But she said that that was
necessary; it was the price that the girl must pay for the sin of
having made Edward love her, for the sin of loving her husband.
She talked on and on, beside the fire. The girl must become an
adulteress; she had wronged Edward by being so beautiful, so
gracious, so good. It was sinful to be so good. She must pay the
price so as to save the man she had wronged.
In between her pauses the girl could hear the voice of Edward,
droning on, indistinguishably, with jerky pauses for replies. It
made her glow with pride; the man she loved was working for her.
He at least was resolved; was malely determined; knew the right
thing. Leonora talked on with her eyes boring into Nancy's. The
girl hardly looked at her and hardly heard her. After a long time
Nancy said--after hours and hours:
"I shall go to India as soon as Edward hears from my father. I
cannot talk about these things, because Edward does not wish it."
At that Leonora screamed out and wavered swiftly towards the
closed door. And Nancy found that she was springing out of her
chair with her white arms stretched wide. She was clasping the
other woman to her breast; she was saying:
"Oh, my poor dear; oh, my poor dear.
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