ng he had cared.

The red, fine ash drifted before a push of wind into Tommy's eyes and
mouth; his sullen anger surged in him, and broke stammeringly out.
Inconsequently, he was glad to see how the soft, drifting dust lay on
Venables' coat and very clean collar.

'You thought--you thought I--we--didn't know a thing about it, or about
anything else, all this time. Well, w-what business was it of yours?
and--and why couldn't you have let us alone?' Querulously he stuttered
it out, and coughed out the dust as he ended.

Venables said again, 'I beg your pardon.'

Tommy glowered at him resentfully.

'That's no good. You--you had no business....'

His own outbreak had taken him by surprise. He was seeing the pinched
look round Betty's lips, the strained heaviness of her eyes.

Venables, his quiet face very inexpressive beneath the paper guard,
said, 'No, possibly not;' and that again took Tommy by surprise.

His flare of anger flickered down to a sullen smoulder; it seemed to
lack fuel. Venables' silence, as they stood together, seemed to put him,
as usual, in the right. After all, though 'what one can take' may be the
only thing that counts on one side, what has been offered can hardly be
left out of a sane vision of the other. Tommy, resentfully aware of
this, was stirred to surprise, not for the first time, at the part
latterly played by Venables in this matter. It seemed hardly
characteristic; a certain reckless unwisdom it had, which was
incongruous. Tommy wondered whether it was that play had at last grown
suddenly to earnest, an irresistible tide swamping judgment, or whether
this late development might perhaps be sheer amends.

Anyhow, now, since Venables, from whatever motive, had thus done the
decent thing, they were again seas apart. Venables had, in a manner, by
doing the things which retrospect had exhibited to the Crevequers as not
quite decent, come down for a little to their level. It had only been
for a little; he had now regained his own. His apology for his descent
set him there with more entire security than before.

Tommy, as they stood together, wished--he had of late wished it a good
deal--that he liked Venables less. It was that element in any
relationship that made the difference of plane oppressive.

Venables, who had been standing in considering silence, seemed to
remember that there was very little left to say between them. He nodded
good-bye, and turned away.

Tommy slowly opened his