A wretched, squalid affair! Would the Doctor
come at once and see Olga? Her father was away, as usual; of course
the girl would not be influenced by _him_, in any case; she was
altogether in a strange, wild, headstrong state, and one could not
be sure how soon the marriage might come about.
With wrinkled brows, the vexed pathologist set forth for
Hammersmith.
CHAPTER XII
A semi-detached dwelling in a part of Hammersmith just being invaded
by the social class below that for which it was built; where, in
consequence, rents had slightly fallen, and notices of "apartments"
were beginning to rise; where itinerant vendors, finding a new
market, strained their voices with special discord; where hired
pianos vied with each other through party walls; where the earth was
always very dusty or very muddy, and the sky above in all seasons
had a discouraging hue. The house itself furnished half-heartedly,
as if it was felt to be a mere encampment; no comfort in any
chamber, no air of home. Hannaford had not cared to distribute his
mementoes of battle and death in the room called his own; they
remained in packing-cases. Each member of the family, unhappy trio,
knew that their state was transitional, and waited rather than
lived.
With the surprise of a woman long bitter against destiny, Mrs.
Hannaford learnt that something _had_ happened, and that it was a
piece of good, not ill, fortune.
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