ver
at thirty-two."

Cassandra sighed sharply.

"So you say--so you say... You are thinking of the future, of long
years ahead, but I have to face life to-day; to walk along a flat, dull
road, and leave the sunshine behind." She flung out her arms towards
the country below. "Look at it, Grizel! My lot lies there. And I've
been on the heights!"

"You are thirty-two, Cassandra," Grizel said. "The heights are not all
over at thirty-two."

But again Cassandra refused the comfort.

"Oh, of all the things that might have happened to me, this was the last
that I expected--to have come through so much,--to have loved, and been
loved, to have fought and won, and to be left with--_Nothing_! No
change, no difference. That seems just the hardest ending of all! If
there had been a big upheaval, and outside things had changed to match,
even if it had been for the worse, it would be easier than to go back,--
a woman whose whole nature has been revolutionised,--and fit oneself
into the same narrow groove, knowing that the page is turned for ever,
and that there is no more hope."

"You are thirty-two, Cassandra," Grizel said a third time. "No pages
are turned for ever at thirty-two."

"But, oh, Grizel, Grizel, when you read of these things happening to
people in books, there is always _Something_ tangible to take hold of...
It may be tragedy, or it may be joy, but at least there is _Something_
to mark the difference, and I have nothing, but a memory which I must
try to kill... There's no poetry in it, Grizel, there's no romance. It
isn't even--fair!"

"No," sighed Grizel softly. "It's just--Life!"

The End.

End of Project Gutenberg's Lady Cassandra, by Mrs George de Horne Vaizey

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LADY CASSANDRA ***

***** This file should be named 32882.txt or 32882.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/3/2/8/8/32882/

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.

Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
copying and distributin