enjoyable state of late. It seems you haven't, either. Perhaps
we were in too great a hurry after all, Toni."

He did not mean the words, which were wrung from him by his exasperation
at her childish folly; but the effect on Toni was disastrous.

She could not well turn paler than she was already; but a chill crept
into her veins, congealing her blood as she stood in front of the fire.
She shivered slightly; and then with an effort which made her feel
physically exhausted, she moved slowly towards the door.

"Where are you going, Toni?" Owen questioned her rather coldly.

She turned round; and all the youth was gone from her face.

"I am going to bed," she answered quietly. "Good-night, Owen."

And without waiting for a reply she opened the door and went slowly out
of the room.

CHAPTER XXV

Quite calmly and quietly Toni went about her preparations for departure.

The scene in the library had turned the scale in favour of her flight.
Owen had openly avowed his opinion that their hasty marriage had been a
mistake; and now that the passion of rage and jealousy which had
possessed her had died away, Toni could see no other method of relieving
the situation than by leaving Greenriver at once.

She would go away with Leonard Dowson, thereby leaving the way open for
Owen to divorce her. Her own future life occupied but the smallest
fraction of her thoughts. Somehow her power of visualizing the future
seemed to stop short with her departure from her home; and although she
had a very clear vision of Owen, relieved from the incubus of her
presence, and free to devote himself to the work which, she had
persuaded herself, meant more to him than any purely domestic happiness,
she never gave even a passing thought to her own existence when once she
had severed the ties which bound her to the old house by the river.

Very early in the morning of the day following her interview with Dowson
she had posted a note to him. There was only one short sentence on the
little sheet of paper--only three words; but she know it would be
enough.

"I will come. TONI."

That was all; and yet as she wrote the little sentence, Toni had a
queer, stifling sensation as though she were indeed signing her own
death-warrant.

The note would be delivered at lunch-time; and about two o'clock Toni
began to look for an answer, though she knew it was hardly likely the
young man would reply so promptly.

At three o'clock she went ou