waved her hand.

The rain slashed the panes and whipped the shining deserted streets.
Very far away the faint whisper of thunder bade the town farewell.

CHAPTER VI

MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD

"Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'
Mais le porte-drapeau repondit:
'Non, pas maintenant ... apres ...'"

_A l'Extreme Limite._
ARTZYBACHEV.

I

That afternoon had been a difficult one for Roddy. He felt, lying so
eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather. There were
days when the wind was in the park, when sunshine flashed and flung
shadows, when the water of the pond glittered and every duck and baby
thrilled with life. Then it was very hard to lie still, and memories of
days--riding days and swimming days and hunting days--would persecute
him. But there were dark wet hours when his room seemed warm and
cosy--then he was happy.

On a day of thunder, like this afternoon, his one desire was to get out;
never had he felt the bars of his cage so sharply, with so intense an
irritation as on to-day.

Massiter broke the chain of his thoughts and he was glad. Four days now
and Rachel had said nothing; many times he had thought that she was
going to speak, but the moments had passed. He had not slept for two
nights--over and over he turned the question as to what he was to do.

Had he been up and about, some solution would have naturally come, he
thought, but, lying here, thinking so interminably with one's body tied
to one like a stone, nothing seemed clear or easy.

This was the worst day in the world to make thinking simple. The leaden
sky pressed one down and held one's brain.

"I'm goin' to have a jolly bad evenin'," said Roddy, "I know I am."

Massiter was a relief; there was no need to talk whilst Massiter was
there and his fat cheerful body restored one's balance. The same,
sensible world that had once been Roddy's own and had, of late, slipped
away from him, was restored when Massiter was there. Nevertheless one
hour of Massiter was enough. Roddy could detect in Massiter's attitude
that pity moved him to additional cheerfulness, and this was irritating;
then Massiter's clumsy efforts to avoid topics that might be especially
tactless--that also was tiresome.

Roddy was glad when Rachel and John Beaminster came down and relieved
him, and then the moment arrived when he thought again that Rachel was
going to speak, and perh