The morning dawned early, or rather it
seemed to her there had been no night, nothing but a sickly creeping
day. But by the time she heard the house stirring again she had
determined what to do. When she came down to the breakfast-room her
father was already in his place with newspapers and letters; and she
expected the first words he would utter to be a rebuke to her for
having disappeared the night before without taking leave of Mrs.
Churchley. Then she saw he wished to be intensely kind, to make
every allowance, to conciliate and console her. He knew she had
heard from Godfrey, and he got up and kissed her. He told her as
quickly as possible, to have it over, stammering a little, with an
"I've a piece of news for you that will probably shock you," yet
looking even exaggeratedly grave and rather pompous, to inspire the
respect he didn't deserve. When he kissed her she melted, she burst
into tears. He held her against him, kissing her again and again,
saying tenderly "Yes, yes, I know, I know." But he didn't know else
he couldn't have done it. Beatrice and Muriel came in, frightened
when they saw her crying, and still more scared when she turned to
them with words and an air that were terrible in their comfortable
little lives: "Papa's going to be married; he's going to marry Mrs.
Churchley!" After staring a moment and seeing their father look as
strange, on his side, as Adela, though in a different way, the
children also began to cry, so that when the servants arrived with
tea and boiled eggs these functionaries were greatly embarrassed with
their burden, not knowing whether to come in or hang back.
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