He made another
short visit to us in December of that year--the first year of our
acquaintance. It must have been during this visit that he knocked
Mr Jimmy's teeth down his throat. I daresay Florence had asked
him to come over for that purpose. In 1905 he was in Paris three
times--once with Leonora, who wanted some frocks. In 1906 we
spent the best part of six weeks together at Mentone, and Edward
stayed with us in Paris on his way back to London. That was how
it went.
The fact was that in Florence the poor wretch had got hold of a
Tartar, compared with whom Leonora was a sucking kid. He must
have had a hell of a time. Leonora wanted to keep him for--what
shall I say--for the good of her church, as it were, to show that
Catholic women do not lose their men. Let it go at that, for the
moment. I will write more about her motives later, perhaps. But
Florence was sticking on to the proprietor of the home of her
ancestors. No doubt he was also a very passionate lover. But I am
convinced that he was sick of Florence within three years of even
interrupted companionship and the life that she led him. . . .
If ever Leonora so much as mentioned in a letter that they had had
a woman staying with them--or, if she so much as mentioned a
woman's name in a letter to me--off would go a desperate cable in
cipher to that poor wretch at Branshaw, commanding him on pain
of an instant and horrible disclosure to come over and assure her
of his fidelity.
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