And yet when her husband, after having quite finished with his paper, said: 

“It’s very awkward that Herbert Courtland is not in town.”

She merely raised her shoulders an inch, saying: 

“I suppose that he has a right to take a holiday now and then.  If you didn’t telegraph to him from Paris, you cannot complain.”

“I felt certain that I should find him here,” said the husband.

“Here?” said the wife, raising her eyebrows and casting an offended glance at her husband.  “Here?”

He smiled in the face of her offended glance.

“Here—­in London, I mean, of course.  Heavens, Ella! did you fancy for a moment that I meant——­Ah, by the way, you have seen him recently?”

“Oh, yes; quite recently—­on Tuesday, I think it was, we met at the Ayrton’s dinner party—­yes, it was Tuesday.  There was some fuss, or attempted fuss, about his adventures in New Guinea, and a question was being asked about the matter in the House of Commons.  Mr. Ayrton got rid of some of his superfluous cleverness in putting a counter question—­you know the way.”

“Oh, perfectly well!  And that is how you met on Tuesday—­if it was Tuesday?”

“Yes; he went to thank Mr. Ayrton, and Mr. Ayrton asked him to dinner.  It was a small party, and not very brilliant.  Herbert came here with me afterward—­for five minutes.”

“Ah!  To get the taste of the party off his mouth, I suppose?  He didn’t say anything to you then about being tired of his London season?”

“Not a word.  He seemed tired of the dinner party.  He yawned.”

“And I’m sure that you yawned in sympathy.  When a man so far forgets himself as to yawn in the presence of a woman, she never fails to respond with one of more ample circumference.  When a woman so far remembers herself as to yawn in the presence of a man, he tries to say something witty.”

“Yes, when the woman is not his wife.  If she is his wife, he asks her if she doesn’t think it’s about time she was in bed.”

“I dare say you’re right; you have observed men—­and women, for that matter—­much more closely than I have had time to do.  It’s very awkward that he isn’t here.  I must bring him back at once.”

She felt a little movement at her heart; but she only said: 

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you.  Why shouldn’t he be allowed to enjoy his holiday in peace?”

“It’s a matter of business; the mine, I told you.”

“What’s wrong with the mine that could be set right by his coming back at once?  Are you not making enough out of it?”

“We’re making quite as much as is good for us out of it.  But if we can get a hundred and fifty thousand pounds for a few yards of our claim further east, without damaging the prospects of the mine itself, I don’t think we should refuse it—­at any rate, I don’t think that we should refuse to consider the offer.”

“What is a hundred and fifty thousand pounds?” said she.