e came forth
dragging her dressing-gown, into which she had somehow struggled.

This must surely have been a comical sight, but poor Mr. Tebrick was
altogether too distressed then or at any time afterwards to divert
himself at such ludicrous scenes. He only called to her softly:

"Silvia--Silvia. What do you do there?" And then in a moment saw for
himself what she would be at, and began once more to blame himself
heartily--because he had not guessed that his wife would not like to go
naked, notwithstanding the shape she was in. Nothing would satisfy
him then till he had clothed her suitably, bringing her dresses from the
wardrobe for her to choose. But as might have been expected, they were
too big for her now, but at last he picked out a little dressing-jacket
that she was fond of wearing sometimes in the mornings. It was made of
a flowered silk, trimmed with lace, and the sleeves short enough to sit
very well on her now. While he tied the ribands his poor lady thanked
him with gentle looks and not without some modesty and confusion. He
propped her up in an armchair with some cushions, and they took tea
together, she very delicately drinking from a saucer and taking bread
and butter from his hands. All this showed him, or so he thought, that
his wife was still herself; there was so little wildness in her
demeanour and so much delicacy and decency, especially in her not
wishing to run naked, that he was very much comforted, and began to
fancy they could be happy enough if they could escape the world and live
always alone.

From this too sanguine dream he was aroused by hearing the gardener
speaking to the dogs, trying to quiet them, for ever since he had come
in with his vixen they had been whining, barking and growling, and all
as he knew because there was a fox within doors and they would kill it.

He started up now, calling to the gardener that he would come down to
the dogs himself to quiet them, and bade the man go indoors again and
leave it to him. All this he said in a dry, compelling kind of voice
which made the fellow do as he was bid, though it was against his will,
for he was curious. Mr. Tebrick went downstairs, and taking his gun from
the rack loaded it and went out into the yard. Now there were two dogs,
one a handsome Irish setter that was his wife's dog (she had brought it
with her from Tangley Hall on her marriage); the other was an old fox
terrier called Nelly that he had had ten years or more.

W