Suddenly Janet came forward and laid her hands on Claire’s arm.
“Oh, Claire, I do like you! I do want to be friends, but sometimes I have the strangest thoughts.” Before Claire had time to answer, she had drawn back again, and was saying with a little apologetic laugh, “I am silly! Take no notice of what I say. Here’s your fur; here’s your muff. Are you quite sure you have all your possessions?”
Chapter Fourteen.
A Question of Money.
The next week was memorable to Claire as marking the beginning of serious anxiety with regard to Sophie. She had looked ill since the beginning of the term, and the bottle of aspirin tabloids had become quite an accustomed feature on the luncheon table; but when questioned she had always a smile and an easy excuse.
“What can you expect in this weather? No one but a fish could help aching in these floods. I’m perfectly all right!”
But one morning this week, meeting her on an upper landing, Claire discovered Sophie apparently dragging herself along with her hands, and punctuating each step with a gasp of pain. She stood still and stared, whereupon Sophie instantly straightened herself, and ascended the remaining steps in a normal manner.
“Sophie,” cried Claire sternly, “don’t pretend! I heard you; I saw you! My dear girl, is the rheumatism so bad?”