"
"Women shy away from the grotesque, the unpleasant," Hollister
declared. "You know they do. I had proof of that pretty well over two
years. So do men, for that matter. But the women are the worst. I've
seen them look at me as if I were a loathsome thing."
"Oh, rats," Lawanne returned irritably. "You're hyper-sensitive about
that face of yours. The women--well, take Mrs. Bland as an example. I
don't see that the condition of your face makes any great difference
to her. It doesn't appear to arouse any profound distaste on her
part."
Hollister could not counter that. But it was an argument which carried
no weight with him. For if Myra could look at him without a qualm,
Hollister knew it must be because her mind never quite relinquished
the impression of him as he used to be in the old days. And Doris had
nothing like that to mitigate the sweeping impression of first sight,
which Hollister feared with a fear he could not shake off by any
effort of his will.
He went on up to his own house. The maple tree thrust one heavy-leaved
branch over the porch.
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