that Miss
Maud should call him a water-wagtail. Servants' tattle, I suppose. I
was considerably annoyed at this, and Maud insisted on going to
apologise to Gibbs, which was a matter of some delicacy, because she
could not deny that she had applied the soubriquet--or is it
sobriquet?--to him. That is just a minute instance of the sort of thing
I mean."

"I confess," said Howard, "that I do recognise Maud's touch--she has a
strong sense of humour."

"A somewhat dangerous thing," said Mr. Sandys. "I have a very strong
sense of humour myself, or rather what might be called risibility. No
one enjoys a witty story or a laughable incident more than I do. But I
keep it in check. The indulgence of humour is a risky thing; not very
consistent with the pastoral office. But that is a small point; and
what I am leading up to is this, that dear Maud's restlessness, and
even morbidity, has entirely disappeared; and this, my dear Howard, I
attribute entirely to your kind influence and discretion, of which we
are all so conscious, and to the consciousness of which it is so
pleasant to be able to give leisurely expression."

But the Vicar was not always so fruitful a talker as this. The
difficulty with him was to shift the points. There were long walks in
Mr. Sandys' company which were really of an almost nightmare quality.
He had a way of getting into a genealogical mess, in which he used to
say that it cleared the air to be able to state the difficulties.

Howard used to grumble a little over this to Mrs. Graves. "Yes," she
said, "if Frank were not so really unselfish a man, he would be a bore
of purest ray serene; but his humanity breaks through. I made a compact
with him long ago, and told him plainly that there were certain
subjects he must not talk to me about. I suppose you couldn't do that?"

"No," said Howard, "I can't do that. It's my greatest weakness, I
believe, that I can't say a good-natured decisive thing, until I am
really brought to bay--and then I say much more than I need, and not at
all good-naturedly. I must get what fun out of Frank I can. There's a
good deal sprinkled about; and one comfort is that Maud understands."

"Yes," said Mrs. Graves, "she understands! I know no one who sees
weaknesses in so absolutely clear a light as Maud, and who can at the
same time so wholly neglect them in the light of love."

"That's good news for me," said Howard, "and it is absolutely true."

XXIX

THE CHILD