f inarticulate pain was
broken into innumerable fragments. For a time, before she could collect
herself to self-control, her thoughts whirled and roared in her head
like a machine disconnected from its work, racing furiously till it
threatens to shake itself to pieces. Everything seemed to come at once.

Frank Warner was dead. What would that mean to Nelly Powers?

Had there been enough bread left in the house till someone could drive
the Ford to Ashley and buy some more?

Ought she to wear mourning for Cousin Hetty?

What had happened on the Eagle Rocks? Had Frank and 'Gene quarreled, or
had 'Gene crept up behind Frank as he sighted along the compass?

How would they get Cousin Hetty's friends from the station at Ashley,
out to the house, such feeble old people as they were? It would be
better to have the services all at the church.

Had anything been decided about hymns? Someone had said something about
it, but what had she . . . oh, of course that had been the moment when
Toucle had come in, and Mr. Bayweather had rushed away to tell Frank's
mother. Frank's mother. His mother! Suppose that were to happen to Mark,
or Paul? No, not such thoughts. They mustn't be let in at all, or you
went mad.

Was it true that Elly cared nothing about her, that children didn't, for
grown-ups, that she was nothing in Elly's life?

She was glad that Toucle had come back. There would be someone to help
Neale with the children. . . .

_Neale_ . . . the name brought her up abruptly. Her mind, hurrying,
breathless, panting, was stopped by the name, as by a great rock in the
path. There was an instant of blankness, as she faced it, as though it
were a name she did not know. When she said that name, everything
stopped going around in her head. She moved restlessly in her bed.

And then, as though she had gone around the rock, the rapid, pattering,
painful rush of those incoherent ideas began again. Queer that nobody
there, Mr. Bayweather, Agnes, Toucle, none of them seemed to realize
that Frank had not fallen, that 'Gene had . . . but of course she
remembered they hadn't any idea of a possible connection between Frank
and the Powers, and she had been the only one to see 'Gene in that
terrible flight from the Rocks. Nelly had thought he had been
cultivating corn all day. Of course nobody would think of anything but
an accident. Nobody would ever know.

Yes, it was true; it was true that she would touch Neale and never know
it, nev