A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin Mrs.

Baroda was a little provoked to learn that her husband e pected his !riend" #ouvernail" up to spend a week or two on the plantation. $hey had entertained a %ood deal durin% the winter& much o! the time had also been passed in 'ew (rleans in various !orms o! mild dissipation. )he was lookin% !orward to a period o! unbroken rest" now" and undisturbed tete*a*tete with her husband" when he in!ormed her that #ouvernail was comin% up to stay a week or two. $his was a man she had heard much o! but never seen. +e had been her husband,s colle%e !riend& was now a -ournalist" and in no sense a society man or .a man about town". which were" perhaps" some o! the reasons she had never met him. But she had unconsciously !ormed an ima%e o! him in her mind. )he pictured him tall" slim" cynical& with eye*%lasses" and his hands in his pockets& and she did not like him. #ouvernail was slim enou%h" but he wasn,t very tall nor very cynical& neither did he wear eye%lasses nor carry his hands in his pockets. And she rather liked him when he !irst presented himsel!. But why she liked him she could not e plain satis!actorily to hersel! when she partly attempted to do so. )he could discover in him none o! those brilliant and promisin% traits which #aston" her husband" had o!ten assured her that he possessed. (n the contrary" he sat rather mute and receptive be!ore her chatty ea%erness to make him !eel at home and in !ace o! #aston,s !rank and wordy hospitality. +is manner was as courteous toward her as the most e actin% woman could re/uire& but he made no direct appeal to her approval or even esteem. (nce settled at the plantation he seemed to like to sit upon the wide portico in the shade o! one o! the bi% Corinthian pillars" smokin% his ci%ar la0ily and listenin% attentively to #aston,s e perience as a su%ar planter. .$his is what 1 call livin%". he would utter with deep satis!action" as the air that swept across the su%ar !ield caressed him with its warm and scented velvety touch. 1t pleased him also to %et on !amiliar terms with the bi% do%s that came about him" rubbin% themselves sociably a%ainst his le%s. +e did not care to !ish" and displayed no ea%erness to %o out and kill %rosbecs when #aston proposed doin% so. #ouvernail,s personality pu00led Mrs. Baroda" but she liked him. 1ndeed" he was a lovable" ino!!ensive !ellow. A!ter a !ew days" when she could understand him no better than at !irst" she %ave over bein% pu00led and remained pi/ued. 1n this mood she le!t her husband and her %uest" !or the most part" alone to%ether. $hen !indin% that #ouvernail took no manner o! e ception to her action" she imposed her society upon him" accompanyin% him in his idle strolls to the mill and walks alon% the batture. )he persistently sou%ht to penetrate the reserve in which he had unconsciously enveloped himsel!. .When is he %oin%**your !riend2. she one day asked her husband. .3or my part" he tires me !ri%ht!ully.. .'ot !or a week yet" dear. 1 can,t understand& he %ives you no trouble..

.'o. 1 should like him better i! he did& i! he were more like others" and 1 had to plan somewhat !or his com!ort and en-oyment.. #aston took his wi!e,s pretty !ace between his hands and looked tenderly and lau%hin%ly into her troubled eyes. $hey were makin% a bit o! toilet sociably to%ether in Mrs. Baroda,s dressin%*room. .4ou are !ull o! surprises" ma belle". he said to her. .5ven 1 can never count upon how you are %oin% to act under %iven conditions.. +e kissed her and turned to !asten his cravat be!ore the mirror. .+ere you are". he went on" .takin% poor #ouvernail seriously and makin% a commotion over him" the last thin% he would desire or e pect.. .Commotion6. she hotly resented. .'onsense6 +ow can you say such a thin%2 Commotion" indeed6 But" you know" you said he was clever.. .)o he is. But the poor !ellow is run down by overwork now. $hat,s why 1 asked him here to take a rest.. .4ou used to say he was a man o! ideas". she retorted" unconciliated. .1 e pected him to be interestin%" at least. 1,m %oin% to the city in the mornin% to have my sprin% %owns !itted. 7et me know when Mr. #ouvernail is %one& 1 shall be at my Aunt (ctavie,s.. $hat ni%ht she went and sat alone upon a bench that stood beneath a live oak tree at the ed%e o! the %ravel walk. )he had never known her thou%hts or her intentions to be so con!used. )he could %ather nothin% !rom them but the !eelin% o! a distinct necessity to /uit her home in the mornin%. Mrs. Baroda heard !ootsteps crunchin% the %ravel& but could discern in the darkness only the approachin% red point o! a li%hted ci%ar. )he knew it was #ouvernail" !or her husband did not smoke. )he hoped to remain unnoticed" but her white %own revealed her to him. +e threw away his ci%ar and seated himsel! upon the bench beside her& without a suspicion that she mi%ht ob-ect to his presence. .4our husband told me to brin% this to you" Mrs. Baroda". he said" handin% her a !ilmy" white scar! with which she sometimes enveloped her head and shoulders. )he accepted the scar! !rom him with a murmur o! thanks" and let it lie in her lap. +e made some commonplace observation upon the bane!ul e!!ect o! the ni%ht air at the season. $hen as his %a0e reached out into the darkness" he murmured" hal! to himsel!8 .9'i%ht o! south winds**ni%ht o! the lar%e !ew stars6 )till noddin% ni%ht**,. )he made no reply to this apostrophe to the ni%ht" which" indeed" was not addressed to her.

#ouvernail was in no sense a di!!ident man" !or he was not a sel!*conscious one. +is periods o! reserve were not constitutional" but the result o! moods. )ittin% there beside Mrs. Baroda" his silence melted !or the time. +e talked !reely and intimately in a low" hesitatin% drawl that was not unpleasant to hear. +e talked o! the old colle%e days when he and #aston had been a %ood deal to each other& o! the days o! keen and blind ambitions and lar%e intentions. 'ow there was le!t with him" at least" a philosophic ac/uiescence to the e istin% order**only a desire to be permitted to e ist" with now and then a little whi!! o! %enuine li!e" such as he was breathin% now. +er mind only va%uely %rasped what he was sayin%. +er physical bein% was !or the moment predominant. )he was not thinkin% o! his words" only drinkin% in the tones o! his voice. )he wanted to reach out her hand in the darkness and touch him with the sensitive tips o! her !in%ers upon the !ace or the lips. )he wanted to draw close to him and whisper a%ainst his cheek**she did not care what**as she mi%ht have done i! she had not been a respectable woman. $he stron%er the impulse %rew to brin% hersel! near him" the !urther" in !act" did she draw away !rom him. As soon as she could do so without an appearance o! too %reat rudeness" she rose and le!t him there alone. Be!ore she reached the house" #ouvernail had li%hted a !resh ci%ar and ended his apostrophe to the ni%ht. Mrs. Baroda was %reatly tempted that ni%ht to tell her husband**who was also her !riend**o! this !olly that had sei0ed her. But she did not yield to the temptation. Beside bein% a respectable woman she was a very sensible one& and she knew there are some battles in li!e which a human bein% must !i%ht alone. When #aston arose in the mornin%" his wi!e had already departed. )he had taken an early mornin% train to the city. )he did not return till #ouvernail was %one !rom under her roo!. $here was some talk o! havin% him back durin% the summer that !ollowed. $hat is" #aston %reatly desired it& but this desire yielded to his wi!e,s strenuous opposition. +owever" be!ore the year ended" she proposed" wholly !rom hersel!" to have #ouvernail visit them a%ain. +er husband was surprised and deli%hted with the su%%estion comin% !rom her. .1 am %lad" chere amie" to know that you have !inally overcome your dislike !or him& truly he did not deserve it.. .(h". she told him" lau%hin%ly" a!ter pressin% a lon%" tender kiss upon his lips" .1 have overcome everythin%6 you will see. $his time 1 shall be very nice to him..