until two, and awaken in mid-morning as fresh as a rose.
She had the wardrobe of the storied princess, and her guests and friends
must contribute their share to the brilliancy of all gatherings. She
detested shabbiness; it was the only thing that depressed her spirits.
Proud as she was of her husband, his aims, and his position in the
community, his friends and their themes frankly bored her. She liked
talk, not conversation. She really loved him, however, and was far too
clever to let him feel neglected. He was inordinately proud of her, and
grateful that she permitted him to give his time to his own interests,
instead of dragging him about to groan against the wall. She had her
little crosses and disappointments, for she had many servants and
dressmakers; but, on the whole, Isabel had never seen any one so
persistently happy, nor with more reason. Even her three children were
as sturdy as young calves, and although they yelled like demons for an
hour every morning--reawaking to the sense of a vague something life
still denied them, and infuriated at the thought--Mrs. Hofer merely
turned over on her pillow with an indulgent smile. It never occurred to
her that the rest of the household might be less indulgent; and the
nursery above Isabel's room was not the least of the causes that
contributed to a frantic longing for the thirty-first of December.

XXXVII

But it was not until four o'clock on the day of release that she found
herself actually alone in her chilly and chaste boudoir on the higher
hill; Mrs. Hofer escorted her home and remained for many last words.
Then Isabel fell into a chair before the mounting fire and shut her
eyes. Lady Victoria was out. Gwynne was not expected until the evening
train. She wished that she had not promised to dine with the Stones at
seven. The house was as silent as a tomb; but while she was still
rejoicing in the sudden cessation of sound and motion, the door opened
and Gwynne entered. She gave him a surly nod, and he explained that he
had come down in the morning, in order to be at hand to welcome her; had
even meditated going to her rescue. Isabel deigned no reply, and he took
possession of a deep chair, settled himself on his backbone, and
regarded her attentively.

"I am sorry you have not enjoyed your week as much as I have done," he
observed. "The weather has been magnificent, and I have spent all the
days out-of-doors, riding, walking, duck-shooting--taking liberti