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Show not subtle. Yet even she did not know, did not divine all that there was in her husband, all that he might be, might dounderunusualcircumstances. When he saw that empty bedroom a new man seemed suddenly to be born within Sir Claude, a man conceived in infinite travail. That new man was quiet, self-controlled. He stood for a moment very still. Then he turned and went to his bedroom and locked himself in. The green persiennes that were fastened over the French windows which opened on to the veranda prevented any one the veranda from looking into the bedroom, but permitted any per-in the bedroom to see clearly the world without. The winwere shut. Sir Claude opened them gently and stood still behind the persiennes. There he remained, wattmg, motionless, with his hands hanging by his sides and his eyes, ,g, bloodshot with fatigue, staring at the white road beyond the Judas-trees. And at last he saw co~ing along the white road a woman with a white face . He saw her look up at his windows, a glance of dreadful, searching anxiety. It seemed to him for a moment that he met her eyes, that they stared into his, that they knew he was there. Then she passed out of his sight, creeping across the pavement of the court. And then, presently, he heard behind him a soft and furtive step, like the step of a thief or a marauder, the creak of a door. She had come in, his wife. She was close to him. He heard her key turn in the lock. ~ And only then was he conscious/': I that drops of sweat were rolling down his face. He went over to the washstand and bathed his face. His big hands were trembling. They wanted to do |