; he
ain't the sort of man to have coming to your house when folks are
talking."

"You have him to yours--whenever you can get him."

"But then I'm a single woman, and he being a single man there's no harm
in it."

"Do you think that a married woman should know no man but her husband?"

"What did she marry a husband for?"

"Really, Joanna ... however, there's no use arguing with you. I'm sorry
you're annoyed at the gossip, but to keep out of the gossip here one
would have to live like a cabbage. You haven't exactly kept out of it
yourself."

"Have done, do, with telling me that. They only talk about me because
I'm more go-ahead than any of 'em, and make more money. Anyone may talk
about you that way and I shan't mind. But to have it said at the
Woolpack as you, a married woman, lets a man like Sir Harry be for ever
hanging around your house ..."

"Are you jealous?" said Ellen softly. "Poor old Jo--I'm sorry if I've
taken _another_ of your men."

Joanna opened her mouth and stared at her. At first she hardly
understood, then, suddenly grasping what was in Ellen's mind, she took
in her breath for a torrential explanation of the whole matter. But the
next minute she realized that this was hardly the moment to say anything
which would prejudice her sister against Arthur Alce. If Ellen would
value him more as a robbery, then let her persist in her delusion. The
effort of silence was so great that Joanna became purple and
apoplectic--with a wild, grabbing gesture she turned away, and burst out
of the house into the drive, where her trap was waiting.

Sec.26

The next morning Mene Tekel brought fresh news from the Woolpack, and
this time it was of a different quality, warranted to allay the seething
of Joanna's moral sense. Sir Harry Trevor had sold North Farthing to a
retired bootmaker. He was going to the South of France for the winter,
and was then coming back to his sister's flat in London, while she went
for a lecturing tour in the United States. The Woolpack was very
definitely and minutely informed as to his doings, and had built its
knowledge into the theory that he must have had some more money left
him.

Joanna was delighted--she forgave Sir Harry, and Ellen too, which was a
hard matter. None the less, as November approached through the showers
and floods, she felt a little anxious lest he should delay his going or
perhaps even revoke it. However, the first week of the month saw the
arrival of t