Notawordmorewassaid，oneitherside，aswewalkedbacktothehouse。MissHalcombehastenedimmediatelytohersister’sroom，andIwithdrewtomystudiotosetinorderallofMrFairlie’sdrawingsthatIhadnotyetmountedandrestoredbeforeIresignedthemtothecareofotherhands。ThoughtsthatIhadhithertorestrained，thoughtsthatmademypositionharderthanevertoendure，crowdedonmenowthatIwasalone。
Shewasengagedtobemarried，andherfuturehusbandwasSirPercivalGlyde。AmanoftherankofBaronet，andtheownerofpropertyinHampshire。
TherewerehundredsofbaronetsinEngland，anddozensoflandownersinHampshire。Judgingbytheordinaryrulesofevidence，Ihadnottheshadowofareason，thusfar，forconnectingSirPercivalGlydewiththesuspiciouswordsofinquirythathadbeenspokentomebythewomaninwhite。Andyet，Ididconnecthimwiththem。WasitbecausehehadnowbecomeassociatedinmymindwithMissFairlie，MissFairliebeing，inherturn，associatedwithAnneCatherick，sincethenightwhenIhaddiscoveredtheominouslikenessbetweenthem？HadtheeventsofthemorningsounnervedmealreadythatIwasatthemercyofanydelusionwhichcommonchancesandcommoncoincidencesmightsuggesttomyimagination？Impossibletosay。IcouldonlyfeelthatwhathadpassedbetweenMissHalcombeandmyself，onourwayfromthesummer-house，hadaffectedmeverystrangely。Theforebodingofsomeundiscoverabledangerlyinghidfromusallinthedarknessofthefuturewasstrongonme。ThedoubtwhetherIwasnotlinkedalreadytoachainofeventswhichevenmyapproachingdeparturefromCumberlandwouldbePowerlesstosnapasunder——thedoubtwhetherweanyofussawtheendastheendwouldreallybe——gatheredmoreandmoredarklyovermymind。Poignantasitwas，thesenseofsufferingcausedbythemiserableendofmybrief，presumptuousloveseemedtobebluntedanddeadenedbythestillstrongersenseofsomethingobscurelyimpending，somethinginvisiblythreatening，thatTimewasholdingoverourheads。
Ihadbeenengagedwiththedrawingslittlemorethanhalfanhour，whentherewasaknockatthedoor。Itopened，onmyanswering；and，tomysurprise，MissHalcombeenteredtheroom。
Hermannerwasangryandagitated。ShecaughtupachairforherselfbeforeIcouldgiveherone，andsatdowninit，closeatmyside。