we met that you _did_ sympathize...."

His voice was tender, partly because her presence moved him so deeply
and partly because the sympathy of anyone about his own affairs made him
instantly full of sorrow for himself--When anyone said that they thought
that he had been badly treated he always felt with an air of surprised
discovery: "By Jove, I _have_ been having a bad time!"

"Yes--Wasn't it strange, that first meeting in Miss Rand's room? We seem
to have known one another all our lives."

She looked at him. "That you should hate grandmamma so," she said, "was
a great thing to me. I'd been all alone--fighting her--for so long."

Rachel felt, in the glow of the occasion, that, all her days, there had
been active constant war-to-the-knife in the Portland Place house.

"She's been the curse of my life," he said bitterly. "Always keeping me
down, making me unable to do myself justice. Why should she hate me so?"

"She hates us," cried Rachel, "because we're both determined to be free.
We wouldn't have our lives ruled for us. She wants everyone to be under
her in _everything_."

They glowed together, very close to one another now, in a glorious
assertion of rebellious independence. He put his hand upon the back of
her chair--

"Now," he said, his voice trembling, "now that we've got to know one
another, you won't go back on it, will you? If I couldn't feel that you
were behind me, after being so encouraged, it would be terrible for
me--worse than anything's ever been for me."

"You needn't be afraid," she said, not looking at him, but tremendously
conscious of his hand that now touched her dress. Then there was a long
and very difficult silence during which events seemed to move with
terrific impetus.

She was overwhelmed by a multitude of emotions. She was past analysis of
regret or anticipation. Somewhere, very far away, there was Roddy, and
somewhere--also very far away--there was her grandmother, but, for
herself, she could only feel that she was very lonely, that nobody cared
about her except Breton and that nobody cared about him except
herself--and that she wanted urgently to be comforted and that he
himself needed comfort from her.

She knew that if she were not very strong-minded and resolute she would
cry; she could feel the tears burning her eyes.

"Perhaps I oughtn't to have come--Oh! it's all so difficult--with
grandmother--and everything--I thought I could--could manage things, but
I can't--We