Surprised that she could speak freely to him him, for hitherto he had imposed himself on her so much that her thoughts could only follow a certain track with him - a lane of light with darkness on both sides - she added, feigning gaiety:
'But it's only temporary, my seriousness! I shall go back to being like I was, I hope, if that doesn't sound too conceited! I've won my battle, whatever it was, and I've been punished - at least,' she laughed, 'an old welfare-worker who sometimes comes nosing around here told me I had.'
Jael gave the Inspector a questioning look, for he must know better than the Visitor what her fate was going to be; but he made no comment.
'So having made my sort of protest, which I felt duty bound to make, both for myself and others, I shall forget about it, and be as carefree as I used to be, for I'm not a natural rebel and people with a grievance are so unattractive, aren't they? - you must know that better than anyone, since its your job to keep us all in order.'
Jael felt very happy saying all this to the Inspector, which she had long had it in her mind to say, and the wireless was making such a din, cooing, crooning and sighing, that there was no danger of being overheard. Nor much of being seen; for each patient had a television screen at the end of her bed, and what happened on it was to her more real than what was happening in the ward. She wasn't too much discouraged by Michael's silence, but she began to feel that she had held the floor too long, and said more diffidently:
'What I meant was, that I may seem different to - to talk to, but I'm just the same underneath.'
[Facial Justice, Hartley, L. P.]
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