ears, difficult as it
seemed to him to realise it.

So they were hardly going out any more! So they were going to the
country early to have a sort of second honeymoon! It seemed to him that
after ten years of gay camaraderie they were now suddenly going to
behave like lovers, like a newly married young couple.

How sickening it was, and how absorbed she would be now! People always
made much more of an event like that when it happened after some years.
Personally he tried to think it made him like her less, at any rate it
seemed to make her far more removed from him. But all the real
estrangement had been caused undoubtedly by his wife.

* * * * *

On the whole, to be just, that pompous ass, as he called him, Percy
Kellynch, had really behaved very well. He had accused Nigel of nothing;
he had suggested nothing about his wife, who was still, evidently, on a
pedestal; he had really done the right thing and been considerate to her
in the highest degree. Any man who cared for his wife would have
naturally requested him, Nigel, to keep away. And it was really decent,
frightfully decent of him, to let him see the letters, really kind and
fair. Of course what put old Percy in a good temper, in spite of all,
was this news, and, no doubt, Bertha was being angelic to him.

Nigel made up his mind to try and throw it off. But he couldn't do it by
staying with his wife.

To look at her would be agonising now.

Still he made up his mind he would be calm, he would not be unkind to
her; he would be firm, and, as far as possible, have no sort of scene.

* * * * *

When he went in, she was sitting in the boudoir looking out of the
window as usual. She saw him before he came in. It was not six o'clock
yet and quite light.

"Well, Nigel darling?" She ran up to him.

He moved away.

"Please don't, Mary. I've got something serious to speak to you about."

She turned pale, guiltily.

"What is it? What on earth is it?"

"You shall hear. Shall we talk about it now, or wait till after dinner?
I think I'd rather wait. I've got a bit of a headache."

"After dinner, then," murmured Mary.

This was very unlike her. Had she had nothing on her conscience, nothing
she was afraid of, she would never have ceased questioning and worrying
him to get it all out of him.

* * * * *

He went up to his room, and asked her to leave him, and this s