ould clearly distinguish the beginning of
lassitude; she no longer saw her husband as a romantic and baffling
figure; she had explored and chartered his soul, and not all his
excellences could atone for his earthliness. She wondered grimly where
and under what circumstances he had acquired the adroitness which had
charmed and still did charm her. She saw in front of her a vista of days
and years in which ennui would probably increase and joy diminish. And
she put her shoulders back defiantly, and thought: "Well, here I am
anyhow! I wanted him and I've got him. What I have to go through I shall
go through!"

And all the time, floating like vapour over these depths was a sheeny
mood of bright expectation and immediate naive content. And she said
gaily that she must write at once to Janet Orgreave to announce the
marriage, and that her mother's uncle up in the north must also be
informed.

V

Unusual phenomena made themselves apparent on the top staircase: raised
voices which Hilda could hear more and more plainly, even through the
shut door. At No. 59, in the off-seasons, nobody ever spoke in a loud
tone, particularly on the staircase, except perhaps Florrie when, in
conversation with Louisa, she thought she was out of all other hearing.
Hilda's voice was very clear and penetrating, but not loud. George
Cannon's voice in public places such as the staircase had an almost
caressing softness. The Watchetts cooed like faint doves, thereby
expressing the delicate refinement of their virginal natures. The cook's
voice was unknown beyond the kitchen. And nobody was more grimly
self-controlled in speech than Sarah Gailey and Louisa. These two--and
especially Louisa--seemed generally to be restraining with ease
tremendous secret forces of bitterness and contempt. And now it was just
these two who were noisy, and becoming noisier, to the dismay of a
scandalized house. Owing to some accident or negligence the secret
forces had got loose.

Hilda shook her head. It was clear that the problem of Sarah Gailey
would have to be tackled and settled very soon. The poor woman's
physical sufferings had without doubt reacted detrimentally on her
temperament and temper. She used to be quite extraordinarily adroit in
the directing of servants, though her manner to them never approached
geniality. But she had quarrelled with Florrie, and now she was breaking
the peace with Louisa! It was preposterous and annoying, and it could
not be allo