he had paid his money, had his shy,

he must spend the rest of his life c

as much as his handkerchief was his handkerchief. This meant that they were to be faithful to each other, go out to dinner together, and that he was to pay her bill

come of it. Then one could be out of the house a good deal, and there was the regiment. He began to see his way through marriage as a man sees

he never had had a great gift of expression, and something had

lse; but he had said quite plainly that he wouldn't on any account have hyacinths. The expression he used about them was excessively coarse, and it certainly should have remained in Estelle's memory. He had said, that the bally things stank. Nevertheless, Estelle had told the g

. Staines told you it was my wish to have

to the house and asked Estelle what the devil she meant? Estelle immediately denied the hyaci

me, and must go. I'll dismiss him at once. He t

hat she'd said and what she hadn't said to him. And Winn was absurd, and how could i

t moment he ceased to believe a single word his wife said to him. This is discouraging to conversation and was very unfair to Estelle; for s

en, but on the whole she did not fin

with Winn; she had had an agreeable feeling about him, and now she had a disagreeable feeling about him, but neither of t

re comfortable at meals it would have been a feather in her cap. Still

offered it a good deal, almost to every person she met. Even the cook was aware of it; but, like all servants

house was hardly legal; and Winn had given way about it, as he was apt to do about

at it was his way of getting out of being in love with her. Winn was a ba

polo pony so that she could have a maid, she began to

yielded; he firmly intended t

had tried to make it seem jolly to her and had mentioned as a recommendation apparently that it was the kind of pla

rontier at all. She had often heard of the tragic separations of Anglo-Indian marriages; it was true that they

ome; she relied on him entirely, and he had invariabl

ly broken. Still Estelle put her trust in Providence; no self-respecting higher Power could wish a woman of her type t

sagreeable expression. He said "good-morning" into his new

his second cup of coffee, then

e War Office want me to exte

sed him the marmalade. She had never drea

id gracefully, "what

They propose that I should stay on here at the Staff College for another year and write 'em a damned red tape

shoulders. "I can write anything they want out there," he said gloomily. "All

questions, could you?" Estelle intelligently ventured. She ha

aight swift kick! They know what I think-they just want me to string out a lot of excuses for them not to act! Besides the chief th

er eyes rested on the bed where the hyacinths were planted

e. "What do you intend to do?" she asked, trembling a little. Winn was at his worst whe

size of six-pence I'll be in it! And if not Tibet's about as useful to draw up

splashed on the tablecloth; she tremb

at's up?" he asked irri

g a small sob, "you don't care w

, as if that had anything to do with it! The absurd face value that h

ooked extremely foolish and rather conscience-stricken; h

bit sick of me, don't you?" Estelle wiped her eyes, and returned to her toast. "Can

e say I've been rather a brute, but I shall be a lot better company when I'm back in the regiment. We must buck up, that's all! I don't like to bother you about

Estelle. "Besides, I'm far too delicate! Not that

ng. He got up and walked to the window. "You wouldn't die," he observed with his back tu

o tell me that you talked me over

Winn without turning round. "He

ungentlemanly. If I'd wanted to know, I'd have found out for my

y of his own. She wanted to think of Winn as a man impervious to all refinement, born to outrage the nicer susceptibility of her own mind,

course, but he let certain

hought he was going to be very violent, but he wasn't, he talked quite qui

rgain! I'll give in to you about this job, if you'll give in t

u'll have to come with me, for I can't afford two establishments. I don't see what else to offer you u

t ride straight. If you play me any monkey tricks over it-you'll never set eyes on me again; and I'm afraid you'll have

brutality and cunning. Her mind flew ro

ould be as impervious to handling as a battery mule. She really wouldn't be

rrid; lots of women got out of it now

nn to suggest it when h

really did give way, a good

climbing up the climbing wave," there was nothing final about it a

preading out before her like a promised land. "I can'

meant him to stay without inconvenience to herself. He tried

you kept me out of every

ought she might collect a few extra

s all eagerness to meet her. "How

t you've ever noticed that you never ask your friends to stay here. I've had al

elle was not anxious for a visit from Lady Staines, but she

n; "it's your friends. What must they thin

never occurred to me you'd care for them-just ordinar

retty woman. She looked past her husband to where in fancy she beheld the aisle of a church and the youn

u liked that man you insisted on having

best friend. I meet him so

ny," said Estelle, sadly, "ou

you know. He wouldn't think anything funny unle

ier still," said Es

ent's pause. "Have him down here if you

end," said Est

yes, as if he wanted to warn her about something. He went to the door and

r mind. She had already decided to put sweet peas in

ourself," said Winn, "if y