d stifling
atmosphere, and in addition to that he had the burden of his anxiety
about his wife. Here came an extra sting, for in common humanity he had,
by appearing to be friends with Michael, to secure her serenity, and
this could only be done by the continued profanation of his own highly
proper and necessary attitude towards his son. He had to address
friendly words to Michael that really almost choked him; he had to
practise cordiality with this wretch who wanted to marry the sister of
a music-master. Michael had pulled up all the old traditions, that
carefully-tended and pompous flower-garden, as if they had been weeds,
and thrown them in his father's face. It was indeed no wonder that, in
his wife's absence, he almost burst with indignation over the desecrated
beds. More than that, his own self-esteem was hurt by his wife's fear of
him, just as if he had been a hard and unkind husband to her, which he
had not been, but merely a very self-absorbed and dominant one, while
the one person who could make her quite happy was his despised son.
Michael's person, Michael's tastes, Michael's whole presence and
character were repugnant to him, and yet Michael had the power which, to
do Lord Ashbridge justice, he would have given much to be possessed of
himself, of bringing comfort and serenity to his wife.

On the afternoon of the day following Christmas the two cousins had been
across the estuary to Ashbridge together. Francis, who, in spite of his
habitual easiness of disposition and general good temper, had found the
conditions of anger and anxiety quite intolerable, had settled to leave
next day, instead of stopping till the end of the week, and Michael
acquiesced in this without any sense of desertion; he had really only
wondered why Francis had stopped three nights, instead of finding urgent
private business in town after one. He realised also, somewhat with
surprise, that Francis was "no good" when there was trouble about; there
was no one so delightful when there was, so to speak, a contest of who
should enjoy himself the most, and Francis invariably won. But if
the subject of the contest was changed, and the prize given for the
individual who, under depressing circumstances, should contrive to show
the greatest serenity of aspect, Francis would have lost with an even
greater margin. Michael, in fact, was rather relieved than otherwise
at his cousin's immediate departure, for it helped nobody to see the
martyred St.