She was being pushed--pushed towards the edge of her precipice, and it was only the working of Nature that she should lose her breath and snatch at strange things to stay herself.

Between herself and her husband a sort of silence had grown.
There were subjects of which they never spoke, and yet each knew that the other's mind was given up to thought of them day and night.

There were black midnight hours when Hester, lying awake in her bed, knew that Alec lay awake in his also.

She had heard him many a time turn over with a caught breath and a smothered curse.

She did not ask herself what he was thinking of.