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untable　tears。　On　the　afternoon　of　his　arrival　at　Chexington　he　was　a　little　surprised　to　find　Sir　Philip　Easton　coming　through　the　house　into　the　garden；　with　an　accustomed　familiarity。　　Sir　Philip　perceived　him　with　a　start　that　was　instantly　controlled；　and　greeted　him　with　unnatural　ease。　Sir　Philip；　it　seemed；　was　fishing　and　reading　and　playing　cricket　in　the　neighbourhood；　which　struck　Benham　as　a　poor　way　of　spending　the　summer；　the　sort　of　soft　holiday　a　man　learns　to　take　from　scholars　and　literary　men。　　A　man　like　Sir　Philip；　he　thought；　ought　to　have　been　aviating　or　travelling。　Moreover；　when　Sir　Philip　greeted　Amanda　it　seemed　to　Benham　that　there　was　a　flavour　of　established　association　in　their　manner。　　But　then　Sir　Philip　was　also　very　assiduous　with　Lady　Marayne。　　She　called　him　〃Pip；〃　and　afterwards　Amanda　called　across　the　tennis…　court　to　him；　〃Pip！〃　　And　then　he　called　her　〃Amanda。〃　　When　the　Wilder　girls　came　up　to　join　the　tennis　he　was　just　as　brotherly。　。　。　。　The　next　day　he　came　to　lunch。　During　that　meal　Benham　became　more　aware　than　he　had　ever　been　before　of　the　peculiar　deep　expressiveness　of　this　young　man's　eyes。　They　watched　him　and　they　watched　Amanda　with　a　solicitude　that　seemed　at　once　pained　and　tender。　　And　there　was　something　about　Amanda；　a　kind　of　hard　brightness；　an　impartiality　and　an　air　of　something　undefinably　suspended；　that　gave　Benham　an　intuitive　certitude　that　that　afternoon　Sir　Philip　would　be　spoken　to　privately；　and　that　then　he　would　pack　up　and　go　away　in　a　state　of　illumination　from　Chexington。　　But　before　he　could　be　spoken　to　he　contrived　to　speak　to　Benham。　They　were　left　to　smoke　after　lunch；　and　then　it　was　he　took　advantage　of　a　pause　to　commit　his　little　indiscretion。　〃Mrs。　Benham；〃　he　said；　〃looks　amazingly　wellextraordinarily　well；　don't　you　think？〃　〃Yes；〃　said　Benham；　startled。　　〃Yes。　　She　certainly　keeps　very　well。〃　〃She　misses　you　terribly；〃　said　Sir　Philip；　〃it　is　a　time　when　a　woman　misses　her　husband。　　But；　of　course；　she　does　not　want　to　hamper　your　work。　。　。　。〃　Benham　felt　it　was　very　kind　of　him　to　take　so　intimate　an　interest　in　these　matters；　but　on　the　spur　of　the　moment　he　could　find　no　better　expression　for　this　than　a　grunt。　〃You　don't　mind；〃　said　the　young　man　with　a　slight　catch　in　the　breath　that　might　have　been　apprehensive；　〃that　I　sometimes　bring　her　books　and　flowers　and　things？　　Do　what　little　I　can　to　keep　life　interesting　down　here？　　It's　not　very　congenial。　。　。　。　　She's　so　wonderfulI　think　she　is　the　most　wonderful　woman　in　the　world。〃　Benham　perceived　that　so　far　from　being　a　modern　aristocrat　he　was　really　a　primitive　barbarian　in　these　matters。　〃I've　no　doubt；〃　he　said；　〃that　my　wife　has　every　reason　to　be　grateful　for　your　attentions。〃　In　the　little　pause　that　followed　Benham　had　a　feeling　that　Sir　Philip　was　engendering　something　still　more　personal。　　If　so；　he　might　be　constrained　to　invert　very　gently　but　very　firmly　the　bowl　of　chrysanthemums　over　Sir　Philip's　head；　or　kick　him　in　an　improving　manner。　　He　had　a　ridiculous　belief　that　Sir　Philip　would　probably　take　anything　of　the　sort　very　touchingly。　　He　scrambled　in　his　mind　for　some　remark　that　would　avert　this　possibility。　〃Have　you　ever　been　in　Russia？〃　he　asked　hastily。　　〃It　is　the　most　wonderful　country　in　Europe。　　I　had　an　odd　adventure　near　Kiev。　During　a　pogrom。〃　And　he　drowned　the　developing　situation　in　a　flood　of　description。　。　。　。　But　it　was　not　so　easy　to　drown　the　little　things　that　were　presently　thrown　out　by　Lady　Marayne。　　They　were　so　much　more　in　the　air。　。　。　。

18

Sir　Philip　suddenly　got　out　of　the　picture　even　as　Benham　had　foreseen。　〃Easton　has　gone　away；〃　he　remarked　three　days　later　to　Amanda。　〃I　told　him　to　go。　　He　is　a　bore　with　you　about。　　But　otherwise　he　is　rather　a　comfort；　Cheetah。〃　She　meditated　upon　Sir　Philip。　　〃And　he's　an　HONOURABLE　man；〃　she　said。　　〃He's　safe。　。　。　。〃

19

After　that　visit　it　was　that　the　notes　upon　love　and　sex　began　in　earnest。　　The　scattered　memoranda　upon　the　perfectness　of　heroic　love　for　the　modern　aristocrat　ended　abruptly。　　Instead　there　came　the　first　draft　for　a　study　of　jealousy。　　The　note　was　written　in　pencil　on　Chexington　notepaper　and　manifestly　that　had　been　supported　on　the　ribbed　cover　of　a　book。　　There　was　a　little　computation　in　the　corner；　converting　forty…five　degrees　Reaumur　into　degrees　Fahrenheit；　which　made　White　guess　it　had　been　written　in　the　Red　Sea。　　But；　indeed；　it　had　been　written　in　a　rather　amateurishly　stoked　corridor…train　on　Benham's　journey　to　the　gathering　revolt　in　Moscow。　。　。　。　〃I　think　I　have　been　disposed　to　underrate　the　force　of　sexual　jealousy。　。　。　。　　I　thought　it　was　something　essentially　contemptible；　something　that　one　dismissed　and　put　behind　oneself　in　the　mere　effort　to　be　aristocratic；　but　I　begin　to　realize　that　it　is　not　quite　so　easily　settled　with。　。　。　。　〃One　likes　to　know。　。　。　。　　Possibly　one　wants　to　know　too　much。　。　。　。　　In　phases　of　fatigue；　and　particularly　in　phases　of　sleeplessness；　when　one　is　leaving　all　that　one　cares　for　behind；　it　becomes　an　irrational　torment。　。　。　。　〃And　it　is　not　only　in　oneself　that　I　am　astonished　by　the　power　of　this　base　motive。　　I　see；　too；　in　the　queer　business　of　Prothero　how　strongly　jealousy；　how　strongly　the　sense　of　proprietorship；　weighs　with　a　man。　。　。　。　〃There　is　no　clear　reason　why　one　should　insist　upon　another　human　being　being　one's　ownest　ownutterly　one's　own。　。　。　。　〃There　is；　of　course；　no　clear　reason　for　most　human　motives。　。　。　。　〃One　does。　。　。　。　〃There　is　something　dishonouring　in　distrustto　both　the　distrusted　and　the　one　who　distrusts。　。　。　。〃　After　that；　apparently；　it　had　been　too　hot　and　stuffy　to　continue。

20

Benham　did　not　see　Amanda　again　until　after　the　birth　of　their　child。　　He　spent　his　Christmas　in　Moscow；　watching　the　outbreak；　the　fitful　fighting　and　the　subsequent　break…up；　of　the　revolution；　and　taking　care　of　a　lost　and　helpless　English　family　whose　father　had　gone　astray　temporarily　on　the　way　home　from　Baku。　　Then　he　went　southward　to　Rostov　and　thence　to　Astrakhan。　　Here　he　really　began　his　travels。　　He　determined　to　get　to　India　by　way　of　Herat　and　for　the　first　time　in　his　life　rode　out　into　an　altogether　lawless　wilderness。　　He　went　on　obstinately　because　he　found　himself　disposed　to　funk　the　journey；　and　because　discouragements　were　put　in　his　way。　　He　was　soon　quite　cut　off　from　all　the　ways　of　living　he　had　known。　　He　learnt　what　it　is　to　be　flea…bitten；　saddle…sore；　hungry　and；　above　all；　thirsty。　　He　was　haunted　by　a　dread　of　fever；　and　so　contrived　strange　torments　for　himself　with　overdoses　of　quinine。　　He　ceased　to　be　traceable　from　Chexington　in　March；　and　he　reappeared　in　the　form　of　a　telegram　from　Karachi　demanding　news　in　May。　　He　learnt　he　was　the　father　of　a　man…child　and　that　all　was　well　with　Amanda。　He　had　not　expected　to　be　so　long　away　from　any　communication　with　the　outer　world；　and　something　in　the　nature　of　a　stricken　conscience　took　him　back　to　England。　　He　found　a　second　William　Porphyry　in　the　world；　dominating　Chexington；　and　Amanda　tenderly　triumphant　and　passionate；　the　Madonna　enthroned。　　For　William　Porphyry　he　could　feel　no　emotion。　　William　Porphyry　was　very　red　and　ugly　and　protesting；　feeble　and　aggressive；　a　matter　for　a　skilled　nurse。　　To　see　him　was　to　ignore　him　and　dispel　a　dream。　　It　was　to　Amanda　Benham　turned　again。　For　some　days　he　was　content　to　adore　his　Madonna　and　listen　to　the　familiar　flatteries　of　her　love。　　He　was　a　leaner；　riper　man；　Amanda　said；　and　wiser；　so　that　she　was　afraid　of　him。　。　。　。　And　then　he　became　aware　that　she　was　requiring　him　to　stay　at　her　side。　　〃We　have　both　had　our　adventures；〃　she　said；　which　struck　him　as　an　odd　phrase。　It　forced　itself　upon　his　obstinate　incredulity　that　all　those　conceptions　of　heroic　love　and　faithfulness　he　had　supposed　to　be　so　clearly　understood　between　them　had　vanished　from　her　mind。　　She　had　absolutely　forgotten　that　twilight　moment　at　the　window　which　had　seemed　to　him　the　crowning　instant；　the　real　marriage　of　their　lives。　　It　had　gone；　it　had　left　no　recoverable　trace　in　her。　　And　upon　his　interpretations　of　that　he　had　loved　her　passionately　for　a　year。　　She　was　back　at　exactly　the　ideas　and　intentions　that　ruled　her　during　their　first　settlement　in　London。　　She　wanted　a　joint　life　in　the　social　world　of　London；　she　demanded　his　presence；　his　attention；　the　daily　practical　evidences　of　love。　　It　was　all　very　well　for　him　to　be　away　when　the　child　was　coming；　but　now　everything　was　different。　　Now　he　must　stay　by　her。　This　time　he　argued　no　case。　　These　issues　he　had　settled　for　ever。　Even　an　indignant　dissertation　from　Lady　Marayne；　a　dissertation　that　began　with　appeals　and　ended　in　taunts；　did　not　move　him。　Behind　these　things　now　was　India。　　The　huge　problems　of　India　had　laid　an　unshakeable　hold　upon　his　imagination。　　He　had　seen　Russia；　and　he　wanted　to　balance　that　picture　by　a　vision　of　the　east。　。　。　。　He　saw　Easton　only　once　during　a　week…end　at　Chexington。　　The　young　man　displayed　no　further　disposition　to　be　confidentially　sentimental。　　But　he　seemed　to　have　something　on　his　mind。　　And　Amanda　said　not　a　word　about　him。　　He　was　a　young　man　above　suspicion；　Benham　felt。　。　。