She was surprised by her own quiet and confidence.

She came back silently, and sat once more by Katharine's side.

Mary had no wish to speak.

In the silence she seemed to have lost her isolation; she was at once the sufferer and the pitiful spectator of suffering; she was happier than she had ever been; she was more bereft; she was rejected, and she was immensely beloved.

Attempt to express these sensations was vain, and, moreover, she could not help believing that, without any words on her side, they were shared.