"May I kiss the child once more before I leave the room? You may cover your eyes, so that you may not see your child polluted by my touch."
"You will be free to kiss him when we have done our talk. I shall not hinder you."
He held the door open for her, and with tottering steps and bent head, she went out into the dark and waited for him.
"Lie down now, my child, and try to go to sleep. Mother will come to you later."
The child, overawed, covered himself up and closed his eyes. Bramwell took the lamp off the window-sill, and led the way into the sitting-room.
He shut the door behind them, put the lamp on the table, and, setting a chair for her by it, bade her sit down. She complied in silence, resting her elbow on the table, and covering her face with her hand.
"You said you fainted," he said, "do you feel weak still?"
"A little."
"I keep some brandy in case of sudden illness, for this is a lonely place." It was a relief to him to utter commonplaces. "And there are, or at least were until lately, no neighbours of whom I could borrow."
He poured some out of a pocket-flask, and added water, and handed the glass to her. "Drink that."