ed
Aurora; on the other hand, he sometimes would succeed in getting his
fingers among Occasion's hair, and secure Aurora for his share, while
Dr. Tom was apportioned with the slenderer charmer. But the behavior of
all was civilized and urbane, and if a thorn pricked or nettle burned,
the sufferer concealed his pain and spoiled nobody's fun.

Gerald would in reality have preferred to stay away, almost as much as
Estelle and possibly Doctor Tom would have preferred him to do so. But
just there the incalculable, the ungovernable, in human nature came into
play. A golden thread, a mere hair, strong as a steel cable, drew him to
the place where he could expect to find no comfort, and had no object to
accomplish except just to be there, with his eyebrows one higher than
the other.

Either Estelle liked to annoy him, or she was unfortunate in doing it
without malice.

"Don't they make a noble-looking couple?" she asked him, gazing at
Aurora and Tom outlined side by side against the light of the window.

"Yes," he felt obliged to say, and followed it quickly, without apology
for the indiscretion of the question: "Are they going to marry?"

"That remains to be seen," she said in a way which made one desire to
set the dog on her. "I cherish the hope. May I offer you another
cigarette?"

He sometimes remained scandalously late in the evening after dining, in
spite of--oh, by so much!--knowing better. He would wait, with an
artist's beautiful air of time-forgetfulness, for Dr. Tom to get up to
go. He would instantly, as if remembering himself, get up to go, too,
and walk with the doctor as far as his hotel, they talking together like
men with respect for each other's brains, and appreciation of each
other's character and company, no subject of contention in the world.

Gerald pushed courtesy so far as to go with the doctor, by themselves,
on certain visits to hospitals, to certain games of pallone, certain
monasteries which ladies are not permitted to enter, Aurora rejoicing in
the opportunities to "get good and acquainted" which she saw these two
dear friends of hers take.

* * * * *

After the drive back from the wedding, Gerald resisted Aurora's
suggestion that he enter the house with them and remain to dine. This he
did with well-masked resentfulness. As it was not Dr. Bewick's last
evening, but the evening before his last, Gerald did not see that
delicacy strictly demanded