or a few minutes their talk dragged
itself on over a dry waste of common-places. Anna noticed that, though
ready enough to impart his own plans, Owen studiously abstained from
putting any questions about hers. It was evident from his allusions that
he meant to be away for some time, and he presently asked her if she
would give instructions about packing and sending after him some winter
clothes he had left at Givre. This gave her the opportunity to say that
she expected to go back within a day or two and would attend to the
matter as soon as she returned. She added: "I came up this morning with
George, who is going on to London to-morrow," intending, by the use
of Darrow's Christian name, to give Owen the chance to speak of her
marriage. But he made no comment, and she continued to hear the name
sounding on unfamiliarly between them.

The room was almost dark, and she finally stood up and glanced about for
the light-switch, saying: "I can't see you, dear."

"Oh, don't--I hate the light!" Owen exclaimed, catching her by the wrist
and pushing her back into her seat. He gave a nervous laugh and added:
"I'm half-blind with neuralgia. I suppose it's this beastly rain."

"Yes; it will do you good to get down to Spain."

She asked if he had the remedies the doctor had given him for a previous
attack, and on his replying that he didn't know what he'd done with the
stuff, she sprang up, offering to go to the chemist's. It was a
relief to have something to do for him, and she knew from his "Oh,
thanks--would you?" that it was a relief to him to have a pretext for
not detaining her. His natural impulse would have been to declare that
he didn't want any drugs, and would be all right in no time; and his
acquiescence showed her how profoundly he felt the uselessness of their
trying to prolong their talk. His face was now no more than a white blur
in the dusk, but she felt its indistinctness as a veil drawn over aching
intensities of expression. "He knows...he knows..." she said to
herself, and wondered whether the truth had been revealed to him by some
corroborative fact or by the sheer force of divination.

He had risen also, and was clearly waiting for her to go, and she turned
to the door, saying: "I'll be back in a moment."

"Oh, don't come up again, please!" He paused, embarrassed. "I mean--I
may not be here. I've got to go and pick up Rempson, and see about some
final things with him." She stopped on the threshold with a s