Then he looked at Dea again.
"What a blow to her this will be! It will be like blowing out a candle."
He inflated his cheeks.
"Puff! nothing more."
Then, with a little dry laugh,—
"Losing Gwynplaine, she loses all. It would be just as if I were to lose Homo. It will be worse. She will feel more lonely than any one else could. The blind wade through more sorrow than we do."
He looked out of the window at the end of the room.
"How the days lengthen! It is not dark at seven o'clock. Nevertheless we will light up."
He struck the steel and lighted the lamp which hung from the ceiling of the Green Box.
Then he leaned over Dea.