No! silence for the present time, at all
risks--merciful silence, for many days to come!
She left the room, with the will and the letter in her hand--with the
natural, human pity at her heart which sealed her lips and shut her eyes
resolutely to the future. In the hall she stopped and listened. Not a
sound was audible. She softly ascended the stairs, on her way to her
own room, and passed the door of Norah's bed-chamber. Voices inside,
the voices of the two sisters, caught her ear. After a moment's
consideration, she checked herself, turned back, and quickly descended
the stairs again. Both Norah and Magdalen knew of the interview between
Mr. Pendril and herself; she had felt it her duty to show them his
letter making the appointment. Could she excite their suspicion by
locking herself up from them in her room as soon as the lawyer had left
the house? Her hand trembled on the banister; she felt that her face
might betray her. The self-forgetful fortitude, which had never failed
her until that day, had been tried once too often--had been tasked
beyond its powers at last.
At the hall door she reflected for a moment again, and went into the
garden; directing her steps to a rustic bench and table placed out of
sight of the house among the trees.
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