Read "The Stronger Influence" by Ethel Mills online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
The two or three guests at the hotel who witnessed Esme's return in the company of Hallam were filled with amazement at the unusual spectacle of the man who was never known to associate with any one, walking beside the girl and carrying her coat across his shoulder, with an air of being on perfectly friendly terms with his companion and with himself. The two were laughing when they neared the gate; but the man's expression settled into its habitual boredom as he followed the girl up the path and mounted the steps on to the stoep.
He removed the coat from his shoulder and handed it to her with a brief smile.