The hall and dining-room seemed unhomely without the bright welcoming face. He wandered about in a discontented fashion upon his tiptoes, and then, looking through the window, he saw Harrison his neighbour coming up the path with a straw basket in his hand. He opened the door for him with his finger upon his lips.
'Don't make a row, Harrison,' said he, 'my wife's bad.'
Harrison whistled softly.
'Not--?'
'No, no, not that. Only a headache, but she is not to be disturbed. We expect THAT next week. Come in here and smoke a pipe with me. It was very kind of you to bring the bulbs.'
'I am going back for some more.'
'Wait a little. You can go back presently. Sit down and light your pipe. There is some one moving about upstairs. It must be that heavy-footed Jemima. I hope she won't wake Maude up. I suppose one must expect such attacks at such a time.'
'Yes, my wife was just the same. No, thank you, I've just had some tea. You look worried, Crosse. Don't take things too hard.'
'I can't get the thought of next week out of my head. If anything goes wrong--well there, what can I do? I never knew how a man's nerves may be harrowed before. And she is such a saint, Harrison-- such an absolutely unselfish saint! You'll never guess what she tried to do.'
'What, then?'
'She knew what it would mean to me--what it will mean to me--to sit here in impotence while she goes through this horrible business. She guessed in some extraordinary way what my secret feelings were about it. And she actually tried to deceive me as to when it was to occur- -tried to get me out of the house on one pretext or another until it was all over. That was her plot, and, by Jove, she tried it so cleverly that she would have managed it if something had not put me on my guard. She was a little too eager, unnaturally so, and I saw through her game. But think of it, the absolute unselfishness of it. To consider ME at such a time, and to face her trouble alone and unsupported in order to make it easier for me. She wanted me to go to Norwich and play golf.'
'She must have thought you pretty guileless, Crosse, to be led away so easily.'
'Yes, it was a hopeless attempt to deceive me on such a point, or to dream for an instant that my instincts would not tell me when she had need of me. But none the less it was beautiful and characteristic. You don't mind my talking of these things, Harrison?'
'My dear chap, it is just what you need. You have been bottling things up too much. Your health will break down under it. After all, it is not so serious as all that. The danger is very much exaggerated.'
'You think so.'
'I've had the experience twice now. You'll go to the City some fine morning, and when you come back the whole thing will be over.'
'Indeed it won't. I have made arrangements at the office, and from the hour that she first seems bad I will never stir from the house. For all she may say, I know very well that it gives her strength and courage to feel that I am there.'
'You may not know that it is coming on?'
Frank laughed incredulously.
'We'll see about that,' said he. 'And you think from your experience, Harrison, that it is not so very bad after all?'
'Oh no. It soon passes.'
'Soon! What do you mean by soon?'
'Jordan was there six hours the first time.'
'Good God! Six hours!' Frank wiped his forehead. 'They must have seemed six years.'
'They WERE rather long. I kept on working in the garden. That's the tip. Keep on doing something and it helps you along wonderfully.'
'That's a good suggestion, Harrison. What a curious smell there is in the air! Do you notice a sort of low, sweetish, spirity kind of scent? Well, perhaps it's my imagination. I dare say that my nerves are a bit strung up these days. But that is a capital idea of yours about having some work to do. I should like to work madly for those hours. Have everything up out of the back garden and plant it all again in the front.'
Harrison laughed.