SHE stood a moment facing the door which had closed behind him. Then impulsively she started forward and put her hand on the doorknob. But at once she drew back. Where was she going? She could not act without a plan, and she had no plan.
She must not lose her head. She must force herself to think calmly and collectedly.
She turned and went to the window.
There was the familiar terrace, the meadow beyond, drowsy with heat, the menacing circle of firs and the final barrier of rock. The scene was clear, but somehow colorless. All those things continued to exist, but they were flat, like a Japanese picture. Her mind was stunned, and the things about her seemed empty of life or reality. Then, stabbing its way through the confusion of her brain, shot a memory of what she had read in the file
