"He certainly looked terribly tired," said Rendel. "Terribly," said Rachel, "but I can't imagine why. He had been so absolutely quiet all the afternoon." "Well, you take care of him to-day," said Rendel, unable to eliminate the cheerful confidence from his voice. "I shall indeed," said Rachel. "Oh, he'll come all right again, never fear," said Rendel. "You mustn't take too gloomy a view." "You certainly seem inclined to take a cheerful one this morning," said Rachel, half convinced in spite of herself that all was well. "Well, I do," said Rendel. "I must say that in spite of the prevalent opinion to the contrary, I feel inclined this morning to say that the scheme of the universe is entirely right; it is just to my liking. The sunshine, and my breakfast, and my wife----" "I am glad I am included," she said. "And the day to live through. What can a man wish for more?" "It sounds as though you had everything you could possibly want, certainly," said Rachel, smiling at him. "I don't know," said Rendel, reflecting, "if it is that quite. The real happiness is to want everything you can possibly get. That is the best thing of all." "And not so difficult, I should think," said Rachel. "I am not sure," said Rendel. "I am not sure that it is quite an easy thing to have an ardent hold on life. Some people keep letting it down with a flop. But I feel as if I could hold it tight this morning at any rate. I do not believe there is a creature in the wide world that I would change places with at this moment," he went on, the force of his ardent hope and purpose breaking down his usual reserve. "You are very enthusiastic to-day, Frank," she said. "Well, one can't do much without enthusiasm," said Rendel, continuing his breakfast with a satisfied air, "but with it one can move the world." "Is that what you are going to do?" said Rachel. "Yes," said Rendel nodding. "Frank, I wonder if you will be a great man?" "Can you doubt it?" said Rendel. "Supposing," she said, "some day you were a sort of Lord Stamfordham." "That is rather a far cry," he replied. "By the way, I wonder where the papers are this morning? Why are they so late?" "They will come directly," Rachel said. "It is a very good thing they're late, you can eat your breakfast in peace for once without knowing what has happened." "That is not the proper spirit," said Rendel smiling, "for the wife of a future great man." "The only thing is," said Rachel, "that if you did become a great man, I don't think I should be the sort of wife for you. I am very stupid about politics, don't you think so? I don't understand things properly." "I think you are exactly the sort of wife I want," said Rendel, "and that is enough for me. That is the only thing necessary for you to understand. I don't believe you do understand it really." "Then are you quite sure," she said, half laughing and half in earnest, "that you don't like politics better than you do me?"