Belfast, when he had left John Marsh, and in his
loneliness had thought of the way Sheila had humiliated him, he had had
a sharp sense of revulsion from her, a loathing for her, a desire never
to see her again; but now, sitting here looking at Mary and oppressed by
her youngladyishness, his longing for Sheila came back to him with
greater strength, and he resolved that he would write to her that night
and beg her to forgive him for his cowardice and let him be her
sweetheart again....

"Will you have some more tea!" Mary was saying to him, and he started at
the sound of her voice.

"Oh, thanks!" he said, passing his cup to her.

"Thinking, Quinny?" Gilbert exclaimed, reaching for a bun.

"Eh? Oh, yes! I was thinking!" he answered. "What time does the evening
post go out?" he said to Ninian.

"Six-twenty-five," Ninian answered.

"Thanks. I just want to write to Ireland!..."

"It'll get there just as soon if you post it to-morrow," said Gilbert.

Mary left them. "I'm going up to mother," she said, as she got up from
the tea table. "She's awfully sorry she couldn't be down to welcome
you," she added to Henry who had moved to open the door for her.

"I hope she'll soon be better," he answered.

When she had gone, Ninian got up and cursed lustily.

"Damn and blast him," he said.

They did not speak. They knew that Ninian's anger had some relation to
Mrs. Graham's headache and the letter from Uncle Peter, and they felt
that it was not their business to speak, even though Ninian had drawn
them into the affair.

"I'm sorry," said Ninian, sitting down again. "I ought not to have
broken out like that before you chaps, but I couldn't help it."

Henry coughed as if he were clearing his throat, but he did not speak,
and Gilbert sat still and gazed at the toe of his shoe.

"He always upsets mother, damn him!" Ninian looked up at them. "My Uncle
Peter married a girl in a confectioner's shop at Cambridge. He's that
kind of ass! He never writes to mother except when he's in a mess, and
he always expects her to get him out of it. I can't stand a man who does
that sort of thing. She's an awful bitch, too ... his wife! We had them
here once!... My God!"

Ninian lay back in his seat and remained silent for a while as if he
were contemplating in his mind the picture of Uncle Peter and his wife
on that awful visit to Boveyhayne. They waited for him to continue.

"I used to feel ashamed to go into the village," he said at