Owen Wingrave

MP3 Audio CD. Owen Wingrave

1

"Upon my honour you must be off your head!" cried Spencer Coyle, as the young man, with a white face, stood
there panting a little and repeating "Really, I've quite decided," and "I assure you I've thought it all out." They
were both pale, but Owen Wingrave smiled in a manner exasperating to his interlocutor, who however still
discriminated sufficiently to see that his grimace (it was like an irrelevant leer) was the result of extreme and
conceivable nervousness.

"It was certainly a mistake to have gone so far; but that is exactly why I feel I mustn't go further," poor Owen
said, waiting mechanically, almost humbly (he wished not to swagger, and indeed he had nothing to swagger
about) and carrying through the window to the stupid opposite houses the dry glitter of his eyes.
"I'm unspeakably disgusted. You've made me dreadfully ill," Mr Coyle went on, looking thoroughly upset.
"I'm very sorry. It was the fear of the effect on you that kept me from speaking sooner."

"You should have spoken three months ago. Don't you know your mind from one day to the other?"
The young man for a moment said nothing. Then he replied with a little tremor: "You're very angry with me, and I
expected it. I'm awfully obliged to you for all you've done for me. I'll do anything else for you in return, but I can't
do that. Everyone else will let me have it, of course. I'm prepared for it I'm prepared for everything. That's what
has taken the time: to be sure I was prepared. I think it's your displeasure I feel most and regret most. But little by
little you'll get over it."