father had given me for Christmas. Their chauffeur had been gone for hours with their machine, and they had telephoned all the police stations without success. They w

t a big living room that was also a library, then a den, and back of all a Georgian dining room, with windows high above the ground. On the top floor Jim had a studio, like every other one I ever saw-perhaps a little mussier. Jim was really a grind at his painting, and there were cigarette ashes and palette knives and buffalo rugs and shiel

ly serious, and had the most exaggerated ideas of society, and loathed extravagance, and built bridges or something. She had put away her cigarettes since he had been with them-he

eadly earnest, always falls in love with your type of girl, the appealing sort, you know. And he has been too busy, up to now, to know wha

cept to hope that he played respectable bridge, and wouldn't mark the card

pstairs together to take off our wraps in what had been B

xamining her wrap before she laid it down. "What d

was really touching, and violets were fabulous. It made me want to cry, and to shake Bella soundly, and to go down and pat Jim on his generous shoulder, and tell him what a good fellow I thought him, and that Bella wasn't worth the dust under his feet. I don't know

hat Anne had said and more in appearance. He was tall-not too tall, and very straight. And after one got past the oddity of his face being bronze-colored above his white collar, and of his brown hair being sun-bleached on top until it was almost yellow, one realized that he was very

the same surroundings, in the same place, years before, I was looking up at him, and he

e was

. The feeling was stronge

an idea that we had met before somewhere, a long time ago. I suppose-no, it c

. "It didn't happen, I'm a

W

way, too, f

am life, where we knew each other. You remember the Brushwood Boy loved the girl

retorted. "I have had exactly the same s

took him off to see Jim's newest

es, cumberers of the earth, Heaven knows what. He says every woman ought to know how to earn her living, in case of

learned afterward that the nearest we ever came to meeting was that our mothers had been school friends! Just then I sa

e said. "I need a cool head. Didn't

ked with interest

attitude in front of the fire. "Did yo

mindful of certain gossip as to wh

at the snug room, at the Japanese prints on the walls, at the rugs,

drinks I drink-you needn't look like that; I don't drink so darned muc

don't remember ever having known any one

t Buttons. Her name is Caruthers, my Aunt Seli

" fe

g of proprietary pride. "My grandfather founded i

s to make bullets, didn't they? Or they me

n he int

wanted me to paint, if I could. I'd have given up long ago-oh, I know what you think of my work

Selina,"

hing, and begin to make money, and in the meantime what she advanced I considered as a loan." He was ey

, "you would have to know her. She won't s

rded divorce as essentially disagree

. "She doesn't know Bella has gone. She thinks I am living in a littl

nig

ome in and was listening. I am sure I had not. Hearin

n for the last two or thre

and his face

s. Can't you think of some way to get me out of this? I want to let her down easy

!" laco

town?" Jim

seful of dinner gue

o tem. Anne would love it. Aunt Selina never saw Bella. Then, afterward, next year, when I'm hung in the A

was not e

t the kids before she knew it, and patting me on the head." He

?" I suggested, but Jimm

couldn't offer Leila in the gown she's got on,

o her. She was ecstatic. She said it was good enough for a play, a

l, I would be Mrs. Jimmy for ANY length of time.

refused p

look the part, Anne. You're-you are growing matronly, not but what you suit ME all right. And th

f the sort!" I snappe

you!" sa

as first; that he would not give me an uncomfortable minute for anything on earth; and that Bella had been perfectly right to leave him, because he was a sin

nd glared across at me. I felt that if I was a rock, Jim's ship had stru

oes she leave?" I

IT, are you g

do that kind of thing always get into trouble. She migh

sternly. "We won't let her miss he

e a picture of Bella? There's not the fai

miniature of Bella a couple of years ag

s going to do just what they wanted me to do, and get into all sorts of trouble, and not be thanked for it after all. Which was entirely correct. And then Leila Mercer came a

why every one thinks I should be the victim for the sacrifice. But if you will promise to get her of

of girl, Kit. And after it's all over, you'll realize that it's the biggest kind of lark. Think how you are saving

k! I am not bitter now, but that is what they promised. Oh, I am not defending myself; I suppose I deserved everything that happened. But they told me that

Reed had arrived and was helping to hide a decanter

as the way