"Oh————"Annacried，andhidherface。
　　Thegirlwalkedacrosstheroomandpausedagaininthedoorway。Fromtheresheflungback："Iwantedit——Ichoseit。Hewasgoodtome——nooneeverwassogood！"
　　Thedoor—handleturned，andAnnaheardhergo。
　　XXIX
　　Herfirstthoughtwas："He’sgoingtooinafewhours——I
　　needn’tseehimagainbeforeheleaves……"AtthatmomentthepossibilityofhavingtolookinDarrow’sfaceandhearhimspeakseemedtohermoreunendurablethananythingelseshecouldimagine。Then，onthenextwaveoffeeling，camethedesiretoconfronthimatonceandwringfromhimsheknewnotwhat：avowal，denial，justification，anythingthatshouldopensomechannelofescapetothefloodofherpent—
　　upanguish。
　　ShehadtoldOwenshewastired，andthisseemedasufficientreasonforremainingupstairswhenthemotorcametothedoorandMissPainterandSophyVinerwereborneoffinit；sufficientalsoforsendingwordtoMadamedeChantellethatshewouldnotcomedowntillafterluncheon。
　　Havingdespatchedhermaidwiththismessage，shelaydownonhersofaandstaredbeforeherintodarkness……
　　Shehadbeenunhappybefore，andthevisionofoldmiseriesflockedlikehungryghostsaboutherfreshpain：sherecalledheryouthfuldisappointment，thefailureofhermarriage，thewastedyearsthatfollowed；butthosewerenegativesorrows，denialsandpostponementsoflife。Sheseemedinnowayrelatedtotheirshadowyvictim，shewhowasstretchedonthisfieryrackoftheirreparable。Shehadsufferedbefore——yes，butlucidly，reflectively，elegiacally：nowshewassufferingasahurtanimalmust，blindly，furiously，withthesinglefierceanimallongingthattheawfulpainshouldstop……
　　Sheheardhermaidknock，andshehidherfaceandmadenoanswer。Theknockingcontinued，andthedisciplineofhabitatlengthmadeherliftherhead，composeherfaceandholdoutherhandtothenotethewomanbroughther。ItwasawordfromDarrow——"MayIseeyou？"——andshesaidatonce，inavoicethatsoundedthinandempty："AskMr。Darrowtocomeup。"
　　Themaidenquiredifshewishedtohaveherhairsmoothedfirst，andsheansweredthatitdidn’tmatter；butwhenthedoorhadclosed，theinstinctofpridedrewhertoherfeetandshelookedatherselfintheglassabovethemantelpieceandpassedherhandsoverherhair。Hereyeswereburningandherfacelookedtiredandthinner；otherwiseshecouldseenochangeinherappearance，andshewonderedthatatsuchamomentherbodyshouldseemasunrelatedtotheselfthatwrithedwithinherasifithadbeenastatueorapicture。
　　ThemaidreopenedthedoortoshowinDarrow，andhepausedamomentonthethreshold，asifwaitingforAnnatospeak。
　　Hewasextremelypale，buthelookedneitherashamednoruncertain，andshesaidtoherself，withaperversethrillofappreciation："He’sasproudasIam。"
　　Aloudsheasked："Youwantedtoseeme？"
　　"Naturally，"herepliedinagravevoice。
　　"Don’t！It’suseless。Iknoweverything。Nothingyoucansaywillhelp。"
　　Atthedirectaffirmationheturnedevenpaler，andhiseyes，whichhekeptresolutelyfixedonher，confessedhismisery。
　　"Youallowmenovoiceindecidingthat？"
　　"Decidingwhat？"
　　"Thatthere’snothingmoretobesaid？"Hewaitedforhertoanswer，andthenwenton："Idon’tevenknowwhatyoumeanby’everything’。"
　　"Oh，Idon’tknowwhatmorethereis！Iknowenough。I
　　imploredhertodenyit，andshecouldn’t……WhatcanyouandIhavetosaytoeachother？"Hervoicebrokeintoasob。
　　Theanimalanguishwasuponheragain——justablindcryagainstherpain！
　　Darrowkepthisheadhighandhiseyessteady。"Itmustbeasyouwish；andyetit’snotlikeyoutobeafraid。"
　　"Afraid？"
　　"Totalkthingsout——tofacethem。"
　　"It’sforYOUtofacethis——notme！"
　　"AllIaskistofaceit——butwithyou。"Oncemorehepaused。"Won’tyoutellmewhatMissVinertoldyou？"
　　"Oh，she’sgenerous——totheutmost！"Thepaincaughtherlikeaphysicalthroe。Itsuddenlycametoherhowthegirlmusthavelovedhimtobesogenerous——whatmemoriestheremustbebetweenthem！
　　"Oh，go，pleasego。It’stoohorrible。WhyshouldIhavetoseeyou？"shestammered，liftingherhandstohereyes。
　　Withherfacehiddenshewaitedtohearhimmoveaway，tohearthedooropenandcloseagain，as，afewhoursearlier，ithadopenedandclosedonSophyViner。ButDarrowmadenosoundormovement：hetoowaswaiting。Annafeltathrillofresentment：hispresencewasanoutrageonhersorrow，ahumiliationtoherpride。Itwasstrangethatheshouldwaitforhertotellhimso！
　　"YouwantmetoleaveGivre？"heaskedatlength。Shemadenoanswer，andhewenton："OfcourseI’lldoasyouwish；
　　butifIgonowamInottoseeyouagain？"
　　Hisvoicewasfirm：hispridewasansweringherpride！
　　Shefaltered："Youmustseeit’suseless————"
　　"Imightremindyouthatyou’redismissingmewithoutahearing————"
　　"Withoutahearing？I’veheardyouboth！"
　　————"butIwon’t，"hecontinued，"remindyouofthat，orofanythingoranyonebutOwen。"
　　"Owen？"
　　"Yes；ifwecouldsomehowsparehim————"
　　Shehaddroppedherhandsandturnedherstartledeyesonhim。ItseemedtoheranagesinceshehadthoughtofOwen！
　　"Yousee，don’tyou，"Darrowcontinued，"thatifyousendmeawaynow————"
　　Sheinterrupted："Yes，Isee————"andtherewasalongsilencebetweenthem。Atlengthshesaid，verylow："I
　　don’twantanyoneelsetosufferasI’msuffering……"
　　"OwenknowsImeanttoleavetomorrow，"Darrowwenton。"Anysuddenchangeofplanmaymakehimthink……"
　　Oh，shesawhisinevitablelogic：thehorrorofitwasoneverysideofher！IthadseemedpossibletocontrolhergriefandfaceDarrowcalmlywhileshewasupheldbythebeliefthatthiswastheirlasthourtogether，thatafterhehadpassedoutoftheroomtherewouldbenofearofseeinghimagain，nofearthathisnearness，hislook，hisvoice，andalltheunseeninfluencesthatflowedfromhim，woulddissolvehersoultoweakness。ButhercouragefailedattheideaofhavingtoconspirewithhimtoshieldOwen，ofkeepingupwithhim，forOwen’ssake，afeintofunionandfelicity。ToliveatDarrow’ssideinseemingintimacyandharmonyforanothertwenty—fourhoursseemedharderthantolivewithouthimforalltherestofherdays。Herstrengthfailedher，andshethrewherselfdownandburiedhersobsinthecushionswhereshehadsooftenhiddenafaceaglowwithhappiness。
　　"Anna————"Hisvoicewasclosetoher。"Letmetalktoyouquietly。It’snotworthyofeitherofustobeafraid。"
　　Wordsofendearmentwouldhaveoffendedher；butherheartroseatthecalltohercourage。
　　"I’venodefensetomake，"hewenton。"Thefactsaremiserableenough；butatleastIwantyoutoseethemastheyare。Aboveall，IwantyoutoknowthetruthaboutMissViner————"
　　ThenamesentthebloodtoAnna’sforehead。Sheraisedherheadandfacedhim。"WhyshouldIknowmoreofherthanwhatshe’stoldme？Ineverwishtohearhernameagain！"
　　"It’sbecauseyoufeelaboutherinthatwaythatIaskyou——inthenameofcommoncharity——toletmegiveyouthefactsastheyare，andnotasyou’veprobablyimaginedthem。"
　　"I’vetoldyouIdon’tthinkuncharitablyofher。Idon’twanttothinkofheratall！"
　　"That’swhyItellyouyou’reafraid。"
　　"Afraid？"
　　"Yes。You’vealwayssaidyouwanted，aboveall，tolookatlife，atthehumanproblem，asitis，withoutfearandwithouthypocrisy；andit’snotalwaysapleasantthingtolookat。"Hebrokeoff，andthenbeganagain："Don’tthinkthisapleaformyself！Idon’twanttosayawordtolessenmyoffense。Idon’twanttotalkofmyselfatall。EvenifIdid，Iprobablycouldn’tmakeyouunderstand——Idon’t，myself，asIlookback。Bejusttome——it’syourright；allIaskyouistobegeneroustoMissViner……"
　　Shestooduptrembling。"You’refreetobeasgeneroustoherasyouplease！"
　　"Yes：you’vemadeitcleartomethatI’mfree。Butthere’snothingIcandoforherthatwillhelpherhalfasmuchasyourunderstandingherwould。"
　　"Nothingyoucandoforher？Youcanmarryher！"
　　Hisfacehardened。"Youcertainlycouldn’twishheraworsefate！"
　　"Itmusthavebeenwhatsheexpected……reliedon……"Hewassilent，andshebrokeout："Orwhatisshe？Whatareyou？
　　It’stoohorrible！Onyourwayhere……toME……"Shefeltthetearsinherthroatandstopped。
　　"Thatwasit，"hesaidbluntly。Shestaredathim。
　　"Iwasonmywaytoyou——afterrepeateddelaysandpostponementsofyourownmaking。Attheverylastyouturnedmebackwithamereword——andwithoutexplanation。I
　　waitedforaletter；andnonecame。I’mnotsayingthistojustifymyself。I’msimplytryingtomakeyouunderstand。
　　Ifelthurtandbitterandbewildered。Ithoughtyoumeanttogivemeup。Andsuddenly，inmyway，Ifoundsomeonetobesorryfor，tobeofuseto。That，Isweartoyou，wasthewayitbegan。Therestwasamoment’sfolly……aflashofmadness……assuchthingsare。We’veneverseeneachothersince……"
　　Annawaslookingathimcoldly。"Yousufficientlydescribeherinsayingthat！"
　　"Yes，ifyoumeasureherbyconventionalstandards——whichiswhatyoualwaysdeclareyouneverdo。"
　　"Conventionalstandards？Agirlwho————"Shewascheckedbyasuddenrushofalmostphysicalrepugnance。Suddenlyshebrokeout："Ialwaysthoughtheranadventuress！"
　　"Always？"
　　"Idon’tmeanalways……butafteryoucame……"
　　"She’snotanadventuress。"
　　"Youmeanthatsheprofessestoactonthenewtheories？Thestuffthatawfulwomenraveaboutonplatforms？"
　　"Oh，Idon’tthinkshepretendedtohaveatheory————"
　　"Shehadn’teventhatexcuse？"
　　"Shehadtheexcuseofherloneliness，herunhappiness——ofmiseriesandhumiliationsthatawomanlikeyoucan’tevenguess。Shehadnothingtolookbacktobutindifferenceorunkindness——nothingtolookforwardtobutanxiety。ShesawIwassorryforherandittouchedher。Shemadetoomuchofit——sheexaggeratedit。Ioughttohaveseenthedanger，butIdidn’t。There’snopossibleexcuseforwhatIdid。"
　　Annalistenedtohiminspeechlessmisery。Everywordhespokethrewbackadisintegratinglightontheirownpast。
　　Hehadcometoherwithanopenfaceandaclearconscience——cometoherfromthis！Ifhissecuritywasthesecurityoffalsehooditwashorrible；ifitmeantthathehadforgotten，itwasworse。Shewouldhavelikedtostopherears，toclosehereyes，toshutouteverysightandsoundandsuggestionofaworldinwhichsuchthingscouldbe；andatthesametimeshewastormentedbythedesiretoknowmore，tounderstandbetter，tofeelherselflessignorantandinexpertinmatterswhichmadesomuchofthestuffofhumanexperience。Whatdidhemeanby"amoment’sfolly，aflashofmadness"？Howdidpeopleenteronsuchadventures，howpassoutofthemwithoutmorevisibletracesoftheirhavoc？Herimaginationrecoiledfromthevisionofasuddendebasingfamiliarity：itseemedtoherthatherthoughtswouldneveragainbepure……
　　"Isweartoyou，"sheheardDarrowsaying，"itwassimplythat，andnothingmore。"
　　Shewonderedathiscomposure，hiscompetence，athisknowingsoexactlywhattosay。Nodoubtmenoftenhadtomakesuchexplanations：theyhadtheformulasbyheart……A
　　leadenlassitudedescendedonher。Shepassedfromflameandtormentintoacolourlesscoldworldwhereeverythingsurroundingherseemedequallyindifferentandremote。Foramomentshesimplyceasedtofeel。
　　ShebecameawarethatDarrowwaswaitingforhertospeak，andshemadeanefforttorepresenttoherselfthemeaningofwhathehadjustsaid；buthermindwasasblankasablurredmirror。Finallyshebroughtout："Idon’tthinkI
　　understandwhatyou’vetoldme。"
　　"No；youdon’tunderstand，"hereturnedwithsuddenbitterness；andonhislipsthechargeofincomprehensionseemedanoffensetoher。
　　"Idon’twantto——aboutsuchthings！"
　　Heansweredalmostharshly："Don’tbeafraid……youneverwill……"andforaninstanttheyfacedeachotherlikeenemies。Thenthetearsswelledinherthroatathisreproach。
　　"YoumeanIdon’tfeelthings——I’mtoohard？"
　　"No：you’retoohigh……toofine……suchthingsaretoofarfromyou。"
　　Hepaused，asifconsciousofthefutilityofgoingonwithwhateverhehadmeanttosay，andagain，forashortspace，theyconfrontedeachother，nolongerasenemies——soitseemedtoher——butasbeingsofdifferentlanguagewhohadforgottenthefewwordstheyhadlearnedofeachother’sspeech。
　　Darrowbrokethesilence。"It’sbest，onallaccounts，thatIshouldstaytilltomorrow；butIneedn’tintrudeonyou；
　　weneedn’tmeetagainalone。IonlywanttobesureIknowyourwishes。"Hespoketheshortsentencesinalevelvoice，asthoughheweresumminguptheresultsofabusinessconference。
　　Annalookedathimvaguely。"Mywishes？"
　　"AstoOwen————
　　Atthatshestarted。"Theymustnevermeetagain！"
　　"It’snotlikelytheywill。WhatImeantwas，thatitdependsonyoutosparehim……"
　　Sheansweredsteadily："Heshallneverknow，"andafteranotherintervalDarrowsaid："Thisisgood—bye，then。"
　　Atthewordsheseemedtounderstandforthefirsttimewhithertheflyingmomentshadbeenleadingthem。Resentmentandindignationdieddown，andallherconsciousnessresolveditselfintothemerevisualsensethathewastherebeforeher，nearenoughforhertoliftherhandandtouchhim，andthatinanotherinstanttheplacewherehestoodwouldbeempty。
　　Shefeltamortalweakness，acravenimpulsetocryouttohimtostay，alongingtothrowherselfintohisarms，andtakerefugetherefromtheunendurableanguishhehadcausedher。Thenthevisioncalledupanotherthought："Ishallneverknowwhatthatgirlhasknown……"andtherecoilofprideflungherbackonthesharpedgesofheranguish。
　　"Good—bye，"shesaid，indreadlestheshouldreadherface；
　　andshestoodmotionless，herheadhigh，whilehewalkedtothedoorandwentout。
　　BOOKV
　　XXX
　　AnnaLeath，threedayslater，satinMissPainter’sdrawing—
　　roomintheruedeMatignon。
　　Comingupprecipitatelythatmorningfromthecountry，shehadreachedParisatoneo’clockandMissPainter’slandingsometenminuteslater。MissPainter’smouldylittleman—
　　servant，dissemblinganapkinunderhisarm，hadmildlyattemptedtoopposeherentrance；butAnna，insisting，hadgonestraighttothedining—roomandsurprisedherfriend——
　　whoateasfurtivelyascertainanimals——overastrangemealofcoldmuttonandlemonade。Ignoringtheembarrassmentshecaused，shehadsetforththeobjectofherjourney，andMissPainter，alwayshattedandbootedforaction，hadimmediatelyhastenedout，leavinghertothesolitudeofthebarefirelessdrawing—roomwithitseternalslip—coversand"bowed"shutters。
　　InthisinhospitableobscurityAnnahadsataloneforcloseupontwohours。Bothobscurityandsolitudewereacceptabletoher，andimpatientasshewastoheartheresultoftheerrandonwhichshehaddespatchedherhostess，shedesiredstillmoretobealone。Duringherlongmeditationinawhite—swathedchairbeforethemuffledhearthshehadbeenableforthefirsttimetoclearawaythroughthedarknessandconfusionofherthoughts。Thewaydidnotgofar，andherattempttotraceitwasasweakandspasmodicasaconvalescent’sfirsteffortstopickupthethreadofliving。Sheseemedtoherselflikesomeonestrugglingtorisefromalongsicknessofwhichitwouldhavebeensomucheasiertodie。AtGivreshehadfallenintoakindoftorpor，adeadnessofsoultraversedbywildflashesofpain；butwhethershesufferedorwhethershewasnumb，sheseemedequallyremotefromherreallivinganddoingself。
　　Itwasonlythediscovery——thatverymorning——ofOwen’sunannounceddepartureforParisthathadcaughtheroutofherdreamandforcedherbacktoaction。Thedreadofwhatthisflightmightimply，andoftheconsequencesthatmightresultfromit，hadrousedhertothesenseofherresponsibility，andfromthemomentwhenshehadresolvedtofollowherstep—son，andhadmadeherrapidpreparationsforpursuit，hermindhadbeguntoworkagain，feverishly，fitfully，butstillwithsomethingofitsnormalorder。Inthetrainshehadbeentooagitated，toopreoccupiedwithwhatmightnextawaither，togiveherthoughtstoanythingbuttheturningoverofdreadalternatives；butMissPainter’simperviousnesshadsteadiedher，andwhileshewaitedforthesoundofthelatch—keysheresolutelyreturneduponherself。
　　Withrespecttoheroutwardcourseshecouldatleasttellherselfthatshehadheldtoherpurpose。Shehad，aspeoplesaid，"keptup"duringthetwenty—fourhoursprecedingGeorgeDarrow’sdeparture；hadgonewithacalmfaceaboutherusualbusiness，andevencontrivednottooobviouslytoavoidhim。Then，thenextdaybeforedawn，frombehindtheclosedshutterswhereshehadkeptforhalfthenightherdry—eyedvigil，shehadheardhimdriveofftothetrainwhichbroughtitspassengerstoParisintimefortheCalaisexpress。
　　Thefactofhistakingthattrain，ofhistravellingsostraightandfarawayfromher，gavetowhathadhappenedtheimplacableoutlineofreality。Hewasgone；hewouldnotcomeback；andherlifehadendedjustasshehaddreameditwasbeginning。Shehadnodoubt，atfirst，astotheabsoluteinevitabilityofthisconclusion。Themanwhohaddrivenawayfromherhouseintheautumndawnwasnotthemanshehadloved；hewasastrangerwithwhomshehadnotasinglethoughtincommon。Itwasterrible，indeed，thatheworethefaceandspokeinthevoiceofherfriend，andthat，aslongashewasunderoneroofwithher，themerewayinwhichhemovedandlookedcouldbridgeatastrokethegulfbetweenthem。That，nodoubt，wasthefaultofherexaggeratedsensibilitytooutwardthings：shewasfrightenedtoseehowitenslavedher。Adayortwobeforeshehadsupposedthesenseofhonourwasherdeepestsentiment：ifshehadsmiledattheconventionsofothersitwasbecausetheyweretootrivial，notbecausetheyweretoograve。Therewerecertaindishonourswithwhichshehadneverdreamedthatanypactcouldbemade：shehadhadanincorruptiblepassionforgoodfaithandfairness。
　　Shehadsupposedthat，onceDarrowwasgone，onceshewassafefromthedangerofseeingandhearinghim，thishighdevotionwouldsustainher。Shehadbelieveditwouldbepossibletoseparatetheimageofthemanshehadthoughthimfromthatofthemanhewas。ShehadevenforeseenthehourwhenshemightraiseamournfulshrinetothememoryoftheDarrowshehadloved，withoutfearthathisdouble’sshadowwoulddesecrateit。Butnowshehadbeguntounderstandthatthetwomenwerereallyone。TheDarrowsheworshippedwasinseparablefromtheDarrowsheabhorred；andtheinevitableconclusionwasthatbothmustgo，andshebeleftinthedesertofasorrowwithoutmemories……
　　Butifthefuturewasthusvoid，thepresentwasalltoofull。Neverhadblowmorecomplexrepercussions；andtorememberOwenwastoceasetothinkofherself。Whatimpulse，whatapprehension，hadsenthimsuddenlytoParis？
　　Andwhyhadhethoughtitneedfultoconcealhisgoingfromher？WhenSophyVinerhadleft，ithadbeenwiththeunderstandingthathewastoawaithersummons；anditseemedimprobablethathewouldbreakhispledge，andseekherwithoutleave，unlesshislover’sintuitionhadwarnedhimofsomefreshdanger。Annarecalledhowquicklyhehadreadthealarminherfacewhenhehadrushedbacktohersitting—roomwiththenewsthatMissVinerhadpromisedtoseehimagaininParis。Tobesopromptlyroused，hissuspicionsmusthavebeenbuthalf—asleep；andsincethen，nodoubt，ifsheandDarrowhaddissembled，sohadhe。Toherprouddirectnessitwasdegradingtothinkthattheyhadbeenlivingtogetherlikeenemieswhospyuponeachother’smovements：shefeltadesperatelongingforthedayswhichhadseemedsodullandnarrow，butinwhichshehadwalkedwithherheadhighandhereyesunguarded。
　　ShehadcomeuptoParishardlyknowingwhatperilshefeared，andstilllesshowshecouldavertit。IfOwenmeanttoseeMissViner——andwhatotherobjectcouldhehave？——theymustalreadybetogether，anditwastoolatetointerfere。IthadindeedoccurredtoAnnathatParismightnotbehisobjectivepoint：thathisrealpurposeinleavingGivrewithoutherknowledgehadbeentofollowDarrowtoLondonandexactthetruthofhim。Buteventoheralarmedimaginationthisseemedimprobable。SheandDarrow，tothelast，hadkeptupsocompleteafeintofharmonythat，whateverOwenhadsurmised，hecouldscarcelyhaveriskedactingonhissuspicions。Ifhestillfelttheneedofanexplanation，itwasalmostcertainlyofSophyVinerthathewouldaskit；anditwasinquestofSophyVinerthatAnnahaddespatchedMissPainter。
　　ShehadfoundablessedrefugefromherperplexitiesinthestolidAdelaide’sunawareness。OnecouldsoabsolutelycountonMissPainter’sguessingnomorethanonechose，andyetactingastutelyonsuchhintsasonevouchsafedher！Shewaslikeawell—trainedretrieverwhoseinterestinhispreyceaseswhenhelaysitathismaster’sfeet。Anna，onarriving，hadexplainedthatOwen’sunannouncedflighthadmadeherfearsomefreshmisunderstandingbetweenhimselfandMissViner。Intheinterestsofpeaceshehadthoughtitbesttofollowhim；butshehastilyaddedthatshedidnotwishtoseeSophy，butonly，ifpossible，tolearnfromherwhereOwenwas。WiththesebriefinstructionsMissPainterhadstartedout；butshewasawomanofmanyoccupations，andhadgivenhervisitortounderstandthatbeforereturningsheshouldhavetocallonafriendwhohadjustarrivedfromBoston，andafterwarddespatchtoanotherexiledcompatriotasupplyofcranberriesandbrandiedpeachesfromtheAmericangroceryintheChampsElysees。
　　Gradually，asthemomentspassed，Annabegantofeelthereactionwhich，inmomentsofextremenervoustension，followsonanyeffortofthewill。Sheseemedtohavegoneasfarashercouragewouldcarryher，andsheshrankmoreandmorefromthethoughtofMissPainter’sreturn，sincewhateverinformationthelatterbroughtwouldnecessitatesomefreshdecision。WhatshouldshesaytoOwenifshefoundhim？Whatcouldshesaythatshouldnotbetraytheonethingshewouldgiveherlifetohidefromhim？"Giveherlife"——howthephrasederidedher！Itwasagiftshewouldnothavebestowedonherworstenemy。ShewouldnothavehadSophyVinerlivethehoursshewaslivingnow……
　　Shetriedagaintolooksteadilyandcalmlyatthepicturethattheimageofthegirlevoked。Shehadanideathatsheoughttoaccustomherselftoitscontemplation。Iflifewaslikethat，whythesooneronegotusedtoitthebetter……Butno！Lifewasnotlikethat。Heradventurewasahideousaccident。Shedreadedaboveallthetemptationtogeneralisefromherowncase，todoubtthehighthingsshehadlivedbyandseekacheapsolaceinbelittlingwhatfatehadrefusedher。Therewassuchloveasshehaddreamed，andshemeanttogoonbelievinginit，andcherishingthethoughtthatshewasworthyofit。Whathadhappenedtoherwasgrotesqueandmeanandmiserable；butsheherselfwasnoneofthesethings，andnever，neverwouldshemakeofherselfthemockthatfatehadmadeofher