The woman drew her breath hard, but did not speak; only sat frowning, her brow a maze of wrinkles, her lips drawn to a thin pink line, and her teeth set fast, gazing once more straight before her at the drawn-down blind.
“Hah!” she ejaculated at last. “It has all come to an end.”
Claude started, and looked up in the woman’s face, the words were spoken in so strange and hard a tone.
“I don’t like to talk to you about the future, and hope,” Claude said at last; “it seems such a vain kind of way to comfort any one in affliction.”
“Yes; life is all affliction,” said the woman bitterly; and she frowned now at the kneeling girl.
“No, no; you must not look at things like that, Sarah. But it is hard to bear. How well I remember coming to see your home directly you were married.”
“Don’t talk about it, child,” said the woman hoarsely.
“No, we’ll talk about something else; or will it not be kinder if I sit with you only, and stay as long as I can?”
“No,” said the woman harshly. “Rennals will take poor Isaac’s place. How soon will it be?”
“How soon?”