She felt sometimes
that she should be unable to meet the occasion: had it not
been for Gerard she could almost have wished that death might
release her from its base perplexities.
Was there any hope? In the agony of her soul she had confided
last night in one; with scarcely a bewildering hope that he
could save her. He might not have the power, the opportunity,
the wish. He might shrink from mixing himself up with such
characters and such transactions; he might not have received
her hurried appeal in time to act upon it, even if the desire
of her soul were practicable. A thousand difficulties, a
thousand obstacles now occurred to her; and she felt her
hopelessness.
Yet notwithstanding her extreme sorrow, and the absence of all
surrounding objects to soothe and to console her, the
expanding dawn revived and even encouraged Sybil. In spite of
the confined situation, she could still partially behold a sky
dappled with rosy hues; a sense of freshness touched her: she
could not resist endeavouring to open the window and feel the
air, notwithstanding all her bars. The wife of the inspector
stirred, and half slumbering, murmured, "Are you up? It
cannot be more than five o'clock.
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