April 19th.
　　The sun was pouring down on Nevile Strange's house at Hindhead.
　　It was an April day such as usually occurs at least once in a month, hotter than most of the June days to follow.
　　Nevile Strange was coming down the stairs. He was dressed in white flannels¹ and held four tennis racquets under his arm.
　　If a man could have been selected from amongst other Englishmen as an example of a lucky man with nothing to wish for, a Selection Committee might have chosen Nevile Strange. He was a man well known to the British public, a first-class tennis player and all-round sportsman. Though he had never reached the finals at Wimbledon, he had lasted several of the opening rounds and in the mixed doubles had twice reached the semi-finals. He was, perhaps, too much of an all-round athlete to be a champion tennis player. He was scratch at golf, a fine swimmer and had done some good climbs in the Alps. He was thirty-three, had magnificent health, good looks, plenty of money, an extremely beautiful wife whom he had recently married and, to all appearances, no cares or worries.
　　Nevertheless as Nevile Strange went downstairs this fine morning a shadow went with him. A shadow perceptible, perhaps, to no eyes but his. But he was aware of it, the thought of it furrowed² his brow and made his expression troubled and indecisive.
　　He crossed the hall, squared his shoulders as though definitely throwing off some burden, passed through the living-room and out on to a glass-enclosed verandah, where his wife, Kay, was curled up amongst cushions drinking orange juice.
　　Kay Strange was twenty-three and unusually beautiful. She had a slender but subtly voluptuous³ figure, dark red hair, such a perfect skin that she used only the slightest make-up to enhance it, and those dark eyes and brows which so seldom go with red hair and which are so devastating⁴ when they do.
　　Her husband said lightly: "Hullo, Gorgeous, what's for breakfast?"Kay replied: "Horribly bloody-looking kidneys for you - and mushrooms - and rolls of bacon.""Sounds all right," said Nevile.
　　He helped himself to the aforementioned viands⁵ and poured out a cup of coffee. There was a companionable silence for some minutes.

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