Women marry and bear children and bring them up with love and sacrifice, only to be relegated to a second place at the first moment of independence.

Joan saw this then.

Her mother's altered attitude, and her own feeling of having grown out of maternal possession brought it before her.

She saw the underlying drama of this small inevitable scene in the divine comedy of life and was touched by a great sympathy and made sorry and ashamed.
But pride came between her and a desire to go down on her knees at her mother's side, make a clean breast of everything and beg for advice and help.
And so these two, between whom there should have been complete confidence, were like people speaking to each other from opposite banks of a stream, conscious of being overheard.
X Day after day went by with not a word from Martin.

April was slipping off the calendar.