One of the housemaids began shutting the windows in the rooms upstairs.
Robert appeared and shut the windows of the drawing-room behind me.
"The gentlemen are not back yet, are they, Robert?' I asked.
'No, Madam, not yet.
I thought you were with them, Madam.'
'No.
No, I've been back some time.'
'Will you have tea, Madam?'
'No, no, I'll wait.'
'It looks as though the weather was going to break at last, Madam.'
'Yes.'
No rain fell.
Nothing since those two drops on my hand.
I went back and sat in the library.
At half past five Robert came into the room.
"The car has just driven up to the door now, Madam,' he said.
'Which car?' I said.
'Mr de Winter's car, Madam,' he said.
'Is Mr de Winter driving it himself?'
'Yes, Madam.'
I tried to get up but my legs were things of straw, they would not bear me.
I stood leaning against the sofa.
My throat was very dry.
After a minute Maxim came into the room.
He stood just inside the door.
He looked very tired, old.
There were lines at the corner of his mouth I had never noticed before.
'It's all over,' he said.
I waited.
Still I could not speak or move towards him.
'Suicide,' he said, 'without sufficient evidence to show the state of mind of the deceased.
They were all at sea of course, they did not know what they were doing.'
I sat down on the sofa.
'Suicide,' I said, 'but the motive?
Where was the motive?'
'God knows,' he said.
'They did not seem to think a motive was necessary.
Old Horridge, peering at me, wanting to know if Rebecca had any money troubles.
Money troubles.
God in heaven.'
He went and stood by the window, looking out at the green lawns.
'It's going to rain,' he said.
"Thank God it's going to rain at last.'
'What happened?' I said, 'what did the Coroner say?
Why have you been there all this time?'
'He went over and over the same ground again,' said Maxim.
'Little details about the boat that no one cared about a damn.
Were the sea-cocks hard to turn on?
Where exactly was the first hole in relation to the second?
What was ballast?