" Edward continued.

Again with no ear for his question his wife turned away, only however,
after taking a few vague steps, to approach him with new decision.
"If Mr. Longdon's due will you do me a favour? Will you go back to
Nanda--before he arrives--and let her know, though not of course as from
ME, that Van has been here half an hour, has had it put well before
him that she's up there and at liberty, and has left the house without
seeing her?"

Edward Brookenham made no motion. "You don't like better to do it
yourself?"

"If I liked better," said Mrs. Brook, "I'd have already done it. The
way to make it not come from me is surely not for me to give it to her.
Besides, I want to be here to receive him first."

"Then can't she know it afterwards?"

"After Mr. Longdon has gone? The whole point is that she should know it
in time to let HIM know it."

Edward still communed with the fire. "And what's the point of THAT?" Her
impatience, which visibly increased, carried her away again, and by the
time she reached the window he had launched another question. "Are you
in such a hurry she should know that Van doesn't want her?"

"What do you call a hurry when I've waited nearly a year? Nanda may know
or not as she likes--may know whenever: if she doesn't know pretty well
by this time she's too stupid for it to matter. My only pressure's for
Mr. Longdon. She'll have it there for him when he arrives."

"You mean she'll make haste to tell him?"

Mrs. Brook raised her eyes a moment to some upper immensity. "She'll
mention it."

Her husband on the other hand, his legs outstretched, looked straight at
the toes of his boots. "Are you very sure?" Then as he remained without
an answer: "Why should she if he hasn't told HER?"

"Of the way I so long ago let you know that he had put the matter to
Van? It's not out between them in words, no doubt; but I fancy that for
things to pass they've not to dot their i's quite so much, my dear, as
we two. Without a syllable said to her she's yet aware in every fibre of
her little being of what has taken place."

Edward gave a still longer space to taking this in. "Poor little thing!"

"Does she strike you as so poor," Mrs. Brook asked, "with so awfully
much done for her?"

"Done by whom?"

It was as if she had not heard the question that she spoke again. "She
has got what every woman, young or old, wants."

"Really?"

Edward's tone was of wonder, but she simply went on: "She has