Indeed, it was the one affair of his
about which he never felt much remorse.
PART II
I
THE death of Mrs Maidan occurred on the 4th of August, 1904.
And then nothing happened until the 4th of August, 1913. There is
the curious coincidence of dates, but I do not know whether that is
one of those sinister, as if half jocular and altogether merciless
proceedings on the part of a cruel Providence that we call a
coincidence. Because it may just as well have been the
superstitious mind of Florence that forced her to certain acts, as if
she had been hypnotized. It is, however, certain that the 4th of
August always proved a significant date for her. To begin with,
she was born on the 4th of August. Then, on that date, in the year
1899, she set out with her uncle for the tour round the world in
company with a young man called Jimmy. But that was not
merely a coincidence. Her kindly old uncle, with the supposedly
damaged heart, was in his delicate way, offering her, in this trip, a
birthday present to celebrate her coming of age. Then, on the 4th
of August, 1900, she yielded to an action that certainly coloured
her whole life--as well as mine. She had no luck.
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