Rodman frowned in thought.

‘He won’t like it.’

’But why not?  I believe he will.  He will, he shall, he must!  I’m not to depend on him, surely?’

‘A day or two more, Alice.’

‘I can’t keep up the shamming!’ she exclaimed.  ’Adela suspects, I feel sure.  Whenever you come in I feel that hot and red.’  She laughed and blushed.  ’If you won’t do as I tell you, I’ll give you up, I will indeed!’

Rodman stroked his moustache, smiling.

‘You will, will you?’

’See if I don’t.  To-night!  It must be to-night!  Shall I call you a pretty name? it’s only because I couldn’t bear to be found out before you tell him.’

He still stroked his moustache.  His handsome face was half amused, half troubled.  At last he said: 

‘Very well; to-night.’

Shortly after, Mutimer came into the room.

‘Adela isn’t up to the mark,’ he said to Alice.  ’She’d better have dinner by herself, I think; but she’ll join us afterwards.’

Brother and sister exchanged looks.

‘Oh, it’s only a headache or something of the kind,’ he continued.  ‘It’ll be all right soon.’

And he began to talk with Rodman cheerfully, so that Alice felt it must really be all right.  She drew aside and looked into a novel.

Adela did appear after dinner, very pale and silent, but with a smile on her face.  There had been no further conversation between her and her husband.  She talked a little with ’Arry, in her usual gentle way, then asked to be allowed to say goodnight.  ’Arry at the same time took his leave, having been privately bidden to do so by his sister.  He was glad enough to get away; in the drawing-room his limbs soon began to ache, from inability to sit at his ease.

Then Alice withdrew, and the men were left alone.

Adela did not go to bed.  She suffered from the closeness of the evening and sat by her open windows, trying to read a chapter in the New Testament.  About eleven o’clock she had a great desire to walk upon the garden grass for a few minutes before undressing; perhaps it might help her to the sleep she so longed for yet feared she would not obtain.  The desire became so strong that she yielded to it, passed quietly downstairs, and out into the still night.  She directed her steps to her favourite remote corner.  There was but little moonlight, and scarcely a star was visible.  When she neared the laburnums behind which she often sat or walked, her ear caught the sound of voices.  They came nearer, on the other side of the trees.  The first word which she heard distinctly bound her to the spot and forced her to listen.

‘No, I shan’t put it off.’  It was Alice speaking.  ’I know what comes of that kind of thing.  I am old enough to be my own mistress.’

‘You are not twenty-one,’ replied Richard in an annoyed voice.  ’I shall do everything I can to put it off till you are of age.  Rodman is a good enough fellow in his place; but it isn’t hard to see why he’s talked you over in this way.’