ng it to gold. _In hoc vince_ gleamed upon the pane.

For a moment she stood in the doorway, giving him a chance to insist
upon hearing that which she had to tell. But Ronald, easily satisfied,
turned and rang the bell.

"All right, sweet," he said. "How lovely you look in the sunshine! If it
was business, or anything worrying, I would certainly rather not hear it
now. You have bucked me up splendidly, Helen. Seven months seem nothing;
and my whole mind is bounding forward into my story. I really must give
you an outline of the plot." He followed her into the hall. "Helen! Do
come back for a minute."

But Helen was half way up the stairs. He heard her laugh as she reached
the landing.

"I am hungry, dear," she called over the banisters, "and so are you,
only you don't know it! Crawl out of your long grass, and make yourself
presentable before the gong sounds; or I shall send bananas for one, to
your study!"

"All right!" he shouted; gave Helen's message to the butler; then went
through the billiard-room, whistling gaily.

"Why, she is as keen as I am," he said to himself, as he turned on the
hot and cold water taps. "And she is perfectly right about not coming
with me. Of course it's jolly hard to leave her; but I believe I shall
do better work alone."

His mind went back to Helen's bright face in the doorway. He realised
her mastery, for his sake, of her own dread of the parting.

"What a brick she is!" he said. "Always so perfectly plucky. I don't
believe any other fellow in the world has such a wife as Helen!"

CHAPTER III

HELEN TAKES THE INITIATIVE

Having once made up her mind that it was right and wise to let Ronnie
go, Helen did not falter. She immediately took control of all necessary
arrangements. Nothing was forgotten. Ronnie's outfit was managed with as
little trouble to himself as possible. They dealt together, in a gay
morning at the Stores, with all interesting items, but those he called
"the dull things" apparently selected themselves. Anyway, they all
appeared in his room, when the time came for packing.

So whole-hearted was his wife's interest in the undertaking, that Ronnie
almost began to look upon it as her plan.

It was she who arranged routes and booked his passages.

When Cook's cheque had to be written it was a large one.

Helen took out her cheque book.

"No, no, dear," said Ronnie. "I must pay it out of my own earnings. It
is a literary speculation."

Helen hesit