Arbuthnot's discourse.

"The day after to-morrow, I think," she said, reflectively. "I can wire
to-morrow and get a reply."

Mrs. Arbuthnot got up.

"Then that's settled. Don't look anxious, dearest, because there is
probably no cause for it. Though I know how easy it is to give advice,
and how difficult to take it, even when it is oneself. Though perhaps
that is really harder, being often half-hearted. And now we will go to
bed, and things will look brighter in the morning, especially if it is
fine. And the glass going up as I came through the hall. Quite time it
did. I always had sympathy with the boy in the poem--Jane and Anne
Taylor, wasn't it?--who smashed the glass in the holidays because it
wouldn't go up. It always seems as if it were its fault. Though I know
it's foolish to think so. And there is the clock striking one, and I
shall eat more sandwiches if I stay, so let us put out the light, and go
to bed."

CHAPTER XXX

A QUESTION OF IMPORTANCE

It had been chance pure and simple which happened to take Doctor Hilary
to Woodleigh on the day the Duchessa received Trix's telegram, but it
cannot be equally said that it was chance which took him to Exeter on the
following day, and which made him travel down again to Kingsleigh by the
four o'clock train. Also it was certainly not chance which induced him to
be on the platform at least a quarter of an hour before the train was due
at the station, ready to keep a careful lookout on all the passengers in
it.

* * * * *

Trix had had an uneasy journey from London. She had re-read Miss
Tibbutt's letter at least a dozen times. At first she had allowed herself
to be almost unreasonably depressed by it; afterwards she had been almost
more unreasonably depressed because she had allowed herself to be
depressed in the first instance. Quite possibly it was all a storm in a
tea-cup, and this man had nothing whatever to do with Pia's unhappiness.
Of course the chance meeting and the overheard conversation had fitted in
so neatly as to make Miss Tibbutt think it had, and she had easily
communicated the same idea to Trix. But quite probably it had nothing
more to do with it than her own surmise regarding Doctor Hilary had had.
And that had proved entirely erroneous, though at the time it had
appeared the most sane of conclusions. Also Miss Tibbutt might quite
conceivably be wrong as to Pia's being now unhappy at all, whatev