“Well,” the chairman said with a beaming smile, “so that’s all settled.”

But before he could go on to the next item, Edward had risen to his feet, stood there, glaring as if he wanted to shout something, then instead turned on his heel and walked out, closing the door quietly instead of slamming it as the violence of his move had seemed to require; this gentle closing of the door was curiously disturbing. The chairman waited a second with the agenda lifted in one hand, then proceeded without comment. From then on the meeting passed in a blur through Grace’s mind. They agreed to give legal aid to a mathematics teacher from the Boston public schools who had just been fired without trial, having been accused of being a Communist. They talked about who they might get to speak before a mass meeting which would include support from some of the Protestant Churches. But all the time Grace felt the awful desolation of Damon’s surprising stand seeping in and wondered all the time what Edward was doing now, where his rage might take him.

How could it have all happened so quickly, almost before she was aware of it? Like a thunderstorm it had come and gone, leaving them changed. Was it only a half-hour ago that they had come up in the elevator so cheerfully together, that she had rested in the feeling of solidarity and trust? She did not dare even look at Damon and hoped she could get away alone as the meeting broke up. But she was waylaid by Beatrice first, and then Damon was there at her side saying, “I’ve got the car. I’ll take you home, Grace.”

Yes, we must talk, she thought, torn between the obvious necessity for that and the part of her which only wished to run down the hill to Edward.

But Damon was standing there beside her, looking at her a little ruefully, puffing at his cigarette. She could not abandon him now, just when perhaps he too felt forlorn. One did not, she knew, take this kind of stand without suffering. Certainly Damon did not.

“All right, Damon,” she said, “Edward’s gone.”

“That,” he answered stiffly, “is an obvious statement of fact.”

They did not speak at all until they were in the car, parked on Mt. Vernon Street.

“Why don’t we go and see Edward now?” she said on an impulse. Couldn’t it still be mended, this rift which seemed to be growing larger every second?

“I’d like to,” Damon was now hunched down in the seat, playing with the car key nervously. He looked haggard. “But you know very well, Grace, that it wouldn’t be any use.”

“I can’t see that it’s all so important,” she said crossly.

“You can’t?” Damon gave a shocked short laugh. “I thought the whole point was that it is important.”