her look like a tall doll shaking. There was something
so peculiar and horrible in the contrast between her attitude and
the evident agony which was convulsing her that for a moment Lady
Sellingworth felt helpless, did not dare to speak to her or to touch
her. It was impossible to tell whether she was shaken by anger, by
self-pity, or by the despair of youth deceived and outraged. But as she
continued to weep, and as her body went on trembling, Lady Sellingworth
at last could not bear it any longer. She felt that she must do
something, must try to help her, and she put a hand on the girl's
shoulder gently.

"Beryl!" she said. "Beryl! I didn't want to hurt you, but I had to tell
you."

The girl suddenly turned and caught her by the arms.

"Oh, Adela!" she said, in a faltering voice. "No other woman would
have--how could you? Oh, how could you?"

Her face was distorted. She looked at Lady Sellingworth with eyes that
were bloodshot behind their tears.

"Both of us! Both of us!" she exclaimed. "It's too horrible!"

She still held Lady Sellingworth's arms.

"_I_ couldn't have done it! I should have let you go on. I shouldn't
have written--I shouldn't have spoken! And I have been alone with him. I
have let him--I have let him--"

"Beryl!"

"No, no! It isn't too late! Don't be afraid!"

"Thank God!" said Lady Sellingworth.

She had no feeling of self-pity now. All her compassion for herself was
obscured for the moment in compassion for the girl. The years at last
were helping her, those years which so often had brought her misery.

"But what am I to do? I'm afraid of him. Oh, do help me."

"Hush, Beryl! What can he do? There's nothing to be afraid of."

"But I've nobody. I'm all alone. Fanny is no use. And he means--he won't
give it up. I know he won't give it up. I was always afraid in a way. I
always had suspicions, but I trampled them down. Dick Garstin told me,
but I would not listen. Dick Garstin showed me what he was."

"How could he?"

"He did. It's there in the studio--that horrible picture, the real
man, the man I couldn't see. But I must always have known what he was.
Something in me must always have known!"

She seemed to make a violent effort to recover her self-control. She
dropped her hands, took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from her
eyes. Then she went to the sofa where her muff was lying, drew out the
letter that was in it, went over to the fireplace and threw the letter
into th