Her heart really bled for him as she saw his face grow more and more pathetic in its quiet expression of disappointment.

But what could she say or do?
He sat till after ten o'clock; he could not tear himself away.

He felt that this was the end of his pleasure in life; he dreaded the solitude of his thoughts.
Mrs.Lee's resources began to show signs of exhaustion.

Long pauses intervened between her remarks; and at length Carrington, with a superhuman effort, apologized for inflicting himself upon her so unmercifully.

If she knew, he said, how he dreaded being alone, she would forgive him.