there has n't been a single argument , and around five o'clock , as tom raises the first martini of the day to his lips , he glances at jessie , who is standing nearby with their croquet mallet propped on her shoulder like a sentry 's rifle ( and who is clearly within earshot of what sounds like a casual husband-and-wife conversation but which may actually be a shrewd bank-shot compliment aimed at his daughter ) , then back at his wife .