knees with a little whimper of weariness. For a moment she need not
check the tide of misery that rushed over her. She was tired in mind
and body, exhausted with the emotion that had shaken her until she knew
that no matter what happened in the future the Diana of yesterday was
dead, and her new self was strange and unfamiliar. She did not trust
it; she feared its capacity for maintaining the struggle she had
resolved upon. The old courageous self had never failed her, this new
shrinking fearful personality filled her with distrust. Her confidence
in herself was gone. Her contempt of herself was unutterable. The
strength that remained was not sufficient to conquer the fear that had
taken so strong a hold upon her. She could only hope to hide it, to
deny him at least that much satisfaction. She had grovelled at his feet
once and it had amused him. He had laughed! She would die rather than
afford him a similar amusement. She could never wipe out the
recollection of her cowardice; he would remember always, and so would
she; but she could atone for it if her strength held. And she prayed
that it might hold, until a sob broke from her and her hands cramped
around her knees. She pushed her hair off her forehead with a heavy
sigh, and she looked back over her shoulder at the empty room. It had
changed since this morning in the indefinable way a strange room does
change after a few hours' association. If she could leave it now and
never see it again in all her life no single detail of it would ever be
forgotten. Its characteristics had been stamped upon her as familiarly
as if the hours passed in it had been years. And yesterday was years
ago, when the poor silly fool that had been Diana Mayo had ridden
blindly into the trap from which her boasted independence had not been
able to save her. She had paid heavily for the determination to ignore
the restrictions of her sex laid upon her and the payment was not yet
over. Her tired body shrank from the struggle that must recommence so
soon. If he would only spare her until this numbing weariness that made