CHAPTER XVIWalking down the crowded street, at half-past three o’clock, Hilary felt a sudden exhilaration in her veins. She thought of Dora’s problem, but it was in a new way, it was with a certain confidence and strength. Dora was wrong, and she must be prevented from doing this sort of thing again. It was preposterous to have Craig, and to have Hilary herself, trembling and worrying over what Dora chose to do or not to do. Butterfly was a woman now. Hilary had worried about Dora all her life; had carried a double responsibility for all the twenty years of Dora’s life.
Now she suddenly felt free and powerful. Her unexpectedly empty day had been filled independently of Dora, and delightfully filled. Had Butterfly accompanied her this morning, all this pleasure would have escaped her. Dora
