: The Azure Rose: A Novel by Kauffman Reginald Wright - Paris (France) Fiction; País Vasco (Spain) Fiction

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He bent to the knob, his hand just brushing hers, which was quickly withdrawn. He pulled: the door would not give. He took the knob in both hands and raised it: no success. He bore all his weight down upon the knob: the door remained shut.

He looked up at her attempting the smile of apology, but her eyes, as soon as they encountered his, were raised to a calm regard of the panel above his head. Cartaret's gaze returned to the door and, presently, encountered the old deadlatch that antedated his tenancy and that he had never once used: it was a deadlatch of a type antiquated even in the Latin Quarter, tough and enduring; years ago it had been pushed back and held open by a small catch; the knob whereby it was originally worked from inside the room had been broken off; and now the catch had slipped, the spring-bolt had shot home and, the knob being broken, the girl and Cartaret were as much prisoners in the room as if the lock had been on the other side of the door.

The American broke into a nervous laugh.

"What now?" asked the girl, her eyes hard.

"We're caught," said Cartaret.

She could only repeat the word:

"Caught?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. It was my stupidity; I suppose I jolted the door rather hard when I bumped into it, doing that tango just now. Anyhow, this old lock's sprung into action and we're fastened in."

The girl looked at him sharply. A difficult red climbed her cheeks.

"Open that door," she ordered.

"Open that door instantly."

"But I tell you I can't. Don't you see?" He pointed to the offending deadlatch. In embarrassed sentences, he explained the situation.

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