“I don’t know,” said Maurice. “Sometimes I feel it isn’t fair that she’s saddled with me.” Then he dropped his voice curiously. “I say,” he asked, secretly struggling, “is my face much disfigured? Do you mind telling me?”
“There is the scar,” said Bertie, wondering. “Yes, it is a disfigurement. But more pitiable than shocking.”
“A pretty bad scar, though,” said Maurice.
“Oh, yes.”
There was a pause.
“Sometimes I feel I am horrible,” said Maurice, in a low voice, talking as if to himself. And Bertie actually felt a quiver of horror.
“That’s nonsense,” he said.
Maurice again straightened himself, leaving the cat.
“There’s no telling,” he said. Then again, in an odd tone, he added: “I don’t really know you, do I?”
“Probably not,” said Bertie.