He went to bed at once; Selma brought blankets and a
hot-water bottle, and Dr. George Page was sent for. Dr. Page was the one
of Littleton's friends whom Selma had unsuccessfully yearned to know
better. She had never been able to understand him exactly, but he
fascinated her in spite of--perhaps because of--his bantering manner.
She found difficulty in reconciling it with his reputation for hard work
and masterly skill in his profession. She was constantly hoping to
extract from him something worthy of his large, solid face, with its
firm mouth and general expression of reserve force, but he seemed always
bent on talking nonsense in her society, and more than once the
disagreeable thought had occurred to her that he was laughing at her. He
had come to the house after her marriage now and then, but during the
past year or two she had scarcely seen him. The last time when they had
met, Selma had taxed him with his neglect of her.
His reply had been characteristically elusive and unsatisfactory. "I
will not attempt to frame excuses for my behavior, Mrs. Littleton, for
no reason which I could offer would be a justification."
But on the present occasion his greeting was grave and eager.
"Wilbur sick? I feared as much.
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