For several days after the scene in which Mr. Malkin unconsciously played an important part, Marcella seemed to be ill.  She appeared at meals, but neither ate nor conversed.  Christian had never known her so sullen and nervously irritable; he did not venture to utter Peak’s name.  Upon seclusion followed restless activity.  Marcella was rarely at home between breakfast and dinner-time, and her brother learnt with satisfaction that she went much among her acquaintances.  Late one evening, when he had just returned from he knew not where, Christian tried to put an end to the unnatural constraint between them.  After talking cheerfully for a few minutes, he risked the question: 

‘Have you seen anything of the Warricombes?’

She replied with a cold negative.

‘Nor heard anything?’

‘No.  Have you?’

’Nothing at all.  I have seen Earwaker.  Malkin had told him about what happened here the other day.’

‘Of course.’

‘But he had no news.—­Of Peak, I mean.’

Marcella smiled, as if the situation amused her; but she would not discuss it.  Christian began to hope that she was training herself to a wholesome indifference.

A month of the new year went by, and Peak seemed to be forgotten.  Marcella had returned to her studious habits, was fenced around with books, seldom left the house.  Another month and the brother and sister were living very much in the old way, seeing few people, conversing only of intellectual things.  But Christian concealed an expectation which enabled him to pass hours of retirement in the completest idleness.  Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Palmer had been living abroad.  Before the end of March, as he had been careful to discover, she would be back in London, at the house in Sussex Square.  By that time he might venture, without indelicacy, to call upon her.  And after the first interview——­

The day came, when, ill with agitation, he set forth to pay this call.  For two or three nights he had scarcely closed his eyes; he looked ghastly.  The weather was execrable, and on that very account he made choice of this afternoon, hoping that he might find his widowed Laura alone.  Between ringing the bell and the opening of the door, he could hardly support himself.  He asked for Mrs. Palmer in a gasping voice which caused the servant to look at him with surprise.

The lady was at home.  At the drawing-room door, before his name could be announced, he caught the unwelcome sound of voices in lively conversation.  It seemed to him that a score of persons were assembled.  In reality there were six, three of them callers.

Mrs. Palmer met him with the friendliest welcome.  A stranger would have thought her pretty, but by no means impressive.  She was short, anything but meagre, fair-haired, brisk of movement, idly vivacious in look and tone.  The mourning she wore imposed no restraint upon her humour, which at present was not far from gay.