Chapter XXI .
The letter
Clara had just got up when Fosco had knocked at the door again.
After Rudi left, there was never anybody coming to the house. Fosco used to go out in the morning and sometimes he would be out all day. The sudden knock at the door had frightened her. She knew that their isolation was organised, it was a way to safeguard her, keeping her away from anybody who could get them into trouble, but all this would make her even more worried. She would wait for him behind the window or leaning against the window sill, hoping to see him appear at the corner of the last house and, as soon as she saw him, she moved away from the window. She did not want him to sense her anxiety. She sat waiting for him with her heart throbbing, pretending to read or setting the table. She cou
