I used to wonder whether this oscillation would slacken or increase with time.  Would she swing on a longer and more dangerous rhythm?  Would she be flung backwards and forwards between fascination and repulsion?

And I would catch myself up and answer my own words, “Of course not.  The poor chap isn’t as bad as all that.”

Then early in nineteen-ten Reggie Thesiger came home on leave from India.

Looking back on it all now, I seem to see that until he came everything was going well.  The oscillations, even if I didn’t exaggerate them, couldn’t have counted.  Her heart was steady, and in her heart she adored her husband.  There could be no doubt about it, she adored him.  It was because she adored him that she suffered.  Nobody can stand imperfection in their god.

But then she adored Reggie too.

She hadn’t a misgiving.  When Norah rushed to her with the news that Reggie had got his leave, she went wild and nearly strangled poor little Jimmy in her joy.  She counted the weeks, the days, the hours till he landed.  She argued with Norah as to which of them should have him first and longest when he came to town.  Norah told me she didn’t think he would stop long with us if he could go to Viola.  Viola was his favourite sister.

Well, he didn’t go to Viola at all.  He went first to the Thesigers at Lancaster Gate.  Then he came on to us.

That was all right.  We had to arrange our dates to suit the General.

On the Sunday we dined at Lancaster Gate; Viola and Jevons were not there.  Reggie had come up on the Friday for ten days, and he stayed with the General for the weekend.

He said he could stay with us for the whole week if we could have him.

We were out in the hall saying good-bye, and he was getting Norah’s cloak for her.  The hall was full of Thesigers and guests.  I remember Norah saying, “We’d love to have you.  But—­we promised Vee-Vee to divide you with her.”

And I remember seeing Reggie’s face stiffen over the collar of the cloak as he held it.  He said he didn’t want to be divided.

It was so startling, she told me afterwards, that she lost her head.  She said out loud, so that everybody heard her, “Not with Vee-Vee?” And everybody heard his answer: 

“Not with Jevons.”

Then he laughed.

In spite of the laugh Norah was quite frightened.  She asked me, going home in the taxi, what I thought it meant.  I said I thought it meant that Reggie didn’t particularly care about meeting Jimmy.  She said, “Well, he’ll have to meet him to-morrow night.  I’m jolly glad we’ve asked them.”

She added pensively, “Reggie’s quite changed.  I suppose it’s India.”

I knew she didn’t suppose anything of the sort.  She thought the General had been telling him things; and I must confess I thought so too.  Here, I may say at once, we did that kindly and honourable gentleman a wrong.