ver even dared to tell you what a hollow sham I am, and
what a mean and peevish child I was before you came on the scene."

"Well, we won't look into your dark past," said Howard. "I am quite
content with what they call the net result!" and then they sate
together in silence, and had no further need of words.

XXX

CAMBRIDGE AGAIN

Howard was summoned to Cambridge in June for a College meeting. He was
very glad to see Cambridge and the familiar faces; but he had not been
parted from Maud for a day since their marriage, and he was rather
amazed to find, not that he missed her, but how continuously he missed
her from moment to moment; the fact that he could not compare notes
with her about every incident seemed to rob the incidents of their
savour, and to produce a curious hampering of his thoughts. A change,
too, seemed to have passed over the College; his rooms were just as he
had left them, but everything seemed to have narrowed and contracted.
He saw a great many of the undergraduates, and indeed was delighted to
find how they came in to see him.

Guthrie was one of the first to arrive, and Howard was glad to meet him
alone. Howard was sorry to see that the cheerful youth had evidently
been feeling acutely what had happened; he had not lost his spirits,
but he had a rather worn aspect. He inquired about the Windlow party,
and they talked of indifferent things; but when Guthrie rose to go, he
said, speaking with great diffidence, "I wanted to say one thing to
you, and now I do not know how to express it; it is that I don't want
you to think I feel in any way aggrieved--that would be simply
absurd--but more than that, I want to say that I think you behaved
quite splendidly at Windlow--really splendidly! I hope you don't think
it is impertinent for me to say that, but I want you to know how
grateful I am to you--Jack told me what had happened--and I thought
that if I said nothing, you might feel uncomfortable. Please don't feel
anything of the kind--I only wish with all my heart that I could think
I could behave as you did if I had been in your place, and I want to be
friends."

"Yes indeed," said Howard, "I think it is awfully good of you to speak
about it. You won't expect me," he added, smiling, "to say that I wish
it had turned out otherwise; but I do hope you will be happy, with all
my heart; and you will know that you will have a real welcome at
Windlow if ever you care to come there."

The young m