said he might call for some goods her mother had ordered, and he
was silent for a moment or two. Then he asked: "Were you and Jim
quarreling in the hall last evening?"

"No," she said, smiling. "Why do you imagine this?"

"Jim was preoccupied. I asked him for matches and he gave me his
cigarette case."

"He is often preoccupied," Evelyn rejoined, with a careless laugh. "I
expect he was thinking about his dykes; he talked about the marsh."

Mordaunt studied her. She was calm and looked amused by his curiosity.
Moreover, her suggestion was plausible.

"Jim is not always happy in his choice of subjects, but I won't
sympathize with you," he said. "You could have stopped him if you had
liked. You often stop me."

"I suppose that is so," Evelyn agreed. "For one thing, it is not much
trouble. You know when one is bored."

"Your tastes are mine; we belong to the same school. It makes for
understanding."

"After all," said Evelyn, "one likes something new."

Mordaunt laughed and said he must go, and when his car rolled away
Evelyn mused. Lance's remark was justified; they did belong to the
same school, and in the main their views agreed. This had some
drawbacks, but it had advantages. Novelty was stimulating for a time,
but soon lost its charm; one was safe if one held fast by the things
one knew and valued, even if one's standard of value was not altogether
just. Evelyn admitted her cynically philosophic mood was strange, but
the dreary day accounted for something, and perhaps a reaction from
last night's thrill had begun. A few minutes afterwards Mrs. Halliday
came in and they talked about household matters.

In the meantime, Mordaunt drove to the town and stopped at a lawyer's
office. There were three partners in the firm which managed Bernard
Dearham's business; two sober, white-haired gentlemen, and one who was
young. The others gave the house weight and respectability, but
Holbrook supplied the driving force and Mordaunt imagined his partners
did not know where he was leading them. Holbrook's room, in a tall old
house that looked across a quiet square, was handsomely furnished, and
Mordaunt sat down in a comfortable chair.

"I want to borrow some money for about six months," he said.

"How much do you want?" Holbrook asked, and when Mordaunt told him,
looked thoughtful. Mordaunt had borrowed before and had punctually
repaid principal and interest.

"We are not money-lenders, you know," he