r the circumstances Elsa's absence was annoying. Moreover, suddenly
the house had become uncomfortable, for every one in it seemed to be
running about carrying articles hither and thither in a fashion so
aimless that it struck him as little short of insane. Once or twice
also he saw Elsa, but she, too, was carrying things, and had no time for
conversation.

At length Adrian wearied of it and departed to the factory with the
view of making up his books, which, to tell the truth, had been somewhat
neglected of late, to find that here, too, the same confusion reigned.
Instead of attending to his ordinary work, Martin was marching to and
fro bearing choice pieces of brassware, which were being packed into
crates, and he noticed, for Adrian was an observant young man, that he
was not wearing his usual artisan's dress. Why, he wondered to himself,
should Martin walk about a factory upon a summer's day clad in his
armour of quilted bull's hide, and wearing his great sword Silence
strapped round his middle? Why, too, should Foy have removed the books
and be engaged in going through them with a clerk? Was he auditing
them? If so, he wished him joy of the job, since to bring them to a
satisfactory balance had proved recently quite beyond his own powers.
Not that there was anything wrong with the books, for he, Adrian, had
kept them quite honestly according to his very imperfect lights, only
things must have been left out, for balance they would not. Well, on the
whole, he was glad, since a man filled with lover's hopes and fears was
in no mood for arithmetical exercises, so, after hanging about for a
while, he returned home to dinner.

The meal was late, an unusual occurrence, which annoyed him; moreover,
neither his mother nor his stepfather appeared at table. At length Elsa
came in looking pale and worried, and they began to eat, or rather to
go through the form of eating, since neither of them seemed to have any
appetite. Nor, as the servant was continually in the room, and as Elsa
took her place at one end of the long table while he was at the other,
had their _tete-a-tete_ any of the usual advantages.

At last the waiting-woman went away, and, after a few moment's pause,
Elsa rose to follow. By this time Adrian was desperate. He would bear it
no more; things must be brought to a head.

"Elsa," he said, in an irritated voice, "everything seems to be very
uncomfortable here to-day, there is so much disturbance in the house