part of the scene just
Speaker 1: enacted was forgotten. Poor Quimby, she thought remorsefully, what a
Speaker 1: dreadful fix he is in. I hope he'll get out
Speaker 1: of it, and I am so sorry for my share
Speaker 1: in it. How strange it would be if he should,
Speaker 1: as he once said, marry the wrong woman after all.
Speaker 1: End of Chapter thirteen,