ned Fay, in a tired voice, pulling off her baby's shoe;
but, to Erle's astonishment, she manifested no emotion. As for Sir
Hugh, he was relieved to find his Wee Wifie was becoming such a
reasonable woman. Why, he could talk to her quite comfortably without
fear of a scene.

"What will you do with yourself, dear," he continued, briskly. "Don't
you think it would be the best thing to go down to Daintree and show
your baby to Aunt Griselda?"

"Just as you like," was the indifferent answer. But Erle interrupted
her.

"How long do you mean to absent yourself from the bosom of your
family, Hugh?"

"Oh, two or three months; we can not follow out the route Fitzclarence
proposed under that time--about ten or eleven weeks, I should say."

"Three months? Well, all I can say is, marriage is not the fettered
state we bachelors imagine it to be. I had no idea one could get leave
of absence for half that time. I hope my wife will be as accommodating
as Fay."

There was a concealed sarcasm in Erle's careless speech that jarred
upon Hugh, and he answered, angrily:

"I wish you would not talk such nonsense, Erle. Fay has the sense to
know that my health requires complete change, and I shall not be the
man I was without it. I ought to have had three months last time, only
her illness recalled me. But now I can leave her more happily."

"And you expect to do the trip in eleven weeks with Fitzclarence as
the leader of the expedition. Fitzclarence, so renowned for his
punctuality--so celebrated for never altering a given route at a
minute's notice."

Erle was going too far, and Sir Hugh answered him with decided
impatience.

"I did not know Fitzclarence was a friend of yours, Erle; but I never
listen to the idle gossip one picks up at one's club. I am perfectly
satisfied with his arrangements, and so are the other men--we have
two other fellows going with us. Fay, my dear, I should like you to
write at once to your aunt, and ask her if she can have you and the
boy. The cottage is rather small; do you think you could do without
Janet, and only take nurse?"

"Oh, yes," replied Fay, in the same constrained voice; but Erle saw
that she had become very pale. But just then Ellerton entered and told
his master that some one was waiting to speak to him on business; so
the subject was dropped.

Erle looked rather wistfully at Fay when they were left alone
together. "I am afraid you will be very lonely when Hugh goes away,"
he said,