t she set her teeth, again.
No, she must not go back without seeing Lady Lakeden's portrait. She
must not yield to these moments of cowardice. It was stupid. Other women
dared much greater things; would hesitate at nothing, however false and
ignoble, to gain their own end!

She crossed to the opposite side, and flitted down the street like a
shadow. She had so effectively lengthened out her journey that it was at
last nearly ten o'clock. Wyndham's whole house was dark, and she had
little doubt but that he was already out. Yet she wanted to be
absolutely certain, so she moved on again, and sauntered off into a
network of neighbouring streets. But she was too impatient to go far
afield, and, after a few minutes, she retraced her steps till once more
she found herself looking across the street at the silent house that lay
all in deep shadow. How dark and deserted; how unnaturally still the
whole quarter! Then tramp, tramp, tramp, came the heavy foot of a
policeman, and she made him out dimly approaching her. She crossed the
road, nervous indeed of any human scrutiny, and walked on briskly, only
venturing to turn back when he had finally passed out of the street.
Now, she told herself, was the moment.

With every muscle tense, her heart beating now with terrible strokes, so
that she felt she might fall swooning at any moment, she approached the
house, and mounted the few steps that led to the doorway. Her key was in
her little purse-bag, and she extricated it tremblingly. At last she had
the door open, gave a last, quick, furtive, glance around, and then
stepped into the hall. For a moment she stood listening, her ears
intensely on the alert for the least sound in the house. But the sense
of absolute emptiness was too profound: the measured ticking of the tall
hall-clock seemed to be sounding a curiously vigorous note. She let the
door slam behind her, and moved forward a step or two, her feet sinking
into the deep Turkey carpet that she herself had chosen; then she sank
on a hard oak chair, and sat there gratefully, trying to master her
breath, and waiting for her heart to thump itself through sheer
weariness into a gentler measure. She unfastened her wraps and threw her
coat open, for from head to foot she was burning. She did not note the
time that passed, but when she rose again with a start she heard from
some neighbouring church clock the single stroke of a quarter. She
hesitated no longer, but determined to go up at