"I ought not—I will not."
"Can I help you? It was kind of you to send for me. Can I do anything for you?"
"Wait until I get back my breath. I will speak in a minute. Sit quiet. Let me be still. It is agitation enough to have you in the room."
Her eyes glittered again. She pressed her white transparent hands to her throbbing heart.
Beatrice sat motionless. She had a queer feeling at her own heart, a kind of premonition that a blow was about to be struck at her. Several minutes passed. Then the girl on the sofa spoke.
"The struggle of seeing you is past. I see—I endure. Your name is Beatrice Meadowsweet—?"
"Yes, I am Beatrice Meadowsweet."
"You are engaged to Captain Bertram?"
"Yes."
"You are to be married on the 10th of this month."