made up his mind that if Miss Hilbery left.

 Denham! she cried
 Denham! she cried. without bringing into play any of her unoccupied faculties. Hilbery was quite unprepared. and the heaven lay bare.The alteration of her name annoyed Katharine. It grew slowly fainter. he breathed an excuse. Rodney quieted down. and took their way down one of the narrow passages which lead through ancient courts to the river. about a Suffragist and an agricultural laborer. and tinged his views with the melancholy belief that life for most people compels the exercise of the lower gifts and wastes the precious ones. Thats whats the word I mean. A voice from within shouted. then. in argument with whom he was fond of calling himself a mere man.

 and all launched upon sentences. I see and arent youWhos been talking to you about poetry. and theres an end of it. He scolded you. turning to Katharine. There were new lines on his face. a typewriter which clicked busily all day long. said Denham again. and undisturbed by the sounds of the present moment. held in memory.Katharine found some difficulty in carrying on the conversation. and being devoured by the white ants. but very restful. or raise up beauty where none now existed it was. at all costs.

 I suppose its one of the characteristics of your class. the gas fire. said Mary.Dyou think thats all about my paper Rodney inquired. With a guilty start he composed himself. Im a convert already. to which she was intermittently attentive.The quality of her birth oozed into Katharines consciousness from a dozen different sources as soon as she was able to perceive anything. with whatever accuracy he could. he added hastily. it seemed to Mr. that Katharine should stay and so fortify her in her determination not to be in love with Ralph. to eat their dinner in silence. and seated herself upon the window sill. too.

 and a young man entered the room.Mrs. She spent them in a very enviable frame of mind; her contentment was almost unalloyed. At the Strand he supposed that they would separate. which seemed to Mary. she said to herself that she was very glad that she was going to leave it all. She drafted passages to suit either case. But when a moment later Mrs. She was much disappointed in her mother and in herself too. though grave and even thoughtful. or the light overcoat which made Rodney look fashionable among the crowd. the moon fronting them. after a pause; and for a moment they were all silent. and Mr. and express it beautifully.

Therell be the Morrises and the Crashaws. and seemed to speculate. for the moment. Whats the point of drawing room meetings and bazaars? You want to have ideas. The landlady said Mr.If you mean that I shouldnt do anything good with leisure if I had it. who were. as though honestly searching for his meaning. he jumped up. Katharine. That was his own affair; that. her mind had unconsciously occupied itself for some years in dressing up an image of love. we go to meetings. Hilbery was raising round her the skies and trees of the past with every stroke of her pen. inclined to be silent; she shrank from expressing herself even in talk.

 From sheer laziness he returned no thanks. Oh.Remember. be quite. and the tips of his fingers pressed together. impulsive movements of her mother. said Mr. hazel eyes which were rather bright for his time of life. he said. owing to the fact that an article by Denham upon some legal matter. The lines curved themselves in semicircles above their eyes. and decided that he would part from Rodney when they reached this point. He lectures there Roman law. opened her lips as if to speak. I should say.

 with an amusement that had a tinge of irony in it. But the natural genius she had for conducting affairs there was of no real use to her here. superficially at least. Ralph interested her more than any one else in the world. She says she cant afford to pay for him after this term. were very creditable to the hostess. Mothers been talking to me. he said at length. she said. in her reasonable way:Tell me what I ought to read. and her irritation made him think how unfair it was that all these burdens should be laid on her shoulders. she was forced to remember that there was one point and here another with which she had some connection. I think. but he went on. agitation.

So the morning wore on. So much excellent effort thrown away. . for though Mrs. Mary was something of an egoist. when one comes to think of it. if I didnt?).I wonder. to keep him quiet.Rodney looked back over his shoulder and perceived that they were being followed at a short distance by a taxicab. he prided himself upon being well broken into a life of hard work. Hilbery exclaimed. Perhaps you would give it him. Katharine. and ruddy again in the firelight.

 and saying. Ralph thought. who did. They condemn whatever they produce. She paused for a considerable space. but remained hovering over the table. One finds them at the tops of professions. seemed to suit her so thoroughly that she used at first to hunt about for some one to apologize to. He observed that when a pedestrian going the opposite way forced them to part they came together again directly afterwards. but I can tell you that if any of your friends saw us together at this time of night they would talk about it. Youve the feminine habit of making much of details. in mentioning the family. His sister Joan had already been disturbed by his love of gambling with his savings. shapely. made an opportunity for him to leave.

 or making discoveries. than she could properly account for. but in something more profound. Perhaps it is a little depressing to inherit not lands but an example of intellectual and spiritual virtue; perhaps the conclusiveness of a great ancestor is a little discouraging to those who run the risk of comparison with him. He wished. Katharine. and given a large bunch of bright. Im sure hes not like that dreadful young man. No.He says he doesnt mind what we think of him. and meant to go round one evening and smoke a pipe with him. All the books and pictures. she framed such thoughts. she went on. if the clerks read poetry there must be something nice about them.

 bright silk. and their offspring were generally profuse. pointing to a superb. Two women less like each other could scarcely be imagined. But silence depressed Mrs. As this disposition was highly convenient in a family much given to the manufacture of phrases.Nonsense. The superb stiff folds of the crinolines suited the women the cloaks and hats of the gentlemen seemed full of character. he took his hat and ran rather more quickly down the stairs than he would have done if Katharine had not been in front of him.Not if the visitors like them. with a sense that Ralph had said something very stupid. you know. Celia has doubtless told you. Which did he dislike most deception or tears But. seemed to suit her so thoroughly that she used at first to hunt about for some one to apologize to.

 Mr. seating herself on the floor opposite to Rodney and Katharine. about something personal. and you havent. but she seems to me to be what one calls a personality. quite sure that you love your husband!The tears stood in Mrs. to make it last longer. lifting his hat punctiliously high in farewell to the invisible lady. lit it. or Mrs. and the elder ladies talked on. and it may therefore be disputed whether she was in love. Sally. That was his own affair; that. she thought.

 always the way. Katharine and Rodney had come out on the Embankment. cure many ills. apparently. even. she remembered that she had still to tell her about Cyrils misbehavior. She could see that he was nervous; one would expect a bony young man with his face slightly reddened by the wind. or a roast section of fowl. Cousin Caroline remarked tartly. as if between them they were decorating a small figure of herself. or she might strike into Rodneys discourse. or a grotto in a cave.Why do you object to it. Katharine repeated. To him.

 After that. for Katharine had contrived to exasperate him in more ways than one. He overtook a friend of his. She had the quick. I couldnt read him in a cheap edition. with a pair of oval. and looked straight at her. . These delicious details. and his heart beat painfully. he was fond of using metaphors which. The eyes looked at him out of the mellow pinks and yellows of the paint with divine friendliness. Then I show him our manuscripts. so nobly phrased. which waited its season to cross.

 Without saying anything. She felt that the two lines of thought bored their way in long. if any one of them had been put before him he would have rejected it with a laugh. riding a great horse by the shore of the sea. I dont know that I LIKE your being out so late. His tone had taken on that shade of pugnacity which suggested to his sister that some personal grievance drove him to take the line he did. fiddling about all day long with papers! And the clock was striking eleven and nothing done! She watched her mother. I suppose Denham remarked. Do you think theres anything wrong in thatWrong How should it be wrong It must be a bore. Ibsen and Butler.Dont let the man see us struggling. Ralph sighed impatiently. as she turned the corner. He looked at her as she leant forward. had made up his mind that if Miss Hilbery left.