to him, and holding his hand whenever she could possess
herself of it, of plying him with a hundred repeated questions, and
never once had she made Michael either ridiculous or self-conscious. And
this, she reflected, went on most of the day, and for how many days it
would go on, none knew. Yet Michael could not consider even whether he
could stand it; he rejected the expression as meaningless.

"And your friends?" she said. "Do you manage to see them?"

"Oh, yes, occasionally," said Michael. "They don't come here, for the
presence of strangers makes my mother agitated. She thinks they have
some design of taking her or me away. But she wants to see Sylvia. She
knows about--about her and me, and I can't make up my mind what to do
about it. She is always asking if I can't take her to see Sylvia, or get
her to come here."

"And why not? Sylvia knows about your mother, I suppose."

"I expect so. I told Hermann. But I am afraid my mother will--well, you
can't call it arguing--but will try to persuade her to have me. I can't
let Sylvia in for that. Nor, if it comes to that, can I let myself in
for that."

"Can't you impress on your mother that she mustn't?"

Michael leaned forward to the fire, pondering this, and stretching out
his big hands to the blaze.

"Yes, I might," he said. "I should love to see Sylvia again, just
see her, you know. We settled that the old terms we were on couldn't
continue. At least, I settled that, and she understood."

"Sylvia is a gaby," remarked Aunt Barbara.

"I'm rather glad you think so."

"Oh, get her to come," said she. "I'm sure your mother will do as you
tell her. I'll be here too, if you like, if that will do any good. By
the way, I see your Hermann's piano recital comes off to-morrow."

"I know. My mother wants to go to that, and I think I shall take her.
Will you come too, Aunt Barbara, and sit on the other side of her? My
'Variations' are going to be played. If they are a success, Hermann
tells me I shall be dragged screaming on to the platform, and have to
bow. Lord! And if they're not, well, 'Lord' also."

"Yes, my dear, of course I'll come. Let me see, I shall have to lie, as
I have another engagement, but a little thing like that doesn't bother
me."

Suddenly she clapped her hands together.

"My dear, I quite forgot," she said. "Michael, such excitement. You
remember the boat you heard taking soundings on the deep-water reach? Of
course you do! Well, I sent that in