tobe
civil
to
Mrs.
Maddison
and
her
daughter
,
and
I
have
done
nothing
but
pay
them
the
most
ordinary
attentions
.
”
“
When
a
man
is
in
love
he
pays
no
ordinary
attentions
.
He
has
eyes
for
no
one
but
the
lady
.
”
The
General
's
umbrella
,
as
it
descended
from
the
face
of
Andrew
Jackson
and
rattled
on
the
flagged
path
,
supplied
each
word
with
emphasis
.
“
However
,
it
is
no
good
talking
,
and
I
do
n't
exactly
know
why
I
should
put
my
old
oar
in
.
But
the
fact
is
I
feel
a
certain
responsibility
.
People
here
have
been
uncommonly
civil
.
Well
,
well
!
—
I
've
wired
to-day
to
ask
if
there
is
a
berth
left
in
the
Venetia
for
Saturday
.
And
you
,
I
suppose
”
—
the
inquiry
was
somewhat
peremptory
—
“
will
be
going
back
to
New
York
?
”
“
I
have
no
intention
of
leaving
Washington
just
yet
,
”
said
Roger
,
with
decision
.
“
And
may
I
ask
what
you
intend
to
do
here
?
”
Roger
laughed
.
“
I
really
think
that
's
my
business
.
However
,
you
've
been
an
awful
brick
,
Uncle
Archie
,
to
stay
on
like
this
.
I
assure
you
,
if
I
do
n't
say
much
,
I
think
it
.
”
By
this
time
they
had
reached
the
hotel
,
the
steps
and
hall
of
which
were
full
of
people
.
“
That
's
how
you
put
me
off
.
”
The
General
's
tone
was
resentful
.
“
And
you
wo
n't
give
me
any
idea
of
the
line
I
am
to
take
with
your
mother
?
”
The
young
man
smiled
again
and
waved
an
evasive
hand
.
“
If
you
'll
only
be
patient
a
little
longer
,
Uncle
Archie
—
”
At
this
point
an
acquaintance
of
the
General
's
who
was
smoking
in
the
hall
came
forward
to
greet
him
,
and
Roger
made
his
escape
.
“
Well
,
what
the
deuce
do
I
mean
to
do
?
”
Barnes
asked
himself
the
question
deliberately
.
He
was
hanging
out
of
the
window
in
his
bedroom
,
smoking
and
pondering
.
It
was
a
mild
and
rainy
night
.
Washington
was
full
of
the
earth
and
leaf
odours
of
the
spring
,
which
rose
in
gusts
from
its
trees
and
gardens
;
and
rugged
,
swiftly
moving
clouds
disclosed
every
now
and
then
what
looked
like
hurrying
stars
.
The
young
man
was
excited
and
on
edge
.
Daphne
Floyd
—
and
the
thought
of
Daphne
Floyd
—
had
set
his
pulses
hammering
;
they
challenged
in
him
the
aggressive
,
self-assertive
,
masculine
force
.
The
history
of
the
preceding
three
weeks
was
far
from
simple
.
He
had
first
paid
a
determined
court
to
her
,
conducting
it
in
an
orthodox
,
English
,
conspicuous
way
.
His
mother
,
and
her
necessities
—
his
own
also
—
imposed
it
on
him
;
and
he
flung
himself
into
it
,
setting
his
teeth
.
Then
,
to
his
astonishment
,
one
may
almost
say
to
his
disconcerting
,
he
found
the
prey
all
at
once
,
and
,
as
it
were
,
without
a
struggle
,
fluttering
to
his
lure
,
and
practically
within
his
grasp
.
There
was
an
evening
when
Daphne
's
sudden
softness
,
the
look
in
her
eyes
,
the
inflection
in
her
voice
had
fairly
thrown
him
off
his
balance
.
For
the
first
time
he
had
shown
a
lack
of
self-command
and
self-possession
.
Whereupon
,
in
a
flash
,
a
new
and
strange
Daphne
had
developed
—
imperious
,
difficult
,
incalculable
.
The
more
he
gave
,
the
more
she
claimed
.
Nor
was
it
mere
girlish
caprice
.
The
young
Englishman
,
invited
to
a
game
that
he
had
never
yet
played
,
felt
in
it
something
sinister
and
bewildering
.
Gropingly
,
he
divined
in
front
of
him
a
future
of
tyranny
on
her
side
,
of
expected
submission
on
his
.
The
Northern
character
in
him
,
with
its
reserve
,
its
phlegm
,
its
general
sanity
,
began
to
shrink
from
the
Southern
elements
in
her
.
He
became
aware
of
the
depths
in
her
nature
,
of
things
volcanic
and
primitive
,
and
the
English
stuff
in
him
recoiled
.
So
he
was
to
be
bitted
and
bridled
,
it
seemed
,
in
the
future
.
Daphne
Floyd
would
have
bought
him
with
her
dollars
,
and
he
would
have
to
pay
the
price
.
Something
natural
and
wild
in
him
said
No
!
If
he
married
this
girl
he
would
be
master
,
in
spite
of
her
money
.
He
realised
vaguely
,
at
any
rate
,
the
strength
of
her
will
,
and
the
way
in
which
it
had
been
tempered
and
steeled
by
circumstance
.
But
the
perception
only
roused
in
himself
some
slumbering
tenacities
and
vehemences
of
which
he
had
been
scarcely
aware
.
So
that
,
almost
immediately
—
since
there
was
no
glamour
of
passion
on
his
side
—
he
began
to
resent
her
small
tyrannies
,
to
draw
in
,
and
draw
back
.
A
few
quarrels
—
not
ordinary
lovers
'
quarrels
,
but
representing
a
true
grapple
of
personalities
—
sprang
up
behind
a
screen
of
trifles
.
Daphne
was
once
more
rude
and
provoking
,
Roger
cool
and
apparently
indifferent
.
This
was
the
stage
when
Mrs.
Verrier
had
become
an
admiring
observer
of
what
she
supposed
to
be
his
“
tactics
.
”
But
she
knew
nothing
of
the
curious
little
crisis
which
had
preceded
them
.
Then
the
Maddisons
,
mother
and
daughter
,
“
my
tutor
's
friends
,
”
had
appeared
upon
the
scene
—
charming
people
!
Of
course
civilities
were
due
to
them
,
and
had
to
be
paid
them
.
Next
to
his
mother
—
and
to
the
girl
of
the
orchard
—
the
affections
of
this
youth
,
who
was
morally
backward
and
immature
,
but
neither
callous
nor
fundamentally
selfish
,
had
been
chiefly
given
to
a
certain
Eton
master
,
of
a
type
happily
not
uncommon
in
English
public
schools
.
Herbert
French
had
been
Roger
's
earliest
and
best
friend
.
What
Roger
had
owed
him
at
school
,
only
he
knew
.
Since
school-days
they
had
been
constant
correspondents
,
and
French
's
influence
on
his
pupil
's
early
manhood
had
done
much
,
for
all
Roger
's
laziness
and
self-indulgence
,
to
keep
him
from
serious
lapses
.
Neglect
any
friends
of
his
—
and
such
jolly
friends
?
Rather
not
!
But
as
soon
as
Daphne
had
seen
Elsie
Maddison
,
and
he
had
begged
an
afternoon
to
go
an
expedition
with
them
,
Daphne
had
become
intolerable
.
She
had
shown
her
English
friend
and
his
acquaintances
a
manner
so
insulting
and
provocative
,
that
the
young
man
's
blood
had
boiled
.
If
he
were
in
love
with
her
—
well
and
good
!
She
might
no
doubt
have
tamed
him
by
these
stripes
.
But
she
was
no
goddess
to
him
;
no
golden
cloud
enveloped
her
;
he
saw
her
under
a
common
daylight
.
At
the
same
time
she
attracted
him
;
he
was
vain
of
what
had
seemed
his
conquest
,
and
uneasily
exultant
in
the
thought
of
her
immense
fortune
.
“
I
'll
make
her
an
excellent
husband
if
she
marries
me
,
”
he
said
to
himself
stubbornly
;
“
I
can
,
and
I
will
.
”
But
meanwhile
how
was
this
first
stage
to
end
?
At
the
White
House
that
night
Daphne
had
treated
him
with
contumely
,
and
before
spectators
.
He
must
either
go
or
bring
her
to
the
point
.
He
withdrew
suddenly
from
the
window
,
flinging
out
the
end
of
his
cigarette
.
“
I
'll
propose
to
her
to-morrow
—
and
she
may
either
take
me
or
leave
me
!
”
He
paced
up
and
down
his
room
,
conscious
of
relief
and
fresh
energy
.
As
he
did
so
his
eyes
were
drawn
to
a
letter
from
Herbert
French
lying
on
the
table
.
He
took
it
up
and
read
it
again
—
smiling
over
it
broadly
,
in
a
boyish
and
kindly
amusement
.
“
By
Jove
!
he
's
happy
.
”
Then
as
he
put
it
down
his
face
darkened
.
There
was
something
in
the
letter
,
in
its
manliness
and
humour
,
its
unconscious
revelation
of
ideals
wholly
independent
of
dollars
,
that
made
Roger
for
the
moment
loathe
his
own
position
.
But
he
pulled
himself
together
.
“
I
shall
make
her
a
good
husband
,
”
he
repeated
,
frowning
.
“
She
'll
have
nothing
to
complain
of
.
”
On
the
following
day
a
picnic
among
the
woods
of
the
Upper
Potomac
brought
together
most
of
the
personages
in
this
history
.
The
day
was
beautiful
,
the
woods
fragrant
with
spring
leaf
and
blossom
,
and
the
stream
,
swollen
with
rain
,
ran
seaward
in
a
turbid
,
rejoicing
strength
.
The
General
,
having
secured
his
passage
home
,
was
in
good
spirits
as
far
as
his
own
affairs
were
concerned
,
though
still
irritable
on
the
score
of
his
nephew
's
.
Since
the
abortive
attempt
on
his
confidence
of
the
night
before
,
Roger
had
avoided
all
private
conversation
with
his
uncle
;
and
for
once
the
old
had
to
learn
patience
from
the
young
.
The
party
was
given
by
the
wife
of
one
of
the
staff
of
the
French
Embassy
—
a
young
Frenchwoman
,
as
gay
and
frank
as
her
babies
,
and
possessed
,
none
the
less
,
of
all
the
social
arts
of
her
nation
.
She
had
taken
a
shrewd
interest
in
the
matter
of
Daphne
Floyd
and
the
Englishman
.
Daphne
,
according
to
her
,
should
be
promptly
married
and
her
millions
taken
care
of
,
and
the
handsome
,
broad-shouldered
fellow
impressed
the
little
Frenchwomnan
's
imagination
as
a
proper
and
capable
watchdog
.
She
had
indeed
become
aware
that
something
was
wrong
,
but
her
acuteness
entirely
refused
to
believe
that
it
had
any
vital
connection
with
the
advent
of
pretty
Elsie
Maddison
.
Meanwhile
,
to
please
Daphne
,
whom
she
liked
,
while
conscious
of
a
strong
and
frequent
desire
to
smite
her
,
Madame
de
Fronsac
had
invited
Mrs.
Verrier
,
treating
her
with
a
cold
and
punctilious
courtesy
that
,
as
applied
to
any
other
guest
,
would
have
seemed
an
affront
.
In
vain
,
however
,
did
the
hostess
,
in
vain
did
other
kindly
bystanders
,
endeavour
to
play
the
game
of
Daphne
Floyd
.
In
the
first
place
Daphne
herself
,
though
piped
unto
,
refused
to
dance
.
She
avoided
the
society
of
Roger
Barnes
in
a
pointed
and
public
way
,
bright
colour
on
her
cheeks
and
a
wild
light
in
her
eyes
;
the
Under-Secretary
escorted
her
and
carried
her
wrap
.
Washington
did
not
know
what
to
think
.
For
,
owing
to
this
conduct
of
Daphne
's
,
the
charming
Boston
girl
,
the
other
ingénue
of
the
party
,
fell
constantly
to
the
care
of
young
Barnes
;
and
to
see
them
stepping
along
the
green
ways
together
,
matched
almost
in
height
,
and
clearly
of
the
same
English
ancestry
and
race
,
pleased
while
it
puzzled
the
spectators
.
The
party
lunched
in
a
little
inn
beside
the
river
,
and
then
scattered
again
along
woodland
paths
.
Daphne
and
the
Under-Secretary
wandered
on
ahead
and
were
some
distance
from
the
rest
of
the
party
when
that
gentleman
suddenly
looked
at
his
watch
in
dismay
.
An
appointment
had
to
be
kept
with
the
President
at
a
certain
hour
,
and
the
Under-Secretary
's
wits
had
been
wandering
.
There
was
nothing
for
it
but
to
take
a
short
cut
through
the
woods
to
a
local
station
and
make
at
once
for
Washington
.
Daphne
quickened
his
uneasiness
and
hastened
his
departure
.
She
assured
him
that
the
others
were
close
behind
,
and
that
nothing
could
suit
her
better
than
to
rest
on
a
mossy
stone
that
happily
presented
itself
till
they
arrived
.
The
Under-Secretary
,
transformed
into
the
anxious
and
ambitious
politician
,
abruptly
left
her
.
Daphne
,
as
soon
as
he
was
gone
,
allowed
herself
the
natural
attitude
that
fitted
her
thoughts
.
She
was
furiously
in
love
and
torn
with
jealousy
;
and
that
love
and
jealousy
could
smart
so
,
and
cling
so
,
was
a
strange
revelation
to
one
accustomed
to
make
a
world
entirely
to
her
liking
.
Her
dark
eyes
were
hollow
,
her
small
mouth
had
lost
its
colour
,
and
she
showed
that
touch
of
something
wasting
and
withering
that
Theocritan
Shepherds
knew
in
old
Sicilian
days
.
It
was
as
though
she
had
defied
a
god
—
and
the
god
had
avenged
himself
.
Suddenly
he
appeared
—
the
teasing
divinity
—
in
human
shape
.
There
was
a
rustling
among
the
brushwood
fringing
the
river
.
Roger
Barnes
emerged
and
made
his
way
up
towards
her
.
“
I
've
been
stalking
you
all
this
time
,
”
he
said
,
breathless
,
as
he
reached
her
,
“
and
now
,
at
last
—
I
've
caught
you
!
”
Daphne
rose
furiously
.
“
What
right
have
you
to
stalk
me
,
as
you
call
it
?
—
to
follow
me
—
to
speak
to
me
even
?
I
wish
to
avoid
you
—
and
I
have
shown
it
!
”
Roger
looked
at
her
.
He
had
thrown
down
his
hat
,
and
she
saw
him
against
the
background
of
sunny
wood
,
as
the
magnificent
embodiment
of
its
youth
and
force
.
“
And
why
have
you
shown
it
?
”
There
was
a
warning
tremor
of
excitement
in
his
voice
.
“
What
have
I
done
?
I
have
n't
deserved
it
!
You
treat
me
like
—
like
a
friend
—
and
then
you
drop
me
—
like
a
hot
coal
!
You
've
been
awfully
unkind
to
me
!
”
“
I
wo
n't
discuss
it
with
you
,
”
she
cried
passionately
.
“
You
are
in
my
way
,
Mr.
Barnes
.
Let
me
go
back
to
the
others
!
”
And
stretching
out
a
small
hand
,
she
tried
to
put
him
aside
.
Roger
hesitated
,
but
only
for
a
moment
.
He
caught
the
hand
,
he
gathered
its
owner
into
a
pair
of
strong
arms
,
and
bending
over
her
,
he
kissed
her
.
Daphne
,
suffocated
with
anger
and
emotion
,
broke
from
him
—
tottering
.
Then
sinking
on
the
ground
beneath
a
tree
,
she
burst
into
sobbing
.
Roger
,
scarlet
,
with
sparkling
eyes
,
dropped
on
one
knee
beside
her
.
“
Daphne
,
I
'm
a
ruffian
!
Forgive
me
!
you
must
,
Daphne
!
Look
here
,
I
want
you
to
marry
me
.
I
've
nothing
to
offer
you
,
of
course
;
I
'm
a
poor
man
,
and
you
've
all
this
horrible
money
!
But
I
—
I
love
you
!
—
and
I
'll
make
you
a
good
husband
,
Daphne
,
that
I
'll
swear
.
If
you
'll
take
me
,
you
shall
never
be
sorry
for
it
.
”
He
looked
at
her
again
,
sorely
embarrassed
,
hating
himself
,
yet
,
after
all
,
inwardly
sure
of
her
.
Her
small
frame
shook
with
weeping
.
And
presently
she
turned
from
him
and
said
in
a
fierce
voice
:
“
Go
and
tell
all
that
to
Elsie
Maddison
!
”
Infinitely
relieved
,
Roger
gave
a
quick
,
excited
laugh
.
“
She
'd
soon
send
me
about
my
business
!
I
should
be
a
day
too
late
for
the
fair
,
in
that
quarter
.
What
do
you
think
she
and
I
have
been
talking
about
all
this
time
,
Daphne
?
”
“
I
do
n't
care
!
”
said
Daphne
hastily
,
with
face
still
averted
.
“
I
'm
going
to
tell
you
,
all
the
same
,
”
cried
Roger
triumphantly
,
and
diving
into
his
coat
pocket
he
produced
“
my
tutor
's
letter
.
”
Daphne
sat
immovable
,
and
he
had
to
read
it
aloud
himself
.
It
contained
the
rapturous
account
of
Herbert
French
's
engagement
to
Miss
Maddison
,
a
happy
event
which
had
taken
place
in
England
during
the
Eton
holidays
,
about
a
month
before
this
date
.
“
There
!
”
cried
the
young
man
as
he
finished
it
.
“
And
she
's
talked
about
nothing
all
the
time
,
nothing
at
all
—
but
old
Herbert
—
and
how
good
he
is
—
and
how
good-looking
,
and
the
Lord
knows
what
!
I
got
precious
sick
of
it
,
though
I
think
he
's
a
trump
,
too
.
Oh
,
Daphne
!
—
you
were
a
little
fool
!
”
“
All
the
same
,
you
have
behaved
abominably
!
”
Daphne
said
,
still
choking
.
“
No
,
I
have
n't
,
”
was
Roger
's
firm
reply
.
“
It
was
you
who
were
so
cross
.
I
could
n't
tell
you
anything
.
I
say
!
you
do
know
how
to
stick
pins
into
people
!
”
But
he
took
up
her
hand
and
kissed
it
as
he
spoke
.
Daphne
allowed
it
.
Her
breast
heaved
as
the
storm
departed
.
And
she
looked
so
charming
,
so
soft
,
so
desirable
,
as
she
sat
there
in
her
white
dress
,
with
her
great
tear-washed
eyes
and
fluttering
breath
,
that
the
youth
was
really
touched
and
carried
off
his
feet
;
and
the
rest
of
his
task
was
quite
easy
.
All
the
familiar
things
that
had
to
be
said
were
said
,
and
with
all
the
proper
emphasis
and
spirit
.
He
played
his
part
,
the
spring
woods
played
theirs
,
and
Daphne
,
worn
out
by
emotion
and
conquered
by
passion
,
gradually
betrayed
herself
wholly
.
And
so
much
at
least
may
be
said
to
the
man
's
credit
that
there
were
certainly
moments
in
the
half-hour
between
them
when
,
amid
the
rush
of
talk
,
laughter
,
and
caresses
,
that
conscience
which
he
owed
so
greatly
to
the
exertions
of
“
my
tutor
”
pricked
him
not
a
little
.
After
losing
themselves
deliberately
in
the
woods
,
they
strolled
back
to
join
the
rest
of
the
party
.
The
sounds
of
conversation
were
already
audible
through
the
trees
in
front
of
them
,
when
they
saw
Mrs.
Verrier
coming
towards
them
.
She
was
walking
alone
and
did
not
perceive
them
.
Her
eyes
were
raised
and
fixed
,
as
though
on
some
sight
in
front
of
them
.
The
bitterness
,
the
anguish
,
one
might
almost
call
it
,
of
her
expression
,
the
horror
in
the
eyes
,
as
of
one
ghost-led
,
ghost-driven
,
drew
an
exclamation
from
Roger
.
“
There
's
Mrs.
Verrier
!
Why
,
how
ill
she
looks
!
”
Daphne
paused
,
gazed
,
and
shrank
.
She
drew
him
aside
through
the
trees
.
“
Let
's
go
another
way
.
Madeleine
's
often
strange
.
”
And
with
a
superstitious
pang
she
wished
that
Madeleine
Verrier
's
face
had
not
been
the
first
to
meet
her
in
this
hour
of
her
betrothal
.
PART
II
THREE
YEARS
AFTER
“
L'occasion
fait
le
larron
”
CHAPTER
V
IN
the
drawing-room
at
Heston
Park
two
ladies
were
seated
.
One
was
a
well-preserved
woman
of
fifty
,
with
a
large
oblong
face
,
good
features
,
a
double
chin
,
and
abundant
grey
hair
arranged
in
waved
bandeaux
above
a
forehead
which
should
certainly
have
implied
strength
of
character
,
and
a
pair
of
challenging
black
eyes
.
Lady
Barnes
moved
and
spoke
with
authority
;
it
was
evident
that
she
had
been
accustomed
to
do
so
all
her
life
;
to
trail
silk
gowns
over
Persian
carpets
,
to
engage
expensive
cooks
and
rely
on
expensive
butlers
,
with
a
strict
attention
to
small
economies
all
the
time
;
to
impose
her
will
on
her
household
and
the
clergyman
of
the
parish
;
to
give
her
opinions
on
books
,
and
expect
them
to
be
listened
to
;
to
abstain
from
politics
as
unfeminine
,
and
to
make
up
for
it
by
the
strongest
of
views
on
Church
questions
.
She
belonged
to
an
English
type
common
throughout
all
classes
—
quite
harmless
and
tolerable
when
things
go
well
,
but
apt
to
be
soured
and
twisted
by
adversity
.
And
Lady
Barnes
,
it
will
be
remembered
,
had
known
adversity
.
Not
much
of
it
,
nor
for
long
together
;
but
in
her
own
opinion
she
had
gone
through
“
great
trials
,
”
to
the
profit
of
her
Christian
character
.
She
was
quite
certain
,
now
,
that
everything
had
been
for
the
best
,
and
that
Providence
makes
no
mistakes
.
But
that
,
perhaps
,
was
because
the
“
trials
”
had
only
lasted
about
a
year
;
and
then
,
so
far
as
they
were
pecuniary
,
the
marriage
of
her
son
with
Miss
Daphne
Floyd
had
entirely
relieved
her
of
them
.
For
Roger
now
made
her
a
handsome
allowance
,
and
the
chastened
habits
of
a
most
uncomfortable
year
had
been
hastily
abandoned
.
Nevertheless
,
Lady
Barnes
's
aspect
on
this
autumn
afternoon
was
not
cheerful
,
and
her
companion
was
endeavouring
,
with
a
little
kind
embarrassment
,
both
to
soothe
an
evident
irritation
and
to
avoid
the
confidences
that
Roger
's
mother
seemed
eager
to
pour
out
.
Elsie
French
,
whom
Washington
had
known
three
years
before
as
Elsie
Maddison
,
was
in
that
bloom
of
young
married
life
when
all
that
was
lovely
in
the
girl
seems
to
be
still
lingering
,
while
yet
love
and
motherhood
have
wrought
once
more
their
old
transforming
miracle
on
sense
and
spirit
.
In
her
afternoon
dress
of
dainty
sprigged
silk
,
with
just
a
touch
of
austerity
in
the
broad
muslin
collar
and
cuffs
—
her
curly
brown
hair
simply
parted
on
her
brow
,
and
gathered
classically
on
a
shapely
head
—
her
mouth
a
little
troubled
,
her
brow
a
little
puckered
over
Lady
Barnes
's
discontents
—
she
was
a
very
gracious
vision
.
Yet
behind
the
gentleness
,
as
even
Lady
Barnes
knew
,
there
were
qualities
and
characteristics
of
a
singular
strength
.
Lady
Barnes
indeed
was
complaining
,
and
could
not
be
stopped
.
“
You
see
,
dear
Mrs.
French
,
”
she
was
saying
in
a
rapid
,
lowered
voice
,
and
with
many
glances
at
the
door
,
“
the
trouble
is
that
Daphne
is
never
satisfied
.
She
has
some
impossible
ideal
in
her
mind
,
and
then
everything
must
be
sacrificed
to
it
.
She
began
with
going
into
ecstasies
over
this
dear
old
house
,
and
now
!
—
there
's
scarcely
a
thing
in
it
she
does
not
want
to
change
.
Poor
Edward
and
I
spent
thousands
upon
it
,
and
we
really
flattered
ourselves
that
we
had
some
taste
;
but
it
is
not
good
enough
for
Daphne
!
”
The
speaker
settled
herself
in
her
chair
with
a
slight
but
emphatic
clatter
of
bangles
and
rustle
of
skirts
.
“
It
's
the
ceilings
,
is
n't
it
?
”
murmured
Elsie
French
,
glancing
at
the
heavy
decoration
,
the
stucco
bosses
and
pendants
above
her
head
,
which
had
replaced
,
some
twenty
years
before
,
a
piece
of
Adam
design
,
sparing
and
felicitous
.
“
It
's
everything
!
”
Lady
Barnes
's
tone
was
now
more
angry
than
fretful
.
“
I
do
n't
,
of
course
,
like
to
say
it
—
but
really
Daphne
's
self-confidence
is
too
amazing
!
”
“
She
does
know
so
much
,
”
said
Elsie
French
reflectively
.
“
Does
n't
she
?
”
“
Well
,
if
you
call
it
knowing
.
She
can
always
get
some
tiresome
person
,
whom
she
calls
an
‘expert
,
’
to
back
her
up
.
But
I
believe
in
liking
what
you
do
like
,
and
not
being
bullied
into
what
you
do
n't
like
!
”
“
I
suppose
if
one
studies
these
things
—
”
Elsie
French
began
timidly
.
“
What
's
the
good
of
studying
!
”
cried
Lady
Barnes
;
“
one
has
one
's
own
taste
,
or
one
has
n't
.
”
Confronted
with
this
form
of
the
Absolute
,
Elsie
French
looked
perplexed
;
especially
as
her
own
artistic
sympathies
were
mainly
with
Daphne
.
The
situation
was
certainly
awkward
.
At
the
time
of
the
Barnes
's
financial
crash
,
and
Sir
Edward
Barnes
's
death
,
Heston
Park
,
which
belonged
to
Lady
Barnes
,
was
all
that
remained
to
her
and
her
son
.
A
park
of
a
hundred
acres
and
a
few
cottages
went
with
the
house
;
but
there
was
no
estate
to
support
it
,
and
it
had
to
be
let
,
to
provide
an
income
for
the
widow
and
the
boy
.
Much
of
the
expensive
furniture
had
been
sold
before
letting
,
but
enough
remained
to
satisfy
the
wants
of
a
not
very
exacting
tenant
.
Lady
Barnes
had
then
departed
to
weep
in
exile
on
a
pittance
of
about
seven
hundred
a
year
.
But
with
the
marriage
of
her
son
to
Miss
Floyd
and
her
millions
,
the
mother
's
thoughts
had
turned
fondly
back
to
Heston
Park
.
It
was
too
big
for
her
,
of
course
;
but
the
young
people
clearly
must
redeem
it
,
and
settle
there
.
And
Daphne
had
been
quite
amenable
.
The
photographs
charmed
her
.
The
house
,
she
said
,
was
evidently
in
a
pure
style
,
and
it
would
be
a
delight
to
make
it
habitable
again
.
The
tenant
,
however
,
had
a
lease
,
and
refused
to
turn
out
until
at
last
Daphne
had
frankly
bribed
him
to
go
.
And
now
,
after
three
years
of
married
life
,
during
which
the
young
couple
had
rented
various
“
places
,
”
besides
their
house
in
London
and
a
villa
at
Tunis
,
Heston
Park
had
been
vacated
,
Daphne
and
Roger
had
descended
upon
it
—
as
Lady
Barnes
's
tenants
at
a
high
rent
—
intent
upon
its
restoration
;
and
Roger
's
mother
had
been
invited
to
their
councils
.
Hence
,
indeed
,
these
tears
.
When
Daphne
first
stepped
inside
the
ancestral
mansion
of
the
Trescoes
—
such
had
been
Lady
Barnes
's
maiden
name
—
she
had
received
a
severe
shock
.
The
outside
,
the
shell
of
the
house
—
delightful
!
But
inside
!
—
heavens
!
what
taste
,
what
decoration
—
what
ruin
of
a
beautiful
thing
!
Half
the
old
mantelpieces
gone
,
the
ceilings
spoilt
,
the
decorations
“
busy
,
”
pretentious
,
overdone
,
and
nothing
left
to
console
her
but
an
ugly
row
of
bad
Lelys
and
worse
Highmores
—
the
most
despicable
collection
of
family
portraits
she
had
ever
set
eyes
upon
!
Roger
had
looked
unhappy
.
“
It
was
father
and
mother
did
it
,
”
he
admitted
penitently
.
“
But
after
all
,
Daphne
,
you
know
they
are
Trescoes
!
”
—
this
with
a
defensive
and
protecting
glance
at
the
Lelys
.
Daphne
was
sorry
for
it
.
Her
mouth
tightened
,
and
certain
lines
appeared
about
it
which
already
prophesied
what
the
years
would
make
of
the
young
face
.
Yet
it
was
a
pretty
mouth
—
the
mouth
,
above
all
,
of
one
with
no
doubts
at
all
as
to
her
place
and
rights
in
the
world
.
Lady
Barnes
had
pronounced
it
“
common
”
in
her
secret
thoughts
before
she
had
known
its
owner
six
weeks
.
But
the
adjective
had
never
yet
escaped
the
“
bulwark
of
the
teeth
.
”
Outwardly
the
mother
and
daughter-in-law
were
still
on
good
terms
.
It
was
indeed
but
a
week
since
the
son
and
his
wife
had
arrived
—
with
their
baby
girl
—
at
Heston
Park
,
after
a
summer
of
yachting
and
fishing
in
Norway
;
since
Lady
Barnes
had
journeyed
thither
from
London
to
meet
them
;
and
Mr.
and
Mrs.
French
had
accepted
an
urgent
invitation
from
Roger
,
quite
sufficiently
backed
by
Daphne
,
to
stay
for
a
few
days
with
Mr.
French
's
old
pupil
,
before
the
reopening
of
Eton
.
During
that
time
there
had
been
no
open
quarrels
of
any
kind
;
but
Elsie
French
was
a
sensitive
creature
,
and
she
had
been
increasingly
aware
of
friction
and
annoyance
behind
the
scenes
.
And
now
here
was
Lady
Barnes
let
loose
!
and
Daphne
might
appear
at
any
moment
,
before
she
could
be
re-caged
.
“
She
puts
you
down
so
!
”
cried
that
lady
,
making
gestures
with
the
paper-knife
she
had
just
been
employing
on
the
pages
of
a
Mudie
book
.
“
If
I
tell
her
that
something
or
other
—
it
does
n't
matter
what
—
cost
at
least
a
great
deal
of
money
,
she
has
a
way
of
smiling
at
you
that
is
positively
insulting
!
She
does
n't
trouble
to
argue
;
she
begins
to
laugh
,
and
raises
her
eyebrows
.
I
—
I
always
feel
as
if
she
had
struck
me
in
the
face
!
I
know
I
ought
n't
to
speak
like
this
;
I
had
n't
meant
to
do
it
,
especially
to
a
country-woman
of
hers
,
as
you
are
.
”
“
Am
I
?
”
said
Elsie
,
in
a
puzzled
voice
.
Lady
Barnes
opened
her
eyes
in
astonishment
.
“
I
meant
”
—
the
explanation
was
hurried
—
“
I
thought
—
Mrs.
Barnes
was
a
South
American
?
Her
mother
was
Spanish
,
of
course
;
you
see
it
in
Daphne
.
”
“
Yes
;
in
her
wonderful
eyes
,
”
said
Mrs.
French
warmly
;
“
and
her
grace
—
is
n't
she
graceful
!
My
husband
says
she
moves
like
a
sea-wave
.
She
has
given
her
eyes
to
the
child
.
”
“
Ah
!
and
other
things
too
,
I
'm
afraid
!
”
cried
Lady
Barnes
,
carried
away
.
“
But
here
is
the
baby
.
”
For
the
sounds
of
a
childish
voice
were
heard
echoing
in
the
domed
hall
outside
.
Small
feet
came
pattering
,
and
the
drawing-room
door
was
burst
open
by
Roger
Barnes
,
holding
a
little
girl
of
nearly
two
and
a
half
by
the
hand
.
Lady
Barnes
composed
herself
.
It
is
necessary
to
smile
at
children
,
and
she
endeavoured
to
satisfy
her
own
sense
of
it
.
“
Come
in
,
Beatty
;
come
and
kiss
granny
!
”
And
Lady
Barnes
held
out
her
arms
.
But
the
child
stood
still
,
surveyed
her
grandmother
with
a
pair
of
startling
eyes
,
and
then
,
turning
,
made
a
rush
for
the
door
.
But
her
father
was
too
quick
for
her
.
He
closed
it
with
a
laugh
,
and
stood
with
his
back
to
it
.
The
child
did
not
cry
,
but
,
with
flaming
cheeks
,
she
began
to
beat
her
father
's
knees
with
her
small
fists
.
“
Go
and
kiss
granny
,
darling
,
”
said
Roger
,
stroking
her
dark
head
.
Beatty
turned
again
,
put
both
her
hands
behind
her
,
and
stood
immovable
.
“
Not
kiss
granny
,
”
she
said
firmly
.
“
Do
n't
love
granny
.
”
“
Oh
,
Beatty
”
—
Mrs
.
French
knelt
down
beside
her
—
“
come
and
be
a
good
little
girl
,
and
I
'll
show
you
picture-books
.
”
“
I
not
Beatty
—
I
Jemima
Ann
,
”
said
the
small
thin
voice
.
“
Not
be
a
dood
dirl
—
do
upstairs
.
”
She
looked
at
her
father
again
,
and
then
,
evidently
perceiving
that
he
was
not
to
be
moved
by
force
,
she
changed
her
tactics
.
Her
delicate
,
elfish
face
melted
into
the
sweetest
smile
;
she
stood
on
tiptoe
,
holding
out
to
him
her
tiny
arms
.
With
a
laugh
of
irrepressible
pride
and
pleasure
,
Roger
stooped
to
her
and
lifted
her
up
.
She
nestled
on
his
shoulder
—
a
small
odalisque
,
dark
,
lithe
,
and
tawny
,
beside
her
handsome
,
fair-skinned
father
.
And
Roger
's
manner
of
holding
and
caressing
her
showed
the
passionate
affection
with
which
he
regarded
her
.
He
again
urged
her
to
kiss
her
grandmother
;
but
the
child
again
shook
her
head
.
“
Then
,
”
said
he
craftily
,
“
father
must
kiss
granny
.
”
And
he
began
to
cross
the
room
.
But
Lady
Barnes
stopped
him
,
not
without
dignity
.
“
Better
not
press
it
,
Roger
:
another
time
.
”
Barnes
laughed
,
and
yielded
.
He
carried
the
child
away
,
murmuring
to
her
,
“
Naughty
,
naughty
'
ittie
girl
!
”
—
a
remark
which
Beatty
,
tucked
under
his
ear
,
and
complacently
sucking
her
thumb
,
received
with
complete
indifference
.
“
There
,
you
see
!
”
said
the
grandmother
,
with
slightly
flushed
cheeks
,
as
the
door
closed
:
“
the
child
has
been
already
taught
to
dislike
me
,
and
if
Roger
had
attempted
to
kiss
me
,
she
would
probably
have
struck
me
.
”
“
Oh
,
no
!
”
cried
Mrs.
French
.
“
She
is
a
loving
little
thing
.
”
“
Except
when
she
is
jealous
,
”
said
Lady
Barnes
,
with
significance
.
“
I
told
you
she
has
inherited
more
than
her
eyes
.
”
Mrs.
French
rose
.
She
was
determined
not
to
discuss
her
hostess
any
more
,
and
she
walked
over
to
the
bow
window
as
though
to
look
at
the
prospects
of
the
weather
,
which
had
threatened
rain
.
But
Roger
's
mother
was
not
to
be
repressed
.
Resentment
and
antagonism
,
nurtured
on
a
hundred
small
incidents
and
trifling
jars
,
and
,
to
begin
with
,
a
matter
of
temperament
,
had
come
at
last
to
speech
.
And
in
this
charming
New
Englander
,
the
wife
of
Roger
's
best
friend
,
sympathetic
,
tender
,
with
a
touch
in
her
of
the
nun
and
the
saint
,
Lady
Barnes
could
not
help
trying
to
find
a
supporter
.
She
was
a
much
weaker
person
than
her
square
build
and
her
double
chin
would
have
led
the
bystander
to
suppose
;
and
her
feelings
had
been
hurt
.
So
that
when
Mrs.
French
returned
to
say
that
the
sun
seemed
to
be
coming
out
,
her
companion
,
without
heeding
,
went
on
,
with
emotion
:
“
It
's
my
son
I
am
thinking
of
,
Mrs.
French
.
I
know
you
're
safe
,
and
that
Roger
depends
upon
Mr.
French
more
than
upon
anyone
else
in
the
world
,
so
I
ca
n't
help
just
saying
a
word
to
you
about
my
anxiety
.
You
know
,
when
Roger
married
,
I
do
n't
think
he
was
much
in
love
—
in
fact
,
I
'm
sure
he
was
n't
.
But
now
—
it
's
quite
different
.
Roger
has
a
very
soft
heart
,
and
he
's
very
domestic
.
He
was
always
the
best
of
sons
to
me
,
and
as
soon
as
he
was
married
he
became
the
best
of
husbands
.
He
's
devoted
to
Daphne
now
,
and
you
see
how
he
adores
the
child
.
But
the
fact
is
,
there
's
a
person
in
this
neighbourhood
”
(
Lady
Barnes
lowered
her
voice
and
looked
round
her
)
—
“
I
only
knew
it
for
certain
this
morning-who
...
well
,
who
might
make
trouble
.
And
Daphne
's
temper
is
so
passionate
and
uncontrolled
that
—
”
“
Dear
Lady
Barnes
,
please
do
n't
tell
me
any
secrets
!
”
Elsie
French
implored
,
and
laid
a
restraining
hand
on
the
mother
's
arm
,
ready
,
indeed
,
to
take
up
her
work
and
fly
.
But
Lady
Barnes
's
chair
stood
between
her
and
the
door
,
and
the
occupant
of
it
was
substantial
.
Laura
Barnes
hesitated
,
and
in
the
pause
two
persons
appeared
upon
the
garden
path
outside
,
coming
towards
the
open
windows
of
the
drawing-room
.
One
was
Mrs.
Roger
Barnes
;
the
other
was
a
man
,
remarkably
tall
and
slender
,
with
a
stoop
like
that
of
an
overgrown
schoolboy
,
silky
dark
hair
and
moustache
,
and
pale
grey
eyes
.
“
Dr.
Lelius
!
”
said
Elsie
,
in
astonishment
.
“
Was
Daphne
expecting
him
?
”
“
Who
is
Dr.
Lelius
?
”
asked
Lady
Barnes
,
putting
up
her
eyeglass
.
Mrs.
French
explained
that
he
was
a
South
German
art-critic
,
from
Würzburg
,
with
a
great
reputation
.
She
had
already
met
him
at
Eton
and
at
Oxford
.
“
Another
expert
!
”
said
Lady
Barnes
with
a
shrug
.
The
pair
passed
the
window
,
absorbed
apparently
in
conversation
.
Mrs.
French
escaped
.
Lady
Barnes
was
left
to
discontent
and
solitude
.
But
the
solitude
was
not
for
long
.
When
Elsie
French
descended
for
tea
,
an
hour
later
,
she
was
aware
,
from
a
considerable
distance
,
of
people
and
tumult
in
the
drawing-room
.
Daphne
's
soprano
voice
—
agreeable
,
but
making
its
mark
always
,
like
its
owner
—
could
be
heard
running
on
.
The
young
mistress
of
the
house
seemed
to
be
admonishing
,
instructing
someone
.
Could
it
be
her
mother-in-law
?
When
Elsie
entered
,
Daphne
was
walking
up
and
down
in
excitement
.
“
One
cannot
really
live
with
bad
pictures
because
they
happen
to
be
one
's
ancestors
!
We
wo
n't
do
them
any
harm
,
mamma
!
of
course
not
.
There
is
a
room
upstairs
where
they
can
be
stored
—
most
carefully
—
and
anybody
who
is
interested
in
them
can
go
and
look
at
them
.
If
they
had
only
been
left
as
they
were
painted
!
—
not
by
Lely
,
of
course
,
but
by
some
drapery
man
in
his
studio
—
passe
encore
!
they
might
have
been
just
bearable
.
But
you
see
some
wretched
restorer
went
and
daubed
them
all
over
a
few
years
ago
.
”
“
We
went
to
the
best
man
we
could
find
!
We
took
the
best
advice
!
”
cried
Lady
Barnes
,
sitting
stiff
and
crimson
in
a
deep
arm-chair
,
opposite
the
luckless
row
of
portraits
that
Daphne
was
denouncing
.
“
I
'm
sure
you
did
.
But
then
,
you
see
,
nobody
knew
anything
at
all
about
it
in
those
days
.
The
restorers
were
all
murderers
.
Ask
Dr.
Lelius
.
”
Daphne
pointed
to
the
stranger
,
who
was
leaning
against
an
arm-chair
beside
her
in
an
embarrassed
attitude
,
as
though
he
were
endeavouring
to
make
the
chair
a
buffer
between
himself
and
Lady
Barnes
.
Dr.
Lelius
bowed
.
“
It
is
a
modern
art
,
”
he
said
with
diffidence
,
and
an
accent
creditably
slight
—
“
a
quite
modern
art
.
We
hafe
a
great
man
at
Würzburg
.
”
“
I
do
n't
suppose
he
professes
to
know
anything
about
English
pictures
,
does
he
?
”
asked
Lady
Barnes
with
scorn
.
“
Ach
!
—
I
do
not
propose
that
Mrs.
Barnes
entrust
him
wid
dese
pictures
,
Madame
.
It
is
now
too
late
.
”
And
the
willowy
German
looked
,
with
a
half-repressed
smile
,
at
the
row
of
pictures
—
all
staring
at
the
bystander
with
the
same
saucer
eyes
,
the
same
wooden
arms
,
and
the
same
brilliance
of
modern
paint
and
varnish
,
which
not
even
the
passage
of
four
years
since
it
was
applied
had
been
able
greatly
to
subdue
.
Lady
Barnes
lifted
shoulders
and
eyes
—
a
woman
's
angry
protest
against
the
tyranny
of
knowledge
.
“
All
the
same
,
they
are
my
forbears
,
my
kith
and
kin
,
”
she
said
,
with
emphasis
.
“
But
of
course
Mrs.
Barnes
is
mistress
here
:
I
suppose
she
will
do
as
she
pleases
.
”
The
German
stared
politely
at
the
carpet
.
It
was
now
Daphne
's
turn
to
shrug
.
She
threw
herself
into
a
chair
,
with
very
red
cheeks
,
one
foot
hanging
over
the
other
,
and
the
fingers
of
her
hands
,
which
shone
with
diamonds
,
tapping
the
chair
impatiently
.
Her
dress
of
a
delicate
pink
,
touched
here
and
there
with
black
,
her
wide
black
hat
,
and
the
eyes
which
glowed
from
the
small
pointed
face
beneath
it
;
the
tumbling
masses
of
her
dark
hair
as
contrasted
with
her
general
lightness
and
slenderness
;
the
red
of
the
lips
,
the
whiteness
of
the
hands
and
brow
,
the
dainty
irregularity
of
feature
:
these
things
made
a
Watteau
sketch
of
her
,
all
pure
colour
and
lissomeness
,
with
dots
and
scratches
of
intense
black
.
Daphne
was
much
handsomer
than
she
had
been
as
a
girl
,
but
also
a
trifle
less
refined
.
All
her
points
were
intensified
—
her
eyes
had
more
flame
;
the
damask
of
her
cheek
was
deeper
;
her
grace
was
wilder
,
her
voice
a
little
shriller
than
of
old
.
While
the
uncomfortable
silence
which
the
two
women
had
made
around
them
still
lasted
,
Roger
Barnes
appeared
on
the
garden
steps
.
“
Hullo
!
any
tea
going
?
”
He
came
in
,
without
waiting
for
an
answer
,
looked
from
his
mother
to
Daphne
,
from
Daphne
to
his
mother
,
and
laughed
uncomfortably
.
“
Still
bothering
about
those
beastly
pictures
?
”
he
said
as
he
helped
himself
to
a
cup
of
tea
.
“
Thank
you
,
Roger
!
”
said
Lady
Barnes
.
“
I
did
n't
mean
any
harm
,
mother
.
”
He
crossed
over
to
her
and
sat
down
beside
her
.
“
I
say
,
Daphne
,
I
've
got
an
idea
.
Why
should
n't
mother
have
them
?
She
's
going
to
take
a
house
,
she
says
.
Let
's
hand
them
all
over
to
her
!
”
Lady
Barnes
's
lips
trembled
with
indignation
.
“
The
Trescoes
who
were
born
and
died
in
this
house
,
belong
here
!
”
The
tone
of
the
words
showed
the
stab
to
feeling
and
self-love
.
“
It
would
be
a
sacrilege
to
move
them
.
”
“
Well
then
,
let
's
move
ourselves
!
”
exclaimed
claimed
Daphne
,
springing
up
.
“
We
can
let
this
house
again
,
ca
n't
we
,
Roger
?
”
“
We
can
,
I
suppose
,
”
said
Roger
,
munching
his
bread
and
butter
;
“
but
we
're
not
going
to
.
”
He
raised
his
head
and
looked
quietly
at
her
.
“
I
think
we
'd
better
!
”
The
tone
was
imperious
.
Daphne
,
with
her
thin
arms
and
hands
locked
behind
her
,
paused
beside
her
husband
.
Dr.
Lelius
,
stealthily
raising
his
eyes
,
observed
the
two
.
A
strange
little
scene
—
not
English
at
all
.
The
English
,
he
understood
,
were
a
phlegmatic
people
.
What
had
this
little
Southerner
to
do
among
them
?
And
what
sort
of
fellow
was
the
husband
?
It
was
evident
that
some
mute
colloquy
passed
between
the
husband
and
wife
—
disapproval
on
his
part
,
attempt
to
assert
authority
,
defiance
on
hers
.
Then
the
fair-skinned
English
face
,
confronting
Daphne
,
wavered
and
weakened
,
and
Roger
smiled
into
the
eyes
transfixing
him
.
“
Ah
!
”
thought
Lelius
,
“
she
has
him
,
de
poor
fool
!
”
Roger
,
coming
over
to
his
mother
,
began
a
murmured
conversation
.
Daphne
,
still
breathing
quick
,
consented
to
talk
to
Dr.
Lelius
and
Mrs.
French
.
Lelius
,
who
travelled
widely
,
had
brought
her
news
of
some
pictures
in
a
château
of
the
Bourbonnais
—
pictures
that
her
whole
mind
was
set
on
acquiring
.
Elsie
French
noticed
the
expertise
of
her
talk
;
the
intellectual
development
it
implied
;
the
passion
of
will
which
accompanied
it
.
“
To
the
dollar
,
all
things
are
possible
,
”
—
one
might
have
phrased
it
so
.
The
soft
September
air
came
in
through
the
open
windows
,
from
a
garden
flooded
with
western
sun
.
Suddenly
through
the
subdued
talk
which
filled
the
drawing-room
—
each
group
in
it
avoiding
the
other
—
the
sound
of
a
motor
arriving
made
itself
heard
.
“
Heavens
!
who
on
earth
knows
we
're
here
?
”
said
Barnes
,
looking
up
.
For
they
had
only
been
camping
a
week
in
the
house
,
far
too
busy
to
think
of
neighbours
.
They
sat
expectant
and
annoyed
,
reproaching
each
other
with
not
having
told
the
butler
to
say
“
Not
at
home
.
”
Lady
Barnes
's
attitude
had
in
it
something
else
—
a
little
anxiety
;
but
it
escaped
notice
.
Steps
came
through
the
hall
,
and
the
butler
,
throwing
open
the
door
,
announced
—
“
Mrs.
Fairmile
.
”
Roger
Barnes
sprang
to
his
feet
.
His
mother
,
with
a
little
gasp
,
caught
him
by
the
arm
instinctively
.
There
was
a
general
rise
and
a
movement
of
confusion
,
till
the
new-comer
,
advancing
,
offered
her
hand
to
Daphne
.
“
I
am
afraid
,
Mrs.
Barnes
,
I
am
disturbing
you
all
.
The
butler
told
me
you
had
only
been
here
a
few
days
.
But
Lady
Barnes
and
your
husband
are
such
old
friends
of
mine
that
,
as
soon
as
I
heard
—
through
our
old
postmistress
,
I
think
—
that
you
had
arrived
,
I
thought
I
might
venture
.
”
The
charming
voice
dropped
,
and
the
speaker
waited
,
smiling
,
her
eyes
fixed
on
Daphne
.
Daphne
had
taken
her
hand
in
some
bewilderment
,
and
was
now
looking
at
her
husband
for
assistance
.
It
was
clear
to
Elsie
French
,
in
the
background
,
that
Daphne
neither
knew
the
lady
nor
the
lady
's
name
,
and
that
the
visit
had
taken
her
entirely
by
surprise
.
Barnes
recovered
himself
quickly
.
“
I
had
no
idea
you
were
in
these
parts
,
”
he
said
,
as
he
brought
a
chair
forward
for
the
visitor
,
and
stood
beside
her
a
moment
.
Lady
Barnes
,
observing
him
,
as
she
stiffly
greeted
the
new-comer
—
his
cool
manner
,
his
deepened
colour
—
felt
the
usual
throb
of
maternal
pride
in
him
,
intensified
by
alarm
and
excitement
.
“
Oh
,
I
am
staying
a
day
or
two
with
Duchess
Mary
,
”
said
the
new-comer
.
“
She
is
a
little
older
—
and
no
less
gouty
,
poor
dear
,
than
she
used
to
be
.
Mrs.
Barnes
,
I
have
heard
a
great
deal
of
you
—
though
you
may
n't
know
anything
about
me
,
Ah
!
Dr.
Lelius
?
”
The
German
,
bowing
awkwardly
,
yet
radiant
,
came
forward
to
take
the
hand
extended
to
him
.
“
They
did
nothing
but
talk
about
you
at
the
Louvre
,
when
I
was
there
last
week
,
”
she
said
,
with
a
little
confidential
nod
.
“
You
have
made
them
horribly
uncomfortable
about
some
of
their
things
.
Is
n't
it
a
pity
to
know
too
much
?
”
She
turned
towards
Daphne
.
“
I
'm
afraid
that
's
your
case
too
.
”
She
smiled
,
and
the
smile
lit
up
a
face
full
of
delicate
lines
and
wrinkles
,
which
no
effort
had
been
made
to
disguise
;
a
tired
face
,
where
the
eyes
spoke
from
caverns
of
shade
,
yet
with
the
most
appealing
and
persuasive
beauty
.
“
Do
you
mean
about
pictures
?
”
said
Daphne
,
a
little
coldly
.
“
I
do
n't
know
as
much
as
Dr.
Lelius
.
”
Humour
leapt
into
the
eyes
fixed
upon
her
;
but
Mrs.
Fairmile
only
said
:
“
That
's
not
given
to
the
rest
of
us
mortals
.
But
after
all
,
having
's
better
than
knowing
.
Do
n't
—
do
n't
you
possess
the
Vitali
Signorelli
?
”
Her
voice
was
most
musical
and
flattering
.
Daphne
smiled
in
spite
of
herself
.
“
Yes
,
we
do
.
It
's
in
London
now
—
waiting
till
we
can
find
a
place
for
it
.
”
“
You
must
let
me
make
a
pilgrimage
—
when
it
comes
.
But
you
know
you
'd
find
a
number
of
things
at
Upcott
—
where
I
'm
staying
now
—
that
would
interest
you
.
I
forget
whether
you
've
met
the
Duchess
?
”
“
This
is
our
first
week
here
,
”
said
Roger
,
interposing
.
“
The
house
has
been
let
till
now
.
We
came
down
to
see
what
could
be
made
of
it
.
”
His
tone
was
only
just
civil
.
His
mother
,
looking
on
,
said
to
herself
that
he
was
angry
—
and
with
good
reason
.
But
Mrs.
Fairmile
still
smiled
.
“
Ah
!
the
Lelys
!
”
she
cried
,
raising
her
hand
slightly
towards
the
row
of
portraits
on
the
wall
.
“
The
dear
impossible
things
!
Are
you
still
discussing
them
—
as
we
used
to
do
?
”
Daphne
started
.
“
You
know
this
house
,
then
?
”
The
smile
broadened
into
a
laugh
of
amusement
,
as
Mrs.
Fairmile
turned
to
Roger
's
mother
.
“
Do
n't
I
,
dear
Lady
Barnes
—
do
n't
I
know
this
house
?
”
Lady
Barnes
seemed
to
straighten
in
her
chair
.
“
Well
,
you
were
here
often
enough
to
know
it
,
”
she
said
abruptly
.
“
Daphne
,
Mrs.
Fairmile
is
a
distant
cousin
of
ours
.
”
“
Distant
,
but
quite
enough
to
swear
by
!
”
said
the
visitor
,
gaily
.
“
Yes
,
Mrs.
Barnes
,
I
knew
this
house
very
well
in
old
days
.
It
has
many
charming
points
.
”
She
looked
round
with
a
face
that
had
suddenly
become
coolly
critical
,
an
embodied
intelligence
.
Daphne
,
as
though
divining
for
the
first
time
a
listener
worthy
of
her
steel
,
began
to
talk
with
some
rapidity
of
the
changes
she
wished
to
make
.
She
talked
with
an
evident
desire
to
show
off
,
to
make
an
impression
.
Mrs.
Fairmile
listened
attentively
,
occasionally
throwing
in
a
word
of
criticism
or
comment
,
in
the
softest
,
gentlest
voice
.
But
somehow
,
whenever
she
spoke
,
Daphne
felt
vaguely
irritated
.
She
was
generally
put
slightly
in
the
wrong
by
her
visitor
,
and
Mrs.
Fairmile
's
extraordinary
knowledge
of
Heston
Park
,
and
of
everything
connected
with
it
,
was
so
odd
and
disconcerting
.
She
had
a
laughing
way
,
moreover
,
of
appealing
to
Roger
Barnes
himself
to
support
a
recollection
or
an
opinion
,
which
presently
produced
a
contraction
of
Daphne
's
brows
.
Who
was
this
woman
?
A
cousin
—
a
cousin
who
knew
every
inch
of
the
house
,
and
seemed
to
be
one
of
Roger
's
closest
friends
?
It
was
really
too
strange
that
in
all
these
years
Roger
should
never
have
said
a
word
about
her
!
The
red
mounted
in
Daphne
's
cheek
.
She
began
,
moreover
,
to
feel
herself
at
a
disadvantage
to
which
she
was
not
accustomed
.
Dr.
Lelius
,
meanwhile
,
turned
to
Mrs.
Fairmile
,
whenever
she
was
allowed
to
speak
,
with
a
joyous
yet
inarticulate
deference
he
had
never
shown
to
his
hostess
.
They
understood
each
other
at
a
word
or
a
glance
.
Beside
them
Daphne
,
with
all
her
cleverness
,
soon
appeared
as
a
child
for
whom
one
makes
allowances
.
A
vague
anger
swelled
in
her
throat
.
She
noticed
,
too
,
Roger
's
silence
and
Lady
Barnes
's
discomfort
.
There
was
clearly
something
here
that
had
been
kept
from
her
—
something
to
be
unravelled
!
Suddenly
the
new-comer
rose
.
Mrs.
Fairmile
wore
a
dress
of
some
pale
grey
stuff
,
cobweb-light
and
transparent
,
over
a
green
satin
.
It
had
the
effect
of
sea-water
,
and
her
grey
hat
,
with
its
pale
green
wreath
,
framed
the
golden-grey
of
her
hair
.
Every
one
of
her
few
adornments
was
exquisite
—
so
was
her
grace
as
she
moved
.
Daphne
's
pink-and-black
vivacity
beside
her
seemed
a
pinchbeck
thing
.
“
Well
,
now
,
when
will
you
all
come
to
Upcott
?
”
Mrs.
Fairmile
said
graciously
,
as
she
shook
hands
.
“
The
Duchess
will
be
enchanted
to
see
you
any
day
,
and
—
”
“
Thank
you
!
but
we
really
ca
n't
come
so
far
,
”
said
a
determined
voice
.
“
We
have
only
a
shaky
old
motor
—
our
new
one
is
n't
ready
yet
—
and
besides
,
we
want
all
our
time
for
the
house
.
”
“
You
make
him
work
so
hard
?
”
Mrs.
Fairmile
,
laughing
,
pointed
to
the
speaker
.
Roger
looked
up
involuntarily
,
and
Daphne
saw
the
look
.
“
Roger
has
nothing
to
do
,
”
she
said
,
quickly
.
“
Thank
you
very
much
:
we
will
certainly
come
.
I
'll
write
to
you
.
How
many
miles
did
you
say
it
was
?
”
“
Oh
,
nothing
for
a
motor
!
—
twenty-five
.
We
used
to
think
it
nothing
for
a
ride
,
did
n't
we
?
”
The
speaker
,
who
was
just
passing
through
the
door
,
turned
towards
Roger
,
who
,
with
Lelius
,
was
escorting
her
,
with
a
last
gesture
—
gay
,
yet
,
like
all
her
gestures
,
charged
with
a
slight
yet
deliberate
significance
.
They
disappeared
.
Daphne
walked
to
the
window
,
biting
her
lip
.
As
she
stood
there
Herbert
French
came
into
the
room
,
looking
a
little
shy
and
ill
at
ease
,
and
behind
him
three
persons
,
a
clergyman
in
an
Archdeacon
's
apron
and
gaiters
,
and
two
ladies
.
Daphne
,
perceiving
them
sideways
in
a
mirror
to
her
right
,
could
not
repress
a
gesture
and
muttered
sound
of
annoyance
.
French
introduced
Archdeacon
Mountford
,
his
wife
and
sister
.
Roger
,
it
seemed
,
had
met
them
in
the
hall
,
and
sent
them
in
.
He
himself
had
been
carried
off
on
some
business
by
the
head
keeper
.
Daphne
turned
ungraciously
.
Her
colour
was
very
bright
,
her
eyes
a
little
absent
and
wild
.
The
two
ladies
,
both
clad
in
pale
brown
stuffs
,
large
mushroom
hats
,
and
stout
country
boots
,
eyed
her
nervously
,
and
as
they
sat
down
,
at
her
bidding
,
they
left
the
Archdeacon
—
who
was
the
vicar
of
the
neighbouring
town
—
to
explain
,
with
much
amiable
stammering
,
that
seeing
the
Duchess
's
motor
at
the
front
door
,
as
they
were
crossing
the
park
,
they
presumed
that
visitors
were
admitted
,
and
had
ventured
to
call
.
Daphne
received
the
explanation
without
any
cordiality
.
She
did
indeed
bid
the
callers
sit
down
,
and
ordered
some
fresh
tea
.
But
she
took
no
pains
to
entertain
them
,
and
if
Lady
Barnes
and
Herbert
French
had
not
come
to
the
rescue
,
they
would
have
fared
but
ill.
The
Archdeacon
,
in
fact
,
did
come
to
grief
.
For
him
Mrs.
Barnes
was
just
a
“
foreigner
,
”
imported
from
some
unknown
and
,
of
course
,
inferior
milieu
,
one
who
had
never
been
“
a
happy
English
child
,
”
and
must
therefore
be
treated
with
indulgence
.
He
endeavoured
to
talk
to
her
—
kindly
—
about
her
country
.
A
branch
of
his
own
family
,
he
informed
her
,
had
settled
about
a
hundred
years
before
this
date
in
the
United
States
.
He
gave
her
,
at
some
length
,
the
genealogy
of
the
branch
,
then
of
the
main
stock
to
which
he
himself
belonged
,
presuming
that
she
was
,
at
any
rate
,
acquainted
with
the
name
?
It
was
,
he
said
,
his
strong
opinion
that
American
women
were
very
“
bright
.
”
For
himself
he
could
not
say
that
he
even
disliked
the
accent
,
it
was
so
“
quaint
.
”
Did
Mrs.
Barnes
know
many
of
the
American
bishops
?
He
himself
had
met
a
large
number
of
them
at
a
reception
at
the
Church
House
,
but
it
had
really
made
him
quite
uncomfortable
!
They
wore
no
official
dress
,
and
there
was
he
—
a
mere
Archdeacon
!
—
in
gaiters
.
And
,
of
course
,
no
one
thought
of
calling
them
“
my
lord
.
”
It
certainly
was
very
curious
—
to
an
Englishman
.
And
Methodist
bishops
!
—
such
as
he
was
told
America
possessed
in
plenty
—
that
was
still
more
curious
.
One
of
the
Episcopalian
bishops
,
however
,
had
preached
—
in
Westminster
Abbey
—
a
remarkable
sermon
,
on
a
very
sad
subject
,
not
perhaps
a
subject
to
be
discussed
in
a
drawing-room
—
but
still
—
Suddenly
the
group
on
the
other
side
of
the
room
became
aware
that
the
Archdeacon
's
amiable
prosing
had
been
sharply
interrupted
—
that
Daphne
,
not
he
,
was
holding
the
field
.
A
gust
of
talk
arose
—
Daphne
declaiming
,
the
Archdeacon
,
after
a
first
pause
of
astonishment
,
changing
aspect
and
tone
.
French
,
looking
across
the
room
,
saw
the
mask
of
conventional
amiability
stripped
from
what
was
really
a
strong
and
rather
tyrannical
face
.
The
man
's
prominent
mouth
and
long
upper
lip
emerged
.
He
drew
his
chair
back
from
Daphne
's
;
he
tried
once
or
twice
to
stop
or
argue
with
her
,
and
finally
he
rose
abruptly
.
“
My
dear
!
