y were. He had
prefaced his remarks with the words, "I had forgotten all about them!"
and she had felt it was true. Beryl Van Tuyn's name had not been
mentioned between them. But she was not a Georgian. Perhaps that fact
accounted for the omission, or perhaps there were other reasons for
their not speaking of her just then. She had done her best to prevent
the evening intimacy which had been theirs. And they both knew it.
Perhaps that was why they did not speak of her. Poor Beryl! Just then
Lady Sellingworth had known a woman's triumph which was the sweeter
because of her disadvantages. Thirty-six years older than the young and
vivid beauty! And yet he had preferred to end his evening with her! He
must be an unusual, even perhaps a rather strange man. Or else--no, the
tremendous humiliation she had endured ten years ago, acting on a nature
which had always been impaired by a secret diffidence, had made her too
humble to believe any longer that she had within herself the conqueror's
power. He was not like other young men. That was it. She had come upon
an exceptional nature. Exceptional natures love, hate, are drawn and
repelled in exceptional ways. The rules which govern others do not apply
to them. Craven was dangerous because he was, he must be, peculiar.

When at last he had left her that night it had been nearly half-past
one. But he had not apologized again. In going he had said: "Thank God
you refused to go to the Cafe Royal!"

Nearly half-past one! Lady Sellingworth now looked at the clock. It was
nearly half-past six.

She had a lonely dinner, a lonely evening before her.

Suddenly all her resignation seemed to leave her, to abandon her, as if
it had had enough of her and could not bear to be with her for another
minute. She saw her life as a desert, without one flower, one growing
green thing in it. How had she been able to endure it for so long? It
was a monstrous injustice that she should be condemned to this horrible,
unnerving loneliness. What was the use of living if one was entirely
alone? What was the use of money, of a great and beautiful house, of
comfort and leisure, if nobody shares them with you? People came to see
her, of course. But what is the use of visitors, of people who drop in,
and drop out just when you most need someone to help you in facing life,
in the evenings and when deep night closes in? At that moment she felt,
in her anger and rebellion, that she had never had anything in her li