d upon his support more than she realized,
for this indifference, emphasized, as it was, by the insignificant
commonplace of his surroundings, awoke her, not only to that ugliness,
but to her own folly. She thought of one scene after another in a few
seconds, with that shudder which is almost a blush. She had believed
him when he spoke of friendship. She had believed in a spiritual
light burning steadily and steadfastly behind the erratic disorder
and incoherence of life. The light was now gone out, suddenly, as if
a sponge had blotted it. The litter of the table and the tedious but
exacting conversation of Mrs. Denham remained: they struck, indeed, upon
a mind bereft of all defences, and, keenly conscious of the degradation
which is the result of strife whether victorious or not, she thought
gloomily of her loneliness, of life's futility, of the barren prose of
reality, of William Rodney, of her mother, and the unfinished book.

Her answers to Mrs. Denham were perfunctory to the verge of rudeness,
and to Ralph, who watched her narrowly, she seemed further away than was
compatible with her physical closeness. He glanced at her, and ground
out further steps in his argument, determined that no folly should
remain when this experience was over. Next moment, a silence, sudden and
complete, descended upon them all. The silence of all these people round
the untidy table was enormous and hideous; something horrible seemed
about to burst from it, but they endured it obstinately. A second later
the door opened and there was a stir of relief; cries of "Hullo,
Joan! There's nothing left for you to eat," broke up the oppressive
concentration of so many eyes upon the table-cloth, and set the waters
of family life dashing in brisk little waves again. It was obvious that
Joan had some mysterious and beneficent power upon her family. She went
up to Katharine as if she had heard of her, and was very glad to see her
at last. She explained that she had been visiting an uncle who was ill,
and that had kept her. No, she hadn't had any tea, but a slice of bread
would do. Some one handed up a hot cake, which had been keeping warm in
the fender; she sat down by her mother's side, Mrs. Denham's anxieties
seemed to relax, and every one began eating and drinking, as if tea had
begun over again. Hester voluntarily explained to Katharine that she was
reading to pass some examination, because she wanted more than anything
in the whole world to go to