o
hardened his face, and at Kitty who was trembling.

"Has anything happened?" she said.

And Kitty answered, "No. Nothing will happen now. I've just told him
that it can't."

"You've given him up?"

"Yes. I've--given--him up."

She drew in her breath on the "Yes," so that it sounded like a sob. The
other words came slowly from her, one by one, as if she repeated them by
rote, without knowing what they meant.

Jane turned to her brother. "And you've let her do it?"

He was silent, still saying to himself, "What next?"

"Of course he's let me. He knows it was the only thing I could do."

"Kitty--what made you do it?"

Kitty closed her eyes. Robert saw her and gave a low inarticulate sound
of misery. Jane heard it and understood.

"Kitty," she said, "have you made him believe you don't care for him?"

She sat down on the couch beside her and covered her hands with her own.

"It isn't true, Robert," she said. "She doesn't know what she's doing.
Kitty, tell him it isn't true."

The trembling hands broke loose from her. Kitty sobbed once and was
still. At the sound Robert turned on Jane.

"Leave her alone," he said, "she doesn't want to be bothered about it
now."

Kitty's hand moved back along the couch to Jane. "No," she said, "don't
make her leave me. I'm going away soon."

He started to that answer to his question, "What next?"

"Tell me what made you do it?" said Jane again.

"Whatever it was," he said, "she's doing perfectly right."

"I know what she's doing. And I know why she's doing it. Can't you see
why?"

Robert, who had stood still looking at her helplessly, turned away at
the direct appeal and walked up and down, up and down, the room. He was
still saying to himself, "And if she goes, what next?"

"She doesn't mean it, Robert. It's these wretched people who have driven
her to it with the abominable things they've said and thought. You
_can't_ let her give you up. Don't you see that it'll look as if you
didn't believe in her? And he does believe in you, Kitty dear. He
doesn't care what anybody says."

Kitty spoke. "Leave it alone, Janey. You don't know what you're talking
about. You don't even know what it is they say."

"I do," said Jane. She rose and went to her brother and thrust the
letter she held into his hand. "Look there, that came just now."

He glanced at the letter, lit a match and set fire to it and dropped the
ashes into the grate.

"Look at him, Kitty, look at him,"