r ever the double strain of
attacking and defending himself against his tendency. There's no doubt
that when he was tired he got careless. I have known him come upstairs
after dinner, entirely sober, but looking rather drunk, with his hair
curling over his forehead and his tie crooked and the buttons of his
irreproachable little waistcoat all undone. I have known him do the
oddest things with chairs and get into postures inconceivable to ordinary
men. I have known him drop his aitches for a whole evening because he was
too dead beat to hang on to them. And Norah, going home with me, would
say, "Poor Jimmy--he does get it very badly when he's tired."

And I have had to see Viola's face while these things were happening.
Sometimes, when he was too outrageous, she would look up and smile with
the queerest little half-frightened wonder, and I would be reminded of
the time when Jimmy had jaundice and she asked me if I thought he would
stay that funny yellow colour all his life? It was as if she were asking
me, Did I think he would keep on all his life doing these rather alarming
things? Sometimes he would catch himself doing them and say, "See me do
that? That's because I'm agitated." Or, "There's another aitch gone.
Collar it, somebody." Or, "I suppose that's what Norah would call one of
my sillysosms." Sometimes Viola would catch him at it and reprove him.
And then he would simply throw the responsibility on the poor old
Registrar down in Hertfordshire.

I have heard him say to her with extreme sweetness and docility: "My dear
child, if I'd had a father and mother like yours I shouldn't do these
things." And I have heard him say almost with bitterness: "Does _that_
shock you? Good Heavens, you should see my father!"

But he took good care she shouldn't see him. I used to think this wasn't
very nice of him. But what can a man do in a case so desperate? There
were risks that even Jevons couldn't take. I used to think that he salved
his conscience by making the Registrar an allowance that increased in
proportion to his income and by going down into Hertfordshire regularly
every three months to see him himself. I used to think that Jimmy's
father must have admirable tact, because he never seemed to have inquired
why Jimmy always came alone. But Jimmy said it wasn't tact. It was pure
haughtiness. The old bird, he said, was as proud as a peacock with his
tail up. I used to think it wasn't very nice of him to talk like that
abo