Brooke went on to say how pleased Hugh would have been to come to her.
'I don't think much of death-bed reconciliations,' said the old woman
grimly. 'I loved him dearly, but he didn't love me, and I don't know
what good we should do each other.' Brooke declared that Hugh did love
her; but he could not press the matter, and it was dropped.
On that evening at eight Dorothy came down to her tea. She had dined at
the same table with Brooke that afternoon, but a servant had been in
the room all the time and nothing had been said between them. As soon
as Brooke had got his tea he began to tell the story of his failure
about Hugh. He was sorry, he said, that he had spoken on the subject as
it had moved Miss Stanbury to an acrimony which he had not expected.
'She always declares that he never loved her,' said Dorothy.'she has
told me so twenty times.'
'There are people who fancy that nobody cares for them,' said Brooke.
'Indeed there are, Mr Burgess; and it is so natural.'
'Why natural?'
'Just as it is natural that there should be dogs and cats that are
petted and loved and made much of, and others that have to crawl
through life as they can, cuffed and kicked and starved.
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