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There were several pauses in the hemorrhage, and at each pause Mr. Bouncing's mind came back to him as clear as glass. He spoke at intervals. "Not Rivers," he said, fixing Winn's eyes, "Roper Roper." Then he leaned back on the strong shoulder supporting him. "Glad to go," he murmured. "Life has been a damned nuisance. I've had enough of it."
I sometimes think you can't have a really good joke unless it's improper." Winn did not say anything; but he thought that however limited Mrs. Bouncing's sense of humor might be, she would have enjoyed the improper ones. Mr. Bouncing took out his thermometer. "It is five minutes," he said, "since I've had the glass of milk, and I think my tongue must have cooled down by now.
"Oh, come, you know," said Maurice, jauntily, "I'm not responsible for poor old Bouncing's death, am I?" "I don't say you are," Winn continued, without looking any pleasanter. "Bouncing had to die, and a jolly good thing for him it was when it came off; his life wasn't worth a row of pins. But I wasn't talking about him; I was talking about her.
Bouncing told Winn what everybody in the hotel had suggested, and appeared to expect him to combine and carry out all their suggestions, with several other contradictory ones of her own. During this crisis Maurice Rivers markedly avoided Mrs. Bouncing. He felt as if she might have prevented Mr. Bouncing's death just then. It was a failure of tact.
"I'm sure, as a man of the world, you'd advise me to keep out of it, wouldn't you? It's different for you, of course; you were poor Bouncing's friend." Winn, whose temper was extremely ruffled, gave him a formidable glance. "You get into things a bit too soon, my boy," he replied coldly, "and get out of 'em a bit too late."
Bouncing's eyes were shut it was so difficult to tell whether he was alive or dead. However, after a few minutes he opened them. "They are five minutes late with my hot milk," he said. "Do you mind just getting up and touching the bell? And you've got such a sharp way of speaking to waiters, perhaps you wouldn't mind hauling him over the coals for me when he comes?"
Then when you come in and give me warm, dry sheets and something hot to drink, something comes back. I suppose it's life force; but not much never as much as when I started the collapse. I'm getting weaker every hour; don't you notice it? I never approved of all this lying in bed. I shall speak to Dr. Gurnet about it to-morrow." Winn had noticed it; he came and sat down by Mr. Bouncing's bed.
He didn't expect perfection or even want it, and he wasn't the man to be satisfied with an ideal; but he wanted, as few men have ever wanted for any women, that Claire should be happy and safe. "I've told you once," he said; "you might know I shouldn't change. I've got one or two little jobs to see to about Bouncing's funeral. That woman's half a little cat and half an abject fool.
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