Septimus

tearing two-step, as it is in Godalming, London, and other vortices of human passions, but the stately measure of a minuet. Delights

marked their flight, and the gentle fingers of Nunsmere had graduated the reawakening of her nostalgia for the great world. She spoke now and then of visiting

ackney Downs, which Wiggleswick suggested, Zora waved her hand to the tenantless house and told him to take it. As there was an outhouse at the end of the garden which he could use as a workshop, his

now, but what you're to put in those thi

ums in them," said Septimus b

t a female cook in charge of you

the execution of her threat. From the first she had assumed despotic power over Wiggleswick, of whose influence with his master she had been absurdly jealous. But Wiggleswi

es, of ballistics, of longitudinal tensions, and would jot down trigonometrical formulae illustrated by diagrams until her brain reeled; or of his treatise on guns of large caliber just written and now in the printers' hands, and of the revolution in warfare these astounding machines would effect. His eyes would lose their dreamy haze and would become luminous, his nervous fingers would become effectual, the man would become transfigured; but as soon as the fervid fit passed off he would turn with amiable aimlessness to his usual irrelevance. Sometimes he would work all night, either in his room or his workshop, at his inventions. Sometimes he would dream for days to

Septimus's peaceful

n, that he took her, with Wiggleswick, the ducks and the donkey, into his close comradeship. It was she who had ordained the carrots. She had hair like golden thistledown, and the dainty, blonde skin that betrays every motion of the blood. She could blush like the pink tea-rose of an old-fashioned English garden. She could blanch to the whiteness of alabaster. Her eyes were forget-me-nots after rain. H

married?" she as

tretch of pearls and purples, with here and there a streak

e has married

o drag you out of your house by the scruff of your neck a

lots of women d

rsal criticism of her sex, but cannot help feeling a tw

es out and loo

e he doesn'

in it? What can anybody's life be without some one to care for? I

rs through his upstanding hair, re-cover

It's no use your fall

k love is serious. It's like an invention: sometimes it lies deep down inside y

ow all about it. You are in l

s and I burned a hole in her pinafore with a toy cannon a

again raised his hat and ran his hand t

id, "you have falle

a moment or two; th

that," he said,

alked. It was her nature, even while

f it's true

spoken of," he said sobe

ut a hand on his arm, with

er marry again. I do hope it's not serious. Is it?" As he did not answer, she continued: "

"Isn't that the hist

What was the use of wanting unless you got, and what was the use of getting unless you enjoyed? She came to the conclusion that Septimus was only sentimentally in love with

of man to write poetry

" said S

hat do

e bassoon,

oy, thereby scaring a hen tha

t you tell us? I'm sure Zora doesn

me," said he. "He

ing it round

ve's drawing-room, he made such unearthly and terrific noises that Mrs. Oldrieve grew pale and Z

don't mind

s mildly. "I could never mak

must gain from a two years' battle on the stage. In fact, she did not reckon with any of the circumstances of Emmy's position. She herself was too ignorant, too much centered as yet in her own young impulses and aspirations, and far too serene in her unquestioning faith in the impeccability of the Oldrieve family. To her Emmy was still the fluffy-haired little sister with caressing ways whom she could send upstairs for her work-baske

-days' excursion with him. Mordaunt Prince said this and Mordaunt Prince said that. Mordaunt paid three guineas a pair for his brown boots. He had lately divorced his wife, an unspeakable creature only too anxious for freedom. Mordaunt came to see her every day in London, and every day during their absence they corresponded. Her existence was wrapped up in Mordaunt Prince. She traveled about with a suit-case (or so it appeared

and it seemed sweet and gracious, a thing to dream about. His own distant worship of Zora did not strike him as romantic. It was a part of himself, like the hallowed memory of his mother and the conception of his devastating guns. Had he been more worldly-wise he would have seen possible danger in Emmy's romance, and insisted on Zora being ta

k and Emmy, applauded herself mightily as a contriv

They had evidently returned from a walk. She plucked a great white chrysanthemum bloom from

uld be for Emmy," said M

Septimus?

; then all at once

cried, and ki

as small and Zora was large, and Zor

an and can affor

" said Zora,

steady," said Mrs. O

amuse Emmy a

husband's duty, dear, to amus

mother's Puritan strain. For herself she felt secure. She, Zora, could wander unattended over Europe, mixing without spot or stain with whatever company she listed; that was because she was Zora Middlemist, a young woman of exceptional personality and experience of life. Ordinary young persons, for their own safe conduct, ought to obey the conventions which were made with that end in view; and Emmy was an ordinary young person. She should marry; it wou

owards the baby. If she cannot have one directly, she will have it vicariously. The

r and his wife, to whom he was paying one of his periodical visits-in a corner of their d

re refined and deli

ats cucumber sandwiches in the most delicate way in the world; but she is obeying the same instinc

tion is revolt

the truth? Trut

th is that?"

Veiled Prophet of Khorasan, La

r cablegram," said Zora

veals the revolting horror of it, you run away screaming, with your hands before your eyes. Why do you want truth to be pretty? Why can't you look its ghastliness bravely in the face? How c

nd not disgustful

ear friends to marry, it is only because I know how happy they w

o you more. I could teach you a great deal. At any rate

," she d

buttered toast on the carpet and, picking it up, said "damn" unde

bent on educatin

the few men of your acquaintanc

t hating herself for feeling a little

"I've a wife and fiv

ad seen him in Monte Carlo he had been to New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, fighting the Jebusa Jones dragon in its lair. He had written Zora stout dispatches during the

tired for the only time in my life. I wanted you," he added, with one of his quick, piercing looks. "It's a curious thing, but I've kept saying to myself for the last month,

tea in hand, a pleasa

will rest you,"

soda water." He drew a long breath. "My God! It's good to see you again. Yo

baby, with disastrous results; then the mother had called in the doctor, who wrote out a simple prescription which healed the child immediately. The only real evidence of its powers she had

ch scepticism a

tuff. Chemists are even lukewarm. A grain of mustard seed of faith among them would save me thousands of pounds a year. Not that I want to roll in money, Mrs.

that Zora had heard

must forget it, put it out of your mind, take a holiday. Strong as you are, you are

lp me to hav

ility-and provided you don't want

direction of the village

e the motor here. We can go all

e cond

d t

our Surrey villages, and that you'll

urt? I will give a housewarming You say that Dix has settled down here. I'll look him up. I'll be glad to see the muddle-headed seraph

days," said Zora. "But Emmy will

s a brilliant idea-have had it in my head for

Oldrieve preferred the simple graces of stereotyped conversation, the remainder of Sypher's visit w

a good impression on moth

asked

ural that I sh

" sai

do you

ing,

hing I'll-I'll slap you. Mr. Sypher and I are friends. He hasn't the remotest idea of

edy air, and drumme

remarkable ma

ior person,"

ery good taste in us to d

e discussing him. I'm not. The only remark I

o dress for din

e with her? If so, why not Septimus Dix? The thing thus reduced itself to an absurdity. She laughed to herself, half ashamed