“Excuse me…” Juditopped. Sigeristic flutter of tor is already out on a call— be ed my dressing go up and dourned into passages and corridors, arrived back on t in a part of t seen before. Finally o a series of rooms t I took to be Miss inter’s private suite. e paused before a closed door, and Juditroubled look. I ood y, from beerrupted by jagged gasps for breat in.

    I onised so! Unlike t of ts overstuffed upery, lavisapestries, ttle room. ter, tuffed ood a narroe covers. At tain ting t in. Slumped over a plain little sco me, er. Gone were  purple. Se long-sleeved chemise, and she was weeping.

    A onal scraping of air over vocal cords. Jarring  veered into frigorso sraveled to o ed against top. Judito replace a cuser’s temple; Miss inter, utterly possessed by t to knohere.

    ‘I’ve never seen o e of panic, ”I don’t knoo do.“

    Miss inter’s moutorted into oo big for it.

    ‘It’s all rigo Judit er.

    ‘o  on ation. ”It’s all rig  my o my fat I kne will pass.“

    t stop, nor t t. Sime betake in desperate, shs of air.

    ‘You’re not alone. I’m h you.“

    Eventually s. to my couc my ribs I could feel tle flutters of breatender convulsions in her lungs. her hands were very cold in mine.

    ‘there now.“

    e sat in silence for minutes. I pulled t more o rub some o  of  he desk.

    ‘ried to say something? Again her lips moved.

    ty catc er y catc seems a brutal question no at time,  flood of tears  all etiquette aness did not feel out of place.

    My question caused  spasm of pain, but when she spoke, she was unequivocal.

    ‘Not Emmeline. Not  her.“

    “hen?”

    S, began to sy. Beginning to fear t it  my fato do to console me enderly, I stroked il, sooto rest her head on my shoulder.

    Finally s enougo be able to put o bed. in a sleepy, co stay, and so I stayed cime to time a surbed il tled back into peace.

    t my fat rose out of t  ing sands, day-trippers come to admire tecture and enjoy ticed t o tares of strangers. But not mine. I sa leaped. It o a mirror and seeing myself complete. it ardor I stared at t urned aare and reacs’ il t dark. ter, in t, betion, “ ’s all rig alone.”

    Sometime later, Dr. Clifton came. urned to see  t ime already. I slipped past , and t know o read.