she could not foresee. It was true, all he said to her in anger that
night by the prison wall--true and deserved every word of it. Even
in acknowledging that, she hardened herself against him implacably.
Since he chose to take this tone with her, to throw aside all his
graceful blindness to her faults, he had only himself to blame if
she considered everything at an end between them. She tried to
believe herself glad this had happened; it relieved her from an
embarrassment, and made her absolutely free to pursue the ambitions
which now gave her no rest. For all that, she could not dismiss
Sidney from her mind; indeed, throughout the week that followed
their parting, she thought of him more persistently than for many
months. That he would before long seek pardon for his rudeness she
felt certain, she felt also that such submission would gratify her
in a high degree. But the weeks were passing and no letter came; in
vain she glanced from the window of the bar at the faces which moved
by. Even on Sunday, when she went home for an hour or two, she
neither saw nor heard of Kirkwood. She could not bring herself to
ask a question.

Under any circumstances Clara would ill have borne a suspense that
irritated her pride, and at present she lived amid conditions so
repugnant, that her nerves were ceaselessly strung almost beyond
endurance. Before entering upon this engagement she had formed but
an imperfect notion of what would be demanded of her. To begin with,
Mrs. Tubbs belonged to the order of women who are by nature
slave-drivers; though it was her interest to secure Clara for a
permanency, she began by exacting from the girl as much labour as
could possibly be included in their agreement. The hours were
insufferably long; by nine o'clock each evening Clara was so outworn
that with difficulty she remained standing, yet not until midnight