r every minute. In a few hours she would re-enter the little
house close under the shadow of that old Wren church, which reminded her
somehow of childhood, and her austere father with his chiselled face.
The meeting with her husband! How go through that! And to-night! But she
did not care to contemplate to-night. And all those to-morrows wherein
there was nothing she had to do of which it was reasonable to complain,
yet nothing she could do without feeling that all the friendliness
and zest and colour was out of life, and she a prisoner. Into those
to-morrows she felt she would slip back, out of her dream; lost, with
hardly perhaps an effort. To get away to the house on the river, where
her husband came only at weekends, had hitherto been a refuge; only
she would not see Mark there--unless--! Then, with the thought that she
would, must still see him sometimes, all again grew faintly glamorous.
If only she did see him, what would the rest matter? Never again as it
had before!

The Colonel was reaching down her handbag; his cheery: "Looks as if it
would be rough!" aroused her. Glad to be alone, and tired enough now,
she sought the ladies' cabin, and slept through the crossing, till the
voice of the old stewardess awakened her: "You've had a nice sleep.
We're alongside, miss." Ah! if she were but THAT now! She had been
dreaming that she was sitting in a flowery field, and Lennan had drawn
her up by the hands, with the words: "We're here, my darling!"

On deck, the Colonel, laden with bags, was looking back for her, and
trying to keep a space between him and his wife. He signalled with his
chin. Threading her way towards him, she happened to look up. By the
rails of the pier above she saw her husband. He was leaning there,
looking intently down; his tall broad figure made the people on each
side of him seem insignificant. The clean-shaved, square-cut face, with
those almost epileptic, forceful eyes, had a stillness and intensity
beside which the neighbouring faces seemed to disappear. She saw him
very clearly, even noting the touch of silver in his dark hair, on each
side under his straw hat; noting that he seemed too massive for his
neat blue suit. His face relaxed; he made a little movement of one hand.
Suddenly it shot through her: Suppose Mark had travelled with them, as
he had wished to do? For ever and ever now, that dark massive creature,
smiling down at her, was her enemy; from whom she must guard and keep
herself