id suddenly. "I'm going to ask
Summertown for a seat in his car."

For dragging minutes she felt her soul being crucified. While Jack stood
talking in the hall or on the steps, she tried to conceal from herself
what she had done and, when that was impossible, to nerve herself to
make reparation. Then she was blinded by the glare of the head-lights
and opened her eyes to find that the car had swept beyond reach of her
voice. . . .

Once again everything was warm and dark in the summer night. . . .
Slowly the distant wail of the orchestra died from her ears. She had a
vague memory of going upstairs with Oakleigh and of seeing him draw Jim
aside and whisper to him, but between them lingered a white face with
incredulous eyes, and above the music hammered the sound of a broken
sentence: "So this was your revenge?" And then, calling Jim to witness,
she made the sign of the Cross and swore that she would offer herself,
body and soul, to Jack, if he wanted her. . . .

The noise faded out of hearing, and she was once more in a room of
blazing light; a man was looking at her, silent, white-faced and
reproachful; and a new phrase was beating on her brain.

"_I want to know what you're going to do now?_"

She stretched out her hand; but Eric did not take it, and her eyes
wandered once more idly round the room. The forgotten curtains and grey
carpet, the writing-table and neat pile of manuscript flung back to her
memory the summer night when she had first come to disturb his peace of
mind.

"I make _every one_ miserable!" she cried, and both started at the
violation of their long silence.

Eric's head sank lower; but his eyes never left her face. That night
she had been like an animal tortured to madness; since that night she
had taken all that his love could give her and had repaid it by
torturing him to madness in his turn, by destroying his health and
ruining his work.

"Eric, I _want_ to give you everything, but I've sworn to God! Until
I've seen Jack. . . ."

"You've broken your oath in everything but form. From the first night we
met you've belonged to me in all but name."

"But won't you wait? Oh, why will you _drive_ me?"

"I'm not driving you, Babs. I've not asked for anything."

She stood up and drew her cloak round her, glancing once at him and
turning quickly away as she saw his hunched body and haggard face. One
after the other she slowly drew on her gloves, looking with misty eyes
for her bag. As she m