Hewaswalkingupanddowntheroominacharacteristicpose——
handsclaspedbehindhisbackasiftokeepthemquiet，bodyerect，headpowerfullythrustforward。Hehaltedabruptlyandwheeledtofaceher。“Doyoumeantotellmeyoudidn”tgettiredofworkanddropitfor”hewavedhisarmtoindicateherluxurioussurroundings”forthis？“
Nosignofheragitationshowedatthesurface。Butshefeltshewasnotconcealingherselffromhim。
Heresumedhismarch，presentlytohaltandwheelagainuponher。Butbeforehecouldspeak，shestoppedhim。
“Idon”twishtohearanymore，“saidshe，thestrangelookinhereyes。Itwasallshecoulddotohidethewildburstofemotionthathadfollowedherdiscovery。Thenshehadnotbeenwithoutachanceforarealcareer！Shemighthavebeenfree，mighthavebelongedtoherself——
“Itisnottoolate，“criedhe。“That”swhyI”mhere。”
“Itistoolate，“shesaid。
“Itisnottoolate，“repeatedhe，harshly，inhiswaythatsweptasideopposition。“Ishallgetyouback。”
Triumphantly，“Thepuzzleissolved！“
Shefacedhimwithalookofdefiantnegation。“ThatoceanI
crossed——it”sasnarrowastheEastRiverintowhichIthoughtofthrowingmyselfmanyatime——it”sasnarrowastheEastRiverbesidetheoceanbetweenwhatIamandwhatIwas。AndI”llnevergoback。Never！“
Sherepeatedthe“never“quietly，underherbreath。Hiseyeslookedasifthey，withoutmissinganessentialdetail，hadsweptthewholeofthattowhichshewouldnevergoback。Hesaid：
“Goback？No，indeed。Who”saskingyoutogoback？NotI。
I”mnot_asking_youtogoanywhere。I”msimplysayingthatyouwill——_must_——goforward。Ifyouwereinlove，perhapsnot。Butyouaren”tinlove。Iknowfromexperiencehowmenandwomencareforeachother——howtheyformtheserelationships。Theyfindeachotherconvenientandcomfortable。Buttheycareonlyforthemselves。Especiallyyoungpeople。Onemustlivequiteawhiletodiscoverthatthinkingaboutoneselfislivinginastuffylittlecagewithonlyalittlelight，throughslatsinthetopthatgivenoview……It”sanunnaturallifeforyou。Itcan”tlast。
You——centeringuponyourself——uponcomfortandconvenience。
Absurd！“
“Ihavechosen，“saidshe。
“No——youcan”tdoit，“hewenton，asifshehadnotspoken。
“_You_can”tspendyourlifeatdressesandmillinery，atchatteringaboutart，atthinkingabouteatinganddrinking——atbeingpassivelyamused——atattendingtoyourhairandskinandfigure。Youmaythinkso，butinrealityyouaregettingreadyfor_me_……foryourcareer。Youaresimplyeducatingyourself。Ishallhaveyouback。”
Sheheldthecigarettetoherlips，inhaledthesmokedeeply，exhaleditslowly。
“Iwilltellyouwhy，“hewenton，asifhewereansweringaprotest。“Everyoneofushasanindividualityofsomesort。
Andinspiteofeverythingandanything，exceptdeathorhopelessdisease，thatindividualitywillinsistuponexpressingitself。”
“Mineisexpressingitself，“saidshewithalightsmile——thesmileofalightwoman。
“Youcan”trestinthispresentlifeofyours。Yourindividualityistoostrong。Itwillhaveitsway——andforallyourmockingsmiling，youknowIamright。Iunderstandhowyouweretemptedintoit——”
Sheopenedherlips——changedhermindandstoppedherlipswithhercigarette。
“Idon”tblameyou——anditwasjustaswell。Thislifehastaughtyou——willteachyou——willadvanceyouinyourcareer……Tellme，whatgaveyoutheideathatIwasdisappointed？“
Shetossedhercigaretteintothebigashtray。“AsItoldyou，itistoolate。”Sheroseandlookedathimwithastrange，sweetsmile。“I”vegotanyquantityoffaults，“saidshe。“Butthere”soneIhaven”tgot。Idon”twhine。”
“Youdon”twhine，“assentedhe，“andyoudon”tlie——andyoudon”tshirk。Menandwomenhavebeencanonizedforless。
Iunderstandthatforsomereasonyoucan”ttalkabout——”
“Thenwhydoyoucontinuetopressme？“saidshe，alittlecoldly。
Heacceptedtherebukewithabow。“Nevertheless，“saidhe，withraillerytocarryoffhispersistence，“Ishallgetyou。
Ifnotsooner，thenwhenthespecterofanobscure——perhapspoor——oldagebeginstoagitatetherichhangingsofyouth”sbanquethall。”
“That”llbeagoodmanyyearsyet，“mockedshe。Andfromherlovelyyoungfaceflashedtheradiantdefianceofherperfectyouthandhealth。
“Yearsthatpassquickly，“retortedhe，unmoved。
Shewasstillradiant，stillsmiling，butoncemoreshewasseeingthehideousoldwomenofthetenements。IntohernostrilsstolethestenchofthefouldeninwhichshehadsleptwithMrs。TuckerandMrs。Reardon——andshewashearingthehunchbackofthediveplayingforthedrunkendancingoldcronies，withtheirtincupsofwhiskey。
Nodangerofthatnow？HowlittleshewassavingofhersalaryfromPalmer！Shecouldnot“work“men——shesimplycouldnot。Shewouldneverputbyenoughtobeindependentandeverydayhertastesforluxuryhadfirmerholduponher。
Nodanger？Asmuchdangerasever——adangerpostponedbutcertaintothreatensomeday——andthen，afallfromagreaterheight——acertainfall。Shewashearingthebattered，shatteredpianoofthedive。
“Forpity”ssakeMrs。Palmer！“criedBrent，inalowvoice。
Shestarted。Thebeautifulroom，theenvironmentofluxuryandtasteandcomfortcameback。
GourdaininterruptedandthenPalmer。
ThefourwenttotheCafeAnglaisfordinner。BrentannouncedthathewasgoingtotheRivierasoontojoinapartyoffriends。“Iwishyouwouldvisitmelater，“saidhe，withaglancethatincludedthemallandrested，ascourtesyrequired，uponSusan。“There”sroominmyvilla——barelyroom。”
“We”venotreallysettledhere，“saidSusan。“Andwe”vetakenupFrenchseriously。”
“Theweather”sfrightful，“saidPalmer，withameaningglanceather。“Ithinkweoughttogo。”
Butherexpressionshowedthatshehadnointentionofgoing，nosympathywithPalmer”sdesiretousethisexcellent，easyladderofBrent”sofferingtomaketheascentintosecurerespectability。
“Nextwinter，then，“saidBrent，whowasobservingher。
“Or——intheearlyspring，perhaps。”
“Oh，wemaychangeourmindsandcome，“Palmersuggestedeagerly。“I”mgoingtotrytopersuademywife。”
“Comeifyoucan，“saidBrentcordially。“I”llhavenoonestoppingwithme。”
Whentheywerealone，PalmersenthisvaletawayandfussedaboutimpatientlyuntilSusan”smaidhadunhookedherdressandhadgotherreadyforbed。Asthemaidbeganthelongprocessofgivingherhairathoroughbrushing，hesaid，“Pleaselethergo，Susan。Iwanttotellyousomething。”
“ShedoesnotknowawordofEnglish。”
“ButtheseFrencharesocleverthattheyunderstandperfectlywiththeireyes。”
Susansentthemaidtobedandsatinadressinggownbrushingherhair。Itwaslongenoughtoreachtothemiddleofherbackandtocoverherbosom。Itwasverythickandwavy。Nowthatthescarletwaswashedfromherlipsforthenight，hereyesshonesoftandclearwithnorelieffortheiralmosttragicmelancholy。Hewaslookingatherinprofile。Herexpressionwassternaswellassad——thesoulofawomanwhohassufferedandhasbeenmadestrong，ifnothard。
“Igotaletterfrommylawyerstoday，“hebegan。“Itwasaboutthatmarriage。I”llread。”
Attheword“marriage，“shehaltedtheregularstrokeofthebrush。Hereyesgazedintothemirrorofthedressingtablethroughherreflectiondeepintoherlife，deepintothevistasofmemory。Asheunfoldedtheletter，sheleanedbackinthelowchair，letherhandsdroptoherlap。
“`Astheincloseddocumentsshow”“heread，“`wehavelearnedandhavelegallyverifiedthatJeb——notJames——FergusondivorcedhiswifeSusanLenoxaboutayearaftertheirmarriage，onthegroundofdesertion；andtwoyearslaterhefellthroughthefloorofanoldbridgenearBrooksburgandwaskilled。”“
Theoldbridge——shewasfeelingitslooseflooringsagandshiftunderthecautioushoofsofthehorse。ShewasseeingRodSpenseronthehorse，behindhimagirl，hardlymorethanachild——underthestarryskyexchangingconfidences——talkingoftheirfutures。
“So，yousee，youarefree，“saidPalmer。“IwentroundtoanAmericanlawyer”sofficethisafternoon，andborrowedanoldlegalformbook。AndI”vecopiedoutthisform——”
Shewashardlyconsciousofhislayingpapersonthetablebeforeher。
“It”svalid，asI”vefixedthings。Thelawyergavemesomepaper。Ithasawatermarkfiveyearsold。I”vedatedbacktwoyears——quiteenough。Sowhenwe”vesigned，themarriagenevercouldbecontested——notevenbyourselves。”
Hetookthepapersfromthetable，laidtheminherlap。Shestarted。“Whatwereyousaying？“sheasked。“What”sthis？“
“Whatwereyouthinkingabout？“saidhe。
“Iwasn”tthinking，“sheanswered，withherslowsweetsmileofself-concealment。“Iwasfeeling——living——thepast。Iwaswatchingtheprocession。”
Henoddedunderstandingly。“That”sakindoftime-wastingthatcaneasilybeoverdone。”
“Easily，“sheagreed。“Still，there”sthelesson。Ihavetoremindmyselfofitoften——always，whenthere”sanythingthathastobedecided。”
“I”vewrittenouttwooftheforms，“saidhe。“Wesignboth。
Youkeepone，Itheother。Whynotsignnow？“
Shereadtheform——theagreementtotakeeachotheraslawfulhusbandandwifeandtoregardthecontractasinallrespectsbindingandlegal。
“Doyouunderstandit？“laughedhenervously，forhermannerwasdisquieting。
“Perfectly。”
“Youstaredatthepaperasifitwereapuzzle。”
“Itis，“saidshe。
“Comeintothelibraryandwe”llsignandhaveitoverwith。”
Shelaidthepapersonthedressingtable，tookupherbrush，drewitslowlyoverherhairseveraltimes。
“Wakeup，“criedhe，goodhumoredly。“Comeonintothelibrary。”Andhewenttothethreshold。
Shecontinuedbrushingherhair。“Ican”tsign，“saidshe。
Therewasthecompleteabsenceofemotionthatcausedhertobemisunderstoodalwaysbythosewhodidnotknowherpeculiarities。Noonecouldhavesuspectedthevisionoftheoldwomenofthedivebeforehereyes，thesoundofthehunchback”spianoinherears，thesmelloffoulliquorsandfoulbodiesandfoulbreathsinhernostrils。Yetsherepeated：
“No——Ican”tsign。”
Hereturnedtohischair，seatedhimself，aslightcloudonhisbrow，awickedsmileonhislips。“Nowwhatthedevil！“saidhegently，ajeerinhisquietvoice。“What”sallthisabout？“
“Ican”tmarryyou，“saidshe。“Iwishtoliveonasweare。”
“Butifwedothatwecan”tgetupwherewewanttogo。”
“Idon”twishtoknowanyonebutinterestingmenofthesortthatdoesthings——andwomenofmyownsort。Thosepeoplehavenointerestinconventionalities。”
“That”snotthecrowdwesetouttoconquer，“saidhe。“Youseemtohaveforgotten。”
“It”syouwhohaveforgotten，“repliedshe。
“Yes——yes——Iknow，“hehastenedtosay。“Iwasn”taccusingyouofbreakingyouragreement。You”veliveduptoit——andmore。But，Susan，thepeopleyoucareaboutdon”tespeciallyinterestme。Brent——yes。He”samanoftheworldaswellasoneoftheartisticchaps。Buttheothers——they”rebeyondme。
Iadmitit”sallfine，andI”mgladyougoinforit。Buttheonlycrowdthat”scongenialtomeisthecrowdthatwe”vegottobemarriedtogetinwith。”
Shesawhispoint——sawitmoreclearlythandidhe。Tohimtheworldoffashionandluxuriousamusementseemedtheonlyworldworthwhile。Heacceptedtheschemeofthingsashefoundit，hadtheconventionalambitions——tomakeinsuccessionthefamiliargoalsoftheconventionalhumansuccess——power，wealth，socialposition。Itwasimpossibleforhimtogetanyotherideaofasuccessfullife，ofambitionsworthyaman”slabor。Itwasevidenceoftheexcellenceofhismindthathewasabletotoleratetheideaofthepossibilityoftherebeinganothermodeofsuccessworthwhile。
“I”mhelpingyouinyourambitions——indoingwhatyouthinkisworthwhile，“saidhe。“Don”tyouthinkyouoweittometohelpmeinmine？“
Hesawtheslightchangeofexpressionthattoldhimhowdeeplyhehadtouchedher。
“IfIdon”tgoinforthehighsocietygame，“hewenton，“I”llhavenothingtodo。I”llbeadrift——gambling，drinking，yawningaboutandgoingtopieces。Aman”sgottohavesomethingtoworkfor——andhecan”tworkunlessitseemstohimworthdoing。”
Shewasstaringintothemirror，herelbowsonthetable，herchinuponherinterlacedfingers。Itwouldbedifficulttosayhowmuchofhisgentlenesstoherwasduetoherphysicalcharmforhim，andhowmuchtohisrespectforhermindandhercharacter。Hehimselfwouldhavesaidthathisweaknesswasaltogethertheresultofthespellherphysicalcharmcastoverhim。Butitisprobablethattheotherelementwasthestronger。
“You”llnotbeselfish，Susan？“urgedhe。“You”llgivemeasquaredeal。”
“Yes——Iseethatitdoeslookselfish，“saidshe。“AlittlewhileagoI”dnothavebeenabletoseeanydeeperthanthelooksofit。Freddie，therearesomethingsnoonehasarighttoaskofanother，andnoonehasarighttogrant。”
Theuglinessofhischaracterwasbecominglesseasytocontrol。Thisgirlwhomhehadpickedup，practicallyoutofthegutter，andhadheapedgenerositiesupon，wastryinghispatiencetoofar。Buthesaid，ratheramiably：
“CertainlyI”mnotaskinganysuchthingofyouinaskingyoutobecomearespectablemarriedwoman，thewifeofarichman。”
“Yes——youare，Freddie，“repliedshegently。“IfImarriedyou，I”dbesigninganagreementtoleadyourlife，togiveupmyown——anagreementtobecomeasortofwomanI”venodesiretobeandnointerestinbeing；togiveuptryingtobecometheonlysortofwomanIthinkisworthwhile。Whenwewerediscussingmycomingwithyou，youmadethissameproposalinanotherform。Irefuseditthen。AndIrefuseitnow。It”shardertorefusenow，butI”mstronger。”
“Stronger，thankstothemoneyyou”vegotfromme——themoneyandtherestofit，“sneeredhe。
“Haven”tIearnedallI”vegot？“saidshe，socalmlythathedidnotrealizehowthechargeofingratitude，unjustthoughitwas，hadstruckintoher。
“Youhavechanged！“saidhe。“You”regettingashardastherestofus。Soit”sallamatterofmoney，ofgiveandtake——isit？Noneofthegenerosityandsentimentyouusedtobefullof？You”vesimplybeenusingme。”
“Itcanbeputthatway，“repliedshe。“Andnodoubtyouhonestlyseeitthatway。ButI”vegottoseemyowninterestandmyownright，Freddie。I”velearnedatlastthatI
mustn”ttrusttoanyoneelsetolookafterthemforme。”
“Areyouridingforafall——Queenie？“
At“Queenie“shesmiledfaintly。“I”mridingthewayIalwayshave，“answeredshe。“Ithascarriedmedown。But——ithasbroughtmeupagain。”Shelookedathimwitheyesthatappealed，withoutyielding。“AndI”llridethatwaytotheend——upordown，“saidshe。“Ican”thelpit。”
“Thenyouwanttobreakwithme？“heasked——andhebegantolookdangerous。
“No，“repliedshe。“Iwanttogoonasweare……I”llnotbeinterferinginyoursocialambitions，inanyway。Overhereit”llhelpyoutohaveamistresswho”shesawherimageintheglass，threwhimanarchglance”whoisn”taltogetherunattractivewon”tit？Andifyoufoundyoucouldgohigherbymarryingsomewomanofthegrandworld——why，you”dbefreetodoit。”
Hehadawayoflookingatherthatgaveher——andhimself——thesenseofadeliriousembrace。Helookedatherso，now。Hesaid：
“Youtakeadvantageofmybeingcrazyaboutyou——_damn_you！“
“Heavenknows，“laughedshe，“IneedeveryadvantageIcanfind。”
Hetouchedher——thelightestkindoftouch。Itcarriedthesenseofembraceinhislookstillmoregiddilyupward。
“Queenie！“hesaidsoftly。
Shesmiledathimthroughhalfclosedeyesthatwithagentleandshyfranknessconfessedthesecretofhisattractionforher。Therewas，however，moreofstrengththanofpassioninherfaceasawhole。Saidshe：
“We”regettingonwell——aswearearen”twe？Icanmeetthemostamusingandinterestingpeople——mysortofpeople。Youcangowiththepeopleandtotheplacesyoulikeandyou”llnotbebound。Ifyoushouldtakeanotiontomarrysomewomanwithabigposition——you”dnothavetoregretbeingtiedto——Queenie。”
“But——Iwantyou——Iwantyou，“saidhe。“I”vegottohaveyou。”
“Aslongasyoulike，“saidshe。“ButontermsIcanaccept——alwaysontermsIcanaccept。Neveronanyothers——never！Ican”thelpit。Icanyieldeverythingbutthat。”
Whereshewasconcernedhewastheprimitivemanonly。Thehigherhispassionrose，thestrongerbecamehisdesireforabsolutepossession。Whenshespokeofterms——ofthelimitationsuponhispossessionofher——shetransformedhispassionintofury。Heeyedherwickedly，abruptlydemanded：
“Whendidyoudecidetomakethiskick-up？“
“Idon”tknow。Simply——whenyouaskedmetosign，IfoundI
couldn”t。”
“Youdon”texpect_me_tobelievethat。”
“It”sthetruth。”Sheresumedbrushingherhair。
“Lookatme！“
Sheturnedherfacetowardhim，methisgaze。
“HaveyoufalleninlovewiththatyoungJew？“
“Gourdain？No。”
“Haveyouacrazynotionthatyourlooks”llgetyouabetterhusband？Abigfortuneoratitle？“
“Ihaven”tthoughtaboutahusband。Haven”tItoldyouIwishtobefree？“
“Butthatdoesn”tmeananything。”
“Itmight，“saidsheabsently。
“How？“
“Idon”tknow。Ifoneisalwaysfree——oneisreadyfor——whatevercomes。Anyhow，Imustbefree——nomatterwhatitcosts。”
“Iseeyou”rebentondroppingbackintothedirtIpickedyououtof。”
“Eventhat，“shesaid。“Imustbefree。”
“Haven”tyouanydesiretoberespectable——decent？“
“Iguessnot，“confessedshe。“Whatisthereinthatdirectionforme？“
“Awomandoesn”tstayyoungandgood-lookinglong。”
“No。”Shesmiledfaintly。“Butdoesshegetoldanduglyanyslowerforbeingmarried？“
Heroseandstoodoverher，lookedsmilingdangerdownather。
Sheleanedbackinherchairtomeethiseyeswithoutconstraint。“You”retryingtoplaymeatrick，“saidhe。
“Butyou”renotgoingtogetawaywiththegoods。I”mastonishedthatyouaresorottenungrateful。”
“BecauseI”mnotforsale？“
“Queeniebalkingatsellingherself，“hejeered。“Andwhat”stheleastyoueverdidsellfor？“
“Ahalf-dollar，Ithink。No——twodrinksofwhiskeyonecoldnight。ButwhatIsoldwasnomoremyselfthan——thanthecoatI”dpawnedanddrunkupbeforeIdidit。”
Theplaincalmwayinwhichshesaidthismadeitsoterriblethathewincedandturnedaway。“Wehaveseenhell——haven”twe？“hemuttered。Heturnedtowardherwithgenuinepassionoffeeling。“Susan，“hecried，“don”tbeafool。Let”spushourluck，nowthatthingsarecomingourway。Weneedeachother——wewanttostaytogether——don”twe？“
“__I__wanttostay。I”mhappy。”
“Then——let”sputtherecordstraight。”
“Let”skeepitstraight，“repliedsheearnestly。“Don”taskmetogowhereIdon”tbelong。ForIcan”t，Freddie——honestly，Ican”t。”
Apause。Then，“Youwill！“saidhe，notinblusteringfury，butinthatcoolandsmilingmalevolencewhichhadmadehimtheterrorofhisassociatesfromhisboyhooddaysamongthepettythievesandpickpocketsofGrandStreet。Helaidhishandgentlyonhershoulder。“Youhearme。Isayyouwill。”
Shelookedstraightathim。“Notifyoukillme，“shesaid。
Sherosetofacehimathisownheight。“I”veboughtmyfreedomwithmybodyandwithmyheartandwithmysoul。It”sallI”vegot。Ishallkeepit。”
Hemeasuredherstrengthwithanexperteye。Heknewthathewasbeaten。Helaughedlightlyandwentintohisdressing-room。XXII
THEYmetthenextmorningwithnosigninthemannerofeitherthattherehadbeenadrawnbattle，thattherewasanarmedtruce。Sheknewthathe，likeherself，wasthinkingofnothingelse。Butuntilhehaddevisedsomewayofcertainlyconqueringherhewouldwait，andwatch，andpretendthathewassatisfiedwithmattersastheywere。Thelongershereflectedthelessuneasyshebecame——astoimmediatedanger。
InParisthemethodsofviolencehemighthavebeentemptedtotryinNewYorkwereoutofthequestion。Whatremained？Hemustrealizethatthreatstoexposeherwouldbefutile；also，hemustfeelvulnerable，himself，tothatkindofattack——afeelingthatwouldactasarestraint，eventhoughhemightappreciatethatshewasthesortofpersonwhocouldnotinanycircumstancesresorttoit。Hehadnotuponherasingleoneoftheholdsahusbandhasuponawife。True，hecouldbreakwithher。Butshemustappreciatehoweasyitwouldnowbeforherinthiscapitaloftheidlerichtofindsomeothermangladto“protect“awomansoexpertatgratifyingman”svanityofbeingknownastheproprietorofabeautifulandfashionablewoman。Shehaddiscoveredhow，inthearistocracyofEuropeanwealth，anadmiredmistresswasasmuchanecessarypartofthegrandeurofgreatnobles，greatfinanciers，greatmanufacturers，ormerchants，aswife，asheir，aspalace，asequipage，aschef，astrainofsecretariesandcourtiers。Sheknewhowdeeplyitwouldcut，tofindhimselfwithouthisshowpiecethatmadehimtheenviedofmenandthedesiredofwomen。Also，sheknewthatshehadanevenstrongerholduponhim——thatsheappealedtohimasnootherwomaneverhad，thatshehadbecomeforhimatenacioushabit。
Shewasnotafraidthathewouldbreakwithher。Butshecouldnotfeelsecure；informerdaysshehadseentoofarintothemazesofthatItalianmindofhis，sheknewtoowellhowpatient，howrelentless，howunforgettinghewas。Shewouldhavetakenmurderintoaccountasmorethanapossibilitybutforhisintenseandintelligentselfishness；
hewouldnotriskhislifeorhisliberty；hewouldnotdeprivehimselfofhiskeenestpleasure。Hewasresourceful；
butinthecircumstanceswhatresourceswerethereforhimtodrawupon？
Whenhebegantopressuponhermoremoneythanever，andtobuyhercostlyjewelry，shefeltstillfurtherreassured。
Evidentlyhehadbeenunabletothinkoutanypracticablescheme；evidentlyhewas，forthetime，takingthecourseofappealtohergenerousinstincts，ofmakinghermoreandmoredependentuponhisliberality。
Well——washenotright？Lovemightfail；passionmightwane；
conscience，aidingself-interestwithitsusualservility，mightovercometheinstinctsofgratitude。Butwhatpowercouldovercometheloyaltyrestinguponmoneyinterest？Nopowerbutthatofalongerpursethanhis。Asshewasnotinthemoodtomakepretensesaboutherselftoherself，shesmiledatthiscynicalself-measuring。“ButIshan”tdespisemyselfforbeingsomaterial，“saidshetoherself，“untilI
finda_genuine_caseofawoman，respectableorotherwise，whohasknownpovertyandescapedfromit，andhasthenvoluntarilygivenupwealthtogobacktoit。Ishouldnotstayonwithhimifheweredistastefultome。Andthat”smorethanmostwomencanhonestlysay。PerhapsevenIshouldnotstayonifitwerenotforasilly，weakfeelingofobligation——butIcan”tbesureofthat。”Shehadseentoomuchofmenandwomenpreeninguponnobledisinterestedmotiveswheninfacttheirrealmotiveswerethemostcalculatinglyselfish；shepreferreddoingherselflessthanjusticeratherthanmore。
Shehadfifty-fivethousandfrancsondepositatMunroe”s——allherveryown。Shehadalmosttwohundredthousandfrancs”
worthofjewels，whichshewouldbejustifiedinkeeping——atleast，shehopedshewouldthinkso——shouldtherecomeabreakwithFreddie。Yetinspiteofthissubstantialprosperity——orwasitbecauseofthisprosperity？——sheabruptlybeganagaintobehauntedbytheoldvisions，bywarningsofthedangersthatbesetanyhumanbeingwhohasnotthatpayingtradeorprofessionwhichmakeshimorherindependent——giveshimorhertheonlyunassailableindependence。
TheendwithFreddiemightbefaraway。Butend，shesaw，therewouldbethedaywhenhewouldsomehowgetherinhispowerandsowoulddrivehertoleavehim。Forshecouldnotagainbecomeaslave。Extremeyouth，utterinexperience，noknowledgeofrealfreedom——thesehadenabledhertoendureinformerdays。Butshewaswhollydifferentnow。Shecouldnotsinkback。Steadilyshewasgrowinglessandlessabletotakeordersfromanyone。Thisfull-grownpassionforfreedom，thisintoleranceoftheleastrestraint——howdangerous，ifsheshouldfindherselfinapositionwhereshewouldhavetoputupwiththecapricesofsomemanordropdownanddown！
Whatreal，securesupporthadshe？None。Herbuildingwaswithoutsolidfoundations。HerstrugglewithFreddiewasarevelationandawarning。Thereweredayswhen，drivingaboutinherluxuriouscar，shecoulddonothingbutsearchamongthecrowdsinthestreetsforthelonelyoldwomeninrags，pickingandpeeringalongtherefuseofthecafes——weazened，warpedfiguresswathedinrags，creepingalong，mumblingtothemselves，lipsfoldedinandinovertoothlessgums。
OnedayBrentsawagainthelooksheoftencouldnotkeepfromherfacewhenthatvisionofthedancehallintheslumswashorrifyingher。Hesaidimpulsively：
“Whatisit？Tellme——whatisit，Susan？“
Itwasthefirstandthelasttimeheevercalledherbyheronlypersonalname。Heflusheddeeply。Tocoverhisconfusion——andherown——shesaidinhermostfrivolousway：
“IwasthinkingthatifIameverrichIshallhavemorepairsofshoesandstockingsandtakecareofmoreorphansthananyoneelseintheworld。”
“Apurpose！Atlastapurpose！“laughedhe。“Nowyouwillgotowork。”
ThroughGourdainshegotaFrenchteacher——andherfirstwomanfriend。
Theyoungwidowherecommended，aMadameClelieDeliere，wasthemostattractivewomanshehadeverknown。ShehadallthebestFrenchcharacteristics——agoodheart，alivelymind，wasimaginativeyetsensible，hadgoodtasteinallthings。LikemostoftheattractiveFrenchwomen，shewasnotbeautiful，buthadthatwhichisoffargreaterimportance——charm。SheknewnotawordofEnglish，anditwasperhapsSusan”schiefincentivetowardworkinghardatFrenchthatshecouldnotreallybefriendswiththisfascinatingpersonuntilshelearnedtospeakherlanguage。Palmer——partlybynature，partlythroughearlyexperienceinthepolyglottenementdistrictofNewYork——hadmoreaptitudeforlanguagethanhadSusan。ButhehadbeenlazyaboutacquiringFrenchinacitywhereEnglishisspokenalmostuniversally。WiththecomingofyoungMadameDelieretoliveintheapartment，hebecameinterested。
Itwasnotamonthafterhercomingwhenyoumighthaveseenatoneofthefashionablegayrestaurantsanyeveningapartyoffour——Gourdainwasthefourth——talkingFrenchalmostvolubly。Palmer”saccentwasbetterthanSusan”s。Shecouldnot——andfeltshenevercould——gettheaccentofthetrans-Alleghanyregionoutofhervoice——andsolongasthatremainedshewouldnotspeakgoodFrench。“Butdon”tletthattroubleyou，“saidClelie。“Yourvoiceisyourgreatestcharm。Itissohonestandsohuman。OftheAmericansIhavemet，Ihavelikedonlythosewiththatsametoneintheirvoices。”
“But__I__haven”tthataccent，“saidFreddiewithraillery。
MadameClelielaughed。“No——andIdonotlikeyou，“retortedshe。“Nooneeverdid。Youdonotwishtobeliked。Youwishtobefeared。”Herlivelybrowneyessparkledandthebigwhiteteethinhergenerousmouthglistened。“Youwishtobefeared——andyou_are_feared，MonsieurFreddie。”
“Ittakesacleverwomantoknowhowtoflatterwiththetruth，“saidhe。“Everybodyalwayshasbeenafraidofme——andis——except，ofcourse，mywife。”
Hewasalwaystalkingof“mywife“now。Thesubjectsocompletelypossessedhismindthatheaireditunconsciously。
Whenshewasnotaroundheboastedof“mywife”s“skillintheartofdress，of“mywife”s“taste，of“mywife”s“shrewdnessingettinghermoney”sworth。Whenshewasthere，hewasusingthefavoritephrase“mywife“this”mywife“that”mywife“theother——untilitsogotonhernervesthatshebegantowaitforitandtowincewheneveritcame——neverawaitofmanyminutes。Atfirstshethoughthewasdoingthisdeliberatelyeithertoannoyherorinpursuanceofsomesecretdeepdesign。Butshesoonsawthathewasnotawareofhisinabilitytokeepoffthesubjectorofhisobsessionforthatphraserepresentingthethinghewasintenselywishingandwilling”chiefly，“shethought，“becauseitissomethinghecannothave。”Shewasamazedathisdisplayofsuchaweakness。Itgaveherthechancetolearnanimportanttruthabouthumannature——thatself-indulgencesoondestroysthestrongestnature——andshewaswitnesstohowrapidlyaninflexiblewilldisintegratesifincessantlyappliedtoanimpossibility。Whenastrongarrogantman，unbalancedbylongandsuccessfulself-indulgence，hurlshimselfatanobstruction，eithertheobstructionyieldsorthemanisdestroyed。
OnemorningearlyinFebruary，asshewasdescendingfromherautoinfrontoftheapartmenthouse，shesawBrentinthedoorway。Neverhadhelookedsoyoungorsowell。Hiscolorwasfine，hisfacehadbecomealmostboyish；uponhisskinandinhiseyeswasthatglossofperfecthealthwhichuntiltheselatterdaysofscientifichygienewasrarelyseenaftertwenty-fiveinawomanorafterthirtyinaman。Shegatheredinall，tothesmallestdetail——suchasthecolorofhisshirt——withasinglequickglance。Sheknewthathehadseenherbeforeshesawhim——thathehadbeenobservingher。Herhappiestfriendliestsmilemadehersmallfacebewitchingassheadvancedwithoutstretchedhand。
“Whendidyoucome？“sheasked。
“Aboutanhourago。”
“FromtheRiviera？“
“No，indeed。FromSt。Moritz——andskatingandskiingandtobogganing。IratherhopedIlookedit。Doingthosethingsinthatair——it”sbeingbornagain。”
“IfeltwelltillIsawyou，“saidshe。“NowIfeeldingyandhalfsick。”
Helaughed，hisglancesweepingherfromhattoboots。
Certainlyhiseyescouldnothavefoundamoreentrancingsight。Shewaswearingabeautifuldressofgoldenbrowncloth，sablehat，shortcoatandmuff，brownsuedebootslacedhighuponherlongslendercalves。Andwhenshehaddescendedfromtheperfectlittlelimousinemadetoorderforher，hehadseenaravishingflutteroflingerieofpalevioletsilk。
Thesharpairhadbroughtnocolortohercheekstointerferewiththeabruptandfascinatingcontrastoftheirpallorwiththelongcrimsonbowofhermouth。Butherskinseemedtransparentandhadtheclearnessofhealthitself。Everythingabouther，everyleastdetail，wasofParisianperfection。
“Probablytherearenotintheworld，“saidhe，“somanyasadozenwomensowellputtogetherasyouare。No，nothalfadozen。Fewwomencarrytheartofdresstothepointofgenius。”
“IseetheyhadonlyfrumpsatSt。Moritzthisseason，“
laughedshe。
Buthewouldnotbeturnedaside。“Mostofthewelldressedwomenstopshortwithbeingsimplyfrivolousinspendingsomuchtimeatlessthanperfection——likethearmyofpoetswhowriteprettygoodverse，ortheswarmofsingerswhosingprettywell。I”veheardofyoumanytimesthiswinter。YouarethetalkofParis。”
Shelaughedwithfrankdelight。Itwasindeedapleasuretodiscoverthatherpainshadnotbeeninvain。
“Itisalwaystheoutsiderwhocomestothegreatcitytoshowititsownresources，“hewenton。“Iknewyouweregoingtodothis。Stillhappy？“
“Oh，yes。”
Buthehadtakenherbysurprise。Afaintshadowflittedacrossherface。“Notsohappy，Isee。”
“Youseetoomuch。Won”tyoulunchwithus？We”llhaveitinabouthalfanhour。”
Heacceptedpromptlyandtheywentuptogether。Hisglancetraveledroundthedrawing-room；andsheknewhehadnotedallthechangesshehadmadeonbetteracquaintancewithhersurroundingsandwiderknowledgeofinteriorfurnishing。Shesawthatheapproved，anditincreasedhergoodhumor。“AreyouhurryingthroughParisonyourwaytosomewhereelse？“sheasked。
“No，Istophere——Ithink——untilIsailforAmerica。”
“Andthatwillbesoon？“
“PerhapsnotuntilJuly。Ihavenoplans。I”vefinishedaplayawomansuggestedtomesometimeago。AndI”mwaiting。”
Agleamofunderstandingcameintohereyes。Therewascontrolledinterestinhervoiceassheinquired：
“Whenisittobeproduced？“
“Whenthewomanwhosuggesteditisreadytoactinit。”
“DoIbyanychanceknowher？“
“Youusedtoknowher。Youwillknowheragain。”
Sheshookherheadslowly，apensivesmilehoveringabouthereyesandlips。“No——notagain。Ihavechanged。”
“Wedonotchange，“saidhe。“Wemove，butwedonotchange。
Youarethesamecharacteryouwerewhenyoucameintotheworld。Andwhatyouwerethen，thatyouwillbewhenthecurtainfallsontheclimaxofyourlastact。Yourcircumstanceswillchange——andyourclothes——andyourface，hair，figure——butnot_you_。”
“Doyoubelievethat？“
“I_know_it。”
Shenoddedslowly，theviolet-grayeyespensive。“Birdsinthestrongwind——that”swhatweare。Driventhiswayorthat——orquitebeatendown。Butthewinddoesn”tchangesparrowtoeagle——oreagletogull——doesit？“
Shehadremovedhercoatandwasseatedonanovalloungegazingintotheopenfire。Hewasstandingbeforeit，lookingtallerandstrongerthanever，inagrayloungingsuit。A
cigarettedependedlooselyfromthecornerofhismouth。Hesaidabruptly：
“Howareyougettingonwithyouracting？“
Sheglancedinsurprise。
“Gourdain，“Brentexplained。“Hehadtotalktosomebodyabouthowwonderfulyouare。Sohetooktowritingme——twohugelettersaweek——allaboutyou。”
“I”mfondofhim。Andhe”sfondofClelie。She”smy——”
“Iknowall，“heinterrupted。“Thetiebetweenthemistheirfondnessforyou。Tellmeabouttheacting。”
“Oh——ClelieandIhavebeengoingtothetheatereveryfewdays——tohelpmewithFrench。Sheismadaboutacting，andthere”snothingIlikebetter。”
“Also，_you_simplyhavetohaveoccupation。”
Shenodded。“Iwasn”tbroughtuptofitmeforanidler。
WhenIwasachildIwastaughttokeepbusy——notatnothing，butatsomething。Freddie”salotbetteratitthanI。”
“Naturally，“saidBrent。“Youhadahome，withorderandasystem——anold-fashionedAmericanhome。He——well，hehadn”t。”
“ClelieandIgoatourmake-believeactingquiteseriously。
Wehaveto——ifwe”retofoolourselvesthatit”sanoccupation。”
“Whythisanxietytoprovetomethatyou”renotreallyserious？“
Susanlaughedmockinglyforanswer，andwenton：
“Youshouldseeusdothetwowivesin`L”Enigme”——ormotheranddaughterinthatdiaryscenein`L”AutreDanger”！“
“Imust……Whenareyougoingtoresumeyourcareer？“
Sherose，strolledtowardanopendooratoneendofthesalon，closedit——strolledtowardthedoorintothehall，glancedout，returnedwithouthavingclosedit。Shethensaid：
“CouldIstudyhereinParis？“
Triumphgleamedinhiseyes。“Yes。Boudrin——asplendidteacher——speaksEnglish。He——andI——canteachyou。”
“TellmewhatI”dhavetodo。”
“Wewouldcoachyouforasmallpartinsomeplaythat”stobeproducedhere。”
“InFrench？“
“I”llhaveanAmericangirlwrittenintoafarce。Enoughtogetyouusedtothestage——togiveyoupracticeinwhathe”llteachyou——thetradesideoftheart。”
“Andthen？“
“Andthenweshallspendthesummerlearningyourpartinmyplay。TwoorthreeweeksofcompanyrehearsalsinNewYorkinSeptember。InOctober——yournameoutovertheLongAcreTheaterinlettersoffire。”
“Couldthatbedone？“
“Evenifyouhadlittletalent，lessintelligence，andnoexperience。Properlytaught，thetradepartofeveryartiseasy。Teachersmakeithardpartlybecausethey”redull，chieflybecausethere”dbesmallmoneyforthemiftheytaughtquickly，andonlytheessentials。No，journeymanacting”snohardertolearnthanbricklayingorcarpentering。AndinAmerica——everywhereintheworldbutafewtheatersinParisandVienna——thereisnothingseenbutjourneymanacting。Theartisinitsinfancyasanart。Itevenhasnotyetbeenemancipatedfromtheswaddlingclothesofdeclamation。Yes，youcandowellbytheautumn。AndifyoudevelopwhatI
thinkyouhaveinyou，youcanleapwithoneboundintofame。
InAmericaorEngland，mindyou——becausetheretheactingisallpoorto`prettygood”。”
“Youaresureitcouldbedone？No——Idon”tmeanthat。
Imean，istherereallyachance——anychance——formetomakemyownliving？Arealliving？“
“Iguarantee，“saidBrent。
Shechangedfromseriousnesstoamockingkindofgayety——thatis，toaseriousnesssoprofoundthatshewouldnotshowit。
Andshesaid：
“YouseeIsimplymustbanishmyoldwomen——andthathunchbackandhispiano。Theygetonmynerves。”
Hesmiledhumorouslyather。Butbehindthesmilehisgaze——grave，sympathetic——piercedintohersoul，seekingthemeaningheknewshewouldneverputintowords。
Atthesoundofvoicesinthehallshesaid：
“We”lltalkofthisagain。”
Atlunchthatdayshe，forthefirsttimeinmanyaweek，listenedwithoutirritationwhileFreddiepouredforthhisunendingpraiseof“mywife。”AsBrentknewthemintimately，Freddiefeltfreetoexpatiateuponallthedetailsofdomesticeconomythatchancedtobehistheme，withtheexquisitelunchasatext。HetoldBrenthowSusanhadmadeastudyofthatbranchoftheartofliving；howshehadexploredtheunrivaledParisianmarketsandgroceriesandshopsthatdealtinspecialties；howshehaddevelopedtheirbreakfasts，dinners，andlunchestoworksofart。Itisimpossibleforanyone，howeverstupid，tostoplonginPariswithoutbeginningtoidealizethematerialsideoflife——fortheFrench，whobuildsolidly，firstidealizefood，clothing，andshelter，beforegoingontotakeupthehighersideoflife——asasanemanbuildshisfoundationbeforehisfirststory，andsoon，puttingtheobservationtoweronlastofall，insteadofmakinganassofhimselftryingtohanghistowertothestars。Ouridealizationgoesforwardhaltinglyandhypocriticallybecausewetrytobuildfromthestarsdown，insteadoffromthegroundup。Theplacetoseektheidealisinthehomely，thecommonplace，andthenecessary。
Anidealthatdoesnotspringdeep-rootedfromthesoilofpracticallifemaybeatopicforasermonoranovelorforidleconversationamongsillyandpretentiouspeople。Butwhatusehasitinaworldthatmust_live_，andmustbetaughttolive？
FreddiewasunawarethathewasdescribingafurtherdevelopmentofSusan——acourseshewastakingintheuniversityofexperience——shewhohadpassedthroughitscommonschool，itshighschool，itscollege。Tohimhercleverhousekeepingofferedsimplyanotherinstanceofherclevernessingeneral。Hisdiscoursewasinbadtaste。Butitsbadtastewastolerablebecausehewasinteresting——food，likesex，beingoneofthoseuniversalsubjectsthatcommandandholdtheattentionofallmankind。Herosetonomeanheightofeloquenceindescribingtheirdinneroftheeveningbefore——thegamesoupthatbroughttohimvisionsofahuntingexcursionhehadoncemadeintothewildsofCanada；thewaythe_barbue_wascookedandserved；theincredibleduck——andthesalad！Clelieinterruptedtodescribethatsaladaslikeabreathofsummerairfromfieldsandlimpidbrooks。Hedeclaredthatthecheese——whichSusanhadfoundinashopintheMarcheSt。Honore——wasmorewonderfulthanthemostwonderful_petitSuisse_。“Andthecoffee！“heexclaimed。
“Butyou”llseeinafewminutes。Wehave_coffee_here。”
“_Quellehistoire！_“exclaimedBrent，whenFreddiehadconcluded。AndhelookedatSusanwiththeironic，quizzicalgleaminhiseyes。
Shecolored。“Iamlearningtolive，“saidshe。“That”swhatwe”reonearthfor——isn”tit？“
“Tolearntolive——andthen，tolive，“repliedhe。
Shelaughed。“Ah，thatcomesalittlelater。”
“Notmuchlater，“rejoinedhe，“orthere”snotimeleftforit。”
ItwasFreddiewho，afterlunch，urgedSusanandClelieto“showBrentwhatyoucandoatacting。”
“Yes——byallmeans，“saidBrentwithenthusiasm。
Andtheygave——inoneendofthesalonwhichwaswellsuitedforit——thescenebetweenmotheranddaughteroverthestolendiary，in“L”AutreDanger。”Brentsaidlittlewhentheyfinished，solittlethatPalmerwasvisiblyannoyed。ButSusan，whowasacquaintedwithhismodesofexpression，feltadeepglowofsatisfaction。Shehadnodelusionsaboutherattempts；sheunderstoodperfectlythattheyweresimplycrudeattempts。Sheknewshehaddonewell——forher——andsheknewheappreciatedherimprovement。
“Thatwouldhavegonefine——withcostumesandscenery——eh？“
demandedFreddieofBrent。
“Yes，“saidBrentabsently。“Yes——thatis——Yes。”
Freddiewasdissatisfiedwiththislackofenthusiasm。Hewentoninsistently：
“Ithinksheoughttogoonthestage——sheandMadameClelie，too。”
“Yes，“saidBrent，betweeninquiryandreflection。
“Whatdo_you_think？“
“Idon”tthinksheought，“repliedBrent。“Ithinkshe_must_。”HeturnedtoSusan。“Wouldyoulikeit？“
Susanhesitated。Freddiesaid——ratherlamely，“Ofcourseshewould。Formypart，Iwishshewould。”
“ThenIwill，“saidSusanquietly。
Palmerlookedastounded。Hehadnotdreamedshewouldassent。
Heknewhertones——knewthattheparticulartonemeantfinality。“You”rejoking，“criedhe，withanuneasylaugh。
“Why，youwouldn”tstandtheworkforaweek。It”shardwork——isn”tit，Brent？“
“Aboutthehardest，“saidBrent。“Andshe”sgotpracticallyeverythingstilltolearn。”
“Shallwetry，Clelie？“saidSusan。
YoungMadameDelierewaspalewitheagerness。“Ah——butthatwouldbeworthwhile！“criedshe。
“Thenit”ssettled，“saidSusan。ToBrent：“We”llmakethearrangementsatonce——today。”
Freddiewaslookingatherwithadazedexpression。Hisglancepresentlydriftedfromherfacetothefire，toresttherethoughtfullyashesmokedhiscigar。Hetooknopartintheconversationthatfollowed。Presentlyhelefttheroomwithoutexcusinghimself。WhenClelieseatedherselfatthepianotowandervaguelyfromonepieceofmusictoanother，BrentjoinedSusanatthefireandsaidinEnglish：
“Palmerisfurious。”
“Isaw，“saidshe。
“Iamafraid。For——Iknowhim。”
Shelookedcalmlyathim。“ButIamnot。”
“Thenyoudonotknowhim。”
Thestrangestsmileflittedacrossherface。
AfterapauseBrentsaid：“Areyoumarriedtohim？“
Againthecalmsteadylook。Then：“Thatisnoneofyourbusiness。”
“Ithoughtyouwerenot，“saidBrent，asifshehadansweredhisquestionwithaclearnegative。Headded，“YouknowI”dnothaveaskedifithadbeen`noneofmybusiness。”“
“Whatdoyoumean？“
“Ifyouhadbeenhiswife，Icouldnothavegoneon。I”veallthereverenceforahomeofthemanwhohasneverhadone。
I”dnottakepartinahome-breaking。But——sinceyouarefree——”
“Ishallneverbeanythingelsebutfree。It”sbecauseIwishtomakesureofmyfreedomthatI”mgoingintothis。”
Palmerappearedinthedoorway。
ThatnightthefourandGourdaindinedtogether，wenttothetheaterandafterwardtosupperattheCafedeParis。
GourdainandyoungMadameDeliereformedaninteresting，unusuallyattractiveexhibitoftheparasitismthatisasinevitabletotherichasfleastoadog。Gourdainwasasuperiorman，Clelieasuperiorwoman。Therewasnothingofthesycophant，orevenofthecourtier，abouteither。Yettheyalreadyhadintheirfacesthatsubtleindicationofthedependentthatisfoundinallprofessionalpeoplewhohabituallyworkforandassociatewiththerichonly。Theyhadnosenseofdependence；theywerenotdependents，fortheygavemorethanvaluereceived。YetsocorruptingistheatmosphereaboutrichpeoplethatGourdain，whohadotherrichclients，nolessthanCleliewhogotherwholelivingfromPalmer，wasataglanceinthefleaclassandnotinthedogclass。BrentlookedforsignsofthesamethinginSusan”sface。Thesignsshouldhavebeenthere；buttheywerenot。
“Notyet，“thoughthe。“Andneverwillbenow。”
Palmer”sabstractionandconstraintwereinsharpcontrasttothegayetyoftheothers。Susandrankalmostnothing。Herspiritsweresoaringsohighthatshedidnotdarestimulatethemwithchampagne。TheCafedeParisisoneoftheplaceswheretherespectablegotowatch_lesautres_andtocatcharealgayetybycontagionofagayetythatismechanicalandaltogetherasunrealasplay-acting。ThereissomethingfantasticabouttheofficialtemplesofVenus；thepleasure-makersaresoseriousundertheirmasksandthepleasure-getterssoquaintlydazzledanddeluded。Thatis，Venus”stemplesarelikethoseofsomanyotherreligionsinreverenceamongmen——disbeliefandsolemnhumbuggeryatthealtar；beliefthatwouldratherdiethanbeundeceived，inthepews。PalmerscarcelytookhiseyesfromSusan”sface。ItamusedandpleasedhertoseehowuneasythismadeBrent——andhowherownlaughterandjestsaggravatedhisuneasinesstothepointwherehewasalmostshowingit。Sheglancedroundthatbrilliantroomfilledwithmenandwomen，eachofthemcarryingunderneaththeplacidityofstiffeveningshirtorthescantinessofaudaciouseveninggownthemostfascinatingemotionsandsecrets——loveandhateandjealousy，coldandmonstroushabitsanddesires，ruinimpendingorstealthilyadvancing，fortunegiddyingtoagorgeousclimax，diseaseandshameandfear——yetonlysignsofloveandlaughterandlightnessofheartvisible。AndshewonderedwhetheratanyothertabletherewasgatheredsocuriousanassemblageofpastsandpresentsandfuturesasattheoneoverwhichFreddiePalmerwaspresidingsomberly……Thenherthoughtstookanotherturn。Shefelltonotinghoweachmanwasaccompaniedbyawoman——agorgeouslydressedwoman，awomanrevealing，proclaiming，ineveryline，ineverymovement，thatshewasthuselaboratelyandbeautifullytoilettedtopleaseman，toappealtohissenses，togainhisgraciousapproval。Itwastheworldinminiature；itwasanillustrationofthepositionofwoman——ofherownposition。
Favorite；pet。Nottheequalofman，butanappetizer，adessert。Sheglancedatherselfintheglass，mockedherownradiantbeautyoffaceandformanddress。Notreallyafullhumanbeing；merelyadecoration。Nomore；andnoworseoffthanmostofthewomeneverywhere，thefavoriteslicensedorunlicensedoflawandreligion。Butjustasbadlyoff，andjustasinsecure。Free！Norest，nofullbreathuntilfreedomhadbeenwon！Atanycost，bystraightwayordevious——free！
“Let”sgohome，“saidsheabruptly。“I”vehadenoughofthis。”
Shewasinadressinggown，allreadyforbedandreading，whenPalmercameintohersitting-room。Shewassmoking，hergazeuponherbook。Herthickdarkhairwasbraidedclosetohersmallhead。Therewasdelicatelaceonhernightgown，showingabovethewaddedsatincollarofthedressinggown。
Hedroppedheavilyintoachair。
Ifanyonehadtoldmeayearagothataskirtcouldmakeadamnfoolofme，“saidhebitterly，“I”dhavelaughedinhisface。Yet——hereIam！HownicelyIdiddropintoyourtraptoday——abouttheacting！“
“Trap？“
“Oh，IadmitIbuiltandbaitedandsetit，myself——assthatI
was！Butitwasyourtrap——yoursandBrent”s，allthesame……Askirt——andnotacleanone，atthat。”
Sheloweredthebooktoherlap，tookthecigarettefrombetweenherlips，lookedathim。“Whynotbereasonable，Freddie？“saidshecalmly。Languagehadlongsincelostitspowertoimpressher。“WhyirritateyourselfandannoymesimplybecauseIwon”tletyoutyrannizeoverme？Youknowyoucan”ttreatmeasifIwereyourproperty。I”mnotyourwife，andIdon”thavetobeyourmistress。”
“Gettingreadytobreakwithmeeh？“
“IfIwishedtogo，I”dtellyou——andgo。”
“You”dgivemetheshake，wouldyou？——withouttheslightestregardforallI”vedoneforyou！“
Sherefusedtoarguethatagain。“IhopeI”veoutgrowndoingweakgentlethingsthroughcowardiceandpretendingit”sthroughgoodnessofheart。”
“You”vegottenhard——likestone。”
“Likeyou——somewhat。”Andafteramomentsheadded，“Anythingthat”sstrongishard——isn”tit？Canamanorawomangetanywherewithoutbeingabletobewhatyoucall`hard”andwhatIcall`strong”？“
“Wheredo_you_wanttoget？“demandedhe。
Shedisregardedhisquestion，tofinishsayingwhatwasinhermind——whatshewassayingrathertogiveherselfaclearlookatherownthoughtsandpurposesthantoenlightenhimaboutthem。“I”mnotashelteredwoman，“pursuedshe。“I”vegotnoonetosavemefromtheconsequencesofdoingnice，sweet，womanlythings。”
“You”vegotme，“saidheangrily。
“ButwhyleanifI”mstrongenoughtostandalone？Whyweakenmyselfjusttogratifyyourmaniaforowningandbossing？ButletmefinishwhatIwassaying。InevergotanyquarterbecauseIwasawoman。Nowomandoes，asamatteroffact；
andintheend，themoresheuseshersextohelphershirk，theworseherpunishmentis。Butinmycase——
“Iwasbroughtuptoplaytheweakfemale，tousemysexasmyshield。Andthatwastakenfrommeand——Ineedn”ttell_you_
howIwastaughttogiveandtakelikeaman——no，notlikeaman——fornomaneverhastoendurewhatawomangoesthroughifsheisthrownontheworld。Still，I”mnotwhining。Nowthatit”salloverI”mthebetterforwhatI”vebeenthrough。
I”velearnedtouseallaman”sweaponsandinadditionI”vegotawoman”s。”
“Aslongasyourlookslast，“sneeredhe。
“Thatwillbelongerthanyours，“saidshepleasantly，“ifyoukeeponwiththeautomobilesandthechampagne。Andwhenmylooksaregone，mywoman”sweapons……
“Why，I”llstillhavetheman”sweaponsleft——shan”tI？——knowledge，andtheabilitytouseit。”
Hisexpressionofimpotentfurymingledwithcompelledadmirationandrespectmadehisfaceaboutasunpleasanttolookatasshehadeverseenit。Butshelikedtolook。Hisconfessionofherstrengthmadeherfeelstronger。Thesenseofstrengthwasanewsensationwithher——newanddelicious。
Norcouldthefeelingthatshewasbeingsomewhatcruelrestrainherfromenjoyingit。
“Ihaveneveraskedquarter，“shewenton。“Inevershall。
Iffategetsmedown，asithasmanyatime，whyI”llheabletotakemymedicinewithoutweepingorwhining。I”veneveraskedpity。I”veneveraskedcharity。That”swhyI”mhere，Freddie——inthisapartment，insteadofinafilthytenementattic——andintheseclothesinsteadofinrags——andwithyourespectingme，insteadofkickingmetowardthegutter。Isn”tthatso？“
Hewassilent。
“Isn”titso？“sheinsisted。
“Yes，“headmitted。Andhishandsomeeyeslookedthelovesoneartohatethatfillsastrongmanforastrongwomanwhentheyclashandhecannotconquer。“NowonderI”mafoolaboutyou，“hemuttered。
“Idon”tpurposethatanymanorwomanshalluseme，“shewenton，“inexchangeformerelyafewflatteries。Iinsistthatiftheyuseme，theymustletmeusethem。Ishan”tbemeanaboutit，butIshan”tbealtogetherafool，either。Andwhatisawomanbutafoolwhensheletsmenuseherfornothingbutbeingcalledsweetandlovingandwomanly？Unlessthat”sthebestshecando，poorthing！“
“Youneedn”tsneeratrespectablewomen。”
“Idon”t，“repliedshe。“I”venosneersforanybody。I”vediscoveredagreattruth，Freddiethedeep-downequalityofallhumanbeings——allofthembirdsinthesamewindandbattlingwithiteachasbesthecan。Asformyself——withmoney，withacareerthatinterestsme，withpositionthat”llgivemeanyacquaintancesandfriendsthatarecongenial，I
don”tcarewhatissaidofme。”
Asherplanunfoldeditselffullytohisunderstanding，whichneededonlyahinttoenableittograspall，heforgothisrageforamomentinhisinterestandadmiration。Saidhe：
“You”veusedme。Nowyou”regoingtouseBrent——eh？
Well——whatwillyougive_him_inexchange？“
“Hewantssomeonetoactcertainpartsincertainplays。”
“Isthat_all_hewants？“
“Hehasn”taskedanythingelse。”
“Andifhedid？“
“Don”tbeabsurd。YouknowBrent。”
“He”snotinlovewithyou，“assentedPalmer。“Hedoesn”twantyouthatway。There”ssomewomansomewhere，I”veheard——andhedoesn”tcareaboutanybodybuther。”
Hewasspeakinginacareless，casualway，watchingheroutofthecornerofhiseye。Andshe，takenoffguard，betrayedinherfeaturesthesecretthatwasasecretevenfromherself。
Hesprangupwithabound，sprangather，caughtherupoutofherchair，thefingersofonehandclaspingherthroat。
“Ithoughtso！“hehissed。“Youlovehim——damnyou！Youlovehim！You”dbetterlookout，bothofyou！“
TherecameaknockatthedoorbetweenherbedroomandthatofMadameClelie。Palmerreleasedher，stoodpanting，withfuriouseyesonthedoorfromwhichthesoundhadcome。Susancalled，“It”sallright，Clelie，forthepresent。”ThenshesaidtoPalmer，“ItoldClelietoknockifsheeverheardvoicesinthisroom——oranysoundshedidn”tunderstand。”Shereseatedherself，begantomassageherthroatwherehisfingershadclutchedit。“It”sfortunatemyskindoesn”tmareasily，“shewenton。“Whatwereyousaying？“