MR. SMEETH IS REASSURED 79

the strain of the day's work, that made him a man diffi-
cult to rouse and get out of the house in the evening, as
his wife, who was all for going out somewhere, or fail-
ing that, inviting somebody in, knew to her cost.

"You're an old home-bird, you are/' she said, with a
sort of affectionate contempt, as she saw him settling
deeper now into his chair, "Well, what's been bother-
ing you to-day? You started to tell me and then didn't."

"I got a real fright this morning, I don't mind telling
you, Edie," he began. "Not that I hadn't seen it coming
the way things were going on/' he added, with a gloomy
pride.

"Now then, don't start on/' she warned him, shaking
a teaspoon. "You see too much coming. Always look-
ing into the middle of next week and noticing how
black it's getting. Talk about depressions in Iceland!
They ought to give you the job, and then there'd be
plenty. However, go on, my dear. Mustn't interrupt,"

"Well, somebody's got to look, haven't they?" he re-
plied. "And if Mr. Dersingham had looked a bit harder,
we'd all be better off."

"Do you mean to say you won't get that rise at
Christmas he was talking about?"

"Rise at Christmas! I thought this morning I was
in for a rise outside. I tell you, Edie., when he started,
my heart went into my boots." And he plunged into an
account of the scene in Mr. Dersingham's room that
morning and then discussed the mysterious events that
followed it, all of which Mrs. Smeeth punctuated with
nods and ejaculations, such as "Did he really?" "Well,
1 never!" and "Silly old geezer!" She gave him more
of her attention than she usually did, because she could
see that he was seriously concerned, but at the same