Two Strangers

o see him take his mother in as he always did, as if she were the queen, and place her in her own chair, where she had presided at the head of that table for over forty years, was in itself

ing honor which moved Reginald. In Ralph's house (or so he thought) the mother would rule without any show of derived power. It would be her own, not a grace conferred; but though he chafed he was silent, for it was very certain that there was not an exception to be taken, not a word to say. It is possible that Mrs. Wradisley was aware of it too, but she liked{76} it, liked her son's magnanimous giving up to her of all the privileges which had for so long been hers. Many men would not have done that. They would have liked their houses to themselves; but Reginald had always been a model son. She was not in any way an exacting woman, and when she turned to her second son, come back in peace after so many wanderings, her heart overflowed with content. She was the only one in the party who was not aware that the master of the house h

e this garden party to-

so late," Mrs. Wradisley said, turning toward Bertram. "St. Swithin, you know, was in full force this year, and some of the corn was still out when the month began. But the weather lately has been so fine. There was a

nicest{78} people already," said

people to-morrow. Lord Dulham was once a Cabinet Minister, and Colonel Knox has seen an immense deal of service in different parts of the world; not to speak of

etters half a mile long, and leaders, and all sorts o

Bertram with alarm. Mr. Wradisley with

nate as to discover for myself a most intelligent

literary man afloat on the world, or making notes. Only a humble newspaper correspo

have said something disagreeable about literary people, and that would have been so very-I assure you we are all qui

playing you a trick. I wrote something about Africa, that's all. When one is knocking about the world for years without endless money

ventures naturally more interesting to the family than any he had to tell. He laughed a little to himself over it as the talk flowed on, and left him with not much pride in the literary profession, which he had in fact only played with, but which had inspired him at moments with a little content in what he did too. These good folk, who were intelligent enough, would have been a little afraid of him, not merely gratified by his

h, "this widow of your

e. "Ah," he said, "oh," with a clearing of his throat, "I happened to see Mrs. Nugen

id, Reginald?" said Lu

r just before dinner, and Reginald could only have seen her in

ive glance at the others who{82} knew different. He co

disley, with his calm voice, "I sometime

I wanted her to come for lunch that she might make Ralph's acquaintance before the crowd came; but it doesn't matter, for no doubt they'll meet often enough. Only when you me

g this widow, mother, as yo

at's her misfortune; it's not her charact

beautiful{83} lady-is that better? T

oss the room to what he knew was the most comfortable chair, possessed himself of the evening paper, and sitting down, began to read it. Mrs. Wradisley had by no means done with her evening paper, and that Reginald should thus take it up u

d not even satisfy himself of that, how should he ever satisfy the world? He was a little stirred up and uncomfortable that night, he could scarcely tell why, for the brewing troubles of the Wradisleys, if it was trouble that was brewing, was unlikely to affect a stranger. Ralph, indeed, had been grumbling in his beard with complaints over what was in fact the blamelessness of his brother, but it did not trouble Bertram that his host should be too perfect a man. He had quite settled in his own mind what it was that was going to happen. The widow, no doubt, was some pretty adventuress who, by means of the mother and sister, had established a bold over the immaculate one, and meant to marry him and turn her patronesses adrift-the commonest story, vulgar, even. And the ladies would really have nothing to complain of, for Wradisley was certainly old enough to choose for himself, and might have married and turned off his mother to her jointure house{86} years ago, and no harm done. It was not this that made Bertram sleepless and nervous, who really had so little to do with them, and no call to fight their battles. Perhaps it was the sensation of being in England, and within the rules of common life again, after long disruption from all ordinary circumstances of ordinary living. He to plunge into garden parties, and common encounters of men and women! He might meet some one who knew him, who would ask him questions, and attempt to piece his life together wi

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