Edwin and the
servants lived, as it were, in a camp round about it, their days
uncomfortably passing in suspense, in expectation of developments which
tarried. "How is he this morning?" "Much the same." "How is he this
evening?" "Much the same." These phrases had grown familiar and
tedious. But for three days Darius had been noticeably worse, and the
demeanour of Nurse Shaw had altered, and she had taken less sleep and
less exercise. Osmond Orgreave had even called in person to inquire
after the invalid, doubtless moved by Janet to accomplish this
formality, for he could not have been without news. Janet was
constantly in the house, helping Maggie; and Alicia also sometimes.
Since her engagement, Alicia had been striving to prove that she
appreciated the gravity of existence.

Still, despite the change in the patient's condition, everybody had
insisted that Edwin should go to the annual dinner of the Society for
the Prosecution of Felons, to which he had been duly elected with
flattering dispatch. Why should he not go? Why should he not enjoy
himself? What could he do if he stayed at home? Would not the change
be good for him? At most the absence would be for a few hours, and if
he could absent himself during ten hours for business, surely for
healthful distraction he might absent himself during five hours! Maggie
grew elder-sisterly at the last moment of decision, and told him he must
go, and that if he didn't she should be angry. When he asked her `What
about her health? What about her needing a change?' she said curtly
that that had nothing to do with it.

He went. The persuaders were helped by his own desire. And in spite of
his conscience, when he was fairly in the street he drew a sigh of
relief, and deliberately turned his heart towards gaiety. It seemed
inexpressibly pathetic that his father was lying behind those
just-lighted blinds above, and would never again breathe the open air,
never again glide along those pavements with his arms fixed and slightly
outwards. But Edwin was determined to listen to reason and not to be
morbid.

The streets were lively with the red and the blue colours of politics.
The Liberal member for the Parliamentary borough of Hanbridge, which
included Bursley, had died very suddenly, and the seat was being
disputed by the previously defeated Conservative candidate and a new
Labour candidate officially adopted by the Liberal party. The Tories
had sworn not to be