Lady Peters thought she spoke in a calm, proud voice.

She would have been surprised could she have seen the beautiful face all wet with tears; for, Philippa had laid her head on the cold stone, and was weeping such tears as women weep but once in life.

She sat there not striving to subdue the tempest of emotion that shook her, giving full vent to her passion of grief, stretching out her hands and crying to her lost love.
It was all over now.

She had stepped down from the proud height of her glorious womanhood to ask for his love, and he had told her that he had none to give her.

She had thrown aside her pride, her delicacy.