The room seemed strangely dark and cold; the only light that entered was through one of the windows from which the curtains were withdrawn, and, silhouetted against the luminous sky beyond, was the upright figure of a woman, looking and listening....
He pressed the knob of the electric light; and Mabel turned slowly towards him.

She was in her day-dress, with a cloak thrown over her shoulders, and her face was almost as that of a stranger.

It was perfectly colourless, her lips were compressed and her eyes full of an emotion which he could not interpret.

It might equally have been anger, terror or misery.
She stood there in the steady light, motionless, looking at him.
For a moment he did not trust himself to speak.

He passed across to the window, closed it and drew the curtains.