"Oh, because Junie's umbrella is in tatters, and I had to leave her
mine, as I was going away for the whole day." She spoke the words like a
person in a trance.

"For the whole day? At this hour? Where?"

They were on the doorstep, and she fumbled automatically for her key,
let herself in, and led the way to the sitting-room. It had not been
tidied up since the night before. The children's school books lay
scattered on the table and sofa, and the empty fireplace was grey with
ashes. She turned to Nick in the pallid light.

"I was going to see you," she stammered, "I was going to follow you to
Fontainebleau, if necessary, to tell you... to prevent you...."

He repeated in the same aggressive tone: "Tell me what? Prevent what?"

"Tell you that there must be some other way... some decent way... of our
separating... without that horror, that horror of your going off with a
woman...."

He stared, and then burst into a laugh. The blood rushed to her face.
She had caught a familiar ring in his laugh, and it wounded her. What
business had he, at such a time, to laugh in the old way?

"I'm sorry; but there is no other way, I'm afraid. No other way but
one," he corrected himself.

She raised her head sharply. "Well?"

"That you should be the woman.--Oh, my dear!" He had dropped his mocking
smile, and was at her side, her hands in his. "Oh, my dear, don't you
see that we've both been feeling the same thing, and at the same hour?
You lay awake thinking of it all night, didn't you? So did I. Whenever
the clock struck, I said to myself: 'She's hearing it too.' And I was up
before daylight, and packed my traps--for I never want to set foot again
in that awful hotel where I've lived in hell for the last three days.
And I swore to myself that I'd go off with a woman by the first train I
could catch--and so I mean to, my dear."

She stood before him numb. Yes, numb: that was the worst of it! The
violence of the reaction had been too great, and she could hardly
understand what he was saying. Instead, she noticed that the tassel of
the window-blind was torn off again (oh, those children!), and vaguely
wondered if his luggage were safe on the waiting taxi. One heard such
stories....

His voice came back to her. "Susy! Listen!" he was entreating. "You
must see yourself that it can't be. We're married--isn't that all that
matters? Oh, I know--I've behaved like a brute: a cursed arrogant ass!
You couldn't wish that ass a worse