ve noticed the mild
softness of her eyes, the tenderness of some curve at the corners of her
mouth, and would have smiled at the lines of resolution as though he had
known that the sternness was all assumed.

But she was saying that nothing should touch or move her down here at
Seddon; her heart should be closed. She must grow into a woman who had
no need of emotion--and even as she determined that some vision swept
her by, revealing to her the happy dear uses that she could have made of
love and sympathy had life been set that way for her. How she could have
cared!... A dry little sob was at her throat and burning pain behind her
tearless eyes. God, the things that other people had and did not value!

The train stopped at a wind-swept deserted station and a man and woman
with a little child, the three of them tired, wet, bedraggled, entered
the carriage.

The man was gaunt with a beard and large helpless eyes, the woman
shapeless, loose-breasted, little eyes sunk in her cheeks, an old black
straw hat tilted back on her head. These two did not glance at Lizzie,
nor was there any curiosity of interest in their eyes, but the small
child, yellow wisps of hair falling about her dirty face, detached
herself from them, crept into the furthest corner of the carriage and
from there stared at Lizzie.

The train droned on through a country now shrinking beneath a deluge of
rain. The child moved a little, looked at the woman, looked again at
Lizzie, crept to Lizzie's side of the carriage, at last, still without a
word, came close and, finally, stole fingers towards Lizzie's dress.

Lizzie turned and smiled at the child, who stared back at her, now with
wide terrified eyes. Lizzie looked away, out of the window, and after a
long time, felt the grimy hand upon her knee.

Once the woman said, "Come away, Cissie. You're worrying the lady."

"No. Please," said Lizzie. She took the hand in her own and smiled again
at the wide baby face. The child was very, very young and very, very
dirty--

No child had ever come near her before. She wondered why it had come
now.

III

At Lewes a carriage was waiting for her and, in a moment, it seemed that
she was driving through a dark village street and in front of her, like
a great wall topping the skies, the Downs rose.

When the carriage entered the courtyard and stopped before the broad
stone door Lizzie was seized with terror. She wished, oh! she wished
that she had not come. The