It seemed to me that from this day, too, Paul became more like his old
self: a very much toned-down and softened old self; no longer so much
the hard, cynical Paul of later years as the boyish Paul of old. Of
course, no sooner had my feelings changed in this way than I became
greatly interested in Janet's lovers. I thought the cotton millionaire
vulgar; and the American railway king I could not make this or that of;
but the lord seemed a very nice, simple-mannered young man; so that I
hoped--for although I am a bit of a Radical, I lay claim to having some
common-sense too--if it were to be one of these three, it would be he.
But the calm indifference with which this slip of a girl treated three
such lovers was truly appalling. I can't think how they stood it: I
shouldn't.
I cannot remember exactly when it was that I made a discovery. Opposite
to the library, of which I have already spoken, now a venerable old
room, was my bed-room; and there was no other room until you had gone
along a passage and crossed a hall. It was my custom to go to bed very
early, and I did so here at Duncan's, long before the rest of the
household. I suppose they thought I went fair off to sleep, too; for
this part of the house was always deserted after I had gone into my
room.
It was thus I made the discovery that every night, before retiring
herself, Janet came to the library and stayed a few minutes; and I could
hear her sometimes moving about books on the table.
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