One morning he arrived without warning, as usual, to make one of his short
visits. Joe was sitting by the window dressed all in white, and the
uniform absence of color in her dress rather exaggerated the pallor of her
face than masked it. She was reading, apparently with some interest, in a
book of which the dark-lined binding sufficiently declared the sober
contents. As she read, her brows bent in the effort of understanding,
while the warm breeze that blew through the blinds fanned her tired face
and gently stirred the small stray ringlets of her soft brown hair. Ronald
opened the door and entered.
"Oh, Ronald!" exclaimed Joe, starting a little nervously, "have you come
up? You look like the sunshine. Come in, and shut the door." He did as he
was bidden, and came and sat beside her.
"Yes, I nave come up for the day. How are you, Joe dear? You look pale. It
is this beastly heat--you ought to come down to Newport for a month. It is
utterly idiotic, you know, staying in town in this weather.
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