ank. Her letter had been perfectly sincere, and she believed herself
to have been exceedingly sensible. (It is, perhaps, one may observe, one
of the most dangerous things in the world to think oneself sensible; it
is even more dangerous than to be told so.) For the worst of it all was
that she was quite right. It was quite plain that she and Frank were not
suited to one another; that she had looked upon that particular quality
in him which burst out in the bread-and-butter incident, the leaving of
Cambridge, the going to prison, and so forth, as accidental to his
character, whereas it was essential. It was also quite certain that it
was the apotheosis of common-sense for her to recognize that, to say so,
and to break off the engagement.

Of course, she had moments of what I should call "grace," and she would
call insanity, when she wondered for a little while whether to be
sensible was the highest thing in life; but her general attitude to
these was as it would be towards temptation of any other kind. To be
sensible, she would say, was to be successful and effective; to be
otherwise was to fail and to be ineffective.

Very well, then.

* * * * *

At the beginning of September Dick Guiseley came to Merefield to shoot
grouse. The grouse, as I think I have already remarked, were backward
this year, and, after a kind of ceremonial opening, to give warning as
it were, on the twelfth of August, they were left in peace. Business was
to begin on the third, and on the evening of the second Dick arrived.

He opened upon the subject that chiefly occupied his thoughts just now
with Archie that night when Lord Talgarth had gone to bed. They were
sitting in the smoking-room, with the outer door well open to admit the
warm evening air. They had discussed the prospects of grouse next day
with all proper solemnity, and Archie had enumerated the people who were
to form their party. The Rector was coming to shoot, and Jenny was to
ride out and join them at lunch.

Then Archie yawned largely, finished his drink, and took up his candle.

"Oh! she's coming, is she?" said Dick meditatively.

Archie struck a match.

"How's Frank?" went on Dick.

"Haven't heard from him."

"Where is the poor devil?"

"Haven't an idea."

Dick emitted a monosyllabic laugh.

"And how's she behaving?"

"Jenny? Oh! just as usual. She's a sensible girl and knows her mind."

Dick pondered this an instant.

"I'm goin