It was ten o’clock; Louise had not yet returned, but might do so any moment.  Wishing to be sure of privacy in a conversation with her husband, Emmeline summoned him from his book to the bedroom.

‘Well, what has happened now?’ exclaimed Mumford.  ’If this kind of thing goes on much longer I shall feel inclined to take a lodging in town.’

’I have heard something very strange.  I can hardly believe it; there must have been a mistake.’

‘What is it?  Really, one’s nerves—­’

’Is it true that, on Thursday evening, you and Miss Derrick were seen talking together at the station?  Thursday:  the day she went off and came back again after dinner.’

Mumford would gladly have got out of this scrape at any expense of mendacity, but he saw at once how useless such an attempt would prove.  Exasperated by the result of his indiscretion, and resenting, as all men do, the undignified necessity of defending himself, he flew into a rage.  Yes, it was true, and what next?  The girl had waylaid him, begged him to intercede for her with his wife.  Of course it would have been better to come home and reveal the matter; he didn’t do so because it seemed to put him in a silly position.  For Heaven’s sake, let the whole absurd business be forgotten and done with!

Emmeline, though not sufficiently enlightened to be above small jealousies, would have been ashamed to declare her feeling with the energy of unsophisticated female nature.  She replied coldly and loftily that the matter, of course, was done with; that it interested her no more; but that she could not help regretting an instance of secretiveness such as she had never before discovered in her husband.  Surely he had put himself in a much sillier position, as things turned out, than if he had followed the dictates of honour.

‘The upshot of it is this,’ cried Mumford:  ’Miss Derrick has to leave the house, and, if necessary, I shall tell her so myself.’

Again Emmeline was cold and lofty.  There was no necessity whatever for any further communication between Clarence and Miss Derrick.  Let the affair be left entirely in her hands.  Indeed, she must very specially request that Clarence would have nothing more to do with Miss Derrick’s business.  Whereupon Mumford took offence.  Did Emmeline wish to imply that there had been anything improper in his behaviour beyond the paltry indiscretion to which he had confessed?  No; Emmeline was thankful to say that she did not harbour base suspicions.  Then, rejoined Mumford, let this be the last word of a difference as hateful to him as to her.  And he left the room.