icsome, but she could not make him stop serving Joanna, or, had she
only known it, stop loving her. Arthur was perfectly happy as Ellen's
husband, and made her, as Joanna had foretold, an exemplary one, but
his love for Joanna seemed to grow rather than diminish as he cared for
and worked for and protected her sister. It seemed to feed and thrive on
his love for Ellen--it gave him a wonderful sense of action and
effectiveness, and people said what a lot of good marriage had done for
Arthur Alce, and that he was no longer the dull chap he used to be.

Sec.19

It had done Ellen a lot of good too. During the next year she blossomed
and expanded. She lost some of her white looks. The state of marriage
suited her thoroughly well. Being her own mistress and at the same time
having a man to take care of her, having an important and comfortable
house of her own, ordering about her own servants and spending her
husband's money, such things made her life pleasant, and checked the
growth of peevishness that had budded at Ansdore.

During the first months of her marriage, Joanna went fairly often to see
her, one reason being the ache which Ellen's absence had left in her
heart--she wanted to see her sister, sit with her, hear her news.
Another reason was the feeling that Ellen, a beginner in the ways of
life and household management, still needed her help and guidance. Ellen
soon undeceived her on this point. "I really know how to manage my own
house, Joanna," she said once or twice when the other commented and
advised, and Joanna had been unable to enforce her ideas, owing to the
fact that she seldom saw Ellen above once or twice a week. Her sister
could do what she liked in her absence, and it was extraordinary how
definite and cocksure the girl was about things she should have
approached in the spirit of meekness and dependence on her elders.

"I count my linen after it is aired--it comes in at such an inconvenient
time that I can't attend to it then. The girls can easily hang it out on
the horse--really, Joanna, one must trust people to do something."

"Well, then, don't blame me when you're a pillowcase short."

"I certainly shan't blame you," said Ellen coolly.

Joanna felt put out and injured. It hurt her to see that Ellen did not
want her supervision--she had looked forward to managing Donkey Street
as well as Ansdore. She tried to get a hold on Ellen through Arthur
Alce.

"Arthur, it's your duty to see Ellen