Dean took a deep breath, half expecting Ryland to demand that Edith leave, but there was only silence. He hesitated, reluctant to return to his room, past Ryland's door from which might be expelled the naked visitor, just as he passed by. But then, in the quietness of the night, he began to hear beyond the door, the muffled but clear sounds of lovemaking. Dean crept down the hall and returned to his own bed, and, after a long time, finally slept.