"Almost thirty. It's a dangerous age, Maisie. And Anne's a dangerous person. She's absolutely reckless. She always was." "I thought you thought she was in love with Colin." "I never thought it." Maisie hated people who lied to her. "Why did you tell Jerrold they were lovers, then?" she said. "Did I tell Jerrold they were lovers?" "He thinks you did." "He must have misunderstood what I said. Colin gave me his word of honour that there was nothing between them." But Maisie had no mercy. "Why should he do that if you didn't think there was? If you were mistaken then you may be mistaken now." "I'm not mistaken now. Ask Colin, ask Eliot, ask Anne's father." "I shouldn't dream of asking them. You forget, if Jerrold's my husband, Anne's my friend." "Then for goodness sake keep her out of mischief. Keep her out of Jerrold's way. Anne's a darling and I'm devoted to her, but she always did love playing with fire. If she's bent on burning her pretty wings it isn't kind to bring her where the lamp is." "I'd trust Anne's wings to keep her out of danger." "How about Jerrold's danger? You might think of him." "I do think of him. And I trust him. Absolutely." "I don't. I don't trust anybody absolutely." "One thing's clear," said Maisie, "that it's time we had tea." She got up, with an annihilating dignity, and rang the bell. Adeline's smile intimated that she was unbeaten and unconvinced. That evening John Severn came into his wife's room as she was dressing for dinner. "I wish to goodness Anne hadn't this craze for farming," he said. "She's simply working herself to death. I never saw her look so seedy. I'm sorry Jerrold let her have that farm." "So am I," said Adeline. "I never saw Jerry look so seedy, either. Maisie's been behaving like a perfect idiot. If she wanted them to go off together she couldn't have done better." "You don't imagine," John said, "that's what they're after?" "How do I know what they're after? You never can tell with people like Jerrold and Anne. They're both utterly reckless. They don't care who suffers so long as they get what they want. If Anne had the morals of a--of a mouse, she'd clear out." "I think," John said, "you're mistaken. Anne isn't like that.... I hope you haven't said anything to Maisie?" Adeline made a face at him, as much as to say, "What do you take me for?" She lifted up her charming, wilful face and powdered it carefully. iii The earth smelt of the coming rain. All night the trees had whispered of rain coming to-morrow. Now they waited.