"Rest at last!" said he, setting down his bag and the parcel of
viands.
They remained in great quietness till the caretaker should have come
to shut the windows: as a precaution, putting themselves in total
darkness by barring the shutters as before, lest the woman should
open the door of their chamber for any casual reason. Between six
and seven o'clock she came, but did not approach the wing they
were in. They heard her close the windows, fasten them, lock the
door, and go away. Then Clare again stole a chink of light from
the window, and they shared another meal, till by-and-by they
were enveloped in the shades of night which they had no candle to
disperse.
LVIII
The night was strangely solemn and still. In the small hours she
whispered to him the whole story of how he had walked in his sleep
with her in his arms across the Froom stream, at the imminent risk of
both their lives, and laid her down in the stone coffin at the ruined
abbey. He had never known of that till now.
"Why didn't you tell me next day?" he said. "It might have prevented
much misunderstanding and woe."
"Don't think of what's past!" said she. "I am not going to think
outside of now.
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