things on; it's nearly five.'

In Alice's rising from her chair there was nothing of the elasticity
that had marked her before luncheon. Before moving away she spoke a
thought that was troubling her.

'Suppose mother tries to stop it?'

Richard looked to the ground moodily.

'I meant to tell you,' he said. 'You'd better say that I'm already
married.'

'You're giving me a nice job,' was the girl's murmured rejoinder.

'Well, it's as good as true. And it doesn't make the job any worse.'

As is wont to be the case when two persons come to mutual understanding
on a piece of baseness, the tone of brother and sister had suffered
in the course of their dialogue. At first meeting they had both kept a
certain watch upon their lips, feeling that their position demanded it;
a moral limpness was evident in them by this time.

They set forth to walk to the Walthams'. Exercise in the keen air,
together with the sense of novelty in her surroundings, restored Alice's
good humour before the house was reached. She gazed with astonishment at
the infernal glare over New Wanley. Her brother explained the sight to
her with gusto.

'It used to be all fields and gardens over there,' he said. 'See what
money and energy can do! You shall go over the works in the morning.
Perhaps Adela will go with us, then we can take her back to the Manor.'

'Why do they call the house that, Dick?' Alice inquired. 'Is it because
people who live there are supposed to have good manners?'

'May be, for anything I know,' was the capitalist's reply. 'Only it's
spelt different, you know. I say, Alice, you must be careful about your
spelling; there were mistakes in your last letter. Won't do, you know,
to make mistakes if you write to Adela.'

Alice gave a little shrug of impatience. Immediately after, they stopped
at the threshold sacred to all genteel accomplishments--so Alice would
have phrased it if she could have fully expressed her feeling--and they
speedily entered the sitting-room, where the table was already laid for
tea. Mrs. Waltham and her daughter rose to welcome them.

'We knew of your arrival,' said the former, bestowing on Alice a
maternal salute. 'Not many things happen in Wanley that all the village
doesn't hear of, do they, Mr. Mutimer? Of course we expected you to
tea.'

Adela and her future sister-in-law kissed each other. Adela was silent,
but she smiled.

'You'll take your things off, my dear?' Mrs. Waltham continued. 'Will
y