"I don't think I should like playing leap-frog," he said. "I sometimes play at boats with Dot." "We'll play at hide-and-seek," said Jona. "You and I will hide together. Come along." They hid in the cool dusk of the tool-shed. Jona sat on the wheelbarrow and talked, and talked, and talked. At the end of half-an-hour, Luke had failed to ask her what she had meant by certain things on the day that she had called at his office. He made rather a specialty of not being able to say anything that he particularly wanted to say. He said: "It's funny they've not found us yet." "Not so very funny," said Jona. "You see, I forgot to tell any of them that we were going to play this game. Here's one of the gardeners coming. Damn. I suppose we'd better join the rest of the crowd." It was not until Mabel and Luke were leaving that Luke got a chance of another word with Jona. "We're leaving for town to-morrow," said Jona. "You'll write and tell me everything that's in your old head, won't you?" Luke felt that he ought not to write. Mabel would not like it. It would be wrong. "Thanks," he said, "we so seldom have any postage stamps in the house. And I've lost my Onoto pen, and I sprained my wrist falling off my bicycle." "Oh, do write, Lukie dear." She held out her hand to him. "Good-by," he said, and ran down the steps. At the bottom of the steps stood the cab, an interesting antique, which was to convey Mabel home. Mabel and Major Capstan were waiting near the door. "You only took about twenty minutes saying good-by to Lady Tyburn," said Mabel. "I'm giving Major Capstan a lift. If you think it's fair on the horse to ask it to draw the three of us, get in, of course. Otherwise, it's beautiful weather for a nice walk." "I will walk," said Luke. "I prefer it." He wished to be alone. He sat down on the first milestone in the road, and meditated with his head in his hands. Mabel. His wife. He was very good to her. He had been perfectly faithful to her. And was it worth while? What did she think about him? How much did she care for him? There were two men after her. He seemed to visualize the situation as a scrap from the stop-press of a newspaper. 1. MABEL. 2. DOOM. 3. CAPSTAN. Also ran. Luke Sharper, Esq. 3 He recalled some of the things Jona had said to him in the tool-shed. She had been rather frank in speaking of her husband. "Bill's wonderful," she said. "He caught the tiger last night. When the keeper couldn't get it. He does everything well. He is the most fascinating man in the world--until you get used to him. I've got used to him. He fascinates all women. That would not matter so much, but nearly all women fascinate him. I pretend not to notice it. I think he does it partly to see how I will take it. I remain merry and bright. With a breaking heart, you understand. How much longer I shall be able to stand it, I do not know. Oh, my hands are so cold."