ssurance that had all her life protected her
from both the praise and abuse of her fellow-men and women was, to-day,
absent. She seemed really grateful to John for coming to have tea with
her to-day. He wondered whether she felt as he did that this war, with
all its horrors, foreboded, in some manner, special disasters upon the
Beaminster family, as though it were a portent, to be read of all men,
of the destruction and ruin of that family.

"Poor Adela," he thought, "she's very plain. If she asks me to help her
I will. She's got something on her mind."

"Rachel's here," Lady Adela said, looking at her brother nervously.

"Now?"

"Yes, she's with mother. She came to say good-bye to her. She and Roddy
are going down to Seddon to-morrow."

"Yes, I know----" said John.

"She's very queer--very odd. I don't pretend to understand her."

"We're all queer just now," said John. "Down at the club to-day it was
too awful. No other subject--fellows killed, fellows going out to be
killed. Blunder, blame, disgrace--all the time. But what's Rachel been
doing odd?"

"You understand her better than I do," said his sister. "She always
liked you better. I did my best with her, but she never cared about me.
But now I understand her less than ever. She's so excited and hard and
unnatural. Something's happened to her that we don't know about, I'm
sure."

John said nothing. He was unhappy enough about Rachel, but he did not
intend to talk to Adela about it. He would rather not talk to anyone
about it because talking only brought it more actually in front of him.
Besides, he did not know what to say. He knew that he had been cowardly
about Rachel. He had tried to pretend to himself that she was happy when
he had known that she was not and so, for the sake of his comfort, he
had stifled the most genuine emotion in his life; that indeed was the
Beaminster habit.

"She's not happy," continued Adela. "I'm sure I don't know why--Roddy's
very good to her--very good. She's so queer. She wants to have Miss Rand
down with her at Seddon for Christmas."

"Miss Rand?"

"Yes--she asked me whether I'd let her go. She's got to give a dance and
a dinner-party or two and asked me whether she might have her help. Of
course I said 'Yes.' Miss Rand hasn't been looking at all well for some
time now. A change will do her good."

"What did Miss Rand say when you told her?"

"Oh, she was odd. She has been odd lately. At first she thought she
would