SUSY and Lord Altringham sat in the little drawing-room, dividedfrom each other by a table carrying a smoky lamp and heaped withtattered school-books.

　　In another half hour the bonne, despatched to fetch the childrenfrom their classes, would be back with her flock; and at anymoment Geordie's imperious cries might summon his slave up tothe nursery. In the scant time allotted them, the two sat, andvisibly wondered what to say.

　　Strefford, on entering, had glanced about the dreary room, withits piano laden with tattered music, the children's toyslittering the lame sofa, the bunches of dyed grass and impaledbutterflies flanking the cast-bronze clock. Then he had turnedto Susy and asked simply: "Why on earth are you here?"She had not tried to explain; from the first, she had understoodthe impossibility of doing so. And she would not betray hersecret longing to return to Nick, now that she knew that Nickhad taken definite steps for his release. In dread lestStrefford should have heard of this, and should announce it toher, coupling it with the news of Nick's projected marriage, andlest, hearing her fears thus substantiated, she should lose herself-control, she had preferred to say, in a voice that shetried to make indifferent: "The 'proceedings,' or whatever thelawyers call them, have begun. While they're going on I like tostay quite by myself .... I don't know why ...."Strefford, at that, had looked at her keenly. "Ah," hemurmured; and his lips were twisted into their old mockingsmile. "Speaking of proceedings," he went on carelessly, "whatstage have Ellie's reached, I wonder? I saw her and Vanderlynand Bockheimer all lunching cheerfully together to-day atLarue's."The blood rushed to Susy's forehead. She remembered her tragicevening with Nelson Vanderlyn, only two months earlier, andthought to herself. "In time, then, I suppose, Nick and I ....

　　Aloud she said: "I can't imagine how Nelson and Ellie can everwant to see each other again. And in a restaurant, of allplaces!"Strefford continued to smile. "My dear, you're incorrigiblyold-fashioned. Why should two people who've done each other thebest turn they could by getting out of each other's way at theright moment behave like sworn enemies ever afterward? It's tooabsurd; the humbug's too flagrant. Whatever our generation hasfailed to do, it's got rid of humbug; and that's enough toimmortalize it. I daresay Nelson and Ellie never liked eachother better than they do to-day. Twenty years ago, they'd havebeen afraid to confess it; but why shouldn't they now?"Susy looked at Strefford, conscious that under his words was theache of the disappointment she had caused him; and yet consciousalso that that very ache was not the overwhelming penetratingemotion he perhaps wished it to be, but a pang on a par with adozen others; and that even while he felt it he foresaw the daywhen he should cease to feel it. And she thought to herselfthat this certainty of oblivion must be bitterer than anycertainty of pain.

　　A silence had fallen between them. He broke it by rising fromhis seat, and saying with a shrug: "You'll end by driving me tomarry Joan Senechal."Susy smiled. "Well, why not? She's lovely.""Yes; but she'll bore me.""Poor Streff! So should I--""Perhaps. But nothing like as soon--" He grinned sardonically.

　　"There'd be more margin." He appeared to wait for her to speak.

　　"And what else on earth are you going to do?" he concluded, asshe still remained silent.

　　"Oh, Streff, I couldn't marry you for a reason like that!" shemurmured at length.

　　"Then marry me, and find your reason afterward."Her lips made a movement of denial, and still in silence sheheld out her hand for good-bye. He clasped it, and then turnedaway; but on the threshold he paused, his screwed-up eyes fixedon her wistfully.

　　The look moved her, and she added hurriedly: "The only reason Ican find is one for not marrying you. It's because I can't yetfeel unmarried enough.""Unmarried enough? But I thought Nick was doing his best tomake you feel that.""Yes. But even when he has--sometimes I think even that won'tmake any difference."He still scrutinized her hesitatingly, with the gravest eyes shehad ever seen in his careless face.

　　"My dear, that's rather the way I feel about you," he saidsimply as he turned to go.

　　That evening after the children had gone to bed Susy sat up latein the cheerless sitting-room. She was not thinking ofStrefford but of Nick. He was coming to Paris--perhaps he hadalready arrived. The idea that he might be in the same placewith her at that very moment, and without her knowing it, was sostrange and painful that she felt a violent revolt of all herstron............