he was incapable of any art of insinuation. Wasn't it at
all events the rule of communication with him to say for him what he
couldn't say? This truth was present to the girl as she inquired if Mona
greatly resented what Mrs. Gereth had done. He satisfied her promptly;
he was standing before the fire, his back to it, his long legs apart,
his hands, behind him, rather violently jiggling his gloves. "She hates
it awfully. In fact, she refuses to put up with it at all. Don't you
see?--she saw the place with all the things."

"So that of course she misses them."

"Misses them--rather! She was awfully sweet on them." Fleda remembered
how sweet Mona had been, and reflected that if that was the sort of plea
he had prepared it was indeed as well he shouldn't see his mother. This
was not all she wanted to know, but it came over her that it was all she
needed. "You see it puts me in the position of not carrying out what I
promised," Owen said. "As she says herself"--he hesitated an
instant--"it's just as if I had obtained her under false pretenses."
Just before, when he spoke with more drollery than he knew, it had left
Fleda serious; but now his own clear gravity had the effect of exciting
her mirth. She laughed out, and he looked surprised, but went on: "She
regards it as a regular sell."

Fleda was silent; but finally, as he added nothing, she exclaimed: "Of
course it makes a great difference!" She knew all she needed, but none
the less she risked, after another pause, an interrogative remark. "I
forget when it is that your marriage takes place?"

Owen came away from the fire and, apparently at a loss where to turn,
ended by directing himself to one of the windows. "It's a little
uncertain; the date isn't quite fixed."

"Oh, I thought I remembered that at Poynton you had told me a day, and
that it was near at hand."

"I dare say I did; it was for the 19th. But we've altered that--she
wants to shift it." He looked out of the window; then he said: "In fact,
it won't come off till Mummy has come round."

"Come round?"

"Put the place as it was." In his offhand way he added: "You know what I
mean!"

He spoke not impatiently, but with a kind of intimate familiarity, the
sweetness of which made her feel a pang for having forced him to tell
her what was embarrassing to him, what was even humiliating. Yes indeed,
she knew all she needed: all she needed was that Mona had proved apt at
putting down that wonderful patent-leath