The Wall of Partition

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1914 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XIII "many Widows Were In Israel' 7TEWED and reviewed during the practical * prose of breakfast, the happenings of the previous night took on a fantastic form, which made them appear to belong rather to the phantasm of slumber, than to the sober realities of waking hours. Surely he had dreamed that he reached out into space and found the Kind Voice; found her without the help of wires or of bells; aye, even without the assistance of that omniscient individual, known familiarly as "Exchange." Surely he had slept even more profoundly, and dreamed even more wildly, when the owner of the kind voice was promising, gently, to ring him up at 10.15 to-night. Yet he started, and kept his seat with difficulty, when the telephone-bell rang outside; and when Jake, instead of giving the hospital number, opened the dining-room door, saying: "You're wanted on the telephone, sir," Rodney dashed to the instrument, vexed at his delay, and perfectly certain who was awaiting him at the other end. Obviously she had thought he meant 10.15 A.m. instead of 10.15 P.M. He lifted the receiver. "Hullo?" he said, eagerly. "Hullo! Is it you?" "Of course it's me, old chap," came Billy's good-tempered voice, jovial and ungrammatical. "But, what's up? You sound rather as if I were a straw, and you, a drowning man! Are you bored stiff?" Steele mastered his annoyance, which indeed was with himself, rather than with Billy. "I'm all right, Billy," he said. "Jolly and comfortable as possible." "I've rung up," shouted Billy, "to say you really must come down to us at once. The fogs and cold must be so beastly in town. Here we have brilliant sunshine; the ice bears; we shall be skating on the lake to-morrow. Look up a train, and come to-day, old chap." "Thanks, Billy....