"Of course, of course," he said, vainly sounding his own emotional
shallows for an answering regret. And yet it was his wife who had
suffered most from Jane!
He had fancied that these sufferings would be effaced by the milder
atmosphere of their last weeks together; but felicity did not soften
Jane. Not for a moment did she relax her dominion: she simply
widened it to include a new subject. Mr. Budd found himself under
orders with the others; and a new fear assailed Lethbury as he saw
Jane assume prenuptial control of her betrothed. Lethbury had never
felt any strong personal interest in Mr. Budd; but, as Jane's
prospective husband, the young man excited his sympathy. To his
surprise, he found that Mrs. Lethbury shared the feeling.
"I'm afraid he may find Jane a little exacting," she said, after an
evening dedicated to a stormy discussion of the wedding
arrangements. "She really ought to make some concessions. If he
_wants_ to be married in a black frock-coat instead of a dark gray
one--" She paused and looked doubtfully at Lethbury.
"What can I do about it?" he said.
"You might explain to him--tell him that Jane isn't always--"
Lethbury made an impatient gesture. "What are you afraid of? His
finding her out or his not finding her out?"
Mrs. Lethbury flushed. "You put it so dreadfully!"
Her husband mused for a moment; then he said with an air of cheerful
hypocrisy: "After all, Budd is old enough to take care of himself."
But the next day Mrs.
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