In paragraph 6, Jack attempts to bridge the gap between him and Margaret after years of ignoring her. He awkwardly tries to talk naturally but ultimately jerks out his wife's invitation for Margaret to join them for dinner the following Sunday. However, the text does not provide the exact words he used; it simply notes that he was miserable and struggled during the conversation. After he extends the invitation, Margaret accepts it without showing any pleasure, and then Jack quickly leaves.
Jack Laffan, Margaret's brother, was a sociable man, quite unlike his sister. Jack had a wife known to all as Mrs. Jack. Jack was rather fond of idling with his companions, but, being well under Mrs. Jack's thumb, this habit was unlikely to be tolerated for long.
4 Mrs. Jack was known for being a domineering woman. There was never much love lost between her and Margaret, and Mrs. Jack's guesses were perhaps the most ill-natured as to the reasons for Margaret's silence and her curious, checked clothing.
5 For twenty-five years, Margaret lived alone, untroubled by her relatives. Then, there was talk about money, and this gossip grew like a snowball from little beginnings. This talk fired Mrs. Jack with a curious excitement, for she believed any extravagant story. She blamed Jack for long ignoring Margaret. When he stared at his wife, dumbfounded, she shook him until his teeth rattled.
6 That very day Jack stupidly went to try to bridge the gulf of thirty years of ignoring his sister. Margaret watched him with grim enjoyment while he wriggled miserably and tried to talk naturally. Finally, he jerked out his wife's invitation to dine with them the following Sunday, which Margaret accepted without showing any pleasure; then Jack bolted from the house.
7 Margaret came to dinner on Sunday and was well entertained, for the Laffans were prosperous. Though hardly speaking, Margaret thoroughly enjoyed her dinner. When she left, Mrs. Jack declared her "a flinty-hearted old maid." Nevertheless, Margaret dined each Sunday with the Laffans, and Mrs. Jack noticed that the dinners were putting a roundness on Margaret that might give her a new lease on life–perhaps not a desirable result.
1asylum - an institution that cares for the mentally ill, orphans, or others who need assistance
What does Jack say to Margaret when he goes to visit her? (paragraph 6)
1 answer