The time when
all such incidents were to stand out, each to a nicety in its
appointed place, had not yet arrived. For the moment his
youth had returned to him; he possessed the knowledge of work
done, the sense of present companionship in a world of
agreeable things; above all, the steady, quiet conviction of
his own capacity. All these things came to him in the moment
of his entering the room, greeting Eve, and passing to the
breakfast-table; then, while his eyes still rested contentedly
on the pleasant array of china and silver, while his senses
were still alive to the fresh, earthly scent of Eve's violets,
the blow so long dreaded--so slow in coming fell with
accumulated force.
XXIV
The letter through which the blow fell was not voluminous. It
was written on cheap paper in a disguised hand, and the
contents covered only half a page. Loder read it slowly,
mentally articulating every word; then he laid it down, and as
he did so he caught Eve's eyes raised in concern. Again he
saw something of his own feelings reflected in her face, and
the shock braced him; he picked up the letter, tearing it into
strips.
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