She bent forward, her chin resting upon her breast, and
gradually the deathly sickness passed. Mentally, she underwent a
change, too. From an active state of resistance the ego traversed a
descending curve ending in absolute passivity. The floor had seemingly
begun to revolve and was moving insidiously, so that the pattern of
the carpet formed a series of concentric rings. She found this
imaginary phenomenon to be soothing rather than otherwise, and
resigned herself almost eagerly to the delusion.
Mrs. Sin allowed her to fall back upon the cushions--so gently and so
slowly that the operation appeared to occupy several minutes and to
resemble that of sinking into innumerable layers of swansdown. The
sinuous figure bending over her grew taller with the passage of each
minute, until the dark eyes of Mrs. Sin were looking down at Rita from
a dizzy elevation. As often occurs in the case of a neurotic subject,
delusion as to time and space had followed the depression of the
sensory cells.
But surely, she mused, this could not be Mrs. Sin who towered so
loftily above her. Of course, how absurd to imagine that a woman could
remain motionless for so many hours. And Rita thought, now, that she
had been lying for several hours beneath the shadow of that tall,
graceful, and protective shape.
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