urprised.

"Yes, by Gad! Just that," said Chesney. "You never open your lips to him
if you can help it. You sail out of the room for the least excuse--and
stay out. The other night, at dinner, he asked you a question and you
didn't even answer him."

"I didn't hear him ... really I didn't, Cecil." Sophy felt much
distressed. Could Amaldi think that she meant to be "glacial" and
"snubby" to him?

"I'm very sorry. I do like him sincerely," she added.

Cecil was in a really bad humour. That right leg of his, from the hip
down, hurt like the devil!

"And the way you refused to sing when I asked you after dinner, that
same evening, was downright rude!" he fumed on. "You'd been singing for
me every evening that week--I'd told the poor devil so. Fancy how he
must have felt, when you minced out: 'Not _this_ evening, please,
Cecil.'"

To her intense dismay, Sophy felt herself flushing. She had excused
herself from singing because Amaldi had never heard her sing and she had
felt that it would be sad and painful to sing before him for the first
time under these circumstances. She knew how much he liked music. He had
said once in her presence that he thought a contralto voice the most
beautiful of all. She did not want to sing for Amaldi at her husband's
bidding, and a slightly relaxed throat had made her feel that she could
refuse reasonably. Now this flush added to her distress.

"You know, Cecil, I explained that I had a sore throat," she murmured.
"I am sure the Marchese didn't think I meant to be rude."

"Well, I hope you'll have recovered from your sore throat by the next
time I ask him here," said Chesney drily. "It's annoying to have one's
wife even seem discourteous to one's friends. Have you any more of that
stuff you gave me yesterday?" he wound up. "I took the last tablet two
hours ago, and my leg's cutting up hell again."

"Won't you see Doctor Camenis, Cecil? Do. Let him come here, or see him
some time when you're in Stresa, I don't like giving you so much
phenacetine. It's so depressing--so bad on one's heart."

"Oh, damn doctors!" he said impatiently. "Get me the stuff, can't you?"

But when she came back with it, he looked ashamed of himself.

"Sorry if I was rude, Sophy," he said; "but I've had just about as much
doctoring as I can stand for the present."

This was the only allusion that he had made to his experience with
Carfew since his arrival in Italy. Sophy thought it most natural. She
could i