Her grief was so intense that she bore up as if
stunned; she did what was expected of her without thinking or
feeling it. Dr. Merrick stopped on at Perugia till his son was
buried. He was frigidly polite meanwhile to Herminia. Deeply as
he differed from her, the dignity and pride with which she had
answered his first insult impressed him with a certain sense of
respect for her character, and made him feel at least he could not
be rude to her with impunity. He remained at the hotel, and
superintended the arrangements for his son's funeral. As soon as
that was over, and Herminia had seen the coffin lowered into the
grave of all her hopes, save one, she returned to her rooms alone,--
more utterly alone than she had ever imagined any human being
could feel in a cityful of fellow-creatures.
She must shape her path now for herself without Alan's aid, without
Alan's advice. And her bitterest enemies in life, she felt sure,
would henceforth be those of Alan's household.
Yet, lonely as she was, she determined from the first moment no
course was left open for her save to remain at Perugia.
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