light, he read a
reason for the past months, which made him groan aloud.

He rose and paced the room. If what he was thinking of her were true,
then it would be better for both their sakes if he never saw her again.
But, even while he said this, he knew that he would have to see her,
and without loss of time. What he needed was to stand face to face with
her, to look into her eyes, which, whatever they might do, had never
learned to hide the truth, and there gain the certainty that his
imaginings were monstrous--the phantoms of a melancholy October
twilight.

It was nearly nine o'clock, but there was no light in her room. He
pictured her lying in the dark, and was filled with remorse. But he
said her name in vain; the room was empty. Lighting the lamp, he saw
that the bedclothes had been thrown back over the foot-end of the
unmade bed, as though she had only just left it. The landlady said that
she had gone out, two hours previously, without leaving any message.
All he could do was to sit down and wait; and in the long half-hour
that now went by, the black thoughts that had driven him there were
forgotten. His only wish was to have her safe beside him again.

Towards ten o'clock he heard approaching sounds. A moment later Louise
came in. She blinked at the light, and began to unfasten her veil
before she was over the threshold.

He gave a sigh of relief. "At last! Thank goodness! Where have you
been?"

"Did you think I was lost? Have you been here long?"

"For hours. Where else should I be? But you--where have you been?"

Standing before the table, she fumbled with the veil, which she had
pulled into a knot. He did not offer to help her; he stood looking at
her, and both voice and look were a little stern.

"Why did you go out?"

She did not look at him. "Oh, just for a breath of air. I felt I ... I
HAD to do something."

From the moment of her entrance, even before she had spoken, Maurice
was aware of that peculiar aloofness in her, which invariably made
itself felt when she was engrossed by something in which he had no part.

"That's hardly a reason," he said nervously.

With the veil stretched between her two hands, she turned her head. "Do
you want another? Well, after you left me to-day, I lay and thought and
thought ... till I felt I should go mad, if I lay there any longer."

"Yes, but all of a sudden, like this! After being in bed for three days
... to go out and ..."

"But I have not been ill