But, there never had been a time between them, when things
really came to a crisis, and Dannie took the lead, and said
matters must go a certain way, that Jimmy had not acceded. In
reality, Dannie always had been master.
Now he was not. Where he lost control he did not know. He had
tried several times to return to the subject of how to bring back
happiness to Mary, and Jimmy immediately developed symptoms of
another attack of heart disease, a tendency to start for town, or
openly defied him by walking away. Yet, Jimmy stuck to him closer
than he ever had, and absolutely refused to go anywhere, or to do
the smallest piece of work alone. Sometimes he grew sullen and
morose when he was not drinking, and that was very unlike the gay
Jimmy. Sometimes he grew wildly hilarious, as if he were bound to
make such a racket that he could hear no sound save his own
voice. So long as he stayed at home, helped with the work, and
made an effort to please Mary, Dannie hoped for the best, but his
hopes never grew so bright that they shut out an awful fear that
was beginning to loom in the future. But he tried in every way to
encourage Jimmy, and help him in the struggle he did not
understand, so when he saw that Jimmy was disappointed about the
fishing, he suggested that he should go alone.
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