Rose did not want to turn away from Hubert, because to turn away would be to admit that she had been turned toward him and had been disappointed. It was very important to keep hope secret, because then the disappointment that followed would also be secret. A girl who let herself in for being laughed at deserved what she got. Rose did not want to turn away from Hubert and tell him never to darken her door again, but she wanted to turn away from him before he had the chance to turn away from her. But she did not really want to turn away from him at all, because without him before her eyes she would have to look again at what did not exist — except in darkness, where it could not be seen, although she knew it saw, and in sleep, where it could not be heard, although she knew it cried out to her. She did not want her father to see her sad.

The red flame under the picture of the Sacred Heart flickered wildly, and sank, and went out. Rose put her hands to her face to keep herself quiet and then she put both hands out and caught Mary by the shoulder and felt her start from sleep to wakefulness. “Oh, Mary,” she said, “wake up quick! The Sacred Heart lamp has gone out! Please wake up.”

Mary sighed, and then she jumped to her feet. “Oh, Rose,” she said. “How long was I asleep? Was it long?”

“Only two or three minutes, Mary. I wouldn’t have wakened you only that the lights — the light in the lamp there went out. I’d better be getting on downstairs. I shouldn’t be in this room at all.”

“You’d better be getting downstairs and I’d better get back down to the kitchen. I’ll get another light for the lamp. I’m going to open the door now, Rose, but don’t you go out till I see if there’s anyone on the landing.”

There was no one on the landing, and as Mary bent to lock the door behind her she smiled up at Rose. “I don’t know what’s the matter with me, falling asleep,” she said. “I keep falling asleep. Every time I sit down, I fall asleep.”