When she saw Mrs. Durlacher's gesture
inviting Traill to sit between them on the back seat; when she saw
him willingly accept, notwithstanding that there was more room, more
comfort in the seat opposite, she drew in a breath between her teeth,
and the nails of her fingers bit into the palms of her hands. Now,
from what little she had seen in the theatre, and taking into greatest
consideration of all the proof of her own eyes that the woman was
beautiful, eclipsing herself at every point of attraction, Sally was
full-swept into the mad whirlpool of unreasoning jealousy. Every
action and every incident that her starved eyes fed upon were
distorted, embittered to the taste as though the taint of aloes had
crept into everything.
She thought she saw him lay his hand upon hers as he took the place
beside her. In that position she knew that they would be wedged close
together, their limbs touching, thrilling his senses as she well knew
she herself had thrilled them by even slighter proximity than that.
Here, too, she judged again by the lowest of standards, if judgment
it can be said of a wild flinging of thoughts--vitriol hurled in a
moment of madness. Yet against him she could find no bitterness.
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