It saved her. She saw her husband enter, and an ice-cold breath made frigid her throbbing veins. She fixed her eyes upon him, and could not remove them; they followed him from the door to where Stella stood to receive him. She saw that he almost paused on recognising Eldon, that his brows contracted, that involuntarily he looked at _her_. ‘You know Mr. Eldon,’ Stella said, perhaps in not quite her ordinary voice, for the meeting could in no case be a very happy one. ‘Oh yes,’ replied Mutimer, scarcely looking at Hubert, and making an idle effort at a bow. Hubert did not reseat himself. He took leave of Stella cordially; to Adela he inclined himself at respectful distance. Mrs. Westlake supplied conversation. Adela, leaving her former chair, took a seat by her friend’s side, but could not as yet trust her voice. Presently her husband addressed her; it was for the first time; he had not even given his hand. ‘Alice is very anxious that you should dine with her before you go home. Do you think Mrs. Westlake could spare you this evening?’ And, on Stella’s looking an inquiry, he added: ‘My sister, Mrs. Rodman. I don’t think you know her?’ Adela had no choice but to procure her hostess’s assent to this arrangement. ‘I’ll call for you at seven o’clock,’ Mutimer said. Adela knew that he was commanding himself; his tone was not quite discourteous, but he had none of the genial satisfaction which he ordinarily showed in the company of refined people. She attributed his displeasure to her neglect of Alice. But it did not affect her as it had been wont to; she was disposed to resent it. The time between his departure and seven o’clock she spent by herself, unoccupied, sitting as if tired. She put off the necessary changing of garments till there was scarcely time for it. When at length she was summoned she went down with flushed face. ‘I feel as if I were going to have a fever,’ she said to Stella in the drawing-room. She could not help uttering the words, but laughed immediately. ‘Your hand is really very hot,’ Stella replied. Mutimer had a cab at the door, and was waiting in the hall. ‘You’re a long time,’ was his greeting, with more impatience than he had ever used to her. When they were together in the hansom: ‘Why did you refuse Alice’s invitation before?’ he asked with displeasure. ‘I didn’t think she really wished me to accept it.’ She spoke without misgiving, still resenting his manner. ‘Didn’t think? Why, what do you mean?’ She made no reply. ‘You didn’t ask her to call, either?’ ‘I ought to have done so. I am very sorry to have neglected it.’ He looked at her with surprise which was very like a sneer, and kept silence till they reached the house. One of the ladies whom Adela had already met, and a gentleman styled Captain something, were guests at dinner. Alice received her sister-in-law with evident pleasure, though not perhaps that of pure hospitableness.