rning--the man said, 'Oh, never
mind, sir, we've had gentlemen worse than this!' And the poor fellow
hadn't had a single drop or crumb the whole evening, because his visor
was down and he couldn't move his arm to lift it up. If you went as
anything, Mrs. Kellynch, you ought to be a China Shepherdess. I never
saw anyone so exactly like one."

"And what ought I to go as?" asked Madeline.

"You would look your best as a Florentine page," replied Mr. Fairfield.
"Or both of you would look very nice as late Italians."

"I'm afraid we shall be late Englishwomen unless we go now," said
Bertha. "I can only stay a very few minutes to-day, Miss Belvoir."

They persuaded her to remain a little longer, and Mr. Fairfield
continued to chatter on during the remainder of their visit. He did not
succeed in persuading them to join in making up the party for the Indian
ball.

CHAPTER XXXI

MARY'S PLAN

Mary was so terrified that Nigel might keep his threat altogether and
really leave her permanently that she made less opposition than he
expected. She felt instinctively that it was her only chance of getting
him back. She could see when he really meant a thing, and this time it
was evident he intended to follow out his scheme, and she could not help
reflecting that it might have been very much worse. How much more angry
many husbands might have been! On the whole she had been let off fairly
lightly. There was this much of largeness in Nigel's nature that he
could not labour a point, or nag, or scold, or bully. He was really
shocked and disgusted, besides being very angry at what she had done,
and he did not at all like to dwell on it. He was even grateful that she
spared him discussions of the subject, and sincerely thankful that she
had admitted it. All men with any generosity in their temperament are
disarmed by frankness, and most irritated by untruth. He wondered at her
daring, and when she humbly owned she saw how dreadful it was--that she
saw it in the right light and would never be tempted to do anything of
the sort again--he was glad to forgive her. But he wanted to go away and
forget it, and he certainly made up his mind to make the whole affair an
excuse for having more freedom. He had never been away without her for
more than a day, and he looked forward to it with great pleasure. He
determined to let his journey help to cure him of his passion for
Bertha, though it seemed at present an almost impossible task.