“Oh, I’m all right.  But you?”

“As well as well can be.”

“But, mother dear, you look as if you’d been having those bad dreams.”

“No, I’ve had none, none at all.”

“That means not too many.  Does it?”

They kissed, and he said tenderly yet harshly:  “Roger hasn’t been bothering you?”

“Ah, the poor thing, don’t speak of him like that,” she said.  “No, but I’ve not heard from him for six weeks.  Not even at Christmas.  I’m a little anxious.  But it may be all right.  You remember last Christmas there was a time when he didn’t write.  I expect it’ll be all right.”  But with her eyes she abandoned herself to fear, so that he should soothe her and stroke her hands with his, which were trembling in spite of their strength because he was so glad to see her.

“Mother, darling, I have hated leaving you alone.  But it was necessary.  I’ve done good work this winter.”  He made with one hand a stiff and sweeping movement that expressed his peculiar kind of arrogance, which stated that his was the victory, now and for ever, and yet took therefrom no pride for himself.  “I’ve pulled it off,” he said jeeringly, and smiled at her derisively but with tight lips, as if they must take this thing lightly or some danger would spring.  “Where I get my brains from I don’t know,” he muttered teasingly, and put out his hand and traced the interweaving strands in one of her plaits.  “What hair you’ve got!” he said.  “I’ve never seen a woman with ...”  He started violently and was silent.

She cried out, “What is it?” But he answered, speaking clippedly, “Oh, nothing, nothing....”

So evidently was he overcoming a moment of utter confusion that she turned away and busied herself with the coffee.

Behind her his voice spoke falsely, uplifted in a feint of the surprised recollection which at its first coming had struck him dumb the previous moment.  “And Ellen!  I’m a nice sort of lover to be five minutes in the house without asking for my Ellen!  How is she?  How have you been getting on together?”

“Oh, your dear Ellen!” she cried fervently.  But her heart went cold within her.  He was right.  It was against nature that he should have forgotten the woman he loved when he came under the roof where she was sleeping her beautiful sleep.  Could it be that Ellen was not the woman he loved and that his engagement to her was some new joke on the part of destiny?  She whirled round to have a look at him, exclaiming to make time, “Oh, she is the most wonderful creature who ever lived.”  But he had forgotten his embarrassment now, and was standing with bent head, thinking intently, and on his face there was the dazzled and vulnerable look of a man who is truly in love.  Well, if that were so, why could it not be pure and easy joy for them both, as it was for other sons and mothers when there were happy marriage afoot?  Why must their life, even in such parts of it as escaped the shadow of