e of the road and they were left entirely alone. To
cloak their silence she read the writing on the obelisk, to do which she
had to walk completely round it. She was murmuring a word to two of the
pious lady's thanks above her breath when Rodney joined her. In silence
they set out along the cart-track which skirted the verge of the trees.

To break the silence was exactly what Rodney wished to do, and yet could
not do to his own satisfaction. In company it was far easier to approach
Katharine; alone with her, the aloofness and force of her character
checked all his natural methods of attack. He believed that she had
behaved very badly to him, but each separate instance of unkindness
seemed too petty to be advanced when they were alone together.

"There's no need for us to race," he complained at last; upon which she
immediately slackened her pace, and walked too slowly to suit him. In
desperation he said the first thing he thought of, very peevishly and
without the dignified prelude which he had intended.

"I've not enjoyed my holiday."

"No?"

"No. I shall be glad to get back to work again."

"Saturday, Sunday, Monday--there are only three days more," she counted.

"No one enjoys being made a fool of before other people," he blurted
out, for his irritation rose as she spoke, and got the better of his awe
of her, and was inflamed by that awe.

"That refers to me, I suppose," she said calmly.

"Every day since we've been here you've done something to make me appear
ridiculous," he went on. "Of course, so long as it amuses you, you're
welcome; but we have to remember that we are going to spend our lives
together. I asked you, only this morning, for example, to come out and
take a turn with me in the garden. I was waiting for you ten minutes,
and you never came. Every one saw me waiting. The stable-boys saw me.
I was so ashamed that I went in. Then, on the drive you hardly spoke to
me. Henry noticed it. Every one notices it.... You find no difficulty in
talking to Henry, though."

She noted these various complaints and determined philosophically
to answer none of them, although the last stung her to considerable
irritation. She wished to find out how deep his grievance lay.

"None of these things seem to me to matter," she said.

"Very well, then. I may as well hold my tongue," he replied.

"In themselves they don't seem to me to matter; if they hurt you, of
course they matter," she corrected herself scrupulo