It was not her gift to do the right thing by perfect instinct; she had to think things out; and so she did now.

Still it has to be said for her that she also had a strange, deep sense of apprehension in the presence of the man whose arms had held her fast, and then let her go for so bitter a length of time, in which her pride was lacerated and her heart brought low.

She did not know how she was going to be met now, and a womanly shyness held her back.

If she had said one word--his name only--it might have made a world of difference to them both at that moment; for he was tortured by failure, and now when hope was gone, here was the woman whom he had left in order to force gifts from fate to bring himself back to her.
"You--you here!" he exclaimed hoarsely.

He did not open his arms to her or go a step nearer to her.