sieged here by two or three people who wanted to ask his
advice, and Donovan turned to Erica.

"He has been feeling all this talk about Herr Haeberlein; people say the
most atrocious things about him just because he gave him shelter at the
last," she said. "Really sometimes the accusations are so absurd that
we ourselves can't help laughing at them. But though I don't believe in
being 'done to death by slanderous tongues,' there is no doubt that the
constant friction of these small annoyances does tell on my father
very perceptibly. After all, you know the very worst form of torture is
merely the perpetual falling of a drop of water on the victim's head."

"I suppose since last summer this sort of thing has been on the
increase?"

"Indeed it has," she replied. "It is worse, I think, than you have any
idea of. You read your daily paper and your weekly review, but every
malicious, irritating word put forth by every local paper in England,
Scotland, or Ireland comes to us, not to speak of all that we get from
private sources."

On their way home they did all in their power to persuade Raeburn to
take an immediate holiday, but he only shook his head.

"'Dree out the inch when ye have thol'd the span,'" he said, leaning
back wearily in the cab but taking care to give the conversation an
abrupt turn before relapsing into silence.

At supper, as ill luck would have it, Aunt Jean relieved her fatigue
and anxiety by entering upon one of her old remonstrances with Erica.
Raeburn was not sitting at the table; he was in an easy chair at the
other side of the room, and possibly she forgot his presence. But
he heard every word that passed, and at last started up with angry
impatience.

"For goodness' sake, Jean, leave the child alone!" he said. "Is it not
enough for me to be troubled with bitterness and dissension outside
without having my home turned into an arguing shop?"

"Erica should have thought of that before she deserted her own
party," said Aunt Jean; "before, to quote Strauss, she had recourse to
'religious crutches.' It is she who has introduced the new element into
the house."

Erica's color rose, but she said nothing. Aunt Jean seemed rather
baffled by her silence. Tom watched the little scene with a sort of
philosophic interest. Raeburn, conscious of having spoken sharply to his
sister and fearing to lose his temper again, paced the room silently.
Finally he went off to his study, leaving them to the unpleasa