`How much did it cost?'

She looked at him, and said:

`I don't remember. It was quite cheap.'

He looked at her, his face set.

`I don't want to take it, Hermione,' he said.

`Do let me give it to the rooms,' she said, going up to him and putting her hand on his arm lightly, pleadingly. `I shall be so disappointed.'

`You know I don't want you to give me things,' he repeated helplessly.

`I don't want to give you things,' she said teasingly. `But will you have this?'

`All right,' he said, defeated, and she triumphed.

They went upstairs. There were two bedrooms to correspond with the rooms downstairs. One of them was half furnished, and Birkin had evidently slept there. Hermione went round the room carefully, taking in every detail, as if absorbing the evidence of his presence, in all the inanimate things. She felt the bed and examined the coverings.

`Are you sure you were quite comfortable?' she said, pressing the pillow.

`Perfectly,' he replied coldly.

`And were you warm? There is no down quilt. I am sure you need one. You mustn't have a great pressure of clothes.'

`I've got one,' he said. `It is coming down.'

They measured the rooms, and lingered over every consideration. Ursula stood at the window and watched the woman carrying the tea up the bank to the pond. She hated the palaver Hermione made, she wanted to drink tea, she wanted anything but this fuss and business.

At last they all mounted the grassy bank, to the picnic. Hermione poured out tea. She ignored now Ursula's presence. And Ursula, recovering from her ill-humour, turned to Gerald saying:

`Oh, I hated you so much the other day, Mr Crich,'

`What for?' said Gerald, wincing slightly away.

`For treating your horse so badly. Oh, I hated you so much!'

`What did he do?' sang Hermione.

`He made his lovely sensitive Arab horse stand with him at the railway-crossing whilst a horrible lot of trucks went by; and the poor thing, she was in a perfect frenzy, a perfect agony. It was the most horrible sight you can imagine.'

`Why did you do it, Gerald?' asked Hermione, calm and interrogative.

`She must learn to stand -- what use is she to me in this country, if she shies and goes off every time an engine whistles.'