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Show 1 .;..l.,>-,A,/_.._,~~· her terror she had been unreasonable.~~ ~~~~&~~ She had lost her head, or nearly lost !'5--::~ · it. But for the self-possession of the [ - ~~'lj<~~~- Spahi she would certainly have been , discovered by her husband. .., · -----"'.;.~ And if she had been discov~red ~ She tried to think of the sttuattOn calmly, without hysteria, If she had been discovered what would "Crumpet" have said, have done? If he knew anything now, what would he say or do? She had always been accustomed to rule him. He had always given in to all her whims. They had often been foolish, but they had been innocent. She had flirted. Many men had made a sort of love to her. But it had been a very tame business. It had not been even a playing with fire. There had never been any fire to play with. But where Benchaalal was there was fire, there was always fire. Sir Claude had never minded her •s6 little flirtations, But he had felt sure of her. Somehow Lady Wyverne, never having really cared a straw for any of the men who had admired her, had never dreamed that Sir Claude could mind their attentions, even their occasional ardor. The ardor had always been English, and her own consciousness of her own coldness had preserved her from either fear or any sense of guilt. But now she was afraid, both of herself and of her husband. And she felt guilty, not because of any evil act that she had committed, but \ because of thoughts that had passed through her mind, of feelings that had stirred in her heart. She knew her husband through ~ and through, and she knew his in~, tensely English nature. All, or nearly all, the prejudices of the average -· Englishman were his, cherished chil- :;-~ ~r'::. of his not clever brain. |