She could not do more than give such a promise, and even as she spoke there was a coldness about her heart.  The coldness became a fear when she met her husband on his return from the works.  Richard was not in the same good temper as at mid-day.  He was annoyed to find Keene in the house—­of late he had grown to dislike the journalist very cordially—­and he had heard that the Rendal children had been to the party, which enraged him.  You remember he accused the man of impudence in addition to the offence of drunkenness.  Rendal, foolishly joking in his cups, had urged as extenuation of his own weakness the well-known fact that ’Arry Mutimer had been seen one evening unmistakably intoxicated in the street of Wanley village.  Someone reported these words to Richard, and from that moment it was all over with the Rendals.

Adela, in her eagerness to plead, quite forgot (or perhaps she had never known) that with a certain order of men it is never wise to prefer a request immediately before dinner.  She was eager, too, to speak at once; a fear, which she would not allow to become definite, drove her upon the undertaking without delay.  Meeting Richard on the stairs she begged him to come to her room.

‘What is it?’ he asked with small ceremony, as soon as the door closed behind him.

She mastered her voice, and spoke with a sweet clearness of advocacy which should have moved his heart to proud and noble obeisance.  Mutimer was not very accessible to such emotions.

‘It’s like the fellow’s impertinence,’ he said, ’to send his children to you.  I’m rather surprised you let them stay after what I had told you.  Certainly I shall not overlook it.  The thing’s finished I it’s no good talking about it.’

The fear had passed, but the coldness about her heart was more deadly.  For a moment it seemed as if she could not bring herself to utter another word; she drew apart, she could not raise her face, which was beautiful in marble pain.  But there came a rush of such hot anguish as compelled her to speak again.  Something more than the fate of that poor family was at stake.  Is not the quality of mercy indispensable to true nobleness?  Had she voiced her very thought, Adela would have implored him to exalt himself in her eyes, to do a good deed which cost him some little effort over himself.  For she divined with cruel certainty that it was not the principle that made him unyielding.

‘Richard, are you sure that the man has offended before?’

’Oh, of course he has.  I’ve no doubt of it.  I remember feeling uncertain when I admitted him first of all.  I didn’t like his look.’

’But you have not really had to complain of him before.  Your suspicions may be groundless.  And he has a good wife, I feel sure of that.  The children are very clean and nicely dressed.  She will help him to avoid drink in future.  It is impossible for him to fail again, now that he knows how dreadful the results will be to his wife and his little girls.’