Alathea flashed at me. She was beginning to realize that she was at a disadvantage. "You are not unutterably shocked that I should have had a--friend, are you?" Her face grew contemptuous. "No, my father had one. Men are all beasts." "They may be in the abstract, but are not when they can find a woman worth love and respect." She shrugged her shoulders. "My mother is an angel." "Now that your mind is at rest as to this question, have you any other cause of complaint against me? Though why it should matter to you what I do or don't do in this respect, as long as I am courteous to you, and fulfill my side of the bargain, I cannot think. One could imagine you were jealous!" "Jealous!" she flared furiously. "Jealous, I! How ridiculous.--One has to care to be jealous!" and then she flounced out of the room. Yes,--even when they appear all that is balanced, there is nothing so amazing as a woman! XXVI _Sunday:_ I slept last night soundly for some strange reason, and woke quite late on Sunday morning. One frequently has some sense of depression or some sense of exhaltation before one is quite conscious, and quite often cannot account for either state. Presumably Alathea had left me full of contemptuous indifference, but I awoke with a feeling of joy and satisfaction, which gradually changed to flatness, when I became fully aware of things. For indeed what reason had I for great rejoicing? None, except that the menace of the Suzette bogie may be lifted. I rang for Burton. It was nine o'clock. "Has Her Ladyship breakfasted yet, Burton?" "Her Ladyship breakfasted at eight, and left the house at half-past, Sir Nicholas." My heart sank. So I was going to have a lonely morning. She had said she wanted to go to her mother, I remembered now. I did not hurry to get up. The doctors were coming with the wonderful artist who is making my new foot, at twelve o'clock, and I am to have it on to-day for the first time. This would be a surprise for Alathea when she returned to lunch. I read my journal in bed, and thought over the whole of our acquaintance. Yes, certainly she has greatly changed in the last six weeks. And possibly I am nearer my goal than I could have dared to hope. Now my method must be to be sweet to her, and not tease her any more. How wonderful it will be when she does love me. I have not thought much about my own feelings lately. She has kept me so often irritated and angry, but I know that there is a steady advance, and that I love her more than ever. To see her little mutinous rebellious face softening--?--it will be worth all the waiting. But meanwhile she is out, and I had better get up! * * * * * I wonder if all the hundreds of other fellows who lost a leg below the knee and were cripples for eighteen months felt the same as I did when the new limb was fixed, and they stood upon two feet again for the first time.