might well be irritating.

She got up and came and stood next to Nigel; playing with his tie, a
little trick which nearly drove him mad, but he was determined to hide
it. When he couldn't bear it any longer he said: "That will do, dear."

She moved away.

"How do you mean 'that will do'?"

"Nothing; only don't fidget."

"You're nervous, Nigel. You are always telling me not to fidget."

"Am I? Sorry. Where are the children?"

"Never mind the children for a minute. They're out with Mademoiselle."

"Seen much of them to-day?"

"They came in to lunch. No, I have _not_, as a matter of fact. Do you
expect me to spend my whole time with children of eight and nine?"

He didn't answer, but it was exactly what he really did expect, and
would have thought perfectly natural and suitable.

"Some women," continued Mary, "seem to care a great deal more for their
children than they do for their husbands. I'm _not_ like that--I don't
pretend to be."

Nigel already knew this, to his great regret.

"I care more for you than I do for the children," she repeated.

"Yes."

"What do you mean by 'Yes'?"

"I was assenting: that's all. I meant--that you've told me all this
before, my dear. Haven't you?"

"Do you object? Do you _mind_ my caring more for you than for the
children?"

"If I object to anything it's only to your repeating yourself. I
mean--we've had all this; haven't we?"

"Nigel, are you trying to quarrel with me for loving you better than the
children?"

Nigel turned pale with irritation but controlled himself and stood up
and looked out of the window.

"Not in the least. It's most flattering. I only don't want to be told it
every time I see you. ... I mean that of course I should think it
perfectly natural if you were fond of the children too."

"I _am_ fond of them," she answered, "but they are not everything to me.
They don't fill up my whole time and all my thoughts. They won't do
instead of you."

"No one suggested that, I think. Have you been for a drive to-day?"

"No--I haven't."

"What a funny woman you are, Mary! You might as well not have a motor
for all the use you make of it."

"I had nowhere to go."

He looked at some invitation cards on the mantelpiece. "Oh, my dear,
that's absolute nonsense. You mean you don't care to go anywhere. It
_is_ extraordinary, how you drop people, Mary! When we first came to
this house we had a lot of parties and things. Now you never seem to
care for the