u?"

"Yes," she said. "I was only thinking how to begin."

Then she looked into his eyes with a clear, direct look.

"Morris," she said. "I am ashamed of something I did last night. I don't
make any excuse--but I'm very, very much ashamed.... It was the way
that I spoke to you and Belinda, when I came down to the
drawing-room--just before we went out to dinner...."

"Now, really, Sophy----" he began. He thought she was at some of her
"highbrow" subtleties. "I assure you that neither of us...."

Sophy broke in hastily.

"Wait, Morris.... I haven't done. I'm ashamed because I pretended not to
know--how things were between you two--and I did know."

As she said these words she flushed as deeply as Loring did in hearing
them. But she kept right on--she forced her eyes to remain on his.

"I was in the next room ... yesterday. I ... I ... saw...."

"For God's sake! ... don't!" exclaimed Loring, jumping up. He was white
now.

Sophy took away her eyes from that white face. For all her impersonality
of mood, that white, aghast face of his hurt her cruelly. The shame on
it hurt her. It made her feel desperately ashamed, too.

He went to the window and stood looking out, his back towards her. And
in the very lines of his back there was shame. And this shame wrung her,
struck to her inmost self. Oh, how humiliating it all was! ... for them
both! How she felt as though they were groping towards each other
through mire.

She caught at all her force of will.

"It's no use, Morris...." she said very low. "We _must_ talk frankly....
I hate it as much as you do.... Oh, I hate it.... I loathe it!" she
ended with an irrepressible cry from her sick heart.

He turned at that, his head down.

"Why must we?" he said thickly.

"Because it's _got_ to be clear ... it's _got_ to be straight between
us," she returned passionately. Her breast was heaving. She put up her
arm across it as though to hold it quiet by force. She had felt so calm,
had been so sure of her calmness. Now her heart was bounding as though
it would leap from her body. He turned again to the window, and she sat
silent until something of calmness had come back to her.

"Don't stand so far away," she then said hurriedly, and half under her
breath. "Come nearer. I ... I am not ... angry. I don't want to speak
loud.... Some one might hear."

He came nearer. He could not find any words. He had no thoughts which
words would have expressed. But Sophy was regaining