“So that’s settled,” she said. And then, like a woman, “Oh, Oliver, why were you hateful?” He flung out his hands. “Lord knows!” He fidgeted. Suddenly he looked up at her with a boy’s grin. “I say—let’s chuck it, Laura?” “Oh, well——” she said grudgingly. “Oh, well——” And then in most casual afterthought as she turned to her boxes (it was time to pack up: she could see Mrs. Cloud and Justin far away down the road) “And—Oliver? You won’t tell Justin, of course?” At that word a great light broke upon Oliver, a light so dazzling that quite literally he stood and blinked, and still stood, staring at Laura’s unconscious back, while it lit up and flooded and overflowed every nook and corner of his memory. So that was why!... So that, a dozen times and more, had been why!... He shook with sudden laughter as he kicked himself for a fool and laughed again. He felt a new man. Here was wine for his vanity, oil for his insulted heart. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate him.... It was simply that her eyes were otherwise occupied.... Oh, _well_ then!... He hoped he was enough man of the world to understand the situation.... With gusto he adopted the rôle of kindly cynic. Bless their hearts, he wouldn’t interfere.... But what a pair of innocents!... Did they think all the world as blind as they were themselves?... “Of course you won’t tell Justin?”... The dear girl!... Oliver, you perceive, was his jaunty self again. But (and, you know, I like Oliver) all he said to Laura and with the utmost gravity was—— “All right! I won’t if you won’t.” “Oh, I won’t,” she assured him. “Then I won’t,” said Oliver. And that is why Justin never knew. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER XVII Travelling north, they travelled backwards from early summer, through late and middle spring, and came to their own hill-top at last, to find the roads still grey and wrinkled with winter mud, and only the beeches green, for Brackenhurst was always three weeks behind the rest of Kent. Laura settled down with touching good faith to enjoy her spring all over again and more completely than before, because Oliver was left behind in Italy and could not interrupt. She actually believed, you see, that life will give you the same good gift twice over. Oh, of course, she did not expect to see so much of Justin now that she was at home.... Importantly she acknowledged her duties, her social and parochial duties, to Gran’papa and Aunt Adela and Brackenhurst.... And Justin would be going to business.... She was vague about his income and responsibilities, but she took it for granted that his days would be fully employed. They were, but not as she expected. Aunt Adela was quite horrified when Laura’s notions were accidentally conveyed to her.