No question of his coming to me! I must come to him!
‘To a place like this?’ I demanded.
Unthinkingly I put into my voice some of the distaste I felt for his deplorable apartments, and he was genuinely hurt. I believe that in all honesty he deemed his apartments to be quite adequate and befitting. His sensibilities had been so dulled.
He threw up his head.
‘Of course,’ he said, ‘if you—’
‘No, no!’ I stopped him quickly. ‘I will come here. I was only teasing you. Let me see. I’ll come back at four, just to see how you are. Won’t you get up in the meantime?’
He smiled, placated.
‘I may do,’ he said. ‘I’ll try to. But in case I don’t, will you take my key? Where did you put it last night?’
‘I have it,’ I said.
He summoned me to him just as I was opening the door.