"Good-night," said Miss Toms.
"Good-night," said Maggie.
She turned back towards home hearing, as she went, Thurston's voice, seeing beyond all the thick shadow of Martin's body, keeping pace with her, as it seemed, step by step with her as she went.
She turned into the Rectory drive.She heard with a startled shiver the long gate swing screaming behind her, she could smell very faintly the leaves of the damp cold laurel bushes that pressed close in upon her.It was as though some one were walking with her and whispering in her ear: "They're coming! They're coming! They've got you! They've got you!"She opened the hall door; the hall was all dark; some one was there.
Maggie gave a little cry.A match was struck and revealed the white face of Grace.The two women stared at one another.
Grace had returned from Church; she was wearing her ugly black hat with the red velvet.
"It's all right," said Maggie, "I've been for a walk.""Oh--I didn't know," gasped Grace, still staring."I thought--yes, of course.Fancy, you've been for a walk!"Still staring as though she could keep Maggie at bay only by the power of her vision she backed on to Paul's study door, turned the handle, and disappeared.The hall was in darkness again.Maggie stumbled her way towards the staircase, then, seeing Grace's terrified eyes, filled with a horror that she, Maggie Cardinal, should cause any one to look at her like that, she ran clumsily upstairs, shutting herself into her bedroom.
During the next fortnight the dominant element in the situation was Grace's terror.Skeaton was already beginning to forget the story of the suicide.Maggie was marked for ever now as "queer and strange,"but Paul was not blamed; he was rather, pitied and even liked the more.But Grace could not forget.Maggie intended perhaps to murder her in revenge for her uncle's death; well, then, she must be murdered...She would not leave her brother.She could not consider the future.She knew that she could not live in the same house with Maggie for long, but she would not go and Maggie would not go...What was to happen?