At any rate she survived the voyage across the North Sea and told Mrs.Fyne all about it, concealing nothing and receiving no rebuke--for Mrs.Fyne's opinions had a large freedom in their pedantry.

She held, I suppose, that a woman holds an absolute right--or possesses a perfect excuse--to escape in her own way from a man-mismanaged world.
* * * * * What is to be noted is that even in London, having had time to take a reflective view, poor Flora was far from being certain as to the true inwardness of her violent dismissal.

She felt the humiliation of it with an almost maddened resentment.
"And did you enlighten her on the point ?" I ventured to ask.
Mrs.Fyne moved her shoulders with a philosophical acceptance of all the necessities which ought not to be.

Something had to be said, she murmured.

She had told the girl enough to make her come to the right conclusion by herself.
"And she did ?" "Yes.