d their house Alexandrina had a headache,
and went up to her room immediately. Crosbie threw himself into a
chair before the remains of a fire in the dining-room, and resolved
that he would cut the whole de Courcy family altogether. His wife, as
his wife, should obey him. She should obey him--or else leave him and
go her way by herself, leaving him to go his way. There was an income
of twelve hundred a year. Would it not be a fine thing for him if he
could keep six hundred for himself and return to his old manner of
life. All his old comforts of course he would not have,--nor the old
esteem and regard of men. But the luxury of a club dinner he might
enjoy. Unembarrassed evenings might be his,--with liberty to him to
pass them as he pleased. He knew many men who were separated from
their wives, and who seemed to be as happy as their neighbours.
And then he remembered how ugly Alexandrina had been this evening,
wearing a great tinsel coronet full of false stones, with a cold in
her head which had reddened her nose. There had, too, fallen upon
her in these her married days a certain fixed dreary dowdiness. She
certainly was very plain! So he said to himself, and then he went to
bed. I myself am inclined to think that his punishment was
sufficiently severe.

The next morning his wife still complained of headache, so that he
breakfasted alone. Since that positive refusal which he had given to
her proposition for inviting her brother, there had not been much
conversation between them. "My head is splitting, and Sarah shall
bring some tea and toast up to me, if you will not mind it."

He did not mind it in the least, and ate his breakfast by himself,
with more enjoyment than usually attended that meal.

It was clear to him that all the present satisfaction of his life
must come to him from his office work. There are men who find it
difficult to live without some source of daily comfort, and he was
such a man. He could hardly endure his life unless there were some
page in it on which he could look with gratified eyes. He had always
liked his work, and he now determined that he would like it better
than ever. But in order that he might do so it was necessary that
he should have much of his own way. According to the theory of his
office, it was incumbent on him as Secretary simply to take the
orders of the Commissioners, and see that they were executed; and to
such work as this his predecessor had strictly confined himself. Bu