Part 26 (1/2)

”Ethne,” he said again, and there was in this iteration of her name more trouble and doubt than surprise It see He was beginning to speculate whether after all he had been right in his inference froht, whether the shadow of Feversham did not after all fall between the with his hand, and suddenly a string of Ethne's violin twanged loud She had left it lying on the chair, and his fingers had touched it

Durrance drew hiht and stood quite motionless and silent, like a man who had suffered a shock and is bewildered He passed his hand across his forehead once or twice, and then, without calling upon Ethne again, he advanced to the open

Mrs Adair did not move, and she held her breath There was just the width of the sill between theht struck full upon Durrance, and she saw a coradually dawn in his face that so close to him

”Ethne,” he said a third time, and now he appealed

He stretched out a hand timidly and touched her dress

”It is not Ethne,” he said with a start

”No, it is not Ethne,” Mrs Adair answered quickly Durrance drew back a step from the , and for a little while was silent

”Where has she gone?” he asked at length

”Into the garden She ran across the terrace and down the steps very quickly and silently I saw her fro alone”

”Can you see her now in the garden?”

”No; she went across the laards the trees and their great shadows

There is only the arden now”

Durrance stepped across thesill and stood by the side of Mrs

Adair The last slip which Ethne had rown quick There could be only one reason for her sudden unexplained and secret flight He had told her that Fevershae country; he had spoken out his fears as to Fevershaotten him, and indeed rather inclined to blame her for the callous indifference hich she received the news The callousness was a er had the strength to hold it up before her face His first suspicions had been right

Feversham still stood between Ethne and hih she was in great trouble and hardly knehat she was doing,” Mrs Adair continued ”Did you cause that trouble?”

”Yes”

”I thought so, from what I heard you say”

Mrs Adair wanted to hurt, and in spite of Durrance's impenetrable face, she felt that she had succeeded It was a small sort of compensation for the weeks ofwhich ht be pleaded, even if no defence was ht

That calm pale face of hers hid the quick passions of the South, and she had been racked by therotesque, so rather horrible, in that outbreak and confession by Durrance, after Ethne had fled fro out his heart to an empty chair She herself had stood without the ith a bitter longing that he had spoken so to her and a bitter knowledge that he never would She was sunk deep in humiliation

The irony of the position tortured her; it was like a jest of grim selfish Gods played off upon ineffectual hts rankled that uished la one to the other in darkness

Therefore she spoke to give pain and was glad that she gave it, even though it was to thewhich I don't understand,” said Durrance ”I ht I mistook the cause of it, that's evident I was a fool But there hter had been restored to her Her gravity, her air of calculation, had vanished She becao”

”Exactly,” Mrs Adair answered ”Just what she was before Mr Feversham disappeared froood news of Mr Feversha”

Durrance turned quickly towards her, and Mrs Adair felt a pleasure at his abrupt movement She had provoked the display of some emotion, and the display of emotion was preferable to his composure

”Are you quite sure?” he asked