precisely it was。 “I find Cassandra;” she repeated。 “She missed her train;” Katharine interposed; seeing that Cassandra was unable to speak。 “Life;” began Mrs。 Hilbery; drawing inspiration from the portraits on the wall apparently; “consists in missing trains and in finding—” But she pulled herself up and remarked that the kettle must have boiled pletely over everything。 To Katharine’s agitated mind it appeared that this kettle was an enormous kettle; capable of deluging the house in its incessant showers of steam; the enraged representative of all those household duties which she had neglected。 She ran hastily up to the drawingroom; and the rest followed her; for Mrs。 Hilbery put her arm round Cassandra and drew her upstairs。 They found Rodney ob serving the kettle with uneasiness but with such absence of mind that Katharine’s catastrophe was in a fair way to be fulfilled。 In putting the matter straight no greetings were exchanged; but Rodney and Cassandra chose seats as far apart as possible; and sat down with an air of people making a very temporary lodgment。 Either Mrs。 Hilbery was impervious to their disfort; or chose to ignore it; or thought it high time that the subject was changed; for she did nothing but talk about Shakespeare’s tomb。 “So much earth and so much water and that sublime spirit brooding over it all;” she mused; and went on to sing her strange; halfearthly song of dawns and sunsets; of great poets; and the unchanged spirit of noble loving which they had taught; so that nothing changes; and one age is linked with another; and no one dies; and we all meet in spirit; until she appeared oblivious of any one in the room。 But suddenly her remarks seemed to contract the enormously wide circle in which they were soaring and to alight; airily and temporarily; upon matters of more immediate moment。 432 Virginia Woolf “Katharine and Ralph;” she said; as if to try the sound。 “William and Cassandra。” “I feel myself in an entirely false position;” said William desperately; thrusting himself into this breach in her reflections。 “I’ve no right to be sitting here。 Mr。 Hilbery told me yesterday to leave the house。 I’d no intention of ing back again。 I shall now—” “I feel the same too;” Cassandra interrupted。 “After what Uncle Trevor said to me last night—” “I have put you into a most odious position;” Rodney went on; rising from his seat; in which movement he was imitated simultaneously by Cassandra。 “Until I have your father’s consent I have no right to speak to you—let alone in this house; where my conduct”—he looked at Katharine; stammered; and fell silent—”where my conduct has been reprehensible and inexcusable in the extreme;” he forced himself to continue。 “I have explained everything to your mother。 She is so generous as to try and make me believe that I have done no harm—you have convinced her that my behavior; selfish and weak as it was—selfish and weak—” he repeated; like a speaker who has lost his notes。 Two emotions seemed to be struggling in Katharine; one the desire to laugh at the ridiculous spectacle of William making her a formal speech across the teatable; the other a desire to weep at the sight of something childlike and honest in him which touched her inexpressibly。 To every one’s surprise she rose; stretched out her hand; and said: “You’ve nothing to reproach yourself with—you’ve been always—” but here her voice died away; and the tears forced themselves into her eyes; and ran down her cheeks; while William; equally moved; seized her hand and pressed it to his lips。 No one perceived that the drawingroom door had opened itself sufficiently to admit at least half the person of Mr。 Hilbery; or saw him gaze at the scene round the teatable with an expression of the utmost disgust and expostulation。 He withdrew unseen。 He paused outside on the landing trying to recover his selfcontrol and to decide what course he might with most dignity pursue。 It was obvious to him that his wife had entirely confused the meaning of his instructions。 She had plunged 433 Night and Day them all into the most odious confusion。 He waited a moment; and then; with much preliminary rattling of the handle; opened the door a second time。 They had all regained their places; some incident of an absurd nature had now set them laughing and looking under the table; so that his entrance passed momentarily unperceived。 Katharine; with flushed cheeks; raised her head and said: “Well; that’s my last attempt at the dramatic。” “It’s astonishing what a distance they roll;” said Ralph; stooping to turn up the corner of the hearthrug。 “Don’t trouble—don’t bother。 We shall find it—” Mrs。 Hilbery began; and then saw her husband and exclaimed: “Oh; Trevor; we’re looking for Cassandra’s engagement ring!” Mr。 Hilbery looked instinctively at the carpet。 Remarkably enough; the ring had rolled to the very point where he stood。 He saw the rubies touching the tip of his boot。 Such is the force of habit that he could not refrain from stooping; with an absurd little thrill of pleasure at being the one to find what others were looking for; and; picking the ring up; he presented it; with a bow that was courtly in the extreme; to Cassandra。 Whether the making of a bow released automatically feelings of plaisance and urbanity; Mr。 Hilbery found his resentment pletely washed away during the second in which he bent and straightened himself。 Cassandra dared to offer her cheek and received his embrace。 He nodded with some degree of stiffness to Rodney and Denham; who had both risen upon seeing him; and now altogether sat down。 Mrs。 Hilbery seemed to have been waiting for the entrance of her husband; and for this precise moment in order to put to him a question which; from the ardor with which she announced it; had evidently been pressing for utterance for some time past。 “Oh; Trevor; please tell me; what was the d