But what had happened to it, she wondered? It had wholly ceased to nerve
her for resistance. How was it? Was she too physically exhausted to fan
it into flame, or had he torn this also from her to wither underfoot with
her dead pride? Surely not! With all his boasts of mastery, he had not
mastered her yet. She would never submit to him--never, never! Crush her,
trample her as he would, she would never yield herself voluntarily to
him. It was only when he began to spare her that she found herself
wavering. Why had he spared her? she asked herself. Why had he given her
that single chance of escape?
Or, stay! Had he, after all, been generous? Had he but affected
generosity that he might the more completely subjugate her? He had said
that she must convince him that freedom from her chain would mean
happiness to her. And how could she ever convince him of this? How?
How? Would he ever see himself as she saw him--a monster of violence
whose very presence appalled her? The problem was hopeless, hopeless! She
knew that she could never make him understand.
Swiftly the time passed, and with every minute her resolution grew
weaker, her agitation more uncontrollable. She could not do it. She could
not face him with another challenge. It would kill her to resist him
again as she had resisted him on Jerry's behalf. And yet she must do
something. For, if she did not go to him, he would come to her.
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