refusing the prisoner's final desperate entreaties.

"No," she said. "It's no good, Alf. It'll never be any good as long as I
live."


iii

Alf put out his hand and covered Jenny's hand with it; and the hand he
held, after a swift movement, remained closely imprisoned. And just at
that moment, when the two were striving for mastery, the door opened and
Emmy came back into the room. She was fully dressed for going out, her
face charmingly set off by the hat she had offered earlier to Jenny, her
eyes alight with happiness, her whole bearing unutterably changed.

"_Now_ who's waiting!" she demanded; and at the extraordinary sight
before her she drew a quick breath, paling. It did not matter that the
clinging hands were instantly apart, or that Alf rose hurriedly to meet
her. "What's that?" she asked, in a trembling tone. "What are you
doing?" As though she felt sick and faint, she sat sharply down upon her
old chair near the door. Jenny rallied.

"Only a kid's game," she said. "Nothing at all." Alf said nothing,
looking at neither girl. Emmy tried to speak again; but at first the
words would not come. Finally she went on, with dreadful understanding.

"Didn't you want to take me, Alf? Did you want her to go?"

It was as though her short absence, perhaps even the change of costume,
had worked a curious and cognate change in her mind. Perhaps it was that