Jaffery

to golf, a pastime at which I do not excel; and I initiated him into the invigorating mysteries of playing at robbers with Susan. We gave a carefully selected dinner-party or two, and accep

he doesn't know come up and gush over 'The Diamon

inary clever, well-bred man of the world he might have done this almost mechanically; but I fancied that he found real enjoyment in the light and picturesque talk of his two neighbours. When the ladies left us, he discussed easy politics with the Member for our own division of the County. In the drawing-room, afterwards, he played a rubber at bridge, happened to hold good cards and smiled an hour awa

d is the matter w

bantams of women, one dark as wine, the other fair as corn. If ever these tw

I was under the impression that every educated person in the English-speaking world knew my hu

ra, aghast, "we thought that Adri

e game; but you must see it was very galling to him-and to me-to be

ng judicially. "Pray reflect that there are architects al

well what I mea

ashamed of yourself. We took the trouble to tell every one of those people that Adrian hated a

ed a shade in Dor

admit it. But I think it would

riends reached such a degree of lunacy as warranted confinement in an asylum, it was one's plain duty to look after them. So we continued to look after our genius

I mildly counselled him to temper

the night w

fidgeted w

k at all," said he. "I hate it

y idle beggar; but you're as proud as Punch of yo

it mean a

ll make me cry. Don't. It means every blessed thing

n of its own accord. It's having to sit down at that infernal desk that gets on my nerves. I have the same horrible app

asked. "If I were shut up alone in it, I woul

en he looked away absently and murmured

is it?" I

. "It's the born butterfly being cond

m drive off and watched the car dis

I, "thank goodness I'm

id Barbara

theatres instead of spending three or four hours in his study. Otherwise the routine of toil went on as before. One afternoon, happening to be in town and in the neighbourhood of St. John's Wood, I called at the flat with the idea

ter," said I. "Te

ould not refuse to admit me, seeing that I was already in the hall

of the utmost importa

help it. She

y been in our service a couple of years before!-"

ely. "I think I should

to announce myself. Don't tell me I'll have to

rvants, but I was irritated by all this Grand Llama atmosphere of mysterious seclusion. Besides, I had been walking and f

arched to the door of Adrian's study.

e?" came Ad

Hil

s the

under your roof," said I

minute,"

ocked and opened and I strode in upon Adr

I, "did you keep me ha

put away my work"-he waved a hand towards the safe-"wh

ve that the quill pens and blotting pad were inky, his library table seemed as

nly dropped in for a second or two. I wanted to ask

led. "How's the old b

of a Viceroy and living in sum

epistle had just arrived when I was leaving Northlands that morning, and it was but an accident of haste that the envelope had not

u looking fo

ste-pape

got such

litter into

hy

the curiosity of housemaids,

with your wast

said, with his eyes

and money-lenders' circulars and second-hand b

me by the arm and regarded me

ducting my social correspondence in the bathroom. If you want to see the waste-paper basket where I throw my bills and unanswered letters from duchesses, and the

unnoticed object-a little table, now startlingly obvious, in a corner of the all

all I want h

ible flavour of midnight oil. There's not what you unders

m old man Jornicroft, a rare blend which just a few "merchantates" (Barbara's word, he declared, was delicious) in Glasgow and Dundee and here and there a one in the City of London were able to procure. In its flavour, said he, lurked the mystery of strange

ed, in answer to my pro

f his urbanity. But in the train, and afterwards at home, I was teased by vague apprehensions. Hitherto I had loosely and playfully qualified his methods

ulous as not to expose even torn up bits of rough draft to the ancillary publicity of a waste-paper basket? Soundness of mind did not lie that way. The terms in which he alluded to his book were not those of a sane man filled with the joy of his creation. None of us, not even Doria, knew how the story was progressing. He had signed a contract with an American editor for serialisation to begin in July. Here we were in the

wards, came news that, to so

of manuscript is delivered to-day at London Office will cancel contract." Adrian read it,

she said, look

ege of publishing my novel in his rubbishy periodical and he dares to dictate terms to me! Half a novel, indee

seeking to turn aside his wrath with a smile. "It's not quit

damned first." He turned to the

you goin

to Fleet Street or wherever his beastly office is. He's mistaken. There," he wrote the cable hurriedly and read it aloud,

t quite like th

asp for the past month. Now he's squashed. And now," said he, getting up and lig

here to Cook's and taken tickets to Switzerland. Having some business in town, I motored up with Barbara earlier than I need have done, and we saw them off at Victoria Station. Adrian, in holiday spirits, talked rather loudly. Now that he was free from the horror of that bestial vampire sucking his blood-that was his way of referring to the long suffering and hardly used editor-life emerged f

to do on top of the Mat

ks, and see beautiful things and think beautiful thoughts." She dragged Barbara a step or two aside. "Don

est, dear," repli

rian Boldero. Some haunting fear was set at the back of his laughing eyes-the expression of an animal

go too far into the wilds out

hy

king away

really t

," sa

and then at me full in the

end, Hilary. God k

that her passionately loyal hear

ments of mankind. So they wandered about the old Italian cities, until he discovered that the one thing essential to his work was the gaiety of cosmopolitan society; whereupon they went the round of French watering-places, where Adrian played recklessly at baccarat and spent inordinate sums o

mania (which they expected us to share) for salmon-fishing in the pouring rain. As neither Barbara nor I were experts-I always trembled lest a strong young fish getting hold of the end of Barbara's line should whisk her over like a feather into the boiling current-and as for myself, I prefer the more contemplative art of bottom fishing from a punt in dry weather-our friends caught all the salmon, while we merely caugh

id he, had done him incalculable good. Already he had begun to work in the full glow of inspiration. We thought him looking old and hag-ridden, but Doria seemed happy. She had her own reason for happiness, which she confided to Barbara. It would be e

that's just about the time yo

g look. "Yes," said he, "th

ion and sorrow, he went to b