Her head, with its aureole of loosened hair, was thrown back against the chair, and the crude lamplight revealed each sharpened feature with a merciless plainness.

She was a woman no longer young--ill--and alone.
By the help of the entries before her she had been living the winter over again.
How near and vivid it was,--how incredibly, tangibly near!--and yet as dead as the Caesars on the Palatine.
For instance:-- 'November 22.

To-day we worked well.

Three hours this morning--nearly three this afternoon.

The survey of the financial history since 1870 is nearly finished.