Then she said: "You've not been out, then, lately ?" "Yes; I went up Clifton Grove on Monday afternoon with Clara." "It was not very nice weather," said Miriam, "was it ?" "But I wanted to go out, and it was all right.

The Trent IS full." "And did you go to Barton ?" she asked.
"No; we had tea in Clifton." "DID you! That would be nice." "It was! The jolliest old woman! She gave us several pompom dahlias, as pretty as you like." Miriam bowed her head and brooded.

He was quite unconscious of concealing anything from her.
"What made her give them you ?" she asked.
He laughed.
"Because she liked us--because we were jolly, I should think." Miriam put her finger in her mouth.
"Were you late home ?" she asked.
At last he resented her tone.
"I caught the seven-thirty." "Ha!" They walked on in silence, and he was angry.
"And how IS Clara ?" asked Miriam.
"Quite all right, I think." "That's good!" she said, with a tinge of irony.

"By the way, what of her husband?
One never hears anything of him." "He's got some other woman, and is also quite all right," he replied.
"At least, so I think." "I see--you don't know for certain.

Don't you think a position like that is hard on a woman ?" "Rottenly hard!" "It's so unjust!" said Miriam.