He was never free from suffering and he
was constantly on the alert to prevent anyone from seeing it. The strain
gave him a peculiar restlessness.
But he was gentler than he had ever been before. He seemed genuinely glad
to see her and asked about her travels with interest. Susie led him to
talk of himself, and he spoke willingly enough of his daily round. He was
earning a good deal of money, and his professional reputation was making
steady progress. He worked hard. Besides his duties at the two hospitals
with which he was now connected, his teaching, and his private practice,
he had read of late one or two papers before scientific bodies, and was
editing a large work on surgery.
'How on earth can you find time to do so much?' asked Susie.
'I can do with less sleep than I used,' he answered. 'It almost doubles
my working-day.'
He stopped abruptly and looked down. His remark had given accidentally
some hint at the inner life which he was striving to conceal. Susie knew
that her suspicion was well-founded. She thought of the long hours he
lay awake, trying in vain to drive from his mind the agony that tortured
him, and the short intervals of troubled sleep.
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