He would wait some months before he again asked her to marry him, unless he saw a change in her; and, meantime, he would lay himself out to please her, trusting to this, that there could be no intercourse by letter between her and a workman, and they were not likely to meet again in a hurry.
It required considerable fortitude to curb his love and jealousy, and settle on this course.

But he did conquer after a hard struggle, and prepared to meet Miss Carden at dinner with artificial gayety.
But she did not appear; and that set Mr.Coventry thinking again.
Why should she have a headache?
He had a rooted disbelief in women's headaches.

His own head had far more reason to ache, and his heart too.
He puzzled himself all dinner-time about this headache, and was very bad company.
Soon after dinner he took a leaf out of her book, pretended headache, and said he should like to take a turn by himself in the air.
What he really wanted to do was to watch Miss Carden's windows, for he had all manner of ugly suspicions.
There seemed to be a strong light in the room.

He could see no more.
He walked moodily up and down, very little satisfied with himself, and at last he got ashamed of his own thoughts.
"Oh, no!" he said, "she is in her room, sure enough." He turned his back, and strolled out into the road.
Presently he heard the rustle of a woman's dress.

He stepped into the shade of the firs directly, and his heart began to beat hard.
But it was only Jael Dence.