\"WhyshouldIhavethoughtofMissViner？\"
\"YouseenowwhyIwantedsomuchtofindoutwhatyouknewabouther。\"Hemadenocomment，andshepursued：\"NowthatyouDOknowit’sshe，ifthere’sanything————\"
Hemovedbackintotheroomandwentuptoher。Hisfacewasserious，withaslightshadeofannoyance。\"Whatonearthshouldtherebe？AsItoldyou，I’veneverinmylifeheardanyonesaytwowordsaboutMissViner。\"
Annamadenoanswerandtheycontinuedtofaceeachotherwithoutmoving。ForthemomentshehadceasedtothinkaboutSophyVinerandOwen：theonlythoughtinhermindwasthatDarrowwasalonewithher，closetoher，andthat，forthefirsttime，theirhandsandlipshadnotmet。
Heglancedbackdoubtfullyatthewindow。\"It’spouring。
Perhapsyou’drathernotgoout？\"
Shehesitated，asifwaitingforhimtourgeher。\"I
supposeI’dbetternot。Ioughttogoatoncetomymother—
in—law——Owen’sjustbeentellingher，\"shesaid。
\"Ah。\"Darrowhazardedasmile。\"Thataccountsformyhaving，onmywayup，heardsomeonetelephoningforMissPainter！\"
Attheallusiontheylaughedtogether，vaguely，andAnnamovedtowardthedoor。Hehelditopenforherandfollowedherout。
XIX
HeleftheratthedoorofMadamedeChantelle’ssitting—
room，andplungedoutaloneintotherain。
Thewindflungaboutthestrippedtree—topsoftheavenueanddashedthestingingstreamsintohisface。Hewalkedtothegateandthenturnedintothehigh—roadandstrodealongintheopen，buffetedbyslantinggusts。Theevenlyridgedfieldswereablurredwasteofmud，andtherussetcovertswhichheandOwenhadshotthroughthedaybeforeshivereddesolatelyagainstadrivingsky。
Darrowwalkedonandon，indifferenttothedirectionhewastaking。Histhoughtsweretossinglikethetree—tops。
Anna’sannouncementhadnotcometohimasacompletesurprise：thatmorning，ashestrolledbacktothehousewithOwenLeathandMissViner，hehadhadamomentaryintuitionofthetruth。Butithadbeennomorethananintuition，themerestfaintcloud—puffofsurmise；andnowitwasanattestedfact，darkeningoverthewholesky。
Inrespectofhisownattitude，hesawatoncethatthediscoverymadenoappreciablechange。Ifhehadbeenboundtosilencebefore，hewasnolessboundtoitnow；theonlydifferencelayinthefactthatwhathehadjustlearnedhadrenderedhisbondagemoreintolerable。HithertohehadfeltforSophyViner’sdefenselessstateasympathyprofoundlytingedwithcompunction。Butnowhewashalf—consciousofanobscureindignationagainsther。Superiorashehadfanciedhimselftoready—madejudgments，hewasawareofcherishingthecommondoubtastothedisinterestednessofthewomanwhotriestoriseaboveherpast。Nowondershehadbeensickwithfearonmeetinghim！Itwasinhispowertodohermoreharmthanhehaddreamed……
Assuredlyhedidnotwanttoharmher；buthediddesperatelywanttopreventhermarryingOwenLeath。Hetriedtogetawayfromthefeeling，toisolateandexteriorizeitsufficientlytoseewhatmotivesitwasmadeof；butitremainedamereblindmotionofhisblood，theinstinctiverecoilfromthethingthatnoamountofarguingcanmake\"straight。\"Histramp，prolongedasitwas，carriedhimnonearertoenlightenment；andaftertrudgingthroughtwoorthreesallowmud—stainedvillagesheturnedaboutandwearilymadehiswaybacktoGivre。Ashewalkeduptheblackavenue，makingforthelightsthattwinkledthroughitspitchingbranches，hehadasuddenrealisationofhisutterhelplessness。Hemightthinkandcombineashewould；
buttherewasnothing，absolutelynothing，thathecoulddo……
Hedroppedhiswetcoatinthevestibuleandbegantomountthestairstohisroom。Butonthelandinghewasovertakenbyasober—facedmaidwho，intonesdiscreetlylowered，beggedhimtobesokindastostep，foramoment，intotheMarquise’ssitting—room。Somewhatdisconcertedbythesummons，hefolloweditsbearertothedooratwhich，acoupleofhoursearlier，hehadtakenleaveofMrs。Leath。
Itopenedtoadmithimtoalargelamp—litroomwhichheimmediatelyperceivedtobeempty；andthefactgavehimtimetonote，eventhroughhisdisturbanceofmind，theinterestingdegreetowhichMadamedeChantelle’sapartment\"dated\"andcompletedher。Itsloopedandcordedcurtains，itspurplesatinupholstery，theSevresjardinieres，therosewoodfire—screen，thelittlevelvettablesedgedwithlaceandcrowdedwithsilverknick—knacksandsimperingminiatures，reconstitutedanalmostperfectsettingfortheblondebeautyofthe’sixties。DarrowwonderedthatFraserLeath’sfilialrespectshouldhaveprevailedoverhisaestheticscruplestotheextentofpermittingsuchananachronismamongtheeighteenthcenturygracesofGivre；
butamoment’sreflectionmadeitclearthat，toitslateowner，theattitudewouldhaveseemedexactlyinthetraditionsoftheplace。
MadamedeChantelle’semergencefromaninnerroomsnatchedDarrowfromtheseirrelevantmusings。Shewasalreadybeadedandbugledfortheevening，and，saveforaslightpinknessoftheeye—lids，herelaborateappearancerevealednomarkofagitation；butDarrownoticedthat，inrecognitionofthesolemnityoftheoccasion，shepinchedalacehandkerchiefbetweenherthumbandforefinger。
Sheplungedatonceintothecentreofthedifficulty，appealingtohim，inthenameofalltheEverards，todescendtherewithhertotherescueofherdarling。Shewasn’t，shewassure，addressingherselfinvaintoonewhoseperson，whose\"tone，\"whosetraditionssobrilliantlydeclaredhisindebtednesstotheprinciplesshebesoughthimtodefend。HerownreceptionofDarrow，theconfidenceshehadatonceaccordedhim，musthaveshownhimthatshehadinstinctivelyfelttheirunanimityofsentimentonthesefundamentalquestions。Shehadinfactrecognizedinhimtheonepersonwhom，withoutpaintohermaternalpiety，shecouldwelcomeasherson’ssuccessor；anditwasalmostastoOwen’sfatherthatshenowappealedtoDarrowtoaidinrescuingthewretchedboy。
\"Don’tthink，please，thatI’mcastingtheleastreflectiononAnna，orshowinganywantofsympathyforher，whenIsaythatIconsiderherpartlyresponsibleforwhat’shappened。
Annais’modern’——Ibelievethat’swhatit’scalledwhenyoureadunsettlingbooksandadmirehideouspictures。Indeed，\"
MadamedeChantellecontinued，leaningconfidentiallyforward，\"Imyselfhavealwaysmoreorlesslivedinthatatmosphere：myson，youknow，wasveryrevolutionary。Onlyhedidn’t，ofcourse，applyhisideas：theywerepurelyintellectual。That’swhatdearAnnahasalwaysfailedtounderstand。AndI’mafraidshe’screatedthesamekindofconfusioninOwen’smind——ledhimtomixupthingsyoureadaboutwiththingsyoudo……Youknow，ofcourse，thatshesideswithhiminthiswretchedbusiness？\"
Developingatlengthuponthistheme，shefinallynarroweddowntothepointofDarrow’sintervention。\"Mygrandson，Mr。Darrow，callsmeillogicalanduncharitablebecausemyfeelingstowardMissVinerhavechangedsinceI’veheardthisnews。Well！You’veknownher，itappears，forsomeyears：Annatellsmeyouusedtoseeherwhenshewasacompanion，orsecretaryorsomething，toadreadfullyvulgarMrs。Murrett。AndIaskyouasafriend，IaskyouasoneofUS，totellmeifyouthinkagirlwhohashadtoknockabouttheworldinthatkindofposition，andattheordersofallkindsofpeople，isfittedtobeOwen’swifeI’mnotimplyinganythingagainsther！ILIKEDthegirl，Mr。Darrow……Butwhat’sthatgottodowithit？Idon’twanthertomarrymygrandson。IfI’dbeenlookingforawifeforOwen，Ishouldn’thaveappliedtotheFarlowstofindmeone。That’swhatAnnawon’tunderstand；andwhatyoumusthelpmetomakehersee。\"
Darrow，tothisappeal，couldopposeonlytherepeatedassuranceofhisinabilitytointerfere。HetriedtomakeMadamedeChantelleseethattheverypositionhehopedtotakeinthehouseholdmadehisinterventionthemorehazardous。Hebroughtuptheusualarguments，andsoundedtheexpectednoteofsympathy；butMadamedeChantelle’salarmhaddispelledherhabitualimprecision，and，thoughshehadnotmanyreasonstoadvance，herargumentclungtoitspointlikeafrightenedsharp—clawedanimal。
\"Well，then，\"shesummedup，inresponsetohisrepeatedassertionsthathesawnowayofhelpingher，\"youcan，atleast，evenifyouwon’tsayawordtotheothers，tellmefranklyandfairly——andquitebetweenourselves——yourpersonalopinionofMissViner，sinceyou’veknownhersomuchlongerthanwehave。\"
Heprotestedthat，ifhehadknownherlonger，hehadknownhermuchlesswell，andthathehadalready，onthispoint，convincedAnnaofhisinabilitytopronounceanopinion。
MadamedeChantelledrewadeepsighofintelligence。\"YouropinionofMrs。Murrettisenough！Idon’tsupposeyoupretendtoconcealTHAT？Andheavenknowswhatotherunspeakablepeopleshe’sbeenmixedupwith。TheonlyfriendsshecanproducearecalledHoke……Don’ttrytoreasonwithme，Mr。Darrow。Therearefeelingsthatgodeeperthanfacts……AndIKNOWshethoughtofstudyingforthestage……\"MadamedeChantelleraisedthecornerofherlacehandkerchieftohereyes。\"I’mold—fashioned——likemyfurniture，\"shemurmured。\"AndIthoughtIcouldcountonyou，Mr。Darrow……\"
WhenDarrow，thatnight，regainedhisroom，hereflectedwithaflashofironythateachtimeheenteredithebroughtafreshtroopofperplexitiestotroubleitssereneseclusion。Sincethedayafterhisarrival，onlyforty—
eighthoursbefore，whenhehadsethiswindowopentothenight，andhishopeshadseemedasmanyasitsstars，eacheveninghadbroughtitsnewproblemanditsreneweddistress。Butnothing，asyet，hadapproachedtheblankmiseryofmindwithwhichhenowsethimselftofacethefreshquestionsconfrontinghim。
SophyVinerhadnotshownherselfatdinner，sothathehadhadnoglimpseofherinhernewcharacter，andnomeansofdiviningtherealnatureofthetiebetweenherselfandOwenLeath。Onething，however，wasclear：whateverherrealfeelingswere，andhowevermuchorlittleshehadatstake，ifshehadmadeuphermindtomarryOwenshehadmorethanenoughskillandtenacitytodefeatanyartsthatpoorMadamedeChantellecouldopposetoher。
Darrowhimselfwasinfacttheonlypersonwhomightpossiblyturnherfromherpurpose：MadamedeChantelle，athaphazard，hadhitonthesurestmeansofsavingOwen——iftopreventhismarriageweretosavehim！Darrow，onthispoint，didnotpretendtoanyfixedopinion；onefeelingalonewasclearandinsistentinhim：hedidnotmean，ifhecouldhelpit，toletthemarriagetakeplace。
Howhewastopreventithedidnotknow：tohistormentedimaginationeveryissueseemedclosed。ForafantasticinstanthewasmovedtofollowMadamedeChantelle’ssuggestionandurgeAnnatowithdrawherapproval。Ifhisreticence，hiseffortstoavoidthesubject，hadnotescapedher，shehaddoubtlesssetthemdowntothefactofhisknowingmore，andthinkingless，ofSophyVinerthanhehadbeenwillingtoadmit；andhemighttakeadvantageofthistoturnhermindgraduallyfromtheproject。Yethowdosowithoutbetrayinghisinsincerity？Ifhehadhadnothingtohidehecouldeasilyhavesaid：\"It’sonethingtoknownothingagainstthegirl，it’sanothertopretendthatI
thinkheragoodmatchforOwen。\"Butcouldhesayevensomuchwithoutbetrayingmore？ItwasnotAnna’squestions，orhisanswerstothem，thathefeared，butwhatmightcryaloudintheintervalsbetweenthem。HeunderstoodnowthateversinceSophyViner’sarrivalatGivrehehadfeltinAnnathelurkingsenseofsomethingunexpressed，andperhapsinexpressible，betweenthegirlandhimself……Whenatlasthefellasleephehadfatalisticallycommittedhisnextsteptothechancesofthemorrow。
ThefirstthatoffereditselfwasanencounterwithMrs。
Leathashedescendedthestairsthenextmorning。Shehadcomedownalreadyhattedandshodforadashtotheparklodge，whereoneofthegatekeeper’schildrenhadhadanaccident。Inhercompactdarkdressshelookedmorethanusuallystraightandslim，andherfaceworethepaleglowittookonatanycallonherenergy：akindofwarriorbrightnessthatmadehersmallhead，withitsstrongchinandclose—boundhair，likethatofanamazoninafrieze。
Itwastheirfirstmomentalonesinceshehadlefthim，theafternoonbefore，athermother—in—law’sdoor；andafterafewwordsabouttheinjuredchildtheirtalkinevitablyrevertedtoOwen。
Annaspokewithasmileofher\"scene\"withMadamedeChantelle，whobelonged，poordear，toagenerationwhen\"scenes\"（intheladylikeandlachrymalsenseoftheterm）
werethetributewhichsensibilitywasexpectedtopaytotheunusual。Theirconversationhadbeen，ineverydetail，soexactlywhatAnnahadforeseenthatithadclearlynotmademuchimpressiononher；butshewaseagertoknowtheresultofDarrow’sencounterwithhermother—in—law。
\"Shetoldmeshe’dsentforyou：shealways’sendsfor’
peopleinemergencies。Thatagain，Isuppose，isdel’epoque。AndfailingAdelaidePainter，whocan’tgetheretillthisafternoon，therewasnoonebutpooryoutoturnto。\"
Sheputitalllightly，withalightnessthatseemedtohistight—strungnervesslightly，undefinablyover—done。Buthewassoawareofhisowntensionthathewondered，thenextmoment，whetheranythingwouldeveragainseemtohimquiteusualandinsignificantandinthecommonorderofthings。
Astheyhastenedonthroughthedrizzleinwhichthestormofthenightwasweepingitselfout，Annadrewcloseunderhisumbrella，andatthepressureofherarmagainsthisherecalledhiswalkuptheDoverpierwithSophyViner。Thememorygavehimastartledvisionoftheinevitableoccasionsofcontact，confidence，familiarity，whichhisfuturerelationshiptothegirlwouldentail，andthecountlesschancesofbetrayalthateveryoneoftheminvolved。
\"Dotellmejustwhatyousaid，\"heheardAnnapleading；andwithsuddenresolutionheaffirmed：\"Iquiteunderstandyourmother—in—law’sfeelingasshedoes。\"
Thewords，whenuttered，seemedagooddeallesssignificantthantheyhadsoundedtohisinnerear；andAnnarepliedwithoutsurprise：\"Ofcourse。It’sinevitablethatsheshould。Butweshallbringherroundintime。\"Underthedrippingdomesheraisedherfacetohis。\"Don’tyourememberwhatyousaidthedaybeforeyesterday？’Togetherwecan’tfailtopullitoffforhim！’I’vetoldOwenthat，soyou’repledgedandthere’snogoingback。\"
Thedaybeforeyesterday！Wasitpossiblethat，nolongerago，lifehadseemedasufficientlysimplebusinessforasanemantohazardsuchassurances？
\"Anna，\"hequestionedherabruptly，\"whyareyousoanxiousforthismarriage？\"
Shestoppedshorttofacehim。\"Why？ButsurelyI’veexplainedtoyou——orratherI’vehardlyhadto，youseemedsoinsympathywithmyreasons！\"
\"Ididn’tknow，then，whoitwasthatOwenwantedtomarry。\"
Thewordswereoutwithaspringandhefeltaclearerairinhisbrain。Butherlogichemmedhimin。
\"Youknewyesterday；andyouassuredmethenthatyouhadn’tawordtosay————\"
\"AgainstMissViner？\"Thename，onceuttered，soundedonandoninhisears。\"Ofcoursenot。Butthatdoesn’tnecessarilyimplythatIthinkheragoodmatchforOwen。\"
Annamadenoimmediateanswer。Whenshespokeitwastoquestion：\"Whydon’tyouthinkheragoodmatchforOwen？\"
\"Well——MadamedeChantelle’sreasonsseemtomenotquiteasnegligibleasyouthink。\"
\"Youmeanthefactthatshe’sbeenMrs。Murrett’ssecretary，andthatthepeoplewhoemployedherbeforewerecalledHoke？For，asfarasOwenandIcanmakeout，thesearethegravestchargesagainsther。\"
\"Still，onecanunderstandthatthematchisnotwhatMadamedeChantellehaddreamedof。\"
\"Oh，perfectly——ifthat’sallyoumean。\"
Thelodgewasinsight，andshehastenedherstep。Hestrodeonbesideherinsilence，butatthegateshecheckedhimwiththequestion：\"Isitreallyallyoumean？\"
\"Ofcourse，\"heheardhimselfdeclare。
\"Oh，thenIthinkIshallconvinceyou——evenifIcan’t，likeMadamedeChantelle，summonalltheEverardstomyaid！\"Sheliftedtohimthelookofhappylaughterthatsometimesbrushedherwithagleamofspring。
Darrowwatchedherhastenalongthepathbetweenthedrippingchrysanthemumsandenterthelodge。Aftershehadgoneinhepacedupanddownoutsideinthedrizzle，waitingtolearnifshehadanymessagetosendbacktothehouse；
andafterthelapseofafewminutesshecameoutagain。
Thechild，shesaid，wasbadly，thoughnotdangerously，hurt，andthevillagedoctor，whowasalreadyonhand，hadaskedthatthesurgeon，alreadysummonedfromFrancheuil，shouldbetoldtobringwithhimcertainneedfulappliances。
Owenhadstartedbymotortofetchthesurgeon，buttherewasstilltimetocommunicatewiththelatterbytelephone。
ThedoctorfurthermorebeggedforanimmediateprovisionofsuchbandagesanddisinfectantsasGivreitselfcouldfurnish，andAnnabadeDarrowaddresshimselftoMissViner，whowouldknowwheretofindthenecessarythings，andwoulddirectoneoftheservantstobicyclewiththemtothelodge。
Darrow，ashehurriedoffonthiserrand，hadatonceperceivedtheopportunityitofferedofawordwithSophyViner。Whatthatwordwastobehedidnotknow；butnow，ifever，wasthemomenttomakeiturgentandconclusive。
Itwasunlikelythathewouldagainhavesuchachanceofunobservedtalkwithher。
Hehadsupposedheshouldfindherwithherpupilintheschool—room；buthelearnedfromaservantthatEffiehadgonetoFrancheuilwithherstep—brother，andthatMissVinerwasstillinherroom。Darrowsentherwordthathewasthebearerofamessagefromthelodge，andamomentlaterheheardhercomingdownthestairs。
XX
Forasecond，assheapproachedhim，thequicktremorofherglanceshowedherallintentonthesamethoughtashimself。
Hetransmittedhisinstructionswithmechanicalprecision，andsheansweredinthesametone，repeatinghiswordswiththeintensityofattentionofachildnotquitesureofunderstanding。Thenshedisappearedupthestairs。
Darrowlingeredoninthehall，notknowingifshemeanttoreturn，yetinwardlysureshewould。Atlengthhesawhercomingdowninherhatandjacket。Therainstillstreakedthewindowpanes，and，inordertosaysomething，hesaid：
\"You’renotgoingtothelodgeyourself？\"
\"I’vesentoneofthemenaheadwiththethings；butI
thoughtMrs。Leathmightneedme。\"
\"Shedidn’taskforyou，\"hereturned，wonderinghowhecoulddetainher；butsheanswereddecidedly：\"I’dbettergo。\"
Heheldopenthedoor，pickeduphisumbrellaandfollowedherout。Astheywentdownthestepssheglancedbackathim。\"You’veforgottenyourmackintosh。\"
\"Isha’n’tneedit。\"
Shehadnoumbrella，andheopenedhisandhelditouttoher。Sherejecteditwithamurmurofthanksandwalkedonthroughthethindrizzle，andhekepttheumbrellaoverhisownhead，withoutofferingtoshelterher。
Rapidlyandinsilencetheycrossedthecourtandbegantowalkdowntheavenue。TheyhadtraversedathirdofitslengthbeforeDarrowsaidabruptly：\"Wouldn’tithavebeenfairer，whenwetalkedtogetheryesterday，totellmewhatI’vejustheardfromMrs。Leath？\"
\"Fairer————？\"Shestoppedshortwithastartledlook。
\"IfI’dknownthatyourfuturewasalreadysettledIshouldhavesparedyoumygratuitoussuggestions。\"
Shewalkedon，moreslowly，forayardortwo。\"Icouldn’tspeakyesterday。Imeanttohavetoldyoutoday。\"
\"Oh，I’mnotreproachingyouforyourlackofconfidence。
Only，ifyouHADtoldme，Ishouldhavebeenmoresureofyourreallymeaningwhatyousaidtomeyesterday。\"
Shedidnotaskhimtowhathereferred，andhesawthatherpartingwordstohimlivedasvividlyinhermemoryasinhis。
\"Isitsoimportantthatyoushouldbesure？\"shefinallyquestioned。
\"Nottoyou，naturally，\"hereturnedwithinvoluntaryasperity。Itwasincredible，yetitwasafact，thatforthemomenthisimmediatepurposeinseekingtospeaktoherwaslostunderarushofresentmentatcountingforsolittleinherfate。Ofwhatstuff，then，washisfeelingforhermade？Afewhoursearliershehadtouchedhisthoughtsaslittleashissenses；butnowhefeltoldsleepinginstinctsstirinhim……
Arushofraindashedagainsthisface，and，catchingSophy’shat，straineditbackfromherloosenedhair。Sheputherhandstoherheadwithafamiliargesture……Hecamecloserandheldhisumbrellaoverher……
Atthelodgehewaitedwhileshewentin。Theraincontinuedtostreamdownonhimandheshiveredinthedampnessandstampedhisfeetontheflags。Itseemedtohimthatalongtimeelapsedbeforethedooropenedandshereappeared。HeglancedintothehouseforaglimpseofAnna，butobtainednone；yetthemeresenseofhernearnesshadcompletelyalteredhismood。
Thechild，Sophytoldhim，wasdoingwell；butMrs。Leathhaddecidedtowaittillthesurgeoncame。Darrow，astheyturnedaway，lookedthroughthegates，andsawthedoctor’sold—fashionedcarriagebytheroadside。
\"Letmetellthedoctor’sboytodriveyouback，\"hesuggested；butSophyanswered：\"No；I’llwalk，\"andhemovedontowardthehouseatherside。Sheexpressednosurpriseathisnotremainingatthelodge，andagaintheywalkedoninsilencethroughtherain。Shehadacceptedtheshelterofhisumbrella，butshekeptherselfatsuchacarefullymeasureddistancethateventheslightswayingmovementsproducedbytheirquickpacedidnotoncebringherarmintouchwithhis；and，noticingthis，heperceivedthateverydropofherbloodmustbealivetohisnearness。
\"WhatImeantjustnow，\"hebegan，\"wasthatyououghttohavebeensureofmygoodwishes。\"
Sheseemedtoweighthewords。\"Sureenoughforwhat？\"
\"Totrustmealittlefartherthanyoudid。\"
\"I’vetoldyouthatyesterdayIwasn’tfreetospeak。\"
\"Well，sinceyouarenow，mayIsayawordtoyou？\"
Shepausedperceptibly，andwhenshespokeitwasinsolowatonethathehadtobendhisheadtocatchheranswer。\"I
can’tthinkwhatyoucanhavetosay。\"
\"It’snoteasytosayhere，atanyrate。AndindoorsI
sha’n’tknowwheretosayit。\"Heglancedabouthimintherain。\"Let’swalkovertothespring—houseforaminute。\"
Totherightofthedrive，underaclumpoftrees，alittlestuccopavilioncrownedbyabalustraderoseonarchesofmoulderingbrickoveraflightofstepsthatleddowntoaspring。Otherstepscurveduptoadoorabove。Darrowmountedthese，andopeningthedoorenteredasmallcircularroomhungwithloosenedstripsofpaintedpaperwhereonspectrallyfadedMandarinsexecutedelongatedgestures。
Someblackandgoldchairswithstrawseatsandanunsteadytableofcrackedlacquerstoodonthefloorofred—glazedtile。
Sophyhadfollowedhimwithoutcomment。Heclosedthedoorafterher，andshestoodmotionless，asthoughwaitingforhimtospeak。
\"Nowwecantalkquietly，\"hesaid，lookingatherwithasmileintowhichhetriedtoputanintentionofthefrankestfriendliness。
Shemerelyrepeated：\"Ican’tthinkwhatyoucanhavetosay。\"
Hervoicehadlostthenoteofhalf—wistfulconfidenceonwhichtheirtalkofthepreviousdayhadclosed，andshelookedathimwithakindofpalehostility。Hertonemadeitevidentthathistaskwouldbedifficult，butitdidnotshakehisresolvetogoon。Hesatdown，andmechanicallyshefollowedhisexample。Thetablewasbetweenthemandsherestedherarmsonitscrackededgeandherchinonherinterlockedhands。Helookedatherandshegavehimbackhislook。
\"HaveyounothingtosaytoME？\"heaskedatlength。
Afaintsmilelifted，intherememberedway，theleftcornerofhernarrowedlips。
