human
Louisa,
gpt
Who--who did Mr. Morgan ask for?
human
Please, ma'am, he asked for you.
gpt
For me? What--what did he say?
human
Please, ma'am, he said 'Is Mrs. Nash in?'
gpt
Mrs. Nash? You're sure he said Mrs. Nash?
human
Yes, ma'am, quite sure.
gpt
And when you told him I wasn't in, did he ask for Mr. Nash?
human
No, ma'am; he said he'd wait.
gpt
How--how long did he wait?
human
Maybe twenty minutes, maybe half-an-hour; please, ma'am, I couldn't say exactly.
gpt
And did he seem angry?
human
No, ma'am; quite pleasant. He gave me a shilling as he was going.
gpt
A shilling! Oh! Now tell me, exactly, what was the message he left.
human
If you please, ma'am, he told me to tell you exactly what he said, so I took particular notice. She repeated word for word what Mr. Morgan had said; Mrs. Nash listening with singular intentness, as if her attention was fixed not so much on the actual words as on what was behind them. When the girl had finished she sat still, as if pondering. Louisa roused her.
gpt
If you please, ma'am, can I lay for supper?
human
Supper! of course; how silly I am! I was quite forgetting about supper. Certainly, Louisa, you can lay for supper; I--I think I'm quite ready for it. When she went into the bedroom her husband was still standing with his elbows on the mantelpiece and his face to the wall. As she entered he looked round with a start; the pair stood looking at each other as if each was taken aback by something which was on the other's face. She spoke first, in a voice which seemed to tremble.
gpt
Herbert, what--what's the matter?
human
The matter? He laughed, a forced laugh.
gpt
Nothing's the matter; why do you ask what's the matter?
human
You're--you're looking so strange.
gpt
That's your imagination, my dear. What is the matter is that I've got a touch of headache--one of my mother's headaches; you remember what I've told you about the headaches she used to have. I fancy the sun was stronger than I thought.
human
I didn't notice it; you said nothing about it.
gpt
No; I didn't notice it at the time. I expect that what I want is my supper; it'll be better after I've had something to eat.
human
Have you found your letter-case?
gpt
Oh yes, yes; I've found my letter-case; I must have dropped it out of my pocket as I was putting on my coat--very stupid of me; but I've found it all right. Anyhow there wasn't anything in it of very great consequence, so it wouldn't have mattered much if I hadn't.