She was still brooding over it when a fresh incident occurred, which
served not only to confirm her suspicions in this regard, but to deepen
and intensify the vague horror with which her husband's presence
sometimes inspired her.
Mr. Steel was an exceptionally early riser. It was his boast that he
never went to sleep a second time; and one of his nearest approaches to
a confidence was the remark that he owed something to that habit. Now
Rachel, who was a bad sleeper, kept quite a different set of hours, and
was seldom seen outside her own rooms before the forenoon. One
magnificent morning, however, she was tempted to dress and make the best
of the day which she had watched breaking shade by shade. The lawns were
gray with dew; the birds were singing as they never sing twice in one
summer's day. Rachel thought that for once she would like to be up and
out before the sun was overpowering. And she proceeded to fulfil her
wish.
All had been familiar from the window; all was unfamiliar on the landing
and the stairs. No one had been down; the blinds were all drawn; a clock
ticked like a sledge-hammer in the hall. Rachel ran downstairs like a
mouse, and almost into the arms of her husband, whom she met coming out
of the dining-room with a loaded tray.
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