"They were to read together for an hour or so every day. I thought it
would be a nice little change for Bob, and it was quite a chance; he
must do a certain amount of work, you see. Well, they only went at the
beginning of the month, and already they have had enough of each other's
society."

"You don't mean that they've had a row?"

Catherine inclined a mortified head.

"Bob never had such a thing in his life before, nor did I ever know
anybody who succeeded in having one with Bob. It does take two, you
know. And when one of the two has an angelic temper, and tact enough for
twenty--"

"You naturally blame the other," I put in, as she paused in visible
perplexity.

"But I don't, Duncan, and that's just the point. George is devoted to
Bob, and is as nice as he can be himself, in his own sober, honest,
plodding way. He may not have the temper, he certainly has not the tact,
but he worships Bob and has come back quite miserable."

"Then he has come back, and you have seen him?"

"He was here last night. You must know that Bob writes to me every day,
even from Cambridge, if it's only a line; and in yesterday's letter he
mentioned quite casually that George had had enough of it and was off
home. It was a little too casual to be quite natural in old Bob, and