ll expect you at the works in the morning at ten. Jas.
Horrocleave." She thought it rather harsh and oppressive on the part
of Mr. Horrocleave to expect Louis to attend at the works on Bank
Holiday--and so soon after his illness, too! How did Mr. Horrocleave
know that Louis was sufficiently recovered to be able to go to the
works at all?

Louis came, rubbing his hands, which for an instant he warmed at the
fire. He was elegantly dressed. The mere sight of him somehow thrilled
Rachel. His deportment, his politeness, his charming good-nature were
as striking as ever. The one or two stripes (flesh-coloured now,
not whitish) on his face were not too obvious, and, indeed, rather
increased the interest of his features. The horrible week was
forgotten, erased from history, though Rachel would recollect that
even at the worst crisis of it Louis had scarcely once failed in
politeness of speech. It was she who had been impolite--not once,
but often. Louis had never raged. She was contrite, and her penitence
intensified her desire to please, to solace, to obey. When she
realized that it was she who had burnt that enormous sum in
bank-notes, she went cold in the spine.

Not that she cared twopence for the enormous sum, really, now that
concord was established! No, her little flutters of honest remorse
were constantly disappearing in the immense exultant joy of being
alive and of contemplating her idol. Louis sat down. She smiled at
him. He smiled back. But in his exquisite demeanour there was a faint
reserve of melancholy which persisted. She had not yet that morning
been able to put it to flight; she counted, however, on doing so very
soon, and in the meantime it did not daunt her. After all, was it not
natural?

She began--

"I say, what do you think? Mrs. Tams has given me notice."

She pretended to be aggrieved and to be worried, but essential joy
shone through these absurd masks. Moreover, she found a certain
naive satisfaction in being a mistress with cares, a mistress to whom
"notice" had to be given, and who would have to make serious inquiry
into the character of future candidates for her employment.

Louis raised his eyebrows.

"Don't you think it's a shame?"

"Oh," said he cautiously, "you'll get somebody else as good,
_and_ better. What's she leaving for?"

Rachel repeated Mrs. Tams's rigmarole.

"Ah!" murmured Louis.

He was rather sorry for Mrs. Tams. His good-nature was active enough
this morning. But