to pieces.

And immediately upon the reference to the drive everybody at the table
displayed a little constraint, avoiding the gaze of everybody else, thus
demonstrating that the imminent drive was a delicate, without being a
disagreeable, topic. Which requires explanation.

Mr. Gilman had not been seen by any of his guests during the summer. He had
landed them at Boulogne from the _Ariadne_--sound but for one casualty.
That casualty was Jane Foley, suffering from pneumonia, which had
presumably developed during the evening of exposure spent with Aguilar in
the leaking punt and in rain showers. Madame Piriac and Audrey took her to
Wimereux and there nursed her through a long and sometimes dangerous
illness. Jane possessed no constitution, but she had obstinacy, which
saved her. In her convalescence, part of which she spent alone with Audrey
(Madame Piriac having to pay visits to Monsieur Piriac), she had proceeded
with the writing of a book, and she had also received in conclave the
rarely seen Rosamund, who like herself was still a fugitive from British
justice. These two had been elaborating a new plan of campaign, which was
to include an incursion by themselves into England, and which had in part
been confided by Jane to Audrey, who, having other notions in her head, had
been somewhat troubled thereby. Audrey's conscience had occasionally told
her to throw herself heartily into the campaign, but her individualistic
instincts had in the end kept her safely on a fence between the campaign
and something else. The something else was connected with Mr. Gilman.

Mr. Gilman had written to her regularly; he had sent dazzling subscriptions
to the Suffragette Union; and Audrey had replied regularly. His letters
were very simple, very modest, and quite touching. They were dated from
various coastal places. However, he never came near Wimereux, though it was
a coastal place. Audrey had excusably deemed this odd; but Madame Piriac
having once said with marked casualness, "I hinted to him that he might
with advantage stay away," Audrey had concealed her thoughts on the point.
And one of her thoughts was that Madame Piriac was keeping them apart so as
to try them, so as to test their mutual feelings. The policy, if it was a
policy, was very like Madame Piriac; it had the effect of investing Mr.
Gilman in Audrey's mind with a peculiar romantic and wistful charm, as of a
sighing and obedient victim. Then Jane Foley and Rosamund had g