ted in what she happened to be doing at the moment that she often suffered these temporary lapses of memory. It occurred to her now,-too late, as usual,-that

happy, and had become a problem-ridden thi

shall

d of her voice. He appeared to

your

shall

dn't be

l be awful

d mouth tightened a

thing wrong in your having

Jill doubtful

ly. "Is that Sir Derek Underhill, whose

a lot. He's an M.P. an

ellow. Ah, here

want any,

your meal because o

tha

u're wise. Stunts the growth

en i

the haystack in the meadow? We cut it in half. I finished my half, bu

remember it now. I don't sup

ult, as usual. I rec

lways too

ou st

do you

the ash off

that table and look your fiancé in the eye and say, 'Stop scowling at my back

said Jill

"If I were you I should stop that sort of thing at the source. It's a habit that can't be dis

g her. Derek was sacred. Whoever criticized him, presumed. Wally, a few minutes before a friend and an agreeable companion, seemed to her to have

our leading sunbeams. Well, I suppose he could hardly be,

iticize Derek,"

only sa

d. I don't

led the words. Not that it was the actual words that had torn asunder this gossamer thing, the friendship which they had begun to weave like some fragile web: it was her manner, the manner of the princess rebuking an underling. She

repair the damage, if the psychological moment is resolutely seized, by talking rapidly and with detachment on neutral topics. Words have made the rift, and words alon

iends ha

f Jill if she would prefer the window up or down. It had the effect of killing her regrets and feeding her resent

said. "When di

of closing. In the momentary darkness they both rose. Wally scrawled his name across the ch

ame direction. The broad stairway leading to the lobby was crow

ak-room Wa

asually, "To take you home, I suppose. Shall

rek was there. He was alone. Lady Underhill pre

hand. His face was stolid,

bye,"

ye," sa

ious of a desire to make amends. She and this man had been through much together that night,

he said a little wistfully. "I'm sure

, "but I'm afraid I shall be going

e devil, regained its

said indifferently. "

od-

have a pleas

ank

She felt angry and depressed, full of a sense of the futility of things.