Tea was served on the lawn near by the court.

Althea gave no sign of agitation.

She played her game, laughed with her young men, and took casual leave of Boyce, wishing him good sport.

He drew her a pace aside and murmured: "God bless you for forgiving me." She laughed a reply out loud: "Oh, that's all right." When he told me that, I recalled vividly the picture of her, in my garden, on the last afternoon of her life, eating the strawberries which she had brought me for tea.

I remembered the little slangy tone in her voice when she had asked me whether I didn't think life was rather rotten.