together.

"How is Caesar?" demanded Christopher, the moment they were alone.

"Can't you wait for his own report?"

"I want yours." There was an urgent insistence in his voice, and Mr.
Aston looked at him sharply.

"Well, he is decidedly better since he came down here, and I want him
to stay, Christopher, to give up London in the end perhaps
altogether."

"He has not been well then?"

"I have not thought so: but what made you suspicious, my dear boy?"

"His letters have been over-witty and deliberately satirical. Just the
sort of things he says when something is wrong."

Mr. Aston nodded.

"Yes, I felt that. There seemed nothing physically wrong, but I felt
he must have more people round him."

"And you?"

"Oh, I stay here too, and go up and down when needs must."

"And the Colonial Commission? How will it get on without you?"

"Oh, they easily found a better man. As I explained to Caesar, I was
only asked as a compliment," he answered simply.

Christopher kept to himself his dissent from this, and was silent a
moment, thinking how this man's life was spent to one end; and
desirable as he felt that end to be, he was of age now to feel a tinge
of regret for all that had been and still was sacrificed to it. An
infinitesimal sacrifice of personal feeling and convenience was
demanded of him now, if he were to second St. Michael's attempt to
keep Aymer from Aston House and teach him to permanently regard Marden
Court as home, for dearly as Christopher loved Marden it was only
there he was awake to the apparently indisputable truth that he was
not one of that dear family who had done their best to make him forget
once and for all that obnoxious fact. His sense of proprietorship in
Aymer and of Aymer's in him was undeniably stronger in town than in
the country, and this not entirely because Nevil was to all intents
master of Marden, but rather that there Aymer himself was less
isolated, merged more into the general family life, and became again
part of the usages and traditions of his own race.

Mr. Aston, without actually speaking the words, had conveyed to
Christopher his own dread lest some day Aymer might be left alone,
stranded mentally and physically in the great silent London house that
was their home by force of dear companionship. Christopher saw it in a
flash, saw it so clearly that he involuntarily glanced at his
companion to assure himself of the remoteness of that dread chance.
Hard on this th