Part 1 (2/2)

And yet, while the logical ly condelad of it, for he well knew that he would have been considerably irked by the coh life But never would he have admitted this

Nellie's face, as she sat doas not liht of it More than twenty years had passed since they had first met--he and a wistful little creature--at a historic town-hall dance He could still see the wistful little creature in those placid and pure features, in that buxom body; but now there was a formidable, capable and experienced woman there too Impossible to credit that the wistful little creature was thirty-seven! But she was! Indeed, it was very doubtful if she would ever see thirty-eight again Once he had had the s about her He could recall the sli invitation of her eyes And now

Such was human existence!

She sat up erect on her chair She did not apologize for being late

She ia On the other hand, she was not cross She was just neutral, polite, cheerful, and apparently conscious of perfection He strongly desired to inform her of the exact time of day, but his lips would not articulate the words

”Maud,” she said with divine calm to the maid who bore in the baked York ham under its silver canopy, ”you haven't taken away that brush that's in the passage”

(Another illustration of Nellie's inability to live up to six thousand pounds a year; she would always refer to the hall as the ”passage!”)

”Please'm, I did, m'm,” replied Maud, now as conscious of perfection as her ain”

”Who's 'he?'” demanded the master

”Carlo, sir” Upon which triumph Maud retired

Edward Henry was dashed Nevertheless, he quickly recovered his presence of ht about for a justification of his previous verdict upon the negligence of five woh to put the brush where the dog couldn't get at it,” he said But he said this strictly to himself He could not say it aloud Nor could he say aloud the words ”neuralgia,”

”three hundred and forty-one pounds,” any more than he could say ”late”

That he was in a peculiar mental condition is proved by the fact that he did not re her share of baked haht: ”This is a bit thick, this is!”the extreme lateness of his mother for the meal But his only audible re down of the hot plate in front of hisNellie quietly began:

”Your mother--”

(He knew instantly, then, that Nellie was disturbed about soether under one roof in perfect amity Nay, ainst him But whenever Nellie was disturbed, by no matter what, she would say ”your mother” instead of merely ”mother!” It was an extraordinary subtle, silly and effective way of putting hi upstairs with Robert”

Robert was the eldest child, aged eight

”Oh!” breathed Edward Henry He ht have inquired how hissimply, ”What's up now?”

And in retort to his wife's ”your,” he laid a faint emphasis on the word ”now,” to iinary woe for the children

”Carlo's bitten hi her lips

This, at any rate, was not i hiested

”That I don't know,” said Nellie ”But I knoe ”