bly.
To every one's surprise she rose, stretched out her hand, and said:

"You've nothing to reproach yourself with--you've been always--" but
here her voice died away, and the tears forced themselves into her eyes,
and ran down her cheeks, while William, equally moved, seized her hand
and pressed it to his lips. No one perceived that the drawing-room door
had opened itself sufficiently to admit at least half the person of
Mr. Hilbery, or saw him gaze at the scene round the tea-table with an
expression of the utmost disgust and expostulation. He withdrew unseen.
He paused outside on the landing trying to recover his self-control and
to decide what course he might with most dignity pursue. It was
obvious to him that his wife had entirely confused the meaning of his
instructions. She had plunged them all into the most odious confusion.
He waited a moment, and then, with much preliminary rattling of the
handle, opened the door a second time. They had all regained their
places; some incident of an absurd nature had now set them laughing
and looking under the table, so that his entrance passed momentarily
unperceived. Katharine, with flushed cheeks, raised her head and said:

"Well, that's my last attempt at the dramatic."

"It's astonishing what a distance they roll," said Ralph, stooping to
turn up the corner of the hearthrug.

"Don't trouble--don't bother. We shall find it--" Mrs. Hilbery began,
and then saw her husband and exclaimed: "Oh, Trevor, we're looking for
Cassandra's engagement-ring!"

Mr. Hilbery looked instinctively at the carpet. Remarkably enough, the
ring had rolled to the very point where he stood. He saw the rubies
touching the tip of his boot. Such is the force of habit that he could
not refrain from stooping, with an absurd little thrill of pleasure at
being the one to find what others were looking for, and, picking the
ring up, he presented it, with a bow that was courtly in the extreme, to
Cassandra. Whether the making of a bow released automatically feelings
of complaisance and urbanity, Mr. Hilbery found his resentment
completely washed away during the second in which he bent and
straightened himself. Cassandra dared to offer her cheek and received
his embrace. He nodded with some degree of stiffness to Rodney and
Denham, who had both risen upon seeing him, and now altogether sat
down. Mrs. Hilbery seemed to have been waiting for the entrance of her
husband, and for this precise moment in order