With utter inconsistency she felt pain that he could be so at his ease in her presence.

In all likelihood he had come with no other end save that of continuing his acquaintance with Mrs.Westlake.As she listened to his voice, once more an inexplicable and uncontrollable mood possessed her--a mood of petulance, of impatience with him and with herself; with him for almost ignoring her presence, with herself for the distant way in which she had met him.

An insensate rebellion against circumstances encouraged her to feel hurt; by a mystery of the mind intervening time was cancelled, and it seemed unnatural, hard to bear, that Hubert should by preference address another than herself.

An impulse similar to that which had forced her to speak his name in conversation with Stella now constrained her to break silence, to say something which would require a reply.

Her feeling became a sort of self-pity; he regarded her as beneath his notice, he wished her to see that his indifference was absolute; why should he treat her so cruelly?
She added a few words to a remark Mrs.Westlake made, and, the moment she had spoken, was sensible that her tone had been strangely impulsive.
Stella glanced at her.