ile James, though he did his
unconscious utmost to defeat himself, got his share of the sunset glow
upon the house. Fanciful, nervous, weary of it all as she was, she
devoted herself to her duties; and then, on this fifth of August, in
the afternoon, she had a waking vision, perfectly distinct, and so
vivid that, disembodied and apart, she could see herself enacting it.
It was followed by a shivering fit and depression; but that must tell
its own tale.

* * * * *

The vision occurred while she was on her knees, busied beside a trunk,
turning over garments of lace and fine linen and pale blue ribbons
which a maid, in the same fair attitude, was bestowing as she received
them. Lancelot was out for the afternoon with Crewdson and a friend.
They had gone to the Zoological Gardens, and would not be back till
late. She had the house to herself; it was cool and shadowed from the
sun. The Square, muffled in the heat, gave no disturbing sounds.
Looking up suddenly, for no apparent reason, she saw herself with
Jimmy Urquhart in a great empty, stony place, and felt the dry wind
which blew upon them both. All but her own face was visible; of that
she saw nothing but the sharp outline of her cheek, which was very
white. She saw herself holding her hat, bending sideways to the
gale; she saw her skirt cling about her legs, and flack to get free.
She wondered why she didn't hold it down. The wind was a hot one; she
felt that it was so. It made her head ache, and burned her cheek-bone.
Urquhart was quite visible. He looked into the teeth of the wind,
frowning and fretful. Why didn't she say something to him? She had a
conviction that it was useless. "There's nothing to say, nothing to
say." That rang in her head, like a church bell. "Nothing to say,
nothing to say." A sense of desolation and total loss oppressed her.
She had no hope. The vacancy, the silence, the enormous dry emptiness
about her seemed to shut out all her landmarks. Why didn't she think
of Lancelot? She wondered why, but realised that Lancelot meant
nothing out there. She saw herself turn about. She cried out, "James!
James!" started up with a sense of being caught, and saw the maid's
face of scare. She was awake in a moment. "What is it, ma'am? What is
it?"

Lucy had recovered her faculties: "Nothing, Emily; it's nothing. I was
giddy." But she was shivering and couldn't go on. "I think I'll lie
down for a minute," she said, and asked