Louise by W. Somerset Maugham. Short summary

5 seconds

Louise, an old acquaintance of the author, did not like him, but she kept in touch with him. He wondered why she wouldn’t give up on him, but then he figured it out.

1 minute

Louise did not like the author and was always trying to say unflattering things about him behind his back. So he never understood what she was getting to know him for. The woman was delicate enough and never went to the conflict openly. She expressed her displeasure with hints, sighs and sarcastic compliments.

The author had known Louise for about 25 years and during that time she thought he was rude, vulgar, callous and cynical. He wondered why she wouldn’t give up on him, but then he figured it out. Louise thought that the narrator did not believe her; he was the only one who did not take her seriously. This made her very angry, and she could not rest until she made him admit his mistake.

Probably she realized that the author had figured out her true face, and she was determined to convince him otherwise, no matter what it took. Perhaps Louise was attracted to him by the knowledge that they both, as two crooks, had a secret in common that no one could guess.