mistake.

"How stupid of me to have left Jane Dawning's letter among those
papers."

But she did not go back to fetch the letter from her cousin Lady
Dawning; and she did not own to herself that that apparent negligence
was her real revenge. Yet from that moment her feelings of
self-satisfaction were uncomfortably disturbed.

Meanwhile, Molly was kneeling by the window in the study in floods of
tears. Everything in her mind had lost its balance; and baffled,
disheartened, and ashamed, she wept tears that brought no softness. She
did not know it, but while to herself it seemed as if she were absorbed
in weeping over her disillusionment, she was in fact deciding that, as
her ideal had failed her, she would in future live only for herself, and
get everything out of life that she could for her own satisfaction.

No one in the world cared for her, but she would not be defeated or
crushed or forlorn. With an effort she sprang to her feet with one agile
movement, and pushed her heavy hair back from her forehead with her
long, thin fingers.

The colour had gone from her clear, dark skin for the moment, and her
breathing was fast and uneven, but her face still showed her to be very
young and very healthy. How differently the troubles of the mind are
written in our faces when age has undermined the foundations and all
momentary failure is a presage of a sure defeat. Molly showed her
determination to be brave and calm by immediately setting herself to
read the papers left for her by Mrs. Carteret.