He turned deliberately, till he could see neither Margaret nor the
Aphrodite, and he leaned heavily on the table, with bent head, resting
the weight of his body on the palms of his hands, and remaining quite
motionless for some time.
He heard her go towards the door. Without looking round he slowly shook
his head.
'Don't be afraid of me,' he said, in a low voice. 'It's all over, now.
I'll let you out in a moment.' 'Yes.' She waited quietly by the door, which she did not understand how to
open. Presently he moved a little, and his head sank lower between his
shoulders; then he spoke again, but still without turning towards her.
'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I did not know I could be such a brute. Forgive
me, will you?' As usual, when he was very much in earnest, there was something rudely
abrupt about his speech.
'It was my fault,' Margaret answered from the door. 'I should not have
come.' Even after her escape, something about him still pleased her. The
maiden that had been brought to bay was scarcely safe, before the human
woman began to be drawn to him again by that sympathy of flesh and
blood that had nearly cost her more than life.
But Margaret revolted against it now, as soon as she knew what it was
that made her speak kindly.
'I'm not afraid of you,' she said, almost coldly, 'but I want you to
let me out, please.' He straightened himself and turned slowly to her. The dark red colour
was gone from his cheeks, he was suddenly pale and haggard, and if he
had not been really young, he would have looked old; as it was, his
face was drawn and pinched as if by sharp physical suffering. He drew
two or three quick, deep breaths as he came towards her.
He stood beside her a moment, and then without a word, he unfastened
the door. It swung inwards and stood open. Margaret saw that it was
thickly padded to prevent any sound from passing, and that there was
another padded door beyond it which she had not noticed when she had
entered. He understood her look of doubt.
'That one is open now,' he said. 'It locks and unlocks itself as I shut
or open the inner door.' He was willing to let her see how completely she had been cut off from
the outer world; and she realised the truth and shuddered.
'Good-bye,' she said, abruptly, as if he were not to go downstairs with
her, and she made a step to pass him.