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250. "If If you minded and made a row sometimes, life would be a little more amusing."

Ina's soft face flushed. "I know that Mrs. Allanby is much cleverer than I am, and altogether more the kind of woman that men admire," she said, with some dignity. "I am quite willing that you should amuse yourself. I am quite aware that you have not always found me very entertaining. I—I often think, Horace, that our marriage was a great mistake"—Ina's voice faltered, but she went bravely on—"still it is a mistake that cannot be mended now. And if I thought you were wronging either Mrs. Allanby or me, or yourself by your flirtation, I think you would find that I did mind a little, and that I should not hesitate to say so."

Lord Horace did not answer for a minute or two; then he said, "Why do you say that our marriage is a mistake?"

"Because you yourself have told me so," Ina answered.

"That was only when I was in a rage, and the cooking was abominable. A fellow who has been accustomed to a decent style of life in England can't be expected to put up with Australian roughness."

"I thought you called it picturesque," said Ina with unconscious sarcasm.

"So it is—the outside of it. And there's a freedom about it that's splendid. I never could stand all that cut and dried conventionalism of English society, and even English sport. Over there it's all a question of money. Given a certain income and you know exactly what you can afford to have. You can't have a moor and a deer forest on a precarious six hundred a year. Here you can have as good, and no scale of income to measure by. But I suppose I'm like the boy who wanted to have his cake and eat it too. The life is magnificent—out of doors—only I want indoor comfort as well, and I'm getting a little tired of it. I tell you what, Ina" he stopped rather guiltily.

"What are you going to tell me?" she asked presently.

"Nothing; only if Waveryng is as good as his word,