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another, a good deal fuller, for herself. As she sat down and prepared to crane her neck so she could see around the curtains, Mrs. Bates sighed with relief. |
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"No, he isn't coming here. They both walked off in the other direction." |
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"Does Mr. Tattersall often drop in for lunch unexpectedly?" |
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"Everything he does is unexpected," Mrs. Bates replied, her sweet voice rather rueful. "After my brother died two years ago, Peter came back to England. My husband" Mrs. Bates's voice quivered and suddenly her face grew old and slack. She cleared her throat delicately, then went on more steadily. "My husband died soon after. Peter and I were very much alonehe even more than I because he was in a strange country and I still had a few friends left. Fortunately, an apartment became vacant just two doors away, and I snatched it for him. I was ill and he was lonely, and he got into the habit of dropping in at odd moments whenever he was free." |
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"But couldn't Gertrude warn you or sometimes say you were lying down to rest?" |
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"She often doesn't know when he comes. He has keys to both doors, you see. Well, that's natural enough," Mrs. Bates said. Her voice held an odd note of defiance, as if Linda might think it was unwise to give out keys to the apartment. "He keeps an eye on this place, you know. I am so often awaythe country in summer and the south in winter. I suppose I am getting |
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