he household: waxed zealous over Theo's socks and shirts;
and sang to his accompaniment in the evenings. Her zest for the
tennis-courts waned. She joined Frank and Honor in their frequent
rides to the polo-ground, and Kresney found himself unceremoniously
discarded like a programme after a dance.

Wounded vanity did not improve his temper, and the ever-present Linda
suffered accordingly. For Kresney, though little given to the weakness
of generosity, never failed to share his grievances liberally with
those about him.

"What is this that has come to little Mrs Desmond?" he demanded one
evening on a querulous note of injury. "Whenever I ask her to play
tennis now she always manages to be engaged. I suppose, because they
have won that confounded Punjab Cup, she thinks she must give herself
airs like the rest of them. But I tell you what, Linda, we have got to
make her understand that she is not going to get money out of us, and
then chuck us in the dirt like a pair of old gloves,--you see? You
must tell her you are in a hole now, because of that three hundred
rupees; that you have been forced to get cash from me to go on with,
and to let me know about your little business with her; and you are
afraid I may refer the matter to her husband. It would bring his
cursed pride down with a run if he knew that his wife had practically
borrowed money from me, and he could say nothing against _us_ for
helping her. It is she who would suffer; and I am not keen to push her
into a hot corner if she can be made to behave decently enough to suit
me. So just let her know that I will make no trouble about it so long
as she is friendly, like she used to be. Then you can ask her to tea;
and I bet you five rupees she accepts on the spot!"

* * * * *

Meantime Evelyn Desmond went on her way, in ignorance of the forces
that were converging to break up her newly-gotten peace of mind. For
the time being her world was filled and bounded by her husband's
personality. The renewal of his tenderness and his trust in her
eclipsed all the minor troubles of life: and with the unthinking
optimism of her type she decided that these would all come right
somehow, some time, sooner or later.

What Desmond himself thought did not transpire. Evelyn's happiness
gave him real satisfaction; and if he were already beginning to be
aware that his feeling for her left the innermost depths of his nature
unstirred, he never acknowled