Suddenly a thought confronted Ellen Jorth: "He's not comin'," she whispered.

The instant that idea presented itself she felt a blank sense of loss, a vague regret--something that must have been disappointment.

Unprepared for this, she was held by surprise for a moment, and then she was stunned.

Her spirit, swift and rebellious, had no time to rise in her defense.

She was a lonely, guilty, miserable girl, too weak for pride to uphold, too fluctuating to know her real self.