Michael

alk at Munich, and had recommended him to pass the winter at Berlin. It was immediately obvious that he rose in his father's estimation, for, though

himself so agreeable. On anyone of Lord Ashbridge's essential and deep-rooted snobbishness this could not fail to make a certain effect; his chilly politen

to go to Ber

able to," said Michael;

ael," said the father. "The Emperor knows what

II. His dietary was rather less rich than that of the defunct, an

had here," she said. "We ha

lance. Michael felt he would not

good, my dear," he sa

torchlight proces

ctly. And about his visit here,

also about our inte

ge gave a li

ome a sort of Cassandra, since she became a diplo

d Michael. "I don't think sh

ggled

dn't ask her down fo

r

ing to do, my dear?"

d across

ll come for a strol

k, on this fine morning. I should like to have a word w

nner changed: it was suffused with

It was tiresome being interrupted last night. But y

for all her married life she had been completely dominated by him, and had lived but in a twilight of her own; now into that twilight was beginning to steal a dread of him. His pleasure or his vexation had begun to affect her emotionally, instead of being as before

ot to vex him, wo

ously in front of the fire, and for the first time

said. "Your career, first of all. I take it that you hav

am afraid not

ishes are no less strong than they were. It is something to me to know that a man whom I re

tand," sa

other," he said. "Do you

said

describe

l hesi

," he said. "She came and talked to me last

blow to deal at Lord Ashbridge in the reminder that he was his father. He tried to disregard this-he tried to bring his mind into an impartial attitude, without seeing for a mom

her was always asking after you. You have not been writin

my mother every w

e dying out. Lord Ashbridge became more keenly aw

n so fortunate,

ther's anxious face, but

any of my letters. I thought it quite prob

if I had felt it," said his father with

el. "I am afraid I took your silence to m

bellion against the whole of h

y," he said. "My life is passed in the p

is place would have done somehow differently; he could almost hear Aunt Barbara laughing at the pomposity of the situation that had suddenly erec

Norfolk jacket, his loose knickerbockers, his stalwart calves expressed disapproval; but when his fathe

ything else about yo

Michael

said. "I daresay I

e with you; but I should

d of you," s

en him his own name, and continued to give him so satisfactory an income. There presented itself to his mind his own picture, painted and framed and glazed and hung up by himself, the beneficent nobleman, the co

presence-I am quite unable to account for it. In fact, there is no accounting for it. But I am thinking of going up to London before long, and making her see some good doctor. A little tonic, I daresay; though

up to his full m

atural she should be devoted to her

efore uncertain, and agai

ing this last year your mother has asked half a dozen girls down here, all of whom she and I consider perfectly suitable, and no doubt you have m

ad sat at the back, in the inmost place, throned and secure. And now she stepped forward. Apart from the impossibility of not acknowledging her, h

want to marry. She is Miss Falbe, Miss Sylvia Falbe, of whom you may have heard as a

Moses stepping down from Sinai, that prompted this appalling statement of the case; it was the joy in the pr

Miss-Miss Falbe, is it?" he said

that in his father's ton

" he said, "since when I proposed to

a double insult. Michael had proposed to this singer, and this singer h

d up your broken

indiscretion, for it but made his father recognise how s

My heart is not going to brea

mother's pale, anxious face, her des

at is the case. I wish-I wish

ord Ashbridge, and left the room with

poke like that. . . . And then, with a flare of illumination he perceived how intensely his father disliked him. Nothing but sheer basic antipathy could have been responsible for that miserable retort, "Am I to bind up your broken heart?" Anger, no doubt, was the immediate cause, but so utterly ungenerous a rejoinder to Michael's announcement could not have been conceived, except in a heart that thoroughly and rootedly disliked him. That he was a continual monument of di

ng continue being himself without being cheered and invigorated by that fact, and though when he set out his big white hands were positively trembling with passion, he carried his balsam always with him. But he had registered to himself, even as Michael had registered, the fact that he found his son a most intolerable person. And what vexed him most of all, what made him clang the gate at the end of the field so violently that it hit one of his retrievers shrewdly on the nose, was the sense of his own impotence. He knew perfectly well that in point of view of determination (that

e Zoological Gardens a few days ago: two seals, sitting bolt upright, quarrelling with each other, and making the most absurd grimaces and noises. They neither of them quite dared to attack the other,

bout nothing but Sylvia, and of Sylvia, not as the subject of quarrel

ming of spring, hung dejected heads in the sunk garden, where the hornbeam hedge that carried its russet leaves unfallen, shaded them from the wind. Here, too, a few bulbs had pricked their way above ground, and stood with stout, erect horns daintily capped with rime. All these things, which for years had been presented to Lady Ashbridge's notice without attracting her attention; now filled her with minute childlike pleasure; they were discoveries as entran

ess her, and so he represented the interview as having gone off in perfect amity. Later in the day, on his father's return, he had made up his mind to propose a truce between

t was lifted

ncis are coming, for though your aunt always laughs at your father, she does it kindly, does she not? And as for Francis-my dear, if God had

rhaps that his helpless predecessor slept below. Then their walk brought them to the band of trees that separated the links from the house, from which Lady Ashbridge retreated, fearful, as she vaguely phrased it, "of being seen," and by whom t

ry Christmas to you all. I hope you are all goo

t the children, and walked on with him.

ere he could be pointedly ignored, and the resplendent dinner, with its six footmen and its silver service, was not really more joyless than usual. But his father's majestic displeasure was more apparent when the three men sat alone afterwards, and it was in dead silence that port was pushed round and cigarettes handed. Francis, it is true, made a couple of efforts to enliven things, but his r

told my mother that our interview this morning was quite amicable. I

face soften

ree to tha

ristmas, and let a specialist see her. For the present the pious fraud practised on her that Michael and his father had had "a good talk" together, and were excellent friends, sufficed to render her happy and cheerful. She had long, dim talks, full of repetition, with Michael, whose presence appeared to make her completely content, and when he was out or away from her she would sit eagerly waiting for his return. Petsy, to the great benefit of his health, got somewhat neglected by her; her whole nature and instincts were alight with the mother-love that had burnt so late into flame, with this tragic accompaniment of derangement. She seemed to be groping her way back to the days when Michael was a little boy, and she was a yo

of distressing Lady Ashbridge. It was dreary work for all concerned, but, luckily, not difficult of accomplishment. A little chatter about the weather, the merest small change of conversation, especially if that conversation was held between Michael and his father, was sufficient to wreathe her in smiles

humanity he had, by appearing to be friends with Michael, to secure her serenity, and this could only be done by the continued profanation of his own highly proper and necessary attitude towards his son. He had to address friendly words to Michael that really almost choked him; he had to practise cordiality with this wretch who wanted to marry the sister of a music-master. Michael had pulled up all the old traditions, that carefully-tended and pompous flower-garden, as if they had been weeds, and thrown them in his father's face. It was indeed no wonder that, in his wife's absence, he a

d stopped three nights, instead of finding urgent private business in town after one. He realised also, somewhat with surprise, that Francis was "no good" when there was trouble about; there was no one so delightful when there was, so to speak, a contest of who should enjoy himself the most, and Francis invariably won. But if the subject of the contest was changed, and the prize given for the individual who, under depressing circumstances, should

unt Marion is there. And there's nothing going on, is there? I practically asked if I might go duck-shooting to-day, and

n't," sai

e shot. But there it is, then. Certainly Uncle Robert doesn't want me

oat gently grated on the pebbly mud at the side of the landing-place. Francis's quest

we shall all go back to town in a couple

od with his hands in his pockets while Michael pus

sn't she? I daresay it's nothing; but she's been alone, hasn't she, w

ng maturity, he saw how hopeless it was to feel Francis's deficiencies, his entire lack of deep feeling. He was made like that;

d a little w

the present, anyhow, she had refused you. There was nothing to tell him about. If I was fond of a gir

el la

ords, fond of her 'like that.' You couldn't help it. At leas

sto

id-"or, rather, I can't talk ab

sed you," said th

y father's anger, and my mother's illness, whatever it proves to be-I think about them really with all my might,

road through the woods, which, following the estuary, turned the point, they presently found themselves, as they mounted, quite clear of the mist that lay below them on the river. Their steps were noiseless on the mossy path, and almost immediately after they had turned the corner, as Francis paused to light a cigarette, they heard from just below them the creaking of oars in their rowlocks. It caught the ears of them both, and without conscious curiosity they listened. On the moment the sound of rowing ceased, and from the dense mist just below them there came a sound which was quite unmistakable, namely, the "plop" of something heavy dropped into the water. That

ence, then, invisible below, someone said, "Fifteen fath

rds his cousin, so that

"I want to row round and see who

then were still again. Once more there came the

ndings in the channel

were round the point, then quicke

enough right across for a ship of moderate draught to come up, but there is a channel up which any man-of-

ked Francis, striding easily a

wards. Now the tide's going out we can drop down with it, and we shan't be heard. I'll row

it. From the lisp of little wavelets lapping on the shore below the woods, he knew he was quite close in to the bank, and close also to the place where the invisible boat had been ten minutes before. Then, in the bewildering, unlocalised manner in which sound without the corrective guidance of sight comes to the ears, he heard as before the creaking of in

other boat shot by them, making down the estuary. Next moment it had quite vani

retreating and faint-growing sound of the other, it was clear that he could

ve run away," he said. "They'd hav

e was it?" a

opped his

" he said. "She would tell yo

is la

o niggers,"

e an odd thing, t

nquillity of the sky was growing dim as with the mist that lay that afternoon on the waters of the deep reach, and covered mysterious mo