outlet, what a boon for lonely evenings, the new book would be!

If war it must be, then let it be war; but she would do her best for
peace.

When he duly entered, however, all her good natural openings and
deprecating explanations were mere labour lost. He fired the first
shot--and in quite a different campaign.

"Look here, Helena," he said, coming into the drawing-room and actually
sitting down, though not, of course, near her, "all this Alison
nonsense must cease." He clutched the chair-arm firmly.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" she asked, very calm; but inwardly
her spirit veered decisively to war.

"What do _I_ mean?" he snorted. "Surely it's quite obvious! Most
husbands would be jealous, but I'm not like that. I know it's mere
stupidity; I couldn't be jealous of a knock-kneed ass like Alison; but
all the same----" In spite of himself he relaxed his hold of the
chair-arm and got up, pacing hurriedly about the little room. "Look
here, Helena," he said once again, more calmly, "I see through it all;
don't fancy not, for half a moment. You women are so obvious. I know
you think you've only got to make us jealous for everything to be all
right, but it's not going to work here."

"I don't know even what you mean," she answered, rather as though he
had just made a dirty joke.

"Well, _I_ do," he thundered, "and I mean it, too. This has got to
stop, I tell you. I asked you long ago, when--when things were
different, to see less of this fellow. I don't trust him. I ran
across him just now, and he cringed. Grrrr!" (and here he made a
gesture as of one who washes hands). "It's bad enough that you and he
should be about together, day and night, till everybody talks; but when
it comes to a cad like that calling you Zoe and----"

"So you've been listening," she said. It seemed so easy to keep calm,
now that Hubert was excited.

He laughed scornfully. "That's likely, isn't it? I heard him
bellowing it out in the hall.... No, this has got to stop. It's bad
enough to have the Boyds and all our friends here sniggering, but when
the servants----"

She got up abruptly, and he sat down; the room was too small for two
rovers.

"Perhaps," she began icily, "you'll let me say a word. You haven't let
me for a week." He spread his arms, hopeless, and sat down. "I'm glad
you're not jealous," she went on slowly, as to a child. "That'd be
stupid. You know quite well that Mr. Alison is nothing but