I + 

On a day in July Sebastian Levinne walked along the Embankment in the direction of JaneтАЩs flat. It was a day more suggestive of early spring than of summer. A cold wind blew the dust in his face and made him blink. + 

There was a change visible in Sebastian. He had grown perceptibly older. There was very little of the boy about him nowтБатАФthere never had been much. He had always had that curious maturity of outlook which is the Semitic inheritance. As he walked along now, frowning to himself and pondering, he would easily have been taken for a man over thirty. + 

Jane herself opened the door of the flat to him. She spoke in a low, unusually husky voice. + 

тАЬVernonтАЩs out. He couldnтАЩt wait for you. You said three, you know, and itтАЩs past four now.тАЭ + 

тАЬI was kept. Just as well, perhaps. IтАЩm never quite sure of the best way of dealing with VernonтАЩs nerves.тАЭ + 

тАЬDonтАЩt tell me any fresh crises have arisen? I couldnтАЩt bear it.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh youтАЩll get used to them. IтАЩve had to. WhatтАЩs the matter with your voice, Jane?тАЭ + 

тАЬA cold. A throat, rather. ItтАЩs all right. IтАЩm nursing it.тАЭ + 

тАЬMy God! And The Princess in the Tower tomorrow night. Suppose you canтАЩt sing.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh! I shall sing. DonтАЩt be afraid. Only donтАЩt mind my whispering. I want to save it every bit I can.тАЭ + 

тАЬOf course. YouтАЩve seen someone, I suppose?тАЭ + 

тАЬMy usual man in Harley Street.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat did he say?тАЭ + 

тАЬThe usual things.тАЭ + 

тАЬHe didnтАЩt forbid you to sing tomorrow?тАЭ + 

тАЬOh! no.тАЭ + 

тАЬYouтАЩre an awfully good liar, arenтАЩt you, Jane?тАЭ + 

тАЬI thought it would save trouble. But I might have known it would be no good with you. IтАЩll be honest. He warned me that IтАЩd been persistently overstraining my voice for years. He said it was madness to sing tomorrow night. But I donтАЩt care.тАЭ + 

тАЬMy dear Jane, IтАЩm not going to risk your losing your voice.тАЭ + 

тАЬMind your own business, Sebastian. My voice is my affair. I donтАЩt interfere in your concerns, donтАЩt interfere in mine.тАЭ + 

Sebastian grinned. + 

тАЬThe tiger cat at home,тАЭ he remarked. тАЬBut you mustnтАЩt, Jane, all the same. Does Vernon know?тАЭ + 

тАЬOf course not. What do you think? And youтАЩre not to tell him, Sebastian.тАЭ + 

тАЬI donтАЩt interfere really,тАЭ said Sebastian. тАЬI never have. But Jane dear, it will be ten thousand pities. The operaтАЩs not worth it. And VernonтАЩs not worth it either. Be angry with me if you like for saying so.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhy should I be angry with you? ItтАЩs the truth, and I know it. All the same, IтАЩm going through with it. Call me any kind of a conceited egoist you like, but The Princess in the Tower wonтАЩt be a success without me. IтАЩve been a success as Isolde and a furore in Solveig. ItтАЩs my moment. And itтАЩs going to be VernonтАЩs moment too. I can at least do that for him.тАЭ + 

He heard the undercurrent of feeling, the unconscious betrayal of that тАЬat least,тАЭ but not by a muscle of his face did he show that he had realized its significance. He only said again very gently: тАЬHeтАЩs not worth it, Jane. Paddle your own canoe. ItтАЩs the only way. YouтАЩve arrived. Vernon hasnтАЩt and may never.тАЭ + 

тАЬI know. I know. No oneтАЩs what you call тАШworth itтАЩтБатАФexcept perhaps one person.тАЭ + 

тАЬWho?тАЭ + 

тАЬYou, Sebastian. YouтАЩre worth itтБатАФand yet itтАЩs not for you IтАЩm doing it!тАЭ + 

Sebastian was surprised and touched. A sudden mist came over his eyes. He stretched out his hand and took JaneтАЩs. They sat for a minute or two in silence. + 

тАЬThat was nice of you, Jane,тАЭ he said at last. + 

тАЬWell, itтАЩs true. YouтАЩre worth a dozen of Vernon. YouтАЩve got brains, initiative, strength of characterтБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

Her husky voice died away. After another minute or two, he said very gently: + 

тАЬHow are things? Much as usual?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, I think so. You know Mrs.┬аDeyre came to see me?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo, I didnтАЩt. What did she want?тАЭ + 

тАЬShe came to beg me to give up her boy. Pointed out how I was ruining his life. Only a really bad woman would do what I was doing. And so on. You can guess the kind of thing.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd what did you say to her?тАЭ asked Sebastian curiously. + 

Jane shrugged her shoulders. + 

тАЬWhat could I say? That to Vernon one harlot was as good as another?тАЭ + 

тАЬOh! my dear,тАЭ said Sebastian gently. тАЬIs it as bad as that?тАЭ + 

Jane got up, lighted a cigarette and walked restlessly about the room. Sebastian noticed how haggard her face had become. + 

тАЬIs heтБатАФmore or less all right?тАЭ he ventured. + 

тАЬHe drinks too much,тАЭ said Jane curtly. + 

тАЬCanтАЩt you prevent it?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo, I canтАЩt.тАЭ + 

тАЬItтАЩs queer. I should have thought you would always have great influence over Vernon.тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, I havenтАЩt. Not now.тАЭ She was silent for a moment and then said: тАЬNellтАЩs being married in the autumn, isnтАЩt she?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes. Do you think things will beтБатАФbetter then?тАЭ + 

тАЬI havenтАЩt the least idea.тАЭ + 

тАЬI wish to God heтАЩd pull up,тАЭ said Sebastian. тАЬIf you canтАЩt keep him straight, Jane, nobody can. Of course, itтАЩs in the blood.тАЭ + 

She came and sat down again. + 

тАЬTell meтБатАФtell me everything you know. About his peopleтБатАФhis father, his mother.тАЭ + 

Sebastian gave a succinct account of the Deyres. Jane listened. + 

тАЬHis mother youтАЩve seen,тАЭ he concluded. тАЬQueer, isnтАЩt it, that Vernon doesnтАЩt seem to have inherited one single thing from her? HeтАЩs a Deyre through and through. They are all artistic, musical, weak-willed, self-indulgent, and attractive to women. HeredityтАЩs an odd thing.тАЭ + 

тАЬI donтАЩt quite agree with you,тАЭ said Jane. тАЬVernonтАЩs not like his mother, but he has inherited something from her.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat?тАЭ + 

тАЬVitality. SheтАЩs an extraordinarily fine animalтБатАФhave you ever thought of her that way? Well, VernonтАЩs inherited some of that. Without it heтАЩd never have been a composer. If he was a Deyre pure and simple, heтАЩd only have dallied with music. ItтАЩs the Bent force that gives him the power to create. You say his grandfather built up their business single-handed. Well, thereтАЩs the same thing in Vernon.тАЭ + 

тАЬI wonder if youтАЩre right.тАЭ + 

тАЬIтАЩm sure I am.тАЭ + 

Sebastian considered silently for some minutes. + 

тАЬIs it only drink?тАЭ he said at last. тАЬOr is itтБатАФwell, I mean, are thereтБатАФother people?тАЭ + 

тАЬOh! there are others.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd you donтАЩt mind?тАЭ + 

тАЬMind? Mind? Of course I mind. What do you think IтАЩm made of, Sebastian? IтАЩm nearly killed with minding.тБатАКтБатАж But what can I do? Make scenes? Rant and rave and drive Vernon away from me altogether?тАЭ + 

Her beautiful husky voice rose from its whisper. Sebastian made a quick gesture and she stopped. + 

тАЬYouтАЩre right. I must be careful.тАЭ + 

тАЬI canтАЩt understand it,тАЭ grumbled Sebastian. тАЬEven his music doesnтАЩt seem to mean anything to Vernon now. HeтАЩs taken every suggestion from Radmaager and been like a lamb. ItтАЩs unnatural!тАЭ + 

тАЬWe must wait. It will come back. ItтАЩs reactionтБатАФreaction and Nell together. I canтАЩt help feeling that if The Princess in the Tower is a success, Vernon will pull himself together. He must feel a certain prideтБатАФa sense of achievement.тАЭ + 

тАЬI hope so,тАЭ said Sebastian heavily. тАЬBut IтАЩm a bit worried about the future.тАЭ + 

тАЬIn what way? What are you afraid of?тАЭ + 

тАЬWar.тАЭ + 

Jane looked at him in astonishment. She could hardly believe her ears. She thought she must have mistaken the word. + 

тАЬWar?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes. The outcome of this Sarajevo business.тАЭ + 

It still seemed to Jane a little absurd and ridiculous. + 

тАЬWar with whom?тАЭ + 

тАЬGermanyтБатАФprincipally.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh! surely, Sebastian. Such aтБатАФaтБатАФfaraway thing.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat does the pretext matter?тАЭ said Sebastian impatiently. тАЬItтАЩs the way money has been going. Money talks. I handle moneyтБатАФour relations in Russia handle money. We know. From the way money has been behaving for some time, we can guess what is in the wind. WarтАЩs coming, Jane.тАЭ + 

Jane looked at him and changed her mind. Sebastian was in earnest and Sebastian usually knew what he was talking about. If he said war was coming, then, fantastic as it seemed, war would come. + 

Sebastian sat still, lost in thought. Money, investments, various loans, financial responsibilities he had undertaken, the future of his theatres, the policy to be adopted by the weekly paper he owned. Then, of course, there would be fighting. He was the son of a naturalized Englishman. He didnтАЩt wish in the least to go and fight, but he supposed it would be necessary. Everyone below a certain age would do so as a matter of course. It was not the danger that worried him, it was the annoyance of leaving his pet schemes to be looked after by someone else. тАЬTheyтАЩll make a mess of it, sure to,тАЭ thought Sebastian bitterly. He put the war down as being a long jobтБатАФtwo years, perhaps more. In the end, he shouldnтАЩt wonder if America was dragged into it. + 

The Government would issue loansтБатАФwar loans would be a good investment. No highbrow stuff for the theatresтБатАФsoldiers on leave would want light comedyтБатАФpretty girlsтБатАФlegsтБатАФdancing. He thought it all out carefully. It was a good thing to get a chance to think uninterruptedly. Being with Jane was like being alone. She always knew when you didnтАЩt want to be spoken to. + 

He looked across at her. She, too, was thinking. He wondered what she was thinking aboutтБатАФyou never quite knew with Jane. She and Vernon were alike thereтБатАФdidnтАЩt tell her thoughts. She was probably thinking about Vernon. If Vernon should go to the war and be killed! But noтБатАФthat mustnтАЩt be. SebastianтАЩs artistic soul rebelled. Vernon mustnтАЩt be killed. + 