“Besides,” he thought honestly, “who knows whether, even for my boy’s sake, I could have stood this state of things much longer? Anyway, her neck will be out of chancery at last!” Thus absorbed, he was hardly conscious of the heavy heat. The sky had become overcast, purplish with little streaks of white. A heavy heat-drop plashed a little star pattern in the dust of the road as he entered the Park. “Phew!” he thought, “thunder! I hope she’s not come to meet me; there’s a ducking up there!” But at that very minute he saw Irene coming towards the Gate. “We must scuttle back to Robin Hill,” he thought.

The storm had passed over the Poultry at four o’clock, bringing welcome distraction to the clerks in every office. Soames was drinking a cup of tea when a note was brought in to him: