ed nurses who wouldn't give him his
head as you do, and he'd be a different man by the spring."

"He certainly would," said Laura drily. "He would be dead."

"Not he. He's far too strong to die of being made uncomfortable.
As a matter of fact it would do him all the good in the world,"
pursued Yvonne calmly. "He cries out to be bullied. What's so
irritating in the present situation is that though you let him
rack you to pieces you never give him what he wants! You don't
shine as a wife, my dear."

"It will end in my sending Lawrence away," said Laura with a subdued
sigh. "I didn't want to because in many ways he has done Bernard so
much good; no one else has ever had the same influence over him;
besides, I liked having him at Wanhope for my own sake--he freshened
us up and gave us different things to talk about, outside interests,
new ideas. And after all, so far as Bernard himself is concerned,
one is as good as another. He always has been jealous and always
will be. But if all Chilmark credits us with the rather ignominious
feat of betraying him, Lawrence will have to go."

"Lawrence may have something to say to that."

"He's not in love with me." Yvonne's eyes widened in genuine
scepticism.--"Oh dear, as if I shouldn't know!" Laura broke out
petulantly. Might not Yvonne have remembered that, in the days
when they were living together in a French appartement, Laura's
experience had been pretty nearly as wide as her own? "He is
not, I tell you! nor I with him. But, if we were, I shouldn't
desert Bernard. I do not believe in your two highly trained
nurses. I don't think you much believe in them yourself. They
might break him in, because nurses are drilled to deal with
tiresome and unmanageable patients, but it would be worse for
him, not better. He rebels fiercely enough now, but if I weren't
there he would rebel still more fiercely, and all the rage and
humiliation would have no outlet. You want me to be happy? We
Selincourts are so quick to seize happiness! Father did it . . .
and Lucian does it: dear Lulu! We both love him, but it's
difficult to be proud of him. Yet he has good qualities, good
abilities. He's far cleverer than I am, and so are you," Laura's
tone was diffident, "but oh, you are wrong in thinking so much of
mere happiness. There is an immense amount of pain in the world,
and if one doesn't bear one's own share it falls on some one
else. My life with Bernard isn't--always