Tragedy at Beechcroft by A. Fielding

After the lunch was over, they all sat smoking and talking round the table. The chief topic was furnished by the tableaux, which were to be rehearsed in full dress to-morrow afternoon. Santley learned incidentally that the Moncrieffs had guaranteed a hundred pounds to the fund as their takings from the pictures. Lavinia laughingly said that if the expenses were covered, the Major and she would be surprised. As he looked around the very casually furnished room, he wondered at the ease with which they had put their names down for a sum which many people in their apparent circumstances would consider needlessly generous. Mrs. Phillimore had spoken of this odd effect of plenty and of scarcity. Santley studied Lavinia covertly. She was certainly very haggard under her make-up, and yet he saw no sign of fear of her husband, nor of being really unhappy. She was unusually silent, that much was true, but Santley thought the latter might be due to the fact that Flavelle Bruton kept up a running fire of quips and glittering chaff which rather monopolised the conversation.

Pusey was announced as they still sat chatting, and Santley saw the swift expression of intense uneasiness which crossed Lavinia's face at the name. Her manner, too, as the young man came in, was coolness itself. Santley now remembered that it had been very distant when he had met Pusey here before. The young man seemed to haunt the house. Glancing at Goodenough, Santley saw no signs of annoyance, except that he eyed Pusey very steadily while the younger man mentioned, as an excuse for dropping in again, that he was putting up at the rectory, and, as the tableaux were set for Saturday, he had wondered whether they might like an extra helping hand with the preliminary preparations. Moncrieff accepted before Lavinia could refuse, as she was going to, Santley thought. He wondered what Lavinia saw in Pusey with his pleasant face and easy manner to dislike. True, there were lines in his face that suggested anything but an easy-going character underneath the light manner, but why should that vex Lavinia?