d, her lips apart, her face
upturned, and a stamp of terrifying calm.

"In the wide, blind eyes uplift Thro' the darkness and the drift."

Great Heaven, she was asleep!

Hush! she spoke.

"You called me, Geoffrey," she said, in a still, unnatural voice. "You
called me, my beloved, and I--have--come."

He rose aghast, trembling like an aspen with doubt and fear, trembling
at the sight of the conquering glory of the woman whom he worshipped.

See! She drew on towards him, and she was _asleep_. Oh, what could he
do?

Suddenly the draught of the great gale rushing through the house caught
the opened door and crashed it to.

She awoke with a wild stare of terror.

"Oh, God, where am I?" she cried.

"Hush, for your life's sake!" he answered, his faculties returning.
"Hush! or you are lost."

But there was no need to caution here to silence, for Beatrice's senses
failed her at the shock, and she sank swooning in his arms.

CHAPTER XXIII

A DAWN OF RAIN

That crash of the closing door did not awake Beatrice only; it awoke
both Elizabeth and Mr. Granger. Elizabeth sat up in bed straining her
eyes through the gloom to see what had happened. They fell on Beatrice's
bed--surely--surely----

Elizabeth slipped up, cat-like she crept across the room and felt with
her hand at the bed. Beatrice was not there. She sprang to the blind
and drew it, letting in such light as there was, and by it searched the
room. She spoke: "Beatrice, where are you?"

No answer.

"Ah--h," said Elizabeth aloud; "I understand. At last--at last!"

What should see do? Should she go and call her father and put them to
an open shame? No. Beatrice must come back some time. The knowledge was
enough; she wanted the knowledge to use if necessary. She did not wish
to ruin her sister unless in self-defence, or rather, for the cause of
self-advancement. Still less did she wish to injure Geoffrey, against
whom she had no grudge. So she peeped along the passage, then returning,
crept back to her bed like a snake into a hole and watched.

Mr. Granger, hearing the crash, thought that the front door had blown
open. Rising, he lit a candle and went to see.

But of all this Geoffrey knew nothing, and Beatrice naturally less than
nothing.

She lay senseless in his arms, her head rested on his shoulder, her
heavy hair streamed down his side almost to his knee. He lifted her,
touched her on the forehead with his lips and laid her on the bed. What