about and singing; she at
least was happy with her little mauve pots and her cheery optimism.

Esther cried all the time she undressed; she crept into bed sobbing
miserably, like a child who sleeps at a boarding-school for the first
time.

CHAPTER V

Micky passed three days before he made any attempt to see Esther
Shepstone again; days that seemed like a month at least, and during
which he lost his appetite and forgot to smoke.

That she did not particularly care if she saw him again or not, he was
miserably sure. She had no thoughts for any one but Ashton. He felt as
if he could not settle to anything. On the third morning Marie Deland
rang him up. He had told her many times that her voice on the
telephone cheered him, but to-day it made him frown.

He tried to answer her cheery "That you, Micky?" as cheerily, but he
knew it was a failure.

"What's the matter?" she asked quickly. "Aren't you well? Or are you
cross?"

There was a hint of laughter in her voice. She had never known Micky
cross; he was always the cheeriest of mortals.

Micky grabbed at the excuse she offered him.

"I've got a brute of a headache," he said.

"Poor old boy!" The pretty, sympathetic voice irritated him. "Come out
for a walk; it will do you good."

"Thanks--thanks awfully, but I don't think it would. I'm a perfect
bear--you'd hate me. Some other time."

There was a little pause. Micky could have kicked himself as he
remembered on what terms they had parted. It was not her fault that a
miracle had happened since then to metamorphose the whole world. He
supposed uncomfortably that she was just the same as she had been when
he last saw her. He knew she must be wondering why he had stayed away
so long. He tried to soften his words.

"I'll look in to-night, if I may. Sorry to be such a bear."

She answered rather dispiritedly that it was all right, that she was
sorry he felt ill. It was a relief when she rang off. He took his hat
and went off to call on Esther.

He felt that he could settle to nothing till he had seen her again;
there was a curious jealousy in his heart about Ashton; he would have
given anything he possessed to be able to disillusion her, but knew it
was impossible without hopelessly compromising himself.

It was a bitter disappointment to find that she was out when he
reached the boarding-house; his face fell absurdly when he turned and
walked away.

He wondered if she really was out, or only out to