Elsie brought her up some food a little later in the evening. She felt that she could not touch it, neither could she talk to Elsie of what had happened. The girl looked at her curiously, but her instinct told her that Gisela did not wish to talk and after a few conventional remarks she went downstairs again.
Later Gisela undressed and crept between the cold sheets of her bed. She felt dazed, at the same time bruised, as if she had indeed received the beating that Lady Harriet had threatened her with.
She had to face the fact frankly that she was trained for nothing. She had few accomplishments and a poor education. Lady Harriet had not believed in wasting money on lessons and Gisela had been instructed by the local Vicar three days a week and for several years a retired teacher walked o
