"I'll go and attend to them--if no one minds." She was gone with the words, Adela's ringing laugh pursuing her as she closed the door.

She barely paused in the kitchen, but fled to her own room.

She could not--no, she could not--face the laughter and congratulations that night.
She flung herself down upon her bed and lay there trembling like a terrified creature caught in a trap.

Her brain was a whirl of bewildering emotions.

She knew not which way to turn to escape the turmoil, or even if she were glad or sorry for the step she had taken.