Chapter 12, Part 1 Summary

Christine arrives home just before Claude at three in the morning and hurries to get under the covers so he will not suspect that she had been following him. When he lies down in the bed beside her, Christine recognizes a coldness that will never warm them again to come together in each other's arms. Hers is a kind of proud grief that she is making a supreme sacrifice so that Claude can finish his work. She fights to stay awake, aware that Claude is not sleeping, but exhaustion finally overtakes her and she dozes off. An hour later, she wakes to the realization that Claude is not in the bed with her. Her first fear is allayed when she notices a dim light under the door leading into Claude's studio. She realizes that Claude is trying to see his vision...