“You needn’t get into a rage,” he said.  “If I’m willing to put up with it, I suppose you needn’t cry out.  All I meant was that when you tell me a thing is going to cost so much, I like to—­well, in fact, I—­like to know where I am.”

“Look here!” said Bosinney, and Soames was both annoyed and surprised by the shrewdness of his glance.  “You’ve got my services dirt cheap.  For the kind of work I’ve put into this house, and the amount of time I’ve given to it, you’d have had to pay Littlemaster or some other fool four times as much.  What you want, in fact, is a first-rate man for a fourth-rate fee, and that’s exactly what you’ve got!”

Soames saw that he really meant what he said, and, angry though he was, the consequences of a row rose before him too vividly.  He saw his house unfinished, his wife rebellious, himself a laughingstock.

“Let’s go over it,” he said sulkily, “and see how the money’s gone.”

“Very well,” assented Bosinney.  “But we’ll hurry up, if you don’t mind.  I have to get back in time to take June to the theatre.”

Soames cast a stealthy look at him, and said:  “Coming to our place, I suppose to meet her?” He was always coming to their place!

There had been rain the night before-a spring rain, and the earth smelt of sap and wild grasses.  The warm, soft breeze swung the leaves and the golden buds of the old oak tree, and in the sunshine the blackbirds were whistling their hearts out.

It was such a spring day as breathes into a man an ineffable yearning, a painful sweetness, a longing that makes him stand motionless, looking at the leaves or grass, and fling out his arms to embrace he knows not what.  The earth gave forth a fainting warmth, stealing up through the chilly garment in which winter had wrapped her.  It was her long caress of invitation, to draw men down to lie within her arms, to roll their bodies on her, and put their lips to her breast.

On just such a day as this Soames had got from Irene the promise he had asked her for so often.  Seated on the fallen trunk of a tree, he had promised for the twentieth time that if their marriage were not a success, she should be as free as if she had never married him!

“Do you swear it?” she had said.  A few days back she had reminded him of that oath.  He had answered:  “Nonsense!  I couldn’t have sworn any such thing!” By some awkward fatality he remembered it now.  What queer things men would swear for the sake of women!  He would have sworn it at any time to gain her!  He would swear it now, if thereby he could touch her—­but nobody could touch her, she was cold-hearted!

And memories crowded on him with the fresh, sweet savour of the spring wind-memories of his courtship.