needlessly gratuitous fashion; to find fault, and
that too often publicly, where, as a matter of fact, no fault was to be
found, his temper, at no time a long-suffering one, began to feel the
strain. Still he kept it in hand, observing the most rigid scrupulosity
in the discharge of his duties, and giving no handle to the other for
putting him in the wrong. He knew that an explosion was only a question
of time, and was shrewd enough so to order his doings as to keep on the
right side.

But, if in his new official superior he had found an enemy, he had made
one in the person of that functionary's wife, though this was perhaps
inevitable. Personally Mrs Shaston was a good-looking woman, tall, and
of rather striking appearance, who had once been very handsome. But to
her husband's brusquerie she added a commanding manner, or, to drop
euphemy, a domineering one, which rendered her a trifle more unpopular
than himself, if that were possible. She had at first inclined to a
modicum of reserved graciousness towards Roden Musgrave, which soon
changed to the most bitter and virulent rancour, when she discovered
that he had no notion whatever of being turned into a sort of running
footman. Her husband's subordinates were her subordinates; such was her
creed, and what did a subordinate mean but one who had to do as he was
told? So when Roden took the earliest opportunity of differing with her
on this point, and that in the most practical way possible, she became
his bitter enemy for all time.

Daily his position became more manifestly unpleasant. He had never laid
himself out to win anybody's goodwill, and this sin of omission had
rendered him as unpopular as those of commission on the part of his
chief had brought about a like result concerning the latter. Of two
unpopular officials in a place like Doppersdorp, or for the matter of
that anywhere, the most powerful would score, and Mr Shaston after all
was a power in the community. Moreover, such a community has a special
faculty for producing a large litter of curs, wherefore many who had
been effusively civil to Roden Musgrave when the latter was
hand-in-glove with Mr Van Stolz, now showed their real nature by
turning round and barking at _him_ unceasingly.

Now, of course such pleasant little amenities as smoking pipes in office
hours, or shutting up at all sorts of times when there was nothing
particular doing, though tending to render life pleasant, were, after
al