Widdershins

result it had, namely, that it awakened, or seemed to awaken, in Oleron an abnormal sensitiveness to other noises of the old house. It has been remar

bored and burrowed in its baulks and joists. At any rate, Oleron had only to sit quiet in his chair and to wait for a minute or two in order to become aware of such a change in

racked, boards complained; with no palpable stirring of the air window-sashes changed their positions with a soft knock in their frames. And whether the place had life in this sense or not, it had at all events a winsome personality. It needed but an hour of musing for Oleron to conceive the idea that, as his own body stood in friendly relation to his soul, so, by an extension and an attenuation, his habitation might fantastically be

de, Elsie Bengough, from being merely unattracted, began to show a dislike of the p

ou ought to be in a place with concrete floors and a patent gas-meter and a tradesmen's lift. And it would do you all the good in the world if you had a job that made you scramble a

d a little being diagno

gh, but wit

r all each of us has his own life to l

... How long is it sin

two h

post a letter. How long is it sinc

e time perhaps.

was her

't been

essed much better for

foundations of her. I shall beg

ir tussle about the first Romilly. She frowned,

ll got that ridiculou

rded the old Romilly, and am at work on a new one,

she was a fighter. His own absurd sensitiveness

ld one?" she de

asked

to you. I want, if you're not wool-gatherin

his back. But when he turned ro

if it should seem wrong to you. Believe me, I am giving thought to it.... The manuscript? I

the lid. Suddenly she gave a little exclamation, and put th

ck those nails in

de to h

ter?" he asked. "I did knock them

owing her hand. From the upper wrist to the knuckl

lated.... "Here, come to the

d cleansed the bad gash. Then, still holding the hand, he turned co

I'd ... is this water too cold? Does that hurt? I

can bear it," she murm

He had spent half a day in opening and making serviceable the three window-boxes, and he could not conceive how he had come to leave an inch and a h

muttered, as he went for a pair of pincers.

ite; but in her hand was the manuscript of Romilly. She had not

t mistake you ever, ever made if

s head, and Romilly occupied a second place in his thoughts for the moment. But still she i

ll see how right I am. And if in spite of all you don't like her, well ..." he

as si

. "We've got along well so fa

had been nursing her injured hand, with her eyes once more closed; but

it, Paul, but you are

ingly; "you've had a shock; rest

d never seen the place. It's stopped your work, it's making you into a person I hardly kno

l you let me take you to a doct

right presently-I'l

her chair, and the bandaged han

o the arm of a brother, and he had accepted the little affectionate gesture as a brother might have accepted it. But now, for the first time, there rushed into his mind a hundred startling questions. H

that, had he analysed it, he would have found to be petulance and irritation and resentment and ungentleness. The sudden selfish prompting mastered him before he was aware. He all but gave it words. What was she doing there at all?

ain he had overcome his resentment suffici

ld let me take

ro

o now. If I need a dressing I'll get one

ed with her to the foot of the stairs. Ha

to come if you happened

u a postcard

te she tu

with a mournful look. "Every

he was

the window-box. He opened the lid and stood long loo

ng," he muttered. "It's

have removed