clicked and the door opened slightly. He jumped, supposing
that his father had crept upstairs. And the first thought of the slave
in him was that his father had never seen the gas-stove and would now
infallibly notice it. But Maggie's face showed. She came in very
quietly--she too had caught the conspiratorial manner.

"I thought you wouldn't be ready for bed just yet," she said, in mild
excuse of her entry. "I didn't knock, for fear he might be wandering
about and hear."

"Oh!" muttered Edwin. "What's up?" Instinctively he resented the
invasion, and was alarmed for the privacy of his sacred room, although
he knew that Maggie, and Mrs Nixon also, had it at their mercy every
day. Nobody ever came into that room while he was in it.

Maggie approached the hearth.

"I think I ought to have a stove too," she said pleasantly.

"Well, why don't you?" he replied. "I can get it for you any time." If
Clara had envied his stove, she would have envied it with scoffing
rancour, and he would have used sarcasm in response.

"Oh no!" said Maggie quickly. "I don't really want one."

"What's up?" he repeated. He could see she was hesitating.

"Do you know what Clara and auntie are saying?"

"No! What now? I should have thought they'd both said enough to last
them for a few days at any rate."

"Did Albert say anything to you?"

"What about?"

"Well--both Clara and auntie said I must tell you. Albert says he ought
to make his will--they all think so."

Edwin's lips curled.

"How do they know he hasn't made it?"

"Has he made it?"

"How do I know? You don't suppose he ever talks to me about his
affairs, do you? Not much!"

"Well--they meant he ought to be asked."

"Well, let 'em ask him, then. I shan't."

"Of course what they say is--you're the--"

"What do I care for that?" he interrupted her. "So that's what you were
yarning so long about in your room!"

"I can tell you," said Maggie, "they're both of them very serious about
it. So's Albert, it seems."

"They disgust me," he said briefly. "Here the thing isn't a day old,
and they begin worrying about his will! They go slobbering all over him
downstairs, and upstairs it's nothing but his will they think about...
You can't rush at a man and talk to him about his will like that. At
least, I can't--it's altogether too thick! I expect some people could.
But I can't. Damn it, you must have some sense of decency!"

Maggie remained calm and b