with difficulty she
kept her vision unclouded. Lydia often looked at her, so did Gilbert;
she was unconscious of it.

'Did you like that?' Gilbert asked her when the piece was over.

'Yes, very much.'

She had leaned back. Lydia sought her hand; she received a pressure in
return, but the other hand did not remain, as she expected it would.

Gilbert himself was not much disposed to speak. He, too, was moved in
the secret places of his being--moved to that ominous tumult of
conflicting joy and pain which in the finer natures comes of music
intensely heard. He had been at concerts before, but had little
anticipated that he would ever attend one in such a mood as was his
to-night. It seemed to him that he had not yet realised his happiness,
that in his most rapturous moments he had rated it but poorly,
unimaginatively. The strong wings of that glorious wordless song bore
him into a finer air, where his faculties of mind and heart grew
unconditioned. If it were possible to go back into the world endowed as
in these moments! To the greatest man has come the same
transfiguration, the same woe of foreseen return to limits. But one
thing was real and would not fail him. She who sat by him was his--his
now and for ever. Why had he yet loved her so little?

The second piece began. Again Thyrza looked down into the hall. After a
while there came a piece of vocal music. The singer was not of much
reputation, but to Thyrza her voice seemed more than human. In the
interval which followed she whispered to Lydia:

'I shall never pretend to sing again.'

Egremont had risen in his place, and was looking about him. Thyrza was
yet in some doubt whether he was alone. But he had not yet spoken to
that lady next to him, and now, on sitting down, he did not speak. He
must be without companion.

CHAPTER XX

RAPIDS

In the crowd with which they mingled on passing out again, Thyrza saw
men in evening dress; she looked in every direction for Egremont, but
was disappointed. Gilbert had begged her to hold his arm; he moved
forward as quickly as possible, and with Lydia following they were soon
in the street. Gilbert wished to cross, for the sake of quickly getting
out of the throng. Thyrza threw one glance back. A hat was raised by
someone going in the opposite direction, who also had turned his head.
She had seen him. She was glad he did not come up to speak. Could he
discern the flash of joy which passed over her face as she re