"As  a  general  rule,"  he  added,  "when  nothing  hap-
pens to  irritate  her."

"Does  she  love  you  very  much?"

"I  don't  remember  her  mentioning  anything  of  the
kind  recently.  But  it's  you  I  want  to  talk  about,  Jona.
Tell  me  about  your  life."

"I  don't  live.  I'm  marking  time.  You  throw  a  brick
into  the  stream "

"No,"  said  Luke,  "not  a  brick.  I  sometimes  play
boats."

"I  was  going  to  say,"  Jona  continued,  "that  the  brick
remains  motionless  while  the  stream  goes  past  it."

"But  cannot  we  apply  the  principle  of  relativity
here?"  he  asked.  "May  it  not  be  that  the  stream  stands
still  while  the  brick  goes  past  it?  It  would  appear  so
to  the  brick."

"That's  one  of  your  dinky,  thinky  thoughts,  isn't  it?"


36  IF  WINTER  DON'T

A  sound  of  uproar,  of  crashes  and  loud  voices,  came
up  from  the  street  below.
"I  wonder  what  that  is?"  said  Luke.
"It's  Bill,  probably.  He  said  he'd  call  for  me."  She
crossed  over  to  the  window  and  looked  out.  "Yes,
that's  Bill.  Driving  the  team  of  zebras  he  got  from
Doom  Dagshaw.  The  horses  don't  seem  to  like  it.
There's  a  cart  and  horse  just  gone  in  at  that  draper's
window.  Quite  a  number  of  horses  seem  to  have  fallen
down  on  the  pavement.  There's  a  policeman  with  a
note-book.  He  seems  to  be  asking  Bill  questions.  And
Bill's  making  him  laugh.  He  manages  those  zebras
perfectly.  He  does  everything  well."

Luke  had  joined  her  at  the  window.  "Who's  the
lady  sitting  beside  him  ?"  he  asked.
"One  of  his  harem.  Staying  with  us.  Don't  pity
me.  I  deserve  nothing.  I  made  a  mistake  once.  Don't
ask  me  what.  Don't  come  down  with  me.  Good-bye,
Lukie,  dear."

Luke  watched  her  as  she  drove  off.  And  then  Mr.
