to look a fool, he felt the red heat of the thing, as a man who has not
blessedly become acquainted with the swish in boyhood finds his
untempered blood turn to poison at a blow; he cannot healthily take a
licking. But then it had been so splendid an insanity when he urged Diana
to fly with him. Any one but a woman would have appreciated the
sacrifice.

His luggage had to be removed. He dropped his porter a lordly fee and
drove home. From that astonished solitude he strolled to his Club.
Curiosity mastering the wrath it was mixed with, he left his Club and
crossed the park southward in the direction of Diana's house, abusing her
for her inveterate attachment to the regions of Westminster. There she
used to receive Lord Dannisburgh; innocently, no doubt-assuredly quite
innocently; and her husband had quitted the district. Still it was rather
childish for a woman to-be always haunting the seats of Parliament. Her
disposition to imagine that she was able to inspire statesmen came in for
a share of ridicule; for when we know ourselves to be ridiculous, a
retort in kind, unjust upon consideration, is balm. The woman dragged him
down to the level of common men; that was the peculiar injury, and it
swept her undistinguished into the stream of women. In appearance, as he
had proved to the fellows at his Club, he was perfectly self-possessed,
mentally distracted and bitter, hating himself for it, snapping at the
cause of it. She had not merely disappointed, she had slashed his high
conceit of himself, curbed him at the first animal dash forward, and he
champed the bit with the fury of a thwarted racer.

Twice he passed her house. Of course no light was shown at her windows.
They were scanned malignly.

He held it due to her to call and inquire whether there was any truth in
the report of Mrs. Warwick's illness. Mrs. Warwick! She meant to keep the
name.

A maid-servant came to the door with a candle in her hand revealing red
eyelids. She was not aware that her mistress was unwell. Her mistress had
left home some time after six o'clock with a gentleman. She was unable to
tell him the gentleman's name. William, the footman, had opened the door
to him. Her mistress's maid Mrs. Danvers had gone to the Play--with
William. She thought that Mrs. Danvers might know who the gentleman was.
The girl's eyelids blinked, and she turned aside. Dacier consoled her
with a piece of gold, saying he would come and see Mrs. Danvers in the
morning