“Oh, you don’t know what I’d do...Don’t worry, Eliot.  I shall be too busy with the land and with Colin to do very much.”

“I’m not worrying.”

All the same he wondered which of them knew Anne best, he or Anne herself, or Jerrold.

XI

INTERIM

i

Colin thought with terror of the time when Queenie would come back from the war.  At any moment she might get leave and come; if she had not had it yet that only made it more likely that she would have it soon.

The vague horror that waited for him every morning had turned into this definite fear of Queenie.  He was afraid of her temper, of her voice and eyes, of her crude, malignant thoughts, of her hatred of Anne.  More than anything he was afraid of her power over him, of her vehement, exhausting love.  He was afraid of her beauty.

One morning, early in September, the wire came.  Colin shook with agitation as he read it.

“What is it?” Anne said.

“Queenie.  She’s got leave.  She’ll be here today.  At four o’clock.”

“Don’t you want to see her?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then you’d better drive over to Kingden and look at those bullocks of Ledbury’s.”

“I don’t know anything about bullocks.  They ought to be straight lines from their heads to their tails.  That’s about all I know.”

“Never mind, you’ll have gone to look at bullocks.  And you can tell Ledbury I’m coming over to-morrow.  Do you mind driving yourself?”

Colin did mind.  He was afraid to drive by himself; but he was much more afraid of Queenie.

“You can take Harry.  And leave me to settle Queenie.”

Colin went off with Harry to Chipping Kingden.  And at four o’clock Queenie came.  Her hard, fierce eyes stared past Anne, looking for Colin.

“Where’s Colin?” she said.

“He had to go out, but he’ll be back before dinner.”

Presently Queenie asked if she might go upstairs.  As they went you could see her quick, inquisitive eyes sweeping and flashing.

The door of Colin’s room stood open.

“Is that Colin’s room?”

“Yes.”

She went in, opened the inner door and looked into the gable room.

“Who sleeps here?” she said.

“I do,” said Anne.

“You?”

“Have you any objection?”

“You might as well sleep in my husband’s room.”

“Oh no, this is near enough.  I can tell whether he’s asleep or awake.”

“Can you?  And, please, how long has this been going on?”

“I’ve been sleeping in this room since November.  Before that we had our old rooms at the Manor.  There was a passage between, you remember.  But I left the doors wide open.”

“Oh no, this is near enough.  I can tell whether he’s asleep or awake.”

“Can you?  And, please, how long has this been going on?”