condition. But there were a lot of old-fashioned flowers - However,
if you intend to build an Italian villa, naturally - "

"I don't intend to build anything, or to plant anything." Her voice
was frozen. "You go ahead. Do it in your own way. And then you
can live there, if you like. I won't."

Which was what he carried away with him that morning to the mill.
He was not greatly disturbed by her threat to keep her hands off.
He knew quite well, indeed, that the afternoon would find her, with
Rodney Page, picking her way in her high-heeled shoes over the waste
that was some day to bloom, not like the rose of his desire but
according to the formal and rigid blueprint which Rodney would be
carrying. But in five minutes he had put the incident out of his
mind. After all, if it gave her happiness and occupation, certainly
she needed both. And his powers of inhibition were strong. For
many years he had walled up the small frictions of his married life
and its disappointments, and outside that wall had built up an
existence of his own, which was the mill.

When he went down-stairs he found that Graham had ordered his own
car and was already in it, drawing on his gloves.

"Have to come back up-town early, dad," he called in explanation,
and drove off, going at the reckless speed he affected.

Clayton rode down alone in the limousine. He had meant to outline
his plans of expansion to Graham, but he had had no intention of
consulting him. In his own department the boy did neither better
nor worse than any other of the dozens of young men in the