EIGHTRENE’S awkwardness was not the fault of his big gaunt frame. It was caused by self-consciousness stemming from a peculiarly sensitive nature. Since the stolidity of the peasant was not in him, I thought he must belong to the bourgeoisie, and his accent and manners were obviously provincial. As soon as he began to talk fluently, his movements and carriage became graceful, in the way, I thought, not of a thoroughbred racehorse but of a rugged stallion. He carried his head somewhat bent and c****d on one side. He began to give me the impression of a great deal, perhaps an amazing amount, of physical strength. I thrilled over it, thinking how he might need it if he should cross certain paths of Jeffery Lundy.
After making various stilted comments on the weather and the glories of the Roy
