On the whole, to be just, that pompous ass, as he called him, Percy Kellynch, had really behaved very well. He had accused Nigel of nothing; he had suggested nothing about his wife, who was still, evidently, on a pedestal; he had really done the right thing and been considerate to her in the highest degree. Any man who cared for his wife would have naturally requested him, Nigel, to keep away. And it was really decent, frightfully decent of him, to let him see the letters, really kind and fair. Of course what put old Percy in a good temper, in spite of all, was this news, and, no doubt, Bertha was being angelic to him. Nigel made up his mind to try and throw it off. But he couldn't do it by staying with his wife. To look at her would be agonising now. Still he made up his mind he would be calm, he would not be unkind to her; he would be firm, and, as far as possible, have no sort of scene. * * * * * When he went in, she was sitting in the boudoir looking out of the window as usual. She saw him before he came in. It was not six o'clock yet and quite light. "Well, Nigel darling?" She ran up to him. He moved away. "Please don't, Mary. I've got something serious to speak to you about." She turned pale, guiltily. "What is it? What on earth is it?" "You shall hear. Shall we talk about it now, or wait till after dinner? I think I'd rather wait. I've got a bit of a headache." "After dinner, then," murmured Mary. This was very unlike her. Had she had nothing on her conscience, nothing she was afraid of, she would never have ceased questioning and worrying him to get it all out of him. * * * * * He went up to his room, and asked her to leave him, and this she actually did. She wanted time to think! With the weak good nature that was in Nigel, curiously side by side with a certain cruel hardness, he now felt a little sorry for her. It must be awful to be waiting like this. And she really had been in the wrong. It was an appalling thing to do--mad, hysterical, dangerous. It might have caused far more trouble than it had! Suppose Percy had believed it all! Nigel thought of scandals, divorces, all sorts of things. Yes, after all, Kellynch had really been kind; and clever. He was not a bad sort. Then Nigel found that last little letter of Bertha's. How sweet it was! But he saw through it now, that she was deeply happy and didn't want to be bothered with him. She forgave the scene his wife had made at the party, as not one woman in a hundred would do--but she didn't want him. The moment she realised that he wanted to flirt with her, that there was even a chance of his loving her, she was simply bored. Yes, that was it--gay, amusing, witty, attractive Nigel bored her! Dull, serious, conventional Percy did not! She was in love with him.