20. Sam A Verdict
Sam: A Verdict
Only women are taken as thews, as is proper, given their more malleable nature. It is true that a woman’s spirit is prone to unfaithfulness and subterfuge, as living women are, and for this reason it is vital to keep a tight rein.
—César Castellanos, Understanding the Realm of Thews
The sisters had, by good fortune, avoided the worst. Sunday brought a cordial message from Jane Trench, inviting Rosetta and Clementine not to an extended stay but to dinner on the coming Saturday.
Only dinner! An equally cordial—if insincere—reply in the affirmative was sent back.
Monday brought a frenzy of activity at the office of Mr. Wilbur Smythe, one of the lawyers at Peterson the outrage was laced with enjoyment.
Simeon looked on silently, but there were traces of laughter around his eyes, his glee only barely repressed.
This was sport for him and the other young men; they came as spectators to a game in which they already knew their team to be victors.
Though they might shout and jeer, no one doubted the outcome of this contest.
Clementine seemed unaffected by the jeering, until her eyes focused on her sister. Rosetta’s cheeks were pale, and she looked downward at her lap, where her fists clutched a handkerchief in concentration. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps.
Getting to her feet, Clem waved to her lawyer. “Mr. Smythe! Mr. Smythe!” she called, trying to make herself heard over the chorus of heckling. “Rosetta is unwell!” Mr. Smythe didn’t hear her. Abruptly, Clem flung the little wooden gate of her box open and rushed toward Rosetta.