“It’s all ready,” she observed in a subdued voice.

“Bravo, kiddie!” said Osborn, “I see it is.  You’re magnificent.”

A little while ago this praise would have made her glow sweetly, but now it tasted sour in her mouth; she did not particularly wish to be a magnificent cook-general, a magnificent charwoman.  All her nerves felt stretched as if they must snap and she must scream.  Tremblingly she set a tray on the table.

“Don’t give me any, please.”

“Darling!  No breakfast!”

“I’ll have some toast.  Oh, don’t, don’t worry me!  I’ve told you I feel simply on edge.”

Osborn ate his bacon with a feeling that somehow he ought not; but he was hungry.  He ate Marie’s portion, too, half apologetically.  There was one thing, however, which, very sensibly, he omitted to do; he had the tact not to open the morning paper.  There are some things which a woman will not stand, and one is the sight of an abstracted man behind a paper, letting his crumbs fall down his waistcoat, when she feels nervy.

“Lovely morning, dearest,” said Osborn; “you ought to go for a brisk walk.”

“Perhaps I will.”

“You do look awf’ly seedy.”

“I feel it.”

“I hope your mother will come round this morning.  She’d do the marketing for you, or something, wouldn’t she?”

“Yes, Osborn, I’m sure she would.”

Osborn helped himself to toast and tried to eat it quietly; he had some dumb, blind instinct which comes to men, that crunching would be vexatious.  He handed butter and marmalade tenderly to his wife and carried his cup round to her for replenishment, instead of passing it.  He did all he knew.

The anticipation of Rokeby and that sanctuary, his club, invaded his mind agreeably.  A club was a great institution.  If he touched a good commission this year—­but no.  Certainly not!  He put the idea from him.

He put a hand in his trousers pocket and jingled there.  A thought had come to him, which comes to all men in moments of trial concerning women, moments calling for prompt treatment and nice judgment.

A present!

He could not afford it, but it must be done.  What else could he do?  He felt remarkably helpless.  He felt about cautiously and intimately in his pocket, knowing with exactitude all that was there.  It was not much.  On Fridays he now banked half his weekly salary against such demands as rent, furniture instalments and so on.  Thirty shillings he gave to Marie; ten he kept.  This was Tuesday.

He withdrew his hand with something in it—­two half-crowns.  He would lunch light for the next three days.

“Darling,” he said, with a slight break in his voice, so anxious he was to propitiate the pale, pretty girl who brooded at him from the head of the table, “look here!  Do something to please me.  When I’m out on the spree to-night let me think of your having a good time too.  Why not ring up Miss Winter and get her to go to the theatre with you?  Here’s two seats.”