t laughing." His voice dragged a little; he kept his eyes
steadily before him.

"I thought perhaps something had happened--that you had had bad news,"
he said presently. "If--if there is anything I can do to help you, you
know--you know I----"

"There isn't anything the matter," she interrupted with a rush. She
was terrified lest he should guess that her tears were because of
Jimmy; she had a horror nowadays that everyone would know that she
cared for a man who cared nothing for her; she brushed the tears away
determinedly; she set herself to talk and smile.

They had tea at Heston, in the little square parlour of a country inn
where the floor was only polished boards, and where long wooden
trestles ran on two sides of the room.

"It looks rather thick," Kettering said ruefully, standing looking down
at the plate of bread and butter. "I hope you don't mind; this is the
best place in the village."

Christine laughed.

"It's like what we used to have at school, and I'm hungry."

She looked up at him with dancing eyes; she had quite forgotten her
sorrow of the morning. Somehow this man's presence always cheered her
and took her out of herself. She poured tea for him, and laughed and
chatted away merrily.

Afterwards they sat over the fire and talked.

Christine said she could see faces in the red coals; she painted them
out to Kettering.

He had to stoop forward to see what she indicated; for a moment their
heads were very close together; it was Christine who drew back sharply.

"Oughtn't we to be going home?" she asked with sudden nervousness.

She rose to her feet and went over to the window; the sunshine had
gone, and the country road was grey and shadowy. Kettering's big car
stood at the kerb. After a moment he followed her to the window; he
was a little pale, his eyes seemed to avoid hers.

"I am quite ready when you are," he said.

She was fastening her veil over her hat; her fingers shook a little as
she tied the bow.

Kettering had gone to pay for the tea; she stood looking after him with
dawning apprehension in her eyes.

He was a fine enough man; there was something about him that gave one
such a feeling of safety--of security. She could not imagine that he
would ever deliberately set himself to hurt a woman, as--as Jimmy had.
She went out to the car and stood waiting for him.

"All that tea for one and threepence!" he said, laughing, when he
joined her. "Wonderful, isn't it?"

S