It was the same Peg that had gone
away a month ago. The same little black suit and the hat with the
berries and the same bag and "Michael" in her arms.
Their meeting was extraordinary. It was quite unlike what either had
supposed it would be. There was a note of strangeness in each. There
was--added to the fulness of the heart--an aloofness--a feeling
that, in the passage of time, life had not left either quite the
same.
How often that happens to two people who have shared the intimacy of
years and the affection of a lifetime! After a separation of even a
little while, the break in their joint-lives, the influence of
strangers, and the quick rush of circumstance during their parting,
creates a feeling neither had ever known. The interregnum had
created barriers that had to. be broken down before the old
relationship could be resumed.
O'Connell and Peg made the journey home almost in silence. They sat
hand in hand in the conveyance whilst Peg's eyes looked at the tall
buildings as they flashed past her, and saw the daring
advertisements on the boardings and listened to the ceaseless roar
of the traffic.
All was just as she had left it.
Only Peg had changed.
New York seemed a Babel after the quiet of that little north of
England home.
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