It seemed wonderful that all should still be just as it was, that there should be no change at all, when he himself had seen so much.

There was Beatrice's home; where was Beatrice?
He passed into the house like a man in a dream.

In another moment he was in the long parlour where he had spent so many happy hours, and Elizabeth was greeting him.

He shook hands with her, and as he did so, noticed vaguely that she too was utterly unchanged.

Her straw-coloured hair was pushed back from the temples in the same way, the mouth wore the same hard smile, her light eyes shone with the same cold look; she even wore the same brown dress.