257 His head was unbearable then, and, feeling as if the pain would drive him mad, he took his hat and went out after dinner.
From her window Marie saw him go down the street. She had been watching all day for him to leave the house, and she drew a sharp breath as she saw his tall figure turn the corner of the road. She wondered if she would ever see him again. For a moment the thought stabbed her heart with a little pain, but it was gone instantly, and she crossed the room and quietly unlocked the door.
It was very quiet, and she slipped downstairs and out of the house without being seen.
It was almost dark now, and nobody noticed her as she went down the road and hailed a taxicab.
She gave the driver Feathers' address in Albany Street, then sat back in a corner, trembling and shaking in every limb.
There was a queer rapture in her heart, which was yet half fear. She was going to be happy, she told herself, fiercely; she was going to offer herself to a man who loved her and who would make her happy, and yet it terrified her to know that she was deliberately cutting herself off from her old life.
She tried not to think, not to reason. Since yesterday her heart had been like a stone and she dreaded that its hardness should melt.
The door of the house was open when the taxicab stopped, and a woman stood at the entrance looking out into the night.
Marie spoke to her timidly.
"Is Mr. Dakers in, please?"