Lady Laura’s lips trembled.

“You forget what Duggy and I shall be feeling all the time, Arthur.  It’s very hard on us.”

“No—­nonsense!” The voice was good-humouredly impatient.  “Take it calmly, dear.  What do places matter?  Come to the Andes with me.  Duggy must work for his fellowship; Nelly can stay with some of our relations; and we can send the children to school.  Or what do you say to a winter in California?  Let’s have a second honeymoon—­see something of the world before we die.  This English country gentleman business ties one terribly.  Life in one’s own house is so jolly one doesn’t want anything else.  But now, if we’re going to be uprooted, let’s enjoy it!”

“Enjoy it!” repeated his wife bitterly.  “How can you say such things, Arthur?”

She walked to the window, and stood looking out at the garden with its grandiose backing of hill and climbing wood, and the strong broken masses of the cedar trees—­the oldest it was said in England—­which flanked it on either side.  Lady Laura was, in truth, only just beginning to realise their misfortunes.  It had seemed to her impossible that such wealth as theirs should positively give out; that there should be nothing left but her miserable two thousand a year; that something should not turn up to save them from this preposterous necessity of leaving Flood.  When Douglas came home, she had thrown herself on her clever son, confident that he would find a way out, and his sombre verdict on the hopelessness of the situation had filled her with terror.  How could they live with nothing but the London house to call their own?  How could they?  Why couldn’t they sell off the land, and keep the house and the park?  Then they would still be the Fallodens of Flood.  It was stupid—­simply stupid—­to be giving up everything like this.

So day by day she wearied her husband and son by her lamentations, which were like those of some petted animal in distress.  And every now and then she had moments of shrinking terror—­of foreboding—­fearing she knew not what.  Her husband seemed to her changed.  Why wouldn’t he take her advice?  Why wouldn’t Douglas listen to her?  If only her father had been alive, or her only brother, they could have helped her.  But she had nobody—­nobody—­and Arthur and Douglas would do this horrible thing.

Her husband watched her, half smiling—­his shrunken face flushed, his eyes full of a curious excitement.  She had grown stout in the last five years, poor Laura!—­she had lost her youth before the crash came.  But she was still very pleasant to look upon, with her plentiful fair hair, and her pretty mouth—­her instinct for beautiful dress—­and her soft appealing manner.  He suddenly envisaged her in black—­with a plain white collar and cuffs, and something white on her hair.  Then vehemently shaking off his thought he rose and went to her.

“Dear—­didn’t Duggy want you to ask somebody for the shoot?  I thought I heard him mention somebody?’