Faith’s soft, quick-shutting eyes looked unutterable things, and she replied, ‘I have been to hear Mrs. Petherwin’s story-telling again.’

’And walked all the way home through the streets at this time of night, I suppose!’

‘Well, nobody molested me, either going or coming back.’

’Faith, I gave you strict orders not to go into the streets after two o’clock in the day, and now here you are taking no notice of what I say at all!’

’The truth is, Kit, I wanted to see with my spectacles what this woman was really like, and I went without them last time.  I slipped in behind, and nobody saw me.’

‘I don’t think much of her after what I have seen tonight,’ said Christopher, moodily recurring to a previous thought.

‘Why?  What is the matter?’

’I thought I would call on her this afternoon, but when I got there I found she had left early for the performance.  So in the evening, when I thought it would be all over, I went to the private door of the Hall to speak to her as she came out, and ask her flatly a question or two which I was fool enough to think I must ask her before I went to bed.  Just as I was drawing near she came out, and, instead of getting into the brougham that was waiting for her, she went round the corner.  When she came back a man met her and gave her something, and they stayed talking together two or three minutes.  The meeting may certainly not have been intentional on her part; but she has no business to be going on so coolly when—­when—­in fact, I have come to the conclusion that a woman’s affection is not worth having.  The only feeling which has any dignity or permanence or worth is family affection between close blood-relations.’

‘And yet you snub me sometimes, Mr. Kit.’

’And, for the matter of that, you snub me.  Still, you know what I mean—­there’s none of that off-and-on humbug between us.  If we grumble with one another we are united just the same:  if we don’t write when we are parted, we are just the same when we meet—­there has been some rational reason for silence; but as for lovers and sweethearts, there is nothing worth a rush in what they feel!’

Faith said nothing in reply to this.  The opinions she had formed upon the wisdom of her brother’s pursuit of Ethelberta would have come just then with an ill grace.  It must, however, have been evident to Christopher, had he not been too preoccupied for observation, that Faith’s impressions of Ethelberta were not quite favourable as regarded her womanhood, notwithstanding that she greatly admired her talents.

22.  Ethelberta’s house

Ethelberta came indoors one day from the University boat-race, and sat down, without speaking, beside Picotee, as if lost in thought.

‘Did you enjoy the sight?’ said Picotee.