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The Painted Veil

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The Painted Veil. Part 10. (Chapters 31-34)

I’d like to retell the chapters from the tenth assignment of “The Painted Veil” by Somerset Maugham. Kitty was exhausted and overwrought, when they reached their destination. Walter was in the courtyard and Kitty was startled to hear a man’s voice in the room. It was Mr. Waddington, the local deputy commissioner. He explained that he expected Kitty and Walter to be too fagged to dine with him and that was why he ordered some dinner to their place. When Walter entered the room, Mr. Waddington introduced himself and added that he was glad to finally have someone company. He only had the nuns to talk to, but his French was not so good and he couldn’t touch on a lot of topics with them. While talking, Mr. Waddington remarked that the epidemic was terrible and people were dying like flies. He tried to get the nuns to go but they wouldn’t agree. He still hadn’t left himself because someone had to stay and keep an eye on things.

During dinner, Mr. Wadding talked a great deal about Hong-Kong as he had lots of friends there. When he mentioned Charlie Townsend, Kitty froze but Walter acted as usual. It turned out that they once had travelled from home together. Mr. Waddington talked a great deal about theatres and plays and he filled Kitty with awe, even though her husband didn’t seem to be nearly as amused. Soon Kitty took herself off as she was tired and they all parted.

That night Kitty had very bizarre and vivid dreams. She dreamt of Charlie who kept on apologizing and kissing her face but then they were separated by peasants bearing a coffin. Kitty awoke abruptly. She looked out of the window to see the river below and the city. The dawn had just broken and she watched the boats shrouded by a white mist. The white cloud then formed a massive bastion which towered over the river. It looked as some magical place where no man could enter. She was so touched by the image of something so mysterious that the tears were running down her face. She had never felt so light and good.

Walter was away for most of the part of the day, so Kitty was alone a lot. When it was very hot; she just lay in a chair by the open window. During the day the temple wasn’t so magical but sometimes at dusk or at night she was able to recapture the pieces of that beauty.

Kitty knew vaguely from Mr. Waddington what was going on in the city. People were dying at the rate of hundred a day. They died so fast, it was impossible to bury them at once. Sometimes Kitty found herself to be panic-stricken. She was thinking of planes to escape. She thought of telling Mr. Waddington everything and asking him for help. She also considered begging her husband to have some pity for her. But she had no place to go anyway. She couldn’t go to her mother or Charlie. She had no one to turn to and sometimes it made her seize with such a frenzy, that she wished she had let Walter divorce her and ruin her.

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