heavy outer stillness was in some
way made more terrifying by the rustle of the papers her husband was
reading, by the creaking of his chair as he moved, and by the little
fidgeting grunts and half-exclamations which from time to time broke
from him. His wife's hand shook at every unintelligible mutter from him,
and the slight habitual contraction between her eyes deepened.

All at once she threw her work down on to the table. "For heaven's
sake--_please_, John, _talk_!" she cried. Her eyes, for the moment's
space in which they met the startled ones of her husband, had a wild,
hunted look, but it was gone almost before his slow brain had time to
note that it had been there--and was vaguely disturbing. She laughed a
little unsteadily.

"Did I startle you? I'm sorry. I"--she laughed again--"I believe I'm
a little nervous. When one is all day alone--" She paused without
finishing the sentence. The man's face changed suddenly. A wave
of tenderness swept over it, and at the same time an expression of
half-incredulous delight shone in his pale eyes.

"Poor little girl, are you really lonely?" he said. Even the real
feeling in his tone failed to rob his voice of its peculiarly irritating
grating quality. He rose awkwardly, and moved to his wife's side.

Involuntarily she shrank a little, and the hand which he had stretched
out to touch her hair sank to his side. She recovered herself
immediately, and turned her face up to his, though she did not raise
her eyes; but he did not kiss her. Instead, he stood in an embarrassed
fashion a moment by her side, and then went back to his seat.

There was silence again for some time. The man lay back in his chair,
gazing at his big, clumsy shoes as though he hoped for some inspiration
from that quarter, while his wife worked with nervous haste.

"Don't let me keep you from reading, John," she said, and her voice had
regained its usual gentle tone.

"No, my dear; I'm just thinking of something to say to you, but I don't
seem--"

She smiled a little. In spite of herself, her lip curled faintly. "Don't
worry about it; it was stupid of me to expect it. I mean--" she added,
hastily, immediately repenting the sarcasm. She glanced furtively at
him, but his face was quite unmoved; evidently he had not noticed it,
and she smiled faintly again.

"O Kathie, I knew there was _something_ I'd forgotten to tell you, my
dear; there's a man coming down here. I don't know whether--"

She looked