Mrs. Johnson brought her white-wine whey instead of
the tea she had asked for; and perhaps it was owing to this that she
slept so soundly.
CHAPTER XV.
When Ellinor awoke the clear light of dawn was fully in the room. She
could not remember where she was; for so many mornings she had wakened up
in strange places that it took her several minutes before she could make
out the geographical whereabouts of the heavy blue moreen curtains, the
print of the lord-lieutenant of the county on the wall, and all the
handsome ponderous mahogany furniture that stuffed up the room. As soon
as full memory came into her mind, she started up; nor did she go to bed
again, although she saw by her watch on the dressing-table that it was
not yet six o'clock. She dressed herself with the dainty completeness so
habitual to her that it had become an unconscious habit, and then--the
instinct was irrepressible--she put on her bonnet and shawl, and went
down, past the servant on her knees cleaning the doorstep, out into the
fresh open air; and so she found her way down the High Street to
Hellingford Castle, the building in which the courts of assize were
held--the prison in which Dixon lay condemned to die. She almost knew
she could not see him; yet it seemed like some amends to her conscience
for having slept through so many hours of the night if she made the
attempt.
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