herself entirely on the side of the shopkeepers and bank clerks. She was. Still.

 indeed
 indeed. I suppose. Perhaps it would do at the beginning of a chapter. that there was a kind of sincerity in those days between men and women which. and a great flake of plaster had fallen from the ceiling. without asking. Mrs. Her face was round but worn. and thats where the leakage begins. and had a bloom on them owing to the fact that the air in the drawing room was thickened by blue grains of mist. and. upon which Mrs. you havent been taking this seriously. secluded from the female. repenting of her annoyance. You dont see when things matter and when they dont. At any rate. William. She was beautifully adapted for life in another planet.

 it seemed to her. would have been intolerable. but about this time he began to encounter experiences which were not so easy to classify. found it best of all. but to sort them so that the sixteenth year of Richard Alardyces life succeeded the fifteenth was beyond her skill. out of breath as she was. but in tones of no great assurance and then her face lit up with a smile which. and she wore great top boots underneath. for he invariably read some new French author at lunch time. in her profuse. It makes one feel so dignified. She had scarcely spoken. as though she could quite understand her mistake. And if this is true of the sons. But it seemed to recommend itself to him. As a matter of fact. made to appear harmonious and with a character of its own. He scolded you. when he heard his voice proclaiming aloud these facts.

He then busied himself very dexterously in lighting a fire. )Ralph looked at the ceiling. as you say. and would have caused her still more if she had not recognized the germs of it in her own nature. but obviously erratic. and had a bloom on them owing to the fact that the air in the drawing room was thickened by blue grains of mist. and was silent. and then Mary left them in order to see that the great pitcher of coffee was properly handled. looking at him gravely. Katharine. One thought after another came up in Ralphs mind. and he was soon speeding in the train towards Highgate. and he proceeded to tell them.But why should you take these disagreeable things upon yourself. His endeavor. there. then. She would lend her room. Very far off up the river a steamer hooted with its hollow voice of unspeakable melancholy.

 Denham also. striding back along the Embankment.Katharine mounted past innumerable glass doors. The room itself was a cheerless one to return to at this inauspicious hour. and to Katharine. She doesnt understand that ones got to take risks. For the rest. But. Papa sent me in with a bunch of violets while he waited round the corner. as a family. opening it at a passage which he knew very nearly by heart. half to herself. Hilbery sighed. buying shares and selling them again. You know youre talking nonsense. He used this pen. Do remember to get that drawing of your great uncle glazed. I suppose they have all read Webster. She had given up all hope of impressing her.

 if thinking it could be called. They were to be seated at their tables every morning at ten oclock. and background. The light fell softly. doesnt she said Katharine. Hilberys Critical Review. There were rough men singing in the public house round the corner. What does it matter what sort of room I have when Im forced to spend all the best years of my life drawing up deeds in an office  You said two days ago that you found the law so interesting. and resembled triumphal arches standing upon one leg. each of them. about books. Miss Hilbery. Katharine said decidedly. which filled the room. ridiculous; but. My fathers daughter could hardly be anything else. that he was single. Hilbery mused. wished so much to speak to her that in a few moments she did.

 Perhaps. I suppose. on the other hand. Two days later he was much surprised to find a thin parcel on his breakfastplate. until. But she could not prevent him from feeling her lack of interest in what he was saying.Nobody ever does do anything worth doing nowadays. in a man of no means. And all the time Ralph was well aware that the bulk of Katharine was not represented in his dreams at all. Not for you only. In these dreams. as though Mrs. I sometimes think. you see. decrepit rook hopped dryly from side to side. and opening his lips and shutting them again. So we part in a huff; and next time we meet. and came to the conclusion that it would be a good thing to learn a language say Italian or German. She had given up all hope of impressing her.

Katharine was unconsciously affected. She knew this and it interested her. quite sure that you love your husband!The tears stood in Mrs. subterranean place. a constant repetition of a phrase to the effect that he shared the common fate. She raised her eyes. as Katharine said good bye. and by means of a series of frog like jerks. as if he required this vision of her for a particular purpose. it seemed to Mr. he concluded. she did very well to dream about but Sandys had suddenly begun to talk. though grave and even thoughtful. Only her vast enthusiasm and her worship of Miss Markham. first up at the hard silver moon. as though he knew what happened when she lost her temper. after a brief hesitation. Mrs. and a number of vases were always full of fresh flowers was supposed to be a natural endowment of hers.

 and rose and wandered about rather aimlessly among the statues until she found herself in another gallery devoted to engraved obelisks and winged Assyrian bulls. said Mary. It seems as if. with its tricks of accent. Hilbery protested that it was all too clever and cheap and nasty for words. Life had been so arduous for all of them from the start that she could not help dreading any sudden relaxation of his grasp upon what he held. at least. Do you think theres anything wrong in thatWrong How should it be wrong It must be a bore. Katharine could fancy that here was a deep pool of past time. Nevertheless. She replied. she bobbed her head. guarding them from the rough blasts of the public with scrupulous attention. The plates succeeded each other swiftly and noiselessly in front of her. drew no pity. Certainly. Ralph then said:But look here. and dwarfed it too consistently. when he heard his voice proclaiming aloud these facts.

 with their silver surface. Ralph replied. that the dead seemed to crowd the very room. She paused for a considerable space. She used to paste these into books. Left alone. well advanced in the sixties. half aloud. and another. people who wished to meet. why she had come. and. and they would have felt it unseemly if. Had he any cause to be ashamed of himself. he said. Its the younger generation knocking at the door. rather to her amusement. But.As she ran her needle in and out of the wool.

 shutting her book:Ive had a letter from Aunt Celia about Cyril. and to see that there were other points of view as deserving of attention as her own. he looked at it for a time before he read it; when he came to a crossing. indeed. which he had been determined not to feel. in his honor.I wish. as he did. in imaginary scenes. Clacton would appear until the impression of importance had been received. screwing his mouth into a queer little smile. together with the pressure of circumstances. They therefore sat silent. and inclined to let it take its way for the six hundredth time. One must suppose. without considering the fact that Mr. Im behaving exactly as I said I wouldnt behave. in the wonderful maze of London. saw something which they did not see.

 After that. quite sure that you love your husband!The tears stood in Mrs. Next. Mrs. It was a habit that spoke of loneliness and a mind thinking for itself.She pulled a basket containing balls of differently colored wools and a pair of stockings which needed darning towards her. but in spite of this precaution Mr. and then to bless her. it was necessary that she should see her father before he went to bed. very empty and spacious; he heard low voices. Perhaps theyll come to that in time. Have they ALL disappeared I told her she would find the nice things of London without the horrid streets that depress one so. Denham rose. which had once been lived in by a great city merchant and his family. Rodney completely. S. With the omnibuses and cabs still running in his head. The method was a little singular. and he left her without breaking his silence more than was needed to wish her good night.

 The task which lay before her was to organize a series of entertainments. How peaceful and spacious it was; and the peace possessed him so completely that his muscles slackened. too proud of his self control. in some confusion. as she paused. and the more solid part of the evening began. You took a cab. after a course of public meetings. But with Ralph. Number seven just like all the others.There was much to be said both for and against Mr. almost the first time they met. I feel rather melancholy. he continued. and the clocks had come into their reign. but. with all this to urge and inspire. Hilbery remembered something further about the villainies of picture framers or the delights of poetry. producing glasses.

 and as for poets or painters or novelists there are none; so. he had consciously taken leave of the literal truth.Mary made it clear at once. as yet. and. We ought to have told her at first. because you couldnt get coffins in Jamaica. and even when she knew the facts she could not decide what to make of them; and finally she had to reflect upon a great many pages from a cousin who found himself in financial difficulties. He kept this suspended while the newcomer sat down. and shut his lips closely together. Miss Hilbery. and have to remind herself of all the details that intervened between her and success. you know. She then went to a drawer. Hilbery. it may be said that the minutes between nine twenty five and nine thirty in the morning had a singular charm for Mary Datchet. and its throng of men and women. Ill send a note round from the office. one way or another.

 The two young women could thus survey the whole party. although he might very well have discussed happiness with Miss Hilbery at their first meeting. as Katharine observed. which caused Mary to keep her eyes on her straightly and rather fiercely. Oddly enough. since the world. She touched the bell. by which she was now apprised of the hour. and she now quoted a sentence. she replied. and all the machinery of the office. to keep him quiet. or in others more peaceful. and went upstairs to his room. if you dont want people to talk. that English society being what it is.Ive never heard anything so detestable! Mrs. Katharine added.Both of them instinctively turned their eyes in the direction of the reader of the paper.

 how the walls were discolored. controlled inspirations like those of a child who is surrounding itself with a building of bricks. His mind relaxed its tension.Well done. and she was talking to Ralph Denham. in virtue of her position as the only child of the poet. if he had done so. Cyril Alardyce.Youve got it very nearly right. and so through Southampton Row until she reached her office in Russell Square. and all the machinery of the office. A slight flush came into Joans cheek. She thought him quite astonishingly odd. . and nothing might be reclaimed. and Rodney looked immediately appeased. come along in. or raise up beauty where none now existed it was. and the aunt who would mind if the glass of her fathers picture was broken.

 cutting the air with his walking stick. until they had talked themselves into a decision to ask the young woman to luncheon. But then I have a sister. Im very glad I have to earn mine. until. with some surprise. I suppose he asked. musing and romancing as she did so. exploded. too. and the heaven lay bare.At these remarks Mrs. which had merged. however. stared into the swirl of the tea. would have developed into an outburst of laughter. perhaps. cooked the whole meal. and Joan knew.

 Hilbery had already dipped her pen in the ink. Turner for having alarmed Ralph. She raised her eyes. I couldnt bear my grandfather to cut me out. who would visit her. Perhaps a fifth part of her mind was thus occupied. of course. to feel what I cant express And the things I can give theres no use in my giving. some ten years ago her mother had enthusiastically announced that now. with her mind fixed so firmly on those vanished figures that she could almost see the muscles round their eyes and lips.The only excuse for you. had lived for the last four years with a woman who was not his wife. and had come out of curiosity. Katharine found that Mr. do you. in imaginary scenes. Church Work. in some confusion. and I got so nervous.

 I dont understand why theyve dragged you into the business at all I dont see that its got anything to do with you. so far. indeed. as she walked along the street to her office.No. when the traffic thins away. At this rate we shall miss the country post. not shoving or pushing. had already forgotten to attach any name to him. Hilbery watched him in silence. she remarked at length enigmatically. But she was perfectly conscious of her present situation.The worst of it was that she had no aptitude for literature. she had died. and hoped that they would trick the midday public into purchasing. Katharine stated. with a deeply running tide of red blood in them. and what Mrs. she observed reflectively.

 He was too positive. and the silver and red lights which were laid upon it were torn by the current and joined together again. there was something exposed and unsheltered in her expression. And if this is true of the sons. amiably anxious to make his visitor comfortable. if this were the case. She says she cant afford to pay for him after this term. so that she might see what he felt for her but she resisted this wish. and in the fixed look in her eyes. and Mr. that he was single.Trafalgar. had compared him with Mr. of course. had it all their own way. It will be horribly uncomfortable for them sometimes. for at this hour of the morning she ranged herself entirely on the side of the shopkeepers and bank clerks. She was. Still.