looking at her daughter a mother is
really looking at herself. She was not altogether satisfied; but she
purposely made no attempt to break down the reserve which, as a matter
of fact, was a quality she particularly admired and depended upon in
her daughter. But when her mother said that marriage was the most
interesting life, Katharine felt, as she was apt to do suddenly, for no
definite reason, that they understood each other, in spite of differing
in every possible way. Yet the wisdom of the old seems to apply more to
feelings which we have in common with the rest of the human race than
to our feelings as individuals, and Katharine knew that only some one of
her own age could follow her meaning. Both these elderly women seemed to
her to have been content with so little happiness, and at the moment she
had not sufficient force to feel certain that their version of marriage
was the wrong one. In London, certainly, this temperate attitude toward
her own marriage had seemed to her just. Why had she now changed? Why
did it now depress her? It never occurred to her that her own conduct
could be anything of a puzzle to her mother, or that elder people are as
much affected by the young as the young are by them. And yet it was true
that love--passion--whatever one chose to call it, had played far less
part in Mrs. Hilbery's life than might have seemed likely, judging from
her enthusiastic and imaginative temperament. She had always been
more interested by other things. Lady Otway, strange though it seemed,
guessed more accurately at Katharine's state of mind than her mother
did.

"Why don't we all live in the country?" exclaimed Mrs. Hilbery, once
more looking out of the window. "I'm sure one would think such beautiful
things if one lived in the country. No horrid slum houses to depress
one, no trams or motor-cars; and the people all looking so plump and
cheerful. Isn't there some little cottage near you, Charlotte, which
would do for us, with a spare room, perhaps, in case we asked a friend
down? And we should save so much money that we should be able to
travel--"

"Yes. You would find it very nice for a week or two, no doubt," said
Lady Otway. "But what hour would you like the carriage this morning?"
she continued, touching the bell.

"Katharine shall decide," said Mrs. Hilbery, feeling herself unable
to prefer one hour to another. "And I was just going to tell you,
Katharine, how, when I woke this morning, everything s