bservation
from her mother.

She wondered why this was.

Her busy mind could not arrive at any conclusion in the matter, but she
knew her mother was secretly sad. And she knew that she and her mother
were no longer at ease with each other. This pained her, and the pain
was beginning to increase. Sometimes she felt as if her mother disliked
something in her, and did not choose to say so, and was irritated by
the silence that she kept. But what could it be? She searched among her
doings carefully. Had she failed in anything? Certainly she had not been
lacking in love. And her knowledge of that seemed simply to exclude any
possibility of serious shortcomings. And her mother?

Vere remembered how her mother had once longed to have a son, how she
had felt certain she was going to have a son. Could it be that? Could
her mother be dogged by that disappointment? She felt chilled to the
heart at that idea. Her warm nature protested against it. The love
she gave to her mother was so complete that it had always assumed the
completeness of that which it was given in return. But it might be so,
Vere supposed. It was possible. She pondered over this deeply, and when
she was with her mother watched for signs that might confirm or dispel
her fears. And thus she opposed to the mother's new watchfulness the
watchfulness of the child. And Hermione noticed it, and wondered whether
Vere had any suspicion of the surreptitious reading of her poems.

But that was scarcely possible.

Hermione had not said a word to Vere of her discovery that Peppina had
done what she had been told not to do--related the story of her fate.
Almost all delicate-minded mothers and daughters find certain subjects
difficult, if not impossible of discussion, even when an apparent
necessity of their discussion arrives in the course of life. The present
reserve between Hermione and Vere rendered even the idea of any plain
speaking about the revelation of Peppina quite insupportable to the
mother. She could only pretend to ignore that it had ever been made.
And this she did. But now that she knew of it she felt very acutely the
difference it had made in Vere. That difference was owing to her own
impulsive action. And Emile knew the whole truth. She understood now
what he had been going to say about Peppina and Vere when they had
talked about the books.

He did condemn her in his heart. He thought she was not a neglectful,
but a mistaken mother. He thought her so i