His tone was not mocking, and yet beneath his steady gaze, Anstice felt that he was amusing himself at her expense. "I always keep my promises," she said gently but firmly. "Which is my rightful place by our agreement? And who wants me most? The little ones or you?" "We do, Steppie, we do," cried the little girls. "Well, if you won't come out just yet, I must wait for you," said Justin, smiling enigmatically. And then he got up, and put Ruffie into his wheeled chair with very tender hands. "I haven't changed," he said; "I must go and have a bath. No hunting to-morrow. If fine, Ruffie, I'll take you on your pony up the Fells to-morrow morning. We'll let the lessons go hang." Some time later, when the children were in bed, Anstice came to her husband. "You'll have to go and comfort poor Ruffie. He has got the idea that I am going to run off with you. You shouldn't joke with them so. They don't understand it." "You run off with me? No, it will be the other way about, but I will go to him." Ruffie's pillow was damp with tears. "Dad, tell me on your gentleman's honour you won't take Steppie off! It's bad enough you going, but she belongs to us much more than to you! And when she's away, there's nobody to keep us merry and—comf'able. We couldn't live without her now, we really couldn't. You don't want her as we do." "I don't know about that, my boy," said Justin, putting his hand on the golden curls. "Your Dad is undergoing a kind of upheaval, turning out of his heart some old rotten roots, and getting into a very topsy-turvy state of mind. I don't know that your song is quite true to life. How does it go?" "Whatever they want, there is never a 'No.'" "I've had a good many 'no's' in my life, and am likely to get some more, I foresee." "We say no, no, no, to Steppie leaving us," said Ruffie with a little sob, "and I'm so 'fraid you'll do it of a sudden, like you go from us gen'ally. We shall wake up one day and find Steppie gone. I'm so 'fraid of it, I can't sleep." "You're a little duffer," said his father, stooping to kiss him. "Steppie, as you call her, doesn't want to come with me. She would hate it, she would hate leaving you. Wild horses wouldn't drag her." "But if you want her—" "If I want her, I shall have to do without her. And if we all want her, the best plan will be for me to stay at home, then we can all have each other. Will that please you?" "Oh yes, that's a very good plan, the best you could make." Ruffie gave a sigh of relief, and turned over on his pillow. Five minutes after, he was fast asleep. After dinner that evening, Justin came into the drawing-room. As a rule he was in his smoking-room for most of the evening. If Anstice was surprised, she did not show it. He took the big easy chair by the fire. "Now," he said, "I want some music. May I have it? I don't see why the children should be your only audience. You sing to them, I should like you to sing to me."