hide the loathing she could not crush, and place the fact of motherhood
first of all.

As her mother, she had taken Mrs. Vivian back into her heart, and given
her generously of what worldly possessions she had. And she had done
it with a wondrous quiet and absence of all ostentation either
outwardly or inwardly. It had never occured to Lorraine that, whether
it was a duty or not, after what had passed it was certainly a fine act
upon her part.

She had not questioned about it at all. To her mother's apologetic
gush she had merely turned calm eyes and a strong face.

"It isn't worth while to remember the past at all," she had said; "we
will just begin again on rather different lines. I'll always let you
have as much money as I can spare."

Mrs. Vivian had been a little taken aback by the new Lorraine who
returned from Italy; and not a little afraid before the calm,
inscrutable eyes; so that she had secretly rejoiced at the arrangement
which gave her a separate establishment of her own; but none the less,
in bursts of righteous indignation supposed to emanate from her
outraged feelings as a mother, she usually chose to make it her pet
grievance.

And still Lorraine only smiled the tired smile, and glanced carelessly
aside with the inscrutable eyes until the tirade was over, the coveted
cheque made out, and her own little sanctum once again in peaceful
possession.