Page:Gissing - The Nether World, vol. III, 1889.djvu/145

Rh she should take them kindly and have done with her trouble.

“Did grandfather tell you how it was?” she asked, with a sudden fear lest Bessie should have learnt her pitiful weakness.

“Why, no; how did it come?”

“I don’t know. We were talking. I can stand up now, Mrs. Byass, thank you. I’ll go up to my room. I’ve forgotten the time; is it late?”

It was only nine o’clock. Bessie would have gone upstairs with her, but Jane insisted that she was quite herself. On the stairs she trod as lightly as possible, and she closed her door without a sound. Alone, she again gave way to tears. Michael’s face was angry in her memory; he had never looked at her in that way before, and now he would never look with the old kindness. What a change had been wrought in these few minutes!

And Sidney never anything but her friend,—cold, meaningless word! If he knew how she had fallen, would that be likely to bring him nearer to her? She had lost both things, that was all.