easy.

Lady Ingleton's remark, "you look tired," had struck unpleasantly on
Mrs. Clarke's ears, and she came away from the Embassy that day with
them in her mind. She was on foot. As she came out through the great
gateway of the Embassy she remembered that she had been coming from it
on that day in June when she had seen Dion Leith for the first time in
Pera. A sharp thrill had gone through her that day. He had come. He had
obeyed the persistent call of her will. What she had desired for so
long would be. And she had been fiercely glad for two reasons; one an
ordinary reason, the other less ordinary. A mysterious reason of the
mind. If her will had played her false for once, had proved inadequate,
she would have suffered strangely. When she knew it had not she had
triumphed. But now, as she walked onward slowly, she wished she had
never seen Dion Leith in Pera, she wished that her will had played
her false. It would have been better so, for she was in a difficult
situation, and she foresaw that it was going to become more difficult.
She was assailed by that recurring desire which is the scourge of the
sensualist, the desire to rid herself violently, abruptly and forever
of the possession she had schemed and made long efforts to obtain. Her
torch was burnt out. She wished to stamp out the flame of another torch
which still glowed with a baleful fire.

"And Delia has noticed something!" she thought.

The thought was scarcely out of her mind when she came face to face with
Dion Leith. He stopped before her.

"Have you been to the Embassy?" he said.

"Yes. Delia Ingleton came back yesterday. You aren't going to call
there?"

"Of course not. I happened to see you walking in that direction, so I
thought I would wait for you."

With the manner of a man exercising a right he turned to walk back
with her. A flame of irritation scorched her, but she did not show any
emotion. She only said quietly:

"You know I am not particularly fond of being seen with men in the
Grande Rue."

"Very well. If you like, I'll come to your flat by a round-about way.
I'll be there five minutes after you are."

Before she had time to say anything he was gone, striding through the
crowd.

Mrs. Clarke walked on and came into the Grande Rue.

She lived in a flat in a street which turned out of the Grande Rue on
the left not very far from the Taxim Garden. As she walked on slowly she
was trying to make up her mind to force a break with Dio