Then once again the
wind gathered strength outside; the rain tore at the glass like a
streaming handful of tiny pebbles, and the great curtains at her side
lifted and sighed in the draught through the shutters.
When it quieted again the breathing had become a measured moaning, as
that which a dreaming dog emits at the end of each expiration; and she
herself drew a long trembling breath, overwhelmed by the sense of some
struggle in the room such as she had not experienced before.
It was impossible for her to express this even to herself; yet the
perception was clear--as clear as some presentment of the senses. She
knew during those moments, as she watched the swaying curtains of the
cabinet in the shaded light that fell upon them, and heard now and
again that low moan from behind them, that some kind of stress lay
upon something that was new to her in this connection. For the time
she forgot her undertone of anxiety as to this boy at her side, and a
curious terrified excitement took its place. Once, even then, she
glanced at him again, and saw the motionless profile watching, always
watching....
Then in an instant the climax came, and this is what she saw.
* * * * *
The commotion of the curtains ceased suddenly, and they hung in
straight folds from roof to floor of the little cabinet.
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