ere her acuteness had gone to now, to let her be
taken unawares by a game so much simpler and played to the end under her
very nose. But then, at that time, when her nightly rest was disturbed
by the dread of the fate preparing for de Barral's unprotected child,
she was not engaged in writing a compendious and ruthless hand-book on
the theory and practice of life, for the use of women with a grievance.
She could as yet, before the task of evolving the philosophy of
rebellious action had affected her intuitive sharpness, perceive things
which were, I suspect, moderately plain. For I am inclined to believe
that the woman whom chance had put in command of Flora de Barral's
destiny took no very subtle pains to conceal her game. She was
conscious of being a complete master of the situation, having once for
all established her ascendancy over de Barral. She had taken all her
measures against outside observation of her conduct; and I could not
help smiling at the thought what a ghastly nuisance the serious,
innocent Fynes must have been to her. How exasperated she must have
been by that couple falling into Brighton as completely unforeseen as a
bolt from the blue--if not so prompt. How she must have hated them!

But I conclude she would have carried out whatever plan she might have
formed. I can imagine de Barral accustomed for years to defer to her
wishes and, either through arrogance, or shyness, or simply because of
his unimaginative stupidity, remaining outside the social pale, knowing
no one but some card-playing cronies; I can picture him to myself
terrified at the prospect of having the care of a marriageable girl
thrust on his hands, forcing on him a complete change of habits and the
necessity of another kind of existence which he would not even have
known how to begin. It is evident to me that Mrs What's her name would
have had her atrocious way with very little trouble even if the
excellent Fynes had been able to do something. She would simply have
bullied de Barral in a lofty style. There's nothing more subservient
than an arrogant man when his arrogance has once been broken in some
particular instance.

However there was no time and no necessity for any one to do anything.
The situation itself vanished in the financial crash as a building
vanishes in an earthquake--here one moment and gone the next with only
an ill-omened, slight, preliminary rumble. Well, to say `in a moment'
is an exaggeration perhaps