No doubt she was in a reckless mood, and she was young, absurdly young.  But if he opposed her, he didn’t know what she would do; for all he could tell she might want to take up a profession, become a doctor or solicitor, some nonsense.  She had no aptitude for painting, writing, music, in his view the legitimate occupations of unmarried women, if they must do something in these days.  On the whole, she was safer married, for he could see too well how feverish and restless she was at home.  Annette, too, had been in favour of it—­Annette, from behind the veil of his refusal to know what she was about, if she was about anything.  Annette had said:  “Let her marry this young man.  He is a nice boy—­not so highty-flighty as he seems.”  Where she got her expressions, he didn’t know—­but her opinion soothed his doubts.  His wife, whatever her conduct, had clear eyes and an almost depressing amount of common sense.  He had settled fifty thousand on Fleur, taking care that there was no cross settlement in case it didn’t turn out well.  Could it turn out well?  She had not got over that other boy—­he knew.  They were to go to Spain for the honeymoon.  He would be even lonelier when she was gone.  But later, perhaps, she would forget, and turn to him again!  Winifred’s voice broke on his reverie.

“Why!  Of all wonders-June!”

There, in a djibbah—­what things she wore!—­with her hair straying from under a fillet, Soames saw his cousin, and Fleur going forward to greet her.  The two passed from their view out on to the stairway.

“Really,” said Winifred, “she does the most impossible things!  Fancy her coming!”

“What made you ask her?” muttered Soames.

“Because I thought she wouldn’t accept, of course.”

Winifred had forgotten that behind conduct lies the main trend of character; or, in other words, omitted to remember that Fleur was now a “lame duck.”

On receiving her invitation, June had first thought, ’I wouldn’t go near them for the world!’ and then, one morning, had awakened from a dream of Fleur waving to her from a boat with a wild unhappy gesture.  And she had changed her mind.

When Fleur came forward and said to her, “Do come up while I’m changing my dress,” she had followed up the stairs.  The girl led the way into Imogen’s old bedroom, set ready for her toilet.

June sat down on the bed, thin and upright, like a little spirit in the sear and yellow.  Fleur locked the door.

The girl stood before her divested of her wedding dress.  What a pretty thing she was!

“I suppose you think me a fool,” she said, with quivering lips, “when it was to have been Jon.  But what does it matter?  Michael wants me, and I don’t care.  It’ll get me away from home.”  Diving her hand into the frills on her breast, she brought out a letter.  “Jon wrote me this.”

June read:  “Lake Okanagen, British Columbia.  I’m not coming back to England.  Bless you always.  Jon.”