And his own worries filled
his mind. On his house he succeeded in borrowing five thousand dollars at
ten per cent, and in his office he worked out a scheme along the lines of
Deborah's plan. At first it was only a struggle to save the remnants of
what was left. Later the tide began to turn, new business came into the
office again. But only a little, and then it stopped. Hard times were here
for the winter.
Soon Edith would come with the children. He wondered how sensible she would
be. It was going to mean a daily fight to make ends meet, he told himself,
and guiltily he decided not to let his daughter know how matters stood in
his office. Take care of your own flesh and blood, and then be generous as
you please--that had always been his way. And now Deborah had upset it by
her emotional appeal. "How dramatic she is at times!" he reflected in
annoyance. "Just lets herself out and enjoys herself!" He grew angry at her
interference, and more than once he resolved to shut down. But back in the
office, before those watchful faces, still again he would put it off.
"Wait a little. We'll see," he thought.
* * * * *
In the meantime, in this interplay, these shifting lights and shadows which
played upon the history of the life of Roger's home, there came to him a
diversion from an unexpected source. Laura and Harold returned from abroad.
Soon after landing they came to the house, and talking fast and eagerly
they told how they had eluded the war.
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