Walter was in when she got home. She would have liked to go straight to her room, but he was downstairs, in the hall, giving instructions to one of the boys. She was so wretched that she welcomed the humiliation to which she must expose herself. She stopped and faced him.

“I'm coming with you to that place,” she said.

“Oh, good.”

“When do you want me to be ready?”

“To-morrow night.”

She did not know what spirit of bravado entered into her. His indifference was like the prick of a spear. She said a thing that surprised herself.

“I suppose I needn't take more than a few summer things and a shroud, need I?”

She was watching his face and knew that her flippancy angered him.

“I've already told your amah what you'll want.”

She nodded and went up to her room. She was very pale.

她回到家里的时候，沃尔特也在家。她本来想直接回自己的房间，但他正在楼下的大厅里，向一个男仆人布置着任务。她觉得自己那么不幸，准备硬着头皮面对来自他的羞辱。

“我跟你一起去那个地方。”她说道。

“哦，好的。”

“你什么时候让我准备妥当？”

“明天晚上。”

他的冷漠就像一把利矛刺痛了她，她也不知道从哪儿冒出了勇气，说了一句让她自己也感到吃惊的话。

“我想也不需要准备太多的东西了，只需要一些夏天的衣物和一套寿衣就好了，不是吗？”

她直视他的脸，知道她无礼的言辞激怒了他。

“你需要什么东西我已经跟你的女仆说过了。”

她点了点头，走上楼进了她的房间，面色像死人一样白。