knew he was never likely to

She could not ask him how much he cared withoutlaying herself open to the same question; and that way terrorlay. As a matter of fact, though Strefford was not an ardentwooer--perhaps from tact, perhaps from temperament, perhapsmerely from the long habit of belittling and disintegratingevery sentiment and every conviction--yet she knew he did carefor her as much as he was capable of caring for anyone. If theelement of habit entered largely into the feeling--if he likedher, above all, because he was used to her, knew her views, herindulgences, her allowances, knew he was never likely to bebored, and almost certain to be amused, by her; why, suchingredients though not of the fieriest, were perhaps those mostlikely to keep his feeling for her at a pleasant temperature. 　　She had had a taste of the tropics, and wanted more equableweather; but the idea of having to fan his flame gently for ayear was unspeakably depressing to her. Yet all this wasprecisely what she could not say. The long period of probation,during which, as she knew, she would have to amuse him, to guardhim, to hold him, and to keep off the other women, was anecessary part of their situation. She was sure that, as littleBreckenridge would have said, she could "pull it off"; but shedid not want to think about it. What she would have preferredwould have been to go away--no matter where and not seeStrefford again till they were married. But she dared not tellhim that either. 　　"A little house in London--?" She wondered. 　　"Well, I suppose you've got to have some sort of a roof overyour head.""I suppose so."He sat down beside her. "If you like me well enough to live atAltringham some day, won't you, in the meantime, let me provideyou with a smaller and more convenient establishment?"Still she hesitated. The alternative, she knew, would be tolive on Ursula Gillow, Violet Melrose, or some other of her richfriends, any one of whom would be ready to lavish the largesthospitality on the prospective Lady Altringham. Such anarrangement, in the long run, would be no less humiliating toher pride, no less destructive to her independence, thanAltringham's little establishment. But she temporized. "Ishall go over to London in December, and stay for a while withvarious people--then we can look about.""All right; as you like." He obviously considered herhesitation ridiculous, but was too full of satisfaction at herhaving started divorce proceedings to be chilled by her reply.