Pausing, she drew breath. “Violet, when he comes I am to go with him. Is there a reason why I should not?”
Violet, who had long suspected as much, now at last had nailed it. Cautiously she buckled to.
“No. Not one. On the contrary. There is every reason why you should. Every reason. Particularly as to greet you there will be the disdainful eyes, the lifted skirts, the averted heads, every one of the very slight and very fiendish tortures that are visited on the woman who has gone and done it.”
For a second she too paused, then with a war whoop added:
“But you can’t do anything of the kind. I won’t let you.”
“Would you turn from me also?”
“I! Merciful fathers! But I am not the world. No matter what is done in private, the world does not care. The world is very well bred. It never sees anything that was not intended for it. But on the open scandal of scandalous conduct instantly it turns its well bred back. It will turn it on you.”
Indifferently Leilah assented. She had examined this phase of the matter. It had not seemed very important.
“No doubt,” she replied. “Yet then destiny seldom closes a door without opening another. I told you of my dream. It was a dream of peace. Here there can be none. It may be my karma perhaps. But this,” she continued, motioning at the brilliant room, “this is my prison.”