But while he thought these things, he walked by her side and both listened and talked smiling the agreeable smile.

“You will pardon my dull bewilderment,” he said.  “It is not unnatural, is it—­in a mere outsider?”

And Betty, with the beautiful impersonal smile, said: 

“We felt it so unfortunate that even your solicitors did not know your address.”

When, at length, they turned and strolled towards the house, a carriage was drawing up before the door, and at the sight of it, Betty saw her companion slightly lift his eyebrows.  Lady Anstruthers had been out and was returning.  The groom got down from the box, and two men-servants appeared upon the steps.  Lady Anstruthers descended, laughing a little as she talked to Ughtred, who had been with her.  She was dressed in clear, pale grey, and the soft rose lining of her parasol warmed the colour of her skin.

Sir Nigel paused a second and put up his glass.

“Is that my wife?” he said.  “Really!  She quite recalls New York.”

The agreeable smile was on his lips as he hastened forward.  He always more or less enjoyed coming upon Rosalie suddenly.  The obvious result was a pleasing tribute to his power.

Betty, following him, saw what occurred.

Ughtred saw him first, and spoke quick and low.

“Mother!” he said.

The tone of his voice was evidently enough.  Lady Anstruthers turned with an unmistakable start.  The rose lining of her parasol ceased to warm her colour.  In fact, the parasol itself stepped aside, and she stood with a blank, stiff, white face.

“My dear Rosalie,” said Sir Nigel, going towards her.  “You don’t look very glad to see me.”

He bent and kissed her quite with the air of a devoted husband.  Knowing what the caress meant, and seeing Rosy’s face as she submitted to it, Betty felt rather cold.  After the conjugal greeting he turned to Ughtred.

“You look remarkably well,” he said.

Betty came forward.

“We met in the park, Rosy,” she explained.  “We have been talking to each other for half an hour.”

The atmosphere which had surrounded her during the last three months had done much for Lady Anstruthers’ nerves.  She had the power to recover herself.  Sir Nigel himself saw this when she spoke.

“I was startled because I was not expecting to see you,” she said.  “I thought you were still on the Riviera.  I hope you had a pleasant journey home.”

“I had an extraordinarily pleasant surprise in finding your sister here,” he answered.  And they went into the house.