PARTISAN REVIEW
came down the path towards them. "Henry" called his wife. "Henry,
you never told me Miss Eccles was a 'Grouper.' She was just going to
share with me, and it must have been something very exciting be–
cause it made her upset the gooseberries. Take her down to the pub
for a drink. That's just the place for a good man to man sharing.
Perhaps you can get that barmaid to tell you what goes on in Hodge's
field, or Mr. Ratcliffe might even confess about that poor goat. What–
ever you find out you must report to me at once."
Mr. Searle put down his glass of port, and drawing his handker–
chief from the sleeve into which it was tucked, he carefully wiped his
neatly trimmed grey moustache. With his well-worn dinner jacket
and his old patent leather pumps he looked far more like a retired
military man or an impoverished country squire than a Professor of
English Poetry, and so he would have wished it. The evening had been
hot and the French windows had been left open; a cool night breeze
had begun to invade the room. Now that Mrs. Searle had gone up–
stairs Elspeth felt able to put her little blue woollen coat round her
shoulders. She had decided to wear an evening dress as a concession
to her host's formality, and yet it was largely the presence of her
hostess with her long brocade gown that had kept her to the decision
after the first evening. She felt sad that this was the last of their talks
together-talks which she enjoyed all the more for the elegance of
the room and the glass of klimmel which he was careful to pour out
for her each evening, though she felt that to admit to such sensual
pleasure was in some sense a capitulation to Miranda's influence in the
house. But once her hostess had retired, the sense of strain was gone
and she could adopt a certain hedonism as of her own right. No
doubt he would have to face the same sordid scene tonight, no doubt
he would have to face such bouts on and off until that woman died.
She had failed lamentably this morning to achieve anything. But, at
least, their discussions together had freed him from the strain, had
allowed him to relax. I shall try once more, she thought, to make him
talk about it, to impress upon him that his work is too important to be
shelved for someone else's selfishness, that he must assert himself. This
time I must act more subtly, less directly.
"There seems no doubt" she said "that the Naples birth cer–
tificate is genuine. A child was born to Shelley by some one other
