trees, the very memory of his voice, be lost inspiration?

She couldn't believe that this one spot could make him rotten
throughout. Her mind ran back into the past. She could not recall a
word, an action, or a glance of his that had shown the color of decay.
He had not even been insincere with her. He had come out with his
convictions so flatly that when she thought of it his nonchalance
appalled her. He had been the same then that he was now. But the thing
that was natural for him was impossible for her, and she had found it
out--that was all.

Yet the mere consideration of him and his obsession as one thing was
intolerable. She curiously separated his act from himself. She thought
of it, not as a part of him, but as something that had invaded him--a
disease--something inimical to himself and others, that mixed the
thought of him with terrors, and filled her way with difficulties. Now
it was no longer a question of how to meet him, but of how she was not
to. It was not his strength she feared, but her own weakness where he
was concerned. Her tendency to shield him--she must guard against
that--and that disturbing influence he exercised over her, too
evidently without intention. But he would be hard to avoid. This way and
that she looked for a way out of her danger, yet all the while she was
conscious that there was but one plain way of escape open to her. She
could give the sapphire back to Harry within the twenty-four hours.

XIII

THRUST AND PARRY

MY DEAR FLORA--I am going out early and shall not be back to
dinner. CLARA.

Flora let the little note fall as if she disliked the touch of it. She
was relieved to think she would not have to see Clara that day. It was
her desire never to see Clara again. If only they could part here and
now! How she wanted to shake the whole thing off her shoulders! How
foolish not to have gone to Harry when she had first made up her mind
to! For why, after all, make him any explanations? Suppose she should
just take the ring to him and say: "It gives me the shivers, Harry.
Let's take it back and get something else." If he didn't suspect the
sapphire already, he would never suspect it from that. The worst he
could do would be to laugh, to tease, to tell her she could not live up
to her own romantic notions, since, after all, she had weakened and was
wanting the usual thing.

But there had been times when she had thoug