to Wren's End; and Peter looked at Jan a
good deal.

Those who happened to be in London during the season of 1914 will
remember that it was a period of powder and paint and frankest
touching-up of complexions. The young and pretty were blackened and
whitened and reddened quite as crudely as the old and ugly. There was no
attempt at concealment. The faces of many Mayfair ladies filled Peter
with disrespectful astonishment. He had not been home for four years,
and then nice girls didn't do that sort of thing--much.

Now one of Jan's best points was her complexion; it was so fair and
fresh. The touch of sunburn, too, was becoming, for she didn't freckle.

Peter found himself positively thankful to behold a really clean face;
a face, too, that just then positively beamed with warm welcome and
frank pleasure.

A clean face; a cool, clean frock; kind, candid eyes and a gentle,
sincere voice--yes, they were all there just as he remembered them, just
as he had so often dreamt of them. Moreover, he decided there and then
that the Georgian ladies knew what they were about when they powdered
their hair--white hair, he thought, was extraordinarily becoming to a
woman.

"You are looking better than when I was in Bombay. I think your leave
must have done you good already," said the kind, friendly voice.

"I need a spell of country air, really to set me up," said Peter.

They had an hilarious tea with the children on the Wren's lawn, and the
tamest of the robins hopped about on the step just to show that he
didn't care a fig for any of them.

Meg was just going to take the children to bed when Mr. Withells brought
Hugo back. It was an awkward moment. Peter knew far too much about Hugo
to simulate the smallest cordiality; and Hugo was too well aware of some
of the things Peter knew to feel at all comfortable in his presence. But
he had no intention of giving way an inch. He took the chair Meg had
just vacated and sat down. Mr. Withells, too, sat down for a few
minutes, and no sooner had he done so than William dashed out from
amongst them, and, returning, was accompanied by Captain Middleton.

"No tea, thank you. Just got down from town, came with a message from
my uncle--would Miss Ross's friend care for a rod on the Manor water on
Monday? A brother officer who had been coming had failed at the last
minute--there was room for four rods, but there wasn't a chance of much
sport."

Miles was introduced to Peter and sat down