owing more and more luminous. All the rest of
the way they walked in silence, each thinking their own thoughts,
neither wishing to speak. When they reached the Lodgings Bingham walked
into the court with her.

"Won't you come in?" she asked, but it was a mere formality, for she
knew that he would refuse.

"It's too late," he said.

"And you are coming to dinner to-morrow at eight?" She laid emphasis on
the hour, to hide the fact that she was really asking whether he meant
to come at all, after their talk about his personality.

"Yes, at eight," he said. "Good-bye."

As he spoke the moon showed full and gloriously, coming out for a moment
sharply from the fine gauzy veil of grey that overspread the sky, and
the Court was distinct to its very corners. The gravel, the shallow
stone steps at the door, the narrow windows on each side of the door,
the sombre walls; all were illumined. And Bingham's face, as he lifted
his cap, was illumined too. It was a very dark face, so dark that May
doubted if she really had quite grasped the details of it in her own
mind. His eyes seemed scarcely to notice her as she smiled, and yet he
too smiled. Then he went back over the gravel to the gate without saying
another word. She did not look at his retreating figure. She opened the
door and went in. Other people in the world were suffering. Why can't
one always realise that? It would make one's own suffering easier to
bear.

The house seemed empty. There was not a sound in it. The dim portraits
on the walls looked out from their frames at her. But they had nothing
to do with her, she was an outsider!

She walked up the broad staircase. She must endure torture for
two--nearly three more days! The hours must be dealt with one by one,
even the minutes. It would take all her strength.

At the head of the stairs she paused. Her desire was to go straight to
her room, and not to go into the drawing-room and greet her Aunt Lena.
Gwendolen would very likely be there in high spirits--the future
mistress of the house--the one person in the world to whom the Warden
would have to say, "May I? Can I?"

"Don't be a coward! Other people in the world are suffering besides
you," said the inner voice; and May went straight to the drawing-room
door and opened it.

The room was dark except for a glimmer from a red fire. May was going
out again, and about to close the door, when her aunt's voice called to
her, and the lights went up on each side of th