Out of the
silence one looked down on it, and it seemed to have lost all
importance, all significance. It was so big, yet it had no significance.
The kingdom of the world had no significance: what could one do but
wander about?
The woman came with my soup. I asked her, did not many people come in
the summer. But she was scared away, she did not answer, she went like a
leaf in the wind. However, the soup was good and plentiful.
She was a long time before she came with the next course. Then she put
the tray on the table, and looking at me, then looking away,
shrinking, she said:
'You must excuse me if I don't answer you--I don't hear well--I am
rather deaf.'
I looked at her, and I winced also. She shrank in such simple pain from
the fact of her defect. I wondered if she were bullied because of it, or
only afraid lest visitors would dislike it.
She put the dishes in order, set me my plate, quickly, nervously, and
was gone again, like a scared chicken. Being tired, I wanted to weep
over her, the nervous, timid hen, so frightened by her own deafness. The
house was silent of her, empty.
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