y.

Firm opposition was a thing that Adeline's wilfulness could never stand.
It always made her either change the subject or revert to her original
statement. This time she reverted.

"My point was that it isn't fair to Anne."

"Why isn't it?"

"Because she's in love with him."

"That," said Maisie, with increasing decision, "I do _not_ believe. I've
never seen any signs of it."

"You're the only person who hasn't then. It sticks out of her. If it was
a secret I shouldn't have told you."

"It is a secret to me," said Maisie, "so I think you might let it
alone."

"You ought to know it if nobody else does. We've all of us known about
Anne for ages. She was always quite mad about Jerrold. It was funny when
she was a little thing; but it's rather more serious now she's thirty."

"She isn't thirty," said Maisie, contradictiously.

"Almost thirty. It's a dangerous age, Maisie. And Anne's a dangerous
person. She's absolutely reckless. She always was."

"I thought you thought she was in love with Colin."

"I never thought it."

Maisie hated people who lied to her.

"Why did you tell Jerrold they were lovers, then?" she said.

"Did I tell Jerrold they were lovers?"

"He thinks you did."

"He must have misunderstood what I said. Colin gave me his word of
honour that there was nothing between them."

But Maisie had no mercy.

"Why should he do that if you didn't think there was? If you were
mistaken then you may be mistaken now."

"I'm not mistaken now. Ask Colin, ask Eliot, ask Anne's father."

"I shouldn't dream of asking them. You forget, if Jerrold's my husband,
Anne's my friend."

"Then for goodness sake keep her out of mischief. Keep her out of
Jerrold's way. Anne's a darling and I'm devoted to her, but she always
did love playing with fire. If she's bent on burning her pretty wings it
isn't kind to bring her where the lamp is."

"I'd trust Anne's wings to keep her out of danger."

"How about Jerrold's danger? You might think of him."

"I do think of him. And I trust him. Absolutely."

"I don't. I don't trust anybody absolutely."

"One thing's clear," said Maisie, "that it's time we had tea."

She got up, with an annihilating dignity, and rang the bell. Adeline's
smile intimated that she was unbeaten and unconvinced.

That evening John Severn came into his wife's room as she was dressing
for dinner.

"I wish to goodness Anne hadn't this craze for farming," he said. "She's
simply workin