away, and yet as in another world.  Presently he would come out, go to some music-hall, or stroll home thinking of her—­perhaps not even thinking of her!  Another woman passed, giving her a furtive glance.  But Gyp felt no glee now.  And, crossing over, close under the windows of the club, she hurried home.  When she reached her room, she broke into a storm of tears.  How could she have liked hurting those poor women, hurting that man—­who was only paying her a man’s compliment, after all?  And with these tears, her jealous, wild feelings passed, leaving only her longing.

Next morning brought a letter.  Summerhay wrote from an inn on the river, asking her to come down by the eleven o’clock train, and he would meet her at the station.  He wanted to show her a house that he had seen; and they could have the afternoon on the river!  Gyp received this letter, which began:  “My darling!” with an ecstasy that she could not quite conceal.  And Winton, who had watched her face, said presently: 

“I think I shall go to Newmarket, Gyp.  Home to-morrow evening.”

In the train on the way down, she sat with closed eyes, in a sort of trance.  If her lover had been there holding her in his arms, he could not have seemed nearer.

She saw him as the train ran in; but they met without a hand-clasp, without a word, simply looking at each other and breaking into smiles.

A little victoria “dug up”—­as Summerhay said—­“horse, driver and all,” carried them slowly upward.  Under cover of the light rugs their hands were clasped, and they never ceased to look into each other’s faces, except for those formal glances of propriety which deceive no one.

The day was beautiful, as only early September days can be—­when the sun is hot, yet not too hot, and its light falls in a silken radiance on trees just losing the opulent monotony of summer, on silvery-gold reaped fields, silvery-green uplands, golden mustard; when shots ring out in the distance, and, as one gazes, a leaf falls, without reason, as it would seem.  Presently they branched off the main road by a lane past a clump of beeches and drew up at the gate of a lonely house, built of very old red brick, and covered by Virginia creeper just turning—­a house with an ingle-nook and low, broad chimneys.  Before it was a walled, neglected lawn, with poplars and one large walnut-tree.  The sunlight seemed to have collected in that garden, and there was a tremendous hum of bees.  Above the trees, the downs could be seen where racehorses, they said, were trained.  Summerhay had the keys of the house, and they went in.  To Gyp, it was like a child’s “pretending”—­to imagine they were going to live there together, to sort out the rooms and consecrate each.  She would not spoil this perfect day by argument or admission of the need for a decision.  And when he asked: 

“Well, darling, what do you think of it?” she only answered: