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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14645 ***
+
+UNLEAVENED BREAD
+
+by
+
+ROBERT GRANT
+
+Author of _The Bachelor's Christmas_, etc.
+
+Charles Scribner's Sons
+New York
+
+1900
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+BOOK I
+THE EMANCIPATION
+
+
+BOOK II
+THE STRUGGLE
+
+
+BOOK III
+THE SUCCESS
+
+
+
+
+UNLEAVENED BREAD
+
+
+BOOK I.
+
+THE EMANCIPATION
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+Babcock and Selma White were among the last of the wedding guests to
+take their departure. It was a brilliant September night with a touch of
+autumn vigor in the atmosphere, which had not been without its effect on
+the company, who had driven off in gay spirits, most of them in
+hay-carts or other vehicles capable of carrying a party. Their songs and
+laughter floated back along the winding country road. Selma, comfortable
+in her wraps and well tucked about with a rug, leaned back contentedly
+in the chaise, after the goodbyes had been said, to enjoy the glamour of
+the full moon. They were seven miles from home and she was in no hurry
+to get there. Neither festivities nor the undisguised devotion of a city
+young man were common in her life. Consideration she had been used to
+from a child, and she knew herself to be tacitly acknowledged the
+smartest girl in Westfield, but perhaps for that very reason she had
+held aloof from manhood until now. At least no youth in her neighborhood
+had ever impressed her as her equal. Neither did Babcock so impress her;
+but he was different from the rest. He was not shy and unexpressive; he
+was buoyant and self-reliant, and yet he seemed to appreciate her
+quality none the less.
+
+They had met about a dozen times, and on the last six of these occasions
+he had come from Benham, ten miles to her uncle's farm, obviously to
+visit her. The last two times her Aunt Farley had made him spend the
+night, and it had been arranged that he would drive her in the Farley
+chaise to Clara Morse's wedding. A seven-mile drive is apt to promote or
+kill the germs of intimacy, and on the way over she had been conscious
+of enjoying herself. Scrutiny of Clara's choice had been to the
+advantage of her own cavalier. The bridegroom had seemed to her what her
+Aunt Farley would call a mouse-in-the-cheese young man. Whereas Babcock
+had been the life of the affair.
+
+She had been teaching now in Wilton for more than a year. When, shortly
+after her father's death, she had obtained the position of school
+teacher, it seemed to her that at last the opportunity had come to
+display her capabilities, and at the same time to fulfil her
+aspirations. But the task of grounding a class of small children in the
+rudiments of simple knowledge had already begun to pall and to seem
+unsatisfying. Was she to spend her life in this? And if not, the next
+step, unless it were marriage, was not obvious. Not that she mistrusted
+her ability to shine in any educational capacity, but neither Wilton nor
+the neighboring Westfield offered better, and she was conscious of a
+lack of influential friends in the greater world, which was embodied for
+her in Benham. Benham was a western city of these United States, with an
+eastern exposure; a growing, bustling city according to rumor, with an
+eager population restless with new ideas and stimulating ambitions. So
+at least Selma thought of it, and though Boston and New York and a few
+other places were accepted by her as authoritative, she accepted them,
+as she accepted Shakespeare, as a matter of course and so far removed
+from her immediate outlook as almost not to count. But Benham with its
+seventy-five thousand inhabitants and independent ways was a fascinating
+possibility. Once established there the world seemed within her grasp,
+including Boston. Might it not be that Benham, in that it was newer, was
+nearer to truth and more truly American than that famous city? She was
+not prepared to believe this an absurdity.
+
+At least the mental atmosphere of Westfield and even of the somewhat
+less solemn Wilton suggested this apotheosis of the adjacent city to be
+reasonable. Westfield had stood for Selma as a society of serious though
+simple souls since she could first remember and had been one of them.
+Not that she arrogated to her small native town any unusual qualities of
+soul or mind in distinction from most other American communities, but
+she regarded it as inferior in point of view to none, and typical of the
+best national characteristics. She had probably never put into words the
+reasons of her confidence, but her daily consciousness was permeated
+with them. To be an American meant to be more keenly alive to the
+responsibility of life than any other citizen of civilization, and to be
+an American woman meant to be something finer, cleverer, stronger, and
+purer than any other daughter of Eve. Under the agreeable but sobering
+influence of this faith she had grown to womanhood, and the heroic deeds
+of the civil war had served to intensify a belief, the truth of which
+she had never heard questioned. Her mission in life had promptly been
+recognized by her as the development of her soul along individual lines,
+but until the necessity for a choice had arisen she had been content to
+contemplate a little longer. Now the world was before her, for she was
+twenty-three and singularly free from ties. Her mother had died when she
+was a child. Her father, the physician of the surrounding country, a man
+of engaging energy with an empirical education and a speculative habit
+of mind, had been the companion of her girlhood. During the last few
+years since his return from the war an invalid from a wound, her care
+for him had left her time for little else.
+
+No more was Babcock in haste to reach home; and after the preliminary
+dash from the door into the glorious night he suffered the farm-horse to
+pursue its favorite gait, a deliberate jog. He knew the creature to be
+docile, and that he could bestow his attention on his companion without
+peril to her. His own pulses were bounding. He was conscious of having
+made the whirligig of time pass merrily for the company by his spirits
+and jolly quips, and that in her presence, and he was groping for an
+appropriate introduction to the avowal he had determined to make. He
+would never have a better opportunity than this, and it had been his
+preconceived intention to take advantage of it if all went well. All had
+gone well and he was going to try. She had been kind coming over; and
+had seemed to listen with interest as he told her about himself: and
+somehow he had felt less distant from her. He was not sure what she
+would say, for he realized that she was above him. That was one reason
+why he admired her so. She symbolized for him refinement, poetry, art,
+the things of the spirit--things from which in the same whirligig of
+time he had hitherto been cut off by the vicissitudes of the varnish
+business; but the value of which he was not blind to. How proud he would
+be of such a wife! How he would strive and labor for her! His heart was
+in his mouth and trembled on his lip as he thought of the possibility.
+What a joy to be sitting side by side with her under this splendid moon!
+He would speak and know his fate.
+
+"Isn't it a lovely night?" murmured Selma appreciatively. "There they
+go," she added, indicating the disappearance over the brow of a hill of
+the last of the line of vehicles of the rest of the party, whose songs
+had come back fainter and fainter.
+
+"I don't care. Do you?" He snuggled toward her a very little.
+
+"I guess they won't think I'm lost," she said, with a low laugh.
+
+"What d'you suppose your folks would say if you _were_ lost? I mean if I
+were to run away with you and didn't bring you back?" There was a
+nervous ring in the guffaw which concluded his question.
+
+"My friends wouldn't miss me much; at least they'd soon get over the
+shock; but I might miss myself, Mr. Babcock."
+
+Selma was wondering why it was that she rather liked being alone with
+this man, big enough, indeed, to play the monster, yet half school-boy,
+but a man who had done well in his calling. He must be capable; he could
+give her a home in Benham; and it was plain that he loved her.
+
+"I'll tell you something," he said, eagerly, ignoring her suggestion.
+"I'd like to run away with you and be married to-night, Selma. That's
+what I'd like, and I guess you won't. But it's the burning wish of my
+heart that you'd marry me some time. I want you to be my wife. I'm a
+rough fellow along-side of you, Selma, but I'd do well by you; I would.
+I'm able to look after you, and you shall have all you want. There's a
+nice little house building now in Benham. Say the word and I'll buy it
+for us to-morrow. I'm crazy after you, Selma."
+
+The rein was dangling, and Babcock reached his left arm around the waist
+of his lady-love. He had now and again made the same demonstration with
+others jauntily, but this was a different matter. She was not to be
+treated like other women. She was a goddess to him, even in his ardor,
+and he reached gingerly. Selma did not wholly withdraw from the spread
+of his trembling arm, though this was the first man who had ever
+ventured to lay a finger on her.
+
+"I'd have to give up my school," she said.
+
+"They could get another teacher."
+
+"_Could_ they?"
+
+"Not one like you. You see I'm clumsy, but I'm crazy for you, Selma."
+Emboldened by the obvious feebleness of her opposition, he broadened his
+clutch and drew her toward him. "Say you will, sweetheart."
+
+This time she pulled herself free and sat up in the chaise. "Would you
+let me do things?" she asked after a moment.
+
+"Do things," faltered Babcock. What could she mean? She had told him on
+the way over that her mother had chosen her name from a theatrical
+playbill, and it passed through his unsophisticated brain that she might
+be thinking of the stage.
+
+"Yes, do something worth while. Be somebody. I've had the idea I could,
+if I ever got the chance." Her hands were folded in her lap; there was a
+wrapt expression on her thin, nervous face, and a glitter in her keen
+eyes, which were looking straight at the moon, as though they would
+outstare it in brilliancy.
+
+"You shall be anything you like, if you'll only marry me. What is it
+you're wishing to be?"
+
+"I don't know exactly. It isn't anything especial yet. It's the whole
+thing. I thought I might find it in my school, but the experience so far
+hasn't been--satisfying."
+
+"Troublesome little brats!"
+
+"No, I dare say the fault's in me. If I went to Benham to live it would
+be different. Benham must be interesting--inspiring."
+
+"There's plenty of go there. You'd like it, and people would think lots
+of you."
+
+"I'd try to make them." She turned and looked at him judicially, but
+with a softened expression. Her profile in her exalted mood had
+suggested a beautiful, but worried archangel; her full face seemed less
+this and wore much of the seductive embarrassment of sex. To Babcock she
+seemed the most entrancing being he had ever seen. "Would you really
+like to have me come?"
+
+He gave a hoarse ejaculation, and encircling her eagerly with his strong
+grasp pressed his lips upon her cheek. "Selma! darling! angel! I'm the
+happiest man alive."
+
+"You mustn't do that--yet," she said protestingly.
+
+"Yes, I must; I'm yours, and you're mine,--mine. Aren't you, sweetheart?
+There's no harm in a kiss."
+
+She had to admit to herself that it was not very unpleasant after all to
+be held in the embrace of a sturdy lover, though she had never intended
+that their relations should reach this stage of familiarity so promptly.
+She had known, of course, that girls were to look for endearments from
+those whom they promised to marry, but her person had hitherto been so
+sacred to man and to herself that it was difficult not to shrink a
+little from what was taking place. This then was love, and love was, of
+course, the sweetest thing in the world. That was one of the truths
+which she had accepted as she had accepted the beauty of Shakespeare, as
+something not to be disputed, yet remote. He was a big, affectionate
+fellow, and she must make up her mind to kiss him. So she turned her
+face toward him and their lips met eagerly, forestalling the little peck
+which she had intended. She let her head fall back at his pressure on to
+his shoulder, and gazed up at the moon.
+
+"Are you happy, Selma?" he asked, giving her a fond, firm squeeze.
+
+"Yes, Lewis."
+
+She could feel his frame throb with joy at the situation as she uttered
+his name.
+
+"We'll be married right away. That's if you're willing. My business is
+going first-rate and, if it keeps growing for the next year as it has
+for the past two, you'll be rich presently. When shall it be, Selma?"
+
+"You're in dreadful haste. Well, I'll promise to give the selectmen
+notice to-morrow that they must find another teacher."
+
+"Because the one they have now is going to become Mrs. Lewis J. Babcock.
+I'm the luckiest fellow, hooray! in creation. See here," he added,
+taking her hand, "I guess a ring wouldn't look badly there--a real
+diamond, too. Pretty little fingers."
+
+She sighed gently, by way of response. It was comfortable nestling in
+the hollow of his shoulder, and a new delightful experience to be
+hectored with sweetness in this way. How round and bountiful the moon
+looked. She was tired of her present life. What was coming would be
+better. Her opportunity was at hand to show the world what she was made
+of.
+
+"A real diamond, and large at that," he repeated, gazing down at her,
+and then, as though the far away expression in her eyes suggested
+kinship with the unseen and the eternal, he said, admiringly but humbly,
+"It must be grand to be clever like you, Selma. I'm no good at that. But
+if loving you will make up for it, I'll go far, little woman."
+
+"What I know of that I like, and--and if some day, I can make you proud
+of me, so much the better," said Selma.
+
+"Proud of you? You are an angel, and you know it."
+
+She closed her eyes and sighed again. Even the bright avenues of fame,
+which her keen eyes had traversed through the golden moon, paled before
+this tribute from the lips of real flesh and blood. What woman can
+withstand the fascination of a lover's faith that she is an angel? If a
+man is fool enough to believe it, why undeceive him? And if he is so
+sure of it, may it even not be so? Selma was content to have it so,
+especially as the assertion did not jar with her own prepossessions; and
+thus they rode home in the summer night in the mutual contentment of a
+betrothal.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+The match was thoroughly agreeable to Mrs. Farley, Selma's aunt and
+nearest relation, who with her husband presided over a flourishing
+poultry farm in Wilton. She was an easy-going, friendly spirit, with a
+sharp but not wide vision, who did not believe that a likelier fellow
+than Lewis Babcock would come wooing were her niece to wait a lifetime.
+He was hearty, comical, and generous, and was said to be making money
+fast in the varnish business. In short, he seemed to her an admirable
+young man, with a stock of common-sense and high spirits eminently
+serviceable for a domestic venture. How full of fun he was, to be sure!
+It did her good to behold the tribute his appetite paid to the buckwheat
+cakes with cream and other tempting viands she set before him--a
+pleasing contrast to Selma's starveling diet--and the hearty smack with
+which he enforced his demands upon her own cheeks as his mother-in-law
+apparent, argued an affectionate disposition. Burly, rosy-cheeked,
+good-natured, was he not the very man to dispel her niece's vagaries and
+turn the girl's morbid cleverness into healthy channels?
+
+Selma, therefore, found nothing but encouragement in her choice at home;
+so by the end of another three months they were made man and wife, and
+had moved into that little house in Benham which had attracted Babcock's
+eye. Benham, as has been indicated, was in the throes of bustle and
+self-improvement. Before the war it had been essentially unimportant.
+But the building of a railroad through the town and the discovery of oil
+wells in its neighborhood had transformed it in a twinkling into an
+active and spirited centre. Selma's new house was on the edge of the
+city, in the van of real estate progress, one of a row of small but
+ambitious-looking dwellings, over the dark yellow clapboards of which
+the architect had let his imagination run rampant in scrolls and
+flourishes. There was fancy colored glass in a sort of rose-window over
+the front door, and lozenges of fancy glass here and there in the
+facade. Each house had a little grass-plot, which Babcock in his case
+had made appurtenant to a metal stag, which seemed to him the finishing
+touch to a cosey and ornamental home. He had done his best and with all
+his heart, and the future was before them.
+
+Babcock found himself radiant over the first experiences of married
+life. It was just what he had hoped, only better. His imagination in
+entertaining an angel had not been unduly literal, and it was a constant
+delight and source of congratulation to him to reflect over his pipe on
+the lounge after supper that the charming piece of flesh and blood
+sewing or reading demurely close by was the divinity of his domestic
+hearth. There she was to smile at him when he came home at night and
+enable him to forget the cares and dross of the varnish business. Her
+presence across the table added a new zest to every meal and improved
+his appetite. In marrying he had expected to cut loose from his bachelor
+habits, and he asked for nothing better than to spend every evening
+alone with Selma, varied by an occasional evening at the theatre, and a
+drive out to the Farleys' now and then for supper. This, with the
+regular Sunday service at Rev. Henry Glynn's church, rounded out the
+weeks to his perfect satisfaction. He was conscious of feeling that the
+situation did not admit of improvement, for though, when he measured
+himself with Selma, Babcock was humble-minded, a cheerful and uncritical
+optimism was the ruling characteristic of his temperament. With health,
+business fortune, and love all on his side, it was natural to him to
+regard his lot with complacency. Especially as to all appearances, this
+was the sort of thing Selma liked, also. Presently, perhaps, there would
+be a baby, and then their cup of domestic happiness would be
+overflowing. Babcock's long ungratified yearning for the things of the
+spirit were fully met by these cosey evenings, which he would have been
+glad to continue to the crack of doom. To smoke and sprawl and read a
+little, and exchange chit-chat, was poetry enough for him. So contented
+was he that his joy was apt to find an outlet in ditties and
+whistling--he possessed a slightly tuneful, rollicking knack at both--a
+proceeding which commonly culminated in his causing Selma to sit beside
+him on the sofa and be made much of, to the detriment of her toilette.
+
+As for the bride, so dazing were the circumstances incident to the
+double change of matrimony and adaptation to city life, that her
+judgment was in suspension. Yet though she smiled and sewed demurely,
+she was thinking. The yellow clapboarded house and metal stag, and a
+maid-of-all-work at her beck and call, were gratifying at the outset and
+made demands upon her energies. Selma's position in her father's house
+had been chiefly ornamental and social. She had been his companion and
+nurse, had read to him and argued with him, but the mere household work
+had been performed by an elderly female relative who recognized that her
+mind was bent on higher things. Nevertheless, she had never doubted that
+when the time arrived to show her capacity as a housewife, she would be
+more than equal to the emergency. Assuredly she would, for one of the
+distinguishing traits of American womanhood was the ability to perform
+admirably with one's own hand many menial duties and yet be prepared to
+shine socially with the best. Still the experience was not quite so easy
+as she expected; even harassing and mortifying. Fortunately, Lewis was
+more particular about quantity than quality where the table was
+concerned; and, after all, food and domestic details were secondary
+considerations in a noble outlook. It would have suited her never to be
+obliged to eat, and to be able to leave the care of the house to the
+hired girl; but that being out of the question, it became incumbent on
+her to make those obligations as simple as possible. However, the
+possession of a new house and gay fittings was an agreeable realization.
+At home everything had been upholstered in black horse-hair, and regard
+for material appearances had been obscured for her by the tension of her
+introspective tendencies. Lewis was very kind, and she had no reason to
+reproach herself as yet for her choice. He had insisted that she should
+provide herself with an ample and more stylish wardrobe, and though the
+invitation had interested her but mildly, the effect of shrewdly-made
+and neatly fitting garments on her figure had been a revelation. Like
+the touch of a man's hand, fine raiment had seemed to her hitherto
+almost repellant, but it was obvious now that anything which enhanced
+her effectiveness could not be dismissed as valueless. To arrive at
+definite conclusions in regard to her social surroundings was less easy
+for Selma. Benham, in its rapid growth, had got beyond the level
+simplicity of Westfield and Wilton, and was already confronted by the
+stern realities which baffle the original ideal in every American city.
+We like as a nation to cherish the illusion that extremes of social
+condition do not exist even in our large communities, and that the
+plutocrat and the saleslady, the learned professions and the proletariat
+associate on a common basis of equal virtue, intelligence, and culture.
+And yet, although Benham was a comparatively young and an essentially
+American city, there were very marked differences in all these respects
+in its community.
+
+Topographically speaking the starting point of Benham was its
+water-course. Twenty years before the war Benham was merely a cluster of
+frame houses in the valley of the limpid, peaceful river Nye. At that
+time the inhabitants drank of the Nye taken at a point below the town,
+for there was a high fall which would have made the drawing of water
+above less convenient. This they were doing when Selma came to Benham,
+although every man's hand had been raised against the Nye, which was the
+nearest, and hence for a community in hot haste, the most natural
+receptacle for dyestuffs, ashes and all the outflow from woollen mills,
+pork factories and oil yards, and it ran the color of glistening bean
+soup. From time to time, as the city grew, the drawing point had been
+made a little lower where the stream had regained a portion of its
+limpidity, and no one but wiseacres and busybodies questioned its
+wholesomeness. Benham at that time was too preoccupied and too proud of
+its increasing greatness to mistrust its own judgment in matters
+hygienic, artistic, and educational. There came a day later when the
+river rose against the city, and an epidemic of typhoid fever convinced
+a reluctant community that there were some things which free-born
+Americans did not know intuitively. Then there were public meetings and
+a general indignation movement, and presently, under the guidance of
+competent experts, Lake Mohunk, seven miles to the north, was secured as
+a reservoir. Just to show how the temper of the times has changed, and
+how sophisticated in regard to hygienic matters some of the good
+citizens of Benham in these latter days have become, it is worthy of
+mention that, though competent chemists declare Lake Mohunk to be free
+from contamination, there are those now who use so-called mineral
+spring-waters in preference; notably Miss Flagg, the daughter of old
+Joel Flagg, once the miller and, at the date when the Babcocks set up
+their household gods, one of the oil magnates of Benham. He drank the
+bean colored Nye to the day of his death and died at eighty; but she
+carries a carboy of spring-water with her personal baggage wherever she
+travels, and is perpetually solicitous in regard to the presence of
+arsenic in wall-papers into the bargain.
+
+Verily, the world has wagged apace in Benham since Selma first looked
+out at her metal stag and the surrounding landscape. Ten years later the
+Benham Home Beautifying Society took in hand the Nye and those who
+drained into it, and by means of garbage consumers, disinfectants, and
+filters and judiciously arranged shrubbery converted its channel and
+banks into quite a respectable citizens' paradise. But even at that time
+the industries on either bank of the Nye, which flowed from east to
+west, were forcing the retail shops and the residences further and
+further away. To illustrate again from the Flagg family, just before the
+war Joel Flagg built a modest house less than a quarter of a mile from
+the southerly bank of the river, expecting to end his days there, and
+was accused by contemporary censors of an intention to seclude himself
+in magnificent isolation. About this time he had yielded to the plea of
+his family, that every other building in the street had been given over
+to trade, and that they were stranded in a social Sahara of factories.
+So like the easy going yet soaring soul that he was, he had moved out
+two miles to what was known as the River Drive, where the Nye
+accomplishes a broad sweep to the south. There an ambitious imported
+architect, glad of such an opportunity to speculate in artistic effects,
+had built for him a conglomeration of a feudal castle and an old
+colonial mansion in all the grisly bulk of signal failure.
+
+Considering our ideals, it is a wonder that no one has provided a law
+forbidding the erection of all the architecturally attractive, or
+sumptuous houses in one neighborhood. It ought not to be possible in a
+republic for such a state of affairs to exist as existed in Benham. That
+is to say all the wealth and fashion of the city lay to the west of
+Central Avenue, which was so literally the dividing line that if a
+Benhamite were referred to as living on that street the conventional
+inquiry would be "On which side?" And if the answer were "On the east,"
+the inquirer would be apt to say "Oh!" with a cold inflection which
+suggested a ban. No Benhamite has ever been able to explain precisely
+why it should be more creditable to live on one side of the same street
+than on the other, but I have been told by clever women, who were good
+Americans besides, that this is one of the subtle truths which baffle
+the Gods and democracies alike. Central Avenue has long ago been
+appropriated by the leading retail dry-goods shops, huge establishments
+where everything from a set of drawing-room furniture to a hair-pin can
+be bought under a single roof; but at that time it was the social
+artery. Everything to the west was new and assertive; then came the
+shops and the business centre; and to the east were Tom, Dick, and
+Harry, Michael, Isaac and Pietro, the army of citizens who worked in the
+mills, oil yards, and pork factories. And to the north, across the
+river, on the further side of more manufacturing establishments, was
+Poland, so-called--a settlement of the Poles--to reach whom now there
+are seven bridges of iron. There were but two bridges then, one of wood,
+and journeys across them had not yet been revealed to philanthropic
+young women eager to do good.
+
+Selma's house lay well to the south-west of Central Avenue, far enough
+removed from the River Drive and the Flagg mansion to be humble and yet
+near enough to be called looking up. Their row was complete and mainly
+occupied, but the locality was a-building, and in the process of making
+acquaintance. So many strangers had come to Benham that even Babcock
+knew but few of their neighbors. Without formulating definitely how it
+was to happen, Selma had expected to be received with open arms into a
+society eager to recognize her salient qualities. But apparently, at
+first glance, everybody's interest was absorbed by the butcher and
+grocer, the dressmaker and the domestic hearth. That is, the other
+people in their row seemed to be content to do as they were doing. The
+husbands went to town every day--town which lay in the murky
+distance--and their wives were friendly enough, but did not seem to be
+conscious either of voids in their own existence or of the privilege of
+her society. To be sure, they dressed well and were suggestive in that,
+but they looked blank at some of her inquiries, and appeared to feel
+their days complete if, after the housework had been done and the battle
+fought with the hired girl, they were able to visit the shopping
+district and pore over fabrics, in case they could not buy them. Some
+were evidently looking forward to the day when they might be so
+fortunate as to possess one of the larger houses of the district a mile
+away, and figure among what they termed "society people." There were
+others who, in their satisfaction with this course of life, referred
+with a touch of self-righteousness to the dwellers on the River Drive as
+deserving reprobation on account of a lack of serious purpose. This
+criticism appealed to Selma, and consoled her in a measure for the half
+mortification with which she had begun to realize that she was not of so
+much account as she had expected; at least, that there were people not
+very far distant from her block who were different somehow from her
+neighbors, and who took part in social proceedings in which she and her
+husband were not invited to participate. Manifestly they were unworthy
+and un-American. It was a comfort to come to this conclusion, even
+though her immediate surroundings, including the society of those who
+had put the taunt into her thoughts, left her unsatisfied.
+
+Some relief was provided at last by her church. Babcock was by birth an
+Episcopalian, though he had been lax in his interest during early
+manhood. This was one of the matters which he had expected marriage to
+correct, and he had taken up again, not merely with resignation but
+complacency, the custom of attending service regularly. Dr. White had
+been a controversial Methodist, but since his wife's death, and
+especially since the war, he had abstained from religious observances,
+and had argued himself somewhat far afield from the fold of orthodox
+belief. Consequently Selma, though she attended church at Westfield when
+her father's ailments did not require her presence at home, had been
+brought up to exercise her faculties freely on problems of faith and to
+feel herself a little more enlightened than the conventional worshipper.
+Still she was not averse to following her husband to the Rev. Henry
+Glynn's church. The experience was another revelation to her, for
+service at Westfield had been eminently severe and unadorned. Mr. Glynn
+was an Englishman; a short, stout, strenuous member of the Church of
+England with a broad accent and a predilection for ritual, but
+enthusiastic and earnest. He had been tempted to cross the ocean by the
+opportunities for preaching the gospel to the heathen, and he had fixed
+on Benham as a vineyard where he could labor to advantage. His advent
+had been a success. He had awakened interest by his fervor and by his
+methods. The pew taken by Babcock was one of the last remaining, and
+there was already talk of building a larger church to replace the chapel
+where he ministered. Choir boys, elaborate vestments, and genuflections,
+were novelties in the Protestant worship of Benham, and attracted the
+attention of many almost weary of plainer forms of worship, especially
+as these manifestations of color were effectively supplemented by
+evident sincerity of spirit on the part of their pastor. Nor were his
+energy and zeal confined to purely spiritual functions. The scope of his
+church work was practical and social. He had organized from the
+congregation societies of various sorts to relieve the poor; Bible
+classes and evening reunions which the members of the parish were urged
+to attend in order to become acquainted. Mr. Glynn's manner was both
+hearty and pompous. To him there was no Church in the world but the
+Church of England, and it was obvious that as one of the clergy of that
+Church he considered himself to be no mean man; but apart from this
+serious intellectual foible with respect to his own relative importance,
+he was a stimulating Christian and citizen within his lights. His
+active, crusading, and emotional temperament just suited the seething
+propensities of Benham.
+
+His flock comprised a few of the residents of the River Drive district,
+among them the Flaggs, but was a fairly representative mixture of all
+grades of society, including the poorest. These last were specimens
+under spiritual duress rather than free worshippers, and it was a
+constant puzzle to the reverend gentleman why, in the matter of
+attendance, they, metaphorically speaking, sickened and died. It had
+never been so in England. "Bonnets!" responded one day Mrs. Hallett
+Taylor, who had become Mr. Glynn's leading ally in parish matters, and
+was noted for her executive ability. She was an engaging but
+clear-headed soul who went straight to the point.
+
+"I do not fathom your meaning," said the pastor, a little loftily, for
+the suggestion sounded flippant.
+
+"It hurts their feelings to go to a church where their clothes are
+shabby compared with those of the rest of the congregation."
+
+"Yes, but in God's chapel, dear lady, all such distinctions should be
+forgotten."
+
+"They can't forget, and I don't blame them much, poor things, do you?
+It's the free-born American spirit. There now, Mr. Glynn, you were
+asking me yesterday to suggest some one for junior warden. Why not Mr.
+Babcock? They're new comers and seem available people."
+
+Mr. Glynn's distress at her first question was merged in the interest
+inspired by her second, for his glance had followed hers until it rested
+on the Babcocks, who had just entered the vestry to attend the social
+reunion. Selma's face wore its worried archangel aspect. She was on her
+good behavior and proudly on her guard against social impertinence. But
+she looked very pretty, and her compact, slight figure indicated a busy
+way.
+
+"I will interrogate him," he answered. "I have observed them before,
+and--and I can't quite make out the wife. It is almost a spiritual face,
+and yet--"
+
+"Just a little hard and keen," broke in Mrs. Taylor, upon his
+hesitation. "She is pretty, and she looks clever. I think we can get
+some work out of her."
+
+Thereupon she sailed gracefully in the direction of Selma. Mrs. Taylor
+was from Maryland. Her husband, a physician, had come to Benham at the
+close of the war to build up a practice, and his wife had aided him by
+her energy and graciousness to make friends. Unlike some Southerners,
+she was not indolent, and yet she possessed all the ingratiating,
+spontaneous charm of well-bred women from that section of the country.
+Her tastes were æsthetic and ethical rather than intellectual, and her
+special interest at the moment was the welfare of the church. She
+thought it desirable that all the elements of which the congregation was
+composed should be represented on the committees, and Selma seemed to
+her the most obviously available person from the class to which the
+Babcocks belonged.
+
+"I want you to help us," she said. "I think you have ideas. We need a
+woman with sense and ideas on our committee to build the new church."
+
+Selma was not used to easy grace and sprightly spontaneity. It affected
+her at first much as the touch of man; but just as in that instance the
+experience was agreeable. Life was too serious a thing in her regard to
+lend itself casually to lightness, and yet she felt instinctively
+attracted by this lack of self-consciousness and self-restraint. Besides
+here was an opportunity such as she had been yearning for. She had met
+Mrs. Taylor before, and knew her to be the presiding genius of the
+congregation; and it was evident that Mrs. Taylor had discovered her
+value.
+
+"Thank you," she said, gravely, but cordially. "That is what I should
+like. I wish to be of use. I shall be pleased to serve on the
+committee."
+
+"It will be interesting, I think. I have never helped build anything
+before. Perhaps you have?"
+
+"No," said Selma slowly. Her tone conveyed the impression that, though
+her abilities had never been put to that precise test, the employment
+seemed easily within her capacity.
+
+"Ah! I am sure you will be suggestive" said Mrs. Taylor. "I am right
+anxious that it shall be a credit in an architectural way, you know."
+
+Mr. Glynn, who had followed with more measured tread, now mingled his
+hearty bass voice in the conversation. His mental attitude was friendly,
+but inquisitorial; as seemed to him to befit one charged with the cure
+of souls. He proceeded to ask questions, beginning with inquiries
+conventional and domestic, but verging presently on points of faith.
+Babcock, to whom they were directly addressed, stood the ordeal well,
+revealing himself as flattered, contrite, and zealous to avail himself
+of the blessings of the church. He admitted that lately he had been lax
+in his spiritual duties.
+
+"We come every Sunday now," he said buoyantly, with a glance at Selma as
+though to indicate that she deserved the credit of his reformation.
+
+"The holy sacrament of marriage has led many souls from darkness into
+light, from the flesh-pots of Egypt to the table of the Lord" Mr. Glynn
+answered. "And you, my daughter," he added, meaningly, "guard well your
+advantage."
+
+It was agreeable to Selma that the clergymen seemed to appreciate her
+superiority to her embarrassed husband, especially as she thought she
+knew that in England women were not expected to have opinions of their
+own. She wished to say something to impress him more distinctly with her
+cleverness, for though she was secretly contemptuous of his ceremonials,
+there was something impressive in his mandatory zeal. She came near
+asking whether he held to the belief that it was wrong for a man to
+marry his deceased wife's sister, which was the only proposition in
+relation to the married state which occurred to her at the moment as
+likely to show her independence, but she contented herself instead with
+saying, with so much of Mrs. Taylor's spontaneity as she could reproduce
+without practice, "We expect to be very happy in your church."
+
+Selma, however, supplemented her words with her tense spiritual look.
+She felt happier than she had for weeks, inasmuch as life seemed to be
+opening before her. For a few moments she listened to Mr. Glynn unfold
+his hopes in regard to the new church, trying to make him feel that she
+was no common woman. She considered it a tribute to her when he took
+Lewis aside later and asked him to become a junior warden.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+At this time the necessity for special knowledge as to artistic or
+educational matters was recognized grudgingly in Benham. Any reputable
+citizen was considered capable to pass judgment on statues and pictures,
+design a house or public building, and prescribe courses of study for
+school-children. Since then the free-born Benhamite, little by little,
+through wise legislation or public opinion, born of bitter experience,
+has been robbed of these prerogatives until, not long ago, the
+un-American and undemocratic proposition to take away the laying out of
+the new city park from the easy going but ignorant mercies of the
+so-called city forester, who had been first a plumber and later an
+alderman, prevailed. An enlightened civic spirit triumphed and special
+knowledge was invoked.
+
+That was twenty-five years later. Mrs. Hallett Taylor had found herself
+almost single-handed at the outset in her purpose to build the new
+church on artistic lines. Or rather the case should be stated thus:
+Everyone agreed that it was to be the most beautiful church in the
+country, consistent with the money, and no one doubted that it would be,
+especially as everyone except Mrs. Taylor felt that in confiding the
+matter to the leading architect in Benham the committee would be
+exercising a wise and intelligent discretion. Mr. Pierce, the individual
+suggested, had never, until recently, employed the word architect in
+speaking of himself, and he pronounced it, as did some of the committee,
+"arshitect," shying a little at the word, as though it were caviare and
+anything but American. He was a builder, practised by a brief but
+rushing career in erecting houses, banks, schools, and warehouses
+speedily and boldly. He had been on the spot when the new growth of
+Benham began, and his handiwork was writ large all over the city. The
+city was proud of him, and had, as it were, sniffed when Joel Flagg went
+elsewhere for a man to build his new house. Surely, if it were necessary
+to pay extra for that sort of thing, was not home talent good enough?
+Yet it must be confessed that the ugly splendor of the Flagg mediæval
+castle had so far dazed the eye of Benham that its "arshitect" had felt
+constrained, in order to keep up with the times, to try fancy flights of
+his own. He had silenced any doubting Thomases by his latest effort, a
+new school-house, rich in rampant angles and scrolls, on the brown-stone
+front of which the name _Flagg School_ appeared in ambitious, distorted
+hieroglyphics.
+
+Think what a wealth of imagery in the tossing of the second O on top of
+the L. If artistic novelty and genius were sought for the new church,
+here it was ready to be invoked. Besides, Mr. Pierce was a
+brother-in-law of one of the members of the committee, and, though the
+committee had the fear of God in their hearts in the erection of his
+sanctuary, it was not easy to protest against the near relative of a
+fellow member, especially one so competent.
+
+The committee numbered seven. Selma had been chosen to fill a vacancy
+caused by death, but at the time of her selection the matter was still
+in embryo, and the question of an architect had not been mooted. At the
+next meeting discussion arose as to whether Mr. Pierce should be given
+the job, under the eagle eyes of a sub-committee, or Mrs. Taylor's
+project of inviting competitive designs should be adopted. It was known
+that Mr. Glynn, without meaning disrespect to Mr. Pierce, favored the
+latter plan as more progressive, a word always attractive to Benham ears
+when they had time to listen. Its potency, coupled with veneration, for
+the pastor's opinion, had secured the vote of Mr. Clyme, a banker.
+Another member of the committee, a lawyer, favored Mrs. Taylor's idea
+because of a grudge against Mr. Pierce. The chairman and brother-in-law,
+and a hard-headed stove dealer, were opposed to the competitive plan as
+highfalutin and unnecessary. Thus the deciding vote lay with Selma.
+
+Now that they were on the same committee, Mrs. Taylor could not
+altogether make her out. She remembered that Mr. Glynn had said the same
+thing. Mrs. Taylor was accustomed to conquests. Without actual
+premeditation, she was agreeably conscious of being able to convert and
+sweep most opponents off their feet by the force of her pleasant
+personality. In this case the effect was not so obvious. She was
+conscious that Selma's eyes were constantly fixed upon her, but as to
+what she was thinking Mrs. Taylor felt less certain. Clearly she was
+mesmerized, but was the tribute admiration or hostility? Mrs. Taylor was
+piqued, and put upon her metal. Besides she needed Selma's vote. Not
+being skilled in psychological analyses, she had to resort to practical
+methods, and invited her to afternoon tea.
+
+Selma had never been present at afternoon tea as a domestic function in
+her life. Nor had she seen a home like Mrs. Taylor's. The house was no
+larger than her own, and had cost less. Medicine had not been so
+lucrative as the manufacture of varnish. Externally the house displayed
+stern lines of unadorned brick--the custom-made style of Benham in the
+first throes of expansion before Mr. Pierce's imagination had been
+stirred. Mr. Taylor had bought it as it stood, and his wife had made no
+attempt to alter the outside, which was, after all, inoffensively
+homely. But the interior was bewildering to Selma's gaze in its
+suggestion of cosey comfort. Pretty, tasteful things, many of them
+inexpensive knick-knacks of foreign origin--a small picture, a bit of
+china, a mediæval relic--were cleverly placed as a relief to the
+conventional furniture. Selma had been used to formalism in household
+garniture--to a best room little used and precise with the rigor of wax
+flowers and black horse-hair, and to a living room where the effect
+sought was purely utilitarian. Her new home, in spite of its colored
+glass and iron stag, was arranged in much this fashion, as were the
+houses of her neighbors which she had entered.
+
+Selma managed to seat herself on the one straight-backed chair in the
+room. From this she was promptly driven by Mrs. Taylor and established
+in one corner of a lounge with a soft silk cushion behind her, and
+further propitiated by the proffer of a cup of tea in a dainty cup and
+saucer. All this, including Mrs. Taylor's musical voice, easy speech,
+and ingratiating friendliness, alternately thrilled and irritated her.
+She would have liked to discard her hostess from her thought as a light
+creature unworthy of intellectual seriousness, but she found herself
+fascinated and even thawed in spite of herself.
+
+"I'm glad to have the opportunity really to talk to you," said Mrs.
+Taylor. "At the church reunions one is so liable to interruptions. If
+I'm not mistaken, you taught school before you were married?"
+
+"For a short time."
+
+"That must have been interesting. It is so practical and definite. My
+life," she added deprecatingly, "has been a thing of threads and
+patches--a bit here and a bit there."
+
+She paused, but without forcing a response, proceeded blithely to touch
+on her past by way of illustration. The war had come just when she was
+grown up, and her kin in Maryland were divided on the issue. Her father
+had taken his family abroad, but her heart was in the keeping of a young
+officer on the Northern side--now her husband. Loss of property and
+bitterness of spirit had kept her parents expatriated, and she, with
+them, had journeyed from place to place in Europe. She had seen many
+beautiful places and beautiful things. At last Major Taylor had come for
+her and carried her off as his bride to take up again her life as an
+American.
+
+"I am interested in Benham," she continued, "and I count on you, Mrs.
+Babcock, to help make the new church what it ought to be
+artistically--worthy of all the energy and independence there is in this
+place."
+
+Selma's eye kindled. The allusion to foreign lands had aroused her
+distrust, but this patriotic avowal warmed her pulses.
+
+"Every one is so busy with private affairs here, owing to the rapid
+growth of the city," pursued Mrs. Taylor, "that there is danger of our
+doing inconsiderately things which cannot easily be set right hereafter.
+An ugly or tawdry-looking building may be an eyesore for a generation. I
+know that we have honest and skilful mechanics in Benham, but as
+trustees of the church funds, shouldn't we at least make the effort to
+get the best talent there is? If we have the cleverest architect here,
+so much the better. An open competition will enable us to find out.
+After all Benham is only one city among many, and a very new city. Why
+shouldn't we take advantage of the ideas of the rest of the country--the
+older portion of the country?"
+
+"Mr. Pierce built our house, and we think it very satisfactory and
+pretty."
+
+Selma's tone was firm, but she eyed her hostess narrowly. She had begun
+of late to distrust the æsthetic worth of the colored glass and metal
+stag, and, though she was on her guard against effrontery, she wished to
+know the truth. She knew that Mr. Pierce, with fine business instinct,
+had already conveyed to her husband the promise that he should furnish
+the varnish for the new church in case of his own selection, which, as
+Babcock had remarked, would be a nice thing all round.
+
+Mrs. Taylor underwent the scrutiny without flinching. "I have nothing to
+say against Mr. Pierce. He is capable within his lights. Indeed I think
+it quite possible that we shall get nothing more satisfactory elsewhere.
+Mr. Flagg's grim pile is anything but encouraging. That may sound like
+an argument against my plan, but in the case of the Flagg house there
+was no competition; merely unenlightened choice on the one side and
+ignorant experimenting on the other."
+
+"You don't seem to think very highly of the appearance of Benham," said
+Selma. The remark was slightly interrogative, but was combative withal.
+She wished to know if everything, from the Flagg mansion down, was open
+to criticism, but she would fain question the authority of the
+censor--this glib, graceful woman whose white, starched cuffs seemed to
+make light of her own sober, unadorned wrists.
+
+This time Mrs. Taylor flushed faintly. She realized that their relations
+had reached a critical point, and that the next step might be fatal. She
+put down her teacup, and leaning forward, said with smiling confidential
+eagerness, "I don't. I wouldn't admit it to anyone else. But what's the
+use of mincing matters with an intelligent woman like you? I might put
+you off now, and declare that Benham is well enough. But you would soon
+divine what I really think, and that would be the end of confidence
+between us. I like honesty and frankness, and I can see that you do. My
+opinion of Benham architecture is that it is slip-shod and mongrel.
+There! You see I put myself in your hands, but I do so because I feel
+sure you nearly agree with me already. You know it's so, but you hate to
+acknowledge it."
+
+Selma's eyes were bright with interest. She felt flattered by the
+appeal, and there was a righteous assurance in Mrs. Taylor's manner
+which was convincing. She opened her mouth to say something--what she
+did not quite know--but Mrs. Taylor raised her hand by way of
+interdiction.
+
+"Don't answer yet. Let me show you what I mean. I'm as proud of Benham
+as anyone. I am absorbed by the place, I look to see it fifty years
+hence--perhaps less--a great city, and a beautiful city too. Just at
+present everything is commercial and--and ethical; yes, ethical. We wish
+to do and dare, but we haven't time to adorn as we construct. That is,
+most of us haven't. But if a few determined spirits--women though they
+be--cry 'halt,' art may get a chance here and there to assert herself.
+Look at this," she said, gliding across the room and holding up a small
+vase of exquisite shape and coloring, "I picked it up on the other side
+and it stands almost for a lost art. The hands and taste which wrought
+it represent the transmitted patience and skill of hundreds of years. We
+like to rush things through in a few weeks on a design hastily conceived
+by a Mr. Pierce because we are so earnest. Now, we won't do it this
+time, will we?"
+
+"No, we won't," said Selma. "I see what you mean. I was afraid at first
+that you didn't give us credit for the earnestness--for the ethical
+part. That's the first thing, the great thing according to my idea, and
+it's what distinguishes us from foreigners,--the foreigners who made
+that vase, for instance. But I agree with you that there's such a thing
+as going too fast, and very likely some of the buildings here aren't all
+they might be. We don't need to model them on foreign patterns, but we
+must have them pretty and right."
+
+"Certainly, certainly, my dear. What we should strive for is
+originality--American originality; but soberly, slowly. Art is evolved
+painfully, little by little; it can't be bought ready-made at shops for
+the asking like tea and sugar. If we invite designs for the new church,
+we shall give the youths of the country who have ideas seething in their
+heads a chance to express themselves. Who knows but we may unearth a
+genius?"
+
+"Who knows?" echoed Selma, with her spiritual look. "Yes, you are right,
+Mrs. Taylor. I will help you. As you say, there must be hundreds of
+young men who would like to do just that sort of thing. I know myself
+what it is to have lived in a small place without the opportunity to
+show what one could do; to feel the capacity, but to be without the
+means and occasion to reveal what is in one. And now that I understand
+we really look at things the same way, I'm glad to join with you in
+making Benham beautiful. As you say, we women can do much if we only
+will. I've the greatest faith in woman's mission in this new,
+interesting nation of ours. Haven't you, Mrs. Taylor? Don't you believe
+that she, in her new sphere of usefulness, is one of the great moving
+forces of the Republic?" Selma was talking rapidly, and had lost every
+trace of suspicious restraint. She spoke as one transfigured.
+
+"Yes, indeed," answered Mrs. Taylor, checking any disposition she may
+have felt to interpose qualifications. She could acquiesce generally
+without violence to her convictions, and she could not afford to imperil
+the safety of the immediate issue--her church. "I felt sure you would
+feel so if you only had time to reflect," she added. "If you vote with
+us, you will have the pleasant consciousness of knowing that you have
+advanced woman's cause just so much."
+
+"You may count on my vote."
+
+Selma stopped on her way home, although it was late, to purchase some
+white cuffs. As she approached, her husband stood on the grass-plot in
+his shirt sleeves with a garden-hose. He was whistling, and when he saw
+her he kissed his hand at her jubilantly,
+
+"Well, sweetheart, where you been?"
+
+"Visiting. Taking tea with Mrs. Taylor. I've promised her to vote to
+invite bids for the church plans."
+
+Babcock looked surprised. "That'll throw Pierce out, won't it?"
+
+"Not unless some one else submits a better design than he."
+
+Lewis scratched his head. "I considered that order for varnish as good
+as booked."
+
+"I'm not sure Mr. Pierce knows as much as he thinks he does," said Selma
+oracularly. "We shall get plans from New York and Boston. If we don't
+like them we needn't take them. But that's the way to get an artistic
+thing. And we're going to have the most artistic church in Benham. I'm
+sorry about the varnish, but a principle is involved."
+
+Babcock was puzzled but content. He cared far more for the
+disappointment to Pierce than for the loss of the order. But apart from
+the business side of the question, he never doubted that his wife must
+be right, nor did he feel obliged to inquire what principle was
+involved. He was pleased to have her associate with Mrs. Taylor, and was
+satisfied that she would be a credit to him in any situation where
+occult questions of art or learning were mooted. He dropped his hose and
+pulled her down beside him on the porch settee. There was a beautiful
+sunset, and the atmosphere was soft and refreshing. Selma felt satisfied
+with herself. As Mrs. Taylor had said, it was her vote which would turn
+the scale on behalf of progress. Other things, too, were in her mind.
+She was not ready to admit that she had been instructed, but she was
+already planning changes in her own domestic interior, suggested by what
+she had seen.
+
+She let her husband squeeze her hand, but her thoughts were wandering
+from his blandishments. Presently she said: "Lewis, I've begun lately to
+doubt if that stag is really pretty."
+
+"The stag? Well, now, I've always thought it tasty--one of the features
+of our little place."
+
+"No one would mistake it for a real deer. It looks to me almost
+comical."
+
+Babcock turned to regard judicially the object of her criticism.
+
+"I like it," he said somewhat mournfully, as though he were puzzled.
+"But if you don't, we'll change the stag for something else. I wish you
+to be pleased first of all. Instead we might have a fountain; two
+children under an umbrella I saw the other day. It was cute. How does
+that strike you?"
+
+"I can't tell without seeing it. And, Lewis, promise me that you won't
+select anything new of that sort until I have looked at it."
+
+"Very well," Babcock answered submissively. But he continued to look
+puzzled. In his estimate of his wife's superiority to himself in the
+subtleties of life, it had never occurred to him to include the choice
+of every-day objects of art. He had eyes and could judge for himself
+like any other American citizen. Still, he was only too glad to humor
+Selma in such an unimportant matter, especially as he was eager for her
+happiness.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+Seven designs for the new church were submitted, including three from
+Benham architects. The leaven of influence exercised by spirits like
+Mrs. Taylor was only just beginning to work, and the now common custom
+of competing outside one's own bailiwick was still in embryo. Mr.
+Pierce's design was bold and sumptuous. His brother-in-law stated
+oracularly not long before the day when the plans were to be opened:
+"Pierce is not a man to be frightened out of a job by frills. Mark my
+words; he will give us an elegant thing." Mr. Pierce had conceived the
+happy thought of combining a Moorish mosque and New England
+meeting-house in a conservative and equitable medley, evidently hoping
+thereby to be both picturesque and traditional. The result, even on
+paper, was too bold for some of his admirers. The chairman was heard to
+remark: "I shouldn't feel as though I was in church. That dome set among
+spires is close to making a theatre of the house of God."
+
+The discomfiture of the first architect of Benham cleared the way for
+the triumph of Mrs. Taylor's taste. The design submitted by Wilbur
+Littleton of New York, seemed to her decidedly the most meritorious. It
+was graceful, appropriate, and artistic; entirely in harmony with
+religious associations, yet agreeably different from every day
+sanctuaries. The choice lay between his and that presented by Mr. Cass,
+a Benham builder--a matter-of-fact, serviceable, but very conventional
+edifice. The hard-headed stove dealer on the committee declared in favor
+of the native design, as simpler and more solid.
+
+"It'll be a massive structure" he said, "and when it's finished no one
+will have to ask what it is. It'll speak for itself. Mr. Cass is a solid
+business man, and we know what we'll get. The other plan is what I call
+dandified."
+
+It was evident to the committee that the stove dealer's final criticism
+comprehended the architect as well as his design. Several
+competitors--Littleton among them--had come in person to explain the
+merits of their respective drawings, and by the side of solid,
+red-bearded, undecorative Mr. Cass, Littleton may well have seemed a
+dandy. He was a slim young man with a delicate, sensitive face and
+intelligent brown eyes. He looked eager and interesting. In his case the
+almost gaunt American physiognomy was softened by a suggestion of poetic
+impulses. Yet the heritage of nervous energy was apparent. His
+appearance conveyed the impression of quiet trigness and gentility. His
+figure lent itself to his clothes, which were utterly inconspicuous,
+judged by metropolitan standards, but flawless in the face of
+hard-headed theories of life, and aroused suspicion. He spoke in a
+gentle but earnest manner, pointing out clearly, yet modestly, the
+merits of his composition.
+
+Selma had never seen a man just like him before, and she noticed that
+from the outset his eyes seemed to be fastened on her as though his
+words were intended for her special benefit. She had never read the
+lines--indeed they had not been written--
+
+"I think I could be happy with a gentleman like you."
+
+Nor did the precise sentiment contained in them shape itself in her
+thought. Yet she was suddenly conscious that she had been starving for
+lack of intellectual companionship, and that he was the sort of man she
+had hoped to meet--the sort of man who could appreciate her and whom she
+could appreciate.
+
+It did not become necessary for Selma to act as Mr. Littleton's
+champion, for the stove dealer's criticism found only one supporter. The
+New Yorker's design for the church was so obviously pretty and suitable
+that a majority of the Committee promptly declared in its favor. The
+successful competitor, who had remained a day to learn the result, was
+solemnly informed of the decision, and then elaborately introduced to
+the members. In shaking hands with him, Selma experienced a shade of
+embarrassment. It was plain that his words to her, spoken with a low
+bow--"I am very much gratified that my work pleases you" conveyed a more
+spiritual significance than was contained in his thanks to the others.
+Still he seemed more at his ease with Mrs. Taylor, who promptly broke
+the ice of the situation by fixing him as a close relative of friends in
+Baltimore. Straightway he became sprightly and voluble, speaking of
+things and people beyond Selma's experience. This social jargon
+irritated Selma. It seemed to her a profanation of a noble character,
+yet she was annoyed because she could not understand.
+
+Mrs. Taylor, having discovered in Mr. Littleton one who should have been
+a friend long before, succeeded in carrying him off to dinner. Yet,
+before taking his leave, he came back to Selma for a few words. She had
+overheard Mrs. Taylor's invitation, and she asked herself why she too
+might not become better acquainted with this young man whose attitude
+toward her was that of respectful admiration. To have a strange young
+man to dine off-hand struck her as novel. She had a general conviction
+that it would seem to Lewis closely allied to light conduct, and that
+only foreigners or frivolous people let down to this extent the bars of
+family life. Now that Mrs. Taylor had set her the example, she was less
+certain of the moral turpitude of such an act, but she concluded also
+that her husband would be in the way at table. What she desired was an
+opportunity for a long, interesting chat about high things.
+
+While she reflected, he was saying to her, "I understand that your
+committee is to supervise my work until the new church is completed, so
+I shall hope to have the opportunity to meet you occasionally. It will
+be necessary for me to make trips here from time to time to see that
+everything is being done correctly by the mechanics."
+
+"Do you go away immediately?"
+
+"It may be that I shall be detained by the arrangements which I must
+make here until day after to-morrow."
+
+"If you would really like to see me, I live at 25 Onslow Avenue."
+
+"Thank you very much." Littleton took out a small memorandum book and
+carefully noted the address. "Mrs. Babcock, 25 Onslow Avenue. I shall
+make a point of calling to-morrow afternoon if I stay--and probably I
+shall."
+
+He bowed and left Selma pleasantly stirred by the interview. His voice
+was low and his enunciation sympathetically fluent. She said to herself
+that she would give him afternoon tea and they would compare ideas
+together. She felt sure that his must be interesting.
+
+Later in the evening at Mrs. Taylor's, when there was a pause in their
+sympathetic interchange of social and æsthetic convictions, Littleton
+said abruptly:
+
+"Tell me something, please, about Mrs. Babcock. She has a suggestive as
+well as a beautiful face, and it is easy to perceive that she is
+genuinely American--not one of the women of whom we were speaking, who
+seem to be ashamed of their own institutions, and who ape foreign
+manners and customs. I fancy she would illustrate what I was saying just
+now as to the vital importance of our clinging to our heritage of
+independent thought--of accepting the truth of the ancient order of
+things without allowing its lies and demerits to enslave us."
+
+"I suppose so," said Mrs. Taylor. "She certainly does not belong to the
+dangerous class of whom you were speaking. I was flattering myself that
+neither did I, for I was agreeing with all you said as to the need of
+cherishing our native originality. Yet I must confess that now that you
+compare me with her (the actual comparison is my own, but you instigated
+it), I begin to feel more doubts about myself--that is if she is the
+true species, and I'm inclined to think she is. Pray excuse this
+indirect method of answering your inquiry; it is in the nature of a
+soliloquy; it is an airing of thoughts and doubts which have been
+harassing me for a fortnight--ever since I knew Mrs. Babcock. Really,
+Mr. Littleton, I can tell you very little about her. She is a new-comer
+on the horizon of Benham; she has been married very recently; I believe
+she has taught school and that she was brought up not far from here. She
+is as proud as Lucifer and sometimes as beautiful; she is profoundly
+serious and--and apparently very ignorant. I fancy she is clever and
+capable in her way, but I admit she is an enigma to me and that I have
+not solved it. I can see she does not approve of me altogether. She
+regards me with suspicion, and yet she threw the casting vote in favor
+of my proposal to open the competition for the church to architects from
+other places. I am trying to like her, for I wish to believe in
+everything genuinely American if I can. There, I have told you all I
+know, and to a man she may seem altogether attractive and inspiring."
+
+"Thank you. I had no conception that I was broaching such a complex
+subject. She sounds interesting, and my curiosity is whetted. You have
+not mentioned the husband."
+
+"To be sure. A burly, easy-going manufacturer of varnish, without much
+education, I should judge. He is manifestly her inferior in half a dozen
+ways, but I understand that he is making money, and he looks kind."
+
+Wilbur Littleton's life since he had come to man's estate had been a
+struggle, and he was only just beginning to make headway. He had never
+had time to commiserate himself, for necessity on the one hand and
+youthful ambition on the other had kept his energies tense and his
+thoughts sane and hopeful. He and his sister Pauline, a year his senior,
+had been left orphans while both were students by the death of their
+father on the battlefield. To persevere in their respective tastes and
+work out their educations had been a labor of love, but an undertaking
+which demanded rigorous self-denial on the part of each. Wilbur had
+determined to become an architect. Pauline, early interested in the
+dogma that woman must no longer be barred from intellectual
+companionship with man, had sought to cultivate herself intelligently
+without sacrificing her brother's domestic comfort. She had succeeded.
+Their home in New York, despite its small dimensions and frugal
+hospitality, was already a favorite resort of a little group of
+professional people with busy brains and light purses. Wilbur was in the
+throes of early progress. He had no relatives or influential friends to
+give him business, and employment came slowly. He had been an architect
+on his own account for two years, but was still obliged to supplement
+his professional orders by work as a draughtsman for others. Yet his
+enthusiasm kept him buoyant. In respect to his own work he was
+scrupulous; indeed, a stern critic. He abhorred claptrap and specious
+effects, and aimed at high standards of artistic expression. This gave
+him position among his brother architects, but was incompatible with
+meteoric progress. His design for the church at Benham represented much
+thought and hope, and he felt happy at his success.
+
+Littleton's familiarity with women, apart from his sister, had been
+slight, but his thoughts regarding them were in keeping with a poetic
+and aspiring nature. He hoped to marry some day, and he was fond of
+picturing to himself in moments of reverie the sort of woman to whom his
+heart would be given. In the shrine of his secret fancy she appeared
+primarily as an object of reverence, a white-souled angel of light clad
+in the graceful outlines of flesh, an Amazon and yet a winsome, tender
+spirit, and above all a being imbued with the stimulating intellectual
+independence he had been taught to associate with American womanhood.
+She would be the loving wife of his bosom and the intelligent sharer of
+his thoughts and aspirations--often their guide. So pure and exacting
+was his ideal that while alive to the value of coyness and coquetry as
+elements of feminine attraction for others, Wilbur had chosen to regard
+the maiden of his faith as too serious a spirit to condescend to such
+vanities; and from a similar vein of appreciation he was prone to think
+of her as unadorned, or rather untarnished, by the gewgaws of
+fashionable dressmaking and millinery. His first sight of Selma had made
+him conscious that here was a face not unlike what he had hoped to
+encounter some day, and he had instinctively felt her to be sympathetic.
+He was even conscious of disappointment when he heard her addressed as
+Mrs. Babcock. Evidently she was a free-born soul, unhampered by the
+social weaknesses of a large city, and illumined by the spiritual grace
+of native womanliness. So he thought of her, and Mrs. Taylor's diagnosis
+rather confirmed than impaired his impression, for in Mrs. Taylor Wilbur
+felt he discerned a trace of antagonism born of cosmopolitan
+prejudice--an inability to value at its true worth a nature not moulded
+on conventional lines. Rigorous as he was in his judgments, and eager to
+disown what was cheap or shallow, mere conventionalism, whether in art
+or daily life, was no less abhorrent to him. Here, he said to himself,
+was an original soul, ignorant and unenlightened perhaps, but endowed
+with swift perception and capable of noble development.
+
+The appearance of Selma's scroll and glass bedizened house did not
+affect this impression. Wilbur was first of all appreciatively an
+American. That is he recognized that native energy had hitherto been
+expended on the things of the spirit to the neglect of things material.
+As an artist he was supremely interested in awakening and guiding the
+national taste in respect to art, but at the same time he was thoroughly
+aware that the peculiar vigor and independence of character which he
+knew as Americanism was often utterly indifferent to, or ignorant of,
+the value of æsthetics. After all, art was a secondary consideration,
+whereas the inward vision which absorbed the attention of the thoughtful
+among his countrymen and countrywomen was an absolute essential without
+which the soul must lose its fineness. He himself was seeking to show
+that beauty, in external material expression, was not merely consistent
+with strong ideals but requisite to their fit presentment. He recognized
+too that the various and variegated departures from the monotonous
+homely pattern of the every-day American house, which were evident in
+each live town, were but so many indicators that the nation was
+beginning to realize the truth of this. His battle was with the
+designers and builders who were guiding falsely and flamboyantly, not
+with the deceived victims, nor with those who were still satisfied
+merely to look inwardly, and ignored form and color. Hence he would have
+been able to behold the Babcocks' iron stag without rancor had the
+animal still occupied the grass-plot. Selma, when she saw the figure of
+her visitor in the door-way, congratulated herself that it had been
+removed. It would have pleased her to know that Mr. Littleton had
+already placed her in a niche above the level of mere grass-plot
+considerations. That was where she belonged of course; but she was
+fearful on the score of suspected shortcomings. So it was gratifying to
+be able to receive him in a smarter gown, to be wearing white cuffs, and
+to offer him tea with a touch of Mrs. Taylor's tormenting urbanity. Not
+so unreservedly as she. That would never do. It was and never would be
+in keeping with her own ideas of serious self-respect. Still a touch of
+it was grateful to herself. She felt that it was a grace and enhanced
+her effectiveness.
+
+A few moments later Selma realized that for the first time since she had
+lived in Benham she was being understood and appreciated. She felt too
+that for the first time she was talking to a kindred spirit--to be sure,
+to one different, and more technically proficient in concrete knowledge,
+possibly more able, too, to express his thoughts in words, but eminently
+a comrade and sympathizer. She was not obliged to say much. Nor were,
+indeed, his actual words the source of her realization. The revelation
+came from what was left unsaid--from the silent recognition by him that
+she was worthy to share his best thoughts and was herself a serious
+worker in the struggle of life. No graceful but galling attitude of
+superiority, no polite indifference to her soul-hunger, no disposition
+to criticise. And yet he was no less voluble, clever, and spirited than
+Mrs. Taylor. She listened with wrapt interest to his easy talk, which
+was ever grave in tone, despite his pleasant sallies. He spoke of Benham
+with quick appreciation of its bustling energy, and let her see that he
+divined its capacity for greatness. This led him to refer with kindling
+eyes to the keen impulse toward education and culture which was
+animating the younger men and women of the country; to the new
+beginnings of art, literature, and scientific investigation. At scarcely
+a hint from her he told briefly of his past life and his hopes, and
+fondly mentioned his sister and her present absorption in some history
+courses for women.
+
+"And you?" he said. "You are a student, too. Mrs. Taylor has told me,
+but I should have guessed it. Duties even more interesting claim you
+now, but it is easy to perceive that you have known that other
+happiness, 'To scorn delights and live laborious days.'"
+
+His words sounded musical, though the quotation from Lycidas was
+unfamiliar to her ears. Her brain was thrilling with the import of all
+he had told her--with his allusions to the intellectual and ethical
+movements of Boston and New York, in which she felt herself by right and
+with his recognition a partner and peer.
+
+"You were teaching school when you married, I believe?" he added.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And before that, if I may ask?"
+
+"I lived at Westfield with my father. It is a small country town, but we
+tried to be in earnest."
+
+"I understand--I understand. You grew up among the trees, and the
+breezes and the brooks, those wonderful wordless teachers. I envy you,
+for they give one time to think--to expand. I have known only city life
+myself. It is stimulating, but one is so easily turned aside from one's
+direct purpose. Do you write at all?"
+
+"Not yet. But I have wished to. Some day I shall. Just now I have too
+many domestic concerns to--"
+
+She did not finish, for Babcock's heavy tread and whistle resounded in
+the hall and at the next moment he was calling "Selma!"
+
+She felt annoyed at being interrupted, but she divined that it would
+never do to show it.
+
+"My husband," she said, and she raised her voice to utter with a sugared
+dignity which would have done credit to Mrs. Taylor,
+
+"I am in the parlor, Lewis."
+
+"Enter your chief domestic concern," said Littleton blithely. "A happy
+home is preferable to all the poems and novels in the world."
+
+Babcock, pushing open the door, which stood ajar, stopped short in his
+melody.
+
+"This is Mr. Littleton, Lewis. The architect of our new church."
+
+"Pleased to make your acquaintance." And by way of accounting for the
+sudden softening of his brow, Babcock added, "I set you down at first as
+one of those lightning-rod agents. There was one here last week who
+wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."
+
+"He has an advantage over me," answered Littleton with a laugh. "In my
+business a man can't solicit orders. He has to sit and wait for them to
+come to him."
+
+"I want to know. My wife thinks a lot of your drawings for the new
+church."
+
+"I hope to make it a credit to your city. I've just been saying to your
+wife, Mr. Babcock, that Benham has a fine future before it. The very
+atmosphere seems charged with progress."
+
+Babcock beamed approvingly. "It's a driving place, sir. The man in
+Benham who stops by the way-side to scratch his head gets left behind.
+When we moved into this house a year ago looking through that window we
+were at the jumping-off place; now you see houses cropping up in every
+direction. It's going to be a big city. Pleased to have you stop to
+supper with us," he added with burly suavity as their visitor rose.
+
+Littleton excused himself and took his leave. Babcock escorted him to
+the front door and full of his subject delayed him on the porch to touch
+once more on the greatness of Benham. There was a clumsy method too in
+this optimistic garrulity, for at the close he referred with some pride
+to his own business career, and made a tender of his business card,
+"Lewis Babcock & Company, Varnishes," with a flourish. "If you do
+anything in my line, pleased to accommodate you."
+
+Littleton departing, tickled by a pleasant sense of humor, caught
+through the parlor window a last glimpse of Selma's inspired face bowing
+gravely, yet wistfully, in acknowledgment of his lifted hat, and he
+strode away under the spell of a brain picture which he transmuted into
+words: "There's the sort of case where the cynical foreigner fails to
+appreciate the true import of our American life. That couple typifies
+the elements of greatness in our every-day people. At first blush the
+husband's rough and material, but he's shrewd and enterprising and
+vigorous--the bread winner. He's enormously proud of her, and he has
+reason to be, for she is a constant stimulus to higher things. Little by
+little, and without his knowing it, perhaps, she will smoothe and
+elevate him, and they will develop together, growing in intelligence and
+cultivation as they wax in worldly goods. After all, woman is our most
+marvellous native product--that sort of woman. Heigho!" Having given
+vent to this sigh, Littleton proceeded to recognize the hopelessness of
+the personal situation by murmuring with a slightly forced access of
+sprightliness
+
+     "If she be not fair for me,
+     What care I how fair she be?"
+
+Still he intended to see more of Mrs. Babcock, and that without
+infringing the tenth or any other commandment. To flirt with a married
+woman savored to him of things un-American and unworthy, and Littleton
+had much too healthy an imagination to rhapsodize from such a
+stand-point. Yet he foresaw that they might be mutually respecting
+friends.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+Selma knew intuitively that an American woman was able to cook a smooth
+custard, write a poem and control real society with one and the same
+brain and hand, and she was looking forward to the realization of the
+apotheosis; but, though she was aware that children are the natural
+increment of wedlock, she had put the idea from her ever since her
+marriage as impersonal and vaguely disgusting. Consequently her
+confinement came as an unwelcome interruption of her occupations and
+plans.
+
+Her connection with the committee for the new church had proved an
+introduction to other interests, charitable and social. One day she was
+taken by Mrs. Taylor to a meeting of the Benham Woman's Institute, a
+literary club recently established by Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle, a
+Western newspaper woman who had made her home in Benham. Selma came in
+upon some twenty of her own sex in a hotel private parlor hired weekly
+for the uses of the Institute. Mrs. Earle, the president, a large florid
+woman of fifty, with gray hair rising from the brow, fluent of speech,
+endowed with a public manner, a commanding bust and a vigorous,
+ingratiating smile, wielded a gavel at a little table and directed the
+exercises. A paper on Shakespeare's heroines was read and discussed.
+Selections on the piano followed. A thin woman in eye-glasses, the
+literary editor of the _Benham Sentinel_, recited "Curfew must not ring
+to-night," and a visitor from Wisconsin gave an exhibition in melodious
+whistling. In the intervals, tea, chocolate with whipped cream and
+little cakes were dispensed.
+
+Selma was absorbed and thrilled. What could be more to her taste than
+this? At the close of the whistling exercise, Mrs. Earle came over and
+spoke to her. They took a strong fancy to each other on the spot. Selma
+preferred a person who would tell you everything about herself and to
+whom you could tell everything about yourself without preliminaries.
+People like Mrs. Taylor repressed her, but the motherly loquacity and
+comprehension of Mrs. Earle drew her out and thawed at once and forever
+the ice of acquaintanceship. Before she quite realized the extent of
+this fascination she had promised to recite something, and as in a
+dream, but with flushing cheeks, she heard the President rap the table
+and announce "You will be gratified to hear that a talented friend who
+is with us has kindly consented to favor us with a recital. I have the
+honor to introduce Mrs. Lewis Babcock."
+
+After the first flush of nervousness, Selma's grave dignity came to her
+support, and justified her completely in her own eyes. Her father had
+been fond of verse, especially of verse imbued with moral melancholy,
+and at his suggestion she had learned and had been wont to repeat many
+of the occasional pieces which he cut from the newspapers and collected
+in a scrap-book. Her own preference among these was the poem, "O why
+should the spirit of mortal be proud?" which she had been told was a
+great favorite of Abraham Lincoln. It was this piece which came into her
+mind when Mrs. Earle broached the subject, and this she proceeded to
+deliver with august precision. She spoke clearly and solemnly without
+the trace of the giggling protestation which is so often incident to
+feminine diffidence. She treated the opportunity with the seriousness
+expected, for though the Institute was not proof against light and
+diverting contributions, as the whistling performance indicated, levity
+of spirit would have been out of place.
+
+     "'Tis a twink of the eye, 'tis a draught of the breath
+     From the blossom of health to the paleness of death;
+     From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud,
+     O why should the spirit of mortal be proud?"
+
+Selma enjoyed the harmony between the long, slow cadence of the metre
+and the important gravity of the theme. She rolled out the verses with
+the intensity of a seer, and she looked a beautiful seer as well.
+Liberal applause greeted her as she sat down, though the clapping woman
+is apt to be a feeble instrument at best. Selma knew that she had
+produced an impression and she was moved by her own effectiveness. She
+was compelled to swallow once or twice to conceal the tears in her voice
+while listening to the congratulations of Mrs. Earle. The words which
+she had just recited were ringing through her brain and seemed to her to
+express the pitch at which her life was keyed.
+
+Selma was chosen a member of the Institute at the next meeting, and
+forthwith she became intimate with the president. Mrs. Margaret Rodney
+Earle was, as she herself phrased it, a live woman. She supported
+herself by writing for the newspapers articles of a morally utilitarian
+character--for instance a winter's series, published every Saturday,
+"Hints on Health and Culture," or again, "Receipts for the Parlor and
+the Kitchen." She also contributed poetry of a pensive cast, and chatty
+special correspondence flavored with personal allusion. She was one of
+the pioneers in modern society journalism, which at this time, however,
+was comparatively veiled and delicate in its methods. Besides, she was a
+woman of tireless energy, with theories on many subjects and an ardor
+for organization. She advocated prohibition, the free suffrage of woman,
+the renunciation of corsets, and was interested in reforms relating to
+labor, the pauper classes and the public schools. In behalf of any of
+these causes she was ready from time to time to dash off an article at
+short notice or address an audience. But her dearest concern was the
+promotion of woman's culture and the enlargement of woman's sphere of
+usefulness through the club. The idea of the woman's club, which was
+taking root over the country, had put in the shade for the time being
+all her other plans, including the scheme of a society for making the
+golden-rod the national flower. As the founder and president of the
+Benham Institute, she felt that she had found an avocation peculiarly
+adapted to her capacities, and she was already actively in
+correspondence with clubs of a similar character in other cities, in the
+hope of forming a national organization for mutual enlightenment and
+support.
+
+Mrs. Earle received Selma by invitation at her lodgings the following
+day, and so quickly did their friendship ripen that at the end of two
+hours each had told the other everything. Selma was prone instinctively
+to regard as aristocratic and un-American any limitations to confidence.
+The evident disposition on the part of Mrs. Earle to expose promptly and
+without reserve the facts of her past and her plans for the future
+seemed to Selma typical of an interesting character, and she was
+thankful to make a clean breast in her turn as far as was possible. Mrs.
+Earle's domestic experience had been thorny.
+
+"I had a home once, too," she said, "a happy home, I thought. My husband
+said he loved me. But almost from the first we had trouble. It went on
+so from month to month, and finally we agreed to part. He objected, my
+dear, to my living my own life. He didn't like me to take an interest in
+things outside the house--public matters. I was elected on the
+school-board--the only woman--and he ought to have been proud. He said
+he was, at first, but he was too fond of declaring that a woman's place
+is in her kitchen. One day I said to him, 'Ellery, this can't go on. If
+we can't agree we'd better separate. A cat-and-dog life is no life at
+all.' He answered back, 'I'm not asking you to leave me, but if you're
+set on it don't let me hinder you, Margaret. You don't need a man to
+support you. You're as good as a man yourself.' He meant that to be
+sarcastic, I suppose. 'Yes,' said I, 'thank God, I think I can take care
+of myself, even though I am a woman.' That was the end of it. There was
+no use for either of us to get excited. I packed my things, and a few
+mornings later I said to him, 'Good-by, Ellery Earle: I wish you well,
+and I suppose you're my husband still, but I'm going to live my own life
+without let or hindrance from any man. There's your ring.' My holding
+out the ring was startling to him, for he said, 'Aren't you going to be
+sorry for this, Margaret?' 'No,' said I, 'I've thought it all out, and
+it's best for both of us. There's your ring.' He wouldn't take it, so I
+dropped it on the table and went out. Some people miss it, and
+misbelieve I was ever married. That was close on to twenty years ago,
+and I've never seen him since. When the war broke out I heard he
+enlisted, but what's become of him I don't know. Maybe he got a divorce.
+I've kept right on and lived my own life in my own way, and never lacked
+food or raiment. I'm forty-five years old, but I feel a young woman
+still."
+
+Notwithstanding Mrs. Earle's business-like directness and the
+protuberance of her bust in conclusion, by way of reasserting her
+satisfaction with the results of her action, there was a touch of
+plaintiveness in her confession which suggested the womanly author of
+"Hints on Culture and Hygiene," rather than the man-hater. This was lost
+on Selma, who was fain to sympathize purely from the stand-point of
+righteousness.
+
+"It was splendid," she said. "He had no right to prevent you living your
+own life. No husband has that right."
+
+Mrs. Earle brushed her eyes with her handkerchief. "You musn't think, my
+dear, that I'm not a believer in the home because mine has been
+unhappy--because my husband didn't or couldn't understand. The true home
+is the inspirer and nourisher of all that is best in life--in our
+American life; but men must learn the new lesson. There are many
+homes--yours, I'm sure--where the free-born American woman has
+encouragement and the opportunity to expand."
+
+"Oh, yes. My husband lets me do as I wish. I made him promise before I
+accepted him that he wouldn't thwart me; that he'd let me live my own
+life."
+
+Selma was so appreciative of Mrs. Earle, and so energetic and suggestive
+in regard to the scope of the Institute, that she was presently chosen a
+member of the council, which was the body charged with the supervision
+of the fortnightly entertainments. It occurred to her as a brilliant
+conception to have Littleton address the club on "Art," and she broached
+the subject to him when he next returned to Benham and appeared before
+the church committee. He declared that he was too busy to prepare a
+suitable lecture, but he yielded finally to her plea that he owed it to
+himself to let the women of Benham hear his views and opinions.
+
+"They are wives and they are mothers," said Selma sententiously. "It was
+a woman's vote, you remember, which elected you to build our church. You
+owe it to Art; don't you think so?"
+
+A logical appeal to his conscience was never lost on Littleton. Besides
+he was glad to oblige Mrs. Babcock, who seemed so earnest in her desire
+to improve the æsthetic taste of Benham. Accordingly, he yielded. The
+lecture was delivered a few weeks later and was a marked success, for
+Littleton's earnestness of theme and manner was relieved by a graceful,
+sympathetic delivery. Selma, whose social aplomb was increasing every
+day, glided about the rooms with a contented mien receiving
+felicitations and passing chocolate. She enjoyed the distinction of
+being the God behind the curtain.
+
+A few days later the knowledge that she herself was to become a mother
+was forced upon her attention, and was a little irksome. Of necessity
+her new interests would be interrupted. Though she did not question that
+she would perform maternal duties fitly and fully, they seemed to her
+less peculiarly adapted to her than concerns of the intellect and the
+spirit. However, the possession of a little daughter was more precious
+to her than she had expected, and the consciousness that the tiny doll
+which lay upon her breast, was flesh of her flesh and bone of her bone
+affected her agreeably and stirred her imagination. It should be reared,
+from the start, in the creed of soul independence and expansion, and she
+herself would find a new and sacred duty in catering to the needs of
+this budding intelligence. So she reflected as she lay in bed, but the
+outlook was a little marred by the thought that the baby was the living
+image of its father--broad-featured and burly--not altogether desirable
+cast of countenance for a girl. What a pity, when it might just as well
+have looked like her.
+
+Babcock, on his part, was transported by paternity. He was bubbling over
+with appreciation of the new baby, and fondly believed it to be a human
+wonder. He was solicitous on the score of its infantile ailments, and
+loaded it with gifts and toys beyond the scope of its enjoyment. He went
+about the house whistling more exuberantly than ever. There was no speck
+on his horizon; no fly in his pot of ointment. It was he who urged that
+the child should be christened promptly, though Dr. Glynn was not
+disposed to dwell on the clerical barbarism as to the destiny of
+unbaptized infants. Babcock was cultivating a conservative method: He
+realized that there was no object in taking chances. Illogical as was
+the theory that a healthy dog which had bitten him should be killed at
+once, lest it subsequently go mad and he contract hydrophobia, he was
+too happy and complacent to run the risk of letting it live. So it was
+with regard to baby. But Selma chose the name. Babcock preferred in this
+order another Selma, Sophia, after his mother, or a compliment to the
+wife of the President of the United States. But Selma, as the result of
+grave thought, selected Muriel Grace. Without knowing exactly why, she
+asked Mrs. Taylor to be godmother. The ceremony was solemn and inspiring
+to her. She knew from the glass in her room that she was looking very
+pretty. But she was weak and emotional. The baby behaved admirably, even
+when Lewis, trembling with pride, held it out to Mr. Glynn for baptism
+and held it so that the blood rushed to its head. "I baptize thee in the
+name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." She was happy and the
+tears were in her eyes. The divine blessing was upon her and her house,
+and, after all, baby was a darling and her husband a kind, manly soul.
+With the help of heaven she would prove herself their good angel.
+
+When they returned home there was a whistle of old silver of light,
+graceful design, a present from Mrs. Taylor to Muriel. Her aunt, Mrs.
+Farley, compared this to its disparagement with one already purchased by
+Lewis, on the gaudily embossed stem of which perched a squirrel with a
+nut in its mouth. But Selma shook her head. "Both of you are wrong," she
+said with authority. "This is a beauty."
+
+"It doesn't look new to my eyes," protested Mrs. Parley.
+
+"Of course it isn't new. I shouldn't wonder if she bought it while
+travelling abroad in Europe. It's artistic, and--and I shan't let baby
+destroy it."
+
+Babcock glanced from one gift to the other quizzically. Then by way of
+disposing of the subject he seized his daughter in his arms and dandling
+her toward the ceiling cried, "If it's artistic things we must have,
+this is the most artistic thing which I know of in the wide world.
+Aren't you, little sugar-plum?"
+
+Mrs. Farley, with motherly distrust of man, apprehensively followed with
+her eyes and arms the gyrations of rise and fall; but Selma, though she
+saw, pursued the current of her own thought which prompted her to
+examine her wedding-ring. She was thinking that, compared with Mrs.
+Taylor's, it was a cart wheel--a clumsy, conspicuous band of metal,
+instead of a delicate hoop. She wondered if Lewis would object to
+exchange it for another.
+
+With the return of her strength, Selma took up again eagerly the tenor
+of her former life, aiding and abetting Mrs. Earle in the development of
+the Institute. The president was absorbed in enlarging its scope by the
+enrollment of more members, and the establishment of classes in a
+variety of topics--such as literature, science, philosophy, current
+events, history, art, and political economy. She aimed to construct a
+club which should be social and educational in the broadest sense by
+mutual co-operation and energy. Selma, in her eagerness to make the most
+of the opportunities for culture offered, committed herself to two of
+the new topic classes--"Italian and Grecian Art," and "The Governments
+of Civilization," and as a consequence found some difficulty in
+accommodating her baby's nursing hours to these engagements. It was
+indeed a relief to her when the doctor presently pronounced the supply
+of her breast-milk inadequate. She was able to assuage Lewis' regret
+that Muriel should be brought up by hand with the information that a
+large percentage of Benham and American mothers were similarly barren
+and that bottle babies were exceedingly healthy. She had gleaned the
+first fact from the physician, the second from Mrs. Earle, and her own
+conclusion on the subject was that a lack of milk was an indication of
+feminine evolution from the status of the brute creation, a sign of
+spiritual as opposed to animal quality. Selma found Mrs. Earle
+sympathetic on this point, and also practical in her suggestions as to
+the rearing of infants by artificial means, recommendations concerning
+which were contained in one of her series of papers entitled "Mother
+Lore."
+
+The theory of the new classes was co-operation. That is, the members
+successively, turn by turn, lectured on the topic, and all were expected
+to study in the interim so as to be able to ask questions and discuss
+the views of the lecturer. Concerning both Italian and Grecian Art and
+the Governments of Civilization, Selma knew that she had convictions in
+the abstract, but when she found herself face to face with a specific
+lecture on each subject, it occurred to her as wise to supplement her
+ideas by a little preparation. The nucleus of a public library had been
+recently established by Joel Flagg and placed at the disposal of Benham.
+Here, by means of an encyclopædia and two hand-books, Selma was able in
+three forenoons to compile a paper satisfactory to her self-esteem on
+the dynasties of Europe and their inferiority to the United States, but
+her other task was illumined for her by a happy incident, the promise of
+Littleton to lend her books. Indeed he seemed delightfully interested in
+both of her classes, which was especially gratifying in view of the fact
+that Mrs. Taylor, who was a member of the Institute, had combated the
+new programme on the plea that they were attempting too much and that it
+would encourage superficiality. But Littleton seemed appreciative of the
+value of the undertaking, and he made his promise good forthwith by
+forwarding to her a package of books on art, among them two volumes of
+Ruskin. Selma, who had read quotations from Ruskin on one or two
+occasions and believed herself an admirer of, and tolerably familiar
+with, his writings, was thrilled. She promptly immersed herself in
+"Stones of Venice" and "Seven Lamps of Architecture," sitting up late at
+night to finish them. When she had read these and the article in the
+encyclopædia under the head of Art, she felt bursting with her subject
+and eager to air her knowledge before the class. Her lecture was
+acknowledged to be the most stirring and thorough of the course.
+
+Reports of its success came back to her from Littleton, who offered to
+assist his pupil further by practical demonstration of the eternal
+architectural fitness and unfitness of things--especially the latter--in
+walks through the streets of Benham. But six times in as many months,
+however. There was no suggestion of coquetry on either side in these
+excursions, yet each enjoyed them. Littleton's own work was beginning to
+assume definite form, and his visits to Benham became of necessity more
+frequent; flying trips, but he generally managed to obtain a few words
+with Selma. He continued to lend her books, and he invited her criticism
+on the slowly growing church edifice. The responsibility of critic was
+an absorbing sensation to her, but the stark glibness of tongue which
+stood her in good stead before the classes of the Institute failed her
+in his presence--the presence of real knowledge. She wished to praise,
+but to praise discriminatingly, with the cant of æsthetic appreciation,
+so that he should believe that she knew. As for the church itself, she
+was interested in it; it was fine, of course, but that was a secondary
+consideration compared with her emotions. His predilection in her favor,
+however, readily made him deaf in regard to her utterances. He scarcely
+heeded her halting, solemn, counterfeit transcendentalisms; or rather
+they passed muster as subtle and genuine, so spell bound was he by the
+Delphic beauty of her criticising expression. It was enough for him to
+watch her as she stood with her head on one side and the worried
+archangel look transfiguring her profile. What she said was lost in his
+reverie as to what she was--what she represented in his contemplation.
+As she looked upon his handiwork he was able to view it with different
+eyes, to discern its weaknesses and to gain fresh inspiration from her
+presence. He felt that it was growing on his hands and that he should be
+proud of it, and though, perhaps, he was conscious in his inner soul
+that she was more to him than another man's wife should be, he knew too,
+that no word or look of his had offended against the absent husband.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+By the end of another six months Littleton's work was practically
+completed. Only the finishing touches to the interior decoration
+remained to be done. The members of Rev. Mr. Glynn's congregation,
+including Mrs. Hallett Taylor, were thoroughly satisfied with the
+appearance of the new church. It was attractive in its lines, yet it was
+simple and, consequently, in keeping with the resources of the treasury.
+There was no large bill for extras to be audited, as possibly would have
+been the case had a hard-headed designer like Mr. Pierce been employed.
+The committee felt itself entitled to the congratulations of the
+community. Nor was the community on the whole disposed to grumble, for
+home talent had been employed by the architect; under rigorous
+supervision, to be sure, so that poor material and slap-dash workmanship
+were out of the question. Still, payments had been prompt, and Benham
+was able to admire competent virtue. The church was a monument of
+suggestion in various ways, artistic and ethical, and it shone neatly
+with Babcock varnish.
+
+One morning Selma set forth by agreement with Littleton, in order to
+inspect some fresco work. Muriel Grace was ailing slightly, but as she
+would be home by mid-day, she bade the hired girl be watchful of baby,
+and kept her appointment. The child had grown dear to her, for Muriel
+was a charming little dot, and Selma had already begun to enjoy the
+maternal delight of human doll dressing, an extravagance in which she
+was lavishly encouraged by her husband. Babcock was glad of any excuse
+to spend money on his daughter, who seemed to him, from day to day, a
+greater marvel of precocity--such a child as became Selma's beauty and
+cleverness and his own practical common-sense.
+
+Selma was in a pensive frame of mind this morning. Two days before she
+had read a paper at the Institute on "Motherhood," which had been
+enthusiastically received. Mrs. Earle had printed a flattering item
+concerning it in the _Benham Sentinel_. It was agreeable to her to be
+going to meet Littleton, for he was the most interesting masculine
+figure in her life. She was sure of Lewis. He was her husband and she
+knew herself to be the apple of his eye; but she knew exactly what he
+was going to say before he said it, and much of what he said grated on
+her. She was almost equally sure of Littleton; that is of his
+admiration. His companionship was a constant pleasure to her. As a
+married woman, and as a Christian and American woman, she desired no
+more than this. But on the other hand, she would fain have this admiring
+companionship continue; and yet it could not. Littleton had told her the
+day before that he was going back to New York and that it was doubtful
+if he would return. She would miss him. She would have the Institute and
+Mrs. Earle still, but her life would be less full.
+
+Littleton was waiting for her at the church entrance. She followed him
+down the nave to the chancel where she listened dreamily to his
+presentation of the merits of the new decoration. He seemed inclined to
+talk, and from this presently branched off to describe with enthusiasm
+the plates of a French book on interior architecture, which he had
+recently bought as a long-resisted but triumphant piece of extravagance.
+Mechanically, they turned from the chancel and slowly made the round of
+the aisles. A short silence succeeded his professional ardor. His
+current of thought, in its reversion to home matters, had reminded him
+afresh of what was perpetually this morning uppermost in his
+consciousness--his coming departure.
+
+"Now," he said, abruptly, "is the most favorable opportunity I shall
+have, Mrs. Babcock, to tell you how much I am your debtor. I shan't
+despair of our meeting again, for the world is small, and good friends
+are sure to meet sooner or later. But the past is secure to me at any
+rate. If this church is in some measure what I have dreamed and wished
+it to be, if my work with all its faults is a satisfaction to myself, I
+wish you to know how much you have contributed to make it what it is."
+
+The words were as a melody in Selma's ears, and she listened greedily.
+Littleton paused, as one seriously moved will pause before giving the
+details of an important announcement. She, thinking he had finished,
+interjected with a touch of modesty, "I'm so glad. But my suggestions
+and criticisms have not been what I meant them to be. It was all new to
+me, you know."
+
+"Oh, yes. It hasn't been so much what you have said in words which has
+helped me, though that has been always intelligent and uplifting. I did
+not look for technical knowledge. You do not possess that, of course.
+There are women in New York who would be able to confuse you with their
+familiarity with these things. And yet it is by way of contrast with
+those very women--fine women, too, in their way--that you have been my
+good angel. There is no harm in saying that. I should be an ingrate,
+surely, if I would not let you know that your sane, simple outlook upon
+life, your independent vision, has kept my brain clear and my soul free.
+I am a better artist and a better man for the experience. Good-by, and
+may all happiness attend you. If once in a while you should find time to
+write to a struggling architect named Littleton, he will be charmed to
+do your bidding--to send you books and to place his professional
+knowledge at your service. Good-by."
+
+He held out his hand with frank effusion. He was obviously happy at
+having given utterance to his sense of obligation. Selma was tingling
+from head to foot and a womanly blush was on her cheek, though the
+serious seraph spoke in her words and eyes. She felt moved to a wave of
+unreserved speech.
+
+"What you have said is very interesting to me. I wish to tell you how
+much I, too, have enjoyed our friendship. The first time we met I felt
+sure we should be sympathetic, and we have been, haven't we? One of the
+fine things about friendships between men and women in this country is
+that they can really get to know each other without--er--harm to either.
+Isn't it? It's such a pleasure to know people really, and I feel as if I
+had known you, as if we had known each other really. I've never known
+any man exactly in that way, and I have always wanted to. Except, of
+course, my husband. And he's extremely different--that is, his tastes
+are not like yours. It's a happiness to me to feel that I have been of
+assistance to you in your work, and you have been equally helpful to me
+in mine. As you say, I have never had the opportunity to learn the
+technical parts of art, and your books have instructed me as to that. I
+have never been in New York, but I understand what you meant about your
+friends, those other women. I suppose society people must be constantly
+diverted from serious work--from the intellectual and spiritual life. Oh
+yes, we ought to write. Our friendship mustn't languish. We must let
+each other know what we are thinking and doing. Good-by."
+
+As Selma walked along the street her heart was in her mouth. She felt
+pity for herself. To just the right person she would have confessed the
+discovery that she had made a mistake and tied herself for life to the
+wrong man. It was not so much that she fancied Littleton which
+distressed her, for, indeed, she was but mildly conscious of
+infatuation. What disturbed her was the contrast between him and
+Babcock, which definite separation now forced upon her attention. An
+indefinable impression that Littleton might think less of her if she
+were to state this soul truth had restrained her at the last moment from
+disclosing the secret. Not for an instant did she entertain the idea of
+being false to Lewis. Her confession would have been but a dissertation
+on the inexorable irony of fate, calling only for sympathy, and in no
+way derogating from her dignity and self-respect as a wife. Still, she
+had restrained herself, and stopped just short of the confidence. He was
+gone, and she would probably not see him again for years. That was
+endurable. Indeed, a recognition of the contrary would not have seemed
+to her consistent with wifely virtue. What brought the tears to her eyes
+was the vision of continued wedlock, until death intervened, with a
+husband who could not understand. Could she bear this? Must she endure
+it? There was but one answer: She must. At the thought she bit her lip
+with the intensity and sternness of a martyr. She would be faithful to
+her marriage vows, but she would not let Lewis's low aims interfere with
+the free development of her own life.
+
+It was after noon when she reached home. She was met at the door by the
+hired girl with the worried ejaculation that baby was choking. The
+doctor was hastily summoned. He at once pronounced that Muriel Grace had
+membranous croup, and was desperately ill. Remedies of various sorts
+were tried, and a consulting physician called, but when Babcock returned
+from his office her condition was evidently hopeless. The child died in
+the early night. Selma was relieved to hear the doctor tell her husband
+that it was a malignant case from the first, and that nothing could have
+averted the result. In response to questions from Lewis, however, she
+was obliged to admit that she had not been at home when the acute
+symptoms appeared. This afforded Babcock an outlet for his suffering. He
+spoke to her roughly for the first time in his life, bitterly suggesting
+neglect on her part.
+
+"You knew she wasn't all right this morning, yet you had to go
+fiddle-faddling with that architect instead of staying at home where you
+belonged. And now she's dead. My little girl, my little girl!" And the
+big man burst out sobbing.
+
+Selma grew deadly pale. No one had ever spoken to her like that before
+in her life. To the horror of her grief was added the consciousness that
+she was being unjustly dealt with. Lewis had heard the doctor's
+statement, and yet he dared address her in such terms. As if the loss of
+the child did not fall equally on her.
+
+"If it were to be done over again, I should do just the same," she
+answered, with righteous quietness. "To all appearances she had nothing
+but a little cold. You have no right to lay the blame on me, her
+mother." At the last word she looked ready to cry, too.
+
+Babcock regarded her like a miserable tame bull. "I didn't mean to," he
+blubbered. "She's taken away from me, and I'm so wretched that I don't
+know what I'm saying. I'm sorry, Selma."
+
+He held out his arms to her. She was ready to go to them, for the angel
+of death had entered her home and pierced her heart, where it should be
+most tender. She loved her baby. Yet, when she had time to think, she
+was not sure that she wished to have another. When the bitterness of his
+grief had passed away, that was the hope which Lewis ventured to
+express, at first in a whisper, and later with reiterated boldness.
+Selma acquiesced externally, but she had her own opinions. Certain
+things which were not included in "Mother Lore," had been confided by
+Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle by word of mouth in the fulness of their
+mutual soul-scourings, and had remained pigeon-holed for future
+reference in Selma's inner consciousness. Another baby just at this time
+meant interference with everything elevating. There was time enough. In
+a year or two, when she had established herself more securely in the
+social sphere of Benham, she would present her husband with a second
+child. It was best for them both to wait, for her success was his
+success; but it would be useless to try to make that clear to him in his
+present mood.
+
+So she put away her baby things, dropping tears over the little socks
+and other reminders of her sorrow, and took up her life again, keeping
+her own counsel. The sympathy offered her was an interesting experience.
+Mrs. Earle came to her at once, and took her to her bosom; Mrs. Taylor
+sent her flowers with a kind note, which set Selma thinking whether she
+ought not to buy mourning note-paper; and within a week she received a
+visit of condolence from Mr. Glynn, rather a ghastly visit. Ghastly,
+because Lewis sat through it all with red eyes, very much as though he
+were listening to a touching exhortation in church. To be sure, he
+gripped the pastor's hand like a vice, at the end, and thanked him for
+coming, but his silent, afflicted presence had interfered with the free
+interchange of thought which would have been possible had she been alone
+with the clergyman. The subject of death, and the whole train of
+reflections incident to it, were uppermost in her mind, and she would
+have been glad to probe the mysteries of the subject by controversial
+argument, instead of listening to hearty, sonorous platitudes. She
+listened rather contemptuously, for she recognized that Mr. Glynn was
+saying the stereotyped thing in the stereotyped way, without realizing
+that it was nothing but sacerdotal pap, little adapted to an intelligent
+soul. What was suited to Lewis was not fit for her. And yet her baby's
+death had served to dissipate somewhat the immediate discontent which
+she felt with her husband. His strong grief had touched her in spite of
+herself, and, though she blamed him still for his inconsiderate
+accusation, she was fond of him as she might have been fond of some
+loving Newfoundland, which, splendid in awkward bulk, caressed her and
+licked her hand. It was pleasant enough to be in his arms, for the touch
+of man--even the wrong man--was, at times, a comfort.
+
+She took up again with determined interest her relations to the
+Institute, joining additional classes and pursuing a variety of topics
+of study, in regard to some of which she consulted Littleton. She missed
+his presence less than she had expected, especially after they had begun
+to correspond and were able to keep in touch by letter. His letters were
+delightful. They served her in her lecture courses, for they so clearly
+and concisely expressed her views that she was able to use long extracts
+from them word for word. And every now and then they contained a
+respectful allusion which showed that he still retained a personal
+interest in her. So the weeks slipped away and she was reasonably happy.
+She was absorbed and there was nothing new to mar the tenor of her life,
+though she was vaguely conscious that the loss of their little girl had
+widened the breach between her and her husband--widened it for the
+reason that now, for the first time, he perceived how lonely he was. The
+baby had furnished him with constant delight and preoccupation. He had
+looked forward all day to seeing it at night, and questions relating to
+it had supplied a never-ceasing small change of conversation between him
+and her. He had let her go her way with a smile on his face. Selma did
+not choose to dwell on the situation, but it was obvious that Lewis
+continued to look glum, and that there were apt to be long silences
+between them at meals. Now and again he would show some impatience at
+the continuous recurrence of the Institute classes as a bar to some
+project of domesticity or recreation, as though she had not been an
+active member of the Institute before baby was born.
+
+One of the plans in which Mrs. Earle was most interested was a Congress
+of Women's Clubs, and in the early summer of the same year--some four
+months subsequent to the death of Muriel Grace--a small beginning toward
+this end was arranged to take place in Chicago. There were to be six
+delegates from each club, and Selma was unanimously selected as one of
+the delegation from the Benham Women's Institute. The opinion was
+generally expressed that a change would do her good, and there was no
+question that she was admirably fitted to represent the club. Selma, who
+had not travelled a hundred miles beyond Benham in her life, was elated
+at the prospect of the expedition; so much so that she proudly recounted
+to Lewis the same evening the news of her appointment. It never occurred
+to her that he would wish to accompany her, and when he presently
+informed her that he had been wishing to go to Chicago on business for
+some time, and that the date proposed would suit him admirably, she was
+dumfounded. Half of the interest of the expedition would consist in
+travelling as an independent delegation. A husband would be in the way
+and spoil the savor of the occasion. It would never do, and so Selma
+proceeded to explain. She wished to go alone.
+
+"A pack of six women travel by themselves?" blurted Lewis. "Suppose
+there were an accident?" he added, after searching his brain for a less
+feeble argument.
+
+"We should either be killed or we shouldn't be," said Selma firmly. "We
+are perfectly well able to take care of ourselves. Women travel alone
+everywhere every-day--that is, intelligent American women."
+
+Lewis looked a little sad. "I thought, perhaps, it would seem nice for
+you to go with me, Selma. We haven't been off since we were married, and
+I can get away now just as well as not."
+
+"So it would have been if I weren't one of the delegation. I should
+think you would see, Lewis, that your coming is out of the question."
+
+So it proved. Selma set forth for Chicago on the appointed day, made
+many new acquaintances among the delegates, and was pleased to be
+introduced and referred to publicly as Mrs. Selma Babcock--a form of
+address to which she was unaccustomed at Benham. On the night before her
+departure, being in pleasant spirits, she told Lewis that her absence
+would do him good, and that he would appreciate her all the more on her
+return.
+
+She was to be gone a week. The first twenty-four hours passed gloomily
+for Babcock. Then he began to take notice. He noticed that the county
+fair was fixed for the following days. He had hoped to carry Selma
+there, but, as she was not to be had, it seemed to him sensible to get
+what enjoyment from it he could alone. Then it happened that a former
+companion of his bachelor days and his bachelor habits, a commercial
+traveller, whom he had not seen since his marriage, appeared on the
+scene.
+
+"The very man for me!" he ejaculated, jubilantly.
+
+The obscurity of this remark was presently made clear to his friend, who
+had hoped perhaps to enjoy a snug evening at Babcock's domestic hearth,
+but who was not averse to playing a different part--that of cheering up
+a father who had lost his baby, and whose wife had left him in the
+lurch. He assured Babcock that a regular old time outing--a shaking
+up--would do him good, and Babcock was ready to agree with him,
+intending thereby a free-handed two days at the fair. As has been
+intimated, his manner of life before marriage had not been
+irreproachable, but he had been glad of an opportunity to put an end to
+the mildly riotous and coarse bouts which disfigured his otherwise
+commonplace existence. He had no intention now of misbehaving himself,
+but he felt the need of being enlivened. His companion was a man who
+delighted in what he called a lark, and whose only method of insuring a
+lark was by starting in with whiskey and keeping it up. That had been
+also Babcock's former conception of a good time, and though he had dimly
+in mind that he was now a husband and church-member, he strove to
+conduct himself in such a manner as to maintain his self-respect without
+becoming a spoil sport.
+
+During the first day at the fair Babcock managed to preserve this nice
+distinction. On the second, he lost account of his conduct, and by the
+late afternoon was sauntering with his friend among the booths in the
+company of two suspicions looking women. With these same women the pair
+of revellers drove off in top buggies just before dusk, and vanished in
+the direction of the open country.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+Babcock returned to his home twenty-four hours later like a whipped cur.
+He was disgusted with himself. It seemed to him incredible that he
+should have fallen so low. He had sinned against his wife and his own
+self-respect without excuse; for it was no excuse that he had let
+himself be led to drink too much. His heart ached and his cheek burned
+at the recollection of his two days of debauchery. What was to be done?
+If only he were able to cut this ugly sore in his soul out with a knife
+and have done with it forever! But that was impossible. It stared him in
+the face, a haunting reality. In his distress he asked himself whether
+he would not go to Mr. Glynn and make a clean breast of it; but his
+practical instincts answered him that he would none the less have made a
+beast of himself. He held his head between his hands, and stared
+dejectedly at his desk. Some relief came to him at last only from the
+reflection that it was a single fault, and that it need never--it should
+never be repeated. Selma need not know, and he would henceforth avoid
+all such temptations. Terrible as it was, it was a slip, not a
+deliberate fault, and his love for his wife was not in question.
+
+Thus reasoning, he managed by the third day after his return to reach a
+less despondent frame of mind. While busy writing in his office a lady
+was announced, and looking up he encountered the meretricious smile of
+the courtesan with whom he had forgotten himself. She had taken a fancy
+to her victim, and having learned that he was well to do, she had come
+in order to establish, if possible, on a more permanent basis, her
+relations with him. She was a young woman, who had been drifting from
+place to place, and whose professional inclination for a protector was
+heightened by the liking which she had conceived for him. Babcock
+recalled in her smile merely his shame, and regarded her reappearance as
+effrontery. He was blind to her prettiness and her sentimental mood. He
+asked her roughly what she wanted, and rising from his chair, he bade
+her be gone before she had time to answer. Nine out of ten women of her
+class would have taken their dismissal lightly. Some might have answered
+back in tones loud enough to enlighten the clerks, and thus have
+accomplished a pretty revenge in the course of retreat. This particular
+Lesbian was in no humor to be harshly treated. She was a little
+desperate and Babcock had pleased her. It piqued her to be treated in
+such a fashion; accordingly, she held her ground and sat down. She tried
+upon him, alternately, irony and pathos. He was angry but confused under
+the first, he became savage and merciless under the second, throwing
+back in her teeth the suggestion of her fondness, and stigmatizing her
+coarsely. Then she became angry in her turn--angry as a woman whose
+proffered love is spurned. The method for revenge was obvious, and she
+told him plainly what she intended. His wife should know at once how her
+husband passed his time during her absence. She had posted herself, and
+she saw that her shaft hurt. Babcock winced, but mad and incredulous, he
+threatened her with arrest and drove her from the room. She went out
+smiling, but with an ominous look in her eyes, the remembrance of which
+made him ask himself now and again if she could be vicious enough, or
+fool enough, to keep her promise. He dismissed the idea as improbable;
+still the bare chance worried him. Selma was to arrive early the next
+morning, and he had reconciled himself to the conclusion that she need
+never know, and that he would henceforth be a faithful husband. Had he
+not given an earnest of his good faith in his reception of his visitor?
+Surely, no such untoward and unnatural accident would dash the cup of
+returning happiness from his lips. A more clever man would have gone
+straight to police headquarters, instead of trusting to chance.
+
+A night's rest reassured him as to the idleness of the threat, so that
+he was able to welcome Selma at the railroad station with a
+comparatively light heart. She was in high spirits over the success of
+her expedition, and yet graciously ready to admit that she was glad to
+return home--meaning thereby, to her own bed and bathing facilities; but
+the general term seemed to poor Lewis a declaration of wifely devotion.
+He went to his business with the mien of a man who had passed through an
+ordeal and is beginning life again; but when he returned at night, as
+soon as he beheld Selma, he suspected what had happened.
+
+She was awaiting him in the parlor. Though he saw at a glance that she
+looked grave, he went forward to kiss her, but she rose and, stepping
+behind the table, put out her hand forbiddingly.
+
+"What is the matter?" he faltered.
+
+"That woman has been here," was her slow, scornful response.
+
+"Selma, I--" A confusing sense of hopelessness as to what to say choked
+Babcock's attempt to articulate. There was a brief silence, while he
+looked at her imploringly and miserably.
+
+"Is it true what she says? Have you been false to your marriage vows?
+Have you committed adultery?"
+
+"My God! Selma, you don't understand."
+
+"It is an easy question to answer, yes or no?"
+
+"I forgot myself, Selma. I was drunk and crazy. I ask your pardon."
+
+She shook her head coldly. "I shall have nothing more to do with you. I
+cannot live with you any longer."
+
+"Not live with me?"
+
+"Would you live with me if it were I who had forgotten myself?"
+
+"I think I would, Selma. You don't understand. I was a brute. I have
+been wretched ever since. But it was a slip--an accident. I drank too
+much, and it happened. I love you, Selma, with all my heart. I have
+never been false to you in my affection."
+
+"It is a strange time to talk of affection. I went away for a week, and
+in my absence you insulted me by debauchery with a creature like that.
+Love? You have no conception of the meaning of the word. Oh no, I shall
+never live with you again."
+
+Babcock clinched his palms in his distress and walked up and down. She
+stood pale and determined looking into space. Presently he turned to her
+and asked with quiet but intense solicitude, "You don't mean that you're
+going to leave me for one fault, we being husband and wife and the
+little girl in her grave? I said you don't understand and you don't. A
+man's a man, and there are times when he's been drinking when he's
+liable to yield to temptation, and that though he's so fond of his wife
+that life without her would be misery. This sounds strange to a woman,
+and it's a poor excuse. But it ought to count, Selma, when it comes to a
+question of our separating. There would be happy years before us yet if
+you give me another chance."
+
+"Not happy years for me," she replied concisely. "The American woman
+does not choose to live with the sort of man you describe. She demands
+from her husband what he demands from her, faithfulness to the marriage
+tie. We could never be happy again. Our ideal of life is different. I
+have made excuses for you in other things, but my soul revolts at this."
+
+Babcock looked at her for a moment in silence, then he said, a little
+sternly, "You shouldn't have gone away and left me. I'm not blaming you,
+but you shouldn't have gone." He walked to the window but he saw
+nothing. His heart was racked. He had been eager to humiliate himself
+before her to prove his deep contrition, but he had come to the end of
+his resources, and yet she was adamant. Her charge that she had been
+making excuses for him hitherto reminded him that they had not been
+really sympathetic for some time past. With his back turned to her he
+heard her answer:
+
+"It was understood before I agreed to marry you that I was to be free to
+follow my tastes and interests. It is a paltry excuse that, because I
+left you alone for a week in pursuit of them, I am accessory to your
+sin."
+
+Babcock faced her sadly. "The sin's all mine," he said. "I can't deny
+that. But, Selma, I guess I've been pretty lonely ever since the baby
+died."
+
+"Lonely?" she echoed. "Then my leaving you will not matter so much.
+Here," she said, slipping off her wedding-ring, "this belongs to you."
+She remembered Mrs. Earle's proceeding, and though she had not yet
+decided what course to pursue in order to maintain her liberty, she
+regarded this as the significant and definite act. She held out the
+ring, but Babcock shook his head.
+
+"The law doesn't work as quick as that, nor the church either. You can
+get a divorce if you're set on it, Selma. But we're husband and wife
+yet."
+
+"Only the husk of our marriage is left. The spirit is dead," she said
+sententiously. "I am going away. I cannot pass another night in this
+house. If you will not take this ring, I shall leave it here."
+
+Babcock turned to hide the tears which blinded his eyes. Selma regarded
+him a moment gravely, then she laid her wedding-ring on the table and
+went from the room.
+
+She put her immediate belongings into a bag and left the house. She had
+decided to go to Mrs. Earle's lodgings where she would be certain to
+find shelter and sympathy. Were she to go to her aunt's she would be
+exposed to importunity on her husband's behalf from Mrs. Farley, who was
+partial to Lewis. Her mind was entirely made up that there could be no
+question of reconciliation. Her duty was plain; and she would be doing
+herself an injustice were she to continue to live with one so weak and
+regardless of the honor which she had a right to demand of the man to
+whom she had given her society and her body. His gross conduct had
+entitled her to her liberty, and to neglect to seize it would be to
+condemn herself to continuous unhappiness, for this overt act of his was
+merely a definite proof of the lack of sympathy between them, of which
+she had for some time been well aware at heart. As she walked along the
+street she was conscious that it was a relief to her to be sloughing off
+the garment of an uncongenial relationship and to be starting life
+afresh. There was nothing in her immediate surroundings from which she
+was not glad to escape. Their house was full of blemishes from the
+stand-point of her later knowledge, and she yearned to dissociate
+herself, once and for all, from the trammels of her pitiful mistake. She
+barely entertained the thought that she was without means. She would
+have to support herself, of course, but it never occurred to her to
+doubt her ability to do so, and the necessity added a zest to her
+decision. It would be plain sailing, for Mrs. Earle had more than once
+invited her to send copy to the _Benham Sentinel_, and there was no form
+of occupation which would be more to her liking than newspaper work. It
+was almost with the mien of a prisoner escaped from jail that she walked
+in upon her friend and said:
+
+"I have left my husband. He has been unfaithful to me."
+
+In Mrs. Earle, conventional feminine instincts were apt, before she had
+time to think, to get the upper hand of her set theories. "You, poor,
+poor child," she cried extending her arms.
+
+Selma had not intended to weep. Still the opportunity was convenient,
+and her nerves were on edge. She found herself sobbing with her head on
+Mrs. Earle's, bosom, and telling her sad story.
+
+"He was never good enough for you. I have always said so," Mrs. Earle
+murmured stroking her hair.
+
+"I ought to have known from the first that it was impossible for us to
+be happy. Why did I ever marry him? He said he loved me, and I let
+myself be badgered into it," Selma answered through her tears. "Well,
+it's all over now," she added, sitting up and drying her eyes. "He has
+given me back my liberty. I am a free woman."
+
+"Yes, dear, if you are perfectly sure of yourself, there is only one
+course to pursue. Only you should consider the matter solemnly. Perhaps
+in a few days, after he has apologized and shown proper contrition, you
+might feel willing to give him another chance."
+
+Selma was unprepared for Mrs. Earle's sentimentality. "Surely," she
+exclaimed with tragic earnestness, "you wouldn't have me live with him
+after what occurred? Contrition? He said everything he could think of to
+get me to stay, but I made my decision then and there."
+
+Mrs. Earle put her own handkerchief to her eyes. "Women have forgiven
+such things; but I respect you all the more for not being weak. I know
+how you feel. It is hard to do, but if I had it to do over again, I
+would act just the same--just the same. It's a serious responsibility to
+encourage any one to desert a home, but under the circumstances I would
+not live with him another minute, my child--not another minute."
+Thereupon Mrs. Earle protruded her bosom to celebrate the triumph of
+justice in her own mental processes over conventional and maudlin
+scruples. "You will apply for a divorce, I suppose?"
+
+"I have not considered that. All I care for is never to see him again."
+
+"Oh yes, you must get a divorce. It is much better, you know. In my case
+I couldn't, for he did nothing public. A divorce settles matters, and
+puts you back where you were before. You might wish some day to marry
+again."
+
+"I have had enough of marriage."
+
+"It isn't any harm to be a free woman--free in the eye of the law as
+well as of conscience. I know an excellent lawyer--a Mr. Lyons, a
+sympathetic and able man. Besides your husband is bound to support you.
+You must get alimony."
+
+"I wouldn't touch a dollar of his money," Selma answered with scorn. "I
+intend to support myself. I shall write--work."
+
+"Of course you will, dear; and it will be a boon and a blessing to me to
+have you in our ranks--one of the new army of self-supporting,
+self-respecting women. I suppose you are right. I have never had a
+sixpence. But your husband deserves to be punished. Perhaps it is
+punishment enough to lose you."
+
+"He will get over that. It is enough for me," she exclaimed, ardently,
+after a dreamy pause, "that I am separated from him forever--that I am
+free--free--free."
+
+A night's sleep served to intensify Selma's determination, and she awoke
+clearly of the opinion that a divorce was desirable. Why remain fettered
+by a bare legal tie to one who was a husband only in name? Accordingly,
+in company with Mrs. Earle, she visited the office of James O. Lyons,
+and took the initiatory steps to dissolve the marriage.
+
+Mr. Lyons was a large, full-bodied man of thirty-five, with a fat,
+cleanly-shaven, cherubic countenance, an aspect of candor, and keen,
+solemn eyes. His manner was impressive and slightly pontificial; his
+voice resonant and engaging. He knew when to joke and when to be grave
+as an owl. He wore in every-day life a shiny, black frock-coat, a
+standing collar, which yawned at the throat, and a narrow, black tie.
+His general effect was that of a cross between a parson and a shrewd
+Yankee--a happy suggestion of righteous, plain, serious-mindedness,
+protected against the wiles of human society--and able to protect
+others--by a canny intelligence. For a young man he had already a
+considerable clientage. A certain class of people, notably the
+hard-headed, God-fearing, felt themselves safe in his hands. His
+magnetic yet grave manner of conducting business pleased Benham,
+attracting also both the distressed and the bilious portions of the
+community, and the farmers from the surrounding country. As Mrs. Earle
+informed Selma, he was in sympathy with all progressive and stimulating
+ideas, and he already figured in the newspapers politically, and before
+the courts as a friend of the masses, and a fluent advocate of social
+reforms. His method of handling Selma's case was smooth. To begin with,
+he was sympathetic within proper limits, giving her tacitly to
+understand that, though as a man and brother, he deplored the necessity
+of extreme measures, he recognized that she had made up her mind, and
+that compromise was out of the question. To put it concisely, his manner
+was grieved, but practical. He told her that he would represent to
+Babcock the futility of contesting a cause, which, on the evidence, must
+be hopeless, and that, in all probability, the matter could be disposed
+of easily and without publicity. He seemed to Selma a very sensible and
+capable man, and it was agreeable to her to feel that he appreciated
+that, though divorce in the abstract was deplorable, her experience
+justified and called for the protection of the law.
+
+In the meantime Babcock was very unhappy, and was casting about for a
+method to induce his wife to return. He wrote to her a pitiful letter,
+setting forth once more the sorry facts in the best light which he could
+bring to bear on them, and implored her forgiveness. He applied to her
+aunt, Mrs. Farley, and got her to supplement his plea with her
+good-natured intervention. "There are lots of men like that," she
+confided to Selma, "and he's a kind, devoted creature." When this
+failed, he sought Rev. Mr. Glynn as a last resort, and, after he had
+listened to a stern and fervid rating from the clergyman on the lust of
+the flesh, he found his pastor on his side. Mr. Glynn was opposed to
+divorce on general ecclesiastical principles; moreover, he had been
+educated under the law of England, by which a woman cannot obtain a
+divorce from her husband for the cause of adultery unless it be coupled
+with cruelty--a clever distinction between the sexes, which was
+doubtless intended as a cloak for occasional lapses on the part of man.
+It was plain to him, as a Christian and as a hearty soul, that there had
+been an untoward accident--a bestial fault, a soul-debasing carnal sin,
+but still an accident, and hence to be forgiven by God and woman. It was
+his duty to interfere; and so, having disciplined the husband, he
+essayed the more delicate matter of propitiating the wife. And he
+essayed it without a thought of failure.
+
+"I'm afraid she's determined to leave me, and that there's not much
+hope," said Babcock, despondently, as he gripped the clergyman's hand in
+token of his gratitude.
+
+"Nonsense, my man," asserted Mr. Glynn briskly. "All she needs is an
+exhortation from me, and she will take you back."
+
+Selma was opposed to divorce in theory. That is, she had accepted on
+trust the traditional prejudice against it as she had accepted
+Shakespeare and Boston. But theory stood for nothing in her regard
+before the crying needs of her own experience. She had not the least
+intention of living with her husband again. No one could oblige her to
+do that. In addition, the law offered her a formal escape from his
+control and name. Why not avail herself of it? She recollected, besides,
+that her husband's church recognized infidelity as a lawful ground of
+release from the so-called sacrament of marriage. This had come into her
+mind as an additional sanction to her own decision. But it had not
+contributed to that decision. Consequently, when she was confronted in
+Mrs. Earle's lodgings by the errand of Mr. Glynn, she felt that his
+coming was superfluous. Still, she was glad of the opportunity to
+measure ideas with him in a thorough interview free from interruption.
+
+Mr. Glynn's confidence was based on his intention to appeal to the ever
+womanly quality of pity. He expected to encounter some resistance, for
+indisputably here was a woman whose sensibilities had been justly and
+severely shocked--a woman of finer tissue than her husband, as he had
+noted in other American couples. She was entitled to her day in
+court--to a stubborn, righteous respite of indignation. But he expected
+to carry the day in the end, amid a rush of tears, with which his own
+might be mingled. He trusted to what he regarded as the innate
+reluctance of the wife to abandon the man she loved, and to the leaven
+of feminine Christian charity.
+
+As a conscientious hater of sin, he did not attempt to minimize
+Babcock's act or the insult put upon her. That done, he was free to
+intercede fervently for him and to extol the virtue and the advisability
+of forgiveness. This plea, however cogent, was narrow, and once stated
+admitted merely of duplication in the same form. It was indeed no
+argument, merely an appeal, and, in proportion as it failed to move the
+listener, became feeble. Selma listened to him with a tense face, her
+hands clasped before her in the guise of an interested and
+self-scrutinizing spirit. But she betrayed no sign of yielding, or
+symptom of doubt. She shook her head once or twice as he proceeded, and,
+when he paused, asked why she should return to a man who had broken
+faith with her; asked it in such a genuine tone of conviction that Dr.
+Glynn realized the weakness of his own case, and became slightly nettled
+at the same time.
+
+"True," he said, rather sternly, "your husband has committed a hideous,
+carnal sin, but he is genuinely repentant. Do you wish to ruin his life
+forever?"
+
+"His life?" said Selma. "It would ruin my life to return to him. I have
+other plans--plans which will bring me happiness. I could never be happy
+with him."
+
+The clergyman was baffled. Other plans! The words offended him, and yet
+he could not dispute her right to do as she chose. Still he saw fit to
+murmur: "He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his
+life for my sake shall find it."
+
+Selma flushed. To be accused of acting contrary to Christian precepts
+was painful and surprising to her. "Mr. Glynn," she said, "I see you
+don't understand. My husband and I ought never to have married. It has
+all been a dreadful mistake. We have not the same tastes and interests.
+I am sorry for him, but I can never consent to return to him. To do so
+would condemn us both to a life of unhappiness. We were not intended for
+husband and wife, and it is best--yes, more Christian--for us to
+separate. We American women do not feel justified in letting a mistake
+ruin our lives when there is a chance to escape."
+
+Mr. Glynn regarded her in silence for a moment. He was accustomed to
+convince, and he had not succeeded, which to a clergyman is more
+annoying than to most men. Still what she said made his plea seem
+doubtful wisdom.
+
+"Then you do not love your husband?" he said.
+
+"No," said Selma quietly, "I do not love him. It is best to be frank
+with one's self--with you, in such a matter, isn't it? So you see that
+what you ask is out of the question."
+
+Mr. Glynn rose. Clearly his mission had failed, and there was nothing
+more to be said. Being a just man, he hesitated to pass an unkind
+judgment on this bright-faced, pensive woman. She was within her moral
+rights, and he must be careful to keep within his. But he went away
+bewildered and discomfited. Selma would have liked to dismiss the
+subject and keep him longer. She would have been glad to branch off on
+to other ethical topics and discuss them. She was satisfied with the
+result of the interview, for she had vindicated her position and spiked
+Lewis's last gun.
+
+So, indeed, it proved. Mr. Glynn sent for Babcock and told him the naked
+truth, that his wife's love for him was dead and reconciliation
+impossible. He properly refrained from expressing the doubt lurking in
+his own mind as to whether Selma had ever loved her husband. Thus
+convinced of the hopelessness of his predicament, Babcock agreed to Mr.
+Lyons's suggestion not to contest the legal proceedings. The lawyer had
+been diligent, and the necessary evidence--the testimony of the
+woman--was secure. She was ready to carry her revenge to the end,
+hoping, perhaps, that the victim of it would return to her when he had
+lost his wife. Accordingly, a few weeks later, Selma was granted a
+divorce nisi and the right to resume her maiden name. She had decided,
+however, to retain the badge of marriage as a decorous social prefix,
+and to call herself Mrs. Selma White.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+The consciousness that she was dependent for the means of support solely
+on her own exertions was a genuine pleasure to Selma, and she applied
+herself with confidence and enthusiasm to the problem of earning her
+livelihood. She had remained steadfast to her decision to accept nothing
+from her husband except the legal costs of the proceedings, though Mr.
+Lyons explained to her that alimony was a natural and moral increment of
+divorce. Still, after her refusal, he informed her as a man and a friend
+that he respected and admired the independence of her action, which was
+an agreeable tribute. She had fixed definitely on newspaper work as the
+most inviting and congenial form of occupation. She believed herself to
+be well fitted for it. It would afford her an immediate income, and it
+would give her the opportunity which she craved for giving public
+expression to her ideas and fixing attention on herself. There was room
+for more than one Mrs. Earle in Benham, for Benham was growing and
+wide-awake and on the alert for originality of any kind--especially in
+the way of reportorial and journalistic cleverness. Selma had no
+intention of becoming a second Mrs. Earle. That is, she promised herself
+to follow, but not to follow blindly; to imitate judiciously, but to
+improve on a gradually diverging line of progress. This was mere
+generalization as yet. It was an agreeable seething brain consciousness
+for future development. For the moment, however, she counted on Mrs.
+Earle to obtain for her a start by personal influence at the office of
+the _Benham Sentinel_. This was provided forthwith in the form of an
+invitation to prepare a weekly column under the caption of "What Women
+Wear;" a summary of passing usages in clothes. The woman reporter in
+charge of it had just died. Selma's first impulse was to decline the
+work as unworthy of her abilities, yet she was in immediate need of
+employment to avoid running in debt and she was assured by Mrs. Earle
+that she would be very foolish to reject such an offer. Reflection
+caused her to think more highly of the work itself. It would afford her
+a chance to explain to the women of Benham, and indirectly to the
+country at large, that taste in dress was not necessarily inconsistent
+with virtue and serious intentions--a truth of which she herself had
+become possessed since her marriage and which it seemed to her might be
+utilized delightfully in her department. She would endeavor to treat
+dress from the standpoint of ethical responsibility to society, and to
+show that both extravagance and dowdy homeliness were to be avoided.
+Clothes in themselves had grown to be a satisfaction to her, and any
+association of vanity would be eliminated by the introduction of a
+serious artistic purpose into a weekly commentary concerning them.
+Accordingly she accepted the position and entered upon its duties with
+grave zeal.
+
+For each of these contributions Selma was to receive eight dollars--four
+hundred a year, which she hoped to expand to a thousand by creative
+literary production--preferably essays and poetry. She hired a room in
+the same neighborhood as Mrs. Earle, in the boarding-house district
+appurtenant to Central Avenue--that is to say, on the ragged edge of
+Benham's social artery, and set up her new household gods. The interest
+of preparing the first paper absorbed her to the exclusion of everything
+else. She visited all the dress-making and dry-goods establishments in
+town, examined, at a hint from Mrs. Earle, the fashion departments of
+the New York papers, and then, pen in hand, gave herself up to her
+subject. The result seemed to her a happy blending of timely philosophy
+and suggestions as to toilette, and she took it in person to the editor.
+He saw fit to read it on the spot. His brow wrinkled at first and he
+looked dubious. He re-read it and said with some gusto, "It's a novelty,
+but I guess they'll like it. Our women readers have been used to fashion
+notes which are crisp and to the point, and the big houses expect to
+have attention called to the goods they wish to sell. If you'll run over
+this again and set your cold facts in little paragraphs by themselves
+every now and then, I shouldn't wonder if the rest were a sort of
+lecture course which will catch them. It's a good idea. Next time you
+could work in a pathetic story--some references to a dead
+baby--verses--anecdotes--a little variety. You perceive the idea?"
+
+"Oh, yes," said Selma, appropriately sober at the allusion yet ecstatic.
+"That's just what I should like to do. It would give me more scope. I
+wish my articles to be of real use--to help people to live better, and
+to dress better."
+
+"That's right, that's right; and if they make the paper sell, we'll know
+that folks like them," responded the editor with Delphic urbanity.
+
+The first article was a success. That is, Selma's method was not
+interfered with, and she had the satisfaction of reading in the
+_Sentinel_ during the week an item calling gratified attention to the
+change in its "What Women Wear" column, and indicating that it would
+contain new features from week to week. It gave her a pleasant thrill to
+see her name, "Selma White," signed at the end of the printed column,
+and she set to work eagerly to carry out the editor's suggestions. At
+the same time she tried her hand at a short story--the story of an
+American girl who went to Paris to study art, refused to alter her mode
+of life to suit foreign ideas of female propriety, displayed exceptional
+talent as an artist, and finally married a fine-spirited young American,
+to the utter discomfiture of a French member of the nobility, who had
+begun by insulting her and ended with making her an offer of marriage.
+This she sent to the _Eagle_, the other Benham newspaper, for its Sunday
+edition.
+
+It took her a month to compose this story, and after a week she received
+it back with a memorandum to the effect that it was one-half too long,
+but intimating that in a revised form it would be acceptable. This was a
+little depressing, especially as it arrived at a time when the novelty
+of her occupation had worn off and she was realizing the limitations of
+her present life. She had begun to miss the advantages of a free purse
+and the importance of a domestic establishment. She possessed her
+liberty, and was fulfilling her mission as a social force, but her life
+had been deprived of some of its savor, and, though she was thankful to
+be rid of Babcock, she felt the lack of an element of personal devotion
+to herself, an element which was not to be supplied by mere admiration
+on the part of Mrs. Earle and the other members of the Institute. It did
+not suit her not to be able to gratify her growing taste in clothes and
+in other lines of expenditure, and there were moments when she
+experienced the need of being petted and made much of by a man. She was
+conscious of loneliness, and in this mood she pitied herself as a victim
+of untoward circumstances, one who had wasted the freshness of her young
+life, and missed the happiness which the American wife is apt to find
+waiting for her. Under the spell of this nostalgia she wrote a poem
+entitled "The Bitter Sweets of Solitude," and disposed of it for five
+dollars to the _Sentinel_. The price shocked her, for the verses seemed
+flesh of her flesh. Still, five dollars was better than nothing, and she
+discerned from the manner of the newspaper editor that he cared little
+whether she left them or not. It was on that evening that she received a
+letter from Littleton, stating that he was on the eve of leaving New
+York for Benham. He was coming to consult concerning certain further
+interior decorations which the committee had decided to add to the
+church.
+
+Selma's nerves vibrated blissfully as she read the news. For some
+reason, which she had never seen fit definitely to define, she had
+chosen not to acquaint Littleton with the fact of her divorce. Their
+letters had been infrequent during the last six months, for this visit
+had been impending, having been put off from time to time because the
+committee had been dilatory and he otherwise engaged. Perhaps her secret
+motive had been to surprise him, to let him find himself confronted with
+an accomplished fact, which would obviate argument and reveal her
+established in her new career, a happy, independent citizen, without
+ties. At any rate she smiled now at the address on the envelope--Mrs.
+Lewis Babcock. Obviously he was still in the dark as to the truth, and
+it would be her privilege to enlighten him. She began to wonder what
+would be the upshot of his coming, and tears came to her eyes, tears of
+self-congratulation that the narrow tenor of her daily life was to be
+irradiated by a sympathetic spirit.
+
+When Littleton duly appeared at the committee meeting on the following
+day, Selma saw at a glance that he was unaware of what had happened. He
+looked slightly puzzled when one of the members addressed her as Mrs.
+White, but evidently he regarded this as a slip of the tongue. Selma
+looked, as she felt, contented and vivacious. She had dressed herself
+simply, but with effective trigness. To those who knew her experience,
+her appearance indicated courage and becoming self-respect. Public
+opinion, even as embodied in the church committee, while deploring the
+necessity, was not disposed to question the propriety of her action.
+That is, all except Mrs. Taylor. In her, Selma thought she had detected
+signs of coldness, a sort of suspicious reservation of judgment, which
+contrasted itself unpleasantly with the sympathetic attitude of the
+others, who were fain to refer to her, in not altogether muffled
+whispers, as a plucky, independent, little woman. Hence, she was glad
+that Mrs. Taylor happened to be detained at home by illness on this
+afternoon, and that, accordingly, she was free to enjoy unreservedly the
+dramatic nature of the situation. Her heart beat a little faster as the
+chairman, turning to her to ask a question, addressed her unmistakably
+as Mrs. White. She could not refrain from casting half-amused,
+half-pathetic sheep's eyes at Littleton. He started visibly, regarded
+her for, a moment in obvious amazement, then flushed to the roots of his
+hair. She felt the blood rising to her own cheeks, and a sensation of
+mild triumph. The meeting was over and the members were merely lingering
+to tie up the loose threads of the matter arranged for. In a few moments
+Selma found herself with the architect sufficiently apart from the
+others for him to ask:
+
+"Two persons have addressed you this afternoon as Mrs. White. I do not
+understand."
+
+She cast down her eyes, as a woman will when a question of modesty is
+involved, then she raised them and said: "You did not know, then, that I
+had left my husband?"
+
+"Left him?"
+
+"Yes. I have obtained a divorce. He was unfaithful to me."
+
+"I see"--said Littleton with a sort of gasp--"I see. I did not know. You
+never wrote to me."
+
+"I did not feel like writing to any body. There was nothing to be done
+but that."
+
+Littleton regarded her with a perturbed, restless air.
+
+"Then you live no longer at 25 Onslow Avenue?"
+
+"Oh, no. I left there more than six months ago. I live in lodgings. I am
+supporting myself by literary work. I am Mrs. Selma White now, and my
+divorce has been absolute more than a month."
+
+She spoke gravely and quietly, with less than her usual assurance, for
+she felt the spell of his keen, eager scrutiny and was not averse to
+yield at the moment to the propensity of her sex. She wondered what he
+was thinking about. Did he blame her? Did he sympathize with her?
+
+"Where are you going when you leave here?" he asked.
+
+"Home--to my new home. Will you walk along with me?"
+
+"That is what I should like. I am astonished by what you have told me,
+and am anxious to hear more about it, if to speak of it would not wound
+you. Divorced! How you must have suffered! And I did not have the chance
+to offer you my help--my sympathy."
+
+"Yes, I have suffered. But that is all over now. I am a free woman. I am
+beginning my life over again."
+
+It was a beautiful afternoon, and by mutual consent, which neither put
+into words, they diverged from the exact route to Selma's lodging house
+and turned their steps to the open country beyond the city limits--the
+picturesque dell which has since become the site of Benham's public
+park. There they seated themselves where they would not be interrupted.
+Selma told him on the way the few vital facts in her painful story, to
+which he listened in a tense silence, broken chiefly by an occasional
+ejaculation expressive of his contempt for the man who had brought such
+unhappiness upon her. She let him understand, too, that her married
+life, from the first, had been far less happy than he had
+imagined--wretched makeshift for the true relation of husband and wife.
+She spoke of her future buoyantly, yet with a touch of sadness, as
+though to indicate that she was aware that the triumphs of intelligence
+and individuality could not entirely be a substitute for a happy home.
+
+"And what do you expect to do?" he inquired in a bewildered fashion, as
+though her delineation of her hopes had been lost on him.
+
+"Do? Support myself by my own exertions, as I have told you. By writing
+I expect. I am doing very well already. Do you question my ability to
+continue?"
+
+"Oh, no; not that. Only--"
+
+"Only what? Surely you are not one of the men who grudge women the
+chance to prove what is in them--who would treat us like china dolls and
+circumscribe us by conventions? I know you are not, because I have heard
+you inveigh against that very sort of narrow mindedness. Only what?"
+
+"I can't make up my mind to it. And I suppose the reason is that it
+means so much to me--that you mean so much to me. What is the use of my
+dodging the truth, Selma--seeking to conceal it because such a short
+time has elapsed since you ceased to be a wife? Forgive me if I hurt
+you, if it seem indelicate to speak of love at the very moment when you
+are happy in your liberty. I can't help it; it's my nature to speak
+openly. And there's no bar now. The fact that you are free makes clear
+to me what I have not dared to countenance before, that you are the one
+woman in the world for me--the woman I have dreamed of--and longed to
+meet--the woman whose influence has blessed me already, and without whom
+I shall lack the greatest happiness which life can give. Selma, I love
+you--I adore you."
+
+Selma listened with greedy ears, which she could scarcely believe. It
+seemed to her that she was in dream-land, so unexpected, yet entrancing,
+was his avowal. She had been vaguely aware that he admired her more than
+he had allowed himself to disclose, and conscious, too, that his
+presence was agreeable to her; but in an instant now she recognized that
+this was love--the love she had sought, the love she had yearned to
+inspire and to feel. Compared with it, Babcock's clumsy ecstasy and her
+own sufferance of it had been a sham and a delusion. Of so much she was
+conscious in a twinkling, and yet what she deemed proper self-respect
+restrained her from casting herself into his arms. It was, indeed, soon,
+and she had been happy in her liberty. At least, she had supposed
+herself so; and she owed it to her own plans and hopes not to act
+hastily, though she knew what she intended to do. She had been lonely,
+yes starving, for lack of true companionship, and here was the soul
+which would be a true mate to hers.
+
+They were sitting on a grassy bank. He was bending toward her with
+clasped hands, a picture of fervor. She could see him out of the corner
+of her glance, though she looked into space with her gaze of seraphic
+worry. Yet her lips were ready to lend themselves to a smile of blissful
+satisfaction and her eyes to fill with the melting mood of the thought
+that at last happiness had come to her.
+
+The silence was very brief, but Littleton, as would have seemed fitting
+to her, feared lest she were shocked.
+
+"I distress you," he said. "Forgive me. Listen--will you listen?" Selma
+was glad to listen. The words of love, such love as this, were
+delicious, and she felt she owed it to herself not to be won too easily.
+"I am listening," she answered softly with the voice of one face to face
+with an array of doubts.
+
+"Before I met you, Selma, woman but was a name to me. My life brought me
+little into contact with them, except my dear sister, and I had no
+temptation to regret that I could not support a wife. Yet I dreamed of
+woman and of love and of a joy which might some day come to me if I
+could meet one who fulfilled my ideal of what a true woman should be. So
+I dreamed until I met you. The first time I saw you, Selma, I knew in my
+heart that you were a woman whom I could love. Perhaps I should have
+recognized more clearly as time went on that you were more to me even
+then than I had a right to allow; yet I call heaven to witness that I
+did not, by word or sign, do a wrong to him who has done such a cruel
+wrong to you."
+
+"Never by word or sign," echoed Selma solemnly. The bare suggestion that
+Babcock had cause to complain of either of them seemed to her
+preposterous. Yet she was saying to herself that it was easy to perceive
+that he had loved her from the first.
+
+"And since I love you with all my soul must I--should I in justice to
+myself--to my own hopes of happiness, refrain from speaking merely
+because you have so recently been divorced? I must speak--I am speaking.
+It is too soon, I dare say, for you to be willing to think of marriage
+again--but I offer you the love and protection of a husband. My means
+are small, but I am able now to support a wife in decent comfort. Selma,
+give me some hope. Tell me, that in time you may be willing to trust
+yourself to my love. You wish to work--to distinguish yourself. Would I
+be a hindrance to that? Indeed, you must know that I would do every
+thing in my power to promote your desire to be of service to the world."
+
+The time for her smile and her tears had come. He had argued his case
+and her own, and it was clear to her mind that delay would be futile.
+Since happiness was at hand, why not grasp it? As for her work, he need
+not interfere with that. And, after all, now that she had tried it, was
+she so sure that newspaper work--hack work, such as she was pursuing,
+was what she wished? As a wife, re-established in the security of a
+home, she could pick and choose her method of expression. Perhaps,
+indeed, it would not be writing, except occasionally. Was not New York a
+wide, fruitful field, for a reforming social influence? She saw herself
+in her mind's eye a leader of movements and of progress. And that with a
+man she loved--yes, adored even as he adored her.
+
+So she turned to Littleton with her smile and in tears--the image of
+bewitching but pathetic self-justification and surrender. Her mind was
+made up; hence why procrastinate and coyly postpone the desirable, and
+the inevitable? That was what she had the shrewdness to formulate in the
+ecstasy of her transport; and so eloquent was the mute revelation of her
+love that Littleton, diffident reverencer of the modesty of woman as he
+was, without a word from her clasped her to his breast, a victor in a
+breath. As, regardless of the possible invasion of interlopers, he took
+her in his embrace, she felt with satisfaction once more the grasp of
+masculine arms. She let her head fall on his shoulder in delighted
+contentment. While he murmured in succession inarticulate terms of
+endearment, she revelled in the thrill of her nerves and approved her
+own sagacious and commendable behavior.
+
+"Dearest," she whispered, "you are right. We are right. Since we love
+each other, why should we not say so? I love you--I love you. The ugly
+hateful past shall not keep us apart longer. You say you loved me from
+the first; so did I love you, though I did not know it then. We were
+meant for each other--God meant us--did he not? It is right, and we
+shall be so happy, Wilbur."
+
+"Yes, Selma." Words seemed to him an inadequate means for expressing his
+emotions. He pressed his lips upon hers with the adoring respect of a
+worshipper touching his god, yet with the energy of a man. She sighed
+and compared him in her thought with Babcock. How gentle this new lover!
+How refined and sensitive and appreciative! How intelligent and
+gentlemanly!
+
+"If I had my wish, darling," he said, "we should be married to-night and
+I would carry you away from here forever."
+
+She remembered that Babcock had uttered the same wish on the occasion
+when he had offered himself. To grant it then had been out of the
+question. To do so now would be convenient--a prompt and satisfactory
+blotting out of her past and present life--a happy method of solving
+many minor problems of ways and means connected with waiting to be
+married. Besides it would be romantic, and a delicious, fitting crowning
+of her present blissful mood.
+
+He mistook her silence for womanly scruples, and he recounted with a
+little laugh the predicament in which he should find himself on his own
+account were they to be so precipitate. "What would my sister think if
+she were to get a telegram--'Married to-night. Expect us to-morrow?' She
+would think I had lost my senses. So I have, darling; and you are the
+cause. She knows about you. I have talked to her about you."
+
+"But she thinks I am Mrs. Babcock."
+
+"Oh yes. Ha! ha! It would never do to state to whom I was married,
+unless I sent a telegram as long as my arm. Dear Pauline! She will be
+radiant. It is all arranged that she is to stay where she is in the old
+quarters, and I am to take you to a new house. We've decided on that,
+time and again, when we've chanced to talk of what might happen--of 'the
+fair, the chaste and unexpressive she'--my she. Dearest, I wondered if I
+should ever find her. Pauline has always said that she would never run
+the risk of spoiling everything by living with us."
+
+"It would be very nice--and very simple," responded Selma, slowly. "You
+wouldn't think any the worse of me, Wilbur, if I were to marry you
+to-night?"
+
+"The worse of you? It is what I would like of all things. Whom does it
+concern but us? Why should we wait in order to make a public spectacle
+of ourselves?"
+
+"I shouldn't wish that. I should insist on being married very quietly.
+Under all the circumstances there is really no reason--it seems to me it
+would be easier if we were to be married as soon as possible. It would
+avoid explanations and talk, wouldn't it? That is, if you are perfectly
+sure."
+
+"Sure? That I love you? Oh Selma!"
+
+She shut her eyes under the thrill which his kiss gave her. "Then we
+will be married whenever you wish," she said.
+
+It was already late in the afternoon, so that the prospects of obtaining
+a license did not seem favorable. Still it happened that Littleton knew
+a clergyman of his own faith--Unitarian--in Benham, a college classmate,
+whom he suggested as soon as he understood that Selma preferred not to
+be married by Mr. Glynn. They found him at home, and by diligent
+personal effort on his part the necessary legal forms were complied with
+and they were made husband and wife three hours before the departure of
+the evening train for New York. After the ceremony they stepped
+buoyantly, arm in arm in the dusk, along the street to send the telegram
+to Miss Littleton, and to snatch a hasty meal before Selma went to her
+lodgings to pack. There were others in the restaurant, so having
+discovered that they were not hungry, they bought sandwiches and
+bananas, and resumed their travels. The suddenness and surprise of it
+all made Selma feel as if on wings. It seemed to her to be of the
+essence of new and exquisite romance to be walking at the side of her
+fond, clever lover in the democratic simplicity of two paper bags of
+provender and an open, yet almost headlong marriage. She felt that at
+last she was yoked to a spirit who comprehended her and who would
+stimulate instead of repress the fire of originality within her. She had
+found love and she was happy. Meanwhile she had decided to leave Benham
+without a word to anyone, even Mrs. Earle. She would write and explain
+what had happened.
+
+
+
+
+BOOK II.
+
+THE STRUGGLE
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+Littleton had not expected that Selma would accede to his request to be
+married at once, but he was delighted at her decision. He had uttered
+his wish in sincerity, for there was really no reason for waiting, and
+by an immediate marriage they would escape the tedium of an engagement
+during which they could hope to see each other but rarely. He was able
+to support a wife provided they were to live simply and economically. He
+felt sure that Selma understood his circumstances and was no less ready
+than he to forego luxuries in order that they might be all in all to
+each other spiritually as husband and wife. Besides he had hopes that
+his clientage would continue to grow so that he would be able to provide
+all reasonable comforts for his new home. Consequently he drove up from
+the station in New York with a light heart, fondly pointing out to his
+wife this and that building and other objects of interest. He mistook
+her pensive silence for diffidence at the idea of descending suddenly on
+another woman's home--a matter which in this instance gave him no
+concern, for he had unlimited confidence in Pauline's executive ability
+and her tendency not to get ruffled. She had been his good angel,
+domestically speaking, and, indeed, in every way, since they had first
+begun to keep house together, and it had rather amused him to let fall
+such a bombshell as the contents of his telegram upon the regularity of
+her daily life.
+
+"Don't be nervous, darling," he said gayly. "You will find Pauline
+bubbling over with joy at our coming, and everything arranged as though
+we were expected to live there all our lives."
+
+Selma looked at him blankly and then remembered. She was not feeling
+nervous, and Pauline was not in her thoughts. She had been lost in her
+own reflections--lost in the happy consciousness of the contrast between
+her new and her old husband, and in the increasing satisfaction that she
+was actually in New York. How bright and busy the streets looked! The
+throng of eager passers and jostling vehicles against the background of
+brilliant shop-windows bewildered and stimulated her. She was saying to
+herself that here was the place where she was suited to live, and mutely
+acknowledging its superiority to Benham as a centre of life. This was a
+rash, swift conclusion, but Selma prided herself on her capacity to
+arrive at wise judgments by rapid mental processes. So absorbed was she
+in the glittering, stirring panorama that Wilbur's efforts at
+enlightenment were practically wasted. She was in no humor for details;
+she was glorying in the exalted impression which the whole vivid scene
+produced upon her.
+
+His remark caused her to realize that they must be near their
+destination. She had no misgivings on the score of her own reception,
+but she was interested and curious to see Pauline, this wonderful sister
+of whom Wilbur was so fond and so proud. Then her husband cried, "Here
+we are!" and in another moment she found herself in the hearty embrace
+of a large, comely woman who met her at the door. This of course must be
+Pauline. Selma was just a little shocked by the fervor of the greeting;
+for though she delighted in rapid intimacies, unexpected liberties with
+her person were contrary to her conceptions of propriety. Still it was
+delightful to be welcomed so heartily. She returned the embrace warmly
+but with dignity, and allowed herself to be convoyed into the house arm
+in arm with her new relation who seemed, indeed, to be bubbling over
+with joy. It was not until they were in the same room that Selma could
+get a good look at her.
+
+Pauline Littleton was fine looking rather than pretty. She was tall and
+substantial, with an agreeable face, an intelligent brow, a firm yet
+sweet mouth, and steady, honest eyes which now sparkled with pleasure.
+Her physique was very different from her brother's. Selma noticed that
+she was taller than herself and only a little shorter than Wilbur. She
+had Wilbur's smile too, suggesting a disposition to take things
+humorously; but her expression lacked the poetic cast which made him so
+attractive and congenial to herself and excused the existence of the
+lighter vein. Selma did not admire women who were inclined to be stout.
+She associated spareness of person with high thinking, and an abundance
+of flesh as an indication of material or commonplace aims. She reflected
+that Pauline was presumably business-like and a good house-keeper, and,
+very likely, an industrious teacher in her classes, but she set her down
+in her mind as deficient in the finer sensibilities of the spirit
+belonging to herself and Wilbur. It was instinctive with Selma to form a
+prompt estimate of every one she met, and it was a relief to her to come
+to the agreeable conclusion that there was nothing in her
+sister-in-law's appearance to make her discontented with herself. This
+warmed her heart at once toward Pauline. To be sure Pauline manifested
+the same sort of social grace which distinguished Mrs. Hallett Taylor,
+but Selma, though she still regarded this with suspicion, for the reason
+that she had not yet become mistress of it, was secretly content to know
+that she had married into a family which possessed it. Altogether she
+was agreeably impressed by her scrutiny of her new sister, who, in her
+opinion, would not be an irritating rival either in looks or character,
+and yet who was a pleasing and sufficiently serious-minded person--in
+short just the sort of sister-in-law which she yearned to have.
+
+Pauline, on her part, was duly fascinated by the delicate and inspiring
+beauty of her brother's wife. She understood at once why Wilbur had
+chosen her in preference to any one of his own circle. Selma obviously
+symbolized by her grave, tense, thin face the serious ideals of living
+and womanhood, which had been dear to his meditation as a youth and a
+part of his heritage from his New England ancestors. It made her joyous
+to feel that he had found a wife who would be a constant source of
+inspiration to him, for she knew that Wilbur would not be happy with any
+one who fell short of his ideal as to what a woman should be. She knew
+her brother well, and she understood how deeply in earnest he was to
+make the most of his life, and what an exalted vision he entertained as
+to the possibilities for mutual sympathy and help between husband and
+wife.
+
+Partly as a consequence of their limited means, partly owing to
+absorption in their respective studies and interests, the Littletons,
+though of gentle stock, lived simple lives according to New York
+standards. They were aware of the growth of luxury resulting from the
+accumulation of big fortunes since the war. As an architect, Wilbur saw
+larger and more elaborate public and private buildings being erected on
+every side. As a house-keeper and a woman with social interests, Pauline
+knew that the power of money was revolutionizing the public taste in the
+matter of household expenditure; that in the details of domestic life
+there was more color and more circumstance, and that people who were
+well-to-do, and many who were not, were requiring as daily comforts all
+sorts of things to which they had been unaccustomed. But though they
+both thus knew vaguely that the temper of society had changed, and that
+sober citizens and their wives, who, twenty years before, would have
+prated solemnly against a host of gay, enlivening or pretty customs as
+incompatible with American virtue, were now adopting these as rapidly as
+money could procure them--the brother and sister had remained
+comparatively unaffected by the consequences of the transformation
+scene. Certainly their home had. It was old-fashioned in its garniture
+and its gentility. It spoke of a day, not so many years before, when
+high thinking had led to blinking where domestic decoration was
+concerned, and people had bought ugly wooden and worsted things to live
+with because only the things of the spirit seemed of real importance.
+Still time, with its marvellous touch, has often the gift of making
+furniture and upholstery, which were hideous when bought, look
+interesting and cosey when they have become old-fashioned. In this way
+Pauline Wilbur's parlor was a delightful relic of a day gone by. There
+was scarcely a pretty thing in it, as Wilbur himself well knew, yet, as
+a whole, it had an atmosphere--an atmosphere of simple unaffected
+refinement. Their domestic belongings had come to them from their
+parents, and they had never had the means to replenish them. When, in
+due time, they had realized their artistic worthlessness, they had held
+to them through affection, humorously conscious of the incongruity that
+two such modern individuals as themselves should be living in a domestic
+museum. Then, presto! friends had begun to congratulate them on the
+uniqueness of their establishment, and to express affection for it. It
+had become a favorite resort for many modern spirits--artists, literary
+men, musicians, self-supporting women--and Pauline's oyster suppers,
+cooked in her grandmother's blazer, were still a stimulus to high
+thinking.
+
+So matters stood when Selma entered it as a bride. Her coming signified
+the breaking up of the household and the establishment. Pauline had
+thought that out in her clear brain over night since receiving Wilbur's
+telegram. Wilbur must move into a modern house, and she into a modern
+flat. She would keep the very old things, such as the blazer and some
+andirons and a pair of candlesticks, for they were ancient enough to be
+really artistic, but the furniture of the immediate past, her father and
+mother's generation, should be sold at auction. Wilbur and she must, if
+only for Selma's sake, become modern in material matters as well as in
+their mental interests.
+
+Pauline proceeded to unfold this at the dinner-table that evening. She
+had heard in the meanwhile from her brother, the story of Selma's
+divorce and the explanation of his sudden marriage; and in consequence,
+she felt the more solicitous that her sister-in-law's new venture should
+begin propitiously. It was agreed that Wilbur should make inquiries at
+once about houses further uptown, and that his present lease from year
+to year should not be renewed. She said to Selma:
+
+"You have saved us from becoming an old-fashioned bachelor and maid. Our
+friends began to leave this neighborhood five years ago, and there is no
+one left. We are surrounded by boarding-houses and shops. We were
+comfortable, and we were too busy to care. But it would never do for a
+young married couple to begin house-keeping here. You must have a brand
+new house uptown, Selma. You must insist on that. Don't be alarmed,
+Wilbur. I know it will have to be small, but I noticed the other day
+several blocks of new houses going up on the side streets west of the
+Park, which looked attractive and cheap."
+
+"I will look at them," said Wilbur. "Since you seem determined not to
+live with us, and we are obliged to move, we will follow the procession.
+But Selma and I could be happy anywhere." He turned from his sister to
+her as he spoke with a proud, happy look.
+
+Selma said nothing to mar his confidence. She had no intention of living
+either with Pauline or in their present house, and she felt that her
+sister-in-law had shown good sense in recognizing that neither was
+possible. She necessarily had vague ideas as to New York houses and
+locations, but she had seen enough in her drive from the station to
+understand that it was a wonderful and decorative place. Although her
+experience of Benham had taught her that some old things--such as Mrs.
+Hallett Taylor's gleanings from Europe--were desirable, she associated
+new things with progress--especially American progress. Consequently the
+Littleton household possessions had puzzled her, for though she thought
+them ugly, she was resolved not to commit herself too hastily. But now
+that Pauline had sounded a note of warning, the situation was clear.
+They had suffered themselves to fall behind the times, and she was to be
+her husband's good angel by helping him to catch up with them. And it
+was evident that Pauline would be her ally. Selma for the first time
+asked herself whether it might be that Wilbur was a little visionary.
+
+Meanwhile he was saying: "Pauline is right, Selma. I had already asked
+myself if it would not be fairer to you to move uptown where we should
+be in the van and in touch with what is going on. Pauline is gently
+hinting to you that you must not humor me as she has done, and let me
+eat bread and milk out of a bowl in this old curiosity shop, instead of
+following in the wake of fashion. She has spoiled me and now she deserts
+me at the critical moment of my life. Selma, you shall have the most
+charming modern house in New York within my means. It must be love in a
+cottage, but the cottage shall have the latest improvements--hot and
+cold water, tiles, hygienic plumbing and dados."
+
+"Bravo!" said Pauline. "He says I have spoiled him, Selma. Perhaps I
+have. It will be your turn now. You will fail to convert him as I have
+failed, and the world will be the better for it. There are too few men
+who think noble thoughts and practice them, who are true to themselves
+and the light which is in them through thick and thin. But you see, he
+admits himself that he needs to mix with the world a little more.
+Otherwise he is perfect. You know that perhaps, already, Selma. But I
+wish to tell it to you before him. Take care of him, dear, won't you?"
+
+"It was because I felt that his thoughts were nobler than most men's
+that I wished to marry him," Selma replied, seraphically. "But I can see
+that it is sensible to live where your friends live. I shall try not to
+spoil him, Pauline." She was already conscious of a mission which
+appealed to her. She had been content until now in the ardor of her love
+to regard Wilbur as flawless--as in some respects superior to herself;
+but it was a gratification to her to detect this failing, and to
+perceive her opportunity for usefulness. Surely it was important for her
+husband to be progressive and not merely a dreamer.
+
+Littleton looked from one to the other fondly. "Not many men are blessed
+with the love of two such women," he said. "I put myself in your hands.
+I bow my neck to the yoke."
+
+In New York in the early seventies the fashionable quarter lay between
+Eighth and Fortieth Streets, bounded on either side by Fourth and Sixth
+Avenues. Central Park was completed, but the region west of it was, from
+the social stand-point, still a wilderness, and Fifth Avenue in the
+neighborhood of Twenty-third Street was the centre of elegant social
+life. Selma took her first view of this brilliant street on the
+following day on her way to hunt for houses in the outlying district.
+The roar and bustle of the city, which thrilled yet dazed her, seemed
+here softened by the rows of tall, imposing residences in brown stone.
+Along the sunny sidewalks passed with jaunty tread an ever-hurrying
+procession of stylishly clad men and women; and along the roadbed sped
+an array of private carriages conducted by coachmen in livery. It was a
+brilliant day, and New Yorkers were making the most of it.
+
+Selma had never seen such a sight before. Benham faded into
+insignificance in comparison. She was excited, and she gazed eagerly at
+the spectacle. Yet her look, though absorbed, was stern. This sort of
+thing was unlike anything American within her personal experience. This
+avenue of grand houses and this procession of fine individuals and fine
+vehicles made her think of that small section of Benham into which she
+had never been invited, and the thought affected her disagreeably.
+
+"Who are the people who live in these houses?" she asked, presently.
+
+Littleton had already told her that it was the most fashionable street
+in the city.
+
+"Oh, the rich and prosperous."
+
+"Those who gamble in stocks, I suppose." Selma wished to be assured that
+this was so.
+
+"Some of them," said Littleton, with a laugh. "They belong to people who
+have made money in various ways or have inherited it--our well-to-do
+class, among them the first families in New York, and many of them our
+best citizens."
+
+"Are they friends of yours?"
+
+Littleton laughed again. "A few--not many. Society here is divided into
+sets, and they are not in my set. I prefer mine, and fortunately, for I
+can't afford to belong to theirs."
+
+"Oh!"
+
+The frigidity and dryness of the exclamation Littleton ascribed to
+Selma's intuitive enmity to the vanities of life.
+
+"You mustn't pass judgment on them too hastily," he said. "New York is a
+wonderful place, and it's likely to shock you before you learn to
+appreciate what is interesting and fine here. I will tell you a secret,
+Selma. Every one likes to make money. Even clergymen feel it their duty
+to accept a call from the congregation which offers the best salary, and
+probing men of science do not hesitate to reap the harvest from a
+wonderful invention. Yet it is the fashion with most of the people in
+this country who possess little to prate about the wickedness of
+money-getters and to think evil of the rich. That proceeds chiefly from
+envy, and it is sheer cant. The people of the United States are engaged
+in an eager struggle to advance themselves--to gain individual
+distinction, comfort, success, and in New York to a greater extent than
+in any other place can the capable man or woman sell his or her wares to
+the best advantage--be they what they may, stocks, merchandise, law,
+medicine, pictures. The world pays well for the things it wants--and the
+world is pretty just in the long run. If it doesn't like my designs,
+that will be because they're not worth buying. The great thing--the
+difficult thing to guard against in the whirl of this great city, where
+we are all striving to get ahead--is not to sell one's self for money,
+not to sacrifice the thing worth doing for mere pecuniary advantage.
+It's the great temptation to some to do so, for only money can buy fine
+houses, and carriages and jewels--yes, and in a certain sense, social
+preferment. The problem is presented in a different form to every man.
+Some can grow rich honestly, and some have to remain poor in order to be
+true to themselves. We may have to remain poor, Selma mia." He spoke
+gayly, as though that prospect did not disturb him in the least.
+
+"And we shall be just as good as the people who own these houses." She
+said it gravely, as if it were a declaration of principles, and at the
+same moment her gaze was caught and disturbed by a pair of blithe,
+fashionably dressed young women gliding by her with the quiet,
+unconscious grace of good-breeding. She was inwardly aware, though she
+would never acknowledge it by word or sign, that such people troubled
+her. More even than Mrs. Taylor had troubled her. They were different
+from her and they tantalized her.
+
+At the same moment her husband was saying in reply, "Just as good, but
+not necessarily any better. No--other things being equal--not so good.
+We mustn't deceive ourselves with that piece of cant. Some of them are
+frivolous enough, and dishonest enough, heaven knows, but so there are
+frivolous and dishonest people in every class. But there are many more
+who endeavor to be good citizens--are good citizens, our best citizens.
+The possession of money gives them the opportunity to become arbiters of
+morals and taste, and to seek culture under the best advantages. After
+all, an accumulation of money represents brains and energy in some one.
+Look at this swell," he continued, indicating an attractive looking
+young man who was passing. "His grandfather was one of the ablest men in
+the city--an intelligent, self-respecting, shrewd, industrious,
+public-spirited citizen who made a large fortune. The son has had
+advantages which I have never had, and I happen to know that he is a
+fine fellow and a very able one. If it came to comparisons, I should be
+obliged to admit that he's a more ornamental member of society than
+Jones, Brown, or Robinson, and certainly no less useful. Do I shock
+you--you sweet, unswerving little democrat of the democrats?"
+
+It always pleased Selma to be called endearing names, and it suited her
+in her present frame of mind to be dubbed a democrat, for it did not
+suit her to be painfully realizing that she was unable, at one brilliant
+swoop, to take her place as a leader in social influence. Somehow she
+had expected to do this, despite her first difficulties at Benham, for
+she had thought of New York as a place where, as the wife of Littleton,
+the architect, she would at once be a figure of importance. She shook
+her head and said, "It's hard to believe that these people are really in
+earnest; that they are serious in purpose and spirit." Meanwhile she was
+being haunted by the irritating reflection that her clothes and her
+bearing were inferior to those of the women she was passing. Secretly
+she was making a resolve to imitate them, though she believed that she
+despised them. She put her hand through her husband's arm and added,
+almost fiercely, as she pressed closer to him, "We needn't trouble our
+heads about them, Wilbur. We can get along without being rich and
+fashionable, you and I. In spite of what you say, I don't consider this
+sort of thing American."
+
+"Get along? Darling, I was merely trying to be just to them; to let you
+see that they are not so black as they're painted. We will forget them
+forever. We have nothing in common with them. Get along? I feel that my
+life will be a paradise living with you and trying to make some
+impression on the life of this big, striving city. But as to its not
+being American to live like these people--well you know they are
+Americans and that New York is the Mecca of the hard-fisted sons of toil
+from all over the country who have made money. But you're right, Selma.
+Those who go in for show and extravagance are not the best
+Americans--the Americans whom you and I believe in. Sometimes I get
+discouraged when I stop to think, and now I shall have you to keep me
+steadfast to our faith."
+
+"Yes, Wilbur. And how far from here are we to live?"
+
+"Oh, a mile or more. On some side street where the land is cheap and the
+rent low. What do we care for that, Selma mia?"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+Shortly before Selma Littleton took up her abode in New York, Miss
+Florence, or, as she was familiarly known, Miss Flossy Price, was an
+inhabitant of a New Jersey city. Her father was a second cousin of
+Morton Price, whose family at that time was socially conspicuous in
+fashionable New York society. Not aggressively conspicuous, as ultra
+fashionable people are to-day, by dint of frequent newspaper
+advertisement, but in consequence of elegant, conservative
+respectability, fortified by and cushioned on a huge income. In the
+early seventies to know the Morton Prices was a social passport, and by
+no means every one socially ambitious knew them. Morton Price's
+great-grandfather had been a peddler, his grandfather a tea merchant,
+his father a tea merchant and bank organizer, and he himself did nothing
+mercantile, but was a director in diverse institutions, representing
+trusts or philantrophy, and was regarded by many, including himself, as
+the embodiment of ornamental and admirable citizenship. He could talk by
+the hour on the degeneracy of state and city politics and the evil deeds
+of Congress, and was, generally speaking, a conservative, fastidious,
+well-dressed, well-fed man, who had a winning way with women and a happy
+faculty of looking wise and saying nothing rash in the presence of men.
+Some of the younger generation were apt, with the lack of reverence
+belonging to youth, to speak of him covertly as "a stuffed club," but no
+echo of this epithet had ever reached the ear of his cousin, David
+Price, in New Jersey. For him, as for most of the world within a radius
+of two hundred miles, he was above criticism and a monument of social
+power.
+
+David Price, Miss Flossy's father, was the president of a small and
+unprogressive but eminently solid bank. Respectable routine was his
+motto, and he lived up to it, and, as a consequence, no more sound
+institution of the kind existed in his neighborhood. He and his
+directors were slow to adopt innovations of any kind; they put stumbling
+blocks in the path of business convenience whenever they could; in
+short, David Price in his humble way was a righteous, narrow, hide-bound
+retarder of progress and worshipper of established local custom.
+Therefore it was a constant source of surprise and worry to him that he
+should have a progressive daughter. There were four other children,
+patterns of quiet, plodding conservatism, but--such is the irony of
+fate--the youngest, prettiest, and his favorite, was an independent,
+opinionated young woman, who seemed to turn a deaf ear to paternal and
+maternal advice of safest New Jersey type. In her father's words, she
+had no reverence for any thing or any body, which was approximately
+true, for she did not hesitate to speak disrespectfully even of the head
+of the house in New York.
+
+"Poppa," she said one day, "Cousin Morton doesn't care for any of us a
+little bit. I know what you're going to say," she added; "that he sends
+you two turkeys every Thanksgiving. The last were terribly tough. I'm
+sure he thinks that we never see turkeys here in New Jersey, and that he
+considers us poor relations and that we live in a hole. If one of us
+should call on him, I know it would distress him awfully. He's right in
+thinking that this is a hole. Nothing ever happens here, and when I
+marry I intend to live in New York."
+
+This was when she was seventeen. Her father was greatly shocked,
+especially as he suspected in his secret soul that the tirade was true
+in substance. He had been the recipient of Thanksgiving turkeys for
+nearly twenty years on the plea that they had been grown on the donor's
+farm in Westchester county, and he had seen fit to invite his
+fellow-directors annually to dine off one of them as a modest notice
+that he was on friendly terms with his aristocratic New York cousin. But
+in all these twenty years turkeys had been the only medium of
+intercourse between them. David Price, on the few occasions when he had
+visited New York, had not found it convenient to call. Once he had
+walked by on the other side of Fifth avenue and looked at the house, but
+shyness and the thought that he had no evening clothes in his valise had
+restrained him from ringing the doorbell.
+
+"You do your cousin Morton great injustice--great injustice, Florence,"
+he answered. "He never forgets to send the turkeys, and as to the rest
+of your speech, I have only to say that it is very disrespectful and
+very foolish. The next time I go to New York I will take you to call on
+your cousins."
+
+"And what would I say to them? No thank you, poppa." The young woman
+shook her head decisively, and then she added, "I'm not going to call on
+them, until I'm fit to. There!"
+
+The ambiguity of this remark gave Mr. Price the opportunity to say that,
+in view of her immediate shortcomings, it was a wise conclusion, but he
+knew what she really meant and was distressed. His feeling toward his
+cousin, though mildly envious, did not extend to self-depreciation, nor
+had it served to undermine his faith in the innate dignity and worth of
+New Jersey family life. He could not only with a straight face, but with
+a kindling eye inveigh against the perils of New York fashionable life,
+and express gratification that no son or daughter of his had wandered so
+far from the fold. It distressed him to think that Florence should be
+casting sheep's eyes at the flesh-pots of Gotham, and so failing to
+appreciate the blessings and safety of a quiet American home.
+
+Miss Flossy continued to entertain and to express opinions of her own,
+and as a result became socially interesting. At eighteen, by her beauty,
+her engaging frankness and lack of self-consciousness, she spread havoc
+among the young men of her native city, several of whom offered her
+marriage. But marriage was far from her thoughts. Life seemed too
+interesting and she wished to see the world. She was erect and alert
+looking, with a compact figure of medium height, large brown eyes and
+rich red hair, and a laughing mouth; also an innocent demeanor, which
+served to give her, by moonlight, the effect of an angel. She succeeded
+in visiting Bar Harbor, where she promptly became a bright particular
+star among the galaxy of young women who at that period were
+establishing the reputation of the summer girl. She continued to be a
+summer girl for four seasons without injury to her own peace of mind. At
+the end of the fourth summer she appeared on close scrutiny to be a
+little worn, and her innocent air seemed a trifle deliberate. She
+returned to her home in New Jersey in not quite her usual spirits. In
+fact she became pensive. She had seen the world, and lo! she found it
+stuffed with sawdust. She was ready to settle down, but the only man
+with whom she would have been willing to settle had never asked her. He
+was the brother of one of the girls who had been forbidden by her mother
+to stay out in canoes with young men after nine at night. The rumor had
+reached Flossy that this same mother had referred to her in "the fish
+pond" at Rodick's as "that dreadful girl." It would have pleased her
+after that to have wrung an offer of marriage from the son and heir, who
+knew her cousins, the Morton Prices, and to whom she would have been
+willing to engage herself temporarily at all events. He was very
+devoted; they stayed out in his canoe until past midnight; he wrote
+verses to her and told her his innermost thoughts; but he stopped there.
+He went away without committing himself, and she was left to chew the
+cud of reflection. It was bitter, not because she was in love with him,
+for she was not. In her heart she knew he bored her a little. But she
+was piqued. Evidently he had been afraid to marry "that dreadful girl."
+She was piqued and she was sad. She recognized that it was another case
+of not being fit. When would she be fit? What was she to do in order to
+become fit--fit like the girl who was not allowed to stay on the water
+after nine o'clock? She had ceased to think of the young man, but the
+image of his sister haunted her. How stylish she was, yet how simple and
+quiet! "I wonder," thought Flossy to herself, "if I could ever become
+like her." The reflection threw her into a brown study in which she
+remained for weeks, and during which she refused the hand of a staid and
+respectable townsman, who, in her father's words, was ready to take her
+with all her follies. David Price was disappointed. He loved this
+independent daughter, and he had hopes that her demure and reticent
+deportment signified that the effervescence of youth had evaporated. But
+it was only an effort on Flossy's part to imitate the young man's
+sister.
+
+At this juncture and just when she was bored and dispirited by the
+process, Gregory Williams appeared on the scene. Flossy met him at a
+dancing party. He had a very tall collar, a very friendly, confident,
+and (toward her) devoted manner, and good looks. It was whispered among
+the girls that he was a banker from New York. He was obviously not over
+thirty, which was young for a banker, but so he presently described
+himself to Flossy with hints of impending prosperity. He spoke glibly
+and picturesquely. He had a convincing eloquence of gesture--a wave of
+the hand which suggested energy and compelled confidence. He had picked
+her out at once to be introduced to, and sympathy between them was
+speedily established. Her wearing, as a red-headed girl, a white horse
+in the form of a pin, in order to prevent the attention of the men to
+whom she talked from wandering, delighted him. He said to himself that
+here was a girl after his own heart. He had admired her looks at the
+outset, but he gazed at her now more critically. He danced every dance
+with her, and they sat together at supper, apart from everybody else.
+Flossy's resolutions were swept away. That is, she had become in an
+instant indifferent to the fact that the New York girl she had yearned
+to imitate would not have made herself so conspicuous. Her excuse was
+that she could not help herself. It was a case of genuine, violent
+attraction, which she made no effort to straggle against.
+
+The attraction was violent on both sides. Gregory Williams was not
+seeking to be married. He had been, until within six months, a broker's
+clerk, and had become a banker on the strength of ten thousand dollars
+bequeathed to him by a grandmother. He and a clerk from another broker's
+office, J. Willett VanHorne, had recently formed a partnership as
+Williams & VanHorne, Bankers and Dealers in Stocks and Bonds. He was not
+seeking to be married, but he intended to be married some day, and it
+was no part of his scheme of life to deny himself anything he wished.
+Support a wife? Of course he could; and support her in the same
+grandiose fashion which he had adopted for himself since he had begun
+business on his own account. He had chosen as a philosophy of life the
+smart paradox, which he enjoyed uttering, that he spent what he needed
+first and supplied the means later; and at the same time he let it be
+understood that the system worked wonderfully. He possessed unlimited
+confidence in himself, and though he was dimly aware that a very small
+turn of the wheel of fortune in the wrong direction would ruin him
+financially, he chose to close his eyes to the possibilities of disaster
+and to assume a bold and important bearing before the world. He had
+implicit faith in his own special line of ability, and he appreciated
+the worth of his partner, VanHorne. He had joined forces with VanHorne
+because he knew that he was the opposite of himself--that he was a
+delving, thorough, shrewd, keen office man--and able too. How genuinely
+able Williams did not yet know. He himself was to be the showy partner,
+the originator of schemes and procurer of business, the brilliant man
+before the world. So there was some method in his madness. And with it
+all went a cheery, incisive, humorous point of view which was congenial
+and diverting to Flossy.
+
+He went away, but he came back once--twice--thrice in quick succession.
+On business, so he said casually to Mr. and Mrs. Price, but his language
+to their daughter was a declaration of personal devotion. It remained
+for her to say whether she would marry him or no. Of one thing she was
+sure without need of reflection, that she loved him ardently. As a
+consequence she surrendered at once, though, curiously enough, she was
+conscious when she permitted him to kiss her with effusion that he was
+not the sort of man she had intended to marry--that he was not fit in
+her sense of the word. Yet she was determined to marry him, and from the
+moment their troth was plighted she found herself his eager and faithful
+ally, dreaming and scheming on their joint account. She would help him
+to succeed; they would conquer the world together; she would never doubt
+his ability to conquer it. And in time--yes, in time they would make
+even the Morton Prices notice them.
+
+And so after some bewildered opposition on the part of Mr. Price, who
+was alternately appalled and fascinated by the magniloquent language of
+his would-be son-in-law, they were married. Flossy gave but a single
+sign to her husband that she understood him and recognized what they
+really represented. It was one evening a few months after they had set
+up housekeeping while they were walking home from the theatre. They had
+previously dined at Delmonico's, and the cost of the evening's
+entertainment, including a bottle of champagne at dinner, their tickets
+and a corsage bouquet of violets for Flossy, had been fifteen dollars.
+Flossy wore a resplendent theatre hat and fashionable cape--one of the
+several stylish costumes with which her husband had hastened to present
+her, and Gregory was convoying her along the Avenue with the air of a
+man not averse to have the world recognize that they were a well set up
+and prosperous couple. Flossy had put her arm well inside his and was
+doing her best to help him produce the effect which he desired, when she
+suddenly said:
+
+"I wonder, Gregory, how long it will be before we're really anybody.
+Now, of course, we're only make believe swell."
+
+Gregory gave an amused laugh. "What a clever little woman! That's just
+what we are. We'll keep it a secret, though, and won't advertise it to
+the world."
+
+"Mum's the word," she replied, giving his arm a squeeze. "I only wished
+you to know that I was not being fooled; that I understood."
+
+Fate ordained that the Williamses and the Littletons should take houses
+side by side in the same block. It was a new block, and at first they
+were the sole occupants. Williams bought his house, giving a mortgage
+back to the seller for all the man would accept, and obtaining a second
+mortgage from a money lender in consideration of a higher rate of
+interest, for practically the remaining value. He furnished his house
+ornately from top to bottom in the latest fashion, incurring bills for a
+portion of the effects, and arranging to pay on the instalment plan
+where he could not obtain full credit. His reasoning was convincing to
+himself and did not alarm Flossy, who was glad to feel that they were
+the owners of the house and attractive furniture. It was that the land
+was sure to improve in value before the mortgage became due, and as for
+the carpets and curtains and other outlays, a few points in the stock
+market would pay for them at any time.
+
+Wilbur Littleton did not possess the ready money to buy; consequently he
+took a lease of his new house for three years, and paid promptly for the
+furniture he bought, the selection of which was gradual. Gregory
+Williams had a marvellous way of entering a shop and buying everything
+which pleased his eye at one fell swoop, but Wilbur, who desired to
+accomplish the best æsthetic effects possible consistent with his
+limited means, trotted Selma from one shop to another before choosing.
+This process of selecting slowly the things with which they were to pass
+their lives was a pleasure to him, and, as he supposed, to Selma. She
+did enjoy keenly at first beholding the enticing contents of the various
+stores which they entered in the process of procuring wall-papers,
+carpets, and the other essentials for house-keeping. It was a revelation
+to her that such beautiful things existed, and her inclination was to
+purchase the most showy and the most costly articles. In the adornment
+of her former home Babcock had given her a free hand. That is, his
+disposition had been to buy the finest things which the shopkeepers of
+Benham called to his attention. She understood now that his taste and
+the taste of Benham, and even her's, had been at fault, but she found
+herself hampered now by a new and annoying limitation, the smallness of
+their means. Almost every thing was very expensive, and she was obliged
+to pass by the patterns and materials she desired to possess, and accept
+articles of a more sober and less engaging character. Many of these, to
+be sure, were declared by Wilbur to be artistically charming and more
+suitable than many which she preferred, but it would have suited her
+better to fix on the rich upholstery and solid furniture, which were
+evidently the latest fashion in household decoration, rather than go
+mousing from place to place, only at last to pick up in the back corner
+of some store this or that object which was both reasonably pretty and
+reasonably cheap. When it was all over Selma was pleased with the effect
+of her establishment, but she had eaten of the tree of knowledge. She
+had visited the New York shops. These, in her capacity of a God-fearing
+American, she would have been ready to anathematize in a speech or in a
+newspaper article, but the memory of them haunted her imagination and
+left her domestic yearnings not wholly satisfied.
+
+Wilbur Littleton's scheme of domestic life was essentially spiritual,
+and in the development of it he felt that he was consulting his wife's
+tastes and theories no less than his own. He knew that she understood
+that he was ambitious to make a name for himself as an architect; but to
+make it only by virtue of work of a high order; that he was unwilling to
+become a time-server or to lower his professional standards merely to
+make temporary progress, which in the end would mar a success worth
+having. He had no doubt that he had made this clear to her and that she
+sympathized with him. As a married man it was his desire and intention
+not to allow his interest in this ambition to interfere with the
+enjoyment of the new great happiness which had come into his life. He
+would be a professional recluse no longer. He would cast off his work
+when he left his office, and devote his evenings to the æsthetic
+delights of Selma's society. They would read aloud; he would tell her
+his plans and ask her advice; they would go now and then to the theatre;
+and, in justice to her, they would occasionally entertain their friends
+and accept invitations from them. With this outlook in mind he had made
+such an outlay as would render his home attractive and cosey--simple as
+became a couple just beginning life, yet the abode of a gentleman and a
+lover of inspiring and pretty things.
+
+As has been mentioned, Littleton was a Unitarian, and one effect of his
+faith had been to make his point of view broad and straightforward. He
+detested hypocrisy and cant, subterfuge and self-delusion. He was
+content to let other people live according to their own lights without
+too much distress on their account, but he was too honest and too
+clear-headed to be able to deceive himself as to his own motives and his
+own conduct. He had no intention to be morbid, but he saw clearly that
+it was his privilege and his duty to be true to both his loves, his wife
+and his profession, and that if he neglected either, he would be so far
+false to his best needs and aspirations. Yet he felt that for the moment
+it was incumbent on him to err on the side of devotion to his wife until
+she should become accustomed to her new surroundings.
+
+The problem of the proper arrangement and subdivision of life in a large
+city and in these seething, modern times is perplexing to all of us.
+There are so many things we would like to do which we cannot; so many
+things which we do against our wills. We are perpetually squinting at
+happiness, but just as we get a delightful vision before our eyes we are
+whisked off by duty or ambition or the force of social momentum to try a
+different view. Consequently our perennial regret is apt to be that we
+have seen our real interests and our real friends as in a panorama, for
+a fleeting moment, and then no more until the next time. For Littleton
+this was less true than for most. His life was deep and stable rather
+than many-sided. To be sure his brain experienced, now and then, the
+dazing effects of trying to confront all the problems of the universe
+and adapt his architectural endeavors to his interpretation of them; and
+he knew well the bewildering difficulties of the process of adjusting
+professional theories to the sterile conditions which workaday practice
+often presented. But this crowding of his mental canvas was all in the
+line of his life purpose. The days were too short, and sometimes left
+him perplexed and harassed by their rush; yet he was still pursuing the
+tenor of his way. The interest of marriage was not, therefore, in his
+case a fresh burden on a soul already laden with a variety of side
+pursuits. He was neither socially nor philanthropically active; he was
+not a club man, nor an athletic enthusiast; he was on no committees; he
+voted on election days, but he did not take an active part in politics.
+For Selma's sake all this must be changed; and he was glad to
+acknowledge that he owed it to himself as well as to her to widen his
+sympathies.
+
+As a first step in reform he began to leave his office daily at five
+instead of six, and, on Saturdays, as soon after two as possible. For a
+few months these brands of time snatched from the furnace of his
+professional ardor were devoted to the shopping relative to
+house-furnishing. When that was over, to walking with Selma; sometimes
+as a sheer round of exercise in company, sometimes to visit a
+print-shop, exhibition of pictures, book-store, or other attraction of
+the hour. But the evening was for him the ideal portion of the day;
+when, after dinner was done, they made themselves comfortable in the new
+library, their living room, and it became his privilege to read aloud to
+her or to compare ideas with her regarding books and pictures and what
+was going on in the world. It had been a dream of Littleton's that some
+day he would re-read consecutively the British poets, and as soon as the
+furniture was all in place and the questions of choice of rugs and
+chairs and pictures had been settled by purchase, he proposed it as a
+definite occupation whenever they had nothing else in view. It delighted
+him that Selma received this suggestion with enthusiasm. Accordingly,
+they devoted their spare evenings to the undertaking, reading aloud in
+turn. Littleton's enunciation was clear and intelligent, and as a happy
+lover he was in a mood to fit poetic thoughts to his own experience, and
+to utter them ardently. While he read, Selma knew that she was ever the
+heroine of his imagination, which was agreeable, and she recognized
+besides that his performance in itself was æsthetically attractive. Yet
+in spite of the personal tribute, Selma preferred the evenings when she
+herself was the elocutionist. She enjoyed the sound of her own voice,
+and she enjoyed the emotions which her utterance of the rhythmic stanzas
+set coursing through her brain. It was obvious to her that Wilbur was
+captivated by her reading, and she delighted in giving herself up to the
+spirit of the text with the reservations appropriate to an enlightened
+but virtuous soul. For instance, in the case of Shelley, she gloried in
+his soaring, but did not let herself forget that fire-worship was not
+practical; in the case of Byron, though she yielded her senses to the
+spell of his passionate imagery, she reflected approvingly that she was
+a married woman.
+
+But Littleton appreciated also that his wife should have the society of
+others beside himself. Pauline introduced her promptly to her own small
+but intelligent feminine circle, and pending Pauline's removal to a
+flat, the Saturday evening suppers were maintained at the old
+establishment. Here Selma made the acquaintance of her husband's and his
+sister's friends, both men and women, who dropped in often after the
+play and without ceremony for a weekly interchange of thought and
+comradeship. Selma looked forward to the first of these occasions with
+an eager curiosity. She expected a renewal of the Benham Institute, only
+in a more impressive form, as befitted a great literary centre; that
+papers would be read, original compositions recited, and many
+interesting people of both sexes perform according to their specialties.
+She confidently hoped to have the opportunity to declaim, "Oh, why
+should the spirit of mortal be proud?" "Curfew must not ring to-night,"
+or some other of her literary pieces.
+
+Therefore, it was almost a shock to her that the affair was so informal,
+and that the company seemed chiefly occupied in behaving gayly--in
+making sallies at each other's expense, which were greeted with
+merriment. They seemed to her like a lot of children let loose from
+school. There were no exercises, and no allusion was made to the
+attainments of the various guests beyond an occasional word of
+introduction by Pauline or Wilbur; and this word was apt to be of
+serio-comic import. Selma realized that among the fifteen people present
+there were representatives of various interesting crafts--writers,
+artists, a magazine editor, two critics of the stage, a prominent
+musician, and a college professor--but none of them seemed to her to act
+a part or to have their accomplishments in evidence, as she would have
+liked. Every one was very cordial to her, and appeared desirous to
+recognize her as a permanent member of their circle, but she could not
+help feeling disappointed at the absence of ceremony and formal events.
+There was no president or secretary, and presently the party went into
+the dining-room and sat around a table, at either end of which Pauline
+and Wilbur presided over a blazer. Interest centred on the preparation
+of a rabbit and creamed oysters, and pleasant badinage flew from tongue
+to tongue. Selma found herself between the magazine editor and a large,
+powerfully built man with a broad, rotund, strong face, who was
+introduced to her as Dr. Page, and who was called George by every one
+else. He had arrived late, just as they were going in to supper, and his
+appearance had been greeted with a murmur of satisfaction. He had placed
+himself between Pauline and her, and he showed himself, to Selma's
+thinking, one of the least dignified of the company.
+
+"My dear Mrs. Littleton," he said, with a counterfeit of great gravity,
+"you are now witnessing an impressive example of the politeness of true
+friendship. There are cynics who assert that the American people are
+lacking in courtesy, and cast in our teeth the superiority of Japanese
+manners. I wish they were here to-night. There is not a single
+individual present, male or female, married or single, who does not
+secretly cherish the amiable belief that he or she can cook things on a
+blazer better than any one else. And yet we abstain from criticism; we
+offer no suggestions; we accept, without a murmur, the proportions of
+cheese and beer and butter inflicted upon us by our hostess and her
+brother, and are silent. We shall even become complimentary later. Can
+the Japanese vie with this?"
+
+The contrast between his eager, grave gaze, and the levity of his words,
+puzzled Selma. He looked interesting, but his speech seemed to her
+trivial and unworthy of the occasion. Still she appreciated that she
+must not be a spoil-sport, and that it was incumbent on her to resign
+herself to the situation, so she smiled gayly, and said: "I am the only
+one then not suffering from self-restraint. I never made a Welsh rabbit,
+nor cooked on a blazer." Then, in her desire for more serious
+conversation, she added: "Do you really think that we, as a people, are
+less polite than the Japanese?"
+
+The doctor regarded her with solemn interest for an instant, as though
+he were pondering the question. As a matter of fact, he was thinking
+that she was remarkably pretty. Then he put his finger on his lips, and
+in a hoarse whisper, said, "Sh! Be careful. If the editorial ear should
+catch your proposition the editorial man would appropriate it. There!"
+he added, as her left-hand neighbor bent toward them in response to the
+summons, "he has heard, and your opportunity to sell an idea to the
+magazine is lost. It is all very fine for him to protest that he has
+heard nothing. That is a trick of his trade. Let us see now if he will
+agree to buy. If he refuses, it will be a clear case that he has heard
+and purloined it. Come, Dennison, here's a chance for a ten
+thousand-word symposium debate, 'Are we, as a nation, less polite than
+the Japanese?' We offer it for a hundred and fifty cash, and cheap at
+the price."
+
+Mr. Dennison, who was a keen-eyed, quiet man, with a brown, closely-cut
+beard, had paused in his occupation of buttering hot toast for the
+impending rabbit, and was smiling quizzically. "If you have literary
+secrets to dispose of, Mrs. Littleton, let me warn you against making a
+confidant of Dr. Page. Had you spoken to me first, there is no knowing
+what I might have--"
+
+"What did I tell you?" broke in the doctor. "A one hundred and
+fifty-dollar idea ruthlessly appropriated. These editors, these
+editors!"
+
+It was tantalizing to Selma to be skirting the edge of themes she would
+have enjoyed to hear treated seriously. She hoped that Mr. Dennison
+would inquire if she really wrote, and at least he would tell her
+something about his magazine and literary life in New York. But he took
+up again his task of buttering toast, and sought to interest her in
+that. Presently she was unable to resist the temptation of remarking
+that the editorship of a magazine must be one of the most interesting of
+all occupations; but he looked at her with his quizzical smile, and
+answered:
+
+"Between you and me, Mrs. Littleton, I will confide to you that a
+considerable portion of the time it is a confounded bore. To tell the
+truth, I much prefer to sit next to you and butter toast."
+
+This was depressing and puzzling to Selma; but after the consumption of
+the rabbit and the oysters there was some improvement in the general
+tone of the conversation. Yet, not so far as she was concerned. Mr.
+Dennison neglected to confide to her the secrets of his prison house,
+and Dr. Page ruthlessly refused to discuss medicine, philosophy, or the
+Japanese. But here and there allusion was made by one or another of the
+company to something which had been done in the world of letters, or
+art, or music, which possessed merit or deserved discouragement. What
+was said was uttered simply, often trenchantly and lightly, but never as
+a dogma, or with the solemnity which Mrs. Earle had been wont to impart
+to her opinions. Just as the party was about to break up, Dr. Page
+approached Selma and offered her his hand. "It is a great pleasure to me
+to have met you," he said, looking into her face with his honest eyes.
+"A good wife was just what Wilbur needed to insure him happiness and a
+fine career. His friends have great confidence in his ability, and we
+intrust him to you in the belief that the world will hear from him--and
+I, for one, shall be very grateful to you."
+
+He spoke now with evident feeling, and his manner suggested the desire
+to be her friend. Selma admired his large physique and felt the
+attraction of his searching gaze.
+
+"Perhaps he did need a wife," she answered with an attempt at the
+sprightliness which he had laid aside. "I shall try not to let him be
+too indifferent to practical considerations."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+"Who is Dr. Page?" asked Selma of her husband when they left the house.
+
+"One of our best friends, and one of the leading physicians in the city.
+The energy of that man is tireless. He is absorbed in his profession.
+The only respite he allows himself are these Saturday evenings, and his
+devotion to his little son who has hip disease. He told me to-night that
+he had finished his day's work only just before he came in. What did you
+think of him? He likes to tease."
+
+"Then he is married?"
+
+"He is a widower."
+
+"He seems interested in you. He was good enough to say that he thought
+you needed a wife."
+
+"Then he must have admired you, Selma. Poor fellow! I wish he might have
+that happiness himself. I'll tell you a secret: He has desired to marry
+Pauline for years. They are devoted friends--but until now that is all.
+His wife was an actress--a handsome creature. Two years after they were
+married she ran away with another man and left him. Left him with one
+little boy, a cripple, on whom he lavishes all the love of his big
+nature."
+
+"How dreadful!"
+
+"Yes, it is a sad story. That was ten years ago. He was very young and
+the woman was very beautiful. It has been the making of him, though, in
+one way. He had the pride and confidence of ability, but he lacked
+sympathy. His experience and the appealing presence of his son have
+developed his nature and given him tenderness. He has not been
+imbittered; he has simply become gentle. And how he works! He is already
+famous in his profession."
+
+"Does Pauline care for him?"
+
+"I don't know her feelings. I am sure she is fond of him, and admires
+him. I fancy, though, that she hesitates to renounce her own ambitions.
+As you are aware, she is greatly interested in her classes, and in
+matters pertaining to the higher education of women. George Page knew
+her at the time of his marriage. I do not mean that he paid her serious
+attention then, but he had the opportunity to ask her instead of the
+other. Now, when she has become absorbed in her life-work, she would
+naturally decline to give it up unless she felt sure that she could not
+be happy without him."
+
+"I would not marry him if I were she," said Selma. "He has given his
+best to the other woman. He is the one at fault, not Pauline. Why should
+she sacrifice her own career in order to console him?"
+
+"She might love him sufficiently to be willing to do so, Selma. Love
+makes women blind to faults. But poor George was scarcely at fault. It
+was a misfortune."
+
+"He made his choice and was deceived. It would be weak of her to give up
+her own life merely because he is lonely. We modern women have too much
+self-respect for that. Love is love, and it is not to be trifled with."
+
+"Yes, love is love," murmured Littleton, "and I am happy in mine."
+
+"That is because neither of us has loved before, you foolish boy. But as
+to this evening, it wasn't at all what I expected. Are your friends
+always like that?"
+
+Littleton laughed. "Did they seem to you frivolous and undignified,
+then?"
+
+"Almost. They certainly said nothing serious."
+
+"It is their holiday--their evening out. They have to be serious during
+the rest of the week--busy with problems and cares, for they are a set
+of hard workers. The stress of life is so rigorous and constant here in
+New York that we have learned not to take our pleasure sadly. When you
+become accustomed to their way you will realize that they are no less
+serious at heart because they frolic now and then."
+
+Selma was silent a moment; then she said, "That reminds me; have you
+found out about our next-door neighbors yet?"
+
+"He is a banker named Williams, I believe."
+
+"I saw his wife pass the window this morning. She was beautifully
+dressed. They must be rich."
+
+"I dare say."
+
+"But they live in the same style of house as ours."
+
+"Bankers have mysterious ways of making money. We cannot compete with
+those."
+
+"I suppose not. I was thinking that she had the same manner as some of
+your friends this evening, only more pronounced. She stopped to speak to
+some one just in front of the house, so I could observe her. I should
+think she was frivolous, but fascinating. That must be the New York
+manner, and, consequently, she may be very much in earnest."
+
+"It isn't given to every woman to be attractive all the time just
+because she looks in earnest, as it is to you, dearest. But you musn't
+be too severe on the others."
+
+"On the contrary, I think I shall like Mrs. Williams. She may teach us
+to be practical. You know that is what your friends would like to have
+me help you to be, Wilbur."
+
+"Then they did talk a word or two of sense?"
+
+"They said that. Do you think it is true that you are visionary?"
+
+"It is your duty to tell me so, Selma, when you think it, just as I have
+told you that we can afford to laugh now and then. Come, begin."
+
+"I haven't been your wife long enough yet. I shall know better by the
+end of another six months."
+
+A fortnight elapsed before Selma made the acquaintance of Mrs. Gregory
+Williams. It was not a chance meeting. Flossy rang the bell deliberately
+one afternoon and was ushered in, thereby bridging over summarily the
+yawning chasm which may continue to exist for an indefinite period
+between families in the same block who are waiting to be introduced.
+
+"I said to my husband last night, Mrs. Littleton, that it was ridiculous
+for us to be living side by side without knowing one another, and that I
+was going to call. We moved in three weeks before you, so I'm the one
+who ought to break the ice. Otherwise we might have stared at each other
+blankly for three months, looked at each other sheepishly out of the
+corner of our eyes for another three, half bowed for six months, and
+finally, perhaps, reached the stage where we are now. Neighbors should
+be neighborly, don't you think so?"
+
+"Indeed I do. Of course I knew you by sight; and I felt I should like to
+make your acquaintance." Selma spoke with enthusiasm. Here was some one
+whose social deftness was no less marked than Mrs. Hallett Taylor's,
+and, to her mind, more brilliant, yet whom she felt at once to be
+congenial. Though she perceived that her neighbor's clothes made her own
+apparel seem dull, and was accordingly disposed to be on her guard, she
+realized instinctively that she was attracted by the visitor.
+
+"That is very nice of you," said Flossy. "I told my
+husband--Gregory--the other day that I was sure you were something
+literary--I mean Mr. Littleton, of course--and when he found out that he
+was I said we must certainly cultivate you as an antidote to the banking
+business. Gregory's a banker. It must be delightful to plan houses. This
+room is so pretty and tasteful."
+
+"It isn't wholly furnished yet. We are buying things by degrees, as we
+find pieces which we like."
+
+"We bought all our things in two days at one fell swoop," said Flossy
+with a gay laugh. "Gregory gave the dealers carte blanche. That's his
+way," she added with a touch of pride. "I dare say the house would have
+been prettier if we could have taken more time. However, it is all paid
+for now. Some of it was bought on the instalment plan, but Gregory
+bought or sold something in stocks the next week which covered the
+furniture and paid for a present for me of this besides," she said,
+indicating her seal-skin cape. "Wasn't he a dear?"
+
+Selma did not know precisely what the instalment plan was, but she
+understood that Mr. Williams had been distinctly clever in his wife's
+estimation. She perceived that Mrs. Williams had the same light, half
+jocular manner displayed by Wilbur's friends, and that she spoke with
+bubbling, jaunty assurance, which was suggestive of frivolity. Still
+Wilbur had intimated that this might be the New York manner, and clearly
+her neighbor had come in a friendly spirit and was duly appreciative of
+the distinction of being literary. Besides, her ready disposition to
+talk about herself and her affairs seemed to Selma the sign of a
+willingness to be truly friendly. The seal-skin cape she wore was very
+handsome, and she was more conspicuously attired from head to foot than
+any woman with whom Selma had ever conversed. She was pretty, too--a
+type of beauty less spiritual than her own--with piquant, eager
+features, laughing, restless gray eyes, and light hair which escaped
+from her coquettish bonnet in airy ringlets. If they had met three years
+earlier Selma would certainly have regarded her as an incarnation of
+volatility and servility to foreign fashions. Now, though she classed
+her promptly as a frivolous person, she regarded her with a keen
+curiosity not unmixed with self-distress, and the reflection came to her
+that a little of the New York manner might perhaps be desirable when in
+New York.
+
+"Yes, it's beautiful," she replied, referring to the cape.
+
+"Gregory is always making me presents like that. He gave me this
+bracelet yesterday. He saw it in the shop-window and went in and bought
+it. Speaking of husbands, you won't mind my saying that I think Mr.
+Littleton is very distinguished looking? I often see him pass the window
+in the morning."
+
+"Of course _I_ think so," said Selma. "I suppose it would seem flat if I
+were to say that I admired Mr. Williams's appearance also."
+
+"The truth is no harm. Wouldn't it be nice if we should happen to become
+friends? We are the pioneers in this block, but I hear three other
+houses have been sold. I suppose you own your house?"
+
+"I believe not. We have a lease of it."
+
+"That's a pity, because Gregory bought ours on a mortgage, thinking the
+land is sure to become more valuable. He hopes to be able to sell some
+day for a great deal more than he paid for it. May I ask where you lived
+before you were married?"
+
+Selma told her briefly.
+
+"Then you are almost Western. I felt sure you weren't a New Yorker, and
+I didn't think you were from Boston. You have the Boston earnest
+expression, but somehow you're different. You don't mind my analyzing
+you, do you? That's a Boston habit by the way. But I'm not from Boston.
+I've lived all my life in New Jersey. So we are both strangers in New
+York. That is, I'm the same as a stranger, though my father is a cousin
+of the Morton Prices. We sent them wedding cards and they called one day
+when I was out. I shall return the call and find them out, and that will
+be the last move on either side until Gregory does something remarkable.
+I'm rather glad I wasn't at home, because it would have been awkward.
+They wouldn't have known what to say to me, and they might have felt
+that they ought to ask me to dinner, and I don't care to have them ask
+me until they're obliged to. Do I shock you running on so about my own
+affairs?" Flossy asked, noticing Selma draw herself up sternly.
+
+"Oh no, I like that. I was only thinking that it was very strange of
+your cousins. You are as good as they, aren't you?"
+
+"Mercy, no. We both know it, and that's what makes the situation so
+awkward. As Christians, they had to call on me, but I really think they
+are justified in stopping there. Socially I'm nobody."
+
+"In this country we are all free and equal."
+
+"You're a dear--a delicious dear," retorted Flossy, with a caressing
+laugh. "There's something of the sort in the Declaration of
+Independence, but, as Gregory says, that was put in as a bluff to
+console salesladies. Was everybody equal in Benham, Mrs. Littleton?"
+
+"Practically so," said Selma, with an air of haughtiness, which was
+evoked by her recollection of the group of houses on Benham's River
+Drive into which she had never been invited. "There were some people who
+were richer than others, but that didn't make them better than any one
+else."
+
+"Well, in New York it's different. Of course, every body has the same
+right to vote or to be elected President of the United States, but
+equality ends there. People here are either in society or out of it, and
+society itself is divided into sets. There's the conservative
+aristocratic set, the smart rapid set, the set which hasn't much money,
+but has Knickerbocker or other highly respectable ancestors, the new
+millionaire set, the literary set, the intellectual philanthropic set,
+and so on, according to one's means or tastes. Each has its little
+circle which shades away into the others, and every now and then there
+is a big entertainment to which they all go."
+
+"I see," said Selma, coldly.
+
+"Now, to make it plain, I will confide to you in strictest confidence
+that Gregory and I aren't yet really in any set. We are trying to get a
+footing and are holding on by our teeth to the fringe of the social
+merry-go-round. I wouldn't admit it to any one but you; but as you are a
+stranger like myself and in the same block, I am glad to initiate you
+into the customs of this part of the country," Flossy gave a merry toss
+to her head which set her ringlets bobbing, and rose to go.
+
+"And in what set are your cousins?" asked Selma.
+
+"If you wish to hear about them, I shall have to sit down again. The
+Morton-Prices belong to the ultra-conservative, solid, stupid,
+aristocratic set--the most dignified and august of all. They are almost
+as sacred as Hindoo gods, and some people would walk over red-hot coals
+to gain admission to their house. And really, it's quite just in one way
+that incense should be burnt before them. You mustn't look so disgusted,
+because there's some sense in it all. As Gregory says, it's best to look
+things squarely in the face. Most of the people in these different sets
+are somebodies because either their grandfathers or they have done
+something well--better than other people, and made money as a
+consequence. And when a family has made money or won distinction by its
+brains and then has brushed its teeth twice a day religiously for two
+generations, the members of it, even though dull, are entitled to
+respect, don't you think so?"
+
+Selma, who brushed her teeth but once a day, looked a little sharp at
+Flossy.
+
+"It makes money of too much importance and it establishes class
+distinctions. I don't approve of such a condition of affairs at all."
+
+Flossy shrugged her shoulders. "I have never thought whether I approve
+of it or not. I am only telling you what exists. I don't deny that money
+counts for a great deal, for, as Gregory says, money is the measure of
+success. But money isn't everything. Brains count and refinement, and
+nice honorable ways of looking at things. Of course, I'm only telling
+you what my ambition is. People have different kinds of bees in their
+bonnets. Some men have the presidential bee; I have the social bee. I
+should like to be recognized as a prominent member of the charmed circle
+on my own merits and show my cousins that I am really worthy of their
+attention. There are a few who are able to be superior to that sort of
+thing, who go on living their own lives attractively and finely, without
+thinking of society, and who suddenly wake up some day to find
+themselves socially famous--to find that they have been taken up. That's
+the best way, but one requires to be the right sort of person and to
+have a lot of moral courage. I can imagine it happening to you and your
+husband. But it would never happen to Gregory and me. We shall have to
+make money and cut a dash in order to attract attention, and by-and-by,
+if we are persistent and clever enough, we may be recognized as
+somebodies, provided there is something original or interesting about
+us. There! I have told you my secret and shocked you into the bargain. I
+really must be going. But I'll tell you another secret first: It'll be a
+pleasure to me to see you, if I may, because you look at things
+differently and haven't a social bee. I wish I were like that--really
+like it. But then, as Gregory would say, I shouldn't be myself, and not
+to be one's self is worse than anything else after all, isn't it? You
+and your husband must come and dine with us soon."
+
+After Mrs. Williams had gone, Selma fell into a brown study. She had
+listened to sentiments of which she thoroughly disapproved, and which
+were at variance with all her theories and conceptions. What her
+friendly, frivolous visitor had told her with engaging frankness
+offended her conscience and patriotism. She did not choose to admit the
+existence of these class-distinctions, and she knew that even if they
+did exist, they could not possibly concern Wilbur and herself. Even Mrs.
+Williams had appreciated that Wilbur and her literary superiority put
+them above and beyond the application of any snobbish, artificial,
+social measuring-tape. And yet Selma's brow was clouded. Her thought
+reverted to the row of stately houses on either side of Fifth Avenue,
+into none of which she had the right of free access, in spite of the
+fact that she was leading her life attractively and finely, without
+regard to society. She thought instinctively of Sodom and Gomorrah, and
+she saw righteously with her mind's eye for a moment an angel with a
+flaming sword consigning to destruction these offending mansions and
+their owners as symbols of mammon and contraband to God.
+
+That evening she told Wilbur of Mrs. Williams's visit. "She's a bright,
+amusing person, and quite pretty. We took a fancy to each other. But
+what do you suppose she said? She intimated that we haven't any social
+position."
+
+"Very kind of her, I'm sure. She must be a woman of
+discrimination--likewise something of a character."
+
+"She's smart. So you think it's true?"
+
+"What? About our social position? Ours is as good as theirs, I fancy."
+
+"Oh yes, Wilbur. She acknowledges that herself. She admires us both and
+she thinks it fine that we don't care for that sort of thing. What she
+said was chiefly in connection with herself, but she intimated that
+neither they, nor we, are the--er--equals of the people who live on
+Fifth Avenue and thereabouts. She's a cousin of the Morton Prices,
+whoever they may be, and she declared perfectly frankly that they were
+better than she. Wasn't it funny?"
+
+"You seem to have made considerable progress for one visit."
+
+"I like that, you know, Wilbur. I prefer people who are willing to tell
+me their real feelings at once."
+
+"Morton Price is one of the big bugs. His great grandfather was among
+the wise, shrewd pioneers in the commercial progress of the city. The
+present generation are eminently respectable, very dignified, mildly
+philanthropic, somewhat self-indulgent, reasonably harmless, decidedly
+ornamental and rather dull."
+
+"But Mrs. Williams says that she will never be happy until her relations
+and the people of that set are obliged to take notice of her, and that
+she and her husband are going to cut a dash to attract attention. It's
+her secret."
+
+"The cat which she let out of the bag is a familiar one. She must be
+amusing, provided she is not vulgar."
+
+"I don't think she's vulgar, Wilbur. She wears gorgeous clothes, but
+they're extremely pretty. She said that she called on me because she
+thought that we were literary, and that she desired an antidote to the
+banker's business, which shows she isn't altogether worldly. She wishes
+us to dine with them soon."
+
+"That's neighborly."
+
+"Why was it, Wilbur, that you didn't buy our house instead of hiring
+it?"
+
+"Because I hadn't money enough to pay for it."
+
+"The Williamses bought theirs. But I don't believe they paid for it
+altogether. She says her husband thinks the land will increase in value,
+and they hope some day to make money by the rise. I imagine Mr. Williams
+must be shrewd."
+
+"He's a business man. Probably he bought, and gave a mortgage back. I
+might have done that, but we weren't sure we should like the location,
+and it isn't certain yet that fashion will move in just this direction.
+I have very little, and I preferred not to tie up everything in a house
+we might not wish to keep."
+
+"I see. She appreciates that people may take us up any time. She thinks
+you are distinguished looking."
+
+"If she isn't careful, I shall make you jealous, Selma. Was there
+anything you didn't discuss?"
+
+"I regard you as the peer of any Morton Price alive. Why aren't you?"
+
+"Far be it from me to discourage such a wifely conclusion. Provided you
+think so, I don't care for any one else's opinion."
+
+"But you agree with her. That is, you consider because people of that
+sort don't invite us to their houses, they are better than we."
+
+"Nothing of the kind. But there's no use denying the existence of social
+classes in this city, and that, though I flatter myself you and I are
+trying to make the most of our lives in accordance with the talents and
+means at our disposal, we are not and are not likely to become, for the
+present at any rate, socially prominent. That's what you have in mind, I
+think. I don't know those people; they don't know me. Consequently they
+do not ask me to their beautiful and costly entertainments. Some day,
+perhaps, if I am very successful as an architect, we may come more in
+contact with them, and they will have a chance to discover what a
+charming wife I have. But from the point of view of society, your
+neighbor Mrs. Williams is right. She evidently has a clear head on her
+shoulders and knows what she desires. You and I believe that we can get
+more happiness out of life by pursuing the even tenor of our way in the
+position in which we happen to find ourselves."
+
+"I don't understand it," said Selma, shaking her head and looking into
+space with her spiritual expression. "It troubles me. It isn't American.
+I didn't think such distinctions existed in this country. Is it all a
+question of money, then? Do intelligence and--er--purpose count for
+nothing?"
+
+"My dear girl, it simply means that the people who are on top--the
+people who, by force of success, or ability, or money, are most
+prominent in the community, associate together, and the world gives a
+certain prominence to their doings. Here, where fortunes have been made
+so rapidly, and we have no formal aristocracy, money undoubtedly plays a
+conspicuous part in giving access to what is known as society. But it is
+only an entering wedge. Money supplies the means to cultivate manners
+and the right way of looking at things, and good society represents the
+best manners and, on the whole, the best way of looking at things."
+
+"Yes. But you say that we don't belong to it."
+
+"We do in the broad, but not in the narrow sense. We have neither the
+means nor the time to take part in fashionable society. Surely, Selma,
+you have no such ambition?"
+
+"I? You know I disapprove of everything of the sort. It is like Europe.
+There's nothing American in it."
+
+"I don't know about that. The people concerned in it are Americans. If a
+man has made money there is no reason why he shouldn't build a handsome
+house, maintain a fine establishment, give his children the best
+educational advantages, and choose his own friends. So the next
+generation becomes more civilized. It isn't the best Americanism to
+waste one's time in pursuing frivolities and excessive luxury, as some
+of these people do; but there's nothing un-American in making the most
+of one's opportunities. As I've said to you before, Selma, it's the way
+in which one rises that's the important thing in the individual
+equation, and every man must choose for himself what that shall be. My
+ambition is to excel in my profession, and to mould my life to that end
+without neglecting my duties as a citizen or a husband. If, in the end,
+I win fame and fortune, so much the better. But there's no use in
+worrying because other people are more fashionable than we."
+
+"Of course. You speak as if you thought I was envious of them, Wilbur.
+What I don't understand is why such people should be allowed to exist in
+this country."
+
+"We're a free people, Selma. I'm a good democrat, but you must agree
+that the day-laborer in his muddy garb would not find himself at ease in
+a Fifth Avenue drawing-room. On that account shall we abolish the
+drawing-room?"
+
+"We are not day-laborers."
+
+"Not precisely; but we have our spurs to win. And, unlike some people in
+our respectable, but humble station, we have each other's love to give
+us courage to fight the battle of life bravely. I had a fresh order
+to-day--and I have bought tickets for to-night at the theatre."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+Almost the first persons at the theatre on whom Selma's eyes rested were
+the Gregory Williamses. They were in a box with two other people, and
+both Flossy and her husband were talking with the festive air peculiar
+to those who are willing to be noticed and conscious that their wish is
+being gratified. Flossy wore a gay bonnet and a stylish frock,
+supplemented by a huge bunch of violets, and her husband's evening dress
+betrayed a slight exaggeration of the prevailing fashion in respect to
+his standing collar and necktie. Selma had never had a thorough look at
+him before, and she reflected that he was decidedly impressive and
+handsome. His face was full and pleasant, his mustache large and
+gracefully curved, and his figure manly. His most distinguishing
+characteristic was a dignity of bearing uncommon in so young a man,
+suggesting that he carried, if not the destiny of republics on his
+shoulders, at least, important financial secrets in his brain. The man
+and woman with them were almost elderly and gave the effect of being
+strangers to the city. They were Mr. and Mrs. Silas S. Parsons. Mr.
+Parsons was a prosperous Western business man, who now and then visited
+New York, and who had recently become a customer of Williams's. He had
+dealt in the office where Williams was a clerk, and, having taken a
+fancy to him, was disposed to help the new firm. Gregory had invited
+them to dinner and to the theatre, by way of being attentive, and had
+taken a box instead of stalls, in order to make his civility as
+magnificent as the occasion would permit. A box, besides being a
+delicate testimonial to his guest, would cause the audience to notice
+him and his wife and to ask who they were.
+
+In the gradual development of the social appetite in this country a
+certain class has been evolved whose drawing-room is the floor of the
+leading theatres. Society consists for them chiefly in being present
+often at theatrical performances in sumptuous dress, not merely to
+witness the play, but to be participants in a social function which
+enhances their self-esteem. To be looked at and to look on these
+occasions takes the place with them of balls and dinner parties. They
+are not theatregoers in the proper sense, but social aspirants, and the
+boxes and stalls are for them an arena in which for a price they can
+show themselves in their finery and attractions, for lack of other
+opportunities.
+
+Our theatres are now in the full blaze of this harmless appropriation
+for quasi-ballroom uses. At the time when Selma was a New York bride the
+movement was in its infancy. The people who went to the theatre for
+spectacular purposes no less than to see the actors on the stage were
+comparatively few in number. Still the device was practised, and from
+the very fact that it was not freely employed, was apt to dazzle the
+eyes of the uninitiated public more unreservedly than to-day. The sight
+of Mrs. Williams in a box, in the glory of her becoming frock and her
+violets, caused even so stern a patriot and admirer of simplicity as
+Selma to seize her husband's arm and whisper:
+
+"Look." What is more she caught herself a moment later blushing with
+satisfaction on account of the friendly bow which was bestowed on her.
+
+Wilbur Littleton's ambitions were so definite and congenial that the
+sight of his neighbors' splendor neither offended nor irritated him. He
+did not feel obliged to pass judgment on them while deriving amusement
+from their display, nor did he experience any qualms of regret that he
+was not able to imitate them. He regarded Flossy and her husband with
+the tolerant gaze of one content to allow other people to work out their
+salvation, without officious criticism, provided he were allowed the
+same privilege, and ready to enjoy any features of the situation which
+appealed to his sense of humor or to his human sympathy. Flossy's frank,
+open nod and ingenuous face won his favor at once, especially as he
+appreciated that she and Selma had found each other attractive, and
+though he tabooed luxury and fashionable paraphernalia where he was
+immediately concerned, it occurred to him that this evidently
+wide-awake, vivacious-looking couple might, as friends, introduce just
+the right element of variety into their lives. He had no wish to be a
+banker himself, nor to hire boxes at the theatre, but he was disposed to
+meet half-way these entertaining and gorgeous neighbors.
+
+Selma, in spite of her wish to watch the play, found her glance
+returning again and again to the occupants of the box, though she
+endeavored to dispose of the matter by remarking presently that she
+could not understand why people should care to make themselves so
+conspicuous, particularly as the seats in the boxes were less desirable
+for seeing the stage than their own.
+
+"We wouldn't care for it, but probably it's just what they like," said
+Wilbur. "Some society reporter may notice them; in which case we shall
+see in the Sunday newspaper that Mr. Gregory Williams and party occupied
+a private box at the Empire Theatre last Tuesday evening, which will be
+another straw toward helping them to carry out their project of
+attracting attention. I like the face of your new friend, my dear. I
+mean to say that she looks unaffected and honest, and as if she had a
+sense of humor. With those three virtues a woman can afford to have some
+faults. I suppose she has hers."
+
+Littleton felt that Selma was disposed to fancy her neighbor, but was
+restrained by conscientious scruples due to her dislike for society
+concerns. He had fallen in love with and married his wife because he
+believed her to be free from and superior to the petty weaknesses of the
+feminine social creed; but though extremely proud of her uncompromising
+standards, he had begun to fear lest she might indulge her point of view
+so far as to be unjust. Her scornful references from time to time to
+those who had made money and occupied fine houses had wounded his own
+sense of justice. He had endeavored to explain that virtue was not the
+exclusive prerogative of the noble-minded poor, and now he welcomed an
+opportunity of letting her realize from personal experience that society
+was not so bad as it was painted.
+
+Selma returned Mrs. Williams's call during the week, but did not find
+her at home. A few days later arrived a note stamped with a purple and
+gold monogram inviting them to dinner. When the evening arrived they
+found only a party of four. A third couple had given out at the last
+minute, so they were alone with their hosts. The Williams house in its
+decoration and upholstery was very different from their own. The
+drawing-room was bright with color. The furniture was covered with light
+blue plush; there were blue and yellow curtains, gay cushions, and a
+profusion of gilt ornamentation. A bear-skin, a show picture on an
+easel, and a variety of florid bric-à-brac completed the brilliant
+aspect of the apartment. Selma reflected at once that that this was the
+sort of drawing-room which would have pleased her had she been given her
+head and a full purse. It suggested her home at Benham refurnished by
+the light of her later experience undimmed by the shadow of economy. On
+the way down to dinner she noticed in the corner of the hall a suit of
+old armor, and she was able to perceive that the little room on one side
+of the front door, which they learned subsequently was Mr. Williams's
+den, contained Japanese curiosities. The dinner-table shone with glass
+and silver ware, and was lighted by four candles screened by small pink
+shades. By the side of Flossy's plate and her own was a small bunch of
+violets, and there was a rosebud for each of the men. The dinner, which
+was elaborate, was served by two trig maids. There were champagne and
+frozen pudding. Selma felt almost as if she were in fairy-land. She had
+never experienced anything just like this before; but her exacting
+conscience was kept at bay by the reflection that this must be a further
+manifestation of the New York manner, and her self-respect was
+propitiated by the cordiality of her entertainers. The conversation was
+bubbling and light-hearted on the part of both Mr. and Mrs. Williams.
+They kept up a running prattle on the current fads of the day, the
+theatre, the doings of well-known social personages, and their own
+household possessions, which they naïvely called to the attention of
+their guests, that they might be admired. But Selma enjoyed more than
+the general conversation her talk with the master of the house, who
+possessed all the friendly suavity of his wife and also the valuable
+masculine trait of seeming to be utterly absorbed in any woman to whom
+he was talking. Gregory had a great deal of manner and a confidential
+fluency of style, which gave distinction even to commonplace remarks.
+His method did not condescend to nudging when he wished to note a point,
+but it fell only so far short of it as he thought social elegance
+required. His conversation presently drifted, or more properly speaking,
+flowed into a graphic and frank account of his own progress as a banker.
+He referred to past successful undertakings, descanted on his present
+roseate responsibilities, and hinted sagely at impending operations
+which would eclipse in importance any in which he had hitherto been
+engaged. In answer to Selma's questions he discoursed alluringly
+concerning the methods of the Stock Exchange, and gave her to understand
+that for an intelligent and enterprising man speculation was the high
+road to fortune. No doubt for fools and for people of mediocre or torpid
+abilities it was a dangerous trade; but for keen and bold intellects
+what pursuit offered such dazzling opportunities?
+
+Selma listened, abhorrent yet fascinated. It worried her to be told that
+what she had been accustomed to regard as gambling should be so quickly
+and richly rewarded. Yet the fairy scene around her manifestly confirmed
+the prosperous language of her host and left no room for doubt that her
+neighbors were making brilliant progress. Apparently, too, this business
+of speculation and of vast combinations of railroad and other capital,
+the details of which were very vague to her, was, in his opinion, the
+most desirable and profitable of callings.
+
+"Do you know," she said, "that I have been taught to believe that to
+speculate in stocks is rather dreadful, and that the people of the
+country don't approve of it." She spoke smilingly, for the leaven of the
+New York manner was working, but she could not refrain from testifying
+on behalf of righteousness.
+
+"The people of the country!" exclaimed Gregory, with a smile of
+complacent amusement. "My dear Mrs. Littleton, you must not let yourself
+be deceived by the Sunday school, Fourth of July, legislative or other
+public utterances of the American people. It isn't necessary to shout it
+on the house-tops, but I will confide to you that, whatever they may
+declaim or publish to the contrary, the American people are at heart a
+nation of gamblers. They don't play little horses and other games in
+public for francs, like the French, for the law forbids it, but I don't
+believe that any one, except we bankers and brokers, realizes how widely
+exists the habit of playing the stock-market. Thousands of people, big
+and little, sanctimonious and highly respectable, put up their margins
+and reap their profits or their losses. Oh no, the country doesn't
+approve of it, especially those who lose. I assure you that the letters
+which pass through the post-office from the godly, freeborn voters in
+the rural districts would tell an eloquent story concerning the wishes
+of the people of the country in regard to speculation."
+
+Flossy was rising from table as he finished, so he accompanied the close
+of his statement with a sweeping bow which comported with his jaunty
+dignity.
+
+"I am afraid you are a wicked man. You ought not to slander the American
+people like that," Selma answered, pleased as she spoke at the light
+touch which she was able to impart to her speech.
+
+"It's true. Every word of it is true," he said as she passed him. He
+added in a low tone--"I would almost even venture to wager a pair of
+gloves that at some time or other your husband has had a finger in the
+pie."
+
+"Never," retorted Selma.
+
+"What is that Gregory is saying?" interrupted Flossy, putting her arm
+inside Selma's. "I can see by his look that he has been plaguing you."
+
+"Yes, he has been trying to shatter my ideals, and now he is trying to
+induce me to make an odious bet with him."
+
+"Don't, for you would be certain to lose. Gregory is in great luck
+nowadays."
+
+"That is evident, for he has had the good fortune to make the
+acquaintance of Mrs. Littleton," said Williams gallantly.
+
+The two men were left alone with their cigars. After these were lighted,
+as if he were carrying out his previous train of thought, Gregory
+remarked, oracularly, at the end of a puff: "Louisville and Nashville is
+certain to sell higher."
+
+Littleton looked blank for a moment. He knew so little of stocks that at
+first he did not understand what was meant. Then he said, politely:
+"Indeed!"
+
+"It is good for a ten-point rise in my opinion," Williams continued
+after another puff. He was of a liberal nature, and was making a present
+of this tip to his guest in the same spirit of hospitality as he had
+proffered the dinner and the champagne. He was willing to take for
+granted that Littleton, as a gentleman, would give him the order in case
+he decided to buy, which would add another customer to his list. But his
+suggestion was chiefly disinterested.
+
+"I'm afraid I know very little about such matters," Littleton responded
+with a smile. "I never owned but ten shares of stock in my life." Then,
+by way, perhaps, of showing that he was not indifferent to all the good
+things which the occasion afforded, he said, indicating a picture on the
+opposite wall: "That is a fine piece of color."
+
+Williams, having discharged his obligations as a host, was willing to
+exchange the stock-market as a topic for his own capacity as a lightning
+appreciator and purchaser of objects of art.
+
+"Yes," he said, urbanely, "that is a good thing. I saw it in the
+shop-window, asked the price and bought it. I bought two other pictures
+at the same time. 'I'll take that, and that, and that,' I said, pointing
+with my cane. The dealer looked astonished. He was used, I suppose, to
+having people come in and look at a picture every day for a fortnight
+before deciding. When I like a thing I know it. The three cost me
+eighteen hundred dollars, and I paid for them within a week by a turn in
+the market."
+
+"You were very fortunate," said Littleton, who wished to seem
+sympathetic.
+
+Meanwhile the two wives had returned to the drawing-room arm in arm, and
+established themselves on one of those small sofas for two, constructed
+so that the sitters are face to face. They had taken a strong fancy to
+each other, especially Flossy to Selma, and in the half hour which
+followed they made rapid progress toward intimacy. Before they parted
+each had agreed to call the other by her Christian name, and Selma had
+confided the story of her divorce. Flossy listened with absorbed
+interest and murmured at the close:
+
+"Who would have thought it? You look so pure and gentle and refined that
+a man must have been a brute to treat you like that. But you are happy
+now, thank goodness. You have a husband worthy of you."
+
+Each had a host of things still unsaid when Littleton and Williams
+joined them.
+
+"Well, my dear," said Wilbur as they left the house, "that was a sort of
+Arabian Nights entertainment for us, wasn't it? A little barbaric, but
+handsome and well intentioned. I hope it didn't shock you too much."
+
+"It struck me as very pleasant, Wilbur. I think I am beginning to
+understand New York a little better. Every thing costs so much here that
+it seems necessary to make money, doesn't it? I don't see exactly how
+poor people get along. Do you know, Mr. Williams wished to bet me a pair
+of gloves that you buy stocks sometimes."
+
+"He would have lost his bet."
+
+"So I told him at once. But he didn't seem to believe me. I was sure you
+never did. He appears to be very successful; but I let him see that I
+knew it was gambling. You consider it gambling, don't you?"
+
+"Not quite so bad as that. Some stock-brokers are gamblers; but the
+occupation of buying and selling stocks for a commission is a well
+recognized and fashionable business."
+
+"Mr. Williams thinks that a great many Americans make money in
+stocks--that we are gamblers as a nation."
+
+"I am, in my heart, of the same opinion."
+
+"Oh, Wilbur. I find you are not so good a patriot as I supposed."
+
+"I hate bunkum."
+
+"What is that?"
+
+"Saying things for effect, and professing virtue which we do not
+possess."
+
+Selma was silent a moment. "What does champagne cost a bottle?"
+
+"About three dollars and a half."
+
+"Do you really think their house barbaric?"
+
+"It certainly suggests to me heterogeneous barbaric splendor. They
+bought their upholstery as they did their pictures, with free-handed
+self-confidence. Occasionally they made a brilliant shot, but oftener
+they never hit the target at all."
+
+"I think I like brighter colors than you do, Wilbur," mused Selma. "I
+used to consider things like that as wrong; but I suppose that was
+because our fathers wished Europe to understand that we disapproved of
+the luxury of courts and the empty lives of the nobility. But if people
+here with purpose have money, it would seem sensible to furnish their
+houses prettily."
+
+"Subject always to the crucifying canons of art," laughed Littleton.
+"I'm glad you're coming round to my view, Selma. Only I deny the ability
+of the free-born American, with the overflowing purse, to indulge his
+newly acquired taste for gorgeous effects without professional
+assistance."
+
+"I suppose so. I can see that their house is crude, though I do think
+that they have some handsome things. It must be interesting to walk
+through shops and say: 'I'll take that,' just because it pleases you."
+
+During her first marriage Selma had found the problem of dollars and
+cents a simple one. The income of Lewis Babcock was always larger than
+the demands made upon it, and though she kept house and was familiar
+with the domestic disbursements, questions of expenditure solved
+themselves readily. She had never been obliged to ask herself whether
+they could afford this or that outlay. Her husband had been only too
+eager to give her anything she desired. Consideration of the cost of
+things had seemed to her beneath her notice, and as the concern of the
+providing man rather than the thoughtful American wife and mother. After
+she had been divorced the difficulty in supplying herself readily with
+money had been a dismaying incident of her single life. Dismaying
+because it had seemed to her a limitation unworthy of her aspirations
+and abilities. She had married Littleton because she believed him her
+ideal of what a man should be, but she had been glad that he would be
+able to support her and exempt her from the necessity of asking what
+things cost.
+
+By the end of their first year and a half of marriage, Selma realized
+that this necessity still stood, almost like a wolf at the door, between
+her and the free development of her desires and aspirations. New York
+prices were appalling; the demands of life in New York still more so.
+They had started house-keeping on a more elaborate scale than she had
+been used to in Benham. As Mrs. Babcock she had kept one hired girl; but
+in her new kitchen there were two servants, in deference to the desire
+of Littleton, who did not wish her to perform the manual work of the
+establishment. Men rarely appreciate in advance to the full extent the
+extra cost of married life, and Littleton, though intending to be
+prudent, found his bills larger than he had expected. He was able to pay
+them promptly and without worry, but he was obliged to make evident to
+Selma that the margin over and above their carefully considered expenses
+was very small. The task of watching the butcher's book and the
+provision list, and thinking twice before making any new outlay, was
+something she had not bargained for. All through her early life as a
+girl, the question of money had been kept in the background by the
+simplicity of her surroundings. In her country town at home they had
+kept no servants. A woman relative had done the work, and she had been
+free to pursue her mental interests and devote herself to her father.
+She had thought then that the existence of domestic servants was an act
+of treason against the institutions of the country by those who kept
+them. Yet she had accepted, with glee, the hired-girl whom Babcock had
+provided, satisfying her own democratic scruples by dubbing her "help,"
+and by occasionally offering her a book to read or catechising her as to
+her moral needs. There is probably no one in the civilized world more
+proud of the possession of a domestic servant than the American woman
+who has never had one, and no one more prompt to consign her to the
+obscurity of the kitchen after a feeble pretence at making her feel at
+home. Selma was delighted to have two instead of one, and, after
+beholding Mrs. Williams's trig maids, was eager to see her own arrayed
+in white caps and black alpaca dresses. Yet, though she had become keen
+to cultivate the New York manner, and had succeeded in reconciling her
+conscience to the possession of beautiful things by people with a
+purpose, it irked her to feel that she was hampered in living up to her
+new-found faith by the bugbear of a lean purse. She had expected, as
+Wilbur's wife, to figure quickly and gracefully in the van of New York
+intellectual and social progress. Instead, she was one among thousands,
+living in a new and undeveloped locality, unrecognized by the people of
+whom she read in the newspapers, and without opportunities for
+displaying her own individuality and talents. It depressed her to see
+the long lines of houses, street after street, and to think that she was
+merely a unit, unknown by name, in this great sea of humanity--she,
+Selma Littleton, free-born American, conscious of virtue and power. This
+must not be; and she divined clearer and clearer every day that it need
+not be if she had more money.
+
+It began to be annoying to her that Wilbur's professional progress was
+not more rapid. To be sure he had warned her that he could not hope to
+reach the front rank at once; that recognition must be gradual; and that
+he must needs work slowly in order to do himself justice. She had
+accepted this chiefly as a manifestation of modesty, not doubting that
+many orders would be forthcoming, especially now that he had the new
+stimulus of her love and inspiration. Instead there had been no marked
+increase in the number of his commissions; moreover he had been
+unsuccessful in two out of three competitions for minor public buildings
+for which he had submitted designs. From both the pecuniary and
+professional point of view these failures had been a disappointment. He
+was in good spirits and obviously happy, and declared that he was doing
+as well as he could reasonably expect; yet on his discouraged days he
+admitted that the cost of retaining his draughtsmen was a drain on the
+profit side of his ledger.
+
+In contrast with this the prosperity of her neighbors the Williamses was
+a little hard to bear. The sudden friendship developed into neighborly
+intimacy, and she and Flossy saw much of each other, dropping in
+familiarly, and often walking and shopping together. The two men were on
+sufficiently cordial terms, each being tolerant of the other's
+limitations, and seeking to recognize his good points for the sake of
+the bond between their wives. The return dinner was duly given, and
+Selma, hopeless of imitating the barbaric splendor, sought refuge in the
+reflection that the æsthetic and intellectual atmosphere of her table
+would atone for the lack of material magnificence, and limited her
+efforts to a few minor details such as providing candles with colored
+shades and some bonbon dishes. It was plain that Flossy admired her
+because she recognized her to be a fine and superior soul, and the
+appreciation of this served to make it more easy not to repine at the
+difference between their entertainments. Still the constant acquisition
+of pretty things by her frank and engaging friend was an ordeal which
+only a soul endowed with high, stern democratic faith and purpose could
+hope to endure with equanimity. Flossy bought new adornments for her
+house and her person with an amiable lavishness which required no
+confession to demonstrate that her husband was making money. She made
+the confession, though, from time to time with a bubbling pride, never
+suspecting that it could harass or tempt her spiritual looking friend.
+She prattled artlessly of theatre parties followed by a supper at one of
+the fashionable restaurants, and of new acquaintances whom she
+entertained, and through whom her social circle was enlarged, without
+divining that the sprightly narration was a thorn in the flesh of her
+hearer. Selma was capricious in her reception of these reports of
+progress. At times she listened to them with grave, cold eyes, which
+Flossy took for signals of noble disdain and sought to deprecate by
+wooing promises to be less worldly. At others she asked questions with a
+feverish, searching curiosity, which stimulated Mrs. Williams's free and
+independent style into running commentaries on the current course of
+social events and the doings and idiosyncracies of contemporary leaders
+of fashion whom she had viewed from afar. One afternoon Selma saw from
+her window Flossy and her husband drive jubilantly away in a high cart
+with yellow wheels drawn by a sleek cob, and at the same moment she
+became definitely aware that her draught from the cup of life had a
+bitter taste. Why should these people drive in their own vehicle rather
+than she? It seemed clear to her that Wilbur could not be making the
+best use of his talents, and that she had both a grievance against him
+and a sacred duty to perform in his and her own behalf. Justice and
+self-respect demanded that their mutual light should no longer be hid
+under a bushel.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+Pauline Littleton was now established in her new lodgings. Having been
+freed by her brother's marriage from the responsibilities of a
+housewife, she was able to concentrate her attention on the work in
+which she was interested. Her classes absorbed a large portion of her
+time. The remainder was devoted to writing to girls in other cities who
+sought her advice in regard to courses of study, and to correspondence,
+consultation, and committee meetings with a group of women in New York
+and elsewhere, who like herself were engrossed in educational matters.
+She was glad to have the additional time thus afforded her for pursuing
+her own tastes, and the days seemed too short for what she wished to
+accomplish. She occupied two pleasant rooms within easy walking distance
+of her brother's house. Her classes took her from home four days in the
+week, and two mornings in every seven were spent at her desk with her
+books and papers, in the agreeable labor of planning and correspondence.
+
+Naturally one of her chief desires was to be on loving terms with her
+brother's wife, and to do everything in her power to add to Selma's
+happiness. She summoned her women friends to meet her sister-in-law at
+afternoon tea. All of these called on the bride, and some of them
+invited her to their houses. They were busy women like Pauline herself,
+intent in their several ways on their vocations or avocations. They were
+disposed to extend the right hand of fellowship to Mrs. Littleton, whom
+they without exception regarded as interesting in appearance, but they
+had no leisure for immediate intimacy with her. Having been introduced
+to her and having scheduled her in their minds as a new and desirable
+acquaintance, they went their ways, trusting chiefly to time to renew
+the meeting and to supply the evidence as to the stranger's social
+value. Busy people in a large city are obliged to argue that new-comers
+should win their spurs, and that great minds, valuable opinions, and
+moving social graces are never crushed by inhumanity, but are certain
+sooner or later to gain recognition. Therefore after being very cordial
+and expressing the hope of seeing more of her in the future, every one
+departed and left Selma to her duties and her opportunities as
+Littleton's wife, without having the courtesy to indicate that they
+considered her a superior woman.
+
+Pauline regarded this behavior on the part of her friends as normal, and
+having done her social duty in the afternoon tea line, without a
+suspicion that Selma was disappointed by the experience, she gave
+herself up to the congenial undertaking of becoming intimate with her
+sister-in-law. She ascribed Selma's reserve, and cold, serious manner
+partly to shyness due to her new surroundings, and partly to the
+spiritual rigor of the puritan conscience and point of view. She had
+often been told that individuals of this temperament possessed more
+depth of character than more emotional and socially facile people, and
+she was prepared to woo. In comparison with Wilbur, Pauline was
+accustomed to regard herself as a practical and easy-going soul, but she
+was essentially a woman of fine and vigorous moral and mental purpose.
+Like many of her associates in active life, however, she had become too
+occupied with concrete possibilities to be able to give much thought to
+her own soul anatomy, and she was glad to look up to her brother's wife
+as a spiritual superior and to recognize that the burden lay on herself
+to demonstrate her own worthiness to be admitted to close intimacy on
+equal terms. Wilbur was to her a creature of light, and she had no doubt
+that his wife was of the same ethereal composition.
+
+Pauline was glad, too, of the opportunity really to know a countrywoman
+of a type so different from her own friends. She, like Wilbur, had heard
+all her life of these interesting and inspiring beings; intense,
+marvellously capable, peerless, free-born creatures panoplied in
+chastity and endowed with congenital mental power and bodily charms, who
+were able to cook, educate children, control society and write
+literature in the course of the day's employment. The newspapers and
+popular opinion had given her to understand that these were the true
+Americans, and caused her to ask herself whether the circle to which she
+herself belonged was not retrograde from a nobler ideal. In what way she
+did not precisely understand, except that she and her friends did not
+altogether disdain nice social usages and conventional womanly ways.
+But, nevertheless, the impression had remained in her mind that she must
+be at fault somehow, and it interested her that she would now be able to
+understand wherein she was inferior.
+
+She went to see Selma as often as she could, and encouraged her to call
+at her lodgings on the mornings when she was at home, expecting that it
+might please her sister-in-law to become familiar with the budding
+educational enterprises, and that thus a fresh bond of sympathy would be
+established between them. Selma presented herself three or four times in
+the course of the next three months, and on the first occasion expressed
+gratifying appreciation of the cosiness of the new lodgings.
+
+"I almost envy you," she said, "your freedom to live your own life and
+do just what you like. It must be delightful away up here where you can
+see over the tops of the houses and almost touch the sky, and there is
+no one to disturb the current of your thoughts. It must be a glorious
+place to work and write. I shall ask you to let me come up here
+sometimes when I wish to be alone with my own ideas."
+
+"As often as you like. You shall have a pass key."
+
+"I should think," said Selma, continuing to gaze, with her far away
+look, over the vista of roofs which the top story of the apartment house
+commanded, "that you would be a great deal happier than if you had
+married him."
+
+The pause which ensued caused her to look round, and add jauntily, "I
+have heard, you know, about Dr. Page."
+
+A wave of crimson spread over Pauline's face--the crimson of wounded
+surprise, which froze Selma's genial intentions to the core.
+
+"I didn't think you'd mind talking about it," she said stiffly.
+
+"There's nothing to talk about. Since you have mentioned it, Dr. Page is
+a dear friend of mine, and will always continue to be, I hope."
+
+"Oh, I knew you were nothing but friends now," Selma answered. She felt
+wounded in her turn. She had come with the wish to be gracious and
+companionable, and it had seemed to her a happy thought to congratulate
+Pauline on the wisdom of her decision. She did not like people who were
+not ready to be communicative and discuss their intimate concerns.
+
+The episode impaired the success of the first morning visit. At the
+next, which occurred a fortnight later, Pauline announced that she had a
+piece of interesting news.
+
+"Do you know a Mr. Joel Flagg in Benham?"
+
+"I know who he is," said Selma. "I have met his daughter."
+
+"It seems he has made a fortune in oil and real estate, and is desirous
+to build a college for women in memory of his mother, Sarah Wetmore. One
+of my friends has just received a letter from a Mrs. Hallett Taylor, to
+whom Mr. Flagg appears to have applied for counsel, and who wishes some
+of us who are interested in educational matters to serve as an advisory
+committee. Probably you know Mrs. Taylor too?"
+
+"Oh yes. I have been at her house, and I served with her on the
+committee which awarded Wilbur the church."
+
+"Why, then you are the very person to tell us all about her. I think I
+remember now having heard Wilbur mention her name."
+
+"Wilbur fancied her, I believe."
+
+"Your tone rather implies that you did not. You must tell me everything
+you know. My friend has corresponded with her before in regard to some
+artistic matters, but she has never met her. Her letter suggests a
+lady."
+
+"I dare say you would like Mrs. Taylor," said Selma, gravely. "She is
+attractive, I suppose, and seemed to know more or less about European
+art and pictures, but we in Benham didn't consider her exactly an
+American. If you really wish to know my opinion, I think that she was
+too exclusive a person to have fine ideas."
+
+"That's a pity."
+
+"If she lived in New York she would like to be one of those society
+ladies who live on Fifth Avenue; only she hasn't really any conception
+of what true elegance is. Her house there, except for the ornaments she
+had bought abroad, was not so well furnished as the one I lived in. I
+wonder what she would think if she could look into the drawing-room of
+my friend Mrs. Williams."
+
+"I see," said Pauline, though in truth she was puzzled. "I am sorry if
+she is a fine lady, but people like that, when they become interested,
+are often excellent workers. It is a noble gift of Mr. Flagg's--$500,000
+as a foundation fund. He's a good American at all events. Wilbur must
+certainly compete for the buildings, and his having first met you there
+ought to be an inspiration to him to do fine work."
+
+Selma had been glad of the opportunity to criticise Mrs. Hallett Taylor,
+whom she had learned, by the light of her superior social knowledge, to
+regard as an unimportant person. Yet she had been conscious of a
+righteous impulse in saying what she thought of her. She knew that she
+had never liked Mrs. Taylor, and she was not pleased to hear that Mr.
+Flagg had selected her from among the women of Benham to superintend the
+administration of his splendid gift. Benham had come to seem to her
+remote and primitive, yet she preferred, and was in the mood, to think
+that it represented the principles which were dear to her, and that she
+had been appreciated there far better than in her present sphere. She
+was still tied to Benham by correspondence with Mrs. Earle. Selma had
+written at once to explain her sudden departure, and letters passed
+between them at intervals of a few weeks--letters on Selma's part fluent
+with dazzled metropolitan condescension, yet containing every now and
+then a stern charge against her new fellow-citizens on the score of
+levity and worldliness.
+
+The donation for the establishment of Wetmore College was made shortly
+after another institution for the education of women in which Pauline
+was interested--Everdean College--had been opened to students. The
+number of applicants for admission to Everdean had been larger than the
+authorities had anticipated, and Pauline, who had been one of the
+promoters and most active workers in raising funds for and supervising
+the construction of this labor of love, was jubilant over the outlook,
+and busy in regard to a variety of new matters presented for solution by
+the suddenly evolved needs of the situation. Among these was the
+acquisition of two or three new women instructors; and it occurred to
+Pauline at once that Selma might know of some desirable candidate. Selma
+appeared to manifest but little interest in this inquiry at the time,
+but a few months subsequent to their conversation in regard to Mrs.
+Taylor she presented herself at Pauline's rooms one morning with the
+announcement that she had found some one. Pauline, who was busy at her
+desk, asked permission to finish a letter before listening; so there was
+silence for a few minutes, and Selma, who wore a new costume of a more
+fashionable guise than her last, reflected while she waited that the
+details of such work as occupied her sister-in-law must be tedious.
+Indeed, she had begun to entertain of late a sort of contempt for the
+deliberate, delving processes of the Littletons. She was inclined to ask
+herself if Wilbur and Pauline were not both plodders. Her own idea of
+doing things was to do them quickly and brilliantly, arriving at
+conclusions, as became an American, with prompt energy and despatch. It
+seemed to her that Wilbur, in his work, was slow and elaborate, disposed
+to hesitate and refine instead of producing boldly and immediately. And
+his sister, with her studies and letter-writing, suggested the same
+wearisome tendency. Why should not Wilbur, in his line, act with the
+confident enterprise and capacity to produce immediate, ostensible
+results which their neighbor, Gregory Williams, displayed? As for
+Pauline, of course she had not Wilbur's talent and could not, perhaps,
+be expected to shine conspicuously, but surely she might make more of
+herself if only she would cease to spend so much time in details and
+cogitation, with nothing tangible to show for her labor. Selma
+remembered her own experience as a small school teacher, and her
+thankfulness at her escape from a petty task unworthy of her
+capabilities, and she smiled scornfully to herself, as she sat waiting,
+at what she regarded Pauline's willingness to spend her energies in such
+inconspicuous, self-effacing work. Indeed, when Pauline had finished her
+letter and announced that she was now entirely at leisure, Selma felt
+impelled to remark:
+
+"I should think, Pauline, that you would give a course of lectures on
+education. We should be glad to have them at our house, and your friends
+ought to be able to dispose of a great many tickets." Such a thing had
+never occurred to Selma until this moment, but it seemed to her, as she
+heard her own words, a brilliant suggestion, both as a step forward for
+Pauline and a social opportunity for herself.
+
+"On education? My dear Selma, you have no idea of the depths of my
+ignorance. Education is an enormous subject, and I am just beginning to
+realize how little I know concerning it. People have talked and written
+about education enough. What we need and what some of us are trying to
+do is to study statistics and observe results. I am very much obliged to
+you, but I should only make myself a laughing-stock."
+
+"I don't think you would. You have spent a great deal of time in
+learning about education, and you must have interesting things to say.
+You are too modest and--don't you think it may be that you are not quite
+enterprising enough? A course of lectures would call public attention to
+you, and you would get ahead faster, perhaps. I think that you and
+Wilbur are both inclined to hide your light under a bushel. It seems to
+me that one can be conscientious and live up to one's ideals without
+neglecting one's opportunities."
+
+"The difficulty is," said Pauline, with a laugh, "that I shouldn't
+regard it as an opportunity, and I am sure it wouldn't help me to get
+ahead, as you call it, with the people I desire to impress, to give
+afternoon tea or women-club lectures. I don't know enough to lecture
+effectively. As to enterprise, I am busy from morning until night. What
+more can a woman do? You mustn't hurry Wilbur, Selma. All he needs is
+time to let the world see his light."
+
+"Very likely. Of course, if you don't consider that you know enough
+there is nothing to be said. I thought of it because I used to lecture
+in Benham, at the Benham Institute, and I am sure it helped me to get
+ahead. I used to think a great deal about educational matters, and
+perhaps I will set you the example by giving some lectures myself."
+
+"That would be very interesting. If a person has new ideas and has
+confidence in them, it is natural to wish to let the world hear them."
+
+Pauline spoke amiably, but she was disposed to regard her sister with
+more critical eyes. She felt no annoyance at the patronizing tone toward
+herself, but the reference to Wilbur made her blood rebel. Still she
+could not bear to harbor distrust against that grave face with its
+delicate beauty and spiritualized air, which was becomingly accommodated
+to metropolitan conditions by a more festive bonnet than any which she
+herself owned. Yet she noticed that the thin lips had an expression of
+discontent, and she wondered why.
+
+Recurring to the errand on which she had come, Selma explained that she
+had just received a letter from Benham--from her friend, Mrs. Margaret
+Rodney Earle, an authoress and a promulgator of advanced and original
+ideas in respect to the cause of womanhood, asking if she happened to
+know of an opening for a gifted young lady in any branch of intellectual
+work.
+
+"I thought at once of Everdean," said Selma, "and have come to give you
+the opportunity of securing her."
+
+Pauline expressed her thanks cordially, and inquired if Mrs. Earle had
+referred to the candidate's experience or special fitness for the duties
+of the position.
+
+"She writes that she is very clever and gifted. I did not bring the
+letter with me, but I think Mrs. Earle's language was that Miss Bailey
+will perform brilliantly any duties which may be intrusted to her."
+
+"That is rather general," said Pauline. "I am sorry that she didn't
+specify what Miss Bailey's education has been, and whether she has
+taught elsewhere."
+
+"Mrs. Earle wouldn't have recommended her if she hadn't felt sure that
+she was well educated. I remember seeing her at the Benham Institute on
+one of the last occasions when I was present. She delivered a whistling
+solo which every one thought clever and melodious."
+
+"I dare say she is just the person we are looking for," said Pauline,
+leniently. "It happens that Mrs. Grainger--my friend to whom Mrs. Taylor
+wrote concerning Mr. Flagg's gift--is to make Mrs. Taylor a visit at
+Benham next week, in order to consider the steps to be taken in regard
+to Wetmore College. She and Miss Bailey can arrange to meet, and that
+will save Miss Bailey the expense of a journey to New York, at the
+possible risk of disappointment."
+
+"I thought," said Selma, "that you would consider yourselves fortunate
+to secure her services."
+
+"I dare say we shall be very fortunate, Selma. But we cannot engage her
+without seeing her and testing her qualifications."
+
+Selma made no further demur at the delay, but she was obviously
+surprised and piqued that her offer should be treated in this elaborate
+fashion. She was obliged to acknowledge to herself that she could not
+reasonably expect Pauline to make a definite decision without further
+inquiry, but she had expected to be able to report to Mrs. Earle that
+the matter was as good as settled--that, if Miss Bailey would give a few
+particulars as to her accomplishments, the position would be hers.
+Surely she and Mrs. Earle were qualified to choose a school-teacher.
+Here was another instance of the Littleton tendency to waste time on
+unimportant details. She reasoned that a woman with more wide-awake
+perceptions would have recognized the opportunity as unusual, and would
+have snapped up Miss Bailey on the spot.
+
+The sequel was more serious. Neither Selma nor Pauline spoke of the
+matter for a month. Then it was broached by Pauline, who wrote a few
+lines to the effect that she was sorry to report that the authorities of
+Everdean, after investigation, had concluded not to engage the services
+of Miss Bailey as instructor. When Selma read the note her cheeks burned
+with resentment. She regarded the decision as an affront. Pauline dined
+with them on the evening of that day, and at table Selma was cold and
+formal. When the two women were alone, Selma said at once, with an
+attempt at calmness:
+
+"What fault do you find with my candidate?"
+
+"I think it possible that she might have been satisfactory from the mere
+point of scholarship," judicially answered Pauline, who did not realize
+in the least that her sister-in-law was offended, "though Mrs. Grainger
+stopped short of close inquiry on that score, for the reason that Miss
+Bailey failed to satisfy our requirements in another respect. I don't
+wish to imply by what I am going to say anything against her character,
+or her capacity for usefulness as a teacher under certain conditions,
+but I confide to you frankly, Selma, that we make it an absolute
+condition in the choice of instructors for our students that they should
+be first of all lady-like in thought and speech, and here it was that
+she fell short. Of course I have never seen Miss Bailey, but Mrs.
+Grainger reported that she was--er--impossible."
+
+"You mean that your friend does not consider her a lady? She isn't a
+society lady, but I did not suppose an American girl would be refused a
+position as a teacher for such a reason as that."
+
+"A lady is a lady, whether she is what you term a society lady or not.
+Mrs. Grainger told us that Miss Bailey's appearance and manners did not
+suggest the womanly refinement which we deem indispensable in those who
+are to teach our college students. Five years ago only scholarship and
+cleverness were demanded, but experience has taught the educators of
+women that this was a mistake."
+
+"I presume," said Selma, with dramatic scorn, "that Mrs. Hallett Taylor
+disapproved of her. I thought there would be some such outcome when I
+heard that she was to be consulted."
+
+"Mrs. Taylor's name was not mentioned," answered Pauline, in
+astonishment. "I had no idea, Selma, that you regarded this as a
+personal matter. You told me that you had seen Miss Bailey but once."
+
+"I am interested in her because--because I do not like to see a cruel
+wrong done. You do not understand her. You allow a prejudice, a
+class-prejudice, to interfere with her career and the opportunity to
+display her abilities. You should have trusted Mrs. Earle, Pauline, She
+is my friend, and she recommended Miss Bailey because she believed in
+her. It is a reflection on me and my friends to intimate that she is not
+a lady."
+
+She bent forward from the sofa with her hands clasped and her lips
+tightly compressed. For a moment she gazed angrily at the bewildered
+Pauline, then, as though she had suddenly bethought her of her New York
+manner, she drew herself up and said with a forced laugh--"If the reason
+you give were not so ridiculous, I should be seriously offended."
+
+"Offended! Offended with Pauline," exclaimed Littleton, who entered the
+room at the moment. "It cannot be that my two guardian angels have had a
+falling out." He looked from one to the other brightly as if it were
+really a joke.
+
+"It is nothing," said Selma.
+
+"It seems," said Pauline with fervor, "that I have unintentionally hurt
+Selma's feelings. It is the last thing in the world I wish to do, and I
+trust that when she thinks the matter over she will realize that I am
+innocent. I am very, very sorry."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+"Why don't you follow the advice of Mr. Williams and buy some shares of
+stock?" asked Selma lightly, yet coaxingly, of her husband one day in
+the third year of their marriage. The Williamses were dining with them
+at the time, and a statement by Gregory, not altogether without motive,
+as to the profits made by several people who had taken his advice,
+called forth the question. He and his wife were amiably inclined toward
+the Littletons, and were proud of the acquaintance. Among their other
+friends they boasted of the delightful excursions into the literary
+circle which the intimacy afforded them. They both would have been
+pleased to see their neighbors more amply provided with money, and
+Gregory, partly at the instance of Flossy, partly from sheer good-humor
+in order to give a deserving but impractical fellow a chance to better
+himself, threw out tips from time to time--crumbs from the rich man's
+table, but bestowed in a friendly spirit. Whenever they were let fall,
+Selma would look at Wilbur hoping for a sign of interest, but hitherto
+they had evoked merely a smile of refusal or had been utterly ignored.
+
+Her own question had been put on several occasions, both in the company
+of the tempter and in the privacy of the domestic hearth, and both in
+the gayly suggestive and the pensively argumentative key. Why might they
+not, by means of a clever purchase in the stock market, occasionally
+procure some of the agreeable extra pleasures of life--provide the ready
+money for theatres, a larger wardrobe, trips from home, or a modest
+equipage? Why not take advantage of the friendly advice given? Mr.
+Williams had made clear that the purchase of stocks on a sufficient
+margin was no more reprehensible as a moral proposition than the
+purchase of cargoes of sugar, cotton, coffee or tea against which
+merchants borrowed money at the bank. In neither instance did the
+purchaser own outright what he sought to sell at an advance; merely in
+one case it was shares, in the other merchandise. Of course it was
+foolish for inexperienced country folk with small means to dabble in
+stocks and bonds, but why should not city people who were clever and had
+clever friends in the business eke out the cost of living by shrewd
+investments? In an old-fashioned sense it might be considered gambling;
+but, if it were true, as Wilbur and Mr. Williams both maintained, that
+the American people were addicted to speculation, was not the existence
+of the habit strong evidence that the prejudice against it must be
+ill-founded? The logical and the patriotic conclusion must needs be that
+business methods had changed, and that the American nation had been
+clever enough to substitute dealings in shares of stock, and in
+contracts relating to cereals and merchandise for the methods of their
+grandfathers who delivered the properties in bulk.
+
+To this condensation of Gregory's glib sophistries on the lips of his
+wife, Wilbur had seemed to turn a deaf ear. It did not occur to him, at
+first, that Selma was seriously in earnest. He regarded her suggestions
+of neglected opportunities, which were often whimsically uttered, as
+more than half playful--a sort of make-believe envy of the meteoric
+progress in magnificence of their friendly neighbors. He was even glad
+that she should show herself appreciative of the merits of civilized
+comfort, for he had been afraid lest her ascetic scruples would lead her
+judgments too far in the opposite direction. He welcomed them and
+encouraged her small schemes to make the establishment more festive and
+stylish in appearance, in modest imitation of the splendor next door.
+But constant and more sombre reference to the growing fortunes of the
+Williamses presently attracted his attention and made him more
+observant. His income sufficed to pay the ordinary expenses of quiet
+domestic life, and to leave a small margin for carefully, considered
+amusements, but he reflected that if Selma were yearning for greater
+luxury, he could not afford at present to increase materially her
+allowance. It grieved him as a proud man to think that the woman he
+loved should lack any thing she desired, and without a thought of
+distrust he applied himself more strenuously to his work, hoping that
+the sum of his commissions would enable him presently to gratify some of
+her hankerings--such, for instance, as the possession of a horse and
+vehicle. Selma had several times alluded with a sigh to the satisfaction
+there must be in driving in the new park. Babcock had kept a horse, and
+the Williamses now drove past the windows daily in a phaeton drawn by
+two iron gray, champing steeds. He said to himself that he could
+scarcely blame Selma if she coveted now and then Flossy's fine
+possessions, and the thought that she was not altogether happy in
+consequence of his failure to earn more kept recurring to his mind and
+worried him. No children had been born to them, and he pictured with
+growing concern his wife lonely at home on this account, yet without
+extra income to make purchases which might enable her to forget at times
+that there was no baby in the house. Flossy had two children, a boy and
+a girl, two gorgeously bedizened little beings who were trundled along
+the sidewalk in a black, highly varnished baby-wagon which was reputed
+by the dealer who sold it to Gregory to have belonged to an English
+nobleman. Wilbur more than once detected Selma looking at the babies
+with a wistful glance. She was really admiring their clothes, yet the
+thought of how prettily she would have been able to dress a baby of her
+own was at times so pathetic as to bring tears to her eyes, and cause
+her to deplore her own lack of children as a misfortune.
+
+As the weeks slipped away and Wilbur realized that, though he was
+gaining ground in his profession, more liberal expenditures were still
+out of the question, he reached a frame of mind which made him yearn for
+a means of relief. So it happened that, when Selma asked him once more
+why he did not follow the advice proffered and buy some stocks, he
+replied by smiling at Gregory and inquiring what he should buy. During
+the dinner, which had been pleasant, Wilbur's eye had been attracted by
+the brilliancy of some new jewels which Mrs. Williams wore, and he had
+been conscious of the wish that he were able to make a present like that
+to his own wife.
+
+"You take my breath away. Wonders will never cease," responded Gregory,
+while both the women clapped their hands. "But you musn't buy anything;
+you must sell," he continued. "VanHorne and I both came to the
+conclusion to-day that it is time for a turn on the short side of the
+market. When the public are crazy and will buy any thing, then is the
+time to let them have all they wish."
+
+"What, then, am I to sell?" asked Wilbur "I am a complete lamb, you
+know." He was already sorry that he had consented, but Selma's manifest
+interest restrained him from turning the matter into a joke.
+
+"Leave it all to me," said Williams with a magnificent gesture.
+
+"But you will need some money from me."
+
+"Not at all. If you would feel better, you may send me a check or a bond
+for a thousand dollars. But it isn't necessary in your case."
+
+"I will bring you in a bond to-morrow--one of the very few I own."
+
+Wilbur having delivered his security the first thing in the morning,
+heard nothing further from Williams for a fortnight. One day he received
+a formal account of certain transactions executed by Williams and
+VanHorne for Wilbur Littleton, Esq., and a check for two thousand
+dollars. The flush which rose to his cheeks was induced partly by
+pleasure, partly by shame. His inclination, as he reflected, was to
+return the check, but he recognized presently that this was a foolish
+idea, and that the only thing to be done was to deposit it. He wrote a
+grateful note of acknowledgment to Williams, and then gave himself up to
+the agreeable occupation of thinking what he should buy for Selma with
+the money. He decided not to tell her of his good fortune, but to treat
+her to a surprise. His first fancy was in favor of jewelry--some
+necklace or lustrous ornament for the hair, which would charm the
+feminine eye and might make Selma even more beautiful than she already
+appeared in evening dress. His choice settled on a horse and buggy as
+more genuinely useful. To be sure there was the feed of the animal to be
+considered; but he would be able to reserve sufficient money to cover
+this cost for some months, and by the end of that time he would perhaps
+be able to afford the outlay from his income. Horse-flesh and vehicles
+were not in his line, but he succeeded by investigation in procuring a
+modest equipment for seven hundred dollars, which left him three hundred
+for fodder, and the other thousand. This he had decided to hand over to
+Selma as pin money. It was for her sake that he had consented to
+speculate, and it seemed meet that she should have the satisfaction of
+spending it.
+
+He carried out his surprise by appearing one afternoon before the door
+and inviting her to drive. Selma became radiant at the news that the
+horse and buggy were hers, though, when the particulars of the purchase
+were disclosed she said to herself that she wished Wilbur had allowed
+her to choose the vehicle. She would have preferred one more stylish and
+less domestic looking. She flung her arms about his neck and gave him a
+kiss on their return to show her satisfaction.
+
+"You see how easy it is, Wilbur," she said as she surveyed the check
+which he had handed her.
+
+"It was not I, it was Williams."
+
+"No, but you could, if you would only think so. I have the greatest
+confidence in you, dear," she added, looking eagerly into his face; "but
+don't you sometimes go out of your way to avoid what is enterprising
+and--er--modern, just because it is modern?"
+
+"Gambling is as old as the hills, Selma."
+
+"Yes. And if this were gambling--the sort of gambling you mean, do you
+think I would allow you to do it? Do you think the American people would
+tolerate it for a minute?" she asked triumphantly.
+
+"It seems to me that your admiration for the American people sometimes
+makes you a little weak in your logic," he answered with good-humor. He
+was so pleased by Selma's gratification that he was disposed to exorcise
+his scruples.
+
+"I have always told you that I was more of a patriot than you, Wilbur."
+
+The bond had not been returned by Williams at the time he sent the
+money, and some fortnight later--only a few days in fact after this
+drive, Littleton received another cheque for $500 and a request that he
+call at the office.
+
+"I thought you would like to see the instruments of torture at work--the
+process of lamb-shearing in active operation," Williams explained as he
+shook hands and waved him into his private room. After a few easy
+remarks on the methods of doing business the broker continued, "I
+flatter myself that for so small an investment and so short a time, I
+have done tolerably well for you."
+
+"I scarcely know how to express my thanks and my admiration for your
+skill. Indeed I feel rather awkwardly about--"
+
+"That's all right, my dear fellow. It's my business; I get my
+commission. Still I admit friendly regard--and this is why I suggested
+your dropping in--by introducing the personal equation, makes one
+nervous. If instead of closing out your account, I had in each instance
+held on, you would have made more money. I was glad to take this
+responsibility at first because you were a neophyte at the business, but
+I think it will be more satisfactory both for you and for me that in
+future transactions you should give me the word when to reap the profit.
+Of course you shall have all the information which I possess and my
+advice will be at your command, but where a man's money is concerned his
+own head is apt to be the wisest counsellor. Now I took the liberty
+yesterday of selling for you two hundred shares of Reading railroad. You
+can cover to-day at a profit of one point--about $200. I do not urge it.
+On the contrary I believe that the market, barring occasional rallies,
+is still on the downward track. I wish, however, to put you in a
+position where you can, if you desire, take advantage of the full
+opportunities of the financial situation and save myself from feeling
+that I have robbed you by my friendly caution."
+
+"In other words you don't wish to speculate with my money," said
+Littleton. "You wish me to paddle my own canoe."
+
+Williams' real desire was to escape the bother of personally
+superintending an insignificant account. His circumlocution was a suave
+way of stating that he had done all that could be expected of a neighbor
+and benevolent friend, and that the ordinary relation of broker and
+customer ought now be established. As for Littleton, he perceived that
+he was not free to retire from the market on the profits of friendly
+regard unless he was prepared to fly in the face of advice and buy in
+his two hundred Reading railroad. To do so would be pusillanimous;
+moreover to retire and abstain from further dealings would make
+Williams' two cheques more obviously a charitable donation, and the
+thought of them was becoming galling. Above all there were Selma's
+feelings to be considered. The possession of the means to afford her
+happiness was already a sweet argument in favor of further experiments.
+
+And so it happened that during the next nine months Littleton became a
+frequenter of the office of Williams & VanHorne. He was not among those
+who hung over the tape and were to be seen there daily; but he found
+himself attracted as the needle by the magnet to look in once or twice a
+week to ascertain the state of the market. His ventures continued to be
+small, and were conducted under the ken of Williams, and though the
+occasional rallies referred to by the broker harassed Wilbur's spirit
+when they occurred, the policy of selling short proved reasonably
+remunerative in the course of half a dozen separate speculations. In
+round figures he added another $2,500 to that which Williams had made
+for him. The process kept him on pins and needles, and led him to scan
+the list of stock quotations before reading anything else in the
+newspaper. Selma was delighted at his success, and though he chose not
+to tell her the details of his dealings, she watched him furtively,
+followed the general tendency of the market, and when she perceived that
+he was in good spirits, satisfied sufficiently her curiosity by
+questions.
+
+On the strength of this addition to their pecuniary resources, Selma
+branched out into sundry mild extravagances. She augmented her wardrobe,
+engaged an additional house-maid and a more expensive cook, and
+entertained with greater freedom and elaboration. She was fond of going
+to the theatre and supping afterward at some fashionable restaurant
+where she could show her new plumage and be a part of the gay,
+chattering rout at the tables consuming soft-shelled crabs and
+champagne. She was gradually increasing her acquaintance, chiefly among
+the friends of the Williamses, people who were fond of display and
+luxury and who seemed to have plenty of money. In this connection she
+was glad to avail herself of the reputation of belonging to the literary
+circle, and she conceived the plan of mingling these new associates with
+Wilbur's former set--to her thinking a delightful scheme, which she
+inaugurated by means of a dinner party. She included among the guests
+Pauline and Dr. Page, and considered that she had acted gracefully in
+putting them side by side at table, thus sacrificing the theory of her
+entertainment to her feminine interest in romance. In her opinion it was
+more than Pauline deserved, and she was proud of her generosity. There
+were fourteen in the company, and after dinner they were regaled by a
+young woman who had brought a letter of introduction to Selma from Mrs.
+Earle, who read from her own poems. The dinner was given for her, and
+her seat was between Wilbur and Mr. Dennison, the magazine editor. Selma
+had attended a dinner-party at the Williamses a fortnight earlier where
+there had been music in the drawing-room by a ballad-singer at a cost of
+$100 (so Flossy had told her in confidence). A poetess reading from her
+own works, a guest and not invited in after dinner on a business
+footing, appealed to Selma as more American, and less expensive. She, in
+her secret soul, would have liked to recite herself, but she feared to
+run the gauntlet of the New York manner. The verses were intense in
+character and were delivered by the young woman with a hollow-eyed
+fervor which, as one of the non-literary wing of the company stated,
+made one creep and weep alternately. There was no doubt that the
+entertainment was novel and acceptable to the commercial element, and to
+Selma it seemed a delightful reminder of the Benham Institute. She was
+curious to know what Mr. Dennison thought, though she said to herself
+that she did not really care. She felt that anything free and earnest in
+the literary line was likely to be frowned on by the coterie to which
+her husband's people belonged. Nevertheless she seized an opportunity to
+ask the editor if he did not think the verses remarkable.
+
+"They are certainly remarkable," answered Mr. Dennison. After a brief
+pause he added, "Being a strictly truthful person, Mrs. Littleton, I do
+not wish to seek shelter behind the rampart which your word 'remarkable'
+affords. A dinner may be remarkable--remarkably good, like the one I
+have just eaten, or remarkably bad. Some editors would have replied to
+you as I have done, and yet been capable of a mental reservation
+unflattering to the ambitious young woman to whom we have been
+listening. But without wishing to express an opinion, let me remind you
+that poetry, like point-lace, needs close scrutiny before its merits can
+be defined. I thought I recognized some ancient and well-worn flowers of
+speech, but my editorial ear and eye may have been deceived. She has
+beautiful hair at all events."
+
+     "'Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare;
+      And beauty draws us by a single hair.'
+
+"You cynical personage! I only hope she may prove a genius and that you
+will realize when too late that you might have discovered her," said
+Selma, looking into his face brightly with a knowing smile and tapping
+her fan against her hand. She was in a gay humor at the success of the
+entertainment, despite the non-committal attitude of this censor, and
+pleased at the appositeness of her quotation. Her figure had filled out
+since her marriage. She was almost plump and she wore a single short fat
+curl pendent behind her ear.
+
+A few months subsequent to this dinner party Flossy announced one day
+that Mr. Silas S. Parsons, whom Selma had seen with the Williamses at
+the theatre nearly three years before, had come to live in New York with
+his wife and daughter. Flossy referred to him eagerly as one of her
+husband's most valuable customers, a shrewd, sensible, Western business
+man, who had made money in patent machinery and was superbly rich. He
+had gone temporarily to a hotel, but he was intending to build a large
+house on Fifth Avenue near the park. Selma heard this announcement with
+keen interest, asking herself at once why Wilbur should not be the
+architect. Why not, indeed? She promptly reasoned that here was her
+chance to aid her husband; that he, if left to his own devices, would do
+nothing to attract the magnate's attention, and that it behooved her, as
+an American wife and a wide-awake, modern woman, to let Mr. Parsons know
+his qualifications, and to prepossess him in Wilbur's favor by her own
+attractions. The idea appealed to her exceedingly. She had been hoping
+that some opportunity to take an active part in the furtherance of
+Wilbur's career would present itself, for she felt instinctively that
+with her co-operation he would make more rapid progress. Here was
+exactly the occasion longed for. She saw in her mind's eye Mr. Parsons's
+completed mansion, stately and beautiful, the admired precursor of a
+host of important edifices--a revolutionizing monument in contemporary
+architecture. Wilbur would become the fashion, and his professional
+success be assured, thanks to the prompt ability of his wife to take
+advantage of circumstances. So she would prove herself a veritable
+helpmate, and the bond of marital sympathy would be strengthened and
+refreshed.
+
+To begin with, Selma hinted to Mrs. Williams that Mr. Parsons might do
+worse than employ Wilbur to design his house. Flossy accepted the
+suggestion with enthusiasm and promised her support, adding that Mr.
+Parsons was a person of sudden and strong fancies, and that if he were
+to take a fancy to Wilbur, the desired result would be apt to follow.
+Selma quickly decided that Mr. Parsons must be made to like her, for she
+feared lest Wilbur's quiet, undemonstrative manner would fail to attract
+him. Evidently he admired the self-confidence and manly assertion of
+Gregory Williams, and would be liable to regard Wilbur as lacking in
+force and enterprise. The reflection that she would thus be working--as
+necessarily she would--for the eternal progress of truth, added a
+pleasant savor to the undertaking, for it was clear that her husband was
+an ideal architect for the purpose, and she would be doing a true
+service to Mr. Parsons in convincing him that this was so. Altogether
+her soul was in an agreeable flutter, notwithstanding that her neighbor
+Flossy had recently received invitations to two or three large balls,
+and been referred to in the society columns of the newspapers as the
+fascinating and clever wife of the rising banker Gregory Williams.
+
+The Littletons were promptly given by Flossy the opportunity to make the
+acquaintance of the Parsons family. Mr. Parsons was a ponderous man of
+over sixty, with a solid, rotund, grave face and a chin whisker. He was
+absorbed in financial interests, though he had retired from active
+business, and had come to New York to live chiefly to please his wife
+and daughter. Mrs. Parsons, who was somewhat her husband's junior, was a
+devotee, or more correctly, a debauchee, of hotel life. Since the time
+when they had become exceedingly rich, about ten years before, they had
+made a grand tour of the hotels of this country and Europe. By so doing
+Mrs. Parsons and her daughter felt that they became a part of the social
+life of the cities which they visited. Although they had been used to
+plain, if not slovenly, house-keeping before the money came, both the
+wife and daughter had evolved into connoisseurs of modish and luxurious
+hotel apparatus and garniture. They had learned to revel in many
+courses, radiantly upholstered parlors, and a close acquaintance with
+the hotel register. Society for them, wherever they went, meant finding
+out the names of the other guests and dressing for them, being on easy
+terms with the head waiter and elevator boy, visiting the theatres, and
+keeping up a round of shopping in pursuit of articles of apparel. They
+wore rich garments and considerable jewelry, and plastered
+themselves--especially the daughter--with bunches of violets or roses
+self-bestowed. Mrs. Parsons was partial to perfume, and they both were
+addicted to the free consumption of assorted bonbons. To be sure they
+had made some acquaintances in the course of their peregrinations, but
+one reason for moving to New York was that Mrs. Parsons had come to the
+melancholy conclusion that neither the princes of Europe nor the sons of
+American leading citizens were paying that attention to her daughter
+which the young lady's charms seemed to her to merit. If living lavishly
+in hotels and seeing everybody right and left were not the high-road to
+elegant existence and hence to a brilliant match for Lucretia, Mrs.
+Parsons was ready to try the effect of a house on Fifth Avenue, though
+she preferred the comforts of her present mode of life. Still one
+advantage of a stable home would be that Mr. Parsons could be constantly
+with them, instead of an occasional and intermittent visitor
+communicated with more frequently by electricity than by word of mouth.
+While Mr. Parsons was selecting the land, she and Lucretia had abandoned
+themselves to an orgy of shopping, and with an eye to the new house,
+their rooms at the hotel were already littered with gorgeous fabrics,
+patterns of wall-paper and pieces of pottery.
+
+Selma's facility in the New York manner was practised on Silas Parsons
+with flattering success. He was captivated by her--more so than by
+Flossy, who amused him as a flibbertigibbet, but who seemed to him to
+lack the serious cast of character which he felt that he discerned
+beneath the sprightliness of this new charmer. Mr. Parsons was what he
+called a "stickler" for the dignity of a serious demeanor. He liked to
+laugh at the theatre, but mistrusted a daily point of view which savored
+of buffoonery. He was fond of saying that more than one public man in
+the United States had come to grief politically from being a joker, and
+that the American people could not endure flippancy in their
+representatives. He liked to tell and listen to humorous stories in the
+security of a smoking-room, but in his opinion it behooved a citizen to
+maintain a dignified bearing before the world. Like other self-made men
+who had come to New York--like Selma herself--he had shrunk from and
+deplored at first the lighter tone of casual speech. Still he had grown
+used to it, and had even come to depend on it as an amusement. But he
+felt that in the case of Selma there was a basis of ethical earnestness,
+appropriate to woman, beneath her chatty flow of small talk. That she
+was comparatively a new-comer accounted partially for this impression,
+but it was mainly due to the fact that she still reverted after her
+sallies of pleasantry to a grave method of deportment.
+
+Selma's chief hospitality toward the Parsonses took the form of a
+theatre party, which included a supper at Delmonico's after the play. It
+was an expensive kind of entertainment, which she felt obliged to
+justify to Wilbur by the assertion that the Williamses had been so civil
+she considered it would be only decent to show attention to their
+friends. She was unwilling to disclose her secret, lest the knowledge of
+it might make Wilbur offish and so embarrass her efforts. There were
+eight in the party, and the affair seemed to Selma to go off admirably.
+She was enthralled by the idea of using her own personal magnetism to
+promote her husband's business. She felt that it was just the sort of
+thing she would like and was fitted for, and that here was an
+opportunity for her individuality to display itself. She devoted herself
+with engaging assiduity to Mr. Parsons, pleased during the active
+process of propitiation by the sub-consciousness that her table was one
+of the centres of interest in the large restaurant. She had dressed
+herself with formal care, and nothing in the way of compliment could
+have gratified her more than the remark which Mr. Parsons made, as he
+regarded her appreciatively, when he had finished his supper, that she
+suggested his idea of Columbia. Selma glowed with satisfaction. The
+comparison struck her as apt and appropriate, and she replied with a
+proud erection of her head, which imparted to her features their
+transcendental look, and caused her short curl to joggle tremulously, "I
+suppose I see what you mean, Mr. Parsons."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+One evening, four or five days after this supper party, Wilbur laid down
+the book which he was pretending to read, and said, "Selma, I have come
+to the conclusion that I must give up dabbling in stocks. I am being
+injured by it--not financially, for, as you know, I have made a few
+thousand dollars--but morally."
+
+"I thought you were convinced that it was not immoral," answered Selma,
+in a constrained voice.
+
+"I do not refer to whether speculation is justifiable in itself, but to
+its effect on me as an individual--its distraction to my mind and
+consequent interference with my professional work."
+
+"Oh."
+
+"For a year now, the greater portion of the time, I have had some
+interest in the market, and as a consequence, have felt impelled to look
+in on Williams and VanHorne every day--sometimes oftener. I am unable to
+dismiss my speculations from my thoughts. I find myself wondering what
+has happened to the stocks I am carrying, and I am satisfied that the
+practice is thoroughly demoralizing to my self-respect and to my
+progress. I am going to give it up."
+
+"I suppose you must give it up if it affects you like that," responded
+Selma drily. "I don't see exactly why it should."
+
+"It may seem foolish to you, but I am unable to put my ventures out of
+my mind. The consequences of loss would be so serious to me that I
+suppose my imagination becomes unduly active and apprehensive. Also, I
+find myself eager to secure large gains. I must renounce Aladdin's lamp
+from this day forth, my dear, and trust to my legitimate business for my
+income."
+
+Selma folded her hands and looked grave. "It's disappointing that you
+feel so just when we are beginning to get on, Wilbur."
+
+"I have realized, Selma, that you have enjoyed and--er--been made
+happier by the freedom to spend which this extra money has afforded you.
+But I know, when you reflect, you will understand that I am right, and
+that it would be disastrous to both of us if I were to continue to do
+what I believe demoralizing. It is a mortification to me to ask you to
+retrench, but I said to myself that Selma would be the first to insist
+on our doing so if she knew my feelings, and it makes me happy to be
+sure of your approval."
+
+Littleton spoke with a tender plaintiveness which betrayed that in his
+secret soul he was less confident on this score than his words declared,
+or than he himself supposed. "Of course," he added, earnestly, "I shall
+hope that it will not make much difference. My business is slowly, but
+steadily, improving, and I am doing more this year than last. I am
+bending all my energies on my plans for Wetmore College. If I win in
+that competition, I shall make a reputation and a respectable
+commission."
+
+"You have been on those plans three months."
+
+"Yes, and shall not finish them for another two. I wish to do my best
+work, and I shall be glad not to hear quotations of the ticker in my
+brain. You desire me to be thorough, surely, Selma _mia_?"
+
+"Oh, yes. Only, you know people very often spoil things by pottering
+over them."
+
+"I never potter. I reject because I am dissatisfied rather than offer a
+design which does not please me, but I do not waste my time."
+
+"Call it over-conscientiousness then. I wish you to do your best work,
+of course, but one can't expect to do best work invariably. Everything
+was going so nicely that you must perceive it will be inconvenient to
+have to economize as we did before."
+
+Littleton looked at his wife with a glance of loving distress. "You
+wouldn't really care a button. I know you wouldn't, Selma," he said,
+stoutly.
+
+"Of course not, if it were necessary," she answered. "Only I don't wish
+to do so unless it is necessary. I am not controverting your decision
+about the stocks, though I think your imagination, as you say, is to
+blame. I would rather cut my right hand off than persuade you to act
+contrary to your conscience. But it _is_ inconvenient, Wilbur, you must
+admit, to give up the things we have become accustomed to."
+
+"We shall be able to keep the horse. I am certain of that."
+
+"I wish you to see my side of it. Say that you do," she said, with
+shrill intensity.
+
+"It is because I do see it that I am troubled, Selma. For myself I am no
+happier now than I was when we lived more simply. I can't believe that
+you will really find it a hardship to deny yourself such extravagances
+as our theatre party last week. Being a man," he added, after a pause,
+"I suppose I may not appreciate how important and seductive some of
+these social observances appear to a woman, and heaven knows my chief
+wish in life is to do everything in my power to make you happy. You must
+be aware of that, dearest. I delight to work hard for your sake. But it
+seems almost ludicrous to be talking of social interests to you, of all
+women. Why, at the time we were married, I feared that you would cut
+yourself off from reasonable pleasures on account of your dislike of
+everything frivolous. I remember I encouraged you not to take too
+ascetic a view of such things. So I am bound to believe that your side
+is my side--that we both will find true happiness in not attempting to
+compete with people whose tastes are not our tastes, and whose aims are
+not our aims."
+
+"Then you think I have deteriorated," she said, with a superior smile.
+
+"I think of you as the most conscientious woman I ever met. It was only
+natural that you should be spurred by our neighbors, the Williamses, to
+make a better showing socially before the world. I have been glad to see
+you emulous up to a certain point. You must realize though, that we
+cannot keep pace with them, even if we so desire. Already they are in
+the public eye. He appears to have made considerable money, and his
+views on the stock-market are given prominence by the press. He and his
+wife are beginning to be recognized by people who were ignorant of their
+existence four years ago. You told me last week that Mrs. Williams had
+attended one of the fashionable balls, and I saw in yesterday's
+newspaper a description of her toilette at another. It begins to look as
+if, in a few years more, their ambition might be realized, and the doors
+of the Morton Price mansion open wide to admit this clever country
+cousin to the earthly paradise. It must be evident to you, Selma, that
+very shortly we shall see only the dust of their chariot-wheels in the
+dim social distance. Williams told me to-day that he has bought a house
+near the park."
+
+"He has bought a new house? They are going to move?" exclaimed Selma,
+sitting up straight, and with a fierce light in her eyes.
+
+"Yes. He was going home to tell his wife. It seems that they have been
+talking vaguely of moving for some time. An acquaintance happened to
+offer him a house, and Williams closed the bargain on the spot in his
+customary chain-lightning style. I shall be sorry to have them go on
+some accounts, for they have always been friendly, and you seem fond of
+the wife, but we shall find it easier, perhaps, when they are gone, to
+live according to our own ideas."
+
+"Flossy has not been quite so nice lately," said Selma; "I am afraid she
+is disposed to put on airs."
+
+"Her head may have been turned by her success. She has a kind heart, but
+a giddy brain in spite of its cleverness."
+
+"Flossy has been getting on, of course. But so are we getting on. Why
+should they be recognized, as you call it, any more than we? In time, I
+mean. Not in the same way, perhaps, since you don't approve of the sort
+of things--"
+
+"Since I don't approve? Why, Selma, surely--"
+
+"Since _we_ don't approve, then. I only mean that Gregory Williams has
+shown initiative, has pushed ahead, and is--er--the talk of the town. I
+expect you to be successful, too. Is there any reason on earth why the
+door of the Morton Prices should open wide to her and not to me?"
+
+"I suppose not, if--if you wish it."
+
+She made a gesture of impatience and gazed at him a moment with an
+imperious frown, then suddenly, with the litheness of a cat, she slipped
+from her chair to the floor at his feet, and leaning against his knee,
+looked up into his face.
+
+"You dear boy, I am going to tell you something. You said to me once
+that if ever the time came when I thought you visionary, I was to let
+you know. Of course I understand you are worth a thousand _Gregorys_;
+but don't you think you would get on faster if you were a little more
+aggressive in your work?--if you weren't so afraid of being superficial
+or sensational? You were intimating a few minutes ago," she added,
+speaking rapidly under the stress of the message she burned to deliver,
+"that I seemed changed. I don't believe I am changed. But, if I seem
+different, it is because I feel so strongly that those who wish to
+succeed must assert themselves and seize opportunities. There is where
+it seems to me that Mr. Williams has the advantage over you, Wilbur. One
+of the finest and most significant qualities of our people, you know, is
+their enterprise and aggressiveness. Architecture isn't like the stock
+business, but the same theory of progress must be applicable to both.
+Don't you think I may be right, Wilbur? Don't you see what I mean?"
+
+He stroked her hair and answered gently, "What is it that I am not doing
+which you think I might do?"
+
+Selma snuggled close to him, and put her hand in his. She was vibrating
+with the proud consciousness of the duty vouchsafed to her to guide and
+assist the man she loved. It was a blissful and a precious moment to
+her. "If I were you," she said, solemnly, "I should build something
+striking and original, something which would make everyone who beheld it
+ask, 'what is the architect's name?' I would strike out boldly without
+caring too much what the critics and the people of Europe would say. You
+musn't be too afraid, Wilbur, of producing something American, and you
+mustn't be too afraid of the American ways of doing things. We work more
+quickly here in everything, and--and I still can't help feeling that you
+potter a little. Necessarily I don't know about the details of your
+business, but if I were you, instead of designing small buildings or
+competing for colleges and churches, where more than half the time
+someone else gets the award, I should make friends with the people who
+live in those fine houses on Fifth Avenue, and get an order to design a
+splendid residence for one of them. If you were to make a grand success
+of that, as you surely would, your reputation would be made. You ask me
+why I like to entertain and am willing to know people like that. It is
+to help you to get clients and to come to the front professionally. Now
+isn't that sensible and practical and right, too?"
+
+Her voice rang triumphantly with the righteousness of her plea.
+
+"Selma, dear, if I am not worldly-wise enough, I am glad to listen to
+your suggestions. But art is not to be hurried. I cannot vulgarize my
+art. I could not consent to that."
+
+"Of course not, Wilbur. Not worldly-wise enough is just the phrase, I
+think. You are so absorbed in the theory of fine things that I am sure
+you often let the practical opportunities to get the fine things to do
+slip."
+
+"Perhaps, dear. I will try to guard against it." Wilbur took her hands
+in his and looked down tenderly into her face. His own was a little
+weary. "Above everything else in life I wish, to make you happy," he
+said.
+
+"I am happy, you dear boy."
+
+"Truly?"
+
+"Yes, truly. And if something happens which I am nearly sure will
+happen, I shall be happier still. It's a secret, and I mustn't tell you,
+but if it does happen, you can't help agreeing that your wife has been
+clever and has helped you in your profession."
+
+"Helped me? Ah, Selma," he said, folding her in his arms, "I don't think
+you realize how much you are to me. In this modern world, what with
+self-consciousness, and shyness and contemporary distaste for fulsome
+expression, it is difficult to tell adequately those we love how we feel
+toward them. You are my darling and my inspiration. The sun rises and
+sets with you, and unless you were happy, I could never be. Each man in
+this puzzling world must live according to his own lights, and I,
+according to mine, am trying to make the most of myself, consistent with
+self-respect and avoidance of the low human aims and time-serving
+methods upon which our new civilization is supposed to frown. If I am
+neglecting my lawful opportunities, if I am failing to see wisely and
+correctly, I shall be grateful for counsel. Ah, Selma, for your sake,
+even more than for my own, I grieve that we have no children. A baby's
+hands would, I fancy, be the best of counsellors and enlighteners."
+
+"If children had come at first, it would have been very nice. But
+now--now I think they might stand in the way of my being of help to you.
+And I am so anxious to help you, Wilbur."
+
+As a result of this conversation Littleton devoted himself more
+assiduously than ever to his work. He was eager to increase his earnings
+so that his income should not be curtailed by his decision to avoid
+further ventures in the stock-market. He was troubled in soul, for
+Selma's accusation that he was visionary haunted him. Could it be that
+he was too scrupulous, too uncompromising, and lacked proper enterprise?
+Self-scrutiny failed to convince him that this was so, yet left a
+lurking doubt which was harassing. His clear mind was too modest to
+believe in its own infallibility, for he was psychologist enough to
+understand that no one can be absolutely sure that his perspective of
+life is accurate. Possibly he was sacrificing his wife's legitimate
+aspirations to too rigid canons of behavior, and to an unconscious lack
+of initiative. On the other hand, as a positive character, he believed
+that he saw clearly, and he could not avoid the reflection that, if this
+was the case, he and Selma were drifting apart--the more bitter
+alternative of the two, and a condition which, if perpetuated, would
+involve the destruction of the scheme of matrimonial happiness, the
+ideal communion of two sympathetic souls, in which he was living as a
+proud partner. Apparently he was in one of two predicaments; either he
+was self deceived, which was abhorrent to him as a thoughtful grappler
+with the eternal mysteries, or he had misinterpreted the character of
+the woman whose transcendent quality was a dearer faith to him than the
+integrity of his own manhood.
+
+So it was with a troubled heart that he applied himself to more rigorous
+professional endeavor. Like most architects he had pursued certain lines
+of work because orders had come to him, and the chances of employment
+had ordained that his services should be sought for small churches,
+school-houses and kindred buildings in the surrounding country rather
+than for more elaborate and costly structures. On these undertakings it
+was his habit to expend abundant thought and devotion. The class of work
+was to his taste, for, though the funds at his disposal were not always
+so large as he desired for artistic effects, yet he enjoyed the
+opportunity of showing that simplicity need not be homely and
+disenchanting, but could wear the aspect of grace and poetry. Latterly
+he had been requested to furnish designs for some blocks of houses in
+the outlying wards of the city, where the owners sought to provide
+attractive, modern flats for people with moderate means. Various
+commissions had come to him, also, to design decorative work, which
+interested him and gave scope to his refined and aspiring imagination,
+and he was enthusiastically absorbed in preparing his competitive plans
+for the building of Wetmore College. His time was already well occupied
+by the matters which he had in hand. That is, he had enough to do and
+yet did not feel obliged to deny himself the luxury of deliberate
+thoroughness in connection with each professional undertaking. Save for
+the thought that he must needs earn more in order to please Selma, he
+would have been completely happy in the slow but flattering growth of
+his business, and in feeling his way securely toward greater success.
+Now, however, he began to ask himself if it were not possible to hasten
+this or that piece of work in order to afford himself the necessary
+leisure for new employment. He began also to consider whether he might
+not be able, without loss of dignity, to put himself in the way of
+securing more important clients. To solicit business was not to be
+thought of, but now and again he put the question to himself whether he
+had not been too indifferent as to who was who, and what was what, in
+the development of his business.
+
+While Littleton was thus mulling over existing conditions, and
+subjecting his conduct to the relentless lens of his own conscience and
+theories, Selma announced to him jubilantly, about a fortnight
+subsequent to their conversation, that her secret was a secret no
+longer, and that Mr. Parsons desired to employ him to build an imposing
+private residence on Fifth Avenue near the Park. Mr. Parsons confirmed
+this intelligence on the following day in a personal interview. He
+informed Littleton that he was going to build in order to please his
+wife and daughter, and intimated that expense need not stand in the way
+of the gratification of their wishes. After the business matters were
+disposed of he was obviously ready to intrust all the artistic details
+to his architect. Consequently Littleton enjoyed an agreeable quarter of
+an hour of exaltation. He was pleased at the prospect of building a
+house of this description, and the hope of being able to give free scope
+to his architectural bent without molestation made that prospect
+roseate. He could desire no better opportunity for expressing his ideas
+and proving his capacity. It was an ideal chance, and his soul thrilled
+as he called up the shadowy fabric of scheme after scheme to fill the
+trial canvas of his fantasy. Nor did he fail to award due credit to
+Selma for her share in the transaction; not to the extent, perhaps, of
+confessing incapacity on his own part, but by testifying lovingly to her
+cleverness. She was in too good humor at her success to insist on his
+humiliation in set terms. The two points in which she was most vitally
+interested--the advantage of her own interference and the consequent
+prompt extension of her husband's field of usefulness--had been
+triumphantly proved, and there was no need that the third--Wilbur's lack
+of capacity to battle and discriminate for himself--should be
+emphasized. Selma knew what she thought in her own mind, and she
+entertained the hope that this lesson might be a lamp to his feet for
+future illumination. She was even generous enough to exclaim, placing
+her hands on his shoulders and looking into his face with complacent
+fervor:
+
+"You might have accomplished it just as well yourself, Wilbur."
+
+Littleton shook his head and smiled. "It was a case of witchery and
+fascination. He probably divined how eager you were to help me, and he
+was glad to yield to the agreeable spell of your wifely devotion."
+
+"Oh, no," said Selma. "I am sure he never guessed for one moment of what
+I was thinking. Of course, I did try to make him like me, but that was
+only sensible. To make people like one is the way to get business, I
+believe."
+
+Littleton's quarter of an hour of exaltation was rudely checked by a
+note from Mrs. Parsons, requesting an interview in regard to the plans.
+When he presented himself he found her and her daughter imbued with
+definite ideas on the subject of architects and architecture. In the
+eyes of Mrs. Parsons the architect of her projected house was nothing
+but a young man in the employ of her husband, who was to guide them as
+to measurements, carpentry, party-walls and plumbing, but was otherwise
+to do her bidding for a pecuniary consideration, on the same general
+basis as the waiter at the hotel or the theatre ticket-agent. As to
+architecture, she expected him to draw plans just as she expected
+dealers in carpets or wall-papers to show her patterns in easy
+succession. "I don't care for that; take it away." "That is rather
+pretty, but let me see something else." What she said to Littleton was,
+"We haven't quite decided yet what we want, but, if you'll bring some
+plans the next time you call, we'll let you know which we like best.
+There's a house in Vienna I saw once, which I said at the time to
+Lucretia I would copy if I ever built. I've mislaid the photograph of
+it, but I may be able to tell you when I see your drawings how it
+differed from yours. Lucretia has a fancy for something Moorish or
+Oriental. I guess Mr. Parsons would prefer brown-stone, plain and
+massive, but he has left it all to us, and both daughter and I think
+we'd rather have a house which would speak for itself, and not be mixed
+up with everybody else's. You'd better bring us half a dozen to choose
+from, and between me and you and Lucretia, we'll arrive at something
+elegant and unique."
+
+This was sadly disillusionizing to Littleton, and the second experience
+was no less so. The refined outline sketches proffered by him were
+unenthusiastically surveyed and languidly discarded like so many
+wall-papers. It was evident that both the mother and daughter were
+disappointed, and Littleton presently divined that their chief objection
+was to the plainness of the several designs. This was made unmistakably
+obvious when Mrs. Parsons, after exhibiting a number of photographs of
+foreign public buildings with which she had armed herself, surveyed the
+most ornate, holding it out with her head on one side, and exclaimed
+impressively, "This is more the sort of thing we should like. I think
+Mr. Parsons has already explained to you that he desired our house to be
+as handsome as possible."
+
+"I had endeavored to bear that in mind," Littleton retorted with spirit.
+"I believe that either of these plans would give you a house which would
+be handsome, interesting and in good taste."
+
+"It does not seem to me that there is anything unique about any of
+them," said Mrs. Parsons, with a cold sniff intended to be conclusive.
+Nor did Littleton's efforts to explain that elaboration in a private
+residence was liable to detract from architectural dignity and to
+produce the effect of vulgarity fall upon receptive soil. The rich man's
+wife listened in stony silence, at times raising her lorgnette to
+examine as a curiosity this young man who was telling her--an American
+woman who had travelled around the world and seen everything to be
+seen--how she ought to build her own house. The upshot of this interview
+was that Littleton was sent away with languid instructions to try again.
+He departed, thinking melancholy thoughts and with fire in his soul,
+which, for Selma's sake, he endeavored to keep out of his eyes.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+The departure of the Williamses to a smarter neighborhood was a trial
+for Selma. She nursed the dispiriting reflection that she and Wilbur
+might just as well be moving also; that a little foresight and
+shrewdness on her husband's part would have enabled him to sell at a
+handsome profit the house in which they were living; and that there was
+no reason, except the sheer, happy faculty of making the most of
+opportunities, to account for the social recognition which Flossy and
+her husband were beginning to receive. It had not been easy to bear with
+equanimity during the last year the ingenuous, light-hearted warblings
+in which Flossy had indulged as an outlet to her triumphant spirits, and
+to listen to naïve recitals of new progress, as though she herself were
+a companion or ladies' maid, to whom such developments could never
+happen. She was weary of being merely a recipient of confidences and a
+sympathetic listener, and more weary still of being regarded as such by
+her self-absorbed and successful neighbor. Why should Flossy be so
+dense? Why should she play second fiddle to Flossy? Why should Flossy
+take for granted that she did not intend to keep pace with her? Keep
+pace, indeed, when, if circumstances would only shape themselves a
+little differently, she would be able speedily to outstrip her volatile
+friend in the struggle for social preferment.
+
+Not unnaturally their friendship had been somewhat strained by the
+simmering of these thoughts in Selma's bosom. If a recipient of
+confidences becomes tart or cold, ingenuous prattle is apt to flow less
+spontaneously. Though Flossy was completely self-absorbed, and
+consequently glad to pour out her satisfaction into a sympathetic ear,
+she began to realize that there was something amiss with her friend
+which mere conscientious disapproval of her own frivolities did not
+adequately explain. It troubled her somewhat, for she liked the
+Littletons and was proud of her acquaintance with them. However, she was
+conscious of having acquitted herself toward them with liberality, and,
+especially now that her social vista was widening, she was not disposed
+at first to analyze too deeply the cause of the lack of sympathy between
+them. That is, she was struck by Selma's offish manner and frigid
+silences, but forgot them until they were forced upon her attention the
+next time they met. But as her friend continued to receive her bubbling
+announcements with stiff indifference, Flossy, in her perplexity, began
+to bend her acute mental faculties more searchingly on her idol. A fixed
+point of view will keep a shrine sacred forever, but let a worshipper's
+perspective be altered, and it is astonishing how different the features
+of divinity will appear. Flossy had worshipped with the eyes of faith.
+Now that her adoration was rejected without apparent cause, her
+curiosity was piqued, and she sought an interpretation of the mystery
+from her clever wits. As she observed Selma more dispassionately her
+suspicion was stirred, and she began to wonder if she had been burning
+incense before a false goddess. This doubt was agitating her mind at the
+time when they moved from the street.
+
+Selma was unconscious of the existence of this doubt as she had been
+largely unconscious of her own sour demeanor. She had no wish to lose
+the advantages of intimate association with the Williamses. On the
+contrary, she expected to make progress on her own account by admission
+into their new social circle. She went promptly to call, and saw fit to
+show herself tactfully appreciative of the new establishment and more
+ready to listen to Flossy's volubility. Flossy, who was radiant and
+bubbling over with fresh experiences which she was eager to impart, was
+glad to dismiss her doubt and to give herself up to the delights of
+unbridled speech. She took Selma over her new house, which had been
+purchased just as it stood, completely furnished, from the previous
+owner, who had suffered financial reverses. "Gregory bought it because
+it was really a bargain," she said. "It will do very well for the
+present, but we intend to build before long. I am keeping my eye on your
+husband, and am expecting great things from the Parsons house. Do you
+know, I believe in Mr. Littleton, and feel sure that some day we shall
+wake up and find him famous."
+
+This was amiable, particularly as Flossy was very busily engaged in
+contemplating the brilliant progress of Gregory Williams and his wife.
+But Selma returned home feeling sore and dissatisfied. Flossy had been
+gracious, but still dense and naïvely condescending. Selma chose to
+foresee that her friend would neglect her, and her foresight was
+correct. The call was not returned for many weeks, although Flossy had
+assured her when they separated that distance would make no difference
+in their intimacy. But in the first place, her doubts recurred to Flossy
+after the departure of her visitor, and in the second, the agitations
+incident to her new surroundings, fortified by these doubts, made
+neglect easy. When she did call, Selma happened to be out. A few days
+later an invitation to dine with the Williamses arrived. Selma would
+have preferred to remain at home as a rebuke, but she was miserably
+conscious that Flossy would not perceive the point of the refusal. So
+she went, and was annoyed when she realized that the guests were only
+people whom she knew already--the Parsonses, and some of Gregory
+Williams's former associates, whom she had met at the old house. It was
+a pleasant dinner, apparently, to all except Selma. The entertainment
+was flatteringly lavish, and both the host and hostess with suavity put
+in circulation, under the rose, the sentiment that there are no friends
+like old friends--a graceful insincerity which most of them present
+accepted as true. Indeed, in one sense it was not an insincerity, for
+Gregory and his wife entertained cordial feelings toward them all. But
+on the other hand, Selma's immediate and bitter conclusion was also
+true, that the company had been invited together for the reason that, in
+the opinion of Flossy, they would not have harmonized well with anyone
+else.
+
+Said Wilbur as they drove away from the house--"Barring a few moments of
+agony in the society of my tormentor, Mrs. Parsons, I had a pleasant
+evening. They were obviously potting their old acquaintance in one pie,
+but to my thinking it was preferable to being sandwiched in between some
+of their new friends whom we do not know and who know nothing of us. It
+was a little evident, but on the whole agreeable."
+
+Selma, shrouded in her wraps, made no reply at first. Suddenly she
+exclaimed, with, fierceness, "I consider it rank impertinence. It was as
+much as to say that they do not think us good enough to meet their new
+friends."
+
+Littleton, who still found difficulty in remembering that his wife would
+not always enjoy the humor of an equivocal situation, was sorry that he
+had spoken. "Come, Selma," he said, "there's no use in taking that view
+of the matter. You would not really care to meet the other people."
+
+"Yes, I would, and she knows it. I shall never enter her house again."
+
+"As to that, my dear, the probabilities are that we shall not be asked
+for some time. You know perfectly well that, in the nature of things,
+your intimacy with Mrs. Williams must languish now that she lives at a
+distance and has new surroundings. She may continue to be very fond of
+you, but you can't hope to see very much of her, unless I am greatly
+mistaken in her character."
+
+"She is a shallow little worldling," said Selma, with measured
+intensity.
+
+"But you knew that already. The fact that she invited us to dinner and
+did not ignore our existence altogether shows that she likes us and
+wishes to continue the friendship. I've no doubt she believes that she
+is going to see a great deal of us, and you should blame destiny and the
+force of fashionable circumstances, not Flossy, if you drift apart."
+
+"She invited us because she wished to show off her new house."
+
+"Not altogether. You musn't be too hard on her."
+
+Selma moved her shoulders impatiently, and there was silence for some
+moments broken only by the tapping of her foot. Then she asked, "How
+nearly have you finished the plans for the Parsons house?"
+
+Wilbur's brow clouded under cover of the night. He hesitated an instant
+before replying, "I am sorry to say that Mrs. Parsons and I do not seem
+to get on very well together. Her ideas and mine on the subject of
+architecture are wide apart, as I have intimated to you once or twice. I
+have modified my plans again, and she has made airy suggestions which
+from my point of view are impossible. We are practically at loggerheads,
+and I am trying to make up my mind what I ought to do."
+
+There was a wealth of condensation in the word 'impossible' which
+brought back unpleasantly to Selma Pauline's use of the same word in
+connection with the estimate which had been formed of Miss Bailey.
+"There can be only one thing to do in the end," she said, "if you can't
+agree. Mrs. Parsons, of course, must have her house as she wishes it. It
+is her house, Wilbur."
+
+"It is her house, and she has that right, certainly. The question is
+whether I am willing to allow the world to point to an architectural
+hotch-potch and call it mine."
+
+"Isn't this another case of neglecting the practical side, Wilbur? I am
+sure you exaggerate the importance of the changes she desires. If I were
+building a house, I should expect to have it built to suit me, and I
+should be annoyed if the architect stood on points and were captious."
+Selma under the influence of this more congenial theme had partially
+recovered her equanimity. Her duty was her pleasure, and it was clearly
+her duty to lead her husband in the right path and save him from
+becoming the victim of his own shortcomings.
+
+Wilbur sighed. "I have told her," he said, "that I would submit another
+entirely new sketch. It may be that I can introduce some of her and her
+daughter's splurgy and garish misconceptions without making myself
+hopelessly ridiculous."
+
+He entered the house wearily, and as he stood before the hall table
+under the chandelier, Selma took him by the arm and turning him toward
+her gazed into his face. "I wish to examine you. Pauline said to me
+to-day that she thinks you are looking pale. I don't see that you are;
+no more so than usual. You never were rosy exactly. Do you know I have
+an idea that she thinks I am working you to death."
+
+"Pauline? What reason has she to think anything of the kind? Besides, I
+am perfectly well. It is a delight to work for a woman like you,
+dearest." He took her face between his hands and kissed her tenderly;
+yet gravely, too, as though the riddle of life did not solve itself at
+the touch of her lips. "You will be interested to hear," he added, "that
+I shall finish and send off the Wetmore College plans this week."
+
+"I am glad they are off your hands, for you will have more time for
+other work."
+
+"Yes. I think I may have done something worth while," he said,
+wistfully.
+
+"And I shall try not to be annoyed if someone else gets the award," she
+responded, smoothing down the sheen of her evening dress and regarding
+herself in the mirror.
+
+"Of course someone else may have taken equal pains and done a better
+thing. It is necessary always to be prepared for that."
+
+"That is the trouble. That is why I disapprove of competitions."
+
+"Selma, you are talking nonsense," Littleton exclaimed with sudden
+sternness.
+
+The decision in his tone made her start. The color mounted to her face,
+and she surveyed him for an instant haughtily, as though he had done her
+an injury. Then with an oratorical air and her archangel look, she said,
+"You do not seem to understand, Wilbur, that I am trying to save you
+from yourself."
+
+Littleton was ever susceptible to that look of hers. It suggested
+incarnate conscientiousness, and seemed incompatible with human
+imperfection or unworthy ambitions. He was too wroth to relent
+altogether, but he compressed his lips and returned her look
+searchingly, as though he would scrutinize her soul.
+
+"I'm bound to believe, I do believe, that you are trying to help me,
+Selma. I need your advice and help, even against myself, I dare say. But
+there are some matters of which you cannot judge so well as I. You must
+trust my opinion where the development of my professional life is
+concerned. I shall not forget your caution to be practical, but for the
+sake of expediency I cannot be false to what I believe true. Come, dear,
+let us go to bed."
+
+He put his hand on her arm to lead her upstairs, but she turned from it
+to collect her fan and gloves. Looking, not at him, but at herself in
+the mirror, she answered, "Of course. I trust, though, that this does
+not mean you intend to act foolishly in regard to the Parsons house."
+
+"I have already told you," he said, looking back, "that I am going to
+make another attempt to satisfy that exasperating woman and her
+daughter."
+
+"And you can satisfy them, I'm sure, if you only choose to," said Selma,
+by way of a firm, final observation.
+
+Littleton's prophecy in regard to the waning of friendship between his
+wife and Mrs. Williams proved to be correct. Propinquity had made them
+intimate, and separation by force of circumstances put a summary end to
+frequent and cordial intercourse between them. As he had predicted,
+their first invitation to the new house was still the last at the end of
+three months, and save for a few words on one occasion in the street,
+Selma and Flossy did not meet during that period. But during that same
+three months Selma's attention was constantly attracted to the
+Williamses by prominent newspaper allusions to their prosperity and
+growing fashionable prestige. What they did and where they went were
+chronicled in the then new style journalistic social gossip, and the
+every-day world was made familiar with his financial opinions and his
+equipages and her toilettes. The meeting in the street was an ordeal for
+Selma. Flossy had been shopping and was about to step into her carriage,
+the door of which was held open by an imposing liveried footman, when
+the two women nearly collided.
+
+"I have not seen you for an age," Flossy exclaimed, with the genuine
+ring of regret in her tone, with which busy people partially atone for
+having left undone the things they ought or would like to have done.
+"Which way are you going? Can't I take you somewhere?"
+
+Selma glanced sternly at the snug coupe and stylish horses. "No, we
+don't seem to meet very often," she said drily. "I'm living, though, at
+the same place," she added, with a determination to be sprightly.
+
+"Yes, I know; I owe you a call. It's dreadful of me. I've been intending
+to come, but you can't imagine how busy I've been. Such a number of
+invitations, and new things to be done. I'm looking forward to giving
+you a full account of my experiences."
+
+"I've read about them in the newspapers."
+
+"Oh, yes. Gregory is always civil to reporters. He says that the
+newspapers are one of the great institutions of the country, and that it
+is sensible to keep in touch with them. I will confide to you that I
+think the whole business vulgar, and I intend some day, when we are
+firmly established, to be ugly to them. But at present the publicity is
+rather convenient and amusing," she exclaimed, with a gay shake of her
+head, which set her ringlets bobbing.
+
+"I should think it would be unpleasant to have the details of one's
+appearance described by the press."
+
+Flossy's doubts had returned in full force during the conversation. She
+said to herself, "I wonder if that is true? I wonder if it wouldn't be
+the very thing she would like?" But she answered blithely, "Oh, one gets
+used to it. Then I can't take you anywhere? I'm sorry. Some day I hope
+my round of gayety will cease, so that we can have a quiet evening
+together. I miss your husband. I always find him suggestive and
+interesting."
+
+"'Her round of gayety! A quiet evening together!'" murmured Selma as she
+walked away. "Wilbur is right; purse-proud, frivolous little thing! She
+is determined to destroy our friendship."
+
+Four weeks subsequent to this meeting the newspapers contained a fulsome
+account of a dancing party given by Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Williams--"an
+elegant and recherché entertainment," in the language of the reporter. A
+list of the company followed, which Selma scrutinized with a brow like a
+thunder-cloud. She had acquired a feverish habit of perusing similar
+lists, and she recognized that Flossy's guests--among the first of whom
+were Mr. and Mrs. Morton Price and the Misses Price--were chiefly
+confined to persons whom she had learned to know as members of
+fashionable society. She read, in the further phraseology of the
+reporter, that "it was a small and select affair." At the end of the
+list, as though they had been invited on sufferance as a business
+necessity, were the Parsonses; but these were the only former associates
+of the Williamses. Selma had just finished her second reading of this
+news item when her meditation was interrupted by the voice of her
+husband, who had been silent during dinner, as though he had some matter
+on his mind, and was at the moment sitting close by, on the other side
+of the lamp which lighted the library table.
+
+"I fear you will be disappointed, Selma, but I have informed Mr. Parsons
+definitely this morning, that he must get another architect. The ideas
+of his wife and daughter are hopelessly at variance with mine. He seemed
+to be sorry--indeed, I should think he was a reasonable and sensible
+man--but he said that he was building to please Mrs. Parsons, and we
+both agreed that under the circumstances it was necessary that she
+should make a fresh start. He asked me to send my bill, and we parted on
+the best of terms. So it is all over, and except from the point of view
+of dollars and cents, I am very glad. Only the remembrance that you had
+set your heart on my making this my masterpiece, prevented me from
+throwing over the contract weeks ago. Tell me, Selma _mia_, that you
+approve of what I have done and congratulate me." He pulled forward his
+chair so that he might see her face without interference from the lamp
+and leaned toward her with frank appeal.
+
+"Yes, I had set my heart on it, and you knew it. Yet you preferred to
+give up this fine opportunity to show what you could do and to get
+business worth having rather than sacrifice your own ideas as to how a
+house should be built to the ideas of the women who were to live in it.
+I dare say I should agree with them, and that the things which they
+wished and you objected to were things I would have insisted on having."
+
+Littleton started as though she had struck him in the face. "Selma! My
+wife! Do you realize what you are saying?"
+
+"Perfectly."
+
+"Then--then--. Why, what have I said, what have I done that you should
+talk like this?"
+
+"Done? Everything. For one thing you have thrown away the chance for
+getting ahead in your profession which I procured for you. For another,
+by your visionary, unpractical ways, you have put me in the position
+where I can be insulted. Read that, and judge for yourself." She held
+out to him the newspaper containing the account of the dancing party,
+pointing with her finger to the obnoxious passage.
+
+With nervous hands Littleton drew the page under the light. "What is all
+this about? A party? What has it to do with our affairs?"
+
+"It has this to do with them--if you had been more practical and
+enterprising, our names would have been on that list."
+
+"I am glad they are not there."
+
+"Yes, I know. You would be content to have us remain nobodies all our
+days. You do not care what becomes of my life, provided you can carry
+out your own narrow theory of how we ought to live. And I had such faith
+in you, too! I have refused to believe until now that you were not
+trying to make the most of your opportunities, and to enable me to make
+the most of mine."
+
+"Selma, are you crazy? To think that you, the woman I have loved with
+all my soul, should be capable of saying such things to me! What does it
+mean?"
+
+She was quick to take advantage of his phrase. "Have loved? Yes, I know
+that you do not love me as you did; otherwise you could not have refused
+to build that house, against my wish and advice. It means this, Wilbur
+Littleton, that I am determined not to let you spoil my life. You forget
+that in marrying you I gave up my own ambitions and hopes for your sake;
+because--because I believed that by living together we should be more,
+and accomplish more, than by living apart. You said you needed me, and I
+was fool enough to believe it."
+
+The fierce tragedy in her tone lapsed into self-pity under the influence
+of her last thought, and Littleton, eager in his bewilderment for some
+escape from the horror of the situation, put aside his anger and
+dropping on his knees beside her tried to take her hands.
+
+"You are provoked, my darling. Do not say things which you will be sorry
+for to-morrow. I call God to witness that I have sought above all else
+to make you happy, and if I have failed, I am utterly miserable. I have
+needed you, I do need you. Do not let a single difference of opinion
+spoil the joy of both our lives and divide our hearts."
+
+She pulled her hands away, and shunning his endearment, rose to her
+feet.
+
+"I am provoked, but I know what I am saying. A single difference of
+opinion? Do you not see, Wilbur, that none of our opinions are the same,
+and that we look at everything differently? Even your religion and the
+God you call to witness are not mine. They are stiff and cold; you
+Unitarians permit your consciences to deaden your emotions and belittle
+your outlook on life. When I went with Mr. Parsons the other day to the
+Methodist church, I could not help thinking how different it was. I was
+thrilled and I felt I could do anything and be anything. My mother was a
+Methodist. They sang 'Onward Christian Soldiers,' and it was glorious."
+She paused a moment and, with an exalted look, seemed to be recalling
+the movement of the hymn. "With you, Wilbur, and the people like
+you--Pauline is the same--everything is measured and pondered over, and
+nothing is spontaneous. I like action, and progress and prompt, sensible
+conclusions. That is the American way, and the way in which people who
+succeed get on. But you won't see it--you can't see it. I've tried to
+explain it to you, and now--now it's too late. We're nobodies, and, if
+our hearts are divided, that's fate I suppose. It's a very cruel fate
+for me. But I don't choose to remain a nobody."
+
+Littleton's expression as she talked had changed from astonishment to
+anger, and from anger to a sternness which gave his words of response
+the effect of calm and final decision. "You have said so many things
+with which I do not agree, and which I should have to dispute, that I
+will not attempt to argue with you concerning them. One thing is clear,
+both of us have made a horrible mistake. Each has misunderstood the
+other. You are dissatisfied with me; I realize suddenly that you are
+utterly different from what I supposed. I am overwhelmed, but your words
+make plain many things which have distressed and puzzled me." He paused
+as though in spite of the certainty of his tone, he hoped that she would
+see fit to deny his conclusions. "We have made a mistake and we shall
+both be miserable--that must needs be--but we must consider whether
+there is any method by which we can be less unhappy. What would you like
+to have me do, Selma? We have no children, thank heaven! Would it be
+more agreeable to live apart from me and receive support? A divorce does
+not seem necessary. Besides, our misconception of each other would
+not be a legal cause."
+
+Selma flushed at the reference to divorce. Littleton's sad, simple
+statement wore on the surface no sign of a design to hark back to her
+experience with her first husband, yet she divined that it must be in
+his thoughts and she resented the recurrence. Moreover, separation,
+certainly for the present, went beyond her purpose.
+
+"I have no wish for divorce or separation. I see no reason why we should
+not continue to live as we are," she answered. "To separate would cause
+scandal. It is not necessary that people should know we have made a
+mistake. I shall merely feel more free now to live my own life--and
+there is no telling that you may not some day see things from my point
+of view and sympathize with me more." She uttered the last words with a
+mixture of pathos and bright solicitation.
+
+Littleton shook his head. "I agree with you that to go on as we are is
+our best course. As you say, we ought, if possible, to keep the
+knowledge of our sorrow to ourselves. God knows that I wish I could hope
+that our life could ever be as it was before. Too many things have
+become plain to me in the last half-hour to make that possible. I could
+never learn to accept or sympathize with your point of view. There can
+be no half-love with me, Selma. It is my nature to be frank, and as you
+are fond of saying, that is the American way. I am your husband still,
+and while I live you shall have my money and my protection. But I have
+ceased to be your lover, though my heart is broken."
+
+"Very well," said Selma, after a painful pause. "But you know, Wilbur,"
+she added in a tone of eager protestation, "that I do not admit for a
+moment that I am at fault. I was simply trying to help you. You have
+only yourself to blame for your unhappiness and--and for mine. I hope
+you understand that."
+
+"Yes, I understand that you think so," he said sadly.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+The breach between Littleton and his wife was too serious to be healed,
+for he was confronted by the conviction that Selma was a very different
+being from the woman whom he had supposed that he was marrying. He had
+been slow to harbor distrust, and loath, even in the face of her own
+words, to admit that he had misinterpreted her character; but this last
+conversation left no room for doubt. Selma had declared to him,
+unequivocally, that his ideas and theory of life were repugnant to her,
+and that, henceforth, she intended to act independently of them, so far
+as she could do so, and yet maintain the semblance of the married state.
+It was a cruel shock and disappointment to him. At the time of his
+marriage he would have said that the least likely of possible happenings
+would be self-deception as to the character of the woman he loved. Yet
+this was precisely what had befallen him.
+
+Having realized his mistake, he did not seek to flinch from the bitter
+truth. He saw clearly that their future relations toward each other must
+be largely formal; that tender comradeship and mutual soul alliance were
+at an end. At the same time his simple, direct conscience promptly
+indicated to him that it was his duty to recognize Selma's point of view
+and endeavor to satisfy it as far as he could without sacrifice of his
+own principles. He chose to remember that she, too, had made a mistake,
+and that he was not the kind of husband whom she desired; that his
+tastes were not her tastes, nor his ambitions her's; that she had tastes
+and ambitions of her own which he, as the man to whom she was bound by
+the law, must not disregard. Thus reasoning, he resolved to carry out
+the scheme of life which she appeared to despise, but also to work hard
+to provide her with the means to fulfil her own aims. She craved money
+for social advancement. She should have it from him, for there was no
+other source from which she could obtain it. The poignancy of his own
+sorrow should not cause him to ignore that she had given up her own
+career and pursuits in order to become his wife, and was now
+disappointed and without independent resources. His pride was sorely
+wounded, his ideals shattered and his heart crushed; yet, though he
+could not forbear from judging Selma, and was unconscious of having
+failed in his obligations to her as a husband and a man, he saw what she
+called her side, and he took up the thread of life again under the spur
+of an intention to give her everything but love.
+
+On her part Selma felt aggrieved yet emancipated. She had not looked for
+any such grave result from her vituperation. She had intended to reprove
+his surrender of the Parsons's contract, in direct opposition to her own
+wishes, with the severity it deserved, and to let him understand clearly
+that he was sacrificing her happiness, no less than his own, by his
+hysterical folly. When the conversation developed stubborn resistance on
+his part, and she realized that he was defending and adhering to his
+purpose, a righteous sense of injury became predominant in her mind over
+everything else. All her past wrongs cried for redress, and she rejoiced
+in the opportunity of giving free vent to the pent up grievances which
+had been accumulating for many months. Even then it was startling to her
+that Wilbur should suddenly utter the tragic ultimatum that their
+happiness was at an end, and hint at divorce. She considered that she
+loved him, and it had never occurred to her that he could ever cease to
+love her. Rather than retract a word of her own accusations she would
+have let him leave her, then and there, to live her own life without
+protection or support from him, but his calmer decision that they should
+continue to live together, yet apart, suited her better. In spite of his
+resolute mien she was sceptical of the seriousness of the situation. She
+believed in her heart that after a few days of restraint they would
+resume their former life, and that Wilbur, on reflection, would
+appreciate that he had been absurd.
+
+When it became apparent that he was not to be appeased and that his
+threat had been genuine, Selma accepted the new relation without demur,
+and prepared to play her part in the compact as though she had been
+equally obdurate in her outcry for her freedom. She met reserve with
+reserve, maintaining rigorously the attitude that she had been wronged
+and that he was to blame. Meantime she watched him narrowly, wondering
+what his grave, sad demeanor and solicitous politeness signified. When
+presently it became plain to her that not merely she was to be free to
+follow her own bent, but that he was ready to provide her with the means
+to carry out her schemes, she regarded his liberality as weakness and a
+sign that he knew in his heart that she was in the right. Immediately,
+and with thinly concealed triumph, she planned to utilize the new
+liberty at her disposal, purging any scruples from her conscience by the
+generous reflection that when Wilbur's brow unbent and his lips moved
+freely she would forgive him and proffer him once more her conjugal
+counsel and sympathy. She was firmly of the opinion that, unless he thus
+acknowledged his shortcomings and promised improvement, the present
+arrangement was completely to her liking, and that confidence and
+happiness between them would be utterly impossible. She shed some tears
+over the thought that unkind circumstances had robbed her of the love by
+which she had set such store and which she, on her part, still
+cherished, but she comforted herself with the retort that its loss was
+preferable to sacrificing weakly the development of her own ideas and
+life to its perpetuation.
+
+Her flush of triumph was succeeded, however, by a discontented mood,
+because cogitation constrained her to suspect that her social progress
+might not be so rapid as her first rosy visions had suggested. She
+counted on being able to procure the participation of Wilbur
+sufficiently to preserve the appearance of domestic harmony. This would
+be for practical purposes a scarcely less effective furtherance of her
+plans than if he were heartily in sympathy with them. Were there not
+many instances where busy husbands took part in the social undertakings
+of their wives, merely on the surface, to preserve appearances? The
+attitude of Wilbur seemed reasonably secure. That which harassed her as
+the result of her reflections and efforts to plan was the unpalatable
+consciousness that she did not know exactly what to do, and that no one,
+even now that she was free, appeared eager to extend to her the hand of
+recognition. She was prompt to lay the blame of this on her husband. It
+was he who, by preventing her from taking advantage of the social
+opportunities at their disposal, had consigned her to this eddy where
+she was overlooked. This seemed to her a complete excuse, and yet,
+though she made the most of it, it did not satisfy her. Her helplessness
+angered her, and aroused her old feelings of suspicion and resentment
+against the fashionable crew who appeared to be unaware of her
+existence. She was glad to believe that the reason they ignored her was
+because she was too serious minded and spiritual to suit their frivolous
+and pleasure-loving tastes. Sometimes she reasoned that the sensible
+thing for her to do was to break away from her present life, where
+convention and caste trammelled her efforts, and make a name for herself
+as an independent soul, like Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle and other
+free-born women of the Republic. With satisfaction she pictured herself
+on the lecture platform uttering burning denunciation of the un-American
+social proclivities of this shallow society, and initiating a crusade
+which should sweep it from existence beneath the ban of the moral sense
+of the thoughtful people of the country.
+
+But more frequently she nursed her resentment against Mrs. Williams, to
+whom she ascribed the blame of her isolation, reasoning that if Flossy
+had been a true friend, not even Wilbur's waywardness would have
+prevented her social recognition and success. That, instead, this
+volatile, fickle prattler had used her so long as she needed her, and
+then dropped her heartlessly. The memory of Flossy's ball still rankled
+deeply, and appeared to Selma a more obvious and more exasperating
+insult as the days passed without a sign of explanation on the part of
+her late neighbor, and as her new projects languished for lack of a few
+words of introduction here and there, which, in her opinion, were all
+she needed to ensure her enthusiastic welcome as a social leader. The
+appreciation that without those words of introduction she was helpless
+for the time being focused her resentment, already keen, on the
+successful Flossy, whose gay doings had disappeared from the public
+prints in a blaze of glory with the advent of the Lenten season.
+Refusing to acknowledge her dependence, Selma essayed several spasmodic
+attempts to assert herself, but they proved unsatisfactory. She made the
+most of Mr. Parsons's predilection for her society, which had not been
+checked by Wilbur's termination of the contract. She was thus enabled to
+affiliate with some of their new friends, but she was disagreeably
+conscious that she was not making real progress, and that Mr. and Mrs.
+Parsons and their daughter had, like herself, been dropped by the
+Williamses--dropped skilfully and imperceptibly, yet none the less
+dropped. Two dinner parties, which she gave in the course of a fortnight
+to the most important of these new acquaintances, by way of manifesting
+to Wilbur her intention to enjoy her liberty at his expense, left her
+depressed and sore.
+
+It was just at this time that Flossy took it into her head to call on
+her--one of her first Lenten duties, as she hastened to assure Selma,
+with glib liveliness, as soon as she entered. Flossy was in too exalted
+a frame of mind, too bubbling over with the desire to recite her
+triumphs, to have in mind either her doubts concerning Selma or the need
+of being more than mildly apologetic for her lack of devotion. She felt
+friendly, for she was in good humor, and was naïvely desirous to be
+received in the same spirit, so that she might unbosom herself
+unreservedly. Sweeping into the room, an animated vision of smiling,
+stylish cordiality, she sought, as it were, to carry before her by force
+of her own radiant mood all obstacles to an amiable reception.
+
+"My dear, we haven't met for ages. Thank heaven, Lent has come, and now
+I may see something of you. I said to Gregory only yesterday that I
+should make a bee-line for your house, and here I am. Well, dear, how
+are you? All sorts of things have happened, Selma, since we've had a
+real chat together. Do you remember my telling you--of course you
+do--not long after Gregory and I were married that I never should be
+satisfied until one thing happened? Well, you may congratulate me; it
+has happened. We dined a week ago to-night with my cousins--the Morton
+Prices--a dinner of fourteen, all of them just the people I wished to
+know. Wasn't it lovely? I have waited for it to come, and I haven't
+moved a finger to bring it about, except to ask them to my dancing
+party--I had to do that, for after all they are my relations. They
+accepted and came and I was pleased by it; but they could easily have
+ignored me afterward if they had wished. What really pleased me, Selma,
+was their asking me to one of their select dinners, because--because it
+showed that we are--"
+
+Flossy's hesitation was due partly to the inherent difficulty of
+expressing her thought with proper regard for modesty. With her rise in
+life she had learned that unlimited laudation of self was not altogether
+consistent with "fitness," even in such a confidential interview as the
+present. But she was also disconcerted by the look in Selma's eyes--a
+look which, at first startled into momentary friendliness by the
+suddenness of the onslaught, had become more and more lowering until it
+was unpleasantly suggestive of scornful dislike. While she thus
+faltered, Selma drily rounded out the sentence with the words, "Because
+it showed that you are somebodies now."
+
+Flossy gave an embarrassed little laugh. "Yes, that's what I meant. I
+see you have a good memory, and it sounds nicer on your lips than it
+would on mine."
+
+"You have come here to-day on purpose to tell me this?" said Selma.
+
+"I thought you would be interested to hear that my cousins had
+recognized me at last. I remember, you thought it strange that they
+should take so little notice of me." Flossy's festive manner had
+disappeared before the tart reception of her confidences, and her keen
+wits, baffled in their search for flattery, recalled the suspicions
+which were only slumbering. She realized that Selma was seriously
+offended with her, and though she did not choose to acknowledge to
+herself that she knew the cause, she had already guessed it. An
+encounter at repartee had no terrors for her, if necessary, and the
+occasion seemed to her opportune for probing the accumulating mysteries
+of Selma's hostile demeanor. Yet, without waiting for a response to her
+last remark, she changed the subject, and said, volubly, "I hear that
+your husband has refused to build the new Parsons house because Mrs.
+Parsons insisted on drawing the plans."
+
+Selma's pale, tense face flushed. She thought for a moment that she was
+being taunted.
+
+"That was Mr. Littleton's decision, not mine."
+
+"I admire his independence. He was quite right. What do Mrs. Parsons or
+her daughter know about architecture? Everybody is laughing at them. You
+know I consider your husband a friend of mine, Selma."
+
+"And we were friends, too, I believe?" Selma exclaimed, after a moment
+of stern silence.
+
+"Naturally," responded Flossy, with a slightly sardonic air, prompted by
+the acerbity with which the question was put.
+
+"Then, if we were friends--are friends, why have you ceased to associate
+with us, simply because you live in another street and a finer house?"
+
+Flossy gave a gasp. "Oh," she said to herself, "it's true. She is
+jealous. Why didn't I appreciate it before?"
+
+"Am I not associating with you now by calling on you, Selma?" she said
+aloud. "I don't understand what you mean."
+
+"You are calling on me, and you asked us to dinner to meet--to meet just
+the people we knew already, and didn't care to meet; but you have never
+asked us to meet your new friends, and you left us out when you gave
+your dancing party."
+
+"You do not dance."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I have never associated you with dancing. I assumed that you did not
+dance."
+
+"What grounds had you for such an assumption?"
+
+"Really, Selma, your catechism is most extraordinary. Excuse my smiling.
+And I don't know how to answer your questions--your fierce questions any
+better. I didn't ask you to my party because I supposed that you and
+your husband were not interested in that sort of thing, and would not
+know any of the people. You have often told me that you thought they
+were frivolous."
+
+"I consider them so still."
+
+"Then why do you complain?"
+
+"Because--because you have not acted like a friend. Your idea of
+friendship has been to pour into my ears, day after day, how you had
+been asked to dinner by this person and taken up by that person, until I
+was weary of the sound of your voice, but it seems not to have occurred
+to you, as a friend of mine, and a friend and admirer of my husband, to
+introduce us to people whom you were eager to know, and who might have
+helped him in his profession. And now, after turning the cold shoulder
+on us, and omitting us from your party, because you assumed I didn't
+dance, you have come here this morning, in the name of friendship, to
+tell me that your cousins, at last, have invited you to dinner. And yet
+you think it strange that I'm not interested. That's the only reason you
+came--to let me know that you are a somebody now; and you expected me,
+as a friend and a nobody, to tell you how glad I am."
+
+Flossy's eyes opened wide. Free as she was accustomed to be in her own
+utterances, this flow of bitter speech delivered with seer-like
+intensity was a new experience to her. She did not know whether to be
+angry or amused by the indictment, which caused her to wince
+notwithstanding that she deemed it slander. Moreover the insinuation
+that she had been a bore was humiliating.
+
+"I shall not weary you soon again with my confidences," she answered.
+"So it appears that you were envious of me all the time--that while you
+were preaching to me that fashionable society was hollow and
+un-American, you were secretly unhappy because you couldn't do what I
+was doing--because you weren't invited, too. Oh, I see it all now; it's
+clear as daylight. I've suspected the truth for some time, but I've
+refused to credit it. Now everything is explained. I took you at your
+word; I believed in you and your husband and looked up to you as
+literary people--people who were interested in fine and ennobling
+things. I admired you for the very reason that I thought you didn't
+care, and that you didn't need to care, about society and fashionable
+position. I kept saying to you that I envied you your tastes, and let
+you see that I considered myself your real inferior in my determination
+to attract attention and oblige society to notice us. I was guileless
+and simpleton enough to tell you of my progress--things I would have
+blushed to tell another woman like myself--because I considered you the
+embodiment of high aims and spiritual ideas, as far superior to mine as
+the poetic star is superior to the garish electric light. I thought it
+might amuse you to listen to my vanities. Instead, it seems you were
+masquerading and were eating your heart out with envy of me--poor me.
+You were ambitious to be like me."
+
+"I wouldn't be like you for anything in the world."
+
+"You couldn't if you tried. That's one of the things which this
+extraordinary interview has made plain beyond the shadow of a doubt. You
+are aching to be a social success. You are not fit to be. I have found
+that out for certain to-day."
+
+"It is false," exclaimed Selma, with a tragic intonation. "You do not
+understand. I have no wish to be a social success. I should abhor to
+spend my life after the manner of you and your associates. What I object
+to, what I complain of, is that, in spite of your fine words and
+pretended admiration of me, you have preferred these people, who are
+exclusive without a shadow of right, to me who was your friend, and that
+you have chosen to ignore me for the sake of them, and behaved as if you
+thought I was not their equal or your equal. That is not friendship, it
+is snobbishness--un-American snobbishness."
+
+"It is very amusing. Amusing yet depressing," continued Flossy, without
+heed to this asseveration. "You have proved one of my ideals to be a
+delusion, which is sad." She had arisen and stood gently swaying pendent
+by its crook her gay parasol, with her head on one side, and seeming for
+once to be choosing her words judicially. "When we met first and I
+nearly rushed into your arms, I was fascinated, and I said to myself
+that here was the sort of American woman of whom I had dreamed--the sort
+of woman I had fondly imagined once that I might become. I saw you were
+unsophisticated and different from the conventional women to whom I was
+accustomed, and, even at first, the things you said every now and then
+gave me a creepy feeling, but you were inspiring to look at--though now
+that the scales have fallen from my eyes I wonder at my infatuation--and
+I continued to worship you as a goddess on a pedestal. I used to say to
+Gregory, 'there's a couple who are to the manner born; they never have
+to make believe. They are genuinely free and gentle souls.' Your
+husband? I can't believe that I have been deluded in regard to him,
+also. I just wonder if you appreciate him--if it is possible that he has
+been deluded, also. That's rank impertinence, I know; but after all, we
+are unbosoming our thoughts to each other to-day, and may as well speak
+openly. You said just now that it was his decision not to go on with the
+Parsons house. Did you disapprove of it?"
+
+"Yes, I disapproved of it," answered Selma with flashing eyes. "And what
+if I did?"
+
+She rose and stood confronting her visitor as though to banish her from
+the house.
+
+"I'm going," said Flossy. "It's none of my concern of course, and I'm
+aware that I appear very rude. I'm anxious though not to lose faith in
+your husband, and now that I've begun to understand you, my wits are
+being flooded with light. I was saying that you were not fit to be a
+social success, and I'm going to tell you why. No one else is likely to,
+and I'm just mischievous and frank enough. You're one of those American
+women--I've always been curious to meet one in all her glory--who
+believe that they are born in the complete panoply of flawless
+womanhood; that they are by birthright consummate house-wives, leaders
+of the world's thought and ethics, and peerless society queens. All this
+by instinct, by heritage, and without education. That's what you
+believe, isn't it? And now you are offended because you haven't been
+invited to become a leader of New York society. You don't understand,
+and I don't suppose you ever will understand, that a true lady--a
+genuine society queen--represents modesty and sweetness and
+self-control, and gentle thoughts and feelings; that she is evolved by
+gradual processes from generation to generation, not ready made. Oh, you
+needn't look at me like that. I'm quite aware that if I were the genuine
+article I shouldn't be talking to you in this fashion. But there's hope
+for me because I'm conscious of my shortcomings and am trying to correct
+them; whereas you are satisfied, and fail to see the difference between
+yourself and the well-bred women whom you envy and sneer at. You're
+pretty and smart and superficial and--er--common, and you don't know it.
+I'm rather dreadful, but I'm learning. I don't believe you will ever
+learn. There! Now I'm going."
+
+"Go!" cried Selma with a wave of her arm. "Yes, I am one of those women.
+I am proud to be, and you have insulted by your aspersions, not only me,
+but the spirit of independent and aspiring American womanhood. You don't
+understand us; you have nothing in common with us. You think to keep us
+down by your barriers of caste borrowed from effete European courts, but
+we--I--the American people defy you. The time will come when we shall
+rise in our might and teach you your place. Go! Envy you? I would not
+become one of your frivolous and purposeless set if you were all on your
+bended knees before me."
+
+"Oh, yes you would," exclaimed Flossy, glancing back over her shoulder.
+"And it's because you've not been given the chance that we have
+quarrelled now."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+The morning after her drastic interview with Mrs. Williams, Selma
+studied herself searchingly in her mirror. Of all Flossy's candid
+strictures the intimation that she was not and never would be completely
+a lady was the only one which rankled. The effrontery of it made her
+blood boil; and yet she consulted her glass in the seclusion of her
+chamber in order to reassure herself as to the spiteful falsity of the
+criticism. Wild horses would not have induced her to admit even to
+herself that there was the slightest ground for it; still it rankled,
+thereby suggesting a sub-consciousness of suspicion on the look out for
+just such a calumny.
+
+She gave Littleton her own version of the quarrel. Her explanation was
+that she had charged Flossy with a lack of friendship in failing to
+invite her to her ball, and convicted her of detestable snobbery; that
+she had denounced this conduct in vigorous language, that they had
+parted in anger, and that all intercourse between them was at an end.
+
+"We understand each other now," she added. "I have felt for some time
+that we were no longer sympathetic; and that something of this kind was
+inevitable. I am glad that we had the chance to speak plainly, for I was
+able to show her that I had been waiting for an excuse to cut loose from
+her and her frivolous surroundings. I have wearied my spirit long enough
+with listening to social inanities, and in lowering my standards to hers
+for the sake of appearing friendly and conventional. That is all over
+now, thank heaven."
+
+It did not occur to Selma that there was any inconsistency in these
+observations, or that they might appear a partial vindication of her
+husband's point of view. The most salient effect of her encounter with
+Flossy had been suddenly to fuse and crystallize her mixed and seemingly
+contradictory ambitions into utter hostility to conventional fashionable
+society. Even when her heart had been hungering for an invitation to
+Flossy's ball, she considered that she despised these people, but the
+interview had served to establish her in the glowing faith that they, by
+their inability to appreciate her, had shown themselves unworthy of
+further consideration. The desire which she had experienced of late for
+a renewal of her intimacy with Mrs. Earle and a reassertion of her
+former life of independent feminine activity had returned to her,
+coupled with the crusading intention to enroll herself openly once more
+in the army of new American women, whose impending victorious campaign
+she had prophesied in her retort to Mrs. Williams's maledictions. She
+had, in her own opinion, never ceased to belong to this army, and she
+felt herself now more firmly convinced than ever that the course of life
+of those who had turned a cold shoulder on her was hostile to the spirit
+of American institutions. So far as her husband was concerned,
+imaginative enterprise and the capacity to take advantage of
+opportunities still seemed to her of the essence of fine character.
+Indeed, she was not conscious of any change in her point of view. She
+had resented Flossy's charge that she desired to be a social success,
+and had declared that her wounded feelings were solely due to Flossy's
+betrayal of friendship, not to balked social ambition. Consequently it
+was no strain on her conscientiousness to feel that her real sentiments
+had always been the same.
+
+Nevertheless she scrutinized herself eagerly and long in her mirror, and
+the process left her serious brow still clouded. She saw in the glass
+features which seemed to her suggestive of superior womanhood, a slender
+clear-cut nose, the nostrils of which dilated nervously, delicately
+thin, compressed lips, a pale, transparent complexion, and clear,
+steel-like, greenish-brown eyes looking straight and boldly from an
+anxious forehead surmounted with a coiffure of elaborately and smoothly
+arranged hair. She saw indisputable evidence that she had ceased to be
+the ethically attractive, but modishly unsophisticated and physically
+undeveloped girl, who had come to New York five years before, for her
+figure was compact without being unduly plump, her cheeks becomingly
+oval, and her toilette stylish. There were rings on her fingers, and her
+neck-gear was smart. Altogether the vision was satisfactory, yet she
+recognized as she gazed that her appearance and general effect were not
+precisely those of Flossy, Pauline, or Mrs. Hallett Taylor. She had
+always prided herself on the distinction of her face, and admired
+especially its freedom from gross or unintellectual lines. She did not
+intend to question its superiority now; but Flossy's offensive words
+rang in her ears and caused her to gnaw her lips with annoyance. What
+was the difference between them? Flossy had dared to call her common and
+superficial; had dared to insinuate that she never could be a lady. A
+lady? What was there in her appearance not lady-like? In what way was
+she the inferior of any of them in beauty, intelligence or character?
+Rigorous as was the scrutiny, the face in the mirror seemed to her an
+unanswerable refutation of the slander. What was the difference? Was it
+that her eyes were keener and brighter, her lips thinner and less
+fleshly, her general expression more wide-awake and self-reliant? If so,
+were these not signs of superiority; signs that they, not she, were
+deficient in the attributes of the best modern womanhood in spite of
+their affectation of exclusiveness?
+
+The result of this process of self-examination in her looking-glass,
+which was not limited to a single occasion, established more firmly than
+ever in Selma's opinion the malignant falsity of the imputation, and yet
+she was still haunted by it. She was tortured by the secret thought
+that, though her ambition had been to become just like those other
+women, she was still distinguishable from them; and moreover, that she
+was baffled in her attempt to analyze the distinction. Distinguishable
+even from Flossy--from Flossy, who had slighted and then reviled her!
+Why had she ever faltered in her distrust of these enemies of true
+American society? Yet this lingering sense of torture served to whet her
+new-found purpose to have done with them forever, and to obtain the
+recognition and power to which she was entitled, in spite of their
+impertinence and neglect.
+
+The announcement was made to her by Wilbur at about this time that his
+plans for Wetmore College had been accepted, and that he was to be the
+architect of the new buildings. As he told her his face showed a
+tremulous animation which it had not worn for many weeks, and he
+regarded her for a moment with shy eagerness, as though he half hoped
+that this vindication of his purposes by success might prompt her to
+tender some sort of apology, and thus afford him the chance to persuade
+himself that he had been mistaken after all in his judgment of her.
+
+"You must be very much pleased," she said. "And so am I, of course."
+Then, after a moment of reflective abstraction, she asked with sudden
+eagerness, "How long will it take to build them?"
+
+"Two or three years, I suppose."
+
+"And you would be obliged to go frequently to Benham?"
+
+"In order to oversee the work I should have to make short trips there
+from time to time."
+
+"Yes. Wilbur," she exclaimed, with her exalted expression, "why
+shouldn't we go to Benham to live? I have been thinking a great deal
+lately about what we said to each other that time when you felt so
+badly, and I have come to the conclusion that our living in New York is
+what is really the trouble. I have the feeling, Wilbur, that in some
+other place than this cruel, conventional city we should be happier than
+we are now--indeed, very happy. Has it ever occurred to you? You see,
+New York doesn't understand me; it doesn't understand you, Wilbur. It
+sneers at our aspirations. Benham is a growing, earnest city--a city
+throbbing with the best American spirit and energy. I suggest Benham
+because we both know it so well. The college buildings would give you a
+grand start, and I--we both would be in our proper sphere."
+
+Littleton had started at the suggestion. As a drowning man will grasp at
+a straw, his grieving soul for an instant entertained the plan as a
+panacea for their woes. But his brow grew grave and sad under the
+influence of reflection as she proceeded to set forth her reasons in her
+wrapt fashion. If he had not learned to remain cold under the witchery
+of her intense moods, he no longer hesitated to probe her fervid
+assertions with his self-respecting common-sense.
+
+"I would he willing to go to the ends of the earth, Selma," he answered,
+"if I believed that by so doing you and I could become what we once were
+to each other. But I cannot see why we should hope to be happier in
+Benham than here, nor do I agree with you that this is not our proper
+sphere. I do not share your sentiments in regard to New York; but
+whatever its faults, New York is the place where I have established
+myself and am known, and where the abilities which I possess can be
+utilized and will be appreciated soonest. Benham is twenty-five years
+behind this city in all things which concern art and my professional
+life, as you well know."
+
+Selma flushed. "On the contrary, I have reason to believe that Benham
+has made wonderful progress in the last five years. My friends there
+write that there are many new streets and beautiful buildings, and that
+the spirit of the place is enthusiastic and liberal, not luxurious and
+sneering. You never appreciated Benham at its true worth, Wilbur."
+
+"Perhaps not. But we chose New York."
+
+"Then you insist on remaining here?"
+
+"I see no reason for sacrificing the fruits of the past five years--for
+pulling myself up by the roots and making a fresh start. From a
+professional point of view, I think it would be madness."
+
+"Not even to save our happiness?" Selma's eyes swam and her lips
+trembled as she spoke. She felt very miserable, and she yearned with the
+desire that her husband would clasp her in his arms in a vast embrace,
+and tell her that she was right and that he would go. She felt that if
+he did, the horror of the past would be wiped out and loving harmony be
+restored.
+
+Wilbur's lips trembled, too. He gazed at her for a moment without
+speaking, in conflict with himself; then passing his hand across his
+forehead, as though he would sweep away a misty spell from his eyes,
+said, "Be sensible, Selma. If we could be happy in Benham, we should be
+happy here."
+
+"Then you refuse?"
+
+"For the present, yes."
+
+"And I must remain here to be insulted--and a nobody."
+
+"For God's sake, Selma, let us not renew that discussion. What you ask
+is impossible at present, but I shall remember that it is your wish, and
+when I begin my work at Benham the circumstances and surroundings may be
+such that I shall feel willing to move."
+
+Selma turned to the table and took up a book, dissatisfied, yet buoyed
+by a new hope. She did not observe the tired lines on her husband's
+face--the weariness of a soul disappointed in its most precious
+aspirations.
+
+Within the next month it happened that a terrible and unusual fatality
+was the occasion of the death of both Mrs. Parsons and her daughter.
+They were killed by a fall of the elevator at the hotel in which they
+were living--one of those dire casualties which are liable to happen to
+any one of us in these days of swift and complicated apparatus, but
+which always seem remote from personal experience. This cruel blow of
+fate put an end to all desire on the part of the bereaved husband and
+father to remain in New York, whither he had come to live mainly to
+please his women folk, as he called them. As soon as he recovered from
+the bewilderment of the shock, Mr. Parsons sent for the architect who
+had taken Littleton's place, and who had just begun the subservient task
+of fusing diverse types of architecture in order to satisfy an American
+woman's appetite for startling effect, and told him to arrange to
+dispose of the lot and its immature walls to the highest bidder. His
+precise plans for the future were still uncertain when Selma called on
+him, and found comfort for her own miseries in ministering to his
+solitude, but he expressed an inclination to return to his native
+Western town, as the most congenial spot in which to end his days.
+Selma, whose soul was full of Benham, suggested it as an alternative,
+enlarging with contagious enthusiasm on its civic merits. The crushed
+old man listened with growing attention. Already the germs of a plan for
+the disposition of his large property were sprouting in his mind to
+provide him with a refuge from despondency. He was a reticent man, not
+in the habit of confiding his affairs until ready to act, but he paid
+interested heed to Selma's eulogy of the bustling energy and rapid
+growth of Benham. His preliminary thought had been that it would make
+him happy to endow his native town, which was a small and inconspicuous
+place, with a library building. But, as his visitor referred to the
+attractions and admirable public spirit of the thriving city, which was
+in the same State as his own home, he silently reasoned that residence
+there need not interfere with his original project, and that he might
+find a wide and more important field for his benefactions in a community
+so representative of American ideas and principles.
+
+Selma's visits of condolence to Mr. Parsons were interrupted by the
+illness of her own husband. In reflecting, subsequently, she remembered
+that he had seemed weary and out of sorts for several days, but her
+conscious attention was invoked by his coming home early in the
+afternoon, suffering from a violent chill, and manifestly in a state of
+physical collapse. He went to bed at once; Selma brought blankets and a
+hot-water bottle, and Dr. George Page was sent for. Dr. Page was the one
+of Littleton's friends whom Selma had unsuccessfully yearned to know
+better. She had never been able to understand him exactly, but he
+fascinated her in spite of--perhaps because of--his bantering manner.
+She found difficulty in reconciling it with his reputation for hard work
+and masterly skill in his profession. She was constantly hoping to
+extract from him something worthy of his large, solid face, with its
+firm mouth and general expression of reserve force, but he seemed always
+bent on talking nonsense in her society, and more than once the
+disagreeable thought had occurred to her that he was laughing at her. He
+had come to the house after her marriage now and then, but during the
+past year or two she had scarcely seen him. The last time when they had
+met, Selma had taxed him with his neglect of her.
+
+His reply had been characteristically elusive and unsatisfactory. "I
+will not attempt to frame excuses for my behavior, Mrs. Littleton, for
+no reason which I could offer would be a justification."
+
+But on the present occasion his greeting was grave and eager.
+
+"Wilbur sick? I feared as much. I warned Pauline two months ago that he
+was overworking, and only last week I told him that he would break down
+if he did not go away for a fortnight's rest."
+
+"I wish you had spoken to me."
+
+Selma noted with satisfaction that there was no raillery in his manner
+now. He bent his gaze on her searchingly.
+
+"Have you not noticed that he looked ill and tired?"
+
+She did not flinch. Why indeed should she? "A little. He tired himself,
+I think, over the designs for Wetmore College, which he did in addition
+to his other work. But since the award was made it has seemed to me that
+he was looking better."
+
+She started to lead the way to Wilbur's room, but the doctor paused, and
+regarding her again fixedly, as though he had formed a resolution to
+ferret the secrets of her soul, said laconically:
+
+"Is he happy?"
+
+"Happy?" she echoed.
+
+"Has he anything on his mind, I mean--anything except his work?"
+
+"Nothing--that is," she added, looking up at her inquisitor
+with bright, interested eyes, "nothing except that he is very
+conscientious--over-conscientious I sometimes think." To be bandying
+psychological analyses with this able man was an edifying experience
+despite her concern for Wilbur.
+
+"I see," he answered dryly, and for an instant there was a twinkle in
+his eyes. Yet he added, "To make a correct diagnosis it is important to
+know all the facts of the case."
+
+"Of course," she said solemnly, reassured in her belief that she was
+being consulted and was taking part in the treatment of her husband's
+malady.
+
+She accompanied Dr. Page to Wilbur's bed-side. He conversed in a cheery
+tone with his friend while he took his temperature and made what seemed
+to her a comparatively brief examination. Selma jumped to the conclusion
+that there was nothing serious the matter. The moment they had left the
+room, the doctor's manner changed, and he said with alert concern:
+
+"Your husband is very ill; he has pneumonia. I am going to send for a
+nurse."
+
+"A nurse? I will nurse him myself, Dr. Page."
+
+It seemed to her the obvious thing to do. She spoke proudly, for it
+flashed into her mind that here was the opportunity to redeem the
+situation with Wilbur. She would tend him devotedly and when he had been
+restored to health by her loving skill, perhaps he would appreciate her
+at her worth, and recognize that she had thwarted him only to help him.
+
+The doctor's brow darkened, and he said with an emphasis which was
+almost stern: "Mrs. Littleton, I do not wish to alarm you, but it is
+right that you should know that Wilbur's symptoms are grave. I hope to
+save his life, but it can be saved only by trained skill and attendance.
+Inexperienced assistance, however devoted, would be of no use in a case
+like this."
+
+"But I only wished to nurse him."
+
+"I know it; I understand perfectly. You supposed that anyone could do
+that. At least that you could. I shall return in an hour at the latest
+with a nurse who was trained for three years in a hospital to fit her to
+battle for valuable lives."
+
+Selma flushed with annoyance. She felt that she was being ridiculed and
+treated as though she were an incapable doll. She divined that by his
+raillery he had been making fun of her, and forthwith her predilection
+was turned to resentment. Not nurse her husband? Did this brow-beating
+doctor realize that, as a girl, she had been the constant attendant of
+her invalid father, and that more than once it had occurred to her that
+her true mission in life might be to become a nurse? Training? She would
+prove to him that she needed no further training. These were her
+thoughts, and she felt like crying, because he had humiliated her at a
+time like this. Yet she had let Dr. Page go without a word. She returned
+to Wilbur and established herself beside his bed. He tried to smile at
+her coming.
+
+"I think I shall be better to-morrow. It is only a heavy cold," he said,
+but already he found difficulty in speaking.
+
+"I have come to nurse you. The blankets and hot-water bottle have made
+you warmer, haven't they? Nod; you mustn't talk."
+
+"Yes," he whispered huskily.
+
+She felt his forehead, and it was burning. She took his hand and saying,
+"Sh! You ought not to talk," held it in her own. Then there was silence
+save for Wilbur's uneasy turning. It was plain that he was very
+uncomfortable. She realized that he was growing worse, and though she
+chose to believe that the doctor had exaggerated the seriousness of the
+case in order to affront her, the thought came that he might die. She
+had never considered such a possibility before. What should she do? She
+would be a widow without children and without means, for she knew that
+Wilbur had laid up little if anything. She would have to begin life over
+again--a pathetic prospect, yet interesting. Even this conjecture of
+such a dire result conjured up a variety of possible methods of
+livelihood and occupation which sped through her mind.
+
+The return of Dr. Page with a nurse cut short these painful yet
+engrossing speculations. His offensive manner appeared to have exhausted
+itself, but he proceeded to install his companion in Wilbur's room.
+Selma would have liked to turn her out of the house, but realized that
+she could not run the risk of taking issue with him at a time when her
+husband's life might be in danger. With an injured air yet in silence
+she beheld the deliberate yet swift preparations. Once or twice Dr. Page
+asked her to procure for him some article or appliance likely to be in
+the house, speaking with a crisp, business-like preoccupation which
+virtually ignored her existence, yet was free from offence. His soul
+evidently was absorbed by his patient, whom he observed with alert
+watchfulness, issuing brief directions now and then to his white-capped,
+methodical, and noiseless assistant. Selma sat with her hands before her
+in a corner of the bed-room, practically ignored. The shadows deepened
+and a maid announced dinner. Dr. Page looked at his watch.
+
+"I shall pass the night here," he said.
+
+"Is he worse?"
+
+"The disease is making progress and must run its course. This is only
+the beginning. You should eat your dinner, for you will need your
+strength," he added with simple graciousness.
+
+"But I am doing nothing," she blurted.
+
+"If there is anything you can do I will let you know."
+
+Their eyes met. His were gray and steady, but kind. She felt that he
+chose to treat her like a child, yet that he was trying to be
+considerate. She was galled, but after all, he was the doctor, and
+Wilbur had the utmost confidence in him, so she must submit. She ate her
+dinner, and when she returned preparations were being made for the
+night. The nurse was to use a lounge at the foot of Wilbur's bed. Dr.
+Page asked permission to occupy the dressing-room adjoining, so as to be
+within easy call. He established himself there with a book, returning at
+short intervals to look at his patient. Selma had resumed her seat. It
+was dark save for a night lamp. In the stillness the only sounds were
+the ticking of the clock on the mantel-piece and Wilbur's labored
+breathing. It seemed as though he were struggling for his life. What
+should she do if he died? Why was she debarred from tending him? It was
+cruel. Tears fell on her hand. She stared into the darkness, twisting
+her fingers, until at last, as though to show her independence, she
+stepped to the bed on tip-toe. Wilbur's eyes were open. He put out his
+hand, and, taking hers, touched it to his burning lips.
+
+"Good-night, Selma," he murmured.
+
+She stooped and kissed his brow. "I am here beside you, Wilbur."
+
+A figure stood behind her. She turned, expecting to encounter the
+white-capped sentinel. It was Dr. Page. He touched her gently on the
+arm. "We must let him rest now. You can do no good. Won't you go to
+bed?"
+
+"Oh, no. I shall sit with him all night."
+
+"Very well. But it is important that you should not speak to him," he
+said with another touch of emphasis.
+
+She resumed her seat and sat out the night, wide-awake and conscious of
+each movement on Wilbur's part. He was restless and moaning. Twice the
+nurse summoned the doctor, and two or three times he came to the
+bed-side of his own accord. She felt slighted, and once, when it seemed
+to her that Wilbur was in distress and anxious for something, she
+forestalled the nurse.
+
+"He wishes water," Selma said sternly, and she fetched a glass from the
+table and let him drink.
+
+Dr. Page took breakfast with her. She was conscious that somehow her
+vigil had affected his estimate of her, for his speech was frank and
+direct, as though he considered her now more fit to be treated with
+confidence.
+
+"He is very ill, but he is holding his own. If you will lie down for a
+few hours, I will call you to take Miss Barker's place while she rests."
+
+This was gratifying, and tended to assuage her bitterness. But the
+doctor appeared to her anxious, and spent only a few minutes at table.
+He said as he rose,
+
+"Excuse me, but Pauline--does she know?"
+
+"I will send her word."
+
+Selma would have been glad to dispense with the presence of her
+sister-in-law. Their relations had not been sympathetic since the
+episode of Miss Bailey, and, though Pauline still dined at the house
+once a week, the intercourse between them had become reserved and
+perfunctory. She grudged sharing with her what might be Wilbur's last
+hours. She grudged, too, permitting her to help to nurse him, especially
+now that her own capabilities were in the way of being recognized, for
+she remembered Dr. Page's partiality for her. Still, she appreciated
+that she must let her know.
+
+Pauline arrived speedily, and Selma found herself sobbing in her arms.
+She was pleased by this rush of feeling on her own part, and, confirmed
+in her belief that her sister-in-law was cold because she did not break
+down, and, shrinking from her efforts to comfort her, she quickly
+regained her self-control. Pauline seemed composed and cheerful, but the
+unceasing watchfulness and manifest tension of the doctor were
+disconcerting, and as the afternoon shadows deepened, the two women sat
+grave and silent, appalled by the suspicion that Wilbur's condition was
+eminently critical. Yet Dr. Page volunteered to say to them presently:
+
+"If his heart holds out, I am hopeful that he will pull through."
+
+Dr. Page had given up all his duties for the sake of Wilbur. He never
+left the house, manifestly devoting, as shown by the unflagging,
+absorbed scrutiny with which he noted every symptom and change, the
+fullest measure of his professional skill and a heart-felt purpose to
+save his friend's life if human brain or human concentration could
+avail. And yet he stated to Pauline in Selma's hearing that, beyond
+keeping up the patient's strength by stimulants, science was practically
+helpless, and that all they could do was to wait.
+
+And so they sat, still and unemployed watchers, while day turned into
+darkness. From time to time, by the night-lamp, Selma saw Pauline
+smiling at her as though in defiance of whatever fate might have in
+store. Selma herself felt the inclination neither to smile nor to weep.
+She sat looking before her with her hands clasped, resenting the
+powerlessness of the few remedies used, and impatient of the inactivity
+and relentless silence. Why did not the doctor adopt more stringent
+measures? Surely there was something to be done to enable Wilbur to
+combat the disease. Dr. Page had the reputation of being a skilful
+physician, and, presumably, was doing his best; but was it not possible,
+was it not sensible, to suppose there was a different and better way of
+treating pneumonia--a way which was as superior to the conventional and
+stereotyped method as the true American point of view was superior in
+other matters?
+
+It came over her as a conviction that if she were elsewhere--in Benham,
+for instance--her husband could be readily and brilliantly cured. This
+impassive mode of treatment seemed to her of one piece with the entire
+Littleton surroundings, the culmination of which was Pauline smiling in
+the face of death. She yearned to do something active and decided. Yet,
+how helpless she was! This arbitrary doctor was following his own
+dictates without a word to anyone, and without suspecting the existence
+of wiser expedients.
+
+In a moment of rebellion she rose, and swiftly approaching Wilbur's bed,
+exclaimed, fervently: "Is there not something we can do for you,
+darling? Something you feel will do you good?"
+
+The sufferer faintly smiled and feebly shook his head, and at the same
+moment she was drawn away by a firm hand, and Dr. Page whispered: "He is
+very weak. Entire rest is his only chance. The least exertion is a drain
+on his vitality."
+
+"Surely there must be some medicine--some powerful application which
+will help his breathing," she retorted, and she detected again the
+semblance of laughter in the doctor's eyes.
+
+"Everything which modern science can do is being done, Mrs. Littleton."
+
+What was there but to resume her seat and helpless vigil? Modern
+science? The word grated on her ears. It savored to her of narrow
+medical tyranny, and distrust of aspiring individuality. Wilbur was
+dying, and all modern science saw fit to do was to give him brandy and
+wait. And she, his wife--the one who loved him best in the world, was
+powerless to intervene. Nay, she had intervened, and modern science had
+mocked her.
+
+Selma's eyes, like the glint of two swords, bent themselves on her
+husband's bed. A righteous anger reinforced her grieving heart and made
+her spirit militant, while the creeping hours passed. Over and over she
+pursued the tenor of her protest until her wearied system sought refuge
+in sleep. She was not conscious of slumbering, but she reasoned later
+that she must have slept, for she suddenly became conscious of a touch
+on the shoulder and a vibrant utterance of her name.
+
+"Selma, Selma, you must come at once."
+
+Her returning wits realized that it was Pauline who was arousing her and
+urging her to Wilbur's bed-side. She sprang forward, and saw the light
+of existence fading from her husband's eyes into the mute dulness of
+death. Dr. Page was bending over him in a desperate, but vain, effort to
+force some restorative between his lips. At the foot of the bed stood
+the nurse, with an expression which betrayed what had occurred.
+
+"What is it, Wilbur? What have they done to you? What has happened?"
+Selma cried, looking from one to the other, though she had discerned the
+truth in a flash. As she spoke, Dr. Page desisted from his undertaking,
+and stepped back from the bed, and instantly Selma threw herself on her
+knees and pressed her face upon Littleton's lifeless features. There was
+no response. His spirit had departed.
+
+"His heart could not stand the strain. That is the great peril in
+pneumonia," she heard the doctor murmur.
+
+"He is dead," she cried, in a horrified outburst, and she looked up at
+the pitying group with the gaze of an afflicted lioness. She caught
+sight of Pauline smiling through her tears--that same unprotesting,
+submissive smile--and holding out her hands to her. Selma, rising,
+turned away, and as her sister-in-law sought to put her arm about her,
+evaded the caress.
+
+"No--no," she said. Then facing her, added, with aggrieved conviction:
+
+"I cannot believe that Wilbur's death was necessary. Why was not
+something energetic done?"
+
+Pauline flushed, but, ascribing the calumny to distress, she held her
+peace, and said, simply:
+
+"Sh! dear. You will understand better by and by."
+
+
+
+
+BOOK III.
+
+THE SUCCESS
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+It had never occurred to Selma that she might lose her husband. Even
+with his shortcomings he was so important to her from the point of view
+of support, and her scheme of life was so interwoven with his, she had
+taken for granted that he would live as long as she desired. She felt
+that destiny had a second time been signally cruel to her, and that she
+was drinking deeply of the cup of sorrow. She was convinced that Wilbur,
+had he lived, would have moved presently to Benham, in accordance with
+her desire, and that they would then have been completely happy again.
+Instead he was dead and under the sod, and she was left to face the
+world with no means save $5,000 from his life insurance and the natural
+gifts and soul which God had given her.
+
+She appreciated that she was still a comparatively young woman, and
+that, notwithstanding her love for Wilbur, she had been unable as his
+wife to exhibit herself to the world in her true light. She was free
+once more to lead her own life, and to obtain due recognition for her
+ideas and principles. She deplored with a grief which depleted the curve
+of her oval cheeks the premature end of her husband's artistic
+career--an aspiring soul cut off on the threshold of success--yet,
+though of course she never squarely made the reflection, she was aware
+that the development of her own life was more intrinsically valuable to
+the world than his, and that of the two it was best that he should be
+taken. She was sad, sore against Providence, and uncertain as to the
+future. But she was keenly conscious that she had a future, and she was
+eager to be stirring. Still, for the moment, the outlook was perplexing.
+What was she to do? First, and certainly, she desired to shake the dust
+of New York from her feet at the earliest opportunity. She inclined
+toward Benham as a residence, and to the lecture platform, supplemented
+by literature, and perhaps eventually the stage, as a means of
+livelihood. She believed in her secret soul that she could act. Her
+supposed facility in acquiring the New York manner had helped to
+generate that impression. It seemed to her more than probable that with
+a little instruction as to technical stage business she could gain fame
+and fortune almost at once as an actress of tragedy or melodrama. Comedy
+she despised as unworthy of her. But the stage appealed to her only on
+the ground of income. The life of an actress lacked the ethical
+character which she liked to associate with whatever she did. To be
+sure, a great actress was an inspiring influence. Nevertheless she
+preferred some more obviously improving occupation, provided it would
+afford a suitable support. Yet was it fitting that she should be
+condemned to do hack work for her daily bread instead of something to
+enlighten and uplift the community in which she lived? She considered
+that she had served her apprenticeship by teaching school and writing
+for the newspapers, and she begrudged spending further time in
+subordinate work. Better on the whole a striking success on the stage
+than this, for after she had made a name and money she could retire and
+devote herself to more congenial undertakings. Nevertheless her
+conscience told her that a theatrical career must be regarded as a last
+resort, and she appreciated the importance of not making a hasty
+decision as to what she would do. The lease of her house would not
+expire for six months, and it seemed to her probable that even in New
+York, where she was not understood, someone would realize her value as a
+manager of some intellectual or literary movement and make overtures to
+her. She wrote to Mrs. Earle and received a cordial response declaring
+that Benham would welcome her with open arms, a complimentary though
+somewhat vague certificate. She sent a line also to Mr. Dennison,
+informing him that she hoped soon to submit some short stories for his
+magazine, and received a guarded but polite reply to the effect that he
+would be glad to read her manuscripts.
+
+While she was thus deliberating and winding up her husband's affairs,
+Mr. Parsons, who had been absent from New York at the time of Wilbur's
+decease, called and bluntly made the announcement that he had bought a
+house in Benham, was to move there immediately, and was desirous that
+she should live with him as his companion and housekeeper on liberal
+pecuniary terms.
+
+"I am an old man," he said, "and my health is not what it used to be. I
+need someone to look after me and to keep me company. I like your chatty
+ways, and, if I have someone smart and brisk around like you, I sha'n't
+be thinking so often that I'm all alone in the world. It'll be dull for
+you, I guess; but you'll be keeping quiet for the present wherever you
+are; and when the time comes that you wish to take notice again I won't
+stand in the way of your amusing yourself."
+
+To this homely plea Selma returned a beatific smile. It struck her as an
+ideal arrangement; a golden opportunity for him, and convenient and
+promising for her. In the first place she was accorded the mission of
+cheering and guarding the declining years of this fine old man, whom she
+had come to look on with esteem and liking. And at the same time as his
+companion--the virtual mistress of his house, for she knew perfectly
+well that as a genuine American he was not offering her a position less
+than this--she would be able to shape her life gradually along congenial
+lines, and to wait for the ripe occasion for usefulness to present
+itself. In an instant a great load was lifted from her spirit. She was
+thankful to be spared conscientious qualms concerning the career of an
+actress, and thankful to be freed at one bound from her New York
+associations--especially with Pauline, whose attitude toward her had
+been further strained by her continued conviction that Wilbur's life
+might have been saved. Indeed, so completely alleviating was Mr.
+Parsons's proposition that, stimulated by the thought that he was to be
+a greater gainer from the plan than she, Selma gave rein to her emotions
+by exclaiming with fervor:
+
+"Usually I like to think important plans over before coming to a
+decision; but this arrangement seems to me so sensible and natural and
+mutually advantageous, Mr. Parsons, that I see no reason why I shouldn't
+accept your offer now. God grant that I may be a worthy daughter to
+you--and in some measure take the place of the dear ones you have lost."
+
+"That's what I want," he said. "I took a liking to you the first time we
+met. Then it's settled?"
+
+"Yes. I suppose," she added, after a moment's hesitation--speaking with
+an accent of scorn--"I suppose there may be people--people like those
+who are called fashionable here--who will criticise the arrangement on
+the ground--er--of propriety, because I'm not a relation, and you are
+not very old. But I despise conventions such as that. They may be
+necessary for foreigners; but they are not meant for self-respecting
+American women. I fancy my sister-in-law may not wholly approve of it,
+but I don't know. I shall take pleasure in showing her and the rest that
+it would be wicked as well as foolish to let a flimsy suggestion of evil
+interfere with the happiness of two people situated as we are."
+
+Mr. Parsons seemed puzzled at first, as though he did not understand
+exactly what she meant, but when she concluded he said:
+
+"You come to me, as you have yourself stated, on the footing of a
+daughter. If folk are not content to mind their own business, I guess we
+needn't worry because they don't happen to be suited. There's one or two
+relations of mine would be glad to be in your shoes, but I don't know of
+anything in the Bible or the Constitution of the United States which
+forbids an old man from choosing the face he'll have opposite to him at
+table."
+
+"Or forbids the interchange of true sympathy--that priceless privilege,"
+answered Selma, her liking for a sententious speech rising paramount
+even to the pleasure caused her by the allusion to her personal
+appearance. Nevertheless it was agreeable to be preferred to his female
+cousins on the score of comeliness.
+
+Accordingly, within six months of her husband's death, the transition to
+Benham was accomplished, and Selma was able to encounter the
+metaphorically open arms, referred to by Mrs. Earle, without feeling
+that she was a less important person than when she had been whisked off
+as a bride by Littleton, the rising architect. She was returning as the
+confidential, protecting companion of a successful, self-made old man,
+who was relying on her to make his new establishment a pleasure to
+himself and a credit to the wide-awake city in which he had elected to
+pass his remaining days. She was returning to a house on the River Drive
+(the aristocratic boulevard of Benham, where the river Nye makes a broad
+sweep to the south); a house not far distant from the Flagg mansion at
+which, as Mrs. Lewis Babcock, she had looked askance as a monument
+inimical to democratic simplicity. Wilbur had taught her that it was
+very ugly, and now that she saw it again after a lapse of years she was
+pleased to note that her new residence, though slightly smaller, had a
+more modern and distinguished air.
+
+The new house was of rough-hewn red sandstone, combining solid dignity
+and some artistic merit, for Benham had not stood still architecturally
+speaking. The River Drive was a grotesque, yet on the whole encouraging
+exhibit. Most of the residences had been designed by native talent, but
+under the spur of experiment even the plain, hard-headed builders had
+been constrained to dub themselves "architects," and adopt modern
+methods; and here and there stood evidences that the seed planted by
+Mrs. Hallett Taylor and Littleton had borne fruit, for Benham possessed
+at least half a dozen private houses which could defy criticism.
+
+The one selected by Mr. Parsons was not of these half dozen; but the
+plain, hard-headed builder who had erected it for the original owner was
+shrewd and imitative, and had avoided ambitious deviations from the type
+he wished to copy--the red sandstone, swell front variety, which ten
+years before would have seemed to the moral sense of Benham unduly
+cheerful. Mr. Parsons was so fortunate as to be able to buy it just
+after it had been completed, together with a stable and half an acre of
+ground, from one of the few Benhamites whose financial ventures had
+ended in disaster, and who was obliged to sell. It was a more ambitious
+residence than Mr. Parsons had desired, but it was the most available,
+inasmuch as he could occupy it at once. It had been painted and
+decorated within, but was unfurnished. Mr. Parsons, as a practical
+business man, engaged the builder to select and supply the bedroom and
+solid fittings, but it occurred to him to invite Selma to choose the
+furnishings for what he called the show rooms.
+
+Selma was delighted to visit once more the New York stores, free from
+the bridle of Wilbur's criticism and unrestrained by economy. She found
+to her satisfaction that the internal decoration of the new house was
+not unlike that of the Williamses' first habitation--that is, gay and
+bedizened; and she was resolved in the selection of her draperies and
+ornaments to buy things which suggested by their looks that they were
+handsome, and whose claim to distinction was not mere sober
+unobtrusiveness. She realized that some of her purchases would have made
+Wilbur squirm, but since his death she felt more sure than ever that
+even where art was concerned his taste was subdued, timid, and
+unimaginative. For instance, she believed that he would not have
+approved her choice of light-blue satin for the upholstery of the
+drawing-room, nor of a marble statue--an allegorical figure of Truth,
+duly draped, as its most conspicuous ornament.
+
+Selma was spared the embarrassment of her first husband's presence.
+Divorce is no bar to ordinary feminine curiosity as to the whereabouts
+of a former partner for life, and she had proved no exception to the
+rule. Mrs. Earle had kept her posted as to Babcock's career since their
+separation, and what she learned had tended merely to demonstrate the
+wisdom and justice of her action. As a divorced man he had, after a
+time, resumed the free and easy, coarse companionship to which he had
+been partial before his marriage, and had gradually become a heavy
+drinker. Presently he had neglected his business, a misfortune of which
+a rival concern had been quick to take advantage. The trend of his
+affairs had been steadily downhill, and had come to a crisis three
+months before Littleton's death, when, in order to avoid insolvency, he
+sold out his factory and business to the rival company, and accepted at
+the same hands the position of manager in a branch office in a city
+further west. Consequently, Selma could feel free from molestation or an
+appeal to her sensibilities. She preferred to think of Babcock as
+completely outside her life, as dead to her, and she would have disliked
+the possibility of meeting him in the flesh while shopping on Central
+avenue. It had been the only drawback to her proposed return to Benham.
+
+During the years of Selma's second marriage Benham had waxed rapidly in
+population and importance. People had been attracted thither by the
+varied industries of the city--alike those in search of fortune, and
+those offering themselves for employment in the mills, oil-works, and
+pork factories; and at the date of Littleton's death it boasted over one
+hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. It was already the second city
+of the State in point of population, and was freely acknowledged to be
+the most wide-awake and enterprising. The civic spirit of Benham was
+reputed to be constantly and increasingly alert and progressive,
+notwithstanding the river Nye still ran the color of bean-soup above
+where it was drawn for drinking purposes, and the ability of a plumber,
+who had become an alderman, to provide a statue or lay out a public park
+was still unquestioned by the majority. Even to-day, when trained
+ability has obtained recognition in many quarters, the Benhamites at
+large are apt to resent criticism as aristocratic fault-finding; yet at
+this time that saving minority of souls who refused to regard everything
+which Benham did as perfection, and whose subsequent forlorn hopes and
+desperately won victories have little by little taught the community
+wisdom, if not modesty, was beginning to utter disagreeable strictures.
+
+Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle, when she opened her arms to Selma and folded
+her to her bosom with a hug of welcome, was raging inwardly against this
+minority, and they had not been many minutes together before she gave
+utterance to her grievance.
+
+"You have come just in time to give us your sympathy and support in an
+important matter, my dear. Miss Bailey has been nominated for the School
+Board at the instance of the Executive Committee of the Benham
+Institute. We supposed that she would have plain sailing, for many of
+the voters have begun to recognize the justice of having one or two
+women on the School Board, and by hard work we had succeeded in getting
+her name put on the Democratic ticket. Judge, then, of our feelings when
+we learned that the Reform Club had decided to blacklist and refuse to
+support at the polls three of the six names on the ticket, including our
+Luella Bailey, on the ground of lack of experience in educational
+matters. The Reform Club has nominated three other persons--one of them
+a woman. And who do you suppose is the head and front of this unholy
+crusade?"
+
+"It sounds like Mrs. Hallett Taylor," answered Selma, sternly.
+
+"How did you know? What made you think so? How clever of you, Selma!
+Yes, she is the active spirit."
+
+"It was she who was at the bottom of Miss Bailey's rejection when she
+was my candidate for a position at Everdean College."
+
+"To be sure. I remember. This Reform Club, which was started a year or
+so ago, and which sets itself up as a censor of what we are trying to do
+in Benham, has nominated a Miss Snow, who is said to have travelled
+abroad studying the school systems of Europe."
+
+"As if that would help us in any way."
+
+"Precisely. She has probably come home with her head full of
+queer-fangled notions which would be out of keeping with our
+institutions. Just the reason why she shouldn't be chosen. We are
+greatly troubled as to the result, dear, for though we expect to win,
+the prejudice of some men against voting for a woman under any
+circumstances will operate against our candidate, so that this action of
+the Reform Club may possibly be the means of electing one of the men on
+the Republican ticket instead of Luella. Miss Snow hasn't the ghost of a
+chance. But that isn't all. These Reform Club nominations are
+preliminary to a bill before the Legislature to take away from the
+people the right to elect members of the school committee, and
+substitute an appointive board of specialists to serve during long terms
+of good behavior. As Mr. Lyons says, that's the real issue involved.
+It's quixotic and it isn't necessary. Haven't we always prided ourselves
+on our ability to keep our public schools the best in the world? And is
+there any doubt, Selma, that either you or I would be fully qualified to
+serve on the School Board though we haven't made any special study of
+primers and geographies? Luella Bailey hasn't had any special training,
+but she's smart and progressive, and the poor thing would like the
+recognition. We fixed on her because we thought it would help her to get
+ahead, for she has not been lucky in obtaining suitable employment. As
+Mr. Lyons says, a serious principle is involved. He has come out strong
+against the movement and declares that it is a direct menace to the
+intelligence of the plain people of the United States and a subtle
+invasion of their liberties."
+
+"Mr. Lyons? What Mr. Lyons is that?"
+
+"Yes, dear, it is the same one who managed your affair. Your Mr. Lyons.
+He has become an important man since you left Benham. He speaks
+delightfully, and is likely to receive the next Democratic nomination
+for Congress. He is in accord with all liberal movements, and a foe of
+everything exclusive, unchristian or arbitrary. He has declared his
+intention to oppose the bill when it is introduced, and I shall devote
+myself body and soul to working against it in case Luella Bailey is
+defeated. It is awkward because Mrs. Taylor is a member of the
+Institute, though she doesn't often come, and the club has never been in
+politics. But here when there was a chance to do Luella Bailey a good
+turn, and I'd been able through some of my newspaper friends to get her
+on the ticket, it seems to me positively unchristian--yes, that's the
+word--to try to keep her off the board. There are some things of course,
+Luella couldn't do--and if the position were superintendent of a
+hospital, for instance, I dare say that special training would be
+advantageous, though nursing can be picked up very rapidly by a keen
+intelligence: but to raise such objections in regard to a candidate for
+the School Board seems to me ridiculous as well as cruel. What
+we need there are open, receptive minds, free from fads and
+prejudice--wide-awake, progressive enthusiastic intellects. It worries
+me to see the Institute dragged into politics, but it is my duty to
+resist this undemocratic movement."
+
+"Surely," exclaimed Selma, with fire. "I am thankful I have come in time
+to help you. I understand exactly. I have been passing through just such
+experiences in New York--encountering and being rebuffed by just such
+people as those who belong to this Reform Club. My husband was beginning
+to see through them and to recognize that we were both tied hand and
+foot by their narrowness and lack of enthusiasm when he died. If he had
+lived, we would have moved to Benham shortly in order to escape from
+bondage. And one thing is certain, dear Mrs. Earle," she continued with
+intensity, "we must not permit this carping spirit of hostility to
+original and spontaneous effort to get a foothold in Benham. We must
+crush it, we must stamp it out."
+
+"Amen, my dear. I am delighted to hear you talk like that. I declare you
+would be very effective in public if you were roused."
+
+"Yes, I am roused, and I am willing to speak in public if it becomes
+necessary in order to keep Benham uncontaminated by the insidious canker
+of exclusiveness and the distrust of aspiring souls which a few narrow
+minds choose to term untrained. Am _I_ untrained? Am _I_ superficial and
+common? Do _I_ lack the appearance and behavior of a lady?"
+
+Selma accompanied these interrogatories with successive waves of the
+hand, as though she were branding so many falsehoods.
+
+"Assuredly not, Selma. I consider you"--and here Mrs. Earle gasped in
+the process of choosing her words--"I consider you one of our best
+trained and most independent minds--cultured, a friend of culture, and
+an earnest seeker after truth. If you are not a lady, neither am I,
+neither is anyone in Benham. Why do you ask, dear?" And without waiting
+for an answer, Mrs. Earle added with a touch of material wisdom, "You
+return to Benham under satisfactory, I might say, brilliant auspices.
+You will be the active spirit in this fine house, and be in a position
+to promote worthy intellectual and moral movements."
+
+"Thank heavens, yes. And to combat those which are unworthy and
+dangerous," exclaimed Selma, clasping her fingers, "I can count on the
+support of Mr. Parsons, God bless him! And it would seem at last as if I
+had, a real chance--a real chance at last. Mrs. Earle--Cora--I know you
+can keep a secret. I feel almost as though you were my mother, for there
+is no one else now to whom I can talk like this. I have not been happy
+in New York. I thought I was happy at first, but lately we have been
+miserable. My marriage--er--they drove my husband to the wall, and
+killed him. He was sensitive and noble, but not practical, and he fell a
+victim to the mercenary despotism of our surroundings. When I tried to
+help him they became jealous of me, and shut their doors in our faces."
+
+"You poor, poor child. I have suspected for some time that something was
+wrong."
+
+"It nearly killed me. But now, thank heaven, I breathe freely once more.
+I have lost my dear husband, but I have escaped from that prison-house;
+and with his memory to keep me merciless, I am eager to wage war against
+those influences which are conspiring to fetter the free-born soul and
+stifle spontaneity. Luella Bailey must be elected, and these people be
+taught that foreign ideas may flourish in New York, but cannot obtain
+root in Benham."
+
+Mrs. Earle wiped her eyes, which were running over as the result of this
+combination of confidence and eloquence.
+
+"If you don't mind my saying so, Selma, I never saw anyone so much
+improved as you. You always had ideas, and were well equipped, but now
+you speak as though you could remove mountains if necessary. It's a
+blessing for us as well as you that you're back among us once more."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+When Selma uttered her edict that Luella Bailey must be elected she did
+not know that the election was only three days off. When she was told
+this by Mrs. Earle, she cast about feverishly during a few hours for the
+means to compass certain victory, then promptly and sensibly disclaimed
+responsibility for the result, suggesting even that her first appearance
+as a remover of mountains be deferred to the time when the bill should
+be before the Legislature. As she aptly explained to Mrs. Earle, the
+canvass was virtually at an end, she was unacquainted with the practical
+features of the situation, and was to all intents a stranger in Benham
+after so long an absence. Mrs. Earle was unable to combat the logic of
+these representations, but she obtained from Selma a ready promise to
+accompany the Benham Institute to the final rally on the evening before
+election day and sit in a prominent place on the platform. The Institute
+was to attend as a body by way of promoting the cause of its candidate,
+for though the meeting was called in aid of the entire Democratic
+municipal ticket, Hon. James O. Lyons, the leading orator of the
+occasion, had promised to devote special attention to Miss Bailey, whose
+election, owing to the attitude of the Reform Club, was recognized as in
+doubt. Selma also agreed to accompany Mrs. Earle in a hack on the day
+itself, and career through the city in search of recalcitrant or
+indifferent female voters, for the recently acquired right of Benham
+women to vote for members of the School Board had not as yet been
+exercised by any considerable number of the emancipated sex.
+
+As a part of the programme of the meeting the Benham Institute, or the
+major portion of it (for there were a few who sympathized openly with
+Mrs. Taylor), filed showily on to the platform headed by Mrs. Earle, who
+waved her pocket handkerchief at the audience, which was the occasion
+for renewed hand-clapping and enthusiasm. Selma walked not far behind
+and took her seat among the forty other members, who all wore white silk
+badges stamped in red with the sentiment "A vote for Luella Bailey is a
+vote for the liberty of the people." Her pulses were throbbing with
+interest and pleasure. This was the sort of thing she delighted in, and
+which she had hoped would be a frequent incident of her life in New
+York. It pleased her to think how naturally and easily she had taken her
+place in the ranks of these earnest, enthusiastic workers, and that she
+had merely to express a wish in order to have leadership urged upon her.
+Matters had shaped themselves exactly as she desired. Mr. Parsons not
+only treated her completely as an equal, but consulted her in regard to
+everything. He had already become obviously dependent on her, and had
+begun to develop the tendencies of an invalid.
+
+The exercises were of a partisan cast. The theory that municipal
+government should be independent of party politics had been an adage in
+Benham since its foundation, and been disregarded annually by
+nine-tenths of the population ever since. This was a Democratic
+love-feast. The speakers and the audience alike were in the best of
+spirits, for there was no uncertainty in the minds of the party prophets
+as to the result of the morrow's ballot--excepting with regard to Miss
+Bailey. The rest of the ticket would unquestionably be elected;
+accordingly all hands and voices were free to focus their energies in
+her behalf and thus make the victory a clean sweep. Nevertheless the
+earlier speakers felt obliged to let their eloquence flow over the whole
+range of political misgovernment from the White House and the national
+platform down, although the actual issue was the choice of a mayor,
+twelve aldermen and a school committee, so that only casual reference
+was made to the single weak spot on the ticket until the Hon. James O.
+Lyons rose to address the meeting. The reception accorded him was more
+spontaneous and effusive than that which had been bestowed on either of
+his predecessors, and as he stood waiting with dignified urbanity for
+the applause to subside, some rapturous admirer called for three cheers,
+and the tumult was renewed.
+
+Selma was thrilled. Her acquaintance with Mr. Lyons naturally heightened
+her interest, and she observed him eagerly. Time had added to his
+corporeal weight since he had acted as her counsel, and enhanced the
+sober yet genial decorum of his bearing. His slightly pontifical air
+seemed an assurance against ill-timed levity. His cheeks were still fat
+and smooth shaven, but, like many of the successful men of Benham, he
+now wore a chin beard--a thick tuft of hair which in his case tapered so
+that it bore some resemblance to the beard of a goat, and gave a
+rough-and-ready aspect to his appearance suggestive alike of smart,
+solid worth and an absence of dandified tendencies. Mr. Parsons had a
+thicker beard of the same character, which Selma regarded with favor as
+a badge of serious intentions.
+
+"My friends," he began when the applause had subsided; then paused and
+surveyed his audience in a manner which left them in doubt as to whether
+he was struggling with emotion or busy in silent prayer. "My friends, a
+month ago to-day the citizens of Benham assembled to crown with
+appropriate and beautiful services the monument which they, the
+survivors, have erected with pious hands to perpetuate the memory of
+those who laid down their lives to keep intact our beloved union of
+States and to banish slavery forever from the confines of our aspiring
+civilization. A week ago an equally representative assembly, without
+regard to creed or party, listened to the exercises attending the
+dedication of the new Court House which we have raised to Justice--that
+white-robed goddess, the guardian of the liberties of the people. Each
+was a notable and significant event. On each occasion I had the honor to
+say a few poor words. We celebrated with bowed heads and with garlands
+the deeds of the heroic dead, and now have consecrated ourselves to the
+opportunities and possibilities of peace under the law--to the
+revelation of the temper of our new civilization which, tried in the
+furnace of war, is to be a grand and vital power for the advancement of
+the human race, for the righteous furtherance of the brotherhood of man.
+What is the hope of the world?" he asked. "America--these United States,
+a bulwark against tyranny, an asylum for the aspiring and the
+downtrodden. The eyes of the nations are upon us. In the souls of the
+survivors and of the sons and daughters of the patriots who have died in
+defence of the liberties of our beloved country abide the seed and
+inspiration for new victories of peace. Our privilege be it as the heirs
+of Washington and Franklin and Hamilton and Lincoln and Grant to set the
+nations of the earth an example of what peace under the law may
+accomplish, so that the free-born son of America from the shores of Cape
+Cod to the western limits of the Golden Gate may remain a synonym for
+noble aims and noble deeds, for truth and patriotism and fearlessness of
+soul."
+
+The speaker's words had been uttered slowly at the outset--ponderous,
+sonorous, sentence by sentence, like the big drops before a heavy
+shower. As he warmed to his theme the pauses ceased, and his speech
+flowed with the musical sweep of a master of platform oratory. When he
+spoke of war his voice choked; in speaking of peace he paused for an
+appreciable moment, casting his eyes up as though he could discern the
+angel of national tranquillity hovering overhead. Although this opening
+peroration seemed scarcely germane to the occasion, the audience
+listened in absorbed silence, spell-bound by the magnetism of his
+delivery. They felt sure that he had a point in reserve to which these
+splendid and agreeable truths were a pertinent introduction.
+
+Proceeding, with his address, Mr. Lyons made a panegyric on these United
+States of America, from the special standpoint of their dedication to
+the "God of our fathers," a solemn figure of speech. The sincerity of
+his patriotism was emphasized by the religious fervor of his deduction
+that God was on the side of the nation, and the nation on the side of
+God. Though he abstained from direct strictures, both his manner and his
+matter seemed to serve a caveat, so to speak, on the other nations by
+declaring that for fineness of heart and thought, and deed, the world
+must look to the land "whose wide and well-nigh boundless prairies were
+blossoming with the buds of truth fanned by the breeze of liberty and
+fertilized by the aspirations of a God-fearing and a God-led population.
+What is the hope of the world, I repeat?" he continued. "The plain and
+sovereign people of our beloved country. Whatever menaces their
+liberties, whatever detracts from their, power and infringes on their
+prerogatives is a peril to our institutions and a step backward in the
+science of government. My friends, we are here to-night to protest
+against a purpose to invade those liberties--a deliberately conceived
+design to take away from the sovereign people of this city one of their
+cherished privileges--the right to decide who shall direct the policy of
+our free public-school system, that priceless heritage of every
+American. I beg to remind you that this contest is no mere question of
+healthy rivalry between two great political parties; nor again is it
+only a vigorous competition between two ambitious and intelligent women.
+A ballot in behalf of our candidate will be a vote of confidence in the
+ability of the plain people of this country to adopt the best
+educational methods without the patronizing dictation of aboard of
+specialists nurtured on foreign and uninspiring theories of instruction.
+A ballot against Miss Luella Bailey, the competent and cultivated lady
+whose name adds strength and distinction to our ticket, and who has been
+needlessly and wantonly opposed by those who should be her proud
+friends, will signify a willingness to renounce one of our most precious
+liberties--the free man's right to choose those who are to impart to his
+children mastery of knowledge and love of country. I take my stand
+to-night as the resolute enemy of this aristocratic and un-American
+suggestion, and urge you, on the eve of election, to devote your
+energies to overwhelming beneath the shower of your fearless ballots
+this insult to the intelligence of the voters of Benham, and this menace
+to our free and successful institutions, which, under the guidance of
+the God of our fathers, we purpose to keep perpetually progressive and
+undefiled."
+
+A salvo of enthusiasm greeted Mr. Lyons as he concluded. His speeches
+were apt to cause those whom he addressed to feel that they were no
+common campaign utterances, but eloquent expressions of principle and
+conviction, clothed in memorable language, as, indeed, they were. He was
+fond of giving a moral or patriotic flavor to what he said in public,
+for he entertained both a profound reverence for high moral ideas and an
+abiding faith in the superiority of everything American. He had arrayed
+himself on the threshold of his legal career as a friend and champion of
+the mass of the people--the plain and sovereign people, as he was apt to
+style them in public. His first and considerable successes had been as
+the counsel for plaintiffs before juries in accident cases against large
+corporations, and he had thought of himself with complete sincerity as a
+plain man, contesting for human rights before the bar of justice, by the
+sheer might of his sonorous voice and diligent brain. His political
+development had been on the same side. Latterly the situation had become
+a little puzzling, though to a man of straightforward intentions, like
+himself, not fundamentally embarrassing. That is, the last four or five
+years had altered both the character of his practice and his
+circumstances, so that instead of fighting corporations he was now the
+close adviser of a score of them; not the defender of their accident
+cases, but the confidential attorney who was consulted in regard to
+their vital interests, and who charged them liberal sums for his
+services. He still figured in court from time to time in his capacity of
+the plain man's friend, which he still considered himself to be no less
+than before, but most of his time was devoted to protecting the legal
+interests of the railroad, gas, water, manufacturing, mining and other
+undertakings which, the rapid growth of Benham had forgotten. And as a
+result of this commerce with the leading men of affairs in Benham, and
+knowledge of what was going on, he had been able to invest his large
+fees to the best advantage, and had already reaped a rich harvest from
+the rapid rise in value of the securities of diverse successful
+enterprises. When new projects were under consideration he was in a
+position to have a finger in the pie, and he was able to borrow freely
+from a local bank in which he was a director.
+
+He was puzzled--it might be said distressed--how to make these rewards
+of his professional prominence appear compatible with his real political
+principles, so that the plain and sovereign people would recognize as
+clearly as he that there was no inconsistency in his having taken
+advantage of the opportunities for professional advancement thrown in
+his way. He was ambitious for political preferment, sharing the growing
+impression that he was well qualified for public office, and he desired
+to rise as the champion of popular ideas. Consequently he resented
+bitterly the calumnies which had appeared in one or two irresponsible
+newspapers to the effect that he was becoming a corporation attorney and
+a capitalist. Could a man refuse legitimate business which was thrust
+upon him? How were his convictions and interest in the cause of
+struggling humanity altered or affected by his success at the bar? Hence
+he neglected no occasion to declare his allegiance to progressive
+doctrine, and to give utterance to the patriotism which at all times was
+on tap in his emotional system. He had been married, but his wife had
+been dead a number of years, and he made his home with his aged mother,
+to whom he was apt to refer with pious tremulousness when he desired to
+emphasize some domestic situation before a jury. As a staunch member of
+the Methodist Church, he was on terms of intimate association with his
+pastor, and was known as a liberal contributor to domestic and foreign
+missions.
+
+Selma was genuinely carried away by the character of his oratory. His
+sentiments were so completely in accord with her own ideas that she felt
+he had left nothing unsaid, and had put the case grandly. Here at last
+was a man who shared with her the convictions with which her brain was
+seething--a man who was not afraid to give public expression to his
+views, and who possessed a splendid gift of statement. She had felt sure
+that she would meet sympathy and kindred spirits in Benham, but her
+experience in New York had so far depressed her that she had not allowed
+herself to expect such a thorough-going champion. What a contrast his
+solid, devotional, yet business-like aspect was to the quizzical
+lightness of the men in New York she had been told were clever, like Dr.
+Page and Mr. Dennison! He possessed Wilbur's ardor and reverence, with a
+robustness of physique and a practical air which Wilbur had
+lacked--lacked to his and her detriment. If Wilbur had been as vigorous
+in body as he ought to have been, would he have died? She had read
+somewhere lately that physical delicacy was apt to react on the mind and
+make one's ideas too fine-spun and unsubstantial. Here was the advantage
+which a man like Mr. Lyons had over Wilbur. He was strong and thickset,
+and looked as though he could endure hard work without wincing. So could
+she. It was a great boon, an essential of effective manhood or
+womanhood. These thoughts followed in the wake of the enthusiasm his
+personality had aroused in her at the close of his address. She scarcely
+heard the remarks of the next speaker, the last on the programme. Her
+eyes kept straying wistfully in the direction of Mr. Lyons, and she
+wondered if there would be an opportunity when the meeting was over to
+let him know how much she approved of what he had said, and how
+necessary she felt the promulgation, of such ideas was for the welfare
+of the country.
+
+She was aroused from contemplation by the voice of Mrs. Earle, who, now
+that everybody was standing up preliminary to departure, bent over her
+front bench on the platform to whisper, "Wasn't Mr. Lyons splendid?"
+
+"Yes, indeed," said Selma. "I should like so much to make his
+acquaintance, to compare notes with him and thank him for his brave,
+true words."
+
+"I know he'd be pleased to meet you. I'll try to catch his eye. I wish
+some of those Reform Club people could have heard what he thought of
+them. There! He's looking this way. I'm going to attract his attention."
+Whereupon Mrs. Earle began to nod in his direction energetically. "He
+sees us now, and has noticed you. I shouldn't wonder if he has
+recognized you. Follow me close, Selma, and we'll be able to shake hands
+with him."
+
+By dint of squeezing and stertorous declarations of her desire, Mrs.
+Earle obtained a gradual passage through the crowd. Many from the
+audience had ascended to the platform for the purpose of accosting the
+speakers, and a large share of the interest was being bestowed on Mr.
+Lyons, who was holding an impromptu reception. When at last Mrs. Earle
+had worked her way to within a few feet of him, her wheezing condition
+and bulk announced her approach, and procured her consideration from the
+others in the line, so that she was able to plant herself pervasively
+and firmly in front of her idol and take possession of him by the fervid
+announcement, "You were simply unanswerable. Eloquent, convincing, and
+unanswerable. And I have brought with me an old friend, Mrs. Littleton,
+who sympathizes with your superb utterances, and wishes to tell you so."
+
+As Selma stepped forward in recognition of this introduction she
+vibrated to hear Mr. Lyons say, without a sign of hesitation, "A friend
+whom it is a pleasure to welcome back to Benham, Mrs. Littleton, I am
+pleased to meet you again."
+
+Selma had hoped, and felt it her due, that he would recognize her. Still
+his having done so at once was a compliment which served to enhance the
+favorable opinion which she had already formed regarding him.
+
+"I have been longing for months, Mr. Lyons," she said, "to hear someone
+say what you have said to-night. I am concerned, as we all are of
+course, in Miss Bailey's election, and your advocacy of her cause was
+most brilliant; but what I refer to--what interested, me especially, was
+the splendid protest you uttered against all movements to prevent the
+intelligence of the people from asserting itself. It gave me
+encouragement and made me feel that the outlook for the future is
+bright--that our truths must prevail."
+
+It was a maxim with Lyons that it was desirable to remember everyone he
+met, and he prided himself on his ability to call cordially by name
+clients or chance acquaintances whom he had not seen for years. Nature
+had endowed him with a good memory for names and faces, but he had
+learned to take advantage of all opportunities to brush up his wits
+before they were called into flattering, spontaneous action. When his
+glance, attracted by Mrs. Earle's remote gesticulation, rested on
+Selma's face, he began to ask himself at once where he had seen it
+before. In the interval vouchsafed by her approach he recalled the
+incident of the divorce, that her name had been Babcock, and that she
+had married again, but he was still groping for the name of her husband
+when the necessary clew was supplied by Mrs. Earle, and he was able to
+make his recognition of her exhaustive. He noticed with approval her
+pretty face and compact figure, reflecting that the slight gain in flesh
+was to her advantage, and noticed also her widow's mourning. But her
+eager, fluent address and zealous manner had prevented his attention
+from secretly wandering with business-like foresight to the next persons
+in the line of those anxious to shake his hand, and led him to regard
+her a second time. He was accustomed to compliments, but he was struck
+by the note of discriminating companionship in her congratulation. He
+believed that he had much at heart the very issue which she had touched
+upon, and it gratified him that a woman whose appearance was so
+attractive to him should single out for sympathetic enthusiasm what was
+in his opinion the cardinal principle involved, instead of expatiating
+on the assistance he had rendered Miss Bailey. Lyons said to himself
+that here was a kindred spirit--a woman with whom conversation would be
+a pleasure; with whom it would be possible to discourse on terms of
+mental comradeship. He was partial to comely women, but he did not
+approve of frivolity except on special and guarded occasions.
+
+"I thank you cordially for your appreciation," he answered. "You have
+grasped the vital kernel of my speech and I am grateful for your good
+opinion."
+
+Even in addressing the other sex, Lyons could not forget the
+responsibility of his frock-coat and that it was incumbent upon him to
+be strictly serious in public. Nevertheless his august but glib demeanor
+suited Selma's mood better than more obvious gallantry, especially as
+she got the impression, which he really wished to convey, that he
+admired her. It was out of the question for him to prolong the situation
+in the face of those waiting to grasp his hand, but Lyons heard with
+interest the statement which Mrs. Earle managed to whisper hoarsely in
+his ear just as he turned to welcome the next comer, and they were swept
+along:
+
+"She is one of our brightest minds. The poor child has recently lost her
+husband, and has come to keep Mr. Parsons company in his new house--an
+ideal arrangement."
+
+The identity of Mr. Parsons was well known to Lyons. He had met him
+occasionally in the past in other parts of the State in connection with
+business complications, and regarded him as a practical, intelligent
+citizen whose name would be of value to an aspirant for Congressional
+honors. It occurred to him as he shook hands with those next in line and
+addressed them that it would be eminently suitable if he should pay his
+respects to this new-comer to Benham by a visit. By so doing he world
+kill two birds with one stone, for he had reasoned of late that he owed
+it to himself to see more of the other sex. He had no specific
+matrimonial intentions; that is, he was not on the lookout for a wife;
+but he approved of happy unions as one of the great bulwarks of the
+community, and was well-disposed to encounter a suitable helpmate. He
+should expect physical charms, dignity, capacity and a sympathetic mind;
+a woman, in short, who would be an ornament to his home, a Christian
+influence in society and a companion whose intelligent tact would be
+likely to promote his political fortunes. And so it happened that in the
+course of the next few days he found himself thinking of Mrs. Littleton
+as a fine figure of a woman. This had not happened to him before since
+the death of his wife, and it made him thoughtful to the extent of
+asking "Why not?" For in spite of his long frock-coat and proper
+demeanor, passion was not extinct in the bosom of the Hon. James O.
+Lyons, and he was capable on special and guarded occasions of telling a
+woman that he loved her.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+Miss Luella Bailey was not elected. The unenlightened prejudice of man
+to prefer one of his own sex, combined with the hostility of the Reform
+Club, procured her defeat, notwithstanding that the rest of her ticket
+triumphed at the polls. There was some consolation for her friends in
+the fact that her rival, Miss Snow, had a considerably smaller number of
+votes than she. Selma solaced herself by the reflection that, as she had
+been consulted only at the twelfth hour, she was not responsible for the
+result, but she felt nerved by the defeat to concentrate her energies
+against the proposed bill for an appointed school board.
+
+Her immediate attention and sympathy were suddenly invoked by the
+illness of Mr. Parsons, who had seemed lacking in physical vigor for
+some weeks, and whose symptoms culminated in a slight paralysis, which
+confined him to his bed for a month, and to his house during the
+remainder of the autumn. Selma rejoiced in this opportunity to develop
+her capacities as a nurse, to prove how adequate she would have been to
+take complete charge of her late husband, had Dr. Page chosen to trust
+her. She administered with scrupulous regularity to the invalid such
+medicines as were ordered, and kept him cheerful by reading and
+conversation, so that the physician in charge complimented her on her
+proficiency. Trained nurses were unknown in Benham at this time, and any
+old or unoccupied female was regarded as qualified to watch over the
+sick. Selma appreciated from what she had observed of the conduct of
+Wilbur's nurse that there was a wrong and a right way of doing things,
+but she blamed Dr. Page for his failure to appreciate instinctively that
+she was sure to do things suitably. It seemed to her that he had lacked
+the intuitive gift to discern latent capabilities--a fault of which the
+Benham practitioner proved blameless.
+
+From the large, sunny chamber in which Mr. Parsons slowly recovered some
+portion of his vitality, Selma could discern the distant beginnings of
+Wetmore College, pleasantly situated on an elevation well beyond the
+city limits on the further side of the winding river. An architect had
+been engaged to carry out Wilbur's plans, and she watched the outlines
+of the new building gradually take shape during the convalescence of her
+benefactor. She recognized that the college would be theoretically a
+noble addition to the standing of Benham as a city of intellectual and
+æsthetic interests, but it provoked her to think that its management was
+in the hands of Mrs. Hallett Taylor and her friends, between whom and
+herself she felt that a chasm of irreconcilable differences of opinion
+existed. Mrs. Taylor had not called on her since her return. She
+believed that she was glad of this, and hoped that some of the severely
+indignant criticism which she had uttered in regard to the Reform Club
+movement had reached her ears. Or was Mrs. Taylor envious of her return
+to Benham as the true mistress of this fine establishment on the River
+Drive, so superior to her own? Nevertheless, it would have suited Selma
+to have been one of the trustees of this new college--her husband's
+handiwork in the doing of which he had laid down his promising life--and
+the fact that no one had sought her out and offered her the honor as a
+fitting recognition of her due was secretly mortifying. The Benham
+Institute had been prompt to acknowledge her presence by giving a
+reception in her honor, at which she was able to recite once more, "Oh,
+why should the Spirit of Mortal be proud?" with old-time success, and
+she had been informed by Mrs. Earle that she was likely to be chosen one
+of the Vice-Presidents at the annual meeting. But these Reform Club
+people had not even done her the courtesy to ask her to join them or
+consider their opinions. She would have spurned the invitation with
+contempt, but it piqued her not to know more about them; it distressed
+her to think that there should exist in Benham an exclusive set which
+professed to be ethically and intellectually superior and did not
+include her, for she had come to Benham with the intention of leading
+such a movement, to the detriment of fashion and frivolity. With Mr.
+Parsons's money at her back, she was serenely confident that the houses
+of the magnates of Benham--the people who corresponded in her mind's eye
+to the dwellers on Fifth Avenue--would open to her. Already there had
+been flattering indications that she would be able to command attention
+there. She had expected to find this so; her heart would have been
+broken to find it otherwise. Still, her hope in shaking the dust of New
+York from her feet had been to find in Benham an equally admirable and
+satisfactory atmosphere in regard to mental and moral progress. She had
+come just in time, it is true, to utter her vehement protest against
+this exclusive, aristocratic movement--this arrogant affectation of
+superiority, and to array herself in battle line against it, resolved to
+give herself up with enthusiasm to its annihilation. Yet the sight of
+the college buildings for the higher education of women, rising without
+her furtherance and supervision, and under the direction of these
+people, made her sad and gave her a feeling of disappointment. Why had
+they been permitted to obtain this foothold? Someone had been lacking in
+vigilance and foresight. Thank heaven, with her return and a strong,
+popular spirit like Mr. Lyons in the lead, these unsympathetic,
+so-called reformers would speedily be confounded, and the intellectual
+air of Benham restored to its original purity.
+
+One afternoon while Selma's gaze happened to be directed toward the
+embryo college walls, and she was incubating on the situation, Mr.
+Parsons, who had seemed to be dozing, suddenly said:
+
+"I should like you to write to Mr. Lyons, the lawyer, and ask him to
+come to see me."
+
+"I will write to-night. You know he called while you were ill."
+
+"Yes, I thought him a clever fellow when we met two or three times on
+railroad matters, and I gather from what you told me about his speech at
+the political meeting that he's a rising man hereabouts. I'm going to
+make my will, and I need him to put it into proper shape."
+
+"I'm sure he'd do it correctly."
+
+"There's not much for him to do except to make sure that the language is
+legal, for I've thought it all out while I've been lying here during
+these weeks. Still, it's important to have in a lawyer to fix it so the
+people whom I don't intend to get my money shan't be able to make out
+that I'm not in my right mind. I guess," he added, with a laugh, "that
+the doctor will allow I've my wits sufficiently for that?"
+
+"Surely. You are practically well now."
+
+Mr. Parsons was silent for a moment. He prided himself on being
+close-mouthed about his private affairs until they were ripe for
+utterance. His intention had been to defer until after the interview
+with his lawyer any statement of his purpose, but it suddenly occurred
+to him that it would please him to unbosom his secret to his companion
+because he felt sure in advance that she would sympathize fully with his
+plans. He had meant to tell her when the instrument was signed. Why not
+now?
+
+"Selma," he said, "I've known ever since my wife and daughter died that
+I ought to make a will, but I kept putting it off until it has almost
+happened that everything I've got went to my next of kin--folk I'm fond
+of, too, and mean to remember--but not fond enough for that. If I give
+them fifty thousand dollars apiece--the three of them--I shall rest easy
+in my grave, even if they think they ought to have had a bigger slice.
+It's hard on a man who has worked all his days, and laid up close to a
+million of dollars, not to have a son or a daughter, flesh of my flesh,
+to leave it to; a boy or a girl given at the start the education I
+didn't get, and who, by the help of my money, might make me proud, if I
+could look on, of my name or my blood. It wasn't to be, and I must grin
+and bear it, and do the next best thing. I caught a glimpse of what that
+thing was soon after I lost my wife and daughter, and it was the thought
+of that more than anything which kept me from going crazy with despair.
+I'm a plain man, an uneducated man, but the fortune I've made has been
+made honestly, and I'm going to spend it for the good of the American
+people--to contribute my mite toward helping the cause of truth and good
+citizenship and free and independent ideas which this nation calls for.
+I'm going to give my money for benevolent uses."
+
+"Oh, Mr. Parsons," exclaimed Selma, clasping her hands, "how splendid!
+how glorious! How I envy you. It was what I hoped."
+
+"I knew you would be pleased. I've had half a mind once or twice to let
+the cat out of the bag, because I guessed it would be the sort of thing
+that would take your fancy; but somehow I've kept mum, for fear I might
+be taken before I'd been able to make a will. And then, too, I've been
+of several minds as to the form of my gift. I thought it would suit me
+best of all to found a college, and I was disappointed when I learned
+that neighbor Flagg had got the start of me with his seminary for women
+across the river. I wasn't happy over it until one night, just after the
+doctor had gone, the thought came to me, 'Why, not give a hospital?' And
+that's what it's to be. Five hundred thousand dollars for a free
+hospital in the City of Benham, in memory of my wife and daughter.
+That'll be useful, won't it? That'll help the people as much as a
+college? And, Selma," he added, cutting off the assuring answer which
+trembled on her tongue and blazed from her eyes, "I shan't forget you.
+After I'm gone you are to have twenty thousand dollars. That'll enable
+you, in case you don't marry, to keep a roof over your head without
+working too hard."
+
+"Thank you. You are very generous," she said. The announcement was
+pleasant to her, but at the moment it seemed of secondary importance.
+Her enthusiasm had been aroused by the fact and character of his public
+donation, and already her brain was dancing with the thought of the
+prospect of a rival vital institution in connection with which her views
+and her talents would in all probability be consulted and allowed to
+exercise themselves. Her's, and not Mrs. Taylor's, or any of that
+censorious and restricting set. In that hospital, at least, ambition and
+originality would be allowed to show what they could do unfettered by
+envy or paralyzed by conservatism. "But I can't think of anything now,
+Mr. Parsons, except the grand secret you have confided to me. A
+hospital! It is an ideal gift. It will show the world what noble uses
+our rich, earnest-minded men make of their money, and it will give our
+doctors and our people a chance to demonstrate what a free hospital
+ought to be. Oh, I congratulate you. I will write to Mr. Lyons at once."
+
+A note in prompt response stated the hour when the lawyer would call. On
+his arrival he was shown immediately to Mr. Parsons's apartments, with
+whom he was closeted alone. Selma managed to cross the hall at the
+moment he was descending, and he was easily persuaded to linger and to
+follow her into the library.
+
+"I was anxious to say a few words to you, Mr. Lyons," she said. "I know
+the purpose for which Mr. Parsons sent for you. He has confided to me
+concerning his will--told me everything. It is a noble disposition of
+his property. A free hospital for Benham is an ideal selection, and one
+envies him his opportunity."
+
+"Yes. It is a superb and generous benefaction."
+
+"I lay awake for hours last night thinking about it; thinking
+particularly of the special point I am desirous to consult you in regard
+to. I don't wish to appear officious, or to say anything I shouldn't,
+but knowing from what I heard you state in your speech the other day
+that you feel as I do in regard to such matters, I take the liberty of
+suggesting that it seems to me of very great importance that the
+management of this magnificent gift should be in proper hands. May I ask
+you without impropriety if you will protect Mr. Parsons so that captious
+or unenthusiastic persons, men or women, will be unable to control the
+policy of his hospital? He would wish it so, I am sure. I thought of
+mentioning the matter to him myself, but I was afraid lest it might
+worry him and spoil the satisfaction of his generosity or retard his
+cure. Is what I ask possible? Do I make myself clear?"
+
+"Perfectly--perfectly. A valuable suggestion," he said. "I am glad that
+you have spoken--very glad. Alive as I am to the importance of
+protecting ourselves at all points, I might not have realized this
+particular danger had you not called it to my attention. Perhaps only a
+clever woman would have thought of it."
+
+"Oh, thank you. I felt that I could not keep silence, and run the risk
+of what might happen."
+
+"Precisely. I think I can relieve your mind by telling you--which under
+the circumstances is no breach of professional secrecy, for it is plain
+that the testator desires you to know his purpose--that Mr. Parsons has
+done me the honor to request me to act as the executor of his will. As
+such I shall be in a position to make sure that those to whom the
+management of his hospital is intrusted are people in whom you and I
+would have confidence."
+
+"Ah! That is very satisfactory. It makes everything as it should be, and
+I am immensely relieved."
+
+"Now that you have spoken," he added, meeting her eager gaze with a
+propitiating look of reflective wisdom, "I will consider the
+advisability of taking the further precaution of advising the testator
+to name in his will the persons who shall act as the trustees of his
+charity. That would clinch the matter. The selection of the individuals
+would necessarily lie with Mr. Parsons, but it would seem eminently
+natural and fitting that he should name you to represent your sex on
+such a board. I hope it would be agreeable to you to serve?"
+
+Selma flushed. "It would be a position which I should prize immensely.
+Such a possibility had not occurred to me, though I felt that some
+definite provision should be made. The responsibility would be congenial
+to me and very much in my line."
+
+"Assuredly. If you will permit me to say so, you are just the woman for
+the place. We have met only a few times, Mrs. Littleton, but I am a man
+who forms my conclusions of people rapidly, and it is obvious to me that
+you are thoughtful, energetic, and liberal-minded--qualities which are
+especially requisite for intelligent progress in semi-public work. It is
+essentially desirable to enlist the co-operation of well-equipped women
+to promote the national weal."
+
+Lyons departed with an agreeable impression that he had been talking to
+a woman who combined mental sagacity and enterprise with considerable
+fascination of person. This capable companion of Mr. Parsons was no
+coquettish or simpering beauty, no mere devotee of fashionable manners,
+but a mature, well-poised character endowed with ripe intellectual and
+bodily graces. Their interview suggested that she possessed initiative
+and discretion in directing the course of events, and a strong sense of
+moral responsibility, attributes which attracted his interest. He was
+obliged to make two more visits before the execution of the will, and on
+each occasion he had an opportunity to spend a half-hour alone in the
+society of Selma. He found her gravely and engagingly sympathetic with
+his advocacy of democratic principles; he told her of his ambition to be
+elected to Congress--an ambition which he believed would be realized the
+following autumn. He confided to her, also, that he was engaged in his
+leisure moments in the preparation of a literary volume to be entitled,
+"Watchwords of Patriotism," a study of the requisites of the best
+citizenship, exemplified by pertinent extracts from the public
+utterances of the most distinguished American public servants.
+
+Selma on her part reciprocated by a reference to the course of lectures
+on "Culture and Higher Education," which she had resolved to deliver
+before the Benham Institute during the winter. In these lectures she
+meant to emphasize the importance of unfettered individuality, and to
+comment adversely on the tendencies hostile to this fundamental
+principle of progress which she had observed in New York and from which
+Benham itself did not appear to her to be entirely exempt. After
+delivering these lectures in Benham she intended to repeat them in
+various parts of the State, and in some of the large cities elsewhere,
+under the auspices of the Confederated Sisterhood of Women's Clubs of
+America, the Sorosis which Mrs. Earle had established on a firm basis,
+and of which at present she was second vice-president. As a token of
+sympathy with this undertaking, Mr. Lyons offered to procure her a free
+pass on the railroads over which she would be obliged to travel. This
+pleased Selma greatly, for she had always regarded free passes as a sign
+of mysterious and enviable importance.
+
+Two months later Selma, as secretary of the sub-committee of the
+Institute selected to oppose before the legislature the bill to create
+an appointed school board, had further occasion to confer with Mr.
+Lyons. He agreed to be the active counsel, and approved of the plan that
+a delegation of women should journey to the capital, two hours and a
+half by rail, and add the moral support of their presence at the hearing
+before the legislative committee.
+
+The expedition was another gratification to Selma--who had become
+possessed of her free pass. She felt that in visiting the state-house
+and thus taking an active part in the work of legislation she was
+beginning to fulfil the larger destiny for which she was qualified. Side
+by side with Mrs. Earle at the head of a delegation of twenty Benham
+women she marched augustly into the committee chamber. The contending
+factions sat on opposite sides of the room. Through its middle ran a
+long table occupied by the Committee on Education to which the bill had
+been referred. Among the dozen or fifteen persons who appeared in
+support of the bill Selma perceived Mrs. Hallett Taylor, whom she had
+not seen since her return. She was disappointed to observe that Mrs.
+Taylor's clothes, though unostentatious, were in the latest fashion. She
+had hoped to find her dowdy or unenlightened, and to be able to look
+down on her from the heights of her own New York experience.
+
+The lawyer in charge of the bill presented lucidly and with skill the
+merits of his case, calling to the stand four prominent educators from
+as many different sections of the State, and several citizens of
+well-known character, among them Babcock's former pastor, Rev. Henry
+Glynn. He pointed out that the school committee, as at present
+constituted, was an unwieldy body of twenty-four members, that it was
+regarded as the first round in the ladder of political preferment, and
+that the members which composed it were elected not on the ground of
+their fitness, but because they were ambitious for political
+recognition.
+
+The legislative committee listened politely but coldly to these
+statements and to the testimony of the witnesses. It was evident that
+they regarded the proposed reform with distrust.
+
+"Do you mean us to understand that the public schools of this State are
+not among the best, if not the best, in the world?" asked one member of
+the committee, somewhat sternly.
+
+"I recognize the merits of our school system, but I am not blind to its
+faults," responded the attorney in charge of the bill. He was a man who
+possessed the courage of his convictions, but he was a lawyer of tact,
+and he knew that his answer went to the full limit of what he could
+safely utter by way of qualification without hopelessly imperilling his
+cause.
+
+"Are not our public schools turning out yearly hundreds of boys and
+girls who are a growing credit to the soundness of the institutions of
+the country?" continued the same inquisitor.
+
+Here was a proposition which opened such a vista of circuitous and
+careful speech, were he to attempt to answer it and be true to
+conscience without being false to patriotism, that Mr. Hunter was driven
+to reply, "I am unable to deny the general accuracy of your statement."
+
+"Then why seek to harass those who are doing such good work by
+unfriendly legislation?"
+
+The member plainly felt that he had disposed of the matter by this
+triumphant interrogation, for he listened with scant attention to a
+repetition of the grounds on which, relief was sought.
+
+Mr. Lyons's method of reply was a surprise to Selma. She had looked for
+a fervid vindication of the principle of the people's choice, and an
+eloquent, sarcastic setting forth of the evils of the exclusive and
+aristocratic spirit. He began by complimenting the members of the
+committee on their ability to deal intelligently with the important
+question before them, and then proceeded to refer to the sincere but
+mistaken zeal of the advocates of the bill, whom he described as people
+animated by conscientious motives, but unduly distrustful of the
+capacity of the American people. His manner suggested a desire to be at
+peace with all the world and was agreeably conciliatory, as though he
+deprecated the existence of friction. He said that he would not do the
+members of the committee the injustice to suppose that they could
+seriously favor the passage of a bill which would deprive the
+intelligent average voter of one of his dearest privileges; but that he
+desired to put himself on record as thinking it a fortunate
+circumstance, on the whole, that the well-intentioned promoters of the
+bill had brought this matter to the attention of the legislature, and
+had an opportunity to express their views. He believed that the hearing
+would be productive of benefit to both parties, in that on the one hand
+it would tend to make the voters more careful as to whom they selected
+for the important duties of the school board, and on the other
+would--he, as a lover of democratic institutions, hoped--serve to
+convince the friends of the bill that they had exaggerated the evils of
+the situation, and that they were engaged in a false and hopeless
+undertaking in seeking to confine by hard and fast lines the spontaneous
+yearnings of the American people to control the education of their
+children. "We say to these critics," he continued, "some of whom are
+enrolled under the solemn name of reformers, that we welcome their zeal
+and offer co-operation in a resolute purpose to exercise unswerving
+vigilance in the selection of candidates for the high office of
+guardians of our public schools. So far as they will join hands with us
+in keeping undefiled the traditions of our forefathers, to that extent
+we are heartily in accord with them, but when they seek to override
+those traditions and to fasten upon this community a method which is
+based on a lack of confidence in democratic theories, then I--and
+gentlemen, I feel sure that you--are against them."
+
+Lyons sat down, having given everyone in the room, with the exception of
+a few discerning spirits on the other side, the impression that he had
+intended to be pre-eminently fair, and that he had held out the olive
+branch when he would have been justified in using the scourge. The
+inclination to make friends, to smooth over seamy situations and to
+avoid repellent language in dealing with adversaries, except in
+corporation cases before juries and on special occasions when defending
+his political convictions, had become a growing tendency with him now
+that he was in training for public office. Selma did not quite know what
+to make of it at first. She had expected that he would crush their
+opponents beneath an avalanche of righteous invective. Instead he took
+his seat with an expression of countenance which was no less benignant
+than dignified. When the hearing was declared closed, a few minutes
+later, he looked in her direction, and in the course of his passage to
+where she was sitting stopped to exchange affable greetings with
+assemblymen and others who came in his way. At his approach Mrs. Earle
+uttered congratulations so comprehensive that Selma felt able to refrain
+for the moment from committing herself. "I am glad that you were
+pleased," he said. "I think I covered the ground, and no one's feelings
+have been hurt." As though he divined what was passing through Selma's
+mind, he added in an aside intended only for their ears, "It was not
+necessary to use all our powder, for I could tell from the way the
+committee acted that they were with us."
+
+"I felt sure they would be," exclaimed Mrs. Earle. "And, as you say, it
+is a pleasure that no one's feelings were hurt, and that we can all part
+friends."
+
+"Which reminds me," said Lyons, "that I should be glad of an
+introduction to Mrs. Taylor as she passes us on her way out. I wish to
+assure her personally of my willingness to further her efforts to
+improve the quality of the school board."
+
+"That would be nice of you," said Mrs. Earle, "and ought to please and
+encourage her, for she will be disappointed, poor thing, and after all I
+suppose she means well. There she is now, and I will keep my eye on
+her."
+
+"But surely, Mr. Lyons," said Selma, dazed yet interested by this
+doctrine of brotherly love, "don't you think our school committee
+admirable as it is?"
+
+"A highly efficient body," he answered. "But I should be glad to have
+our opponents--mistaken as we believe them to be--appreciate that we no
+less than they are zealous to preserve the present high standard. We
+must make them recognize that we are reformers and in sympathy with
+reform."
+
+"I see," said Selma. "For, of course, we are the real reformers. Convert
+them you mean? Be civil to them at least? I understand. Yes, I suppose
+there is no use in making enemies of them." She was thinking aloud.
+Though ever on her guard to resent false doctrine, she was so sure of
+the loyalty of both her companions that she could allow herself to be
+interested by this new point of view--a vast improvement on the New York
+manner because of its ethical suggestion. She realized that if Mr. Lyons
+was certain of the committee, it was right, and at the same time
+sensible, not to hurt anyone's feelings unnecessarily--although she felt
+a little suspicious because he had asked to be introduced to Mrs.
+Taylor. Indeed, the more she thought of this attitude, on the assumption
+that the victory was assured, the more it appealed to her conscience and
+intelligence; so much so that when Mrs. Earle darted forward to detain
+Mrs. Taylor, Selma was reflecting with admiration on his magnanimity.
+
+She observed intently the meeting between Mr. Lyons and Mrs. Taylor. He
+was deferential, complimentary, and genial, and he made a suave,
+impressive offer of his personal services, in response to which Mrs.
+Taylor regarded him with smiling incredulity--a smile which Selma
+considered impertinent. How dared she treat his courtly advances with
+flippant distrust!
+
+"Are you aware, Mr. Lyons," Mrs. Taylor was saying, "that one of the
+present members of the school board is a milkman, and another a
+carpenter--both of them persons of very ordinary efficiency from an
+educational standpoint? Will you co-operate with us, when their terms
+expire next year and they seek re-election, to nominate more suitable
+candidates in their stead?"
+
+"I shall be very glad when the time comes to investigate carefully their
+qualifications, and if they are proved to be unworthy of the confidence
+of the people, to use my influence against them. You may rely on
+this--rely on my cordial support, and the support of these ladies," he
+added, indicating Mrs. Earle and Selma, with a wave of his hand, "who,
+if you will permit me to say so, are no less interested than you in
+promoting good government."
+
+"Oh, yes, indeed. We thought we were making an ideal choice in Miss
+Luella Bailey," said Mrs. Earle with effusion. "If Mrs. Taylor had seen
+more of her, I feel sure she would have admired her, and then our
+Institute would not have been dragged into politics."
+
+Mrs. Taylor did not attempt to answer this appeal. Instead she greeted
+Selma civilly, and said, "I was sorry to hear that you were against us,
+Mrs. Littleton. We were allies once in a good cause, and in spite of Mr.
+Lyons's protestations to the contrary, I assure you that this is another
+genuine opportunity to improve the existing order of things. At least,"
+she added, gayly but firmly, "you must not let Mr. Lyons's predilection
+to see everything through rose-colored spectacles prevent you from
+looking into the matter on your own account."
+
+"I have done so already," answered Selma, affronted at the suggestion
+that she was uninformed, yet restrained from displaying her annoyance by
+the sudden inspiration that here was an admirable opportunity to
+practise the proselytizing forbearance suggested by Mr. Lyons. The idea
+of patronizing Mrs. Taylor from the vantage-ground of infallibility,
+tinctured by magnanimous condescension, appealed to her. "I have made a
+thorough study of the question, and I never could look at it as you do,
+Mrs. Taylor. I sided with you before because I thought you were
+right--because you were in favor of giving everyone a chance of
+expression. But now I'm on the other side for the same reason--because
+you and your friends are disposed to deprive people of that very thing,
+and to regard their aspirations and their efforts contemptuously, if I
+may say so. That's the mistake we think you make--we who, as Mr. Lyons
+has stated, are no less eager than you to maintain the present high
+character of everything which concerns our school system. But if you
+only would see things in a little different light, both Mrs. Earle and I
+would be glad to welcome you as an ally and to co-operate with you."
+
+Selma had not expected to make such a lengthy speech, but as she
+proceeded she was spurred by the desire to teach Mrs. Taylor her proper
+place, and at the same time to proclaim her own allegiance to the
+attitude of optimistic forbearance.
+
+"I knew that was the way they felt," said Lyons, ingratiatingly. "It
+would be a genuine pleasure to us all to see this unfortunate difference
+of opinion between earnest people obviated."
+
+Mrs. Taylor, as Selma was pleased to note, flushed at her concluding
+offer, and she answered, drily, "I fear that we are too far apart in our
+ideas to talk of co-operation. If our bill is defeated this year, we
+shall have to persevere and trust to the gradual enlightenment of public
+sentiment. Good afternoon."
+
+Selma left the State-house in an elated frame of mind. She felt that she
+had taken a righteous and patriotic stand, and it pleased her to think
+that she was taking an active part in defending the institutions of the
+country. She chatted eagerly as she walked through the corridors with
+Mr. Lyons, who, portly and imposing, acted as escort to her and Mrs.
+Earle, and invited them to luncheon at a hotel restaurant. Excitement
+had given her more color than usual, to which her mourning acted as a
+foil, and she looked her best. Lyons was proud of being in the company
+of such a presentable and spirited appearing woman, and made a point of
+stopping two or three members of the legislature and introducing them to
+her. When they reached the restaurant he established them at a table
+where they could see everybody and be seen, and he ordered scolloped
+oysters, chicken-salad, ice-cream, coffee, and some bottles of
+sarsaparilla. Both women were in high spirits, and Selma was agreeably
+conscious that people were observing them. Before the repast was over a
+messenger brought a note to Mr. Lyons, which announced that the
+legislative committee had given the petitioners leave to withdraw their
+bill, which, in Selma's eyes, justified the management of the affair,
+and set the seal of complete success on an already absorbing and
+delightful occasion.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+Her mourning and the slow convalescence of Mr. Parsons deprived Selma of
+convincing evidence in regard to her social reception in Benham, for
+those socially prominent were thus barred from inviting her to their
+houses, and her own activities were correspondingly fettered. Indeed,
+her circumstances supplied her with an obvious salve for her proper
+dignity had she been disposed to let suspicion lie fallow. As it was a
+number of people had left cards and sent invitations notwithstanding
+they could not be accepted, and she might readily have believed, had she
+chosen--and as she professed openly to Mr. Parsons--that everyone had
+been uncommonly civil and appreciative.
+
+She found herself, however, in spite of her declared devotion to her
+serious duties, noting that the recognition accorded to Mr. Parsons and
+herself was not precisely of the character she craved. The
+visiting-cards and invitations were from people residing on the River
+Drive and in that neighborhood, indeed--but from people like the Flaggs,
+for instance, who, having acquired large wealth and erected lordly
+dwellings, were eager to dispense good-natured, lavish hospitality
+without social experience. Her sensitive ordeal in New York had
+quickened her social perceptions, so that whereas at the time of her
+departure from Benham as Mrs. Littleton she regarded her present
+neighborhood as an integral class, she was now prompt to separate the
+sheep from the goats, and to remark that only the goats seemed conscious
+of her existence. With the exception of Mrs. Taylor, who had called when
+she was out, not one of a certain set, the outward manifestations of
+whose stately being were constantly passing her windows, appeared to
+take the slightest interest in her. Strictly speaking, Mrs. Taylor was
+of this set, yet apart from it. Hers was the exclusive intellectual and
+æsthetic set, this the exclusive fashionable set--both alike execrable
+and foreign to the traditions of Benham. As Selma had discovered the one
+and declared war against it, so she promised herself to confound the
+other when the period of her mourning was over, and she was free to
+appear again in society. Once more she congratulated herself that she
+had come in time to nip in the bud this other off-shoot of aristocratic
+tendencies. As yet either set was small in number, and she foresaw that
+it would be an easy task to unite in a solid phalanx of
+offensive-defensive influence the friendly souls whom these people
+treated as outsiders, and purge the society atmosphere of the miasma of
+exclusiveness. In connection with the means to this end, when the winter
+slipped away and left her feeling that she had been ignored, and that
+she was eager to assume a commanding position, she began to take more
+than passing thought of the attentions of Mr. Lyons. That he was
+interested by her there could be no doubt, for he plainly went out of
+his way to seek her society, calling at the house from time to time, and
+exercising a useful, nattering superintendence over her lecture course
+in the other cities of the State, in each of which he appeared to have
+friends on the newspaper press who put agreeable notices in print
+concerning her performance. She had returned to Benham believing that
+her married life was over; that her heart was in the grave with Wilbur,
+and that she would never again part with her independence. The notice
+which Mr. Lyons had taken of her from the outset had gratified her, but
+though she contrasted his physical energy with Wilbur's lack of vigor,
+it had not occurred to her to consider him in the light of a possible
+husband. Now that a year had passed since Wilbur's death, she felt
+conscious once more, as had happened after her divorce, of the need of a
+closer and more individual sympathy than any at her command. Her
+relations with Mr. Parsons, to be sure, approximated those of father and
+daughter, but his perceptions were much less acute than before his
+seizure; he talked little and ceased to take a vital interest in current
+affairs. She felt the lack of companionship and, also, of personal
+devotion, such personal devotion as was afforded by the strenuous,
+ardent allegiance of a man. On the other hand she was firmly resolved
+never to allow the current of her own life to be turned away again by
+the subordination of her purposes to those of any other person, and she
+had believed that this resolution would keep her indifferent to
+marriage, in spite of any sensations of loneliness or craving for
+masculine idolatry. But as a widow of a year's standing she was now
+suddenly interested by the thought that this solid, ambitious,
+smooth-talking man might possibly satisfy her natural preference for a
+mate without violating her individuality. She began to ask herself if he
+were not truly congenial in a sense which no man had ever been to her
+before; also, to ask if their aspirations and aims were not so nearly
+identical that he would be certain as her husband to be proud of
+everything she did and said, and to allow her to work hand in hand with
+him for the furtherance of their common purpose. She did not put these
+questions to herself until his conduct suggested that he was seeking her
+society as a suitor; but having put them, she was pleased to find her
+heart throb with the hope of a stimulating and dear discovery.
+
+Certain causes contributed to convince her that this hope rested on a
+sure foundation--causes associated with her present life and point of
+view. She felt confident first of all of the godliness of Mr. Lyons as
+indicated not only by his sober, successful life, and his enthusiastic,
+benignant patriotism, but by his active, reverent interest in the
+affairs of his church--the Methodist Church--to which Mr. Parsons
+belonged, and which Selma had begun to attend since her return to
+Benham. It had been her mother's faith, and she had felt a certain
+filial glow in approaching it, which had been fanned into pious flame by
+the effect of the ministration. The fervent hymns and the opportunities
+for bearing testimony at some of the services appealed to her needs and
+gave her a sense of oneness with eternal truth, which had hitherto been
+lacking from her religious experience. In judging Wilbur she was
+disposed to ascribe the defects of his character largely to the coldness
+and analyzing sobriety of his creed. She had accompanied him to church
+listlessly, and had been bored by the unemotional appeals to conscience
+and quiet subjective designations of duty. She preferred to thrill with
+the intensity of words which now roundly rated sin, now passionately
+called to mind the ransom of the Saviour, and ever kept prominent the
+stirring mission of evangelizing ignorant foreign people. It appeared
+probable to Selma that, as the wife of one of the leading
+church-members, who was the chairman of the local committee charged with
+spreading the gospel abroad, her capacity for doing good would be
+strengthened, and the spiritual availability of them both be enhanced.
+
+Then, too, Mr. Lyons's political prospects were flattering. The thought
+that a marriage with him would put her in a position to control the
+social tendencies of Benham was alluring. As the wife of Hon. James O.
+Lyons, Member of Congress, she believed that she would be able to look
+down on and confound those who had given her the cold shoulder. What
+would Flossy say when she heard it? What would Pauline? This was a form
+of distinction which would put her beyond the reach of conspiracy and
+exclusiveness; for, as the wife of a representative, selected by the
+people to guard their interests and make their laws, would not her
+social position be unassailable? And apart from these considerations, a
+political future seemed to her peculiarly attractive. Was not this the
+real opportunity for which she had been waiting? Would she be justified
+in giving it up? In what better way could her talents be spent than as
+the helpmate and intellectual companion of a public man--a statesman
+devoted to the protection and development of American ideas? Her own
+individuality need not, would not be repressed. She had seen enough of
+Mr. Lyons to feel sure that their views on the great questions of life
+were thoroughly in harmony. They held the same religious opinions. Who
+could foretell the limit of their joint progress? He was still a young
+man--strong, dignified, and patriotic--endowed with qualities which
+fitted him for public service. It might well be that a brilliant future
+was before him--before them, if she were his wife. If he were to become
+prominent in the councils of the nation--Speaker of the
+House--Governor--even President, within the bounds of possibility, what
+a splendid congenial scope his honors would afford her own versatility!
+As day by day she dwelt on these points of recommendation, Selma became
+more and more disposed to smile on the aspirations of Mr. Lyons in
+regard to herself, and to feel that her life would develop to the best
+advantage by a union with him. Until the words asking her to be his wife
+were definitely spoken she could not be positive of his intentions, but
+his conduct left little room for doubt, and moreover, was marked by a
+deferential soberness of purpose which indicated to her that his views
+regarding marriage were on a higher plane than those of any man she had
+known. He referred frequently to the home as the foundation on which
+American civilization rested, and from which its inspiration was largely
+derived, and spoke feelingly of the value to a public man of a
+stimulating and dignifying fireside. It became his habit to join her
+after morning service and to accompany her home, carrying her
+hymn-books, and he sent her from time to time, through the post,
+quotations which had especially struck his fancy from the speeches he
+was collecting for his "Watchwords of Patriotism."
+
+Another six months passed, and at its close Lyons received the expected
+nomination for Congress. The election promised to be close and exciting.
+Both parties were confident of victory, and were preparing vigorously to
+keep their adherents at fever pitch by rallies and torch-light
+processions. Although the result of the caucus was not doubtful, it was
+understood between Lyons and Selma that he would call at the house that
+evening to let her know that he had been successful. She was waiting to
+receive him in the library. Mr. Parsons had gone to bed. His condition
+was not promising. He had recently suffered another slight attack of
+paralysis, which seemed to indicate that he was liable at any time to a
+fatal seizure.
+
+Lyons entered smilingly. "So far so good," he exclaimed.
+
+"Then you have won?"
+
+"Oh, yes. As I told you, it was a foregone conclusion. Now the fight
+begins."
+
+Selma, who had provided a slight refection, handed him a cup of tea. "I
+feel sure that you will be chosen," she said. "See if I am not right.
+When is the election?"
+
+"In six weeks. Six weeks from to-morrow."
+
+"Then you will go to Washington to live?"
+
+"Not until the fourth of March."
+
+"I envy you. If I were a man I should prefer success in politics to
+anything else."
+
+He was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Will you help me to achieve
+success? Will you go with me to Washington as my wife?"
+
+His courtship had been formal and elaborate, but his declaration was
+signally simple and to the point. Selma noticed that the cup in his hand
+trembled. While she kept her eyes lowered, as women are supposed to do
+at such moments, she was wondering whether she loved him as much as she
+had loved Wilbur? Not so ardently, but more worthily, she concluded, for
+he seemed to her to fulfil her maturer ideal of strong and effective
+manhood, and to satisfy alike her self-respect and her physical fancy. A
+man of his type would not split hairs, but proceed straight toward the
+goal of his ambition without fainting or wavering. Why should she not
+satisfy her renewed craving to be yoked to a kindred spirit and
+companion who appreciated her true worth?
+
+"I cannot believe," he was saying, "that my words are a surprise to you.
+You can scarcely have failed to understand that I admired you extremely.
+I have delayed to utter my desire to make you my wife because I did not
+dare to cherish too fondly the hope that the love inspired in me could
+be reciprocated, and that you would consent to unite your life to mine
+and trust your happiness to my keeping. If I may say so, we are no boy
+and girl. We understand the solemn significance of marriage; what it
+imports and what it demands. Of late I have ventured to dream that the
+sympathy in ideas and identity of purpose which exist between us might
+be the trustworthy sign of a spiritual bond which we could not afford to
+ignore. I feel that without you the joy and power of my life will be
+incomplete. With you at my side I shall aspire to great things. You are
+to me the embodiment of what is charming and serviceable in woman."
+
+Selma looked up. "I like you very much, Mr. Lyons. You, in your turn,
+must have realized that, I think. As you say, we are no boy and girl.
+You meant by that, too, that we both have been married before. I have
+had two husbands, and I did not believe that I could ever think of
+marriage again. I don't wish you to suppose that my last marriage was
+not happy. Mr. Littleton was an earnest, talented man, and devoted to
+me. Yet I cannot deny that in spite of mutual love our married life was
+not a success--a success as a contribution to accomplishment. That
+nearly broke my heart, and he--he died from lack of the physical and
+mental vigor which would have made so much difference. I am telling you
+this because I wish you to realize that if I should consent to comply
+with your wishes, it would be because I was convinced that true
+accomplishment--the highest accomplishment--would result from the union
+of our lives as the result of our riper experience. If I did not
+believe, Mr. Lyons, that man and woman as we are--no longer boy and
+girl--a more perfect scheme of happiness, a grander conception of the
+meaning of life than either of us had entertained was before us, I would
+not consider your offer for one moment."
+
+"Yes, yes, I understand," Lyons exclaimed eagerly. "I share your belief
+implicitly. It was what I would have said only--"
+
+Despite his facility as an orator, Lyons left this sentence incomplete
+in face of the ticklish difficulty of explaining that he had refrained
+from suggesting such a hope to a widow who had lost her husband only two
+years before. Yet he hastened to bridge over this ellipsis by saying,
+"Without such a faith a union between us must fall short of its sweetest
+and grandest opportunities."
+
+"It would be a mockery; there would be no excuse for its existence,"
+cried Selma impetuously. "I am an idealist, Mr. Lyons," she said
+clasping her hands. "I believe devotedly in the mission and power of
+love. But I believe that our conception of love changes as we grow. I
+welcomed love formerly as an intoxicating, delirious potion, and as such
+it was very sweet. You have just told me of your own feelings toward me,
+so it is your right to know that lately I have begun to realize that my
+association with you has brought peace into my life--peace and religious
+faith--essentials of happiness of which I have not known the blessings
+since I was a child. You have dedicated yourself to a lofty work; you
+have chosen the noble career of a statesman--a statesman zealous to
+promote principles in which we both believe. And you ask me to share
+with you the labors and the privileges which will result from this
+dedication. If I accept your offer, it must be because I know that I
+love you--love you in a sense I have not loved before--may the dead
+pardon me! If I accept you it will be because I wish to perpetuate that
+faith and peace, and because I believe that our joint lives will realize
+worthy accomplishment." Selma looked into space with her wrapt gaze,
+apparently engaged in an intense mental struggle.
+
+"And you will accept? You do feel that you can return my love? I cannot
+tell you how greatly I am stirred and stimulated by what you have said.
+It makes me feel that I could never be happy without you." Lyons put
+into this speech all his solemnity and all his emotional beneficence of
+temperament. He was genuinely moved. His first marriage had been a love
+match. His wife--a mere girl--had died within a year; so soon that the
+memory of her was a tender but hazy sentiment rather than a formulated
+impression of character. By virtue of this memory he had approached
+marriage again as one seeking a companion for his fireside, and a
+comely, sensible woman to preside over his establishment and promote his
+social status, rather than one expecting to be possessed by or to
+inspire a dominant passion. Yet he, too, regarded himself distinctly as
+an idealist, and he had lent a greedy ear to Selma's suggestion that
+mature mutual sympathy and comradeship in establishing convictions and
+religious aims were the source of a nobler type of love than that
+associated with early matrimony. It increased his admiration for her,
+and gave to his courtship, the touch of idealism which--partly owing to
+his own modesty as a man no longer in the flush of youth--it had lacked.
+He nervously stroked his beard with his thick hand, and gave himself up
+to the spell of this vision of blessedness while he eagerly watched
+Selma's face and waited for her answer. To combine moral purpose and
+love in a pervasive alliance appealed to him magnetically as a religious
+man.
+
+Selma, as she faced Lyons, was conscious necessarily of the contrast
+between him and her late husband. But she was attuned to regard his
+coarser physical fibre as masculine vigor and a protest against
+aristocratic delicacy, and to derive comfort and exaltation from it.
+
+"Mr. Lyons," she said, "I will tell you frankly that the circumstances
+of married life have hitherto hampered the expression of that which is
+in me, and confined the scope of my individuality within narrow and
+uncongenial limits. I am not complaining; I have no intention to rake up
+the past; but it is proper you should know that I believe myself capable
+of larger undertakings than have yet been afforded me, and worthy of
+ampler recognition than I have yet received. If I accept you as a
+husband, it will be because I feel confident that you will give my life
+the opportunity to expand, and that you sympathize with my desire to
+express myself adequately and to labor hand in hand, side by side, with
+you in the important work of the world."
+
+"That is what I would have you do, Selma. Because you are worthy of it,
+and because it is your right."
+
+"On that understanding it seems that we might be very happy."
+
+"I am certain of it. You fill my soul with gladness," he cried, and
+seizing her hand he pressed it to his lips and covered it with kisses,
+but she withdrew it, saying, "Not yet--not yet. This step represents so
+much to me. It means that if I am mistaken in you, my whole life will be
+ruined, for the next years should be my best. We must not be too hasty.
+There are many things to be thought of. I must consider Mr. Parsons. I
+cannot leave him immediately, if at all, for he is very dependent on
+me."
+
+"I had thought of that. While Mr. Parsons lives, I realize that your
+first duty must be to him."
+
+The reverential gravity of his tone was in excess of the needs of the
+occasion, and Selma understood that he intended to imply that Mr.
+Parsons would not long need her care. The same thought was in her own
+mind, and it had occurred to her in the course of her previous
+cogitations in regard to Lyons, that in the event of his death it would
+suit her admirably to continue to occupy the house as its real mistress.
+She looked grave for a moment in her turn, then with a sudden access of
+coyness she murmured, "I do not believe that I am mistaken in you."
+
+"Ah," he cried, and would have folded her in his arms, but she evaded
+his onset and said with her dramatic intonation, "The knights of old won
+their lady-loves by brilliant deeds. If you are elected a member of
+Congress, you may come to claim me."
+
+Reflection served only to convince Selma of the wisdom of her decision
+to try matrimony once more. She argued, that though a third marriage
+might theoretically seem repugnant if stated as a bald fact, the actual
+circumstances in her case not merely exonerated her from a lack of
+delicacy, but afforded an exhibition of progress--a gradual evolution in
+character. She felt light-hearted and triumphant at the thought of her
+impending new importance as the wife of a public man, and she interested
+herself exuberantly in the progress of the political campaign. She was
+pleased to think that her stipulation had given her lover a new spur to
+his ambition, and she was prepared to believe that his victory would be
+due to the exhaustive efforts to win which the cruel possibility of
+losing her obliged him to make.
+
+This was a campaign era of torch-light processions. The rival factions
+expressed their confidence and enthusiasm by parading at night in a
+series of battalions armed with torches--some resplendently flaring,
+some glittering gayly through colored glass--and bearing transparencies
+inscribed with trenchant sentiments. The houses of their adherents along
+the route were illuminated from attic to cellar with rows of candles,
+and the atmosphere wore a dusky glow of red and green fire. To Selma all
+this was entrancing. She revelled in it as an introduction to the more
+conspicuous life which she was about to lead. She showed herself a
+zealous and enthusiastic partisan, shrouding the house in the darkness
+of Erebus on the occasion when the rival procession passed the door, and
+imparting to every window the effect of a blaze of light on the
+following evening--the night before election--when the Democratic party
+made its final appeal to the voters. Standing on a balcony in evening
+dress, in company with Mrs. Earle and Miss Luella Bailey, whom she had
+invited to view the procession from the River Drive, Selma looked down
+on the parade in an ecstatic mood. The torches, the music, the fireworks
+and the enthusiasm set her pulses astir and brought her heart into her
+mouth in melting appreciation of the sanctity of her party cause and her
+own enviable destiny as the wife of an American Congressman. She held in
+one hand a flag which she waved from time to time at the conspicuous
+features of the procession, and she stationed herself so that the Bengal
+lights and other fireworks set off by Mr. Parsons's hired man should
+throw her figure into conspicuous relief. The culminating interest of
+the, occasion for her was reached when the James O. Lyons Cadets, the
+special body of youthful torch-bearers devoted to advertising the merits
+of her lover, for whose uniforms and accoutrements he had paid, came in
+sight.
+
+They proved to be the most flourishing looking organization in line.
+They were preceded by a large, nattily attired drum corps; their ranks
+were full, their torches lustrous, and they bore a number of
+transparencies setting forth the predominant qualifications of the
+candidate for Congress from the second district, the largest of which
+presented his portrait superscribed with the sentiment, "A vote for
+James O. Lyons is a vote in support of the liberties of the plain
+people." On the opposite end of the canvas was the picture of the king
+of beasts, with open jaws and bristling mane, with the motto, "Our
+Lyons's might will keep our institutions sacred." In the midst of this
+glittering escort the candidate himself rode in an open barouche on his
+way to the hall where he was to deliver a final speech. He was bowing to
+right and left, and constant cheers marked his progress along the
+avenue. Selma leaned forward from the balcony to obtain the earliest
+sight of her hero. The rolling applause was a new, intoxicating music in
+her ears, and filled her soul with transport. She clapped her hands
+vehemently; seized a roman-candle, and amid a blaze of fiery sparks
+exploded its colored stars in the direction of the approaching carriage.
+Then with the flag slanted across her bosom, she stood waiting for his
+recognition. It was made solemnly, but with the unequivocal
+demonstration of a cavalier or knight of old, for Lyons stood up, and
+doffing his hat toward her, made a conspicuous salute. A salvo of
+applause suggested to Selma that the multitude had understood that he
+was according to her the homage due a lady-love, and that their cheers
+were partly meant for her. She put her hand to her bosom with the
+gesture of a queen of melodrama, and culling one from a bunch of roses
+Lyons had sent her that afternoon threw it from the balcony at the
+carriage. The flower fell almost into the lap of her lover, who clutched
+it, pressed it to his lips, and doffed his hat again. The episode had
+been visible to many, and a hoarse murmur of interested approval crowned
+the performance. The glance of the crowds on the sidewalk was turned
+upward, and someone proposed three cheers for the lady in the balcony.
+They were given. Selma bowed to either side in delighted acknowledgment,
+while the torches of the cadets waved tumultuously, and there was a
+fresh outburst of colored fires.
+
+"I can't keep the secret any longer," she exclaimed, turning to her two
+companions. "I'm engaged to be married to Mr. Lyons."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+Lyons was chosen to Congress by a liberal margin. The Congressional
+delegation from his State was almost evenly divided between the two
+parties as the result of the election, and the majorities in every case
+were small. Consequently the more complete victory of Lyons was a
+feather in his cap, and materially enhanced his political standing.
+
+The sudden death of Mr. Parsons within a week of the election saved
+Selma's conscience from the strain of arranging a harmonious and
+equitable separation from him. She had felt that the enlargement of her
+sphere of life and the opportunity to serve her country which this
+marriage offered were paramount to any other considerations, but she was
+duly conscious that Mr. Parsons would miss her sorely, and she was
+considering the feasibility of substituting Miss Bailey as his companion
+in her place, when fate supplied a different solution. Selma had pledged
+her friends to secrecy, so that Mr. Parsons need know nothing until the
+plans for his happiness had been perfected, and he died in ignorance of
+the interesting matrimonial alliance which had been fostered under his
+roof. By the terms of his will Selma was bequeathed the twenty thousand
+dollars he had promised her. She and Mr. Lyons, with a third person, to
+be selected by them, were appointed trustees of the Free Hospital with
+which he had endowed Benham, and Mr. Lyons was nominated as the sole
+executor under the will.
+
+Selma's conception that her third betrothal was coincident with
+spiritual development, and that she had fought her way through hampering
+circumstances to a higher plane of experience, had taken firm hold of
+her imagination. She presently confessed to Lyons that she had not
+hitherto appreciated the full meaning of the dogma that marriage was a
+sacrament. She evinced a disposition to show herself with him at church
+gatherings, and to cultivate the acquaintance of his pastor. She felt
+that she had finally secured the opportunity to live the sober, simple
+life appropriate to those who believed in maintaining American
+principles, and in eschewing luxurious and effete foreign innovations;
+the sort of life she had always meant to live, and from which she had
+been debarred. She had now not only opportunity, but a responsibility.
+As the bride of a Congressman, it behooved her both to pursue virtue for
+its own sake and for the sake of example. It was incumbent on her to
+preserve and promote democratic conditions in signal opposition to
+so-called fashionable society, and at the same time to assert her own
+proper dignity and the dignity of her constituents by a suitable outward
+show.
+
+This last subtlety of reflection convinced Selma that they ought to
+occupy the house on the River Drive. Lyons himself expressed some doubts
+as to the advisability of this. He admitted that he could afford the
+expense, and that it was just such a residence as he desired, but he
+suggested that their motives might not be understood, and he questioned
+whether it were wise, with the State so close, to give his political
+enemies the chance to make unjust accusations.
+
+"Of course you ought to understand about this matter better than I," she
+said; "but I have the feeling, James, that your constituents will be
+disappointed if we don't show ourselves appreciative of the dignity of
+your position. We both agree that we should make Benham our home, and
+that it will be preferable if I visit Washington a month or two at a
+time during the session rather than for us to set up housekeeping there,
+and I can't help believing that the people will be better pleased if
+you, as their representative, make that home all which a beautiful home
+should be. They will be proud of it, and if they are, you needn't mind
+what a few fault-finders say. I have been thinking it over, and it seems
+to me that we shall make a mistake to let this house go. It just suits
+us. I feel sure that in their hearts the American people like to have
+their public men live comfortably. This house is small compared to many
+in New York, and I flatter myself that we shall be able to satisfy
+everyone that we are rootedly opposed to unseemly extravagance of
+living."
+
+Lyons yielded readily to this argument. He had been accustomed to simple
+surroundings, but travel and the growth of Benham itself had
+demonstrated to him that the ways of the nation in respect to material
+possessions and comforts had undergone a marked change since his youth.
+He had been brought in contact with this new development in his capacity
+of adviser to the magnates of Benham, and he had fallen under the spell
+of improved creature comforts. Still, though he cast sheep's eyes at
+these flesh pots, he had felt chary, both as a worker for righteousness
+and an ardent champion of popular principles, of countenancing them
+openly. Yet his original impulse toward marriage had been a desire to
+secure an establishment, and now that this result was at hand he found
+himself ambitious to put his household on a braver footing, provided
+this would do injury neither to his moral scruples nor to his political
+sincerity. The problem was but another phase of that presented to him by
+his evolution from a jury lawyer, whose hand and voice were against
+corporations, to the status of a richly paid chamber adviser to
+railroads and banking houses. He was exactly in the frame of mind to
+grasp at the euphemism offered by Selma. He was not one to be convinced
+without a reason, but his mind eagerly welcomed a suggestion which
+justified on a moral ground the proceeding to which they were both
+inclined. The idea that the people would prefer to see him as their
+representative living in a style consistent with the changes in manners
+and customs introduced by national prosperity, affording thereby an
+example of correct and elevating stewardship of reasonable wealth, by
+way of contrast to vapid society doings, came to him as an illumination
+which dissipated his doubts.
+
+The wedding took place about three months after the death of Mr.
+Parsons. In her renovated outlook regarding matrimony, Selma included
+formal preparations for and some pomp of circumstances at the ceremony.
+It suited her pious mood that she was not required again to be married
+off-hand, and that she could plight her troth in a decorous fashion,
+suitably attired and amid conventional surroundings. Her dress was a
+subject of considerable contemplation. She guided her lover's generosity
+until it centred on a diamond spray for her hair and two rings set with
+handsome precious stones. She did not discourage Miss Luella Bailey from
+heralding the approaching nuptials in the press. She became Mrs. Lyons
+in a conspicuous and solemn fashion before the gaze of everybody in
+Benham whom there was any excuse for asking to the church. After a
+collation at the Parsons house, the happy pair started on their
+honeymoon in a special car put at their service by one of the railroads
+for which the bridegroom was counsel. This feature delighted Selma.
+Indeed, everything, from the complimentary embrace of her husband's
+pastor to the details of her dress and wedding presents, described with
+elaborate good will in the evening newspapers, appeared to her
+gratifying and appropriate.
+
+They were absent six weeks, during which the Parsons house was to be
+redecorated and embellished within and without according to instructions
+given by Selma before her departure. Their trip extended to California
+by way of the Yosemite. Selma had never seen the wonders of the far
+western scenery, and this appropriate background for their sentiment
+also afforded Lyons the opportunity to inspect certain railroad lines in
+which he was financially interested. The atmosphere of the gorgeous
+snow-clad peaks and impressive chasms served to heighten still further
+the intensity of Selma's frame of mind. She managed adroitly on several
+occasions to let people know who they were, and it pleased her to
+observe the conductor indicating to passengers in the common cars that
+they were Congressman Lyons and his wife on their honeymoon. She was
+looking forward to Washington, and as she stood in the presence of the
+inspiring beauties of nature she was prone to draw herself up in
+rehearsal of the dignity which she expected to wear. What were these
+mountains and canyons but physical counterparts of the human soul? What
+but correlative representatives of grand ideas, of noble lives devoted
+to the cause of human liberty? She felt that she was very happy, and she
+bore testimony to this by walking arm in arm with her husband, leaning
+against his firm, stalwart shoulder. It seemed to her desirable that the
+public should know that they were a happy couple and defenders of the
+purity of the home. On their way back the train was delayed on
+Washington's birthday for several hours by a wash-out, and presently a
+deputation made up of passengers and townspeople waited on Lyons and
+invited him to deliver an open-air address. He and Selma, when the
+committee arrived, were just about to explore the neighborhood, and
+Lyons, though ordinarily he would have been glad of such an opportunity,
+looked at his wife with an expression which suggested that he would
+prefer a walk with her. The eyes of the committee followed his,
+appreciating that he had thrown the responsibility of a decision on his
+bride. Selma was equal to the occasion. "Of course he will address you,"
+she exclaimed. "What more suitable place could there be for offering
+homage to the father of our country than this majestic prairie?" She
+added, proudly, "And I am glad you should have the opportunity to hear
+my husband speak."
+
+Some letters requiring attention were forwarded to Lyons at one of the
+cities where they stopped. As they lay on his dressing-table Selma
+caught sight of the return address, Williams & Van Horne, printed on the
+uppermost envelope. The reminder aroused a host of associations. Flossy
+had not been much in her thoughts lately, yet she had not failed to
+plume herself occasionally with the reflection that she could afford now
+to snap her fingers at her. She had wondered more than once what Flossy
+would think when she heard that she was the wife of a Representative.
+
+"Do you know these people personally?" she inquired, holding up the
+envelope.
+
+"Yes. They are my--er--financial representatives in New York. I have
+considerable dealings with them."
+
+Selma had not up to this time concerned herself as to the details of her
+husband's affairs. He had made clear to her that his income from his
+profession was large, and she knew that he was interested in a variety
+of enterprises. That he should have connections with a firm of New York
+brokers was one more proof to her of his common sense and capacity to
+take advantage of opportunities.
+
+"Mr. Littleton used to buy stocks through Williams and Van Horne--only a
+few. He was not very clever at it, and failed to make the most of the
+chances given him to succeed in that way. We knew the Williamses at one
+time very well. They lived in the same block with us for several years
+after we were married."
+
+"Williams is a capable, driving sort of fellow. Bold, but on the whole
+sagacious, I think," answered Lyons, with demure urbanity. It was rather
+a shock to him that his wife should learn that he had dealings in the
+stock market. He feared lest it might seem to her inconsistent with his
+other propensities--his religious convictions and his abhorrence of
+corporate rapacity. He preferred to keep such transactions private for
+fear they should be misunderstood. At heart he did not altogether
+approve of them himself. They were a part of his evolution, and had
+developed by degrees until they had become now so interwoven with his
+whole financial outlook that he could not escape from them at the moment
+if he would. Indeed some of them were giving him anxiety. He had
+supposed that the letter in question contained a request for a
+remittance to cover depreciation in his account. Instead he had read
+with some annoyance a confidential request from Williams that he would
+work for a certain bill which, in his capacity as a foe of monopoly, he
+had hoped to be able to oppose. It offended his conscience to think that
+he might be obliged secretly to befriend a measure against which his
+vote must be cast. As has been intimated, he would have preferred that
+his business affairs should remain concealed from his wife. Yet her
+remarks were unexpectedly and agreeably reassuring. They served to
+furnish a fresh indication on her part of intelligent sympathy with the
+perplexities which beset the path of an ambitious public man. They
+suggested a subtle appreciation of the reasonableness of his behavior,
+notwithstanding its apparent failure to tally with his outward
+professions.
+
+Selma's reply interrupted this rhapsody.
+
+"I ought to tell you, I suppose, that I quarrelled with Mrs. Williams
+before I left New York. Or, rather, she quarrelled with me. She insulted
+me in my own house, and I was obliged to order her to leave it."
+
+"Quarrelled? That is a pity. An open break? Open breaks in friendship
+are always unfortunate." Lyons looked grieved, and fingered his beard
+meditatively.
+
+"I appreciate," said Selma, frankly, "that our falling out will be an
+inconvenience in case we should meet in Washington or elsewhere, since
+you and Mr. Williams have business interests in common. Of course,
+James, I wish to help you in every way I can. I might as well tell you
+about it. I think she was jealous of me and fancied I was trying to cut
+her out socially. At all events, she insinuated that I was not a lady,
+because I would not lower my standards to hers, and adopt the frivolous
+habits of her little set. But I have not forgotten, James, your
+suggestion that people in public life can accomplish more if they avoid
+showing resentment and strive for harmony. I shall be ready to forget
+the past if Mrs. Williams will, for my position as your wife puts me
+beyond the reach of her criticism. She's a lively little thing in her
+way, and her husband seems to understand about investments and how to
+get ahead."
+
+They went direct to Washington without stopping at Benham. It was
+understood that the new session of Congress was to be very short, and
+they were glad of an opportunity to present themselves in an official
+capacity at the capital as a conclusion to their honeymoon, before
+settling down at home. Selma found a letter from Miss Bailey, containing
+the news that Pauline Littleton had accepted the presidency of Wetmore
+College, the buildings of which were now practically completed. Selma
+gasped as she read this. She had long ago decided that her
+sister-in-law's studies were unpractical, and that Pauline was doomed to
+teach small classes all her days, a task for which she was doubtless
+well fitted. She resented the selection, for, in her opinion, Pauline
+lacked the imaginative talent of Wilbur, and yet shared his subjective,
+unenthusiastic ways. More than once it had occurred to her that the
+presidency of Wetmore was the place of all others for which she herself
+was fitted. Indeed, until Lyons had offered himself she had cherished in
+her inner consciousness the hope that the course of events might
+demonstrate that she was the proper person to direct the energies of
+this new medium for the higher education of women. It irritated her to
+think that an institution founded by Benham philanthropy, and which
+would be a vital influence in the development of Benham womanhood,
+should be under the control of one who was hostile to American theories
+and methods. Selma felt so strongly on the subject that she thought of
+airing her objections in a letter to Mr. Flagg, the donor, but she
+concluded to suspend her strictures until her return to Benham. She
+sent, however, to Miss Bailey, who was now regularly attached to one of
+the Benham newspapers, notes for an article which should deplore the
+choice by the trustees of one who was unfamiliar and presumably out of
+sympathy with Benham thought and impulse.
+
+Selma's emotions on her arrival in Washington were very different from
+those which she had experienced in New York as the bride of Littleton.
+Then she had been unprepared for, dazed, and offended by what she saw.
+Now, though she mentally assumed that the capital was the parade ground
+of American ideas and principles, she felt not merely no surprise at the
+august appearance of the wide avenues, but she was eagerly on the
+lookout, as they drove from the station to the hotel, for signs of
+social development. The aphorism which she had supplied to her husband,
+that the American people prefer to have their representatives live
+comfortably, dwelt in her thoughts and was a solace to her. Despite her
+New York experience, she had the impression that the doors of every
+house in Washington would fly open at her approach as the wife of a
+Congressman. She did not formulate her anticipations as to her
+reception, but she entertained a general expectation that their presence
+would be acknowledged as public officials in a notable way. She dressed
+herself on the morning after their arrival at the hotel with some
+showiness, so as to be prepared for flattering emergencies. She had said
+little to her husband on the subject, for she had already discovered
+that, though he was ambitious that they should appear well, he was
+disposed to leave the management of social concerns to her. His
+information had been limited to bidding her come prepared for the
+reception to be given at the White House at the reassembling of
+Congress. Selma had brought her wedding-dress for this, and was looking
+forward to it as a gala occasion.
+
+The hotel was very crowded, and Selma became aware that many of the
+guests were the wives and daughters of other Congressmen, who seemed to
+be in the same predicament as herself--that is, without anyone to speak
+to and waiting in their best clothes for something to happen. Lyons knew
+a few of them, and was making acquaintances in the corridors, with some
+of whom he exchanged an introduction of wives. As she successively met
+these other women, Selma perceived that no one of them was better
+dressed than herself, and she reflected with pleasure that they would
+doubtless be available allies in her crusade against frivolity and
+exclusiveness.
+
+Presently she set out with her husband to survey the sights of the city.
+Naturally their first visit was to the Capitol, in the presence of which
+Selma clutched his arm in the pride of her patriotism and of her
+pleasure that he was to be one of the makers of history within its
+splendid precincts. The sight of the stately houses of Congress,
+superbly dominated by their imposing dome, made them both walk proudly,
+lost, save for occasional vivid phrases of admiration, in the
+contemplation of their own possible future. What greater earthly prize
+for man than political distinction among a people capable of monuments
+like this? What grander arena for a woman eager to demonstrate truth and
+promote righteousness? There was, of course, too much to see for any one
+visit. They went up to the gallery of the House of Representatives and
+looked down on the theatre of Lyons's impending activities. He was to
+take his seat on the day after the morrow as one of the minority party,
+but a strong, vigorous minority. Selma pictured him standing in the
+aisle and uttering ringing words of denunciation against corporate
+monopolies and the money power.
+
+"I shall come up here and listen to you often. I shall be able to tell
+if you speak loud enough--so that the public can hear you," she said,
+glancing at the line of galleries which she saw in her mind's eye
+crowded with spectators. "You must make a long speech very soon."
+
+"That is very unlikely indeed. They tell me a new member rarely gets a
+chance to be heard," answered Lyons.
+
+"But they will hear you. You have something to say."
+
+Lyons squeezed her hand. Her words nourished the same hope in his own
+breast. "I shall take advantage of every opportunity to obtain
+recognition, and to give utterance to my opinions."
+
+"Oh yes, I shall expect you to speak. I am counting on that."
+
+On their way down they scanned with interest the statues and portraits
+of distinguished statesmen and heroes, and the representations of famous
+episodes in American history with which the walls of the landings and
+the rotunda are lined.
+
+"Some day you will be here," said Selma. "I wonder who will paint you or
+make your bust. I have often thought," she added, wistfully, "that, if I
+had given my mind to it, I could have modelled well in clay. Some day
+I'll try. It would be interesting, wouldn't it, to have you here in
+marble with the inscription underneath, 'Bust of the Honorable James O.
+Lyons, sculptured by his wife?'"
+
+Lyons laughed, but he was pleased. "You are making rapid strides, my
+dear. I am sure of one thing--if my bust or portrait ever is here, I
+shall owe my success largely to your devotion and good sense. I felt
+certain of it before, but our honeymoon has proved to me that we were
+meant for one another."
+
+"Yes, I think we were. And I like to hear you say I have good sense.
+That is what I pride myself on as a wife."
+
+On their return to the hotel Selma was annoyed to find that no one but a
+member of her husband's Congressional delegation had called. She had
+hoped to find that their presence in Washington was known and
+appreciated. It seemed to her, moreover, that they were not treated at
+the hotel with the deference she had supposed would be accorded to them.
+To be sure, equality was of the essence of American doctrine;
+nevertheless she had anticipated that the official representatives of
+the people would be made much of, and distinguished from the rest of the
+world, if not by direct attention, by being pointed out and looked at
+admiringly. Still, as Lyons showed no signs of disappointment, she
+forbore to express her own perplexity, which was temporarily relieved by
+an invitation from him to drive. The atmosphere was mild enough for an
+open carriage, and Selma's appetite for processional effect derived some
+crumbs of comfort from the process of showing herself in a barouche by
+the side of her husband. They proceeded in an opposite direction from
+the Capitol, and after surveying the outside of the White House, drove
+along the avenues and circles occupied by private residences. Selma
+noticed that these houses, though attractive, were less magnificent and
+conspicuous than many of those in New York--more like her own in Benham;
+and she pictured as their occupants the families of the public men of
+the country--a society of their wives and daughters living worthily,
+energetically, and with becoming stateliness, yet at the same time
+rebuking by their example frivolity and rampant luxury. She observed
+with satisfaction the passage of a number of private carriages, and that
+their occupants were stylishly clad. She reflected that, as, the wife of
+a Congressman, her place was among them, and she was glad that they
+recognized the claims of social development so far as to dress well and
+live in comfort. Before starting she had herself fastened a bunch of red
+roses at her waist as a contribution to her picturesqueness as a public
+woman.
+
+While she was thus absorbed in speculation, not altogether free from
+worrying suspicions, in spite of her mental vision as to the occupants
+of these private residences, she uttered an ejaculation of surprise as a
+jaunty victoria passed by them, and she turned her head in an eager
+attempt to ascertain if her surprise and annoyance were well-founded.
+The other vehicle was moving rapidly, but a similar curiosity impelled
+one of its occupants to look hack also, and the eyes of the two women
+met.
+
+"It's she; I thought it was."
+
+"Who, my dear?" said Lyons.
+
+"Flossy Williams--Mrs. Gregory Williams. I wonder," she added, in a
+severe tone, "what she is doing here, and how she happens to be
+associating with these people. That was a private carriage."
+
+"Williams has a number of friends in Washington, I imagine. I thought it
+likely that he would be here. That was another proof of your good sense,
+Selma--deciding to let bygones be bygones and to ignore your
+disagreement with his wife."
+
+"Yes, I know. I shall treat her civilly. But my heart will be broken,
+James, if I find that Washington is like New York."
+
+"In what respect?"
+
+"If I find that the people in these houses lead exclusive, un-American,
+godless lives. It would tempt me almost to despair of our country," she
+exclaimed, with tragic emphasis.
+
+"I don't understand about social matters, Selma. I must leave those to
+you. But," he added, showing that he shrewdly realized the cause of her
+anguish better than she did herself, "as soon as we get better
+acquainted, I'm sure you will find that we shall get ahead, and that you
+will be able to hold your own with anybody, however exclusive."
+
+Selma colored at the unflattering simplicity of his deduction. "I don't
+desire to hold my own with people of that sort. I despise them."
+
+"I know. Hold your own, I mean, among people of the right sort by force
+of sound ideas and principles. The men and women of to-day," he
+continued, with melodious asseveration, "are the grand-children of those
+who built the splendid halls we visited this morning as a monument to
+our nation's love of truth and righteousness. A few frivolous, worldly
+minded spirits are not the people of the United States to whom we look
+for our encouragement and support."
+
+"Assuredly," answered Selma, with eagerness. "It is difficult, though,
+not to get discouraged at times by the behavior of those who ought to
+aid instead of hinder our progress as a nation."
+
+For a moment she was silent in wrapt meditation, then she asked:
+
+"Didn't you expect that more notice would be taken of our arrival?"
+
+"In what way?"
+
+"In some way befitting a member of Congress."
+
+Lyons laughed. "My dear Selma, I am one new Congressman among several
+hundred. What did you expect? That the President and his wife would come
+and take us to drive?"
+
+"Of course not." She paused a moment, then she said: "I suppose that, as
+you are not on the side of the administration, we cannot expect much
+notice to be taken of us until you speak in the House. I will try not to
+be too ambitious for you, James; but it would be easier to be patient,"
+she concluded, with her far-away look, "if I were not beginning to fear
+that this city also may be contaminated just as New York is."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+The incidents of the next two days previous to her attendance at the
+evening reception at the White House restored Selma's equanimity. She
+had the satisfaction of being present at the opening ceremonies of the
+House of Representatives, and of beholding her husband take the oath of
+office. She was proud of Lyons as she looked down on him from the
+gallery standing in the aisle by his allotted seat. He was holding an
+improvised reception, for a number of his colleagues showed themselves
+desirous to make his acquaintance. She noticed that he appeared already
+on familiar terms with some of his fellow-members; that he drew men or
+was drawn aside for whispered confidences; that he joked knowingly with
+others; and that always as he chatted his large, round, smooth face,
+relieved by its chin beard, wore an aspect of bland dignity and shrewd
+reserve wisdom. It pleased her to be assisting at the dedication of a
+fresh page of national history--a page yet unwritten, but on which she
+hoped that her own name would be inscribed sooner or later by those who
+should seek to trace the complete causes of her husband's usefulness and
+genius.
+
+Another source of satisfaction was the visit paid them the day before at
+the hotel by one of the United States Senators from their own State--Mr.
+Calkins. The two political parties in their own State were so evenly
+divided that one of the Senators in office happened to be a Republican
+and his colleague a Democrat. Mr. Calkins belonged to her husband's
+party, yet he suggested that they might enjoy a private audience with
+the President, with whom, notwithstanding political differences of
+opinion, Mr. Calkins was on friendly terms. This was the sort of thing
+which Selma aspired to, and the experience did much to lighten her
+heart. She enjoyed the distinction of seeing guarded doors open at their
+approach, and of finding herself shaking hands with the chief magistrate
+of the nation at a special interview. The President was very affable,
+and was manifestly aware of Lyons's triumph at the expense of his own
+party, and of his consequent political importance. He treated the matter
+banteringly, and Selma was pleased at her ability to enter into the
+spirit of his persiflage and to reciprocate. In her opinion solemnity
+would have been more consistent with his position as the official
+representative of the people of the United States, and his jocose
+manifestations at a time when serious conversation seemed to be in order
+was a disappointment, and tended to confirm her previous distrust of him
+as the leader of the opposite party. She had hoped he would broach some
+vital topics of political interest, and that she would have the
+opportunity to give expression to her own views in regard to public
+questions. Nevertheless, as the President saw fit to be humorous, she
+was glad that she understood how to meet and answer his bantering
+sallies. She felt sure that Lyons, were he ever to occupy this dignified
+office, would refrain from ill-timed levity, but she bore in mind also
+the policy of conciliation which she had learned from her husband, and
+concealed her true impressions. She noticed that both Lyons and Mr.
+Calkins forebore to show dissatisfaction, and she reflected that, though
+the President's tone was light, there was nothing else in his appearance
+or bearing to convict him of sympathy with lack of enthusiasm and with
+cynicism. It would have destroyed all the enjoyment of her interview had
+she been forced to conclude that a man who did not take himself and his
+duties seriously could be elected President of the United States. She
+was not willing to believe this; but her suspicions were so far aroused
+that she congratulated herself that her political opponents were
+responsible for his election. Nevertheless she was delighted by the
+distinction of the private audience, and by the episode at its close,
+which gave her opportunity to show her individuality. Said the President
+gallantly as she was taking leave:
+
+"Will you permit me to congratulate Congressman Lyons on his good
+fortune in the affairs of the heart as well as in politics?"
+
+"If you say things like that, Mr. President," interjected Lyons, "you
+will turn her head; she will become a Republican, and then where should
+I be?"
+
+While she perceived that the President was still inclined to levity, the
+compliment pleased Selma. Yet, though she appreciated that her husband
+was merely humoring him by his reply, she did not like the suggestion
+that any flattery could affect her principles. She shook her head
+coquettishly and said:
+
+"James, I'm sure the President thinks too well of American women to
+believe that any admiration, however gratifying, would make me lukewarm
+in devotion to my party."
+
+This speech appeared to her apposite and called for, and she departed in
+high spirits, which were illuminated by the thought that the
+administration was not wholly to be trusted.
+
+On the following evening Selma went to the reception at the White House.
+The process of arrival was trying to her patience, for they were obliged
+to await their turn in the long file of carriages. She could not but
+approve of the democratic character of the entertainment, which anyone
+who desired to behold and shake hands with the Chief Magistrate was free
+to attend. Still, it again crossed her mind that, as an official's wife,
+she ought to have been given precedence. Their turn to alight came at
+last, and they took their places in the procession of visitors on its
+way through the East room to the spot where the President and his wife,
+assisted by some of the ladies of the Cabinet, were submitting to the
+ordeal of receiving the nation. There was a veritable crush, in which
+there was every variety of evening toilette, a display essentially in
+keeping with the doctrines which Selma felt that she stood for. She took
+occasion to rejoice in Lyons's ear at the realization of her
+anticipations in this respect. At the same time she was agreeably
+stimulated by the belief that her wedding dress was sumptuous and
+stylish, and her appearance striking. Her hair had been dressed as
+elaborately as possible; she wore all her jewelry; and she carried a
+bouquet of costly roses. Her wish was to regard the function as the
+height of social demonstration, and she had spared no pains to make
+herself effective. She had esteemed it her duty to do so both as a
+Congressman's wife and as a champion of moral and democratic ideas.
+
+The crowd was oppressive, and three times the train of her dress was
+stepped on to her discomfiture. Amid the sea of faces she recognized a
+few of the people she had seen at the hotel. It struck her that no one
+of the women was dressed so elegantly as herself, an observation which
+cheered her and yet was not without its thorn. But the music, the
+lights, and the variegated movement of the scene kept her senses
+absorbed and interfered with introspection, until at last they were
+close to the receiving party. Selma fixed her eyes on the President,
+expecting recognition. Like her husband, the President possessed a gift
+of faces and the faculty of rallying all his energies to the important
+task of remembering who people were. An usher asked and announced the
+names, but the Chief Magistrate's perceptions were kept hard at work.
+His "How do you do, Congressman Lyons? I am very glad to see you here,
+Mrs. Lyons," were uttered with a smiling spontaneity, which to his own
+soul meant a momentary agreeable relaxation of the nerves of memory,
+resembling the easy flourish with which a gymnast engaged in lifting
+heavy weights encounters a wooden dumb-bell. But though his eyes and
+voice were flattering, Selma had barely completed the little bob of a
+courtesy which accompanied her act of shaking hands when she discovered
+that the machinery of the national custom was not to halt on their
+account, and that she must proceed without being able to renew the half
+flirtatious interview of the previous day. She proceeded to courtesy to
+the President's wife and to the row of wives of members of the Cabinet
+who were assisting. Before she could adequately observe them, she found
+herself beyond and a part once more of a heterogeneous crush, the
+current of which she aimlessly followed on her husband's arm. She was
+suspicious of the device of courtesying. Why had not the President's
+wife and the Cabinet ladies shaken hands with her and given her an
+opportunity to make their acquaintance? Could it be that the
+administration was aping foreign manners and adopting effete and
+aristocratic usages?
+
+"What do we do now?" she asked of Lyons as they drifted along.
+
+"I'd like to find Horace Elton and introduce him to you. I caught a
+glimpse of him further on just before we reached the President. Horace
+knows all the ropes and can tell us who everybody is."
+
+Selma had heard her husband refer to Horace Elton on several occasions
+in terms of respectful and somewhat mysterious consideration. She had
+gathered in a general way that he was a far reaching and formidable
+power in matters political and financial, besides being the president
+and active organizer of the energetic corporation known as the
+Consumers' Gas Light Company of their own state. As they proceeded she
+kept her eyes on the alert for a man described by Lyons as short,
+heavily built, and neat looking, with small side whiskers and a
+close-mouthed expression. When they were not far from the door of exit
+from the East room, some one on the edge of the procession accosted her
+husband, who drew her after him in that direction. Selma found herself
+in a sort of eddy occupied by half a dozen people engaged in observing
+the passing show, and in the presence of Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Williams.
+It was Mr. Williams who had diverted them. He now renewed his
+acquaintance with her, exclaiming--"My wife insisted that she had met
+you driving with some one she believed to be your husband. I had heard
+that Congressman Lyons was on his bridal tour, and now everything is
+clear. Flossy, you were right as usual, and it seems that our hearty
+congratulations are in order to two old friends."
+
+Williams spoke with his customary contagious confidence. Selma noted
+that he was stouter and that his hair was becomingly streaked with gray.
+Had not her attention been on the lookout for his wife she might have
+noticed that his eye wore a restless, strained expression despite his
+august banker's manner and showy gallantry. She did observe that the
+moment he had made way for Flossy he turned to Lyons and began to talk
+to him in a subdued tone under the guise of watching the procession.
+
+The two women confronted each other with spontaneous forgetfulness of
+the past. There was a shade of haughtiness in Selma's greeting. She was
+prepared to respect her husband's policy and to ignore the circumstances
+under which they had parted, but she wished Flossy to understand that
+this was an act of condescension on her part as a Congressman's wife,
+whose important social status was beyond question. She was so thoroughly
+imbued with this sense of her indisputable superiority that she readily
+mistook Flossy's affability for fawning; whereas that young woman's
+ingenuous friendliness was the result of a warning sentence from Gregory
+when Selma and her husband were seen approaching--"Keep a check on your
+tongue, Floss. This statesman with a beard like a goat is likely to have
+a political future."
+
+"I felt sure it was you the other day," Flossy said with smiling
+sprightliness, "but I had not heard of your marriage to Mr. Lyons."
+
+"We were married at Benham six weeks ago. We are to live in Benham. We
+have bought the house there which belonged to Mr. Parsons. We have just
+returned from visiting the superb scenery of the Yosemite and the Rocky
+Mountains, and it made me prouder than ever of my country. If
+Congressman Lyons had not been obliged to be present at the opening of
+Congress, we should have spent our honeymoon in Europe."
+
+"Gregory and I passed last summer abroad yachting. We crossed on a
+steamer and had our yacht meet us there. Isn't it a jam to-night?"
+
+"There seem to be a great many people. I suppose you came on from New
+York on purpose for this reception?"
+
+"Mercy, no. We are staying with friends, and we hadn't intended to come
+to-night. But we had been dining out and were dressed, so we thought
+we'd drop in and show our patriotism. It's destruction to clothes, and
+I'm glad I haven't worn my best."
+
+Selma perceived Flossy's eye making a note of her own elaborate costume,
+and the disagreeable suspicion that she was overdressed reasserted
+itself. She had already observed that Mrs. Williams's toilette, though
+stylish, was comparatively simple. How could one be overdressed on such
+an occasion? What more suitable time for an American woman to wear her
+choicest apparel than when paying her respects to the President of the
+United States? She noticed that Flossy seemed unduly at her ease as
+though the importance of the ceremony was lost on her, and that they
+group of people with whom Flossy had been talking and who stood a little
+apart were obviously indulging in quiet mirth at the expense of some of
+those in the procession.
+
+"Are the friends with whom you are staying connected with the
+Government?" Selma asked airily.
+
+"Official people? Goodness, no. But I can point out to you who everybody
+is, for we have been in Washington frequently during the last three
+sessions. Gregory has to run over here on business every now and then,
+and I almost always come with him. To-night is the opportunity to see
+the queer people in all their glory--the woolly curiosities, as Gregory
+calls them. And a sprinkling of the real celebrities too," she added.
+
+Selma's inquiry had been put with a view to satisfy herself that
+Flossy's friends were mere civilians. But she was glad of an opportunity
+to be enlightened as to the names of her fellow-officials, though she
+resented Flossy's flippant tone regarding the character of the
+entertainment. While she listened to the breezy, running commentary by
+which Flossy proceeded to identify for her benefit the conspicuous
+figures in the procession she nursed her offended sensibilities.
+
+"I should suppose," she said, taking advantage of a pause, "that on such
+an occasion as this everybody worth knowing would be present."
+
+Flossy gave Selma one of her quick glances. She had not forgotten the
+past, nor her discovery of the late Mrs. Littleton's real grievance
+against her and the world. Nor did she consider that her husband's
+caveat debarred her from the amusement of worrying the wife of the Hon.
+James O. Lyons, provided it could be done by means of the truth
+ingenuously uttered. She said with a confidential smile--
+
+"The important and the interesting political people have other
+opportunities to meet one another--at dinner parties and less
+promiscuous entertainments than this, and the Washington people have
+other opportunities to meet them. Of course the President is a dear, and
+everyone makes a point of attending a public reception once in a while,
+but this sort of thing isn't exactly an edifying society event. For
+instance, notice the woman in the pomegranate velvet with two diamond
+sprays in her hair. That's the wife of Senator Colman--his child wife,
+so they call her. She came to Washington six years ago as the wife of a
+member of the House from one of the wild and woolly States, and was
+notorious then in the hotel corridors on account of her ringletty raven
+hair and the profusion of rings she wore. She used to make eyes at the
+hotel guests and romp with her husband's friends in the hotel parlors,
+which was the theatre of her social activities. Her husband died, and a
+year ago she married old Senator Colman, old enough to be her
+grandfather, and one of the very rich and influential men in the Senate.
+Now she has developed social ambition and is anxious to entertain. They
+have hired a large house for the winter and are building a larger one.
+As Mrs. Polsen--that was her first husband's name--she was invited
+nowhere except to wholesale official functions like this. The wife of a
+United States Senator with plenty of money can generally attract a
+following; she is somebody. And it happens that people are amused by
+Mrs. Cohnan's eccentricities. She still overdresses, and makes eyes, and
+she nudges those who sit next her at table, but she is good-natured,
+says whatever comes into her head, and has a strong sense of humor. So
+she is getting on."
+
+"Getting on among society people?" said Selma drily.
+
+Flossy's eyes twinkled. "Society people is the generic name used for
+them in the newspapers. I mean that she is making friends among the
+women who live in the quarter where I passed you the other day."
+
+Selma frowned. "It is not necessary, I imagine, to make friends of that
+class in order to have influence in Washington,--the best kind of
+influence. I can readily believe that people of that sort would interest
+most of our public women very little."
+
+"Very likely. I don't think you quite understand me, Mrs. Lyons, or we
+are talking at cross purposes. What I was trying to make clear is that
+political and social prominence in Washington are by no means
+synonimous. Of course everyone connected with the government who
+desires to frequent Washington society and is socially available is
+received with open arms; but, if people are not socially available, it
+by no means follows that they are able to command social recognition
+merely because they hold political office,--except perhaps in the case
+of wives of the Cabinet, of the Justices of the Supreme Court, or of
+rich and influential Senators, where a woman is absolutely bent on
+success and takes pains. I refer particularly to the wives, because a
+single man, if he is reasonably presentable and ambitious, can go about
+more or less, even if he is a little rough, for men are apt to be
+scarce. But the line is drawn on the women unless they are--er--really
+important and have to be tolerated for official reasons. Now every woman
+who is not _persona grata_, as the diplomats say, anywhere else, is apt
+to attend the President's reception in all her finery, and that's why I
+suggested that this sort of thing isn't exactly an edifying social
+event. It's amusing to come here now and then, just as it's amusing to
+go to a menagerie. You see what I mean, don't you?" Flossy asked, plying
+her feathery fan with blithe nonchalance and looking into her
+companion's face with an innocent air.
+
+"I understand perfectly. And who are these people who draw the line?"
+
+"It sometimes happens," continued Flossy abstractedly, without appearing
+to hear this inquiry, "that they improve after they've been in
+Washington a few years. Take Mrs. Baker, the Secretary of the Interior's
+wife, receiving to-night. When her husband came to Washington three
+years ago she had the social adaptability of a solemn horse. But she
+persevered and learned, and now as a Cabinet lady she unbends, and is no
+longer afraid of compromising her dignity by wearing becoming clothes
+and smiling occasionally. But you were asking who the people are who
+draw the line. The nice people here just as everywhere else; the people
+who have been well educated and have fine sensibilities, and who believe
+in modesty, and unselfishness and thorough ways of doing things. You
+must know the sort of people I mean. Some of them make too much of mere
+manners, but as a class they are able to draw the line because they draw
+it in favor of distinction of character as opposed to--what shall I call
+it?--haphazard custom-made ethics and social deportment."
+
+Flossy spoke with the artless prattle of one seeking to make herself
+agreeable to a new-comer by explaining the existing order of things, but
+she had chosen her words as she proceeded with special reference to her
+listener's case. There was nothing in her manner to suggest that she was
+trifling with the feelings of the wife of Hon. James O. Lyons, but to
+Selma's sensitive ear there was no doubt that the impertinent and
+unpatriotic tirade had been deliberately aimed at her. The closing words
+had a disagreeably familiar sound. Save that they fell from seemingly
+friendly lips they recalled the ban which Flossy had hurled at her at
+the close of their last meeting--the ban which had decided her to
+declare unwavering hostility against social exclusiveness. Its veiled
+reiteration now made her nerves tingle, but the personal affront stirred
+her less than the conclusion, which the whole of Flossy's commentary
+suggested, that Washington--Washington the hearth-stone of American
+ideals, was contaminated also. Flossy had given her to understand that
+the houses which she had assumed to be occupied by members of the
+Government were chiefly the residences of people resembling in character
+those whom she had disapproved of in New York. Flossy had intimated that
+unless a woman were hand in glove with these people and ready to lower
+herself to their standards, she must be the wife of a rich Senator to be
+tolerated. Flossy had virtually told her that a Congressman's wife was
+nobody. Could this be true? The bitterest part of all was that it was
+evident Flossy spoke with the assurance of one uttering familiar truths.
+Selma felt affronted and bitterly disappointed, but she chose to meet
+Mrs. Williams's innocent affability with composure; to let her see that
+she disagreed with her, but not to reveal her personal irritation. She
+must consider Lyons, whose swift political promotion was necessary for
+her plans. It was important that he should become rich, and if his
+relations with the firm of Williams & Van Horne tended to that end, no
+personal grievance of her own should disturb them. Even Flossy had
+conceded that the wives of the highest officials could not be ignored.
+
+"I fear that we look at these matters from too different a standpoint to
+discuss them further," she responded, with an effort at smiling ease.
+"Evidently you do not appreciate that to the majority of the strong
+women of the country whose husbands have been sent to Washington as
+members of the Government social interests seem trivial compared with
+the great public questions they are required to consider. These women
+doubtless feel little inclination for fashionable and--or--frivolous
+festivities, and find an occasion like this better suited to their
+conception of social dignity."
+
+A reply by Flossy to this speech was prevented by the interruption of
+Lyons, who brought up Mr. Horace Elton for introduction to his wife.
+Selma knew him at once from his likeness to the description which her
+husband had given. He was portly and thick-set, with a large neck, a
+strong, unemotional, high-colored face, and closely-shaven, small side
+whiskers. He made her a low bow and, after a few moments of
+conversation, in the course of which he let fall a complimentary
+allusion to her husband's oratorical abilities and gave her to
+understand that he considered Lyons's marriage as a wise and enviable
+proceeding, he invited her to promenade the room on his arm. Mr. Elton
+had a low but clear and dispassionate voice, and a concise utterance.
+His remarks gave the impression that he could impart more on any subject
+if he chose, and that what he said proceeded from a reserve fund of
+special, secret knowledge, a little of which he was willing to confide
+to his listener. He enlightened Selma in a few words as to a variety of
+the people present, accompanying his identification with a phrase or two
+of comprehensive personal detail, which had the savor of being unknown
+to the world at large.
+
+"The lady we just passed, Mrs. Lyons, is the wife of the junior Senator
+from Nevada. Her husband fell in love with her on the stage of a mining
+town theatrical troupe. That tall man, with the profuse wavy hair and
+prominent nose, is Congressman Ross of Colorado, the owner of one of the
+largest cattle ranches in the Far West. It is said that he has never
+smoked, never tasted a glass of liquor, and never gambled in his life."
+
+In the course of these remarks Mr. Elton simply stated his interesting
+facts without comment. He avoided censorious or satirical allusions to
+the people to whom he called Selma's attention. On the contrary, his
+observations suggested sympathetically that he desired to point out to
+her the interesting personalities of the capital, and that he regarded
+the entertainment as an occasion to behold the strong men and women of
+the country in their lustre and dignity. As they passed the lady in
+pomegranate velvet, Selma said, in her turn, "That is Mrs. Colman, I
+believe. Senator Colman's child wife." She added what was in her
+thoughts, "I understand that the society people here have taken her up."
+
+"Yes. She has become a conspicuous figure in Washington. I remember her,
+Mrs. Lyons, when she was Addie Farr--before she married Congressman
+Polsen of Kentucky. She was a dashing looking girl in those days, with
+her black eyes and black ringlets. I remember she had a coltish way of
+tossing her head. The story is that when she accepted Polsen another
+Kentuckian--a young planter--who was in love with her, drank laudanum.
+Now, as you say, she is being taken up socially, and her husband, the
+Senator, is very proud of her success. After all, if a woman is
+ambitious and has tact, what can she ask better than to be the wife of a
+United States Senator?" He paused a moment, then, with a gallant
+sidelong glance at his companion, resumed in a concise whisper, which
+had the effect of a disclosure, "Prophecies, especially political
+prophecies, are dangerous affairs, but it seems to me not improbable
+that before many years have passed the wife of Senator Lyons will be
+equally prominent--be as conspicuous socially as the wife of Senator
+Colman."
+
+Selma blushed, but not wholly with pleasure. Socially conspicuous before
+many years? The splendid prophecy, which went beyond the limit of Horace
+Elton's usual caution--for he combined the faculty of habitual
+discretion with his chatty proclivities--was dimmed for Selma by the
+rasping intimation that she was not conspicuous yet. Worse still, his
+statement shattered the hope, which Flossy's fluent assertions had
+already disturbed, that she was to find in Washington a company of
+congenial spirits who would appreciate her at her full value forthwith,
+and would join with her and under her leadership in resisting the
+encroachments of women of the stamp of Mrs. Williams.
+
+"I am very ambitious for my husband, Mr. Elton, and of course I have
+hoped--do hope that some day he will be a Senator. What you said just
+now as to the power of his voice to arouse the moral enthusiasm of the
+people seemed to be impressively true. I should be glad to be a
+Senator's wife, for--for I wish to help him. I wish to demonstrate the
+truth of the principles to which both our lives are dedicated. But I
+hoped that I might help him now--that my mission might be clear at once.
+It seems according to you that a Congressman's wife is not of much
+importance; that her hands are tied."
+
+"Practically so, unless--unless she has unusual social facility, and the
+right sort of acquaintances. Beauty, wealth and ambition are valuable
+aids, but I always am sorry for women who come here without friends,
+and--er--the right sort of introduction. At any rate, to answer your
+question frankly, a Congressman's wife has her spurs to win just as he
+has. If you were to set up house-keeping, here, Mrs. Lyons, I've no
+doubt that a woman of your attractions and capabilities would soon make
+a niche for herself. You have had social experience, which Addie Farr,
+for instance, was without."
+
+"I lived in New York for some years with my husband, Mr. Littleton, so I
+have a number of Eastern acquaintances."
+
+"I remember you were talking with Mrs. Gregory Williams when I was
+introduced to you. The people with whom she is staying are among the
+most fashionable in Washington. What I said had reference to the wife of
+the every-day Congressman who comes to Washington expecting recognition.
+Not to Mrs. James O. Lyons."
+
+Selma bit her lip. She recognized the death-knell of her cherished
+expectations. She was not prepared to acknowledge formally her
+discomfiture and her disappointment. But she believed that Mr. Elton,
+though a plain man, had comprehensive experience and that he spoke with
+shrewd knowledge of the situation. She felt sure that he was not trying
+to deceive or humiliate her. It was clear that Washington was
+contaminated also.
+
+"I dare say I should get on here well enough after a time, though I
+should find difficulty in considering that it was right to give so much
+time to merely social matters. But Mr. Lyons and I have already decided
+that I can be more use to him at present in Benham. There I feel at
+home. I am known, and have my friends, and there I have important
+work--literary lectures and the establishment of a large public hospital
+under way. If the time comes, as you kindly predict, that my husband is
+chosen a United States Senator, I shall be glad to return here and
+accept the responsibilities of our position. But I warn you, Mr.
+Elton,--I warn the people of Washington," she added with a wave of her
+fan, while her eyes sparkled with a stern light "that when I am one of
+their leaders, I shall do away with some of the--er--false customs of
+the present administration. I shall insist on preserving our American
+social traditions inviolate."
+
+Here was the grain of consolation in the case, which she clutched at and
+held up before her mind's eye as a new stimulus to her patriotism and
+her conscience. Both Mr. Elton and Flossy had indicated that there was a
+point at which exclusiveness was compelled to stop in its haughty
+disregard of democratic ideals. There were certain women whom the people
+who worshipped lack of enthusiasm and made an idol of cynicism were
+obliged to heed and recognize. They might be able to ignore the
+intelligence and social originality of a Congressman's wife, but they
+dared not turn a cold shoulder on the wife of a United States Senator.
+And if a woman--if she were to occupy this proud position, what a
+satisfaction it would be to assert the power which belonged to it;
+assert it in behalf of the cause for which she had suffered so much! Her
+disappointment tasted bitterly in her mouth, and she was conscious of
+stern revolt; but the new hope had already taken possession of her
+fancy, and she hastened to prove it by the ethical standard without
+which all hopes were valueless to her. Even now had anyone told her that
+the ruling passion of her life was to be wooed and made much of by the
+very people she professed to despise, she would have spurned the accuser
+as a malicious slanderer. Nor indeed would it have been wholly true.
+Mrs. Williams had practically told her this at their last meeting in New
+York, and its utterance had convinced her on the contrary of repugnance
+to them, and of her desire to be the leader of a social protest against
+them. Now here, in Washington of all places, she was confronted by the
+bitter suggestion that she was without allies, and that her enemies were
+the keepers of the door which led to leadership and power. Despondency
+stared her in the face, but a splendid possibility--aye probability was
+left. She would not forsake her principles. She would not lower her
+flag. She would return to Benham. Washington refused her homage now, but
+it should listen to her and bow before her some day as the wife of one
+of the real leaders of the State, whom Society did not dare to ignore.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+At the close of the fortnight of her stay in Washington subsequent to
+the reception at the White House, Selma found herself in the same frame
+of mind as when she parted from Mr. Elton. During this fortnight her
+time was spent either in sight seeing or at the hotel. The exercises at
+the Capitol were purely formal, preliminary to a speedy adjournment of
+Congress. Consequently her husband had no opportunity to distinguish
+himself by addressing the house. Of Flossy she saw nothing, though the
+two men had several meetings. Apparently both Lyons and Williams were
+content with a surface reconciliation between their wives which did not
+bar family intercourse. At least her husband made no suggestion that she
+should call on Mrs. Williams, and Flossy's cards did not appear. Beyond
+making the acquaintance of a few more wives and daughters in the hotel,
+who seemed as solitary as herself, Selma received no overtures from her
+own sex. She knew no one, and no one sought her out or paid her
+attention. She still saw fit to believe that if she were to establish
+herself in Washington and devote her energies to rallying these wives
+and daughters about her, she might be able to prove that Flossy and Mr.
+Elton were mistaken. But she realized that the task would be less simple
+than she had anticipated. Besides she yearned to return to Benham, and
+take up again the thread of active life there. Benham would vindicate
+her, and some day Benham would send her back to Washington to claim
+recognition and her rightful place.
+
+Lyons himself was in a cheerful mood and found congenial occupation in
+visiting with his wife the many historical objects of interest, and in
+chatting in various hotel corridors with the public men of the country,
+his associates in Congress. His solicitude in regard to the account
+which Williams was carrying for him had been relieved temporarily by an
+upward turn in the stock market, and the impending prompt adjournment of
+Congress had saved him from the necessity of taking action in regard to
+the railroad bill which Williams had solicited him to support. Moreover
+Selma had repeated to him Horace Elton's prophecy that it was not
+unlikely that some day he would become Senator. To be sure he recognized
+that a remark like this uttered to a pretty woman by an astute man of
+affairs such as Elton was not to be taken too seriously. There was no
+vacancy in the office of Senator from his state, and none was likely to
+occur. At the present time, if one should occur, his party in the state
+legislature was in a minority. Hence prophecy was obviously a random
+proceeding. Nevertheless he was greatly pleased, for, after all, Elton
+would scarcely have made the speech had he not been genuinely well
+disposed. A senatorship was one of the great prizes of political life,
+and one of the noblest positions in the world. It would afford him a
+golden opportunity to leave the impress of his convictions on national
+legislation, and defend the liberties of the people by force of the
+oratorical gifts which he possessed. Elton had referred to these gifts
+in complimentary terms. Was it not reasonable to infer that Elton would
+be inclined to promote his political fortunes? Such an ally would be
+invaluable, for Elton was a growing power in the industrial development
+of the section of the country where they both lived. He had continued to
+find him friendly in spite of his own antagonism on the public platform
+to corporate power. A favorite and conscientious hope in his political
+outlook was that he might be able to make capital as well as labor
+believe him to be a friend without alienating either; that he might
+obtain support at the polls from both factions, and thus be left free
+after election to work out for their mutual advantage appropriate
+legislation. He had avowed himself unmistakably the champion of popular
+principles in order to win the confidence of the common people, but his
+policy of reasonable conciliation led him to cast sheep's eyes at vested
+interests when he could do so without exposing himself to the charge of
+inconsistency. Many of his friends were wealthy men, and his private
+ambition was to amass a handsome fortune. That had been the cause of his
+speculative ventures in local enterprises which promised large returns,
+and in the stock market. Horace Elton was a friend of but three years'
+standing; one of the men who had consulted him occasionally in regard to
+legal matters since he had become a corporation attorney. He admired
+Elton's strong, far-reaching grasp of business affairs, his capacity to
+formulate and incubate on plans of magnitude without betraying a sign of
+his intentions, and his power to act with lightning despatch and
+overwhelming vigor when the moment for the consummation of his purposes
+arrived. He also found agreeable Elton's genial, easy-going ways outside
+of business hours, which frequently took the form of social
+entertainment at which expense seemed to be no consideration and
+gastronomic novelties were apt to be presented. Lyons attended one of
+these private banquets while in Washington--a dinner party served to a
+carefully chosen company of public men, to which newspaper scribes were
+unable to penetrate. This same genial, easy-going tendency of Elton's to
+make himself acceptable to those with whom he came in contact took the
+form of a gift to Mrs. Lyons of a handsome cameo pin which he presented
+to her a day or two after their dialogue at the President's reception,
+and for which, as he confidentially informed Selma, he had been seeking
+a suitable wearer ever since he had picked it up in an out-of-the-way
+store in Brussels the previous summer.
+
+On the day of their departure Selma, as she took a last look from the
+car window at the Capitol and the Washington Monument, said to her
+husband: "This is a beautiful city--worthy in many respects of the
+genius of the American people--but I never wish to return to Washington
+until you are United States Senator."
+
+"Would you not be satisfied with Justice of the Supreme Court?" asked
+Lyons, gayly.
+
+"I should prefer Senator. If you were Senator, you could probably be
+appointed to the Supreme Court in case you preferred that place. I am
+relying on you, James, to bring me back here some day."
+
+She whispered this in his ear, as they sat with heads close together
+looking back at the swiftly receding city. Selma's hands were clasped in
+her lap, and she seemed to her lover to have a dreamy air--an air
+suggesting poetry and high ethical resolve such as he liked to associate
+with her and their scheme of wedded life. It pleased him that his wife
+should feel so confident that the future had in store for him this great
+prize, and he allowed himself to yield to the pathos of the moment and
+whisper in reply:
+
+"I will say this, Selma. My business affairs look more favorable, and,
+if nothing unforeseen happens, I do not see why we shouldn't get on
+reasonably fast. Nowadays, in order to be a United States Senator
+comfortably, it is desirable in the first place to have abundant means."
+
+"Yes."
+
+"We must be patient and God-fearing, and with your help, dear, and your
+sympathy, we may live to see what you desire come to pass. Of course, my
+ambition is to be Senator, and--and to take you back to Washington as a
+Senator's wife."
+
+Selma had not chosen to confide to Lyons in set terms her social
+grievance against the capital of her country. But she was glad to
+perceive from his last words that he understood she was not satisfied
+with the treatment accorded her, and that he also was looking forward to
+giving her a position which would enable her to rebuke the ungodly and
+presumptuous.
+
+"Thank you, James," she answered. "When that time comes we shall be able
+to teach them a number of things. For the present though, I feel that I
+can be of best service to you and to the truths which we are living for
+by interesting myself in whatever concerns Benham. We believe in Benham,
+and Benham seems inclined to believe in us and our ideas."
+
+The ensuing year passed uneventfully. Lyons was able to be at home from
+the first of April to the reassembling of Congress in the following
+December. He was glad to give himself up to the enjoyment of his
+handsome establishment. He resumed the tenor of his professional
+practice, feeling that as a sober-minded, married citizen he had become
+of more importance to the community, and he was eager to bear witness to
+his sense of responsibility. He took a more active part in soliciting
+contributions for evangelizing benighted countries, and he consented on
+several occasions to deliver an address on "Success in Life" to
+struggling young men of Benham and the surrounding towns. His easy flow
+of words, his dignity and his sober but friendly mien made him a
+favorite with audiences, and constantly broadened his circle of
+acquaintance.
+
+Selma, on her side, took up the organization of the Free Hospital
+provided by Mr. Parsons. Her husband left the decision of all but legal
+and financial questions to her and Miss Luella Bailey, who, at Selma's
+request, was made the third member of the board of trustees. She decided
+to call in a committee of prominent physicians to formulate a programme
+of procedure in matters purely medical; but she reserved a right of
+rejection of their conclusions, and she insisted on the recognition of
+certain cardinal principles, as she called them. She specified that no
+one school of medicine should dictate the policy of the hospital as
+regards the treatment of patients. To the young physician whom she
+selected to assist her in forming this administrative board she stated,
+with stern emotion: "I do not intend that it shall be possible in this
+hospital for men and women to be sacrificed simply because doctors are
+unwilling to avail themselves of the latest resources of brilliant
+individual discernment. I know what it means to see a beloved one die,
+who might have been saved had the physician in charge been willing to
+try new expedients. The doors of this hospital must be ever open to
+rising unconventional talent. There shall be no creeds nor caste of
+medicine here."
+
+She also specified that the matron in charge of the hospital should be
+Mrs. Earle, whose lack of trained experience was more than
+counterbalanced by her maternal, humanitarian spirit, as Selma expressed
+it. She felt confident that Mrs. Earle would choose as her assistants
+competent and skilful persons, and at the same time that her broad point
+of view and sympathetic instincts would not allow her to turn a deaf ear
+to aspiring but technically ignorant ability. This selection of Mrs.
+Earle was a keen pleasure to Selma. It seemed to her an ideal selection.
+Mrs. Earle was no longer young, and was beginning to find the constant
+labor of lecture and newspaper work exhausting. This dignified and
+important post would provide her with a permanent income, and would
+afford her an attractive field for her progressive capabilities.
+
+Selma's choice of young Dr. Ashmun as the head of the medical board was
+due to a statement which came to her ears, that he was reviled by some
+of the physicians of Benham because he had patented certain discoveries
+of his own instead of giving his fellow-practitioners the benefit of his
+knowledge. Selma was prompt to detect in this hostility an envious
+disposition on the part of the regular physicians to appropriate the
+fruits of individual cleverness and to repress youthful revolt against
+conventional methods. Dr. Ashmun regarded his selection as the
+professional chief of this new institution as a most auspicious
+occurrence from the standpoint of his personal fortunes. He was
+ambitious, ardent, and keen to attract attention, with an abundant fund
+of energy and a nervous, driving manner. He was, besides, good looking
+and fluent, and he quickly perceived the drift of Selma's intentions in
+regard to the hospital, and accommodated himself to them with
+enthusiasm. They afforded him the very opportunity which he most
+desired--the chance to assert himself against his critics, and to obtain
+public notice. The watchword of liberty and distrust of professional
+canons suited his purposes and his mood, and he threw himself eagerly
+into the work of carrying out Selma's projects.
+
+As a result of the selection of Dr. Ashmun and of the other members of
+the administrative board, who were chosen with a view to their
+availability as sympathetic colleagues, letters of protest from several
+physicians appeared in the newspapers complaining that the new hospital
+was being conducted on unscientific and shallow principles, disapproved
+of by the leading men of the profession. Selma was indignant yet
+thrilled. She promptly took steps to refute the charge, and explained
+that the hostility of these correspondents proceeded from envy and
+hide-bound reluctance to adopt new and revolutionizing expedients.
+Through the aid of Mrs. Earle and Miss Luella Bailey a double-leaded
+column in the Benham _Sentinel_ set forth the merits of the new
+departure in medicine, which was cleverly described as the revolt of the
+talented young men of the profession from the tyranny of their
+conservative elders. Benham became divided in opinion as to the merits
+of this controversy, and Selma received a number of anonymous letters
+through the post approving her stand in behalf of advanced, independent
+thought. Among the physicians who were opposed to her administration of
+the hospital she recognized with satisfaction the name of a Dr. Paget,
+who, as she happened to know, was Mrs. Hallett Taylor's medical adviser.
+
+Another matter in which Selma became interested was the case of Mrs.
+Hamilton. She was a woman who had been born in the neighborhood of
+Benham, but had lived for twenty years in England, and had been tried in
+England by due process of law for the murder of her husband and
+sentenced to imprisonment for life. Some of the people of the state who
+had followed the testimony as reported in the American newspapers had
+decided that she ought not to have been convicted. Accordingly a
+petition setting forth the opinion of her former neighbors that she was
+innocent of the charge, and should as an American citizen be released
+from custody, was circulated for signature. A public meeting was held
+and largely attended, at which it was resolved to send a monster
+petition to the British authorities with a request for Mrs. Hamilton's
+pardon, and also to ask the government at Washington to intercede on
+behalf of the unfortunate sufferer. The statement of the case appealed
+vividly to Selma, and at the public meeting, which was attended chiefly
+by women, she spoke, and offered the services of her husband to lay the
+matter before the President. It was further resolved to obtain the names
+of influential persons all over the country in order that the petition
+might show that the sentiment that injustice had been done was national
+as well as local.
+
+Selma espoused the case with ardor, and busied herself in obtaining
+signatures. She called on Miss Flagg and induced her to sign by the
+assurance that the verdict was entirely contrary to the evidence. She
+then had recourse to her former sister-in-law, conceiving that the
+signature of the President of Wetmore College would impress the English.
+She and Pauline had already exchanged visits, and Pauline had shown no
+umbrage at her marriage. The possibility of being rebuffed on this
+occasion did not occur to Selma. She took for granted that Pauline would
+be only too glad to give her support to so deserving a petition, and she
+considered that she was paying her a compliment in soliciting her name
+for insertion among the prominent signers. Pauline listened to her
+attentively, then replied:
+
+"I am sorry for the woman, if she is innocent: and if she has been
+falsely accused, of course she ought to be released. But what makes you
+think she is innocent, Selma?"
+
+"The testimony did not justify her conviction. Every one is of that
+opinion."
+
+"Have you read the testimony yourself, Selma?"
+
+"No, Pauline."
+
+"Or your husband?"
+
+"My husband is satisfied from what others have told him, just as I am,
+that this poor American woman is languishing in prison as the result of
+a cruel miscarriage of justice, and that she never committed the crime
+of which she has been found guilty. My husband has had considerable
+legal experience."
+
+Pauline's questions were nettling, and Selma intended by her response to
+suggest the presumptuousness of her sister-in-law's doubts in the face
+of competent authority.
+
+"I realize that your husband ought to understand about such matters, but
+may one suppose that the English authorities would deliberately allow an
+innocent woman to remain in prison? They must know that the friends of
+Mrs. Hamilton believe her innocent. Why should we on this side of the
+water meddle simply because she was born an American?"
+
+"Why?" Selma drew herself up proudly. "In the first place I believe--we
+believe--that the English are capable of keeping her in prison on a
+technicality merely because she is there already. They are worshippers
+of legal form and red tape, my husband says. And as to meddling, why is
+it not our duty as an earnest and Christian people to remonstrate
+against the continued incarceration of a woman born under our flag and
+accustomed to American ideas of justice? Meddling? In my opinion, we
+should be cowards and derelict in our duty if we did not protest."
+
+Pauline shook her head. "I cannot see it so. It seems to me an
+interference which may make us seem ridiculous in the eyes of the
+English, as well as offensive to them. I am sorry, Selma, not to be able
+to do as you wish."
+
+Selma rose with burning cheeks, but a stately air. "If that is your
+decision, I must do without your name. Already we have many signatures,
+and shall obtain hundreds more without difficulty. We look at things
+differently, Pauline. Our point of view has never been the same.
+Ridiculous? I should be proud of the ridicule of people too selfish or
+too unenlightened to heed the outcry of aspiring humanity. If we had to
+depend on your little set to strike the note of progress, I fear we
+should sit with folded hands most of the time."
+
+"I do not know what you mean by my little set," said Pauline with a
+smile. "I am too busy with my college duties to belong to any set. I see
+my friends occasionally just as you see yours; and as to progress--well,
+I fear that you are right in your statement that we shall never look at
+things alike. To me progress presupposes in the individual or the
+community attaining it a prelude of slow struggle, disheartening doubts,
+and modest reverence for previous results--for the accumulated wisdom of
+the past."
+
+"I mean by your set the people who think as you do. I understand your
+point of view. I should have liked," she added, "to ask you to share
+with me the responsibility of directing the policy of the Benham Free
+Hospital, had I not known that you would listen to the voice of
+conservative authority in preference to that of fearless innovation."
+
+"I certainly should have hesitated long before I overruled the
+experience of those who have devoted their lives to conscientious effort
+to discover truth."
+
+"That illustrates admirably the difference between us, Pauline. No one
+is more eager to aid the discovery of truth than I, but I believe that
+truth often is concealed from those who go on, day after day, following
+hum-drum routine, however conscientious. I recognized that Dr. Ashmun
+was a live man and had fresh ideas, so I chose him as our chief of
+staff, notwithstanding the doctors were unfriendly to him. As a result,
+my hospital has individuality, and is already a success. That's the sort
+of thing I mean. Good-by," she said, putting out her hand. "I don't
+expect to convert you, Pauline, to look at things my way, but you must
+realize by this time that it is the Benham way."
+
+"Yet the leading physicians of Benham disapprove of your plans for the
+management of the hospital," said Pauline firmly.
+
+"But the people of Benham approve of them. I prefer their sanction to
+that of a coterie of cautious, unenthusiastic autocrats."
+
+Selma, true to her intentions, did not return to Washington with her
+husband when Congress reassembled in December. While she was absorbed
+with her philanthropic plans in Benham, Lyons was performing his public
+duties; seeking to do the country good service, and at the right moment
+to attract attention to himself. The opportunity to make a speech along
+the line of his public professions in behalf of labor against corporate
+monopoly did not offer itself until late in the session. He improved the
+few minutes allowed him to such advantage that he was listened to with
+close attention, and was at once recognized as one of the persuasive and
+eloquent speakers of the minority. Before Congress adjourned he obtained
+another chance to take part in debate, by which he produced an equally
+favorable impression. The newspapers of the country referred approvingly
+to his cogent gift of statement and dignified style of delivery. Both
+the bills against which he spoke were passed by the Republican majority,
+but echoes of his words came back from some of their constituents, and
+Lyons was referred to as certain to be one of the strong men of the
+House if he returned to Congress. He went home at the close of the
+session in a contented frame of mind so far as his political prospects
+were concerned, but he was not free to enjoy the congratulations
+accorded him for the reason that his business ventures were beginning to
+give him serious solicitude. The trend of the stock market was again
+downward. In expectation of a rise from the previous depression, he had
+added to the line of shares which Williams & Van Horne were carrying for
+him. A slight rise had come, sufficient to afford him a chance to escape
+from the toils of Wall street without loss. But he needed a profit to
+rehabilitate his ventures in other directions--his investments in the
+enterprises of his own state, which had now for some months appeared
+quiescent, if not languishing, from a speculative point of view.
+Everything pointed, it was said, to a further advance as soon as
+Congress adjourned. So he had waited, and now, although the session was
+over, the stock market and financial undertakings of every sort appeared
+suddenly to be tottering. He had not been at home a month before prices
+of all securities began to shrink inordinately and the business horizon
+to grow murky with the clouds of impending disaster. To add to his
+worry, Lyons was conscious that he had pursued a fast and loose mental
+coarse in regard to the railroad bill in which his broker, Williams, was
+interested. He had given Williams to understand that he would try to see
+his way to support it; yet in view of his late prominence in Washington,
+as a foe of legislation in behalf of moneyed interests, he was more than
+ever averse to casting a vote in its favor. The bill had not been
+reached before adjournment, a result to which he had secretly
+contributed, but it was certain to be called up shortly after Congress
+reassembled. It disturbed him to feel that his affairs in New York were
+in such shape that Williams could embarrass him financially if he chose.
+It disturbed him still more that he appeared to himself to be guilty of
+bad faith. His conscience was troubled, and his favorite palliative of
+conciliation did not seem applicable to the case.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+Until this time the course of financial events in Benham since its
+evolution from a sleepy country town began had been steadily prosperous.
+There had been temporary recessions in prices, transient haltings in the
+tendency of new local undertakings to double and quadruple in value. A
+few rash individuals, indeed, had been forced to suspend payments and
+compound with their creditors. But there had been no real set back to
+commercial enthusiasm and speculative gusto. Those who desired to borrow
+money for progressive enterprises had found the banks accommodating and
+unsuspicious, and to Benham initiative it yet appeared that the
+development of the resources of the neighborhood by the unwearying,
+masterful energy of the citizens was still in its infancy.
+
+But now, after a few months of inactivity, which holders of speculative
+securities had spoken of as another healthy breathing spell, the
+tendency of prices had changed. Had not merely halted, but showed a
+radical tendency to shrink; even to tumble feverishly. Buyers were
+scarce, and the once accommodating banks displayed a heartless
+disposition to scrutinize collateral and to ask embarrassing questions
+in regard to commercial paper. Rates of interest on loans were
+ruthlessly advanced, and additional security demanded. A pall of
+dejection hung over Benham. Evil days had come; days the fruit of a long
+period of inflation. A dozen leading firms failed and carried down with
+them diverse small people. Amid the general distrust and anxiety all
+eyes were fixed on Wall street, the so-called money centre of the
+country, the Gehenna where this cyclone had first manifested itself. The
+newspapers, voicing Benham public opinion, cast vituperation at the
+bankers and brokers of Wall street, whose unholy jugglings with fortune
+had brought this commercial blight on the community. Wall street had
+locked up money; consequently funds were tight in Benham, and the plans
+of its honest burghers to promote enterprise and develop the lawful
+industries of the country were interrupted. So spoke public opinion,
+and, at the same time, hundreds of private letters were being despatched
+through the Benham Post Office in response to requests for more margins
+on stocks held for the honest burghers by the fraternity of Wall street
+gamblers. There was private wailing and gnashing of teeth also, for in
+the panic a few of these bankers and brokers had been submerged, and the
+collateral of Benham's leading citizens had been swept away.
+
+The panic itself was brief as panics always are, but it left behind it
+everywhere a paralyzed community. So far as Benham was concerned, only a
+few actually failed, but, in a host of instances, possessors of property
+who had thought themselves wealthy a year before found that they were
+face to face with the knotty problem of nursing their dwarfed resources
+so as to avoid eventual insolvency. Everything had shrunk fifty--often
+one hundred--per cent., for the basis of Benham's semi-fabulous
+development had been borrowed money. Many of Benham's leading citizens
+were down to hard pan, so to speak. Their inchoate enterprises were
+being carried by the banks on the smallest margins consistent with the
+solvency of those institutions, and clear-headed men knew that months of
+recuperation must elapse before speculative properties would show life
+again. Benham was consequently gloomy for once in despite of its native
+buoyancy. It would have arisen from the ashes of a fire as strenuous as
+a young lion. But, with everybody's stocks and merchandise pledged to
+the money lenders, enterprise was gripped by the throat. In the pride of
+its prosperity Benham had dreamed that it was a law unto itself, and
+that even Wall street could not affect its rosy commercial destinies. It
+appeared to pious owners of securities almost as though God had deserted
+his chosen city of a chosen country.
+
+Lyons was among those upon whom the harrow of this fall in prices and
+subsequent hand-to-mouth struggle with the banks pressed with unpleasant
+rigor. In business phraseology he was too much extended. Consequently,
+as the margins of value of the securities on which he had borrowed
+dropped away, he was kept on tenter-hooks as to the future. In case the
+process of shrinkage went much further, he would be required to supply
+more collateral; and, if the rate of money did not fall, the banks would
+refuse to renew his notes as they became due, unless he could furnish
+clear evidence of his solvency. He was owing over one hundred and fifty
+thousand dollars on paper secured only by the stock and bonds of
+brand-new enterprises, which had no market negotiability. From the money
+which he had borrowed he had sent, from time to time, to Williams and
+Van Horne an aggregate of forty thousand dollars to protect some two
+thousand shares of railroad stocks. Williams had especially commended
+the shares of the coal-carrying roads to his attention, and the drop in
+prices had been uniformly severe in these properties. Instead of being
+the possessor of a stable quarter of a million, which he considered to
+be the value of his property at the time of his election to Congress,
+Lyons suddenly realized that he was on the brink of a serious financial
+collapse through which he might lose everything before he could
+discharge his liabilities. It seemed cruel to him, for he believed that
+all his ventures were sound, and that if he were not forced to sacrifice
+his possessions, their future value would attest his sagacity. But at
+present the securities of speculative enterprises were practically
+worthless as procurers of ready money. The extreme circumstances had
+come upon him with startling rapidity, so that he found himself in the
+unpleasant predicament of having used for temporary relief some of the
+bonds belonging to the Parsons estate which he held as executor. He had
+forwarded these to Williams merely as a matter of convenience before he
+had become anxious, expecting to be able to replace them with funds
+coming to him within thirty days from a piece of real estate for which
+he had received an offer. He had held off in the hope of obtaining a
+higher price. The following week, when signs of danger were multiplying,
+he had found the would-be purchaser unwilling to buy at any price.
+Realizing the compromising position in which he had placed himself by
+his action, he had cast about feverishly for the means to redeem the
+hypothecated securities, but all his resources were taxed of a sudden by
+the advent of the panic. It occurred to him to ask Selma to allow
+substitution of the twenty thousand dollars, which had been apportioned,
+to her as her legacy, for the bonds, but at first he had shrunk from the
+mortification of disclosing his condition to her, and now that the
+situation had developed, he feared that he might be obliged to borrow
+this money from her for the protection of his other interests. It gave
+him sore concern that he, a champion of moral ideas, a leading church
+member, and a Representative of the Federal Government should be put in
+such an equivocal position. Here again there was no opportunity for
+conciliation, and dignified urbanity was of no avail. If the condition
+of drooping prices and general distrust, a sort of commercial dry-rot,
+which had succeeded the panic, continued much longer he would be driven
+to the wall unless relief were forthcoming. Nor was it much consolation
+that many others were on the verge of failure. Financial insolvency for
+him would mean the probable loss of his seat in Congress, and the
+serious interruption of his political career. From what source could he
+hope for relief? The preparations for the autumn campaign were already
+being considered, and there was likelihood of another close contest
+between the two political parties. But for the worry occasioned by his
+plight, he would have resumed the contest with hopeful ardor,
+appreciating that the pecuniary distress of the community would be
+likely to work to his advantage. His own nomination was assured; his
+re-election appeared probable. But after it what could he expect but the
+deluge?
+
+One source of the effectiveness of Horace Elton was that he was wont to
+exercise foresight, and make his plans in advance while other men were
+slumbering. He had been prepared for the panic because he had been
+expecting it for more than a year, and the ship of his financial
+fortunes was close reefed to meet the fury of the overdue gale. Also he
+was quick to recognize that the wide-spread depreciation of values would
+inevitably be followed by a period of business inactivity which would
+throw out of employment a large number of wage earners whose ballots as
+a consequence would be cast against the political party in power. As far
+back as the time when he made the acquaintance of Selma at Washington
+and selected her as the wearer of his cameo pin, he had been incubating
+on a scheme for the consolidation of the gas companies in the cities and
+towns of the state into one large corporation. For this corporation he
+required a liberal charter, which the next legislature would be invited
+to grant. He expected to be able to procure this franchise from the
+legislature, but he judged that the majority in favor of the bill would
+not be large enough to pass it over the Governor's veto. Accordingly it
+was of the first importance that the Governor should be friendly to the
+measure.
+
+This was the year of the Presidential election. Both political parties
+were seeking to nominate their strongest candidates for the various
+federal and state offices. A promoter of large business schemes was at a
+disadvantage in a campaign where party feelings ran high and national
+issues were involved, and Elton knew it. He commonly chose an off year
+in politics for the consummation of his business deals. But he had
+chosen to push his bill this year for the reason that he wished to be in
+a position to buy out the sub-companies cheaply. The community was
+pressed for ready money, and many men who would be slow in prosperous
+times to extract gas shares from their tin boxes and stockings would be
+glad to avail themselves of a reasonable cash offer. Elton was a
+Republican on national issues. His experience had been that the
+Republican Party was fundamentally friendly to corporations, in spite of
+occasional pious ejaculations in party platforms to the contrary. He had
+a Republican candidate for Governor in mind who would be faithful to his
+interests; but this candidate was put aside in the convention in
+deference to the sentiment that only a man of first-rate mental and
+moral calibre could command the allegiance of independent voters, whose
+co-operation seemed essential to party success. The Republican state
+convention was held three weeks prior to the date fixed for that of
+their opponents. Within twenty-four hours subsequent to the nomination
+of Hon. John Patterson as the Republican candidate for Governor, while
+the party organs were congratulating the public on his selection, and
+the leaders of the party were endeavoring to suppress the murmurs of the
+disappointed lower order of politicians who, in metaphorical phrase,
+felt that they were sewed up in a sack for another two years by the
+choice of this strong citizen, one of the most widely circulated
+democratic newspapers announced in large type on its front page that
+Hon. James O. Lyons was the only Democrat who could defeat him in the
+gubernatorial contest. Behind the ledger sheet of this newspaper--which
+was no other than the Benham _Sentinel_--lurked the keen intelligence of
+Horace Elton. He knew that the candidate of his own party would never
+consent to indicate in advance what his action on the gas bill would be,
+and that he would only prejudice his chances of obtaining favorable
+action when the time arrived by any attempt to forestall a decision.
+This did not suit Horace Elton. He was accustomed to be able to obtain
+an inkling before election that legislation in which he was interested
+would not encounter a veto. His measures were never dishonest. That is,
+he never sought to foist bogus or fraudulent undertakings upon the
+community. He was seeking, to be sure, eventual emolument for himself,
+but he believed that the franchise which he was anxious to obtain would
+result in more progressive and more effectual public service. He had
+never before felt obliged to refrain from asking direct or indirect
+assurance that his plans would be respected by the Governor. Yet he had
+foreseen the possibility of just such an occurrence. The one chance in a
+hundred had happened and he was ready for it. He intended to contribute
+to the Republican national campaign fund, but he did not feel that the
+interests of his State would suffer if he used all the influences at his
+command to secure a Governor who would be friendly to his scheme, and
+Congressman Lyons appeared to him the most available man for his
+purpose.
+
+It had already occurred to Lyons that his nomination as Governor was a
+possibility, for the leaders of the party were ostensibly looking about
+for a desirable Democrat with whom to confront Patterson, and had shown
+an intention to turn a cold shoulder on the ambition of several
+aspirants for this honor who might have been encouraged in an ordinary
+year as probable victors. He knew that his name was under consideration,
+and he had made up his mind that he would accept the nomination if it
+were offered to him. He would regret the interruption of his
+Congressional career, but he felt that his election as Governor in a
+presidential year after a close contest would make him the leader of the
+party in the State, and, in case the candidate of his party were chosen
+President, would entitle him to important recognition from the new
+administration. Moreover, if he became Governor, his financial status
+would be strengthened. The banks would be more likely to accommodate one
+in such a powerful position, and he might be able to keep his head above
+water until better times brought about a return of public confidence and
+a recovery in prices. Yet he felt by no means sure that even as Governor
+he could escape betraying his financial embarrassment, and his mind was
+so oppressed by the predicament in which he found himself that he made
+no effort on his own part to cause the party leaders to fix their choice
+on him. Nor did he mention the possibility of his selection to Selma.
+Mortification and self-reproach had made him for the moment inert as to
+his political future, and reluctant to confide his troubles to her.
+
+The clarion declaration of the Benham _Sentinel_ in favor of Lyons
+evoked sympathetic echoes over the State, which promptly convinced the
+political chieftains that he was the strongest candidate to pit against
+Patterson. The enthusiasm caused by the suggestion of his name spread
+rapidly, and at the end of a week his nomination at the convention was
+regarded as certain.
+
+The championship of the _Sentinel_ was a complete surprise to Selma. She
+had assumed that her husband would return to Washington, and that
+political promotion for the present was out of the question. When she
+saw her husband's features looking out at her from a large cut on the
+front page of the morning newspaper, and read the conspicuous heading
+which accompanied it--"The _Sentinel_ nominates as Governor the Hon.
+James O. Lyons of Benham, the most eloquent orator and most
+public-spirited citizen of the State"--her heart gave a bound, and she
+eagerly asked herself, "Why not?" That was just what they needed, what
+she needed to secure her hold on the social evolution of Benham. As the
+wife of the Governor of the State she would be able to ignore the people
+who held aloof from her, and introduce the reforms in social behavior on
+which her heart was set.
+
+"James, have you seen this?" she asked, eagerly.
+
+Lyons was watching her from across the breakfast table. He had seen it,
+and had laid the newspaper within her reach.
+
+"Yes, dear. It is very complimentary, isn't it?"
+
+"But what does it mean? Are you to be Governor? Did you know of it,
+James?"
+
+"I knew that my name, with others, had been mentioned by those who were
+looking for a candidate whom we can elect. But this nomination of the
+_Sentinel_ comes from a clear sky. Would you like to have me Governor,
+Selma?"
+
+"Yes, indeed. If the chance is offered you, James, you will surely
+accept it. It would please me immensely to see you Governor. We should
+not be separated then part of the year, and--and I should be able here
+in Benham to help you as your wife ought to help you. I know," she
+added, "that you have been looking forward to the next session of
+Congress, in the hope of distinguishing yourself, but isn't this a finer
+opportunity? Doesn't it open the door to splendid possibilities?"
+
+Lyons nodded. His wife's eager presentation of the case confirmed his
+own conclusions. "It is an important decision to make," he said, with
+gravity. "If I am not elected, I shall have lost my place in the
+Congressional line, and may find difficulty in recovering it later. But
+if the party needs me, if the State needs me, I must not think of that.
+I cannot help being gratified, encouraged by the suggestion that my
+fellow-citizens of my political faith are turning to me as their
+standard-bearer at this time when great public issues are involved. If I
+can serve God and my country in this way, and at the same time please
+you, my wife, what can I ask better?"
+
+He spoke with genuine feeling and reverence, for it was in keeping with
+his religious tendencies to recognize in advance the solemn
+responsibilities of high office, and to picture himself as the agent of
+the heavenly powers. This attitude of mind always found Selma
+sympathetic and harmonious. Her eyes kindled with enthusiasm, and she
+replied:
+
+"You view the matter as I would have you view it, James. If this trust
+is committed to us by Providence, it is our duty to accept it as lovers
+of our country and promoters of true progress."
+
+"It would seem so. And in some ways," he said, as though he felt the
+impulse to be reasonably frank toward Providence in his acceptance of
+the trust, "my election as Governor would be advantageous to my
+political and business interests. I have not sought the office," he
+added with dignified unction, "but my knowledge of local conditions
+leads me to believe that this action of the _Sentinel_ signifies that
+certain powerful influences are working in my favor. I shall be able to
+tell you more accurately in regard to this before long."
+
+Lyons happened to know that the Benham _Sentinel_ had enlarged its plant
+two years previous, and that Horace Elton was still the holder of its
+notes for borrowed money. The transaction had passed through his bank,
+and in the course of his mental search for reasons to account for the
+sudden flat-footed stand of the newspaper, the thought came into his
+mind and dwelt there that Elton was at the bottom of it. If so, what was
+Elton's reason? Why should Elton, a Republican, desire his nomination?
+Surely not to compass his defeat.
+
+In this connection Elton's friendship and the prophecy made to Selma as
+to his political future occurred to him and forbade an invidious
+supposition. "Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and thou shalt be what thou
+art promised!" Lyons left Selma with the conviction that he would find
+Elton to be mainly responsible for what had taken place. Shortly after
+reaching his office he received a note from him asking for an
+appointment. Punctually at twelve o'clock Elton arrived and was shown
+into Lyons's private room. Lyons gave orders that he was not to be
+disturbed, for he believed that the results of the interview were likely
+to have a serious bearing on his career as a statesman.
+
+Both men were of heavy physique, but as they sat facing each other an
+observer would have remarked that Elton's visage possessed a clean-cut
+compactness of expression despite its rotund contour. His closely
+trimmed whiskers, his small, clear, penetrating eyes, and the effect of
+neatness conveyed by his personal appearance were so many external
+indications of his mental lucidity and precision.
+
+In contrast Lyons's moon-shaped face, emphasized by its smooth-shaven
+mobile mouth, below which his almost white chin beard hung pendent,
+expressed a curious interplay of emotional sanctity, urbane shrewdness,
+and solemn self-importance.
+
+"Governor Lyons, at your service," said Elton, regarding him steadily.
+
+"Do you think so?"
+
+"I know so, if you desire it."
+
+"The nomination, you mean?"
+
+"The election by a comfortable majority."
+
+Lyons breathed hard with satisfaction. "If the people of the State
+choose to confide their interests to my custody, I shall not refuse to
+serve them."
+
+"So I supposed. You may be wondering, Lyons, why I, a Republican, should
+be talking like this. I will tell you. Observation has led me to believe
+that the people of this State will elect a Democratic Governor this
+year. The hard times will hurt the administration. Consequently, as your
+friend and my own friend, I have taken the liberty to indicate to the
+managers of your party their strongest man. I am responsible for what
+you saw on the front page of the _Sentinel_ this morning. There need not
+be much difficulty," he added, significantly, "in securing emphatic
+endorsement throughout the State of the _Sentinel's_ preference."
+
+Lyons looked grave. "You must be aware that our views on public
+questions--especially those which concern the relations of capital and
+labor--are not the same."
+
+"Certainly. I tell you frankly that while, from a humanitarian point of
+view, I respect your desire to relieve the inequalities of modern
+civilization, as a business man and a man of some property I do not
+regard the remedies presented by your party platform as just or
+adequate. I recognize that your opinions are hostile to corporate
+interests, but I have gathered also that you are disposed to be
+reasonable and conciliatory; that you are not inclined to regard all men
+and all measures as dangerous, merely because they have means or are
+introduced in the name of capital."
+
+"It has always seemed to me that a conciliatory spirit secures the most
+definite results for the public," assented Lyons.
+
+"Precisely. See here, Lyons," Elton said, leaning forward across the
+table at which they were sitting, "I wish to be entirely frank with you.
+You know me well enough to understand that I have not offered you my
+support in any philanthropic spirit. I could not have deceived you as to
+this had I tried. I am a practical man, and have an axe to grind. I am
+urging your election as Governor because I believe you to possess
+intelligent capacity to discriminate between what is harmful to the
+community and what is due to healthy, individual enterprise--the energy
+which is the sap of American citizenship. We capitalists have no fear of
+an honest man, provided he has the desire and the ability to protect
+legitimate business acumen against the slander of mere demagogues. I
+have a bill here," he added, drawing a printed document from his pocket,
+"which I am desirous to see passed by the next legislature. It embodies
+a charter authorizing the acquisition and merger in one corporation of
+all the gas companies of this State, and an extension of corporate
+powers so as to cover all forms of municipal lighting. Were your hands
+not tied by your prospective election, I should be glad to offer you an
+opportunity to become one of the incorporators, for I believe that the
+undertaking will be lucrative. That, of course, is out of the question.
+Now then, this is a perfectly honest bill. On its face, to be sure, it
+secures a valuable franchise for the petitioners, and consequently may
+encounter some opposition. But, on the other hand, no one who considers
+the matter candidly and closely can fail to recognize that the great
+public will secure cheaper gas and more efficient service as the result
+of the consolidation. And there is where I felt that I could count on
+your intelligence. You would not allow the plea that capitalists were
+interested in obtaining a profitable franchise to obscure the more vital
+consideration that the community will be the true gainers."
+
+Lyons bowed graciously, and stroked his beard. "What is it you wish me
+to do?" he asked.
+
+"To read the bill in the first place; to convince yourself that what I
+have told you is true; to satisfy yourself that the measure is
+essentially harmless. The bill is not long. Read it now and let me hear
+your objections. I have some papers here to look over which will occupy
+me a quarter of an hour, if you can spare me the time."
+
+Lyons acquiesced, and proceeded to peruse slowly the document. When he
+had finished it he folded it solemnly and returned it to Elton. "It is a
+bill framed in the interest of capital, but I cannot say that the public
+will be prejudiced by it. On the contrary, I should judge that the price
+of gas in our cities and towns would be lowered as a consequence of the
+reduction in running expenses caused by the projected consolidation.
+What is it that you wish me to do?"
+
+"Agree to sign the bill as it now stands if it passes the legislature."
+
+Lyons rested his head on his hand and his mouth moved tremulously. "If I
+am elected governor," he said, "I wish to serve the people honestly and
+fearlessly."
+
+"I am sure of it. I ask you to point out to me in what manner this bill
+trenches upon the rights of the people. You yourself have noted the
+crucial consequence: It will lower the price of gas. If at the same time
+I am benefited financially, why should I not reap the reasonable reward
+of my foresight?"
+
+"I will sign the bill, Elton, if it comes to me for signature. I may be
+criticised at first, but the improved public service and reduction of
+the gas bills will be my justification, and show that I have not been
+unmindful of the interests of the great public whose burdens my party is
+seeking to lighten."
+
+"I shall count on you, then," said Elton, after a pause. "The failure of
+the bill at the last stage when I was expecting its passage might affect
+my affairs seriously."
+
+"If the legislature does its part, I will do mine," responded Lyons,
+augustly. "I will sign the bill if it comes to me in the present form."
+
+"I thank you, Governor."
+
+Lyons looked confused but happy at the appellation.
+
+"By the way," said Elton, after he had returned the papers to his
+pocket, "these are trying times for men with financial obligations. It
+is my custom to be frank and not to mince matters where important
+interests are concerned. A candidate for office in this campaign will
+need the use of all his faculties if he is to be successful. I should be
+very sorry for the sake of my bill to allow your mind to be distracted
+by solicitude in regard to your private affairs. Some of the best and
+most prudent of our business men are pressed to-day for ready money. I
+am in a position to give you temporary assistance if you require it. In
+justice to my interests you must not let delicacy stand in the way of
+your accepting my offer."
+
+Lyons's bosom swelled with the tide of returning happiness. He had
+scarcely been able to believe his ears. Yet here was a definite,
+spontaneous proposition to remove the incubus which weighed upon his
+soul. Here was an opportunity to redeem the bonds of the Parsons estate
+and to repair his damaged self-respect. It seemed to him as though the
+clouds of adversity which had encompassed him had suddenly been swept
+away, and that Providence was smiling down at him as her approved and
+favorite son. His emotion choked his speech. His lip trembled and his
+eyes looked as though they would fill with tears. After a brief pause he
+articulated that he was somewhat pressed for ready money. Some
+explanation of his affairs followed, the upshot of which was that Elton
+agreed to indorse Lyons's promissory notes held by the banks to the
+amount of $60,000, and to accept as collateral for a personal loan of
+$40,000 certain securities of new local enterprises which had no present
+marketable value. By this arrangement his property was amply protected
+from sacrifice; he would be able to adjust his speculative account in
+New York; and he could await with a tranquil soul the return of
+commercial confidence. Lyons's heart was overflowing with satisfaction.
+He pressed Elton's hand and endeavored to express his gratitude with
+appropriate grandiloquence. But Elton disclaimed the obligation,
+asserting that he had acted merely from self-interest to make the
+election of his candidate more certain.
+
+The loan of $40,000 was completed within forty-eight hours, and before
+the end of another week Lyons had rescued the bonds of the Parsons
+estate from pawn, and disposed of his line of stocks carried by Williams
+& Van Horne. They were sold at a considerable loss, but he made up his
+mind to free his soul for the time being from the toils and torment of
+speculation and to nurse his dwarfed resources behind the bulwark of
+Elton's relief fund until the financial situation cleared. He felt as
+though he had grown ten years younger, and without confiding to Selma
+the details of these transactions he informed her ecstatically that,
+owing to certain important developments, due partly to the friendliness
+of Horace Elton, the outlook for their future advancement had never been
+so bright. When a month later he was nominated as Governor he threw
+himself into the contest with the convincing ardor of sincere,
+untrammelled faith in the reforms he was advocating. His speeches
+reflected complete concentration of his powers on the issues of the
+campaign and evoked enthusiasm throughout the State by their eloquent
+arraignment of corporate rapacity at the expense of the sovereign
+people. In several of his most telling addresses he accused the national
+administration of pandering to the un-American gamblers who bought and
+sold stocks in Wall street.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+Lyons was chosen Governor by a large majority, as Elton had predicted.
+The Republican Party was worsted at the polls and driven out of power
+both at Washington and in the State. Lyons ran ahead of his ticket,
+receiving more votes than the presidential electors. The campaign was
+full of incidents grateful to Selma's self esteem. Chief among these was
+the conspicuous allusions accorded her by the newspapers. The campaign
+itself was a fervid repetition of the stirring scenes of two years
+previous. Once more torch-light processions in vociferous serried
+columns attested the intensity of party spirit. Selma felt herself an
+adept through her former experience, and she lost no opportunity to show
+herself in public and bear witness to her devotion to her husband's
+cause. It pleased her to think that the people recognized her when she
+appeared on the balcony or reviewing stand, and that her presence evoked
+an increase of enthusiasm.
+
+But the newspaper publicity was even more satisfying, for it centred
+attention unequivocally on her. Columns of descriptive matter relative
+to her husband's personality began to appear as soon as it became
+obvious that he was to be Governor. These articles aimed to be
+exhaustive in their character, covering the entire scope of his past
+life, disclosing pitiless details in regard to his habits, tastes, and
+private concerns. Nothing which could be discovered or ferreted out was
+omitted; and most of these biographies were illuminated by a variety of
+more or less hideous cuts showing, for example, his excellency as he
+looked as a school boy, his excellency as a fledgling attorney, the
+humble home where his excellency was born, and his excellency's present
+stately but hospitable residence on Benham's River Drive. Almost every
+newspaper in the State took its turn at contributing something which it
+conceived to be edifying to this reportorial budget. And after the
+Governor, came the turn of the Governor's lady, as she was called.
+
+Selma liked best the articles devoted exclusively to herself; where she
+appeared as the special feature of the newspaper issue, not merely as an
+adjunct to her husband. But she liked them all, and she was most
+benignant in her reception of the several newspaper scribes, principally
+of her own sex, who sought an interview for the sake of copy. She
+withheld nothing in regard to her person, talents, household, or tastes
+which would in her opinion be effective in print. She had a photograph
+of herself taken in simple, domestic matronly garb to supplement those
+which she already possessed, one of which revealed the magnificence of
+the attire she wore at the President's Reception; another portrayed
+Littleton's earnest bride, and still a fourth disclosed her as the
+wistful, aspiring school-mistress on the threshold of womanhood. These,
+and the facts appropriate to them, she meted out to her biographers from
+time to time, lubricating her amiable confidences with the assertion
+that both she and her husband felt that the people were entitled to be
+made familiar with the lives of their public representatives. As the
+result of her gracious behavior, her willingness to supply interesting
+details concerning herself, and her flattering tendency to become
+intimate on the spot with the reporters who visited her, the newspaper
+articles in most cases were in keeping with Selma's prepossessions.
+Those which pleased her most emphasized in the first place her
+intellectual gifts and literary talents, intimating delicately that she
+had refused brilliant offers for usefulness with her pen and on the
+lecture platform in order to become the wife of Congressman Lyons, to
+whom her counsel and high ideals of public service were a constant
+stimulus. Emphasized in the second place her husband's and her own pious
+tastes, and strong religious convictions, to which their constant church
+attendance and the simple sanctity of their American home bore
+testimony. Emphasized in the third place--reproducing ordinarily a
+sketch and cut of her drawing-room--her great social gifts and graces,
+which had made her a leader of society in the best sense of the word
+both in Benham and in New York. A few of the articles stated in
+judicious terms that she had been twice a widow. Only one of them set
+this forth in conspicuous and opprobrious terms: "Her Third Husband! Our
+Chief Magistrate's Wife's Many Marriages!" Such was the unsympathetic,
+alliterative heading of the malicious statement which appeared in an
+opposition organ. It did no more than recall the fact that she had
+obtained a divorce from her first husband, who had in his despair taken
+to drink, and intimate that her second husband had not been altogether
+happy. Selma wept when she read the article. She felt that it was cruel
+and uncalled for; that it told only half the truth and traduced her
+before the American people. She chose to conceive that it had been
+inspired by Pauline and Mrs. Hallett Taylor, neither of whom had sent
+her a word of congratulation on her promotion to be the Governor's wife.
+Who but Pauline knew that her marriage with Littleton had not been
+completely harmonious? Who but Mrs. Taylor or one of her set would have
+the malice to insinuate that she had been merciless to Babcock? This was
+one libel in a long series of complimentary productions. The
+representation of the family group was made complete by occasional
+references to the Governor elect's mother--"Mother Lyons, the venerable
+parent of our chief magistrate." Altogether Selma felt that the picture
+presented to the public was a truthful and inspiring record of pious and
+enterprising American life, which showed to the community that its
+choice of a Governor had been wise and was merited.
+
+Close upon the election and these eulogistic biographies came the
+inauguration, with Lyons's eloquent address. Selma, of course, had
+special privileges--a reserved gallery in the State House, to which she
+issued cards of admission to friends of her own selection. Occupying in
+festal attire the centre of this conspicuous group, she felt that she
+was the cynosure of every eye. She perceived that she was constantly
+pointed out as the second personage of the occasion. To the few
+legislators on the floor whom she already knew she took pains to bow
+from her seat with gracious cordiality, intending from the outset to aid
+her husband by captivating his friends and conciliating the leaders of
+the opposition party. On her way to and from the gallery she was joined
+by several members, to each of whom she tried to convey subtly the
+impression that she purposed to take an earnest interest in legislative
+affairs, and that her husband would be apt to consult her in regard to
+close questions. On the morning after the inauguration she had the
+satisfaction of seeing her own portrait side by side with that of her
+husband on the front page of two newspapers, a flattering indication, as
+she believed, that the press already recognized her value both as a
+helpmate to him and an ornament to the State. She took up her life as
+the Governor's lady feeling that her talents and eagerness to do good
+had finally prevailed and that true happiness at last was in store for
+her. She was satisfied with her husband and recognized his righteous
+purpose and capacity as a statesman, but she believed secretly that his
+rapid success was due in a large measure to her genius. Her prompting
+had inspired him to make a notable speech in his first Congress. Her
+charms and clever conversation had magnetized Mr. Elton so that he had
+seen fit to nominate him for Governor. A fresh impulse to her
+self-congratulation that virtue and ability were reaping their reward
+was given a few weeks later by the announcement which Lyons read from
+the morning newspaper that the firm of Williams & Van Horne had failed
+disastrously. The circumstances attending their down-fall were
+sensational. It appeared that Van Horne, the office partner, who managed
+the finances, had shot himself as the culmination of a series of
+fraudulent hypothecations of securities and misrepresentations to which
+it was claimed that Williams was not a party. The firm had been
+hopelessly insolvent for months, and had been forced to the wall at last
+by a futile effort on the part of Van Horne to redeem the situation by a
+final speculation on a large scale. It had failed owing to the
+continuation of the state of dry rot in the stock market, and utter ruin
+followed.
+
+The regret which Lyons entertained as he read aloud the tragic story was
+overshadowed in his mind by his own thankfulness that he had redeemed
+the bonds and settled his account with them before the crash came. He
+was so absorbed by his own emotions that he failed to note the
+triumphant tone of his wife's ejaculation of amazement. "Failed!
+Williams & Van Horne failed! Oh, how did it happen? I always felt sure
+that they would fail sooner or later."
+
+Selma sat with tightly folded hands listening to the exciting narrative,
+which Lyons read for her edification with the urbanely mournful emphasis
+of one who has had a narrow escape. He stopped in the course of it to
+relieve any solicitude which she might be feeling in regard to his
+dealings with the firm, by the assertion that he had only two months
+previous closed out his account owing to the conviction that prudent
+investors were getting under cover. This assurance gave the episode a
+still more providential aspect in Selma's eyes. In the first flush of
+her gratitude that Flossy had been superbly rebuked for her frivolous
+existence, she had forgotten that they were her husband's brokers.
+Moreover the lack of perturbation in his manner was not calculated to
+inspire alarm. But the news that Lyons had been shrewd enough to escape
+at the twelfth hour without a dollar's loss heightened the justice of
+the situation. She listened with throbbing pulses to the particulars.
+She could scarcely credit her senses that her irrepressible and
+light-hearted enemy had been confounded at last--confronted with
+bankruptcy and probable disgrace. She interrupted the reading to express
+her scepticism regarding the claim that Williams had no knowledge of the
+frauds.
+
+"How could he be ignorant? He must have known. He must have bribed the
+reporters to put that in so as to arouse the sympathy of some of their
+fashionable friends. Van Horne is dead, and the lips of the dead are
+sealed."
+
+Selma spoke with the confidence born of bitterness. She was pleased with
+her acumen in discerning the true inwardness of the case. Her husband
+nodded with mournful acquiescence. "It would seem," he said, "as if he
+must have had an inkling, at least, of what was going on."
+
+"Of course he had. Gregory Williams, with all his faults, was a
+wide-awake man. I always said that."
+
+Lyons completed the reading and murmured with a sigh, which was half
+pity, half grateful acknowledgment of his own good fortune--"It's a bad
+piece of business. I'm glad I had the sense to act promptly."
+
+Selma was ruminating. Her steel bright eyes shone with exultation. Her
+sense of righteousness was gratified and temporarily appeased. "They'll
+have to sell their house, of course, and give up their horses and
+steam-yacht? I don't see why it doesn't mean that Flossy and her husband
+must come down off their pedestal and begin over again? It follows,
+doesn't it, that the heartless set into which they have wormed their way
+will drop them like hot coals?"
+
+All these remarks were put by Selma in the slightly interrogative form,
+as though she were courting any argument to the contrary which could be
+adduced in order to knock it in the head. But Lyons saw no reason to
+differ from her verdict. "It means necessarily great mortification for
+them and a curtailment of their present mode of life," he said. "I am
+sorry for them."
+
+"Sorry? Of course, James, it is distressing to hear that misfortune has
+befallen any person of one's acquaintance, and so far as Gregory
+Williams himself is concerned I have no wish to see him punished simply
+because he has been worldly and vainglorious. You thought him able in a
+business way, and liked to meet him. But as for her, Flossy, his wife,"
+Selma continued, with a gasp, "it would be sheer hypocrisy for me to
+assert that I am sorry for her. I should deem myself unworthy of being
+considered an earnest-minded American woman if I did not maintain that
+this disgrace which has befallen them is the logical and legitimate
+consequence of their godless lives--especially of her frivolity and
+presumptuous indifference to spiritual influences. That woman, James, is
+utterly hostile to the things of the spirit. You have no conception--I
+have never told you, because he was your friend, and I was willing to
+let bygones be bygones on the surface on your account--you have no
+conception of the cross her behavior became to me in New York. From
+almost the first moment we met I saw that we were far apart as the poles
+in our views of the responsibilities of life. She sneered at everything
+which you and I reverence, and she set her face against true progress
+and the spread of American principles. She claimed to be my friend, and
+to sympathize with my zeal for social truth, yet all the time she was
+toadying secretly the people whose luxurious exclusiveness made me
+tremble sometimes for the future of our country. She and her husband
+were prosperous, and everything he touched seemed to turn to gold. It
+may sound irreverent, James, but there was a time during my life in New
+York when I was discouraged; when it seemed as though heaven were
+mocking me and my husband in our homely struggle against the forces of
+evil, and bestowing all its favors on a woman whose example was a menace
+to American womanhood! Sorry? Why should I be sorry to see justice
+triumph and shallow iniquity rebuked? I would give Florence Williams
+money if she is in want, but I am thankful, very thankful, that her
+heartless vanity has found its proper reward."
+
+Lyons fingered his beard. "I didn't know she was as bad as that, Selma.
+Now that they have come to grief, we are not likely to be brought in
+contact with them, and in all probability they will pass out of our
+lives. Williams was smart and entertaining, but I never liked his taking
+advantage of the circumstances of my having an account in his office to
+urge me to support a measure at variance with my political convictions."
+
+"Precisely. The trouble with them both, James, is that they have no
+conscience; and it is eminently just they should be made to realize that
+people who lack conscience cannot prosper in this country in the long
+run. 'They have loosed the awful lightnings of his terrible swift
+sword.'"
+
+"I say 'amen' to that assuredly, Selma," Lyons answered. His
+predilection to palliate equivocal circumstances was never proof against
+clear, evidence of moral delinquency. When his religious scruples were
+finally offended, he was grave and unrelenting.
+
+The downfall of the Williamses continued to be a sweet solace and source
+of encouragement to Selma. It made her, when taken in conjunction with
+her own recent progress, feel that the whirligig of time was working in
+her behalf after all; and that if she persevered, not merely Flossy, but
+all those who worshipped mammon, and consequently failed to recognize
+her talents, would be made to bite the dust. At the moment these enemies
+seemed to have infested Benham. Numerically speaking, they were
+unimportant, but they had established an irritating, irregular skirmish
+line, one end of which occupied Wetmore College, another held secret
+midnight meetings at Mrs. Hallett Taylor's. Rumors of various
+undertakings, educational, semi-political, artistic, or philanthropic,
+agitated or directed by this fringe of society, came to her ears from
+time to time, but she heard them as an outsider. When she became the
+Governor's wife she had said to herself that now these aristocrats would
+be compelled to admit her to their counsels. But she found, to her
+annoyance, that the election made no difference. Neither Pauline nor
+Mrs. Taylor nor any of the coterie had asked her to join them, and she
+was unpleasantly conscious that there were people on the River Drive who
+showed no more desire to make her acquaintance than when she had been
+Mrs. Lewis Babcock. What did this mean? It meant simply--she began to
+argue--that she must hold fast to her faith and bide her time. That if
+she and her friends kept a bold front and resisted the encroachments of
+this pernicious spirit, Providence would interfere presently and
+confound these enemies of social truth no less obviously than it had
+already overwhelmed Mrs. Gregory Williams. As the wife of the Governor,
+she was clearly in a position to maintain this bold front effectively.
+Every mail brought to her requests for her support, and the sanction of
+her signature to social or charitable enterprises. Her hospital was
+flourishing along the lines of the policy which she had indicated, and
+was feeling the advantage of her political prosperity. She was able to
+give the petition in behalf of Mrs. Hamilton, which contained now
+twenty-five thousand signatures, fresh value and solemnity by means of
+an autograph letter from the Governor's wife, countersigned by the
+Governor. This, with the bulky list of petitioners, she addressed and
+despatched directly to Queen Victoria. Her presence was in constant
+demand at all sorts of functions, at many of which she had the
+opportunity to make a few remarks; to express the welcome of the State,
+or to utter words of sympathy and encouragement to those assembled. In
+the second month of her husband's administration, she had the
+satisfaction of greeting, in her double capacity as newly-elected
+President of the Benham Institute and wife of the Governor, the
+Federation of Women's Clubs of the United States, on the occasion of its
+annual meeting at Benham. This federation was the incorporated fruit of
+the Congress of Women's Clubs, which Selma had attended as a delegate
+just previous to her divorce from Babcock, and she could not refrain
+from some exultation at the progress she had made since then as she sat
+wielding the gavel over the body of women delegates from every State in
+the Union. The meeting lasted three days. Literary exercises alternated
+with excursions to points of interest in the neighborhood, at all of
+which she was in authority, and the celebration was brought to a
+brilliant close by a banquet, to which men were invited. At this Selma
+acted as toastmaster, introducing the speakers of the occasion, which
+included her own husband. Lyons made a graceful allusion to her
+stimulating influence as a helpmate and her executive capacity, which
+elicited loud applause. Succeeding this meeting of the Federation of
+Women's Clubs came a series of semi-public festivities under the
+patronage of women--philanthropic, literary or social in character--for
+the fever to perpetuate in club form every congregation, of free-born
+citizens, except on election day, had seized Benham in common with the
+other cities of the country in its grasp, to each of which the
+Governor's wife was invited as the principal guest of honor. Selma thus
+found a dozen opportunities to exhibit herself to a large audience and
+testify to her faith in democratic institutions.
+
+On the 22d of February, Washington's birthday, she held a reception at
+their house on River Drive, for which cards had been issued a fortnight
+previous. She pathetically explained to the reporters that, had the
+dimensions and resources of her establishment permitted, she and the
+Governor would simply have announced themselves at home to the community
+at large; that they would have preferred this, but of course it would
+never do. The people would not be pleased to see a rabble confound the
+hospitality of the chief magistrate and his wife. The people demanded
+proper dignity from their representatives in office. The list of
+invitations which Selma sent out was, however, comprehensive. She aimed
+to invite everyone of social, public, commercial or political
+importance. A full band was in attendance, and a liberal collation was
+served. Selma confided to some of her guests, who, she thought, might
+criticise the absence of wine, that she had felt obliged, out of
+consideration for her husband's political prospects, to avoid wounding
+the feelings of total abstainers. The entertainment lasted from four to
+seven, and the three hours of hand-shaking provided a delicious
+experience to the hostess. She gloried in the consciousness that this
+crush of citizens, representing the leaders of the community in the
+widest sense, had been assembled by her social gift, and that they had
+come to offer their admiring homage to the clever wife of their
+Governor. It gratified her to think that Pauline and Mrs. Taylor and the
+people of that class, to all of whom she had sent cards, should behold
+her as the first lady of the State, and mistress of a beautiful home,
+dispensing hospitality on broad, democratic lines to an admiring
+constituency. When Mr. Horace Elton approached, Selma perpetrated a
+little device which she had planned. As they were in the act of shaking
+hands a very handsome rose fell--seemingly by chance--from the bouquet
+which she carried. He picked it up and tendered it to her, but Selma
+made him keep it, adding in a lower tone, "It is your due for the
+gallant friendship you have shown me and my husband." She felt as though
+she were a queen bestowing a guerdon on a favorite minister, and yet a
+woman rewarding in a woman's way an admirer's devotion. She meant Elton
+to appreciate that she understood that his interest in Lyons was largely
+due to his partiality for her. It seemed to her that she could recognize
+to this extent his chivalrous conduct without smirching her blameless
+record as an American housewife.
+
+Meantime the Governor was performing his public duties with becoming
+dignity and without much mental friction. The legislature was engaged in
+digesting the batch of miscellaneous business presented for its
+consideration, among which was Elton's gas consolidation bill. Already
+the measure had encountered some opposition in committee, but Lyons was
+led to believe that the bill would be passed by a large majority, and
+that its opponents would be conciliated before his signature was
+required. Lyons's reputation as an orator had been extended by his term
+in the House of Representatives and his recent active campaign, and he
+was in receipt of a number of invitations from various parts of the
+country to address august bodies in other States. All of these were
+declined, but when, in the month of April, opportunity was afforded him
+to deliver a speech on patriotic issues on the anniversary of the battle
+of Lexington, he decided, with Selma's approval, to accept the
+invitation. He reasoned that a short respite from the cares of office
+would be agreeable; she was attracted by the glamour of revisiting New
+York as a woman of note. New York had refused to recognize her
+superiority and to do her homage, and New York should realize her
+present status, and what a mistake had been made. The speech was a
+success, and the programme provided for the entertainment of the orator
+and his wife included the hospitality of several private houses. Selma
+felt that she could afford to hold her head high and not to thaw too
+readily for the benefit of a society which had failed to appreciate her
+worth when it had the chance. She was the wife now of one of the leading
+public men of the nation, and in a position to set fashions, not to ask
+favors. Nevertheless she chose on the evening before their return to
+Benham to show herself at dinner at Delmonico's, just to let the world
+of so-called fashion perceive her and ask who she was. There would
+doubtless be people there who knew her by sight, and who, when they were
+told that she was now the wife of Governor Lyons, would regret if not be
+ashamed of their short-sightedness and snobbery. She wore a striking
+dress; she encouraged her husband's willingness to order an elaborate
+dinner, including champagne (for they were in a champagne country), and
+she exhibited a sprightly mood, looking about her with a knowing air in
+observation of the other occupants of the dining-room.
+
+While she was thus engaged the entrance of a party of six, whom the head
+waiter conducted with a show of attention to a table which had evidently
+been reserved for them, fettered Selma's attention. She stared unable to
+believe her eyes, then flushed and looked indignant. Her attention
+remained rivetted on this party while they laid aside their wraps and
+seated themselves. Struck by the annoyed intensity of his wife's
+expression, Lyons turned to follow the direction of her gaze.
+
+"What is the matter?" he said.
+
+For a few moments Selma sat silent with compressed lips, intent on her
+scrutiny.
+
+"It's an outrage on decency," she murmured, at last. "How dare she show
+herself here and entertain those people?"
+
+"Of whom are you talking, Selma?"
+
+"The Williamses. Flossy Williams and her husband. The two couples with
+them live on Fifth Avenue, and used to be among her exclusive friends.
+Her husband has just ordered the dinner. I saw him give the directions
+to the waiter. It is monstrous that they, who only a few months ago
+failed disgracefully and were supposed to have lost everything, should
+be going on exactly as if nothing had happened."
+
+"People in New York have the faculty of getting on their feet again
+quickly after financial reverses," said Lyons, mildly. "Like as not some
+of Williams's friends have enabled him to make a fresh start."
+
+"So it seems," Selma answered, sternly. She sat back in her chair with a
+discouraged air and neglected her truffled chicken. "It isn't right; it
+isn't decent."
+
+Lyons was puzzled by her demeanor. "Why should you care what they do?"
+he asked. "We can easily avoid them for the future."
+
+"Because--because, James Lyons, I can't bear to see godless people
+triumph. Because it offends me to see a man and woman, who are
+practically penniless through their own evil courses, and should be
+discredited everywhere, able to resume their life of vanity and
+extravagance without protest."
+
+While she was speaking Selma suddenly became aware that her eyes had met
+those of Dr. George Page, who was passing their table on his way out.
+Recognition on both sides came at the same moment, and Selma turned in
+her chair to greet him, cutting off any hope which he may have had of
+passing unobserved. She was glad of the opportunity to show the company
+that she was on familiar terms with a man so well known, and she had on
+her tongue what she regarded as a piece of banter quite in keeping with
+his usual vein.
+
+"How d'y do, Dr. Page? We haven't met for a long time. You do not know
+my husband, Governor Lyons, I think. Dr. Page used to be our family
+physician when I lived in New York, James. Everyone here knows that he
+has a very large practice."
+
+Selma was disposed to be gracious and sprightly, for she felt that Dr.
+Page must surely be impressed by her appearance of prosperity.
+
+"I had heard of your marriage, and of your husband's election. I
+congratulate you. You are living in Benham, I believe, far from this
+hurly-burly?"
+
+"Yes, a little bird told me the other day that a no less distinguished
+person than Dr. Page had been seen in Benham twice during the last three
+months. Of course a Governor's wife is supposed to know everything which
+goes on, and for certain reasons I was very much interested to hear this
+bit of news. I am a very discreet woman, doctor. It shall go no
+further."
+
+The physician's broad brow contracted slightly, but his habitual
+self-control concealed completely the inclination to strangle his
+bright-eyed, over-dressed inquisitor. He was the last man to shirk the
+vicissitudes of playful speech, and he preferred this mood of Selma's to
+her solemn style, although his privacy was invaded.
+
+"I should have remembered," he said, "that there is nothing in the world
+which Mrs. Lyons does not know by intuition."
+
+"Including the management of a hospital, Dr. Page. Perhaps you don't
+know that I am the managing trustee of a large hospital?"
+
+"Yes, I was informed of that in Benham. I should scarcely venture to
+tell you what my little bird said. It was an old fogy of a bird, with a
+partiality for thorough investigation and scientific methods, and a
+thorough distrust of the results of off-hand inspiration in the
+treatment of disease."
+
+"I dare say. But we are succeeding splendidly. The next time you come to
+Benham you must come to see me, and I will take you over our hospital. I
+don't despair yet of converting you to our side, just as you evidently
+don't despair of inducing a certain lady some day to change her mind. I,
+for one, think that she is more fitted by nature to be a wife than a
+college president, so I shall await with interest more news from my
+little bird." Selma felt that she was talking to greater advantage than
+almost ever before. Her last remark banished every trace of a smile from
+her adversary's face, and he stood regarding her with a preternatural
+gravity, which should have been appalling, but which she welcomed as a
+sign of serious feeling on his part. She felt, too, that at last she had
+got the better of the ironical doctor in repartee, and that he was
+taking his leave tongue-tied. In truth, he was so angry that he did not
+trust himself to speak. He simply glared and departed.
+
+"Poor fellow," she said, by way of explanation to Lyons, "I suppose his
+emotion got the better of him, because he has loved her so long. That
+was the Dr. Page who has been crazy for years to marry Pauline
+Littleton. When he was young he married a woman of doubtful character,
+who ran away from him. I used to think that Pauline was right in
+refusing to sacrifice her life for his sake. But he has been very
+constant, and I doubt if she has originality enough to keep her position
+as president of Wetmore long. He belongs to the old school of medicine.
+It was he who took care of Wilbur when he died. I fancy that case may
+have taught him not to mistrust truth merely because it isn't labelled.
+But I bear him no malice, because I know he meant to do his best. They
+are just suited for each other, and I shall be on his side after this."
+
+The interest of this episode served to restore somewhat Selma's
+serenity, but she kept her attention fixed on the table where the
+Williamses were sitting, observing with a sense of injury their gay
+behavior. To all appearances, Flossy was as light-hearted and volatile
+as ever. Her attire was in the height of fashion. Had adversity taught
+her nothing? Had the buffet of Providence failed utterly to sober her
+frivolous spirit? It seemed to Selma that there could be no other
+conclusion, and though she and Lyons had finished dinner, she was unable
+to take her eyes off the culprits, or to cease to wonder how it was
+possible for people with nothing to continue to live as though they had
+everything. Her moral nature was stirred to resentment, and she sat
+spell-bound, seeking in vain for a point of consolation.
+
+Meantime Lyons, like a good American, had sent for an evening paper, and
+was deep in its perusal. A startled ejaculation from him aroused Selma
+from her nightmare. Her husband was saying to her across the table:
+
+"My dear, Senator Calkins is dead." He spoke in a solemn, excited
+whisper.
+
+"Our Senator Calkins?"
+
+"Yes. This is the despatch from Washington: 'United States Senator
+Calkins dropped dead suddenly in the lobby of the Senate chamber, at ten
+o'clock this morning, while talking with friends. His age was 52. The
+cause of his death was heart-failure. His decease has cast a gloom over
+the Capital, and the Senate adjourned promptly out of respect to the
+memory of the departed statesman.'"
+
+"What a dreadful thing!" Selma murmured.
+
+"The ways of Providence are inscrutable," said Lyons. "No one could have
+foreseen this public calamity." He poured out a glass of ice-water and
+drank it feverishly.
+
+"It's fortunate we have everything arranged to return to-morrow, for of
+course you will be needed at home."
+
+"Yes. Waiter, bring me a telegram."
+
+"What are you going to do?"
+
+"Communicate to Mrs. Calkins our sympathy on account of the death of her
+distinguished husband."
+
+"That will be nice," said Selma. She sat for some moments in silence
+observing her husband, and spell-bound by the splendid possibility which
+presented itself. She knew that Lyons's gravity and agitation were not
+wholly due to the shock of the catastrophe. He, like herself, must be
+conscious that he might become the dead Senator's successor. He poured
+out and drained another goblet of ice-water. Twice he drew himself up
+slightly and looked around the room, with the expression habitual to him
+when about to deliver a public address. Selma's veins were tingling with
+excitement. Providence had interfered in her behalf again. As the wife
+of a United States Senator, everything would be within her grasp.
+
+"James," she said, "we are the last persons in the world to fail in
+respect to the illustrious dead, but--of course you ought to have
+Senator Calkins's place."
+
+Lyons looked at his wife, and his large lips trembled. "If the people of
+my State, Selma, feel that I am the most suitable man for the vacant
+senatorship, I shall be proud to serve them."
+
+Selma nodded appreciatively. She was glad that her husband should
+approach the situation with a solemn sense of responsibility.
+
+"They are sure to feel that," she said. "It seems to me that you are
+practically certain of the party nomination, and your party has a clear
+majority of both branches of the Legislature."
+
+Lyons glanced furtively about him before he spoke. "I don't see at the
+moment, Selma, how they can defeat me."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+The body of Senator Calkins was laid to rest with appropriate ceremonies
+in the soil of his native State, and his virtues as a statesman and
+citizen were celebrated in the pulpit and in the public prints. On the
+day following the funeral the contest for his place began in dead
+earnest. There had been some quiet canvassing by the several candidates
+while the remains were being transported from Washington, but public
+utterance was stayed until the last rites were over. Then it transpired
+that there were four candidates in the field; a Congressman, an
+ex-Governor, a silver-tongued orator named Stringer, who was a member of
+the upper branch of the State Legislature and who claimed to be a true
+defender of popular rights, and Hon. James O. Lyons. Newspaper comment
+concerning the candidacy of these aspirants early promulgated the
+doctrine that Governor Lyons was entitled to the place if he desired it.
+More than one party organ claimed that his brilliant services had given
+him a reputation beyond the limit of mere political prestige, and that
+he had become a veritable favorite son of the State. By the end of a
+fortnight the ex-Governor had withdrawn in favor of Lyons; while the
+following of the Congressman was recognized to be inconsiderable, and
+that he was holding out in order to obtain terms. Only the
+silver-tongued orator, Stringer, remained. On him the opposition within
+the party had decided to unite their forces. To all appearances they
+were in a decided minority. There was no hope that the Republican
+members of the Legislature would join them, for it seemed scarcely good
+politics to rally to the support of a citizen whose statesmanship had
+not been tested in preference to the Governor of the State. It was
+conceded by all but the immediate followers of Stringer that Lyons would
+receive the majority vote of either house, and be triumphantly elected
+on the first joint ballot.
+
+And yet the opposition to the Governor, though numerically small, was
+genuine. Stringer was, as he described himself, a man of the plain
+people. That is he was a lawyer with a denunciating voice, a keen mind,
+and a comprehensive grasp on language, who was still an attorney for
+plaintiffs, and whose ability had not yet been recognized by
+corporations or conservative souls. He was where Lyons had been ten
+years before, but he had neither the urbanity, conciliatory tendencies,
+nor dignified, solid physical properties of the Governor. He was pleased
+to refer to himself as a tribune of the people, and his thin, nervous
+figure, clad in a long frock-coat, with a yawning collar and black whisp
+tie, his fiery utterance and relentless zeal, bore out the character. He
+looked hungry, and his words suggested that he was in earnest, carrying
+conviction to some of his colleagues in the Legislature. The election at
+which Lyons had been chosen chief magistrate had brought into this State
+government a sprinkling of socialistic spirits, as they were called, who
+applauded vigorously the thinly veiled allusions which Stringer made in
+debate to the lukewarm democracy of some of the party leaders. When he
+spoke with stern contempt of those who played fast and loose with sacred
+principles--who were staunch friends of the humblest citizens on the
+public platform, and behind their backs grew slyly rich on the revenues
+of wealthy corporations, everyone knew that he was baiting the Governor.
+These diatribes were stigmatized as in wretched taste, but the
+politicians of both parties could not help being amused. They admitted
+behind their hands that the taunt was not altogether groundless, and
+that Lyons certainly was on extremely pleasant terms with prosperity for
+an out and out champion of popular rights. Nevertheless the leading
+party newspapers termed Stringer a demagogue, and accused him of
+endeavoring to foment discord in the ranks of the Democracy by
+questioning the loyalty of a man who had led them to notable victory
+twice in the last three years. He was invited to step down, and to
+season his aspirations until he could present a more significant public
+record. What had he done that entitled him to the senatorship? He had
+gifts undeniably, but he was young and could wait. This was a taking
+argument with the legislators, many of whom had grown gray in the party
+service, and Lyons's managers felt confident that the support accorded
+to this tribune of the people would dwindle to very small proportions
+when the time came to count noses.
+
+Suddenly there loomed into sight on the political horizon, and came
+bearing down on Lyons under full sail, Elton's bill for the
+consolidation of the gas companies. The Benham _Sentinel_ had not been
+one of the promoters of Lyons's senatorial canvass, but it had not
+espoused the cause of any of his competitors, and latterly had referred
+in acquiescent terms to his election as a foregone conclusion. He had
+not happened to run across Elton during these intervening weeks, and
+preferred not to encounter him. He cherished an ostrich-like hope that
+Elton was in no haste regarding the bill, and that consequently it might
+not pass the legislature until after his election as Senator. If he were
+to come in contact with Elton, the meeting might jog the busy magnate's
+memory. It was a barren hope. Immediately after the _Sentinel_ announced
+that Governor Lyons was practically sure to be the next United States
+Senator, the gas bill was reported favorably by the committee which had
+it in charge, and was advanced rapidly in the House. Debate on its
+provisions developed that it was not to have entirely plain sailing,
+though the majority recorded in its favor on the first and second
+readings was large. It was not at first regarded as a party measure. Its
+supporters included most of the Republicans and more than half of the
+Democrats. Yet the opposition to it proceeded from the wing of the
+Democracy with which Stringer was affiliated. Elton's interest in the
+bill was well understood, and the work of pledging members in advance,
+irrespective of party, had been so thoroughly done, that but for the
+exigencies of the senatorial contest it would probably have slipped
+through without notice as a harmless measure. As it was, the opposition
+to it in the lower branch was brief and seemed unimportant. The bill
+passed the House of Representatives by a nearly two-thirds vote and went
+promptly to the Senate calendar. Then suddenly it became obvious to
+Lyons not merely that Elton was bent on securing its passage while the
+present Governor was in office, but that his rival, Stringer, had
+conceived the cruel scheme of putting him in the position, by a hue and
+cry against monopoly and corporate interests, where his election to the
+senatorship would be imperilled if he did not veto the measure. By a
+caustic speech in the Senate Stringer drew public attention to the
+skilfully concealed iniquities of the proposed franchise, and public
+attention thus aroused began to bristle. Newspapers here and there
+throughout the state put forth edicts that this Legislature had been
+chosen to protect popular principles, and that here was an opportunity
+for the Democratic party to fulfil its pledges and serve the people.
+Stringer and his associates were uttering in the Senate burning words
+against the audacious menace of what they termed the franchise octopus.
+Did the people realize that this bill to combine gas companies, which
+looked so innocent on its face, was a gigantic scheme to wheedle them
+out of a valuable franchise for nothing? Did they understand that they
+were deliberately putting their necks in the grip of a monster whose
+tentacles would squeeze and suck their life-blood for its own
+enrichment? Stringer hammered away with fierce and reiterated invective.
+He had no hope of defeating the bill, but he confidently believed that
+he was putting his adversary, the Governor, in a hole. It had been
+noised about the lobbies by the friends of the measure earlier in the
+session that the Governor was all right and could be counted on.
+Stringer reasoned that Lyons was committed to the bill; that, if he
+signed it, his opponents might prevent his election as Senator on the
+plea that he had catered to corporate interests; that if he vetoed it,
+he would lose the support of powerful friends who might seek to revenge
+themselves by uniting on his opponent. Stringer recognized that he was
+playing a desperate game, but it was his only chance. One thing was
+evident already: As a result of the exposure in the Senate, considerable
+public hostility to the bill was manifesting itself. Petitions for its
+defeat were in circulation, and several Senators who had been supposed
+to be friendly to its passage veered round in deference to the views of
+their constituents. Its defeat had almost become a party measure. A
+majority of the Democrats in the Senate were claimed to be against it.
+Nevertheless there was no delay on the part of those in charge in
+pushing it to final action. They had counted noses, and their margin of
+support had been so liberal they could afford to lose a few deserters.
+After a fierce debate the bill was passed to be engrossed by a majority
+of eleven. The Democrats in the Senate were just evenly divided on the
+ballot.
+
+What would the Governor do? This was the question on everyone's lips.
+Would he sign or veto the bill? Public opinion as represented by the
+newspapers was prompt to point out his duty. The verdict of a leading
+party organ was that, in view of all the circumstances, Governor Lyons
+could scarcely do otherwise than refuse to give his official sanction to
+a measure which threatened to increase the burdens of the plain people.
+The words "in view of all the circumstances" appeared to be an euphemism
+for "in view of his ambition to become United States Senator." Several
+journals declared unequivocally that it would become the duty of the
+party to withdraw its support from Governor Lyons in case he allowed
+this undemocratic measure to become law. On the other hand, certain
+party organs questioned the justice of the outcry against the bill,
+arguing that the merits of the case had been carefully examined in the
+Legislature and that there was no occasion for the Governor to disturb
+the result of its action. On the day after the bill was sent to the
+chief magistrate, an editorial appeared in the Benham _Sentinel_
+presenting an exhaustive analysis of its provisions, and pointing out
+that, though the petitioners might under certain contingencies reap a
+reasonable profit, the public could not fail in that event to secure a
+lower price for gas and more effective service. This article was quoted
+extensively throughout the State, and was ridiculed or extolled
+according to the sympathies of the critics. Lyons received a marked copy
+of the _Sentinel_ on the morning when it appeared. He recognized the
+argument as that which he had accepted at the time he promised to sign
+the bill if he were elected Governor. In the course of the same day a
+letter sent by messenger was handed to him in the executive chamber. It
+contained simply two lines in pencil in Elton's handwriting--"It
+continues to be of vital importance to my affairs that the pending bill
+should receive your signature." That was obviously a polite reminder of
+their agreement; an intimation that the circumstances had not altered,
+and that it was incumbent on him to perform his part of their compact.
+Obviously, too, Horace Elton took for granted that a reminder was
+enough, and that he would keep his word. He had promised to sign the
+bill. He had given his word of honor to do so, and Elton was relying on
+his good faith.
+
+The situation had become suddenly oppressive and disheartening. Just
+when his prospects seemed assured this unfortunate obstacle had appeared
+in his path, and threatened to confound his political career. He must
+sign the bill. And if he signed it, in all probability he would lose the
+senatorship. His enemies would claim that the party could not afford to
+stultify itself by the choice of a candidate who favored monopolies. He
+had given his promise, the word of a man of honor, and a business man.
+What escape was there from the predicament? If he vetoed the bill, would
+he not be a liar and a poltroon? If he signed it, the senatorship would
+slip through his fingers. The thought occurred to him to send for Elton
+and throw himself on his mercy, but he shrank from such an interview.
+Elton was a business man, and a promise was a promise. He had enjoyed
+the consideration for his promise; his notes were secure and the
+hypothecated bonds had been redeemed. He was on his feet and Governor,
+thanks to Elton's interposition, and now he was called on to do his
+part--to pay the fiddler. He must sign the bill.
+
+Lyons had five days in which to consider the matter. At the end of that
+time if he neither signed nor vetoed the bill, it would become law
+without his signature. He was at bay, and the time for deliberation was
+short. An incubus of disappointment weighed upon his soul and clouded
+his brow. His round, smooth face looked grieved. It seemed cruel to him
+that such an untoward piece of fortune should confront him just at the
+moment when this great reward for his political services was within his
+grasp and his opportunities for eminent public usefulness assured. He
+brooded over his quandary in silence for twenty-four hours. On the
+second day he concluded to speak of the matter to Selma. He knew that
+she kept a general run of public affairs. Not infrequently she had asked
+him questions concerning measures before the Legislature, and he was
+pleasantly aware that she was ambitious to be regarded as a politician.
+But up to this time there had been no room for question as to what his
+action as Governor should be in respect to any measure. It had happened,
+despite his attitude of mental comradeship with his wife, that he had
+hitherto concealed from her his most secret transactions. He had left
+her in the dark in regard to his true dealings with Williams & Van
+Horne; he had told her nothing as to his straitened circumstances, the
+compact by which he had been made Governor, and his relief at the hands
+of Elton from threatened financial ruin. Reluctance, born of the theory
+in his soul that these were accidents in his life, not typical
+happenings, had sealed his lips. He was going to confide in her now not
+because he expected that Selma's view of this emergency would differ
+from his own, but in order that she might learn before he acted that he
+was under an imperative obligation to sign the bill. While he was
+sitting at home in the evening with the topic trembling on his tongue,
+Selma made his confession easy by saying, "I have taken for granted that
+you will veto the gas bill."
+
+Selma had indeed so assumed. In the early stages of the bill she had
+been ignorant of its existence. During the last fortnight, since the
+controversy had reached an acute phase and public sentiment had been
+aroused against its passage, she had been hoping that it would pass so
+that Lyons might have the glory of returning it to the Legislature
+without his signature. She had reasoned that he would be certain to veto
+the measure, for the bill was clearly in the interest of monopoly, and
+though her nerves were all on edge with excitement over the impending
+election of a Senator, she had not interfered because she took for
+granted that it was unnecessary. Even when Lyons, after reading the
+article in the _Sentinel_, had dropped the remark that the measure was
+really harmless and the outcry against it unwarranted, she had supposed
+that he was merely seeking to be magnanimous. She had forgotten this
+speech until it was recalled by Lyons's obvious state of worry during
+the last few days. She had noticed this at first without special
+concern, believing it due to the malicious insinuations of Stringer. Now
+that the bill was before him for signature there could be no question as
+to his action. Nevertheless her heart had suddenly been assailed by a
+horrible doubt, and straightway her sense of duty as a wife and of duty
+to herself had sought assurance in a crucial inquiry.
+
+"I was going to speak to you about that this evening. I wish to tell you
+the reasons which oblige me to sign the bill," he answered. Lyons's
+manner was subdued and limp. Even his phraseology had been stripped of
+its stateliness.
+
+"Sign the bill?" gasped Selma. "If you sign it, you will lose the
+senatorship." She spoke like a prophetess, and her steely eyes snapped.
+
+"That is liable to be the consequence I know. I will explain to you,
+Selma. You will see that I am bound in honor and cannot help myself."
+
+"In honor? You are bound in honor to your party--bound in honor to me to
+veto it."
+
+"Wait a minute, Selma. You must hear my reasons. Before I was nominated
+for Governor I gave Horace Elton my word, man to man, that I would sign
+this gas bill. It is his bill. I promised, if I were elected Governor,
+not to veto it. At the time, I--I was financially embarrassed. I did not
+tell you because I was unwilling to distress you, but--er--my affairs in
+New York were in disorder, and I had notes here coming due. Nothing was
+said about money matters between Elton and me until he had agreed to
+support me as Governor. Then he offered to help me, and I accepted his
+aid. Don't you see that I cannot help myself? That I must sign the
+bill?"
+
+Selma had listened in amazement. "It's a trap," she murmured. "Horace
+Elton has led you into a trap." The thought that Elton's politeness to
+her was a blind, and that she had been made sport of, took precedence in
+her resentment even of the annoyance caused her by her husband's deceit.
+
+"Why did you conceal all this from me?" she asked, tragically.
+
+"I should not have done so, perhaps."
+
+"If you had told me, this difficulty never would have arisen. Pshaw! It
+is not a real difficulty. Surely you must throw Elton over. Surely you
+must veto the bill."
+
+"Throw him over," stammered Lyons. "You don't understand, Selma. I gave
+my word as a business man. I am under great obligations to him." He told
+briefly the details of the transaction; even the hypothecation of the
+Parsons bonds. For once in his life he made a clean breast of his
+bosom's perilous stuff. He was ready to bear the consequences of his
+plight rather than be false to his man's standard of honor, and yet his
+wife's opposition had fascinated as well as startled him. He set forth
+his case--the case which meant his political checkmate, then waited.
+Selma had risen and stood with folded arms gazing into distance with the
+far away look by which she was wont to subdue mountains.
+
+"Have you finished?" she asked. "What you are proposing to do is to
+sacrifice your life--and my life, James Lyons, for the sake of
+a--er--fetish. Horace Elton, under the pretence of friendship for us,
+has taken advantage of your necessities to extract from you a promise to
+support an evil scheme--a bill to defraud the plain American people of
+their rights--the people whose interests you swore to protect when you
+took the oath as Governor. Is a promise between man and man, as you call
+it, more sacred than everlasting truth itself? More binding than the tie
+of principle and political good faith? Will you refuse to veto a bill
+which you know is a blow at liberty in order to keep a technical
+business compact with an over-reaching capitalist, who has no sympathy
+with our ideas? I am disappointed in you, James. I thought you could see
+clearer than that."
+
+Lyons sighed. "I examined the bill at the time with some care, and did
+not think it inimical to the best public interest; but had I foreseen
+the objections which would be raised against it, I admit that I never
+would have agreed to sign it."
+
+"Precisely. You were taken in." She meant in her heart that they had
+both been taken in. "This is not a case of commercial give and take--of
+purchase and sale of stocks or merchandise. The eternal verities are
+concerned. You owe it to your country to break your word. The triumph of
+American principles is paramount to your obligation to Elton. Whom will
+this gas bill benefit but the promoters? Your view, James, is the
+old-fashioned view. Just as I said to you the other day that Dr. Page is
+old-fashioned in his views of medicine, so it seems to me, if you will
+forgive my saying so, you are, in this instance, behind the times. And
+you are not usually behind the times. It has been one of the joyous
+features of my marriage with you that you have not lacked American
+initiative and independence of conventions. I wish you had confided in
+me. You were forced to give that promise by your financial distress.
+Will you let an old-fashioned theory of private honor make you a traitor
+to our party cause and to the sovereign people of our country?"
+
+Lyons bowed his head between his hands. "You make me see that there are
+two sides to the question, Selma. It is true that I was not myself when
+Elton got my promise to sign the bill. My mind had been on the rack for
+weeks, and I was unfit to form a correct estimate of a complicated
+public measure. But a promise is a promise."
+
+"What can he do if you break it? He will not kill you."
+
+"He will not kill me, no; but he will despise me." Lyons reflected, as
+he spoke, that Elton would be unable to injure him financially. He
+would, be able to pay his notes when they became due, thanks to the
+improvement in business affairs which had set in since the beginning of
+the year.
+
+"And your party--the American people will despise you if you sign the
+bill. Whose contempt do you fear the most?"
+
+"I see--I see," he murmured. "I cannot deny there is much force in your
+argument, dear. I fear there can be no doubt that if I let the bill
+become law, public clamor will oblige the party to throw me over and
+take up Stringer or some dark horse. That means a serious setback to my
+political progress; means perhaps my political ruin."
+
+"Your political suicide, James. And there is another side to it,"
+continued Selma, pathetically. "My side. I wish you to think of that. I
+wish you to realize that, if you yield to this false notion of honor,
+you will interfere with the development of my life no less than your
+own. As you know, I think, I became your wife because I felt that as a
+public woman working, at your side in behalf of the high purposes in
+which we had a common sympathy, I should be a greater power for good
+than if I pursued alone my career as a writer and on the lecture
+platform. Until to-day I have felt sure that I had made no mistake--that
+we had made no mistake. Without disrespect to the dead, I may say that
+for the first time in my life marriage has meant to me what it should
+mean, and has tended to bring out the best which is in me. I have grown;
+I have developed; I have been recognized. We have both made progress.
+Only a few days ago I was rejoicing to think that when you became a
+United States Senator, there would be a noble field for my abilities as
+well as yours. We are called to high office, called to battle for great
+principles and to lead the nation to worthy things. And now, in a moment
+of mental blindness, you are threatening to spoil all. For my sake, if
+not for your own, James, be convinced that you do not see clearly. Do
+not snatch the cup of happiness from my lips just as at last it is full.
+Give me the chance to live my own life as I wish to live it."
+
+There was a brief silence. Lyons rose and let fall his hand on the table
+with impressive emphasis. His mobile face was working with emotion; his
+eyes were filled with tears. "I will veto the bill," he said,
+grandiloquently. "The claims of private honor must give way to the
+general welfare, and the demands of civilization. You have convinced me,
+Selma--my wife. My point of view was old-fashioned. Superior ethics
+permit no other solution of the problem. Superior ethics," he repeated,
+as though the phrase gave him comfort, "would not justify a statesman in
+sacrificing his party and his own powers--aye, and his political
+conscience--in order to keep a private compact. I shall veto the bill."
+
+"Thank God for that," she murmured.
+
+Lyons stepped forward and put his arm around her. "You shall live your
+own life as you desire, Selma. No act of mine shall spoil it."
+
+"Superior ethics taught you by your wife! Your poor, wise wife in whom
+you would not confide!" She tapped him playfully on his fat cheek.
+"Naughty boy!"
+
+"There are moments when a man sees through a glass, darkly," he
+answered, kissing her again. "This is a solemn decision for us, Selma.
+Heaven has willed that you should save me from my own errors, and my own
+blindness."
+
+"We shall be very happy, James. You will be chosen Senator, and all will
+be as it should be. The clouds on my horizon are one by one passing
+away, and justice is prevailing at last. What do you suppose I heard
+to-day? Pauline Littleton is to marry Dr. Page. Mrs. Earle told me so.
+Pauline has written to the trustees that after the first of next January
+she will cease to serve as president of Wetmore; that by that time the
+college will be running smoothly, so that a successor can take up the
+work. There is a chance now that the trustees will choose a genuine
+educator for the place--some woman of spontaneous impulses and a large
+outlook on life. Pauline's place is by the domestic hearth. She could
+never have much influence on progress."
+
+"I do not know her very well," said Lyons. "But I know this, Selma, you
+would be just the woman for the place if you were not my wife. You would
+make an ideal president of a college for progressive women."
+
+"I am suited for the work, and I think I am progressive," she admitted.
+"But that, of course, is out of the question for me as a married woman
+and the wife of a United States Senator. But I am glad, James, to have
+you appreciate my strong points."
+
+On the following day Lyons vetoed the gas bill. His message to the
+Legislature described it as a measure which disposed of a valuable
+franchise for nothing, and which would create a monopoly detrimental to
+the rights of the public. This action met with much public approval. One
+newspaper expressed well the feeling of the community by declaring that
+the Governor had faced the issue squarely and shown the courage of his
+well-known convictions. The Benham _Sentinel_ was practically mute. It
+stated merely in a short editorial that it was disappointed in Governor
+Lyons, and that he had played into the hands of the demagogues and the
+sentimentalists. It suggested to the Legislature to show commendable
+independence by passing the bill over his veto. But this was obviously a
+vain hope.
+
+The vote in the House against the veto not merely fell short of the
+requisite two-thirds, but was less than a plurality, showing that the
+action of the chief magistrate had reversed the sentiment of the
+Legislature. The force of Stringer's opposition was practically killed
+by the Governor's course. He had staked everything on the chance that
+Lyons would see fit to sign the bill. When the party caucus for the
+choice of a candidate for Senator was held a few days later, his
+followers recognized the hopelessness of his ambition and prevailed on
+him to withdraw his name from consideration. Lyons was elected Senator
+of the United States by a party vote by the two branches of the
+Legislature assembled in solemn conclave. Apparently Elton had realized
+that opposition was useless, and that he must bide his time for revenge.
+Booming cannon celebrated the result of the proceedings, and Selma,
+waiting at home on the River Drive, received a telegram from the capital
+announcing the glad news. Her husband was United States Senator, and the
+future stretched before her big with promise. She had battled with life,
+she had suffered, she had held fast to her principles, and at last she
+was rewarded.
+
+Lyons returned to Benham by the afternoon train, and a salute of one
+hundred guns greeted him on his arrival. He walked from the station like
+any private citizen. Frequent cheers attended his progress to his house.
+In the evening the shops and public buildings were illuminated, and the
+James O. Lyons Cadets, who considered themselves partly responsible for
+his rapid promotion, led a congratulatory crowd to the River Drive. The
+Senator-elect, in response to the music of a serenade, stepped out on
+the balcony. Selma waited behind the window curtain until the enthusiasm
+had subsided; then she glided forth and showed herself at his elbow. A
+fresh round of cheers for the Senator's wife followed. It was a glorious
+night. The moon shone brightly. The street was thronged by the populace,
+and glittered with the torches of the cadets. Lyons stood bareheaded.
+His large, round, smooth face glistened, and the moonbeams, bathing his
+chin beard, gave him the effect of a patriarch, or of one inspired. He
+raised his hand to induce silence, then stood for a moment, as was his
+habit before speaking, with an expression as though he were struggling
+with emotion or busy in silent prayer.
+
+"Fellow citizens of Benham," he began, slowly, "compatriots of the
+sovereign State which has done me to-day so great an honor, I thank you
+for this precious greeting. You are my constituents and my brothers. I
+accept from your hands this great trust of office, knowing that I am but
+your representative, knowing that my mission is to bear constant witness
+to the love of liberty, the love of progress, the love of truth which
+are enshrined in the hearts of the great American people. Your past has
+been ever glorious; your future looms big with destiny. Still leaning on
+the God of our fathers, to whom our patriot sires have ever turned, and
+whose favors to our beloved country are seen in your broad prairies tall
+with fruitful grain, and your mighty engines of commerce, I take up the
+work which you have given me to do, pledged to remain a democrat of the
+democrats, an American of the Americans."
+
+Selma heard the words of this peroration with a sense of ecstasy. She
+felt that he was speaking for them both, and that he was expressing the
+yearning intention of her soul to attempt and perform great things. She
+stood gazing straight before her with her far away, seraph look, as
+though she were penetrating the future even into Paradise.
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14645 ***
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+<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14645 ***</div>
+<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, Unleavened Bread, by Robert Grant</h1>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h1>UNLEAVENED</h1>
+<h1>BREAD</h1>
+<h2>By Robert Grant</h2>
+<div class="center">Author of <i>The Bachelor's Christmas</i>,
+etc.</div>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h6>Charles Scribner's Sons<br />
+New York</h6>
+<h4>1900</h4>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+<div class="center"><a href="#BOOK_I"><i>BOOK I</i><br />
+THE EMANCIPATION</a><br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<a href="#BOOK_II"><i>BOOK II</i><br />
+THE STRUGGLE</a><br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<a href="#BOOK_III"><i>BOOK III</i><br />
+THE SUCCESS</a></div>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>UNLEAVENED BREAD</h2>
+<h2><a name="BOOK_I" id="BOOK_I"></a><i>BOOK I.</i></h2>
+<h2>THE EMANCIPATION</h2>
+<h3>CHAPTER I.</h3>
+<p>Babcock and Selma White were among the last of the wedding
+guests to take their departure. It was a brilliant September night
+with a touch of autumn vigor in the atmosphere, which had not been
+without its effect on the company, who had driven off in gay
+spirits, most of them in hay-carts or other vehicles capable of
+carrying a party. Their songs and laughter floated back along the
+winding country road. Selma, comfortable in her wraps and well
+tucked about with a rug, leaned back contentedly in the chaise,
+after the goodbyes had been said, to enjoy the glamour of the full
+moon. They were seven miles from home and she was in no hurry to
+get there. Neither festivities nor the undisguised devotion of a
+city young man were common in her life. Consideration she had been
+used to from a child, and she knew herself to be tacitly
+acknowledged the smartest girl in Westfield, but perhaps for that
+very reason she had held aloof from manhood until now. At least no
+youth in her neighborhood had ever impressed her as her equal.
+Neither did Babcock so impress her; but he was different from the
+rest. He was not shy and unexpressive; he was buoyant and
+self-reliant, and yet he seemed to appreciate her quality none the
+less.</p>
+<p>They had met about a dozen times, and on the last six of these
+occasions he had come from Benham, ten miles to her uncle's farm,
+obviously to visit her. The last two times her Aunt Farley had made
+him spend the night, and it had been arranged that he would drive
+her in the Farley chaise to Clara Morse's wedding. A seven-mile
+drive is apt to promote or kill the germs of intimacy, and on the
+way over she had been conscious of enjoying herself. Scrutiny of
+Clara's choice had been to the advantage of her own cavalier. The
+bridegroom had seemed to her what her Aunt Farley would call a
+mouse-in-the-cheese young man. Whereas Babcock had been the life of
+the affair.</p>
+<p>She had been teaching now in Wilton for more than a year. When,
+shortly after her father's death, she had obtained the position of
+school teacher, it seemed to her that at last the opportunity had
+come to display her capabilities, and at the same time to fulfil
+her aspirations. But the task of grounding a class of small
+children in the rudiments of simple knowledge had already begun to
+pall and to seem unsatisfying. Was she to spend her life in this?
+And if not, the next step, unless it were marriage, was not
+obvious. Not that she mistrusted her ability to shine in any
+educational capacity, but neither Wilton nor the neighboring
+Westfield offered better, and she was conscious of a lack of
+influential friends in the greater world, which was embodied for
+her in Benham. Benham was a western city of these United States,
+with an eastern exposure; a growing, bustling city according to
+rumor, with an eager population restless with new ideas and
+stimulating ambitions. So at least Selma thought of it, and though
+Boston and New York and a few other places were accepted by her as
+authoritative, she accepted them, as she accepted Shakespeare, as a
+matter of course and so far removed from her immediate outlook as
+almost not to count. But Benham with its seventy-five thousand
+inhabitants and independent ways was a fascinating possibility.
+Once established there the world seemed within her grasp, including
+Boston. Might it not be that Benham, in that it was newer, was
+nearer to truth and more truly American than that famous city? She
+was not prepared to believe this an absurdity.</p>
+<p>At least the mental atmosphere of Westfield and even of the
+somewhat less solemn Wilton suggested this apotheosis of the
+adjacent city to be reasonable. Westfield had stood for Selma as a
+society of serious though simple souls since she could first
+remember and had been one of them. Not that she arrogated to her
+small native town any unusual qualities of soul or mind in
+distinction from most other American communities, but she regarded
+it as inferior in point of view to none, and typical of the best
+national characteristics. She had probably never put into words the
+reasons of her confidence, but her daily consciousness was
+permeated with them. To be an American meant to be more keenly
+alive to the responsibility of life than any other citizen of
+civilization, and to be an American woman meant to be something
+finer, cleverer, stronger, and purer than any other daughter of
+Eve. Under the agreeable but sobering influence of this faith she
+had grown to womanhood, and the heroic deeds of the civil war had
+served to intensify a belief, the truth of which she had never
+heard questioned. Her mission in life had promptly been recognized
+by her as the development of her soul along individual lines, but
+until the necessity for a choice had arisen she had been content to
+contemplate a little longer. Now the world was before her, for she
+was twenty-three and singularly free from ties. Her mother had died
+when she was a child. Her father, the physician of the surrounding
+country, a man of engaging energy with an empirical education and a
+speculative habit of mind, had been the companion of her girlhood.
+During the last few years since his return from the war an invalid
+from a wound, her care for him had left her time for little
+else.</p>
+<p>No more was Babcock in haste to reach home; and after the
+preliminary dash from the door into the glorious night he suffered
+the farm-horse to pursue its favorite gait, a deliberate jog. He
+knew the creature to be docile, and that he could bestow his
+attention on his companion without peril to her. His own pulses
+were bounding. He was conscious of having made the whirligig of
+time pass merrily for the company by his spirits and jolly quips,
+and that in her presence, and he was groping for an appropriate
+introduction to the avowal he had determined to make. He would
+never have a better opportunity than this, and it had been his
+preconceived intention to take advantage of it if all went well.
+All had gone well and he was going to try. She had been kind coming
+over; and had seemed to listen with interest as he told her about
+himself: and somehow he had felt less distant from her. He was not
+sure what she would say, for he realized that she was above him.
+That was one reason why he admired her so. She symbolized for him
+refinement, poetry, art, the things of the spirit&mdash;things from
+which in the same whirligig of time he had hitherto been cut off by
+the vicissitudes of the varnish business; but the value of which he
+was not blind to. How proud he would be of such a wife! How he
+would strive and labor for her! His heart was in his mouth and
+trembled on his lip as he thought of the possibility. What a joy to
+be sitting side by side with her under this splendid moon! He would
+speak and know his fate.</p>
+<p>"Isn't it a lovely night?" murmured Selma appreciatively. "There
+they go," she added, indicating the disappearance over the brow of
+a hill of the last of the line of vehicles of the rest of the
+party, whose songs had come back fainter and fainter.</p>
+<p>"I don't care. Do you?" He snuggled toward her a very
+little.</p>
+<p>"I guess they won't think I'm lost," she said, with a low
+laugh.</p>
+<p>"What d'you suppose your folks would say if you <i>were</i>
+lost? I mean if I were to run away with you and didn't bring you
+back?" There was a nervous ring in the guffaw which concluded his
+question.</p>
+<p>"My friends wouldn't miss me much; at least they'd soon get over
+the shock; but I might miss myself, Mr. Babcock."</p>
+<p>Selma was wondering why it was that she rather liked being alone
+with this man, big enough, indeed, to play the monster, yet half
+school-boy, but a man who had done well in his calling. He must be
+capable; he could give her a home in Benham; and it was plain that
+he loved her.</p>
+<p>"I'll tell you something," he said, eagerly, ignoring her
+suggestion. "I'd like to run away with you and be married to-night,
+Selma. That's what I'd like, and I guess you won't. But it's the
+burning wish of my heart that you'd marry me some time. I want you
+to be my wife. I'm a rough fellow along-side of you, Selma, but I'd
+do well by you; I would. I'm able to look after you, and you shall
+have all you want. There's a nice little house building now in
+Benham. Say the word and I'll buy it for us to-morrow. I'm crazy
+after you, Selma."</p>
+<p>The rein was dangling, and Babcock reached his left arm around
+the waist of his lady-love. He had now and again made the same
+demonstration with others jauntily, but this was a different
+matter. She was not to be treated like other women. She was a
+goddess to him, even in his ardor, and he reached gingerly. Selma
+did not wholly withdraw from the spread of his trembling arm,
+though this was the first man who had ever ventured to lay a finger
+on her.</p>
+<p>"I'd have to give up my school," she said.</p>
+<p>"They could get another teacher."</p>
+<p>"<i>Could</i> they?"</p>
+<p>"Not one like you. You see I'm clumsy, but I'm crazy for you,
+Selma." Emboldened by the obvious feebleness of her opposition, he
+broadened his clutch and drew her toward him. "Say you will,
+sweetheart."</p>
+<p>This time she pulled herself free and sat up in the chaise.
+"Would you let me do things?" she asked after a moment.</p>
+<p>"Do things," faltered Babcock. What could she mean? She had told
+him on the way over that her mother had chosen her name from a
+theatrical playbill, and it passed through his unsophisticated
+brain that she might be thinking of the stage.</p>
+<p>"Yes, do something worth while. Be somebody. I've had the idea I
+could, if I ever got the chance." Her hands were folded in her lap;
+there was a wrapt expression on her thin, nervous face, and a
+glitter in her keen eyes, which were looking straight at the moon,
+as though they would outstare it in brilliancy.</p>
+<p>"You shall be anything you like, if you'll only marry me. What
+is it you're wishing to be?"</p>
+<p>"I don't know exactly. It isn't anything especial yet. It's the
+whole thing. I thought I might find it in my school, but the
+experience so far hasn't been&mdash;satisfying."</p>
+<p>"Troublesome little brats!"</p>
+<p>"No, I dare say the fault's in me. If I went to Benham to live
+it would be different. Benham must be
+interesting&mdash;inspiring."</p>
+<p>"There's plenty of go there. You'd like it, and people would
+think lots of you."</p>
+<p>"I'd try to make them." She turned and looked at him judicially,
+but with a softened expression. Her profile in her exalted mood had
+suggested a beautiful, but worried archangel; her full face seemed
+less this and wore much of the seductive embarrassment of sex. To
+Babcock she seemed the most entrancing being he had ever seen.
+"Would you really like to have me come?"</p>
+<p>He gave a hoarse ejaculation, and encircling her eagerly with
+his strong grasp pressed his lips upon her cheek. "Selma! darling!
+angel! I'm the happiest man alive."</p>
+<p>"You mustn't do that&mdash;yet," she said protestingly.</p>
+<p>"Yes, I must; I'm yours, and you're mine,&mdash;mine. Aren't
+you, sweetheart? There's no harm in a kiss."</p>
+<p>She had to admit to herself that it was not very unpleasant
+after all to be held in the embrace of a sturdy lover, though she
+had never intended that their relations should reach this stage of
+familiarity so promptly. She had known, of course, that girls were
+to look for endearments from those whom they promised to marry, but
+her person had hitherto been so sacred to man and to herself that
+it was difficult not to shrink a little from what was taking place.
+This then was love, and love was, of course, the sweetest thing in
+the world. That was one of the truths which she had accepted as she
+had accepted the beauty of Shakespeare, as something not to be
+disputed, yet remote. He was a big, affectionate fellow, and she
+must make up her mind to kiss him. So she turned her face toward
+him and their lips met eagerly, forestalling the little peck which
+she had intended. She let her head fall back at his pressure on to
+his shoulder, and gazed up at the moon.</p>
+<p>"Are you happy, Selma?" he asked, giving her a fond, firm
+squeeze.</p>
+<p>"Yes, Lewis."</p>
+<p>She could feel his frame throb with joy at the situation as she
+uttered his name.</p>
+<p>"We'll be married right away. That's if you're willing. My
+business is going first-rate and, if it keeps growing for the next
+year as it has for the past two, you'll be rich presently. When
+shall it be, Selma?"</p>
+<p>"You're in dreadful haste. Well, I'll promise to give the
+selectmen notice to-morrow that they must find another
+teacher."</p>
+<p>"Because the one they have now is going to become Mrs. Lewis J.
+Babcock. I'm the luckiest fellow, hooray! in creation. See here,"
+he added, taking her hand, "I guess a ring wouldn't look badly
+there&mdash;a real diamond, too. Pretty little fingers."</p>
+<p>She sighed gently, by way of response. It was comfortable
+nestling in the hollow of his shoulder, and a new delightful
+experience to be hectored with sweetness in this way. How round and
+bountiful the moon looked. She was tired of her present life. What
+was coming would be better. Her opportunity was at hand to show the
+world what she was made of.</p>
+<p>"A real diamond, and large at that," he repeated, gazing down at
+her, and then, as though the far away expression in her eyes
+suggested kinship with the unseen and the eternal, he said,
+admiringly but humbly, "It must be grand to be clever like you,
+Selma. I'm no good at that. But if loving you will make up for it,
+I'll go far, little woman."</p>
+<p>"What I know of that I like, and&mdash;and if some day, I can
+make you proud of me, so much the better," said Selma.</p>
+<p>"Proud of you? You are an angel, and you know it."</p>
+<p>She closed her eyes and sighed again. Even the bright avenues of
+fame, which her keen eyes had traversed through the golden moon,
+paled before this tribute from the lips of real flesh and blood.
+What woman can withstand the fascination of a lover's faith that
+she is an angel? If a man is fool enough to believe it, why
+undeceive him? And if he is so sure of it, may it even not be so?
+Selma was content to have it so, especially as the assertion did
+not jar with her own prepossessions; and thus they rode home in the
+summer night in the mutual contentment of a betrothal.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3>
+<p>The match was thoroughly agreeable to Mrs. Farley, Selma's aunt
+and nearest relation, who with her husband presided over a
+flourishing poultry farm in Wilton. She was an easy-going, friendly
+spirit, with a sharp but not wide vision, who did not believe that
+a likelier fellow than Lewis Babcock would come wooing were her
+niece to wait a lifetime. He was hearty, comical, and generous, and
+was said to be making money fast in the varnish business. In short,
+he seemed to her an admirable young man, with a stock of
+common-sense and high spirits eminently serviceable for a domestic
+venture. How full of fun he was, to be sure! It did her good to
+behold the tribute his appetite paid to the buckwheat cakes with
+cream and other tempting viands she set before him&mdash;a pleasing
+contrast to Selma's starveling diet&mdash;and the hearty smack with
+which he enforced his demands upon her own cheeks as his
+mother-in-law apparent, argued an affectionate disposition. Burly,
+rosy-cheeked, good-natured, was he not the very man to dispel her
+niece's vagaries and turn the girl's morbid cleverness into healthy
+channels?</p>
+<p>Selma, therefore, found nothing but encouragement in her choice
+at home; so by the end of another three months they were made man
+and wife, and had moved into that little house in Benham which had
+attracted Babcock's eye. Benham, as has been indicated, was in the
+throes of bustle and self-improvement. Before the war it had been
+essentially unimportant. But the building of a railroad through the
+town and the discovery of oil wells in its neighborhood had
+transformed it in a twinkling into an active and spirited centre.
+Selma's new house was on the edge of the city, in the van of real
+estate progress, one of a row of small but ambitious-looking
+dwellings, over the dark yellow clapboards of which the architect
+had let his imagination run rampant in scrolls and flourishes.
+There was fancy colored glass in a sort of rose-window over the
+front door, and lozenges of fancy glass here and there in the
+facade. Each house had a little grass-plot, which Babcock in his
+case had made appurtenant to a metal stag, which seemed to him the
+finishing touch to a cosey and ornamental home. He had done his
+best and with all his heart, and the future was before them.</p>
+<p>Babcock found himself radiant over the first experiences of
+married life. It was just what he had hoped, only better. His
+imagination in entertaining an angel had not been unduly literal,
+and it was a constant delight and source of congratulation to him
+to reflect over his pipe on the lounge after supper that the
+charming piece of flesh and blood sewing or reading demurely close
+by was the divinity of his domestic hearth. There she was to smile
+at him when he came home at night and enable him to forget the
+cares and dross of the varnish business. Her presence across the
+table added a new zest to every meal and improved his appetite. In
+marrying he had expected to cut loose from his bachelor habits, and
+he asked for nothing better than to spend every evening alone with
+Selma, varied by an occasional evening at the theatre, and a drive
+out to the Farleys' now and then for supper. This, with the regular
+Sunday service at Rev. Henry Glynn's church, rounded out the weeks
+to his perfect satisfaction. He was conscious of feeling that the
+situation did not admit of improvement, for though, when he
+measured himself with Selma, Babcock was humble-minded, a cheerful
+and uncritical optimism was the ruling characteristic of his
+temperament. With health, business fortune, and love all on his
+side, it was natural to him to regard his lot with complacency.
+Especially as to all appearances, this was the sort of thing Selma
+liked, also. Presently, perhaps, there would be a baby, and then
+their cup of domestic happiness would be overflowing. Babcock's
+long ungratified yearning for the things of the spirit were fully
+met by these cosey evenings, which he would have been glad to
+continue to the crack of doom. To smoke and sprawl and read a
+little, and exchange chit-chat, was poetry enough for him. So
+contented was he that his joy was apt to find an outlet in ditties
+and whistling&mdash;he possessed a slightly tuneful, rollicking
+knack at both&mdash;a proceeding which commonly culminated in his
+causing Selma to sit beside him on the sofa and be made much of, to
+the detriment of her toilette.</p>
+<p>As for the bride, so dazing were the circumstances incident to
+the double change of matrimony and adaptation to city life, that
+her judgment was in suspension. Yet though she smiled and sewed
+demurely, she was thinking. The yellow clapboarded house and metal
+stag, and a maid-of-all-work at her beck and call, were gratifying
+at the outset and made demands upon her energies. Selma's position
+in her father's house had been chiefly ornamental and social. She
+had been his companion and nurse, had read to him and argued with
+him, but the mere household work had been performed by an elderly
+female relative who recognized that her mind was bent on higher
+things. Nevertheless, she had never doubted that when the time
+arrived to show her capacity as a housewife, she would be more than
+equal to the emergency. Assuredly she would, for one of the
+distinguishing traits of American womanhood was the ability to
+perform admirably with one's own hand many menial duties and yet be
+prepared to shine socially with the best. Still the experience was
+not quite so easy as she expected; even harassing and mortifying.
+Fortunately, Lewis was more particular about quantity than quality
+where the table was concerned; and, after all, food and domestic
+details were secondary considerations in a noble outlook. It would
+have suited her never to be obliged to eat, and to be able to leave
+the care of the house to the hired girl; but that being out of the
+question, it became incumbent on her to make those obligations as
+simple as possible. However, the possession of a new house and gay
+fittings was an agreeable realization. At home everything had been
+upholstered in black horse-hair, and regard for material
+appearances had been obscured for her by the tension of her
+introspective tendencies. Lewis was very kind, and she had no
+reason to reproach herself as yet for her choice. He had insisted
+that she should provide herself with an ample and more stylish
+wardrobe, and though the invitation had interested her but mildly,
+the effect of shrewdly-made and neatly fitting garments on her
+figure had been a revelation. Like the touch of a man's hand, fine
+raiment had seemed to her hitherto almost repellant, but it was
+obvious now that anything which enhanced her effectiveness could
+not be dismissed as valueless. To arrive at definite conclusions in
+regard to her social surroundings was less easy for Selma. Benham,
+in its rapid growth, had got beyond the level simplicity of
+Westfield and Wilton, and was already confronted by the stern
+realities which baffle the original ideal in every American city.
+We like as a nation to cherish the illusion that extremes of social
+condition do not exist even in our large communities, and that the
+plutocrat and the saleslady, the learned professions and the
+proletariat associate on a common basis of equal virtue,
+intelligence, and culture. And yet, although Benham was a
+comparatively young and an essentially American city, there were
+very marked differences in all these respects in its community.</p>
+<p>Topographically speaking the starting point of Benham was its
+water-course. Twenty years before the war Benham was merely a
+cluster of frame houses in the valley of the limpid, peaceful river
+Nye. At that time the inhabitants drank of the Nye taken at a point
+below the town, for there was a high fall which would have made the
+drawing of water above less convenient. This they were doing when
+Selma came to Benham, although every man's hand had been raised
+against the Nye, which was the nearest, and hence for a community
+in hot haste, the most natural receptacle for dyestuffs, ashes and
+all the outflow from woollen mills, pork factories and oil yards,
+and it ran the color of glistening bean soup. From time to time, as
+the city grew, the drawing point had been made a little lower where
+the stream had regained a portion of its limpidity, and no one but
+wiseacres and busybodies questioned its wholesomeness. Benham at
+that time was too preoccupied and too proud of its increasing
+greatness to mistrust its own judgment in matters hygienic,
+artistic, and educational. There came a day later when the river
+rose against the city, and an epidemic of typhoid fever convinced a
+reluctant community that there were some things which free-born
+Americans did not know intuitively. Then there were public meetings
+and a general indignation movement, and presently, under the
+guidance of competent experts, Lake Mohunk, seven miles to the
+north, was secured as a reservoir. Just to show how the temper of
+the times has changed, and how sophisticated in regard to hygienic
+matters some of the good citizens of Benham in these latter days
+have become, it is worthy of mention that, though competent
+chemists declare Lake Mohunk to be free from contamination, there
+are those now who use so-called mineral spring-waters in
+preference; notably Miss Flagg, the daughter of old Joel Flagg,
+once the miller and, at the date when the Babcocks set up their
+household gods, one of the oil magnates of Benham. He drank the
+bean colored Nye to the day of his death and died at eighty; but
+she carries a carboy of spring-water with her personal baggage
+wherever she travels, and is perpetually solicitous in regard to
+the presence of arsenic in wall-papers into the bargain.</p>
+<p>Verily, the world has wagged apace in Benham since Selma first
+looked out at her metal stag and the surrounding landscape. Ten
+years later the Benham Home Beautifying Society took in hand the
+Nye and those who drained into it, and by means of garbage
+consumers, disinfectants, and filters and judiciously arranged
+shrubbery converted its channel and banks into quite a respectable
+citizens' paradise. But even at that time the industries on either
+bank of the Nye, which flowed from east to west, were forcing the
+retail shops and the residences further and further away. To
+illustrate again from the Flagg family, just before the war Joel
+Flagg built a modest house less than a quarter of a mile from the
+southerly bank of the river, expecting to end his days there, and
+was accused by contemporary censors of an intention to seclude
+himself in magnificent isolation. About this time he had yielded to
+the plea of his family, that every other building in the street had
+been given over to trade, and that they were stranded in a social
+Sahara of factories. So like the easy going yet soaring soul that
+he was, he had moved out two miles to what was known as the River
+Drive, where the Nye accomplishes a broad sweep to the south. There
+an ambitious imported architect, glad of such an opportunity to
+speculate in artistic effects, had built for him a conglomeration
+of a feudal castle and an old colonial mansion in all the grisly
+bulk of signal failure.</p>
+<p>Considering our ideals, it is a wonder that no one has provided
+a law forbidding the erection of all the architecturally
+attractive, or sumptuous houses in one neighborhood. It ought not
+to be possible in a republic for such a state of affairs to exist
+as existed in Benham. That is to say all the wealth and fashion of
+the city lay to the west of Central Avenue, which was so literally
+the dividing line that if a Benhamite were referred to as living on
+that street the conventional inquiry would be "On which side?" And
+if the answer were "On the east," the inquirer would be apt to say
+"Oh!" with a cold inflection which suggested a ban. No Benhamite
+has ever been able to explain precisely why it should be more
+creditable to live on one side of the same street than on the
+other, but I have been told by clever women, who were good
+Americans besides, that this is one of the subtle truths which
+baffle the Gods and democracies alike. Central Avenue has long ago
+been appropriated by the leading retail dry-goods shops, huge
+establishments where everything from a set of drawing-room
+furniture to a hair-pin can be bought under a single roof; but at
+that time it was the social artery. Everything to the west was new
+and assertive; then came the shops and the business centre; and to
+the east were Tom, Dick, and Harry, Michael, Isaac and Pietro, the
+army of citizens who worked in the mills, oil yards, and pork
+factories. And to the north, across the river, on the further side
+of more manufacturing establishments, was Poland, so-called&mdash;a
+settlement of the Poles&mdash;to reach whom now there are seven
+bridges of iron. There were but two bridges then, one of wood, and
+journeys across them had not yet been revealed to philanthropic
+young women eager to do good.</p>
+<p>Selma's house lay well to the south-west of Central Avenue, far
+enough removed from the River Drive and the Flagg mansion to be
+humble and yet near enough to be called looking up. Their row was
+complete and mainly occupied, but the locality was a-building, and
+in the process of making acquaintance. So many strangers had come
+to Benham that even Babcock knew but few of their neighbors.
+Without formulating definitely how it was to happen, Selma had
+expected to be received with open arms into a society eager to
+recognize her salient qualities. But apparently, at first glance,
+everybody's interest was absorbed by the butcher and grocer, the
+dressmaker and the domestic hearth. That is, the other people in
+their row seemed to be content to do as they were doing. The
+husbands went to town every day&mdash;town which lay in the murky
+distance&mdash;and their wives were friendly enough, but did not
+seem to be conscious either of voids in their own existence or of
+the privilege of her society. To be sure, they dressed well and
+were suggestive in that, but they looked blank at some of her
+inquiries, and appeared to feel their days complete if, after the
+housework had been done and the battle fought with the hired girl,
+they were able to visit the shopping district and pore over
+fabrics, in case they could not buy them. Some were evidently
+looking forward to the day when they might be so fortunate as to
+possess one of the larger houses of the district a mile away, and
+figure among what they termed "society people." There were others
+who, in their satisfaction with this course of life, referred with
+a touch of self-righteousness to the dwellers on the River Drive as
+deserving reprobation on account of a lack of serious purpose. This
+criticism appealed to Selma, and consoled her in a measure for the
+half mortification with which she had begun to realize that she was
+not of so much account as she had expected; at least, that there
+were people not very far distant from her block who were different
+somehow from her neighbors, and who took part in social proceedings
+in which she and her husband were not invited to participate.
+Manifestly they were unworthy and un-American. It was a comfort to
+come to this conclusion, even though her immediate surroundings,
+including the society of those who had put the taunt into her
+thoughts, left her unsatisfied.</p>
+<p>Some relief was provided at last by her church. Babcock was by
+birth an Episcopalian, though he had been lax in his interest
+during early manhood. This was one of the matters which he had
+expected marriage to correct, and he had taken up again, not merely
+with resignation but complacency, the custom of attending service
+regularly. Dr. White had been a controversial Methodist, but since
+his wife's death, and especially since the war, he had abstained
+from religious observances, and had argued himself somewhat far
+afield from the fold of orthodox belief. Consequently Selma, though
+she attended church at Westfield when her father's ailments did not
+require her presence at home, had been brought up to exercise her
+faculties freely on problems of faith and to feel herself a little
+more enlightened than the conventional worshipper. Still she was
+not averse to following her husband to the Rev. Henry Glynn's
+church. The experience was another revelation to her, for service
+at Westfield had been eminently severe and unadorned. Mr. Glynn was
+an Englishman; a short, stout, strenuous member of the Church of
+England with a broad accent and a predilection for ritual, but
+enthusiastic and earnest. He had been tempted to cross the ocean by
+the opportunities for preaching the gospel to the heathen, and he
+had fixed on Benham as a vineyard where he could labor to
+advantage. His advent had been a success. He had awakened interest
+by his fervor and by his methods. The pew taken by Babcock was one
+of the last remaining, and there was already talk of building a
+larger church to replace the chapel where he ministered. Choir
+boys, elaborate vestments, and genuflections, were novelties in the
+Protestant worship of Benham, and attracted the attention of many
+almost weary of plainer forms of worship, especially as these
+manifestations of color were effectively supplemented by evident
+sincerity of spirit on the part of their pastor. Nor were his
+energy and zeal confined to purely spiritual functions. The scope
+of his church work was practical and social. He had organized from
+the congregation societies of various sorts to relieve the poor;
+Bible classes and evening reunions which the members of the parish
+were urged to attend in order to become acquainted. Mr. Glynn's
+manner was both hearty and pompous. To him there was no Church in
+the world but the Church of England, and it was obvious that as one
+of the clergy of that Church he considered himself to be no mean
+man; but apart from this serious intellectual foible with respect
+to his own relative importance, he was a stimulating Christian and
+citizen within his lights. His active, crusading, and emotional
+temperament just suited the seething propensities of Benham.</p>
+<p>His flock comprised a few of the residents of the River Drive
+district, among them the Flaggs, but was a fairly representative
+mixture of all grades of society, including the poorest. These last
+were specimens under spiritual duress rather than free worshippers,
+and it was a constant puzzle to the reverend gentleman why, in the
+matter of attendance, they, metaphorically speaking, sickened and
+died. It had never been so in England. "Bonnets!" responded one day
+Mrs. Hallett Taylor, who had become Mr. Glynn's leading ally in
+parish matters, and was noted for her executive ability. She was an
+engaging but clear-headed soul who went straight to the point.</p>
+<p>"I do not fathom your meaning," said the pastor, a little
+loftily, for the suggestion sounded flippant.</p>
+<p>"It hurts their feelings to go to a church where their clothes
+are shabby compared with those of the rest of the
+congregation."</p>
+<p>"Yes, but in God's chapel, dear lady, all such distinctions
+should be forgotten."</p>
+<p>"They can't forget, and I don't blame them much, poor things, do
+you? It's the free-born American spirit. There now, Mr. Glynn, you
+were asking me yesterday to suggest some one for junior warden. Why
+not Mr. Babcock? They're new comers and seem available people."</p>
+<p>Mr. Glynn's distress at her first question was merged in the
+interest inspired by her second, for his glance had followed hers
+until it rested on the Babcocks, who had just entered the vestry to
+attend the social reunion. Selma's face wore its worried archangel
+aspect. She was on her good behavior and proudly on her guard
+against social impertinence. But she looked very pretty, and her
+compact, slight figure indicated a busy way.</p>
+<p>"I will interrogate him," he answered. "I have observed them
+before, and&mdash;and I can't quite make out the wife. It is almost
+a spiritual face, and yet&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"Just a little hard and keen," broke in Mrs. Taylor, upon his
+hesitation. "She is pretty, and she looks clever. I think we can
+get some work out of her."</p>
+<p>Thereupon she sailed gracefully in the direction of Selma. Mrs.
+Taylor was from Maryland. Her husband, a physician, had come to
+Benham at the close of the war to build up a practice, and his wife
+had aided him by her energy and graciousness to make friends.
+Unlike some Southerners, she was not indolent, and yet she
+possessed all the ingratiating, spontaneous charm of well-bred
+women from that section of the country. Her tastes were
+&aelig;sthetic and ethical rather than intellectual, and her
+special interest at the moment was the welfare of the church. She
+thought it desirable that all the elements of which the
+congregation was composed should be represented on the committees,
+and Selma seemed to her the most obviously available person from
+the class to which the Babcocks belonged.</p>
+<p>"I want you to help us," she said. "I think you have ideas. We
+need a woman with sense and ideas on our committee to build the new
+church."</p>
+<p>Selma was not used to easy grace and sprightly spontaneity. It
+affected her at first much as the touch of man; but just as in that
+instance the experience was agreeable. Life was too serious a thing
+in her regard to lend itself casually to lightness, and yet she
+felt instinctively attracted by this lack of self-consciousness and
+self-restraint. Besides here was an opportunity such as she had
+been yearning for. She had met Mrs. Taylor before, and knew her to
+be the presiding genius of the congregation; and it was evident
+that Mrs. Taylor had discovered her value.</p>
+<p>"Thank you," she said, gravely, but cordially. "That is what I
+should like. I wish to be of use. I shall be pleased to serve on
+the committee."</p>
+<p>"It will be interesting, I think. I have never helped build
+anything before. Perhaps you have?"</p>
+<p>"No," said Selma slowly. Her tone conveyed the impression that,
+though her abilities had never been put to that precise test, the
+employment seemed easily within her capacity.</p>
+<p>"Ah! I am sure you will be suggestive" said Mrs. Taylor. "I am
+right anxious that it shall be a credit in an architectural way,
+you know."</p>
+<p>Mr. Glynn, who had followed with more measured tread, now
+mingled his hearty bass voice in the conversation. His mental
+attitude was friendly, but inquisitorial; as seemed to him to befit
+one charged with the cure of souls. He proceeded to ask questions,
+beginning with inquiries conventional and domestic, but verging
+presently on points of faith. Babcock, to whom they were directly
+addressed, stood the ordeal well, revealing himself as flattered,
+contrite, and zealous to avail himself of the blessings of the
+church. He admitted that lately he had been lax in his spiritual
+duties.</p>
+<p>"We come every Sunday now," he said buoyantly, with a glance at
+Selma as though to indicate that she deserved the credit of his
+reformation.</p>
+<p>"The holy sacrament of marriage has led many souls from darkness
+into light, from the flesh-pots of Egypt to the table of the Lord"
+Mr. Glynn answered. "And you, my daughter," he added, meaningly,
+"guard well your advantage."</p>
+<p>It was agreeable to Selma that the clergymen seemed to
+appreciate her superiority to her embarrassed husband, especially
+as she thought she knew that in England women were not expected to
+have opinions of their own. She wished to say something to impress
+him more distinctly with her cleverness, for though she was
+secretly contemptuous of his ceremonials, there was something
+impressive in his mandatory zeal. She came near asking whether he
+held to the belief that it was wrong for a man to marry his
+deceased wife's sister, which was the only proposition in relation
+to the married state which occurred to her at the moment as likely
+to show her independence, but she contented herself instead with
+saying, with so much of Mrs. Taylor's spontaneity as she could
+reproduce without practice, "We expect to be very happy in your
+church."</p>
+<p>Selma, however, supplemented her words with her tense spiritual
+look. She felt happier than she had for weeks, inasmuch as life
+seemed to be opening before her. For a few moments she listened to
+Mr. Glynn unfold his hopes in regard to the new church, trying to
+make him feel that she was no common woman. She considered it a
+tribute to her when he took Lewis aside later and asked him to
+become a junior warden.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER III.</h3>
+<p>At this time the necessity for special knowledge as to artistic
+or educational matters was recognized grudgingly in Benham. Any
+reputable citizen was considered capable to pass judgment on
+statues and pictures, design a house or public building, and
+prescribe courses of study for school-children. Since then the
+free-born Benhamite, little by little, through wise legislation or
+public opinion, born of bitter experience, has been robbed of these
+prerogatives until, not long ago, the un-American and undemocratic
+proposition to take away the laying out of the new city park from
+the easy going but ignorant mercies of the so-called city forester,
+who had been first a plumber and later an alderman, prevailed. An
+enlightened civic spirit triumphed and special knowledge was
+invoked.</p>
+<p>That was twenty-five years later. Mrs. Hallett Taylor had found
+herself almost single-handed at the outset in her purpose to build
+the new church on artistic lines. Or rather the case should be
+stated thus: Everyone agreed that it was to be the most beautiful
+church in the country, consistent with the money, and no one
+doubted that it would be, especially as everyone except Mrs. Taylor
+felt that in confiding the matter to the leading architect in
+Benham the committee would be exercising a wise and intelligent
+discretion. Mr. Pierce, the individual suggested, had never, until
+recently, employed the word architect in speaking of himself, and
+he pronounced it, as did some of the committee, "arshitect," shying
+a little at the word, as though it were caviare and anything but
+American. He was a builder, practised by a brief but rushing career
+in erecting houses, banks, schools, and warehouses speedily and
+boldly. He had been on the spot when the new growth of Benham
+began, and his handiwork was writ large all over the city. The city
+was proud of him, and had, as it were, sniffed when Joel Flagg went
+elsewhere for a man to build his new house. Surely, if it were
+necessary to pay extra for that sort of thing, was not home talent
+good enough? Yet it must be confessed that the ugly splendor of the
+Flagg medi&aelig;val castle had so far dazed the eye of Benham that
+its "arshitect" had felt constrained, in order to keep up with the
+times, to try fancy flights of his own. He had silenced any
+doubting Thomases by his latest effort, a new school-house, rich in
+rampant angles and scrolls, on the brown-stone front of which the
+name <i>Flagg School</i> appeared in ambitious, distorted
+hieroglyphics.</p>
+<p>Think what a wealth of imagery in the tossing of the second O on
+top of the L. If artistic novelty and genius were sought for the
+new church, here it was ready to be invoked. Besides, Mr. Pierce
+was a brother-in-law of one of the members of the committee, and,
+though the committee had the fear of God in their hearts in the
+erection of his sanctuary, it was not easy to protest against the
+near relative of a fellow member, especially one so competent.</p>
+<p>The committee numbered seven. Selma had been chosen to fill a
+vacancy caused by death, but at the time of her selection the
+matter was still in embryo, and the question of an architect had
+not been mooted. At the next meeting discussion arose as to whether
+Mr. Pierce should be given the job, under the eagle eyes of a
+sub-committee, or Mrs. Taylor's project of inviting competitive
+designs should be adopted. It was known that Mr. Glynn, without
+meaning disrespect to Mr. Pierce, favored the latter plan as more
+progressive, a word always attractive to Benham ears when they had
+time to listen. Its potency, coupled with veneration, for the
+pastor's opinion, had secured the vote of Mr. Clyme, a banker.
+Another member of the committee, a lawyer, favored Mrs. Taylor's
+idea because of a grudge against Mr. Pierce. The chairman and
+brother-in-law, and a hard-headed stove dealer, were opposed to the
+competitive plan as highfalutin and unnecessary. Thus the deciding
+vote lay with Selma.</p>
+<p>Now that they were on the same committee, Mrs. Taylor could not
+altogether make her out. She remembered that Mr. Glynn had said the
+same thing. Mrs. Taylor was accustomed to conquests. Without actual
+premeditation, she was agreeably conscious of being able to convert
+and sweep most opponents off their feet by the force of her
+pleasant personality. In this case the effect was not so obvious.
+She was conscious that Selma's eyes were constantly fixed upon her,
+but as to what she was thinking Mrs. Taylor felt less certain.
+Clearly she was mesmerized, but was the tribute admiration or
+hostility? Mrs. Taylor was piqued, and put upon her metal. Besides
+she needed Selma's vote. Not being skilled in psychological
+analyses, she had to resort to practical methods, and invited her
+to afternoon tea.</p>
+<p>Selma had never been present at afternoon tea as a domestic
+function in her life. Nor had she seen a home like Mrs. Taylor's.
+The house was no larger than her own, and had cost less. Medicine
+had not been so lucrative as the manufacture of varnish. Externally
+the house displayed stern lines of unadorned brick&mdash;the
+custom-made style of Benham in the first throes of expansion before
+Mr. Pierce's imagination had been stirred. Mr. Taylor had bought it
+as it stood, and his wife had made no attempt to alter the outside,
+which was, after all, inoffensively homely. But the interior was
+bewildering to Selma's gaze in its suggestion of cosey comfort.
+Pretty, tasteful things, many of them inexpensive knick-knacks of
+foreign origin&mdash;a small picture, a bit of china, a
+medi&aelig;val relic&mdash;were cleverly placed as a relief to the
+conventional furniture. Selma had been used to formalism in
+household garniture&mdash;to a best room little used and precise
+with the rigor of wax flowers and black horse-hair, and to a living
+room where the effect sought was purely utilitarian. Her new home,
+in spite of its colored glass and iron stag, was arranged in much
+this fashion, as were the houses of her neighbors which she had
+entered.</p>
+<p>Selma managed to seat herself on the one straight-backed chair
+in the room. From this she was promptly driven by Mrs. Taylor and
+established in one corner of a lounge with a soft silk cushion
+behind her, and further propitiated by the proffer of a cup of tea
+in a dainty cup and saucer. All this, including Mrs. Taylor's
+musical voice, easy speech, and ingratiating friendliness,
+alternately thrilled and irritated her. She would have liked to
+discard her hostess from her thought as a light creature unworthy
+of intellectual seriousness, but she found herself fascinated and
+even thawed in spite of herself.</p>
+<p>"I'm glad to have the opportunity really to talk to you," said
+Mrs. Taylor. "At the church reunions one is so liable to
+interruptions. If I'm not mistaken, you taught school before you
+were married?"</p>
+<p>"For a short time."</p>
+<p>"That must have been interesting. It is so practical and
+definite. My life," she added deprecatingly, "has been a thing of
+threads and patches&mdash;a bit here and a bit there."</p>
+<p>She paused, but without forcing a response, proceeded blithely
+to touch on her past by way of illustration. The war had come just
+when she was grown up, and her kin in Maryland were divided on the
+issue. Her father had taken his family abroad, but her heart was in
+the keeping of a young officer on the Northern side&mdash;now her
+husband. Loss of property and bitterness of spirit had kept her
+parents expatriated, and she, with them, had journeyed from place
+to place in Europe. She had seen many beautiful places and
+beautiful things. At last Major Taylor had come for her and carried
+her off as his bride to take up again her life as an American.</p>
+<p>"I am interested in Benham," she continued, "and I count on you,
+Mrs. Babcock, to help make the new church what it ought to be
+artistically&mdash;worthy of all the energy and independence there
+is in this place."</p>
+<p>Selma's eye kindled. The allusion to foreign lands had aroused
+her distrust, but this patriotic avowal warmed her pulses.</p>
+<p>"Every one is so busy with private affairs here, owing to the
+rapid growth of the city," pursued Mrs. Taylor, "that there is
+danger of our doing inconsiderately things which cannot easily be
+set right hereafter. An ugly or tawdry-looking building may be an
+eyesore for a generation. I know that we have honest and skilful
+mechanics in Benham, but as trustees of the church funds, shouldn't
+we at least make the effort to get the best talent there is? If we
+have the cleverest architect here, so much the better. An open
+competition will enable us to find out. After all Benham is only
+one city among many, and a very new city. Why shouldn't we take
+advantage of the ideas of the rest of the country&mdash;the older
+portion of the country?"</p>
+<p>"Mr. Pierce built our house, and we think it very satisfactory
+and pretty."</p>
+<p>Selma's tone was firm, but she eyed her hostess narrowly. She
+had begun of late to distrust the &aelig;sthetic worth of the
+colored glass and metal stag, and, though she was on her guard
+against effrontery, she wished to know the truth. She knew that Mr.
+Pierce, with fine business instinct, had already conveyed to her
+husband the promise that he should furnish the varnish for the new
+church in case of his own selection, which, as Babcock had
+remarked, would be a nice thing all round.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Taylor underwent the scrutiny without flinching. "I have
+nothing to say against Mr. Pierce. He is capable within his lights.
+Indeed I think it quite possible that we shall get nothing more
+satisfactory elsewhere. Mr. Flagg's grim pile is anything but
+encouraging. That may sound like an argument against my plan, but
+in the case of the Flagg house there was no competition; merely
+unenlightened choice on the one side and ignorant experimenting on
+the other."</p>
+<p>"You don't seem to think very highly of the appearance of
+Benham," said Selma. The remark was slightly interrogative, but was
+combative withal. She wished to know if everything, from the Flagg
+mansion down, was open to criticism, but she would fain question
+the authority of the censor&mdash;this glib, graceful woman whose
+white, starched cuffs seemed to make light of her own sober,
+unadorned wrists.</p>
+<p>This time Mrs. Taylor flushed faintly. She realized that their
+relations had reached a critical point, and that the next step
+might be fatal. She put down her teacup, and leaning forward, said
+with smiling confidential eagerness, "I don't. I wouldn't admit it
+to anyone else. But what's the use of mincing matters with an
+intelligent woman like you? I might put you off now, and declare
+that Benham is well enough. But you would soon divine what I really
+think, and that would be the end of confidence between us. I like
+honesty and frankness, and I can see that you do. My opinion of
+Benham architecture is that it is slip-shod and mongrel. There! You
+see I put myself in your hands, but I do so because I feel sure you
+nearly agree with me already. You know it's so, but you hate to
+acknowledge it."</p>
+<p>Selma's eyes were bright with interest. She felt flattered by
+the appeal, and there was a righteous assurance in Mrs. Taylor's
+manner which was convincing. She opened her mouth to say
+something&mdash;what she did not quite know&mdash;but Mrs. Taylor
+raised her hand by way of interdiction.</p>
+<p>"Don't answer yet. Let me show you what I mean. I'm as proud of
+Benham as anyone. I am absorbed by the place, I look to see it
+fifty years hence&mdash;perhaps less&mdash;a great city, and a
+beautiful city too. Just at present everything is commercial
+and&mdash;and ethical; yes, ethical. We wish to do and dare, but we
+haven't time to adorn as we construct. That is, most of us haven't.
+But if a few determined spirits&mdash;women though they
+be&mdash;cry 'halt,' art may get a chance here and there to assert
+herself. Look at this," she said, gliding across the room and
+holding up a small vase of exquisite shape and coloring, "I picked
+it up on the other side and it stands almost for a lost art. The
+hands and taste which wrought it represent the transmitted patience
+and skill of hundreds of years. We like to rush things through in a
+few weeks on a design hastily conceived by a Mr. Pierce because we
+are so earnest. Now, we won't do it this time, will we?"</p>
+<p>"No, we won't," said Selma. "I see what you mean. I was afraid
+at first that you didn't give us credit for the
+earnestness&mdash;for the ethical part. That's the first thing, the
+great thing according to my idea, and it's what distinguishes us
+from foreigners,&mdash;the foreigners who made that vase, for
+instance. But I agree with you that there's such a thing as going
+too fast, and very likely some of the buildings here aren't all
+they might be. We don't need to model them on foreign patterns, but
+we must have them pretty and right."</p>
+<p>"Certainly, certainly, my dear. What we should strive for is
+originality&mdash;American originality; but soberly, slowly. Art is
+evolved painfully, little by little; it can't be bought ready-made
+at shops for the asking like tea and sugar. If we invite designs
+for the new church, we shall give the youths of the country who
+have ideas seething in their heads a chance to express themselves.
+Who knows but we may unearth a genius?"</p>
+<p>"Who knows?" echoed Selma, with her spiritual look. "Yes, you
+are right, Mrs. Taylor. I will help you. As you say, there must be
+hundreds of young men who would like to do just that sort of thing.
+I know myself what it is to have lived in a small place without the
+opportunity to show what one could do; to feel the capacity, but to
+be without the means and occasion to reveal what is in one. And now
+that I understand we really look at things the same way, I'm glad
+to join with you in making Benham beautiful. As you say, we women
+can do much if we only will. I've the greatest faith in woman's
+mission in this new, interesting nation of ours. Haven't you, Mrs.
+Taylor? Don't you believe that she, in her new sphere of
+usefulness, is one of the great moving forces of the Republic?"
+Selma was talking rapidly, and had lost every trace of suspicious
+restraint. She spoke as one transfigured.</p>
+<p>"Yes, indeed," answered Mrs. Taylor, checking any disposition
+she may have felt to interpose qualifications. She could acquiesce
+generally without violence to her convictions, and she could not
+afford to imperil the safety of the immediate issue&mdash;her
+church. "I felt sure you would feel so if you only had time to
+reflect," she added. "If you vote with us, you will have the
+pleasant consciousness of knowing that you have advanced woman's
+cause just so much."</p>
+<p>"You may count on my vote."</p>
+<p>Selma stopped on her way home, although it was late, to purchase
+some white cuffs. As she approached, her husband stood on the
+grass-plot in his shirt sleeves with a garden-hose. He was
+whistling, and when he saw her he kissed his hand at her
+jubilantly,</p>
+<p>"Well, sweetheart, where you been?"</p>
+<p>"Visiting. Taking tea with Mrs. Taylor. I've promised her to
+vote to invite bids for the church plans."</p>
+<p>Babcock looked surprised. "That'll throw Pierce out, won't
+it?"</p>
+<p>"Not unless some one else submits a better design than he."</p>
+<p>Lewis scratched his head. "I considered that order for varnish
+as good as booked."</p>
+<p>"I'm not sure Mr. Pierce knows as much as he thinks he does,"
+said Selma oracularly. "We shall get plans from New York and
+Boston. If we don't like them we needn't take them. But that's the
+way to get an artistic thing. And we're going to have the most
+artistic church in Benham. I'm sorry about the varnish, but a
+principle is involved."</p>
+<p>Babcock was puzzled but content. He cared far more for the
+disappointment to Pierce than for the loss of the order. But apart
+from the business side of the question, he never doubted that his
+wife must be right, nor did he feel obliged to inquire what
+principle was involved. He was pleased to have her associate with
+Mrs. Taylor, and was satisfied that she would be a credit to him in
+any situation where occult questions of art or learning were
+mooted. He dropped his hose and pulled her down beside him on the
+porch settee. There was a beautiful sunset, and the atmosphere was
+soft and refreshing. Selma felt satisfied with herself. As Mrs.
+Taylor had said, it was her vote which would turn the scale on
+behalf of progress. Other things, too, were in her mind. She was
+not ready to admit that she had been instructed, but she was
+already planning changes in her own domestic interior, suggested by
+what she had seen.</p>
+<p>She let her husband squeeze her hand, but her thoughts were
+wandering from his blandishments. Presently she said: "Lewis, I've
+begun lately to doubt if that stag is really pretty."</p>
+<p>"The stag? Well, now, I've always thought it tasty&mdash;one of
+the features of our little place."</p>
+<p>"No one would mistake it for a real deer. It looks to me almost
+comical."</p>
+<p>Babcock turned to regard judicially the object of her
+criticism.</p>
+<p>"I like it," he said somewhat mournfully, as though he were
+puzzled. "But if you don't, we'll change the stag for something
+else. I wish you to be pleased first of all. Instead we might have
+a fountain; two children under an umbrella I saw the other day. It
+was cute. How does that strike you?"</p>
+<p>"I can't tell without seeing it. And, Lewis, promise me that you
+won't select anything new of that sort until I have looked at
+it."</p>
+<p>"Very well," Babcock answered submissively. But he continued to
+look puzzled. In his estimate of his wife's superiority to himself
+in the subtleties of life, it had never occurred to him to include
+the choice of every-day objects of art. He had eyes and could judge
+for himself like any other American citizen. Still, he was only too
+glad to humor Selma in such an unimportant matter, especially as he
+was eager for her happiness.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER IV.</h3>
+<p>Seven designs for the new church were submitted, including three
+from Benham architects. The leaven of influence exercised by
+spirits like Mrs. Taylor was only just beginning to work, and the
+now common custom of competing outside one's own bailiwick was
+still in embryo. Mr. Pierce's design was bold and sumptuous. His
+brother-in-law stated oracularly not long before the day when the
+plans were to be opened: "Pierce is not a man to be frightened out
+of a job by frills. Mark my words; he will give us an elegant
+thing." Mr. Pierce had conceived the happy thought of combining a
+Moorish mosque and New England meeting-house in a conservative and
+equitable medley, evidently hoping thereby to be both picturesque
+and traditional. The result, even on paper, was too bold for some
+of his admirers. The chairman was heard to remark: "I shouldn't
+feel as though I was in church. That dome set among spires is close
+to making a theatre of the house of God."</p>
+<p>The discomfiture of the first architect of Benham cleared the
+way for the triumph of Mrs. Taylor's taste. The design submitted by
+Wilbur Littleton of New York, seemed to her decidedly the most
+meritorious. It was graceful, appropriate, and artistic; entirely
+in harmony with religious associations, yet agreeably different
+from every day sanctuaries. The choice lay between his and that
+presented by Mr. Cass, a Benham builder&mdash;a matter-of-fact,
+serviceable, but very conventional edifice. The hard-headed stove
+dealer on the committee declared in favor of the native design, as
+simpler and more solid.</p>
+<p>"It'll be a massive structure" he said, "and when it's finished
+no one will have to ask what it is. It'll speak for itself. Mr.
+Cass is a solid business man, and we know what we'll get. The other
+plan is what I call dandified."</p>
+<p>It was evident to the committee that the stove dealer's final
+criticism comprehended the architect as well as his design. Several
+competitors&mdash;Littleton among them&mdash;had come in person to
+explain the merits of their respective drawings, and by the side of
+solid, red-bearded, undecorative Mr. Cass, Littleton may well have
+seemed a dandy. He was a slim young man with a delicate, sensitive
+face and intelligent brown eyes. He looked eager and interesting.
+In his case the almost gaunt American physiognomy was softened by a
+suggestion of poetic impulses. Yet the heritage of nervous energy
+was apparent. His appearance conveyed the impression of quiet
+trigness and gentility. His figure lent itself to his clothes,
+which were utterly inconspicuous, judged by metropolitan standards,
+but flawless in the face of hard-headed theories of life, and
+aroused suspicion. He spoke in a gentle but earnest manner,
+pointing out clearly, yet modestly, the merits of his
+composition.</p>
+<p>Selma had never seen a man just like him before, and she noticed
+that from the outset his eyes seemed to be fastened on her as
+though his words were intended for her special benefit. She had
+never read the lines&mdash;indeed they had not been
+written&mdash;</p>
+<p>"I think I could be happy with a gentleman like you."</p>
+<p>Nor did the precise sentiment contained in them shape itself in
+her thought. Yet she was suddenly conscious that she had been
+starving for lack of intellectual companionship, and that he was
+the sort of man she had hoped to meet&mdash;the sort of man who
+could appreciate her and whom she could appreciate.</p>
+<p>It did not become necessary for Selma to act as Mr. Littleton's
+champion, for the stove dealer's criticism found only one
+supporter. The New Yorker's design for the church was so obviously
+pretty and suitable that a majority of the Committee promptly
+declared in its favor. The successful competitor, who had remained
+a day to learn the result, was solemnly informed of the decision,
+and then elaborately introduced to the members. In shaking hands
+with him, Selma experienced a shade of embarrassment. It was plain
+that his words to her, spoken with a low bow&mdash;"I am very much
+gratified that my work pleases you" conveyed a more spiritual
+significance than was contained in his thanks to the others. Still
+he seemed more at his ease with Mrs. Taylor, who promptly broke the
+ice of the situation by fixing him as a close relative of friends
+in Baltimore. Straightway he became sprightly and voluble, speaking
+of things and people beyond Selma's experience. This social jargon
+irritated Selma. It seemed to her a profanation of a noble
+character, yet she was annoyed because she could not
+understand.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Taylor, having discovered in Mr. Littleton one who should
+have been a friend long before, succeeded in carrying him off to
+dinner. Yet, before taking his leave, he came back to Selma for a
+few words. She had overheard Mrs. Taylor's invitation, and she
+asked herself why she too might not become better acquainted with
+this young man whose attitude toward her was that of respectful
+admiration. To have a strange young man to dine off-hand struck her
+as novel. She had a general conviction that it would seem to Lewis
+closely allied to light conduct, and that only foreigners or
+frivolous people let down to this extent the bars of family life.
+Now that Mrs. Taylor had set her the example, she was less certain
+of the moral turpitude of such an act, but she concluded also that
+her husband would be in the way at table. What she desired was an
+opportunity for a long, interesting chat about high things.</p>
+<p>While she reflected, he was saying to her, "I understand that
+your committee is to supervise my work until the new church is
+completed, so I shall hope to have the opportunity to meet you
+occasionally. It will be necessary for me to make trips here from
+time to time to see that everything is being done correctly by the
+mechanics."</p>
+<p>"Do you go away immediately?"</p>
+<p>"It may be that I shall be detained by the arrangements which I
+must make here until day after to-morrow."</p>
+<p>"If you would really like to see me, I live at 25 Onslow
+Avenue."</p>
+<p>"Thank you very much." Littleton took out a small memorandum
+book and carefully noted the address. "Mrs. Babcock, 25 Onslow
+Avenue. I shall make a point of calling to-morrow afternoon if I
+stay&mdash;and probably I shall."</p>
+<p>He bowed and left Selma pleasantly stirred by the interview. His
+voice was low and his enunciation sympathetically fluent. She said
+to herself that she would give him afternoon tea and they would
+compare ideas together. She felt sure that his must be
+interesting.</p>
+<p>Later in the evening at Mrs. Taylor's, when there was a pause in
+their sympathetic interchange of social and &aelig;sthetic
+convictions, Littleton said abruptly:</p>
+<p>"Tell me something, please, about Mrs. Babcock. She has a
+suggestive as well as a beautiful face, and it is easy to perceive
+that she is genuinely American&mdash;not one of the women of whom
+we were speaking, who seem to be ashamed of their own institutions,
+and who ape foreign manners and customs. I fancy she would
+illustrate what I was saying just now as to the vital importance of
+our clinging to our heritage of independent thought&mdash;of
+accepting the truth of the ancient order of things without allowing
+its lies and demerits to enslave us."</p>
+<p>"I suppose so," said Mrs. Taylor. "She certainly does not belong
+to the dangerous class of whom you were speaking. I was flattering
+myself that neither did I, for I was agreeing with all you said as
+to the need of cherishing our native originality. Yet I must
+confess that now that you compare me with her (the actual
+comparison is my own, but you instigated it), I begin to feel more
+doubts about myself&mdash;that is if she is the true species, and
+I'm inclined to think she is. Pray excuse this indirect method of
+answering your inquiry; it is in the nature of a soliloquy; it is
+an airing of thoughts and doubts which have been harassing me for a
+fortnight&mdash;ever since I knew Mrs. Babcock. Really, Mr.
+Littleton, I can tell you very little about her. She is a new-comer
+on the horizon of Benham; she has been married very recently; I
+believe she has taught school and that she was brought up not far
+from here. She is as proud as Lucifer and sometimes as beautiful;
+she is profoundly serious and&mdash;and apparently very ignorant. I
+fancy she is clever and capable in her way, but I admit she is an
+enigma to me and that I have not solved it. I can see she does not
+approve of me altogether. She regards me with suspicion, and yet
+she threw the casting vote in favor of my proposal to open the
+competition for the church to architects from other places. I am
+trying to like her, for I wish to believe in everything genuinely
+American if I can. There, I have told you all I know, and to a man
+she may seem altogether attractive and inspiring."</p>
+<p>"Thank you. I had no conception that I was broaching such a
+complex subject. She sounds interesting, and my curiosity is
+whetted. You have not mentioned the husband."</p>
+<p>"To be sure. A burly, easy-going manufacturer of varnish,
+without much education, I should judge. He is manifestly her
+inferior in half a dozen ways, but I understand that he is making
+money, and he looks kind."</p>
+<p>Wilbur Littleton's life since he had come to man's estate had
+been a struggle, and he was only just beginning to make headway. He
+had never had time to commiserate himself, for necessity on the one
+hand and youthful ambition on the other had kept his energies tense
+and his thoughts sane and hopeful. He and his sister Pauline, a
+year his senior, had been left orphans while both were students by
+the death of their father on the battlefield. To persevere in their
+respective tastes and work out their educations had been a labor of
+love, but an undertaking which demanded rigorous self-denial on the
+part of each. Wilbur had determined to become an architect.
+Pauline, early interested in the dogma that woman must no longer be
+barred from intellectual companionship with man, had sought to
+cultivate herself intelligently without sacrificing her brother's
+domestic comfort. She had succeeded. Their home in New York,
+despite its small dimensions and frugal hospitality, was already a
+favorite resort of a little group of professional people with busy
+brains and light purses. Wilbur was in the throes of early
+progress. He had no relatives or influential friends to give him
+business, and employment came slowly. He had been an architect on
+his own account for two years, but was still obliged to supplement
+his professional orders by work as a draughtsman for others. Yet
+his enthusiasm kept him buoyant. In respect to his own work he was
+scrupulous; indeed, a stern critic. He abhorred claptrap and
+specious effects, and aimed at high standards of artistic
+expression. This gave him position among his brother architects,
+but was incompatible with meteoric progress. His design for the
+church at Benham represented much thought and hope, and he felt
+happy at his success.</p>
+<p>Littleton's familiarity with women, apart from his sister, had
+been slight, but his thoughts regarding them were in keeping with a
+poetic and aspiring nature. He hoped to marry some day, and he was
+fond of picturing to himself in moments of reverie the sort of
+woman to whom his heart would be given. In the shrine of his secret
+fancy she appeared primarily as an object of reverence, a
+white-souled angel of light clad in the graceful outlines of flesh,
+an Amazon and yet a winsome, tender spirit, and above all a being
+imbued with the stimulating intellectual independence he had been
+taught to associate with American womanhood. She would be the
+loving wife of his bosom and the intelligent sharer of his thoughts
+and aspirations&mdash;often their guide. So pure and exacting was
+his ideal that while alive to the value of coyness and coquetry as
+elements of feminine attraction for others, Wilbur had chosen to
+regard the maiden of his faith as too serious a spirit to
+condescend to such vanities; and from a similar vein of
+appreciation he was prone to think of her as unadorned, or rather
+untarnished, by the gewgaws of fashionable dressmaking and
+millinery. His first sight of Selma had made him conscious that
+here was a face not unlike what he had hoped to encounter some day,
+and he had instinctively felt her to be sympathetic. He was even
+conscious of disappointment when he heard her addressed as Mrs.
+Babcock. Evidently she was a free-born soul, unhampered by the
+social weaknesses of a large city, and illumined by the spiritual
+grace of native womanliness. So he thought of her, and Mrs.
+Taylor's diagnosis rather confirmed than impaired his impression,
+for in Mrs. Taylor Wilbur felt he discerned a trace of antagonism
+born of cosmopolitan prejudice&mdash;an inability to value at its
+true worth a nature not moulded on conventional lines. Rigorous as
+he was in his judgments, and eager to disown what was cheap or
+shallow, mere conventionalism, whether in art or daily life, was no
+less abhorrent to him. Here, he said to himself, was an original
+soul, ignorant and unenlightened perhaps, but endowed with swift
+perception and capable of noble development.</p>
+<p>The appearance of Selma's scroll and glass bedizened house did
+not affect this impression. Wilbur was first of all appreciatively
+an American. That is he recognized that native energy had hitherto
+been expended on the things of the spirit to the neglect of things
+material. As an artist he was supremely interested in awakening and
+guiding the national taste in respect to art, but at the same time
+he was thoroughly aware that the peculiar vigor and independence of
+character which he knew as Americanism was often utterly
+indifferent to, or ignorant of, the value of &aelig;sthetics. After
+all, art was a secondary consideration, whereas the inward vision
+which absorbed the attention of the thoughtful among his countrymen
+and countrywomen was an absolute essential without which the soul
+must lose its fineness. He himself was seeking to show that beauty,
+in external material expression, was not merely consistent with
+strong ideals but requisite to their fit presentment. He recognized
+too that the various and variegated departures from the monotonous
+homely pattern of the every-day American house, which were evident
+in each live town, were but so many indicators that the nation was
+beginning to realize the truth of this. His battle was with the
+designers and builders who were guiding falsely and flamboyantly,
+not with the deceived victims, nor with those who were still
+satisfied merely to look inwardly, and ignored form and color.
+Hence he would have been able to behold the Babcocks' iron stag
+without rancor had the animal still occupied the grass-plot. Selma,
+when she saw the figure of her visitor in the door-way,
+congratulated herself that it had been removed. It would have
+pleased her to know that Mr. Littleton had already placed her in a
+niche above the level of mere grass-plot considerations. That was
+where she belonged of course; but she was fearful on the score of
+suspected shortcomings. So it was gratifying to be able to receive
+him in a smarter gown, to be wearing white cuffs, and to offer him
+tea with a touch of Mrs. Taylor's tormenting urbanity. Not so
+unreservedly as she. That would never do. It was and never would be
+in keeping with her own ideas of serious self-respect. Still a
+touch of it was grateful to herself. She felt that it was a grace
+and enhanced her effectiveness.</p>
+<p>A few moments later Selma realized that for the first time since
+she had lived in Benham she was being understood and appreciated.
+She felt too that for the first time she was talking to a kindred
+spirit&mdash;to be sure, to one different, and more technically
+proficient in concrete knowledge, possibly more able, too, to
+express his thoughts in words, but eminently a comrade and
+sympathizer. She was not obliged to say much. Nor were, indeed, his
+actual words the source of her realization. The revelation came
+from what was left unsaid&mdash;from the silent recognition by him
+that she was worthy to share his best thoughts and was herself a
+serious worker in the struggle of life. No graceful but galling
+attitude of superiority, no polite indifference to her soul-hunger,
+no disposition to criticise. And yet he was no less voluble,
+clever, and spirited than Mrs. Taylor. She listened with wrapt
+interest to his easy talk, which was ever grave in tone, despite
+his pleasant sallies. He spoke of Benham with quick appreciation of
+its bustling energy, and let her see that he divined its capacity
+for greatness. This led him to refer with kindling eyes to the keen
+impulse toward education and culture which was animating the
+younger men and women of the country; to the new beginnings of art,
+literature, and scientific investigation. At scarcely a hint from
+her he told briefly of his past life and his hopes, and fondly
+mentioned his sister and her present absorption in some history
+courses for women.</p>
+<p>"And you?" he said. "You are a student, too. Mrs. Taylor has
+told me, but I should have guessed it. Duties even more interesting
+claim you now, but it is easy to perceive that you have known that
+other happiness, 'To scorn delights and live laborious days.'"</p>
+<p>His words sounded musical, though the quotation from Lycidas was
+unfamiliar to her ears. Her brain was thrilling with the import of
+all he had told her&mdash;with his allusions to the intellectual
+and ethical movements of Boston and New York, in which she felt
+herself by right and with his recognition a partner and peer.</p>
+<p>"You were teaching school when you married, I believe?" he
+added.</p>
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+<p>"And before that, if I may ask?"</p>
+<p>"I lived at Westfield with my father. It is a small country
+town, but we tried to be in earnest."</p>
+<p>"I understand&mdash;I understand. You grew up among the trees,
+and the breezes and the brooks, those wonderful wordless teachers.
+I envy you, for they give one time to think&mdash;to expand. I have
+known only city life myself. It is stimulating, but one is so
+easily turned aside from one's direct purpose. Do you write at
+all?"</p>
+<p>"Not yet. But I have wished to. Some day I shall. Just now I
+have too many domestic concerns to&mdash;"</p>
+<p>She did not finish, for Babcock's heavy tread and whistle
+resounded in the hall and at the next moment he was calling
+"Selma!"</p>
+<p>She felt annoyed at being interrupted, but she divined that it
+would never do to show it.</p>
+<p>"My husband," she said, and she raised her voice to utter with a
+sugared dignity which would have done credit to Mrs. Taylor,</p>
+<p>"I am in the parlor, Lewis."</p>
+<p>"Enter your chief domestic concern," said Littleton blithely. "A
+happy home is preferable to all the poems and novels in the
+world."</p>
+<p>Babcock, pushing open the door, which stood ajar, stopped short
+in his melody.</p>
+<p>"This is Mr. Littleton, Lewis. The architect of our new
+church."</p>
+<p>"Pleased to make your acquaintance." And by way of accounting
+for the sudden softening of his brow, Babcock added, "I set you
+down at first as one of those lightning-rod agents. There was one
+here last week who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."</p>
+<p>"He has an advantage over me," answered Littleton with a laugh.
+"In my business a man can't solicit orders. He has to sit and wait
+for them to come to him."</p>
+<p>"I want to know. My wife thinks a lot of your drawings for the
+new church."</p>
+<p>"I hope to make it a credit to your city. I've just been saying
+to your wife, Mr. Babcock, that Benham has a fine future before it.
+The very atmosphere seems charged with progress."</p>
+<p>Babcock beamed approvingly. "It's a driving place, sir. The man
+in Benham who stops by the way-side to scratch his head gets left
+behind. When we moved into this house a year ago looking through
+that window we were at the jumping-off place; now you see houses
+cropping up in every direction. It's going to be a big city.
+Pleased to have you stop to supper with us," he added with burly
+suavity as their visitor rose.</p>
+<p>Littleton excused himself and took his leave. Babcock escorted
+him to the front door and full of his subject delayed him on the
+porch to touch once more on the greatness of Benham. There was a
+clumsy method too in this optimistic garrulity, for at the close he
+referred with some pride to his own business career, and made a
+tender of his business card, "Lewis Babcock &amp; Company,
+Varnishes," with a flourish. "If you do anything in my line,
+pleased to accommodate you."</p>
+<p>Littleton departing, tickled by a pleasant sense of humor,
+caught through the parlor window a last glimpse of Selma's inspired
+face bowing gravely, yet wistfully, in acknowledgment of his lifted
+hat, and he strode away under the spell of a brain picture which he
+transmuted into words: "There's the sort of case where the cynical
+foreigner fails to appreciate the true import of our American life.
+That couple typifies the elements of greatness in our every-day
+people. At first blush the husband's rough and material, but he's
+shrewd and enterprising and vigorous&mdash;the bread winner. He's
+enormously proud of her, and he has reason to be, for she is a
+constant stimulus to higher things. Little by little, and without
+his knowing it, perhaps, she will smoothe and elevate him, and they
+will develop together, growing in intelligence and cultivation as
+they wax in worldly goods. After all, woman is our most marvellous
+native product&mdash;that sort of woman. Heigho!" Having given vent
+to this sigh, Littleton proceeded to recognize the hopelessness of
+the personal situation by murmuring with a slightly forced access
+of sprightliness</p>
+<p>"If she be not fair for me,<br />
+What care I how fair she be?"</p>
+<p>Still he intended to see more of Mrs. Babcock, and that without
+infringing the tenth or any other commandment. To flirt with a
+married woman savored to him of things un-American and unworthy,
+and Littleton had much too healthy an imagination to rhapsodize
+from such a stand-point. Yet he foresaw that they might be mutually
+respecting friends.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER V.</h3>
+<p>Selma knew intuitively that an American woman was able to cook a
+smooth custard, write a poem and control real society with one and
+the same brain and hand, and she was looking forward to the
+realization of the apotheosis; but, though she was aware that
+children are the natural increment of wedlock, she had put the idea
+from her ever since her marriage as impersonal and vaguely
+disgusting. Consequently her confinement came as an unwelcome
+interruption of her occupations and plans.</p>
+<p>Her connection with the committee for the new church had proved
+an introduction to other interests, charitable and social. One day
+she was taken by Mrs. Taylor to a meeting of the Benham Woman's
+Institute, a literary club recently established by Mrs. Margaret
+Rodney Earle, a Western newspaper woman who had made her home in
+Benham. Selma came in upon some twenty of her own sex in a hotel
+private parlor hired weekly for the uses of the Institute. Mrs.
+Earle, the president, a large florid woman of fifty, with gray hair
+rising from the brow, fluent of speech, endowed with a public
+manner, a commanding bust and a vigorous, ingratiating smile,
+wielded a gavel at a little table and directed the exercises. A
+paper on Shakespeare's heroines was read and discussed. Selections
+on the piano followed. A thin woman in eye-glasses, the literary
+editor of the <i>Benham Sentinel</i>, recited "Curfew must not ring
+to-night," and a visitor from Wisconsin gave an exhibition in
+melodious whistling. In the intervals, tea, chocolate with whipped
+cream and little cakes were dispensed.</p>
+<p>Selma was absorbed and thrilled. What could be more to her taste
+than this? At the close of the whistling exercise, Mrs. Earle came
+over and spoke to her. They took a strong fancy to each other on
+the spot. Selma preferred a person who would tell you everything
+about herself and to whom you could tell everything about yourself
+without preliminaries. People like Mrs. Taylor repressed her, but
+the motherly loquacity and comprehension of Mrs. Earle drew her out
+and thawed at once and forever the ice of acquaintanceship. Before
+she quite realized the extent of this fascination she had promised
+to recite something, and as in a dream, but with flushing cheeks,
+she heard the President rap the table and announce "You will be
+gratified to hear that a talented friend who is with us has kindly
+consented to favor us with a recital. I have the honor to introduce
+Mrs. Lewis Babcock."</p>
+<p>After the first flush of nervousness, Selma's grave dignity came
+to her support, and justified her completely in her own eyes. Her
+father had been fond of verse, especially of verse imbued with
+moral melancholy, and at his suggestion she had learned and had
+been wont to repeat many of the occasional pieces which he cut from
+the newspapers and collected in a scrap-book. Her own preference
+among these was the poem, "O why should the spirit of mortal be
+proud?" which she had been told was a great favorite of Abraham
+Lincoln. It was this piece which came into her mind when Mrs. Earle
+broached the subject, and this she proceeded to deliver with august
+precision. She spoke clearly and solemnly without the trace of the
+giggling protestation which is so often incident to feminine
+diffidence. She treated the opportunity with the seriousness
+expected, for though the Institute was not proof against light and
+diverting contributions, as the whistling performance indicated,
+levity of spirit would have been out of place.</p>
+<p>"'Tis a twink of the eye, 'tis a draught of the breath<br />
+From the blossom of health to the paleness of death;<br />
+From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud,<br />
+O why should the spirit of mortal be proud?"</p>
+<p>Selma enjoyed the harmony between the long, slow cadence of the
+metre and the important gravity of the theme. She rolled out the
+verses with the intensity of a seer, and she looked a beautiful
+seer as well. Liberal applause greeted her as she sat down, though
+the clapping woman is apt to be a feeble instrument at best. Selma
+knew that she had produced an impression and she was moved by her
+own effectiveness. She was compelled to swallow once or twice to
+conceal the tears in her voice while listening to the
+congratulations of Mrs. Earle. The words which she had just recited
+were ringing through her brain and seemed to her to express the
+pitch at which her life was keyed.</p>
+<p>Selma was chosen a member of the Institute at the next meeting,
+and forthwith she became intimate with the president. Mrs. Margaret
+Rodney Earle was, as she herself phrased it, a live woman. She
+supported herself by writing for the newspapers articles of a
+morally utilitarian character&mdash;for instance a winter's series,
+published every Saturday, "Hints on Health and Culture," or again,
+"Receipts for the Parlor and the Kitchen." She also contributed
+poetry of a pensive cast, and chatty special correspondence
+flavored with personal allusion. She was one of the pioneers in
+modern society journalism, which at this time, however, was
+comparatively veiled and delicate in its methods. Besides, she was
+a woman of tireless energy, with theories on many subjects and an
+ardor for organization. She advocated prohibition, the free
+suffrage of woman, the renunciation of corsets, and was interested
+in reforms relating to labor, the pauper classes and the public
+schools. In behalf of any of these causes she was ready from time
+to time to dash off an article at short notice or address an
+audience. But her dearest concern was the promotion of woman's
+culture and the enlargement of woman's sphere of usefulness through
+the club. The idea of the woman's club, which was taking root over
+the country, had put in the shade for the time being all her other
+plans, including the scheme of a society for making the golden-rod
+the national flower. As the founder and president of the Benham
+Institute, she felt that she had found an avocation peculiarly
+adapted to her capacities, and she was already actively in
+correspondence with clubs of a similar character in other cities,
+in the hope of forming a national organization for mutual
+enlightenment and support.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Earle received Selma by invitation at her lodgings the
+following day, and so quickly did their friendship ripen that at
+the end of two hours each had told the other everything. Selma was
+prone instinctively to regard as aristocratic and un-American any
+limitations to confidence. The evident disposition on the part of
+Mrs. Earle to expose promptly and without reserve the facts of her
+past and her plans for the future seemed to Selma typical of an
+interesting character, and she was thankful to make a clean breast
+in her turn as far as was possible. Mrs. Earle's domestic
+experience had been thorny.</p>
+<p>"I had a home once, too," she said, "a happy home, I thought. My
+husband said he loved me. But almost from the first we had trouble.
+It went on so from month to month, and finally we agreed to part.
+He objected, my dear, to my living my own life. He didn't like me
+to take an interest in things outside the house&mdash;public
+matters. I was elected on the school-board&mdash;the only
+woman&mdash;and he ought to have been proud. He said he was, at
+first, but he was too fond of declaring that a woman's place is in
+her kitchen. One day I said to him, 'Ellery, this can't go on. If
+we can't agree we'd better separate. A cat-and-dog life is no life
+at all.' He answered back, 'I'm not asking you to leave me, but if
+you're set on it don't let me hinder you, Margaret. You don't need
+a man to support you. You're as good as a man yourself.' He meant
+that to be sarcastic, I suppose. 'Yes,' said I, 'thank God, I think
+I can take care of myself, even though I am a woman.' That was the
+end of it. There was no use for either of us to get excited. I
+packed my things, and a few mornings later I said to him, 'Good-by,
+Ellery Earle: I wish you well, and I suppose you're my husband
+still, but I'm going to live my own life without let or hindrance
+from any man. There's your ring.' My holding out the ring was
+startling to him, for he said, 'Aren't you going to be sorry for
+this, Margaret?' 'No,' said I, 'I've thought it all out, and it's
+best for both of us. There's your ring.' He wouldn't take it, so I
+dropped it on the table and went out. Some people miss it, and
+misbelieve I was ever married. That was close on to twenty years
+ago, and I've never seen him since. When the war broke out I heard
+he enlisted, but what's become of him I don't know. Maybe he got a
+divorce. I've kept right on and lived my own life in my own way,
+and never lacked food or raiment. I'm forty-five years old, but I
+feel a young woman still."</p>
+<p>Notwithstanding Mrs. Earle's business-like directness and the
+protuberance of her bust in conclusion, by way of reasserting her
+satisfaction with the results of her action, there was a touch of
+plaintiveness in her confession which suggested the womanly author
+of "Hints on Culture and Hygiene," rather than the man-hater. This
+was lost on Selma, who was fain to sympathize purely from the
+stand-point of righteousness.</p>
+<p>"It was splendid," she said. "He had no right to prevent you
+living your own life. No husband has that right."</p>
+<p>Mrs. Earle brushed her eyes with her handkerchief. "You musn't
+think, my dear, that I'm not a believer in the home because mine
+has been unhappy&mdash;because my husband didn't or couldn't
+understand. The true home is the inspirer and nourisher of all that
+is best in life&mdash;in our American life; but men must learn the
+new lesson. There are many homes&mdash;yours, I'm sure&mdash;where
+the free-born American woman has encouragement and the opportunity
+to expand."</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes. My husband lets me do as I wish. I made him promise
+before I accepted him that he wouldn't thwart me; that he'd let me
+live my own life."</p>
+<p>Selma was so appreciative of Mrs. Earle, and so energetic and
+suggestive in regard to the scope of the Institute, that she was
+presently chosen a member of the council, which was the body
+charged with the supervision of the fortnightly entertainments. It
+occurred to her as a brilliant conception to have Littleton address
+the club on "Art," and she broached the subject to him when he next
+returned to Benham and appeared before the church committee. He
+declared that he was too busy to prepare a suitable lecture, but he
+yielded finally to her plea that he owed it to himself to let the
+women of Benham hear his views and opinions.</p>
+<p>"They are wives and they are mothers," said Selma sententiously.
+"It was a woman's vote, you remember, which elected you to build
+our church. You owe it to Art; don't you think so?"</p>
+<p>A logical appeal to his conscience was never lost on Littleton.
+Besides he was glad to oblige Mrs. Babcock, who seemed so earnest
+in her desire to improve the &aelig;sthetic taste of Benham.
+Accordingly, he yielded. The lecture was delivered a few weeks
+later and was a marked success, for Littleton's earnestness of
+theme and manner was relieved by a graceful, sympathetic delivery.
+Selma, whose social aplomb was increasing every day, glided about
+the rooms with a contented mien receiving felicitations and passing
+chocolate. She enjoyed the distinction of being the God behind the
+curtain.</p>
+<p>A few days later the knowledge that she herself was to become a
+mother was forced upon her attention, and was a little irksome. Of
+necessity her new interests would be interrupted. Though she did
+not question that she would perform maternal duties fitly and
+fully, they seemed to her less peculiarly adapted to her than
+concerns of the intellect and the spirit. However, the possession
+of a little daughter was more precious to her than she had
+expected, and the consciousness that the tiny doll which lay upon
+her breast, was flesh of her flesh and bone of her bone affected
+her agreeably and stirred her imagination. It should be reared,
+from the start, in the creed of soul independence and expansion,
+and she herself would find a new and sacred duty in catering to the
+needs of this budding intelligence. So she reflected as she lay in
+bed, but the outlook was a little marred by the thought that the
+baby was the living image of its father&mdash;broad-featured and
+burly&mdash;not altogether desirable cast of countenance for a
+girl. What a pity, when it might just as well have looked like
+her.</p>
+<p>Babcock, on his part, was transported by paternity. He was
+bubbling over with appreciation of the new baby, and fondly
+believed it to be a human wonder. He was solicitous on the score of
+its infantile ailments, and loaded it with gifts and toys beyond
+the scope of its enjoyment. He went about the house whistling more
+exuberantly than ever. There was no speck on his horizon; no fly in
+his pot of ointment. It was he who urged that the child should be
+christened promptly, though Dr. Glynn was not disposed to dwell on
+the clerical barbarism as to the destiny of unbaptized infants.
+Babcock was cultivating a conservative method: He realized that
+there was no object in taking chances. Illogical as was the theory
+that a healthy dog which had bitten him should be killed at once,
+lest it subsequently go mad and he contract hydrophobia, he was too
+happy and complacent to run the risk of letting it live. So it was
+with regard to baby. But Selma chose the name. Babcock preferred in
+this order another Selma, Sophia, after his mother, or a compliment
+to the wife of the President of the United States. But Selma, as
+the result of grave thought, selected Muriel Grace. Without knowing
+exactly why, she asked Mrs. Taylor to be godmother. The ceremony
+was solemn and inspiring to her. She knew from the glass in her
+room that she was looking very pretty. But she was weak and
+emotional. The baby behaved admirably, even when Lewis, trembling
+with pride, held it out to Mr. Glynn for baptism and held it so
+that the blood rushed to its head. "I baptize thee in the name of
+the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." She was happy and the
+tears were in her eyes. The divine blessing was upon her and her
+house, and, after all, baby was a darling and her husband a kind,
+manly soul. With the help of heaven she would prove herself their
+good angel.</p>
+<p>When they returned home there was a whistle of old silver of
+light, graceful design, a present from Mrs. Taylor to Muriel. Her
+aunt, Mrs. Farley, compared this to its disparagement with one
+already purchased by Lewis, on the gaudily embossed stem of which
+perched a squirrel with a nut in its mouth. But Selma shook her
+head. "Both of you are wrong," she said with authority. "This is a
+beauty."</p>
+<p>"It doesn't look new to my eyes," protested Mrs. Parley.</p>
+<p>"Of course it isn't new. I shouldn't wonder if she bought it
+while travelling abroad in Europe. It's artistic, and&mdash;and I
+shan't let baby destroy it."</p>
+<p>Babcock glanced from one gift to the other quizzically. Then by
+way of disposing of the subject he seized his daughter in his arms
+and dandling her toward the ceiling cried, "If it's artistic things
+we must have, this is the most artistic thing which I know of in
+the wide world. Aren't you, little sugar-plum?"</p>
+<p>Mrs. Farley, with motherly distrust of man, apprehensively
+followed with her eyes and arms the gyrations of rise and fall; but
+Selma, though she saw, pursued the current of her own thought which
+prompted her to examine her wedding-ring. She was thinking that,
+compared with Mrs. Taylor's, it was a cart wheel&mdash;a clumsy,
+conspicuous band of metal, instead of a delicate hoop. She wondered
+if Lewis would object to exchange it for another.</p>
+<p>With the return of her strength, Selma took up again eagerly the
+tenor of her former life, aiding and abetting Mrs. Earle in the
+development of the Institute. The president was absorbed in
+enlarging its scope by the enrollment of more members, and the
+establishment of classes in a variety of topics&mdash;such as
+literature, science, philosophy, current events, history, art, and
+political economy. She aimed to construct a club which should be
+social and educational in the broadest sense by mutual co-operation
+and energy. Selma, in her eagerness to make the most of the
+opportunities for culture offered, committed herself to two of the
+new topic classes&mdash;"Italian and Grecian Art," and "The
+Governments of Civilization," and as a consequence found some
+difficulty in accommodating her baby's nursing hours to these
+engagements. It was indeed a relief to her when the doctor
+presently pronounced the supply of her breast-milk inadequate. She
+was able to assuage Lewis' regret that Muriel should be brought up
+by hand with the information that a large percentage of Benham and
+American mothers were similarly barren and that bottle babies were
+exceedingly healthy. She had gleaned the first fact from the
+physician, the second from Mrs. Earle, and her own conclusion on
+the subject was that a lack of milk was an indication of feminine
+evolution from the status of the brute creation, a sign of
+spiritual as opposed to animal quality. Selma found Mrs. Earle
+sympathetic on this point, and also practical in her suggestions as
+to the rearing of infants by artificial means, recommendations
+concerning which were contained in one of her series of papers
+entitled "Mother Lore."</p>
+<p>The theory of the new classes was co-operation. That is, the
+members successively, turn by turn, lectured on the topic, and all
+were expected to study in the interim so as to be able to ask
+questions and discuss the views of the lecturer. Concerning both
+Italian and Grecian Art and the Governments of Civilization, Selma
+knew that she had convictions in the abstract, but when she found
+herself face to face with a specific lecture on each subject, it
+occurred to her as wise to supplement her ideas by a little
+preparation. The nucleus of a public library had been recently
+established by Joel Flagg and placed at the disposal of Benham.
+Here, by means of an encyclop&aelig;dia and two hand-books, Selma
+was able in three forenoons to compile a paper satisfactory to her
+self-esteem on the dynasties of Europe and their inferiority to the
+United States, but her other task was illumined for her by a happy
+incident, the promise of Littleton to lend her books. Indeed he
+seemed delightfully interested in both of her classes, which was
+especially gratifying in view of the fact that Mrs. Taylor, who was
+a member of the Institute, had combated the new programme on the
+plea that they were attempting too much and that it would encourage
+superficiality. But Littleton seemed appreciative of the value of
+the undertaking, and he made his promise good forthwith by
+forwarding to her a package of books on art, among them two volumes
+of Ruskin. Selma, who had read quotations from Ruskin on one or two
+occasions and believed herself an admirer of, and tolerably
+familiar with, his writings, was thrilled. She promptly immersed
+herself in "Stones of Venice" and "Seven Lamps of Architecture,"
+sitting up late at night to finish them. When she had read these
+and the article in the encyclop&aelig;dia under the head of Art,
+she felt bursting with her subject and eager to air her knowledge
+before the class. Her lecture was acknowledged to be the most
+stirring and thorough of the course.</p>
+<p>Reports of its success came back to her from Littleton, who
+offered to assist his pupil further by practical demonstration of
+the eternal architectural fitness and unfitness of
+things&mdash;especially the latter&mdash;in walks through the
+streets of Benham. But six times in as many months, however. There
+was no suggestion of coquetry on either side in these excursions,
+yet each enjoyed them. Littleton's own work was beginning to assume
+definite form, and his visits to Benham became of necessity more
+frequent; flying trips, but he generally managed to obtain a few
+words with Selma. He continued to lend her books, and he invited
+her criticism on the slowly growing church edifice. The
+responsibility of critic was an absorbing sensation to her, but the
+stark glibness of tongue which stood her in good stead before the
+classes of the Institute failed her in his presence&mdash;the
+presence of real knowledge. She wished to praise, but to praise
+discriminatingly, with the cant of &aelig;sthetic appreciation, so
+that he should believe that she knew. As for the church itself, she
+was interested in it; it was fine, of course, but that was a
+secondary consideration compared with her emotions. His
+predilection in her favor, however, readily made him deaf in regard
+to her utterances. He scarcely heeded her halting, solemn,
+counterfeit transcendentalisms; or rather they passed muster as
+subtle and genuine, so spell bound was he by the Delphic beauty of
+her criticising expression. It was enough for him to watch her as
+she stood with her head on one side and the worried archangel look
+transfiguring her profile. What she said was lost in his reverie as
+to what she was&mdash;what she represented in his contemplation. As
+she looked upon his handiwork he was able to view it with different
+eyes, to discern its weaknesses and to gain fresh inspiration from
+her presence. He felt that it was growing on his hands and that he
+should be proud of it, and though, perhaps, he was conscious in his
+inner soul that she was more to him than another man's wife should
+be, he knew too, that no word or look of his had offended against
+the absent husband.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VI.</h3>
+<p>By the end of another six months Littleton's work was
+practically completed. Only the finishing touches to the interior
+decoration remained to be done. The members of Rev. Mr. Glynn's
+congregation, including Mrs. Hallett Taylor, were thoroughly
+satisfied with the appearance of the new church. It was attractive
+in its lines, yet it was simple and, consequently, in keeping with
+the resources of the treasury. There was no large bill for extras
+to be audited, as possibly would have been the case had a
+hard-headed designer like Mr. Pierce been employed. The committee
+felt itself entitled to the congratulations of the community. Nor
+was the community on the whole disposed to grumble, for home talent
+had been employed by the architect; under rigorous supervision, to
+be sure, so that poor material and slap-dash workmanship were out
+of the question. Still, payments had been prompt, and Benham was
+able to admire competent virtue. The church was a monument of
+suggestion in various ways, artistic and ethical, and it shone
+neatly with Babcock varnish.</p>
+<p>One morning Selma set forth by agreement with Littleton, in
+order to inspect some fresco work. Muriel Grace was ailing
+slightly, but as she would be home by mid-day, she bade the hired
+girl be watchful of baby, and kept her appointment. The child had
+grown dear to her, for Muriel was a charming little dot, and Selma
+had already begun to enjoy the maternal delight of human doll
+dressing, an extravagance in which she was lavishly encouraged by
+her husband. Babcock was glad of any excuse to spend money on his
+daughter, who seemed to him, from day to day, a greater marvel of
+precocity&mdash;such a child as became Selma's beauty and
+cleverness and his own practical common-sense.</p>
+<p>Selma was in a pensive frame of mind this morning. Two days
+before she had read a paper at the Institute on "Motherhood," which
+had been enthusiastically received. Mrs. Earle had printed a
+flattering item concerning it in the <i>Benham Sentinel</i>. It was
+agreeable to her to be going to meet Littleton, for he was the most
+interesting masculine figure in her life. She was sure of Lewis. He
+was her husband and she knew herself to be the apple of his eye;
+but she knew exactly what he was going to say before he said it,
+and much of what he said grated on her. She was almost equally sure
+of Littleton; that is of his admiration. His companionship was a
+constant pleasure to her. As a married woman, and as a Christian
+and American woman, she desired no more than this. But on the other
+hand, she would fain have this admiring companionship continue; and
+yet it could not. Littleton had told her the day before that he was
+going back to New York and that it was doubtful if he would return.
+She would miss him. She would have the Institute and Mrs. Earle
+still, but her life would be less full.</p>
+<p>Littleton was waiting for her at the church entrance. She
+followed him down the nave to the chancel where she listened
+dreamily to his presentation of the merits of the new decoration.
+He seemed inclined to talk, and from this presently branched off to
+describe with enthusiasm the plates of a French book on interior
+architecture, which he had recently bought as a long-resisted but
+triumphant piece of extravagance. Mechanically, they turned from
+the chancel and slowly made the round of the aisles. A short
+silence succeeded his professional ardor. His current of thought,
+in its reversion to home matters, had reminded him afresh of what
+was perpetually this morning uppermost in his
+consciousness&mdash;his coming departure.</p>
+<p>"Now," he said, abruptly, "is the most favorable opportunity I
+shall have, Mrs. Babcock, to tell you how much I am your debtor. I
+shan't despair of our meeting again, for the world is small, and
+good friends are sure to meet sooner or later. But the past is
+secure to me at any rate. If this church is in some measure what I
+have dreamed and wished it to be, if my work with all its faults is
+a satisfaction to myself, I wish you to know how much you have
+contributed to make it what it is."</p>
+<p>The words were as a melody in Selma's ears, and she listened
+greedily. Littleton paused, as one seriously moved will pause
+before giving the details of an important announcement. She,
+thinking he had finished, interjected with a touch of modesty, "I'm
+so glad. But my suggestions and criticisms have not been what I
+meant them to be. It was all new to me, you know."</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes. It hasn't been so much what you have said in words
+which has helped me, though that has been always intelligent and
+uplifting. I did not look for technical knowledge. You do not
+possess that, of course. There are women in New York who would be
+able to confuse you with their familiarity with these things. And
+yet it is by way of contrast with those very women&mdash;fine
+women, too, in their way&mdash;that you have been my good angel.
+There is no harm in saying that. I should be an ingrate, surely, if
+I would not let you know that your sane, simple outlook upon life,
+your independent vision, has kept my brain clear and my soul free.
+I am a better artist and a better man for the experience. Good-by,
+and may all happiness attend you. If once in a while you should
+find time to write to a struggling architect named Littleton, he
+will be charmed to do your bidding&mdash;to send you books and to
+place his professional knowledge at your service. Good-by."</p>
+<p>He held out his hand with frank effusion. He was obviously happy
+at having given utterance to his sense of obligation. Selma was
+tingling from head to foot and a womanly blush was on her cheek,
+though the serious seraph spoke in her words and eyes. She felt
+moved to a wave of unreserved speech.</p>
+<p>"What you have said is very interesting to me. I wish to tell
+you how much I, too, have enjoyed our friendship. The first time we
+met I felt sure we should be sympathetic, and we have been, haven't
+we? One of the fine things about friendships between men and women
+in this country is that they can really get to know each other
+without&mdash;er&mdash;harm to either. Isn't it? It's such a
+pleasure to know people really, and I feel as if I had known you,
+as if we had known each other really. I've never known any man
+exactly in that way, and I have always wanted to. Except, of
+course, my husband. And he's extremely different&mdash;that is, his
+tastes are not like yours. It's a happiness to me to feel that I
+have been of assistance to you in your work, and you have been
+equally helpful to me in mine. As you say, I have never had the
+opportunity to learn the technical parts of art, and your books
+have instructed me as to that. I have never been in New York, but I
+understand what you meant about your friends, those other women. I
+suppose society people must be constantly diverted from serious
+work&mdash;from the intellectual and spiritual life. Oh yes, we
+ought to write. Our friendship mustn't languish. We must let each
+other know what we are thinking and doing. Good-by."</p>
+<p>As Selma walked along the street her heart was in her mouth. She
+felt pity for herself. To just the right person she would have
+confessed the discovery that she had made a mistake and tied
+herself for life to the wrong man. It was not so much that she
+fancied Littleton which distressed her, for, indeed, she was but
+mildly conscious of infatuation. What disturbed her was the
+contrast between him and Babcock, which definite separation now
+forced upon her attention. An indefinable impression that Littleton
+might think less of her if she were to state this soul truth had
+restrained her at the last moment from disclosing the secret. Not
+for an instant did she entertain the idea of being false to Lewis.
+Her confession would have been but a dissertation on the inexorable
+irony of fate, calling only for sympathy, and in no way derogating
+from her dignity and self-respect as a wife. Still, she had
+restrained herself, and stopped just short of the confidence. He
+was gone, and she would probably not see him again for years. That
+was endurable. Indeed, a recognition of the contrary would not have
+seemed to her consistent with wifely virtue. What brought the tears
+to her eyes was the vision of continued wedlock, until death
+intervened, with a husband who could not understand. Could she bear
+this? Must she endure it? There was but one answer: She must. At
+the thought she bit her lip with the intensity and sternness of a
+martyr. She would be faithful to her marriage vows, but she would
+not let Lewis's low aims interfere with the free development of her
+own life.</p>
+<p>It was after noon when she reached home. She was met at the door
+by the hired girl with the worried ejaculation that baby was
+choking. The doctor was hastily summoned. He at once pronounced
+that Muriel Grace had membranous croup, and was desperately ill.
+Remedies of various sorts were tried, and a consulting physician
+called, but when Babcock returned from his office her condition was
+evidently hopeless. The child died in the early night. Selma was
+relieved to hear the doctor tell her husband that it was a
+malignant case from the first, and that nothing could have averted
+the result. In response to questions from Lewis, however, she was
+obliged to admit that she had not been at home when the acute
+symptoms appeared. This afforded Babcock an outlet for his
+suffering. He spoke to her roughly for the first time in his life,
+bitterly suggesting neglect on her part.</p>
+<p>"You knew she wasn't all right this morning, yet you had to go
+fiddle-faddling with that architect instead of staying at home
+where you belonged. And now she's dead. My little girl, my little
+girl!" And the big man burst out sobbing.</p>
+<p>Selma grew deadly pale. No one had ever spoken to her like that
+before in her life. To the horror of her grief was added the
+consciousness that she was being unjustly dealt with. Lewis had
+heard the doctor's statement, and yet he dared address her in such
+terms. As if the loss of the child did not fall equally on her.</p>
+<p>"If it were to be done over again, I should do just the same,"
+she answered, with righteous quietness. "To all appearances she had
+nothing but a little cold. You have no right to lay the blame on
+me, her mother." At the last word she looked ready to cry, too.</p>
+<p>Babcock regarded her like a miserable tame bull. "I didn't mean
+to," he blubbered. "She's taken away from me, and I'm so wretched
+that I don't know what I'm saying. I'm sorry, Selma."</p>
+<p>He held out his arms to her. She was ready to go to them, for
+the angel of death had entered her home and pierced her heart,
+where it should be most tender. She loved her baby. Yet, when she
+had time to think, she was not sure that she wished to have
+another. When the bitterness of his grief had passed away, that was
+the hope which Lewis ventured to express, at first in a whisper,
+and later with reiterated boldness. Selma acquiesced externally,
+but she had her own opinions. Certain things which were not
+included in "Mother Lore," had been confided by Mrs. Margaret
+Rodney Earle by word of mouth in the fulness of their mutual
+soul-scourings, and had remained pigeon-holed for future reference
+in Selma's inner consciousness. Another baby just at this time
+meant interference with everything elevating. There was time
+enough. In a year or two, when she had established herself more
+securely in the social sphere of Benham, she would present her
+husband with a second child. It was best for them both to wait, for
+her success was his success; but it would be useless to try to make
+that clear to him in his present mood.</p>
+<p>So she put away her baby things, dropping tears over the little
+socks and other reminders of her sorrow, and took up her life
+again, keeping her own counsel. The sympathy offered her was an
+interesting experience. Mrs. Earle came to her at once, and took
+her to her bosom; Mrs. Taylor sent her flowers with a kind note,
+which set Selma thinking whether she ought not to buy mourning
+note-paper; and within a week she received a visit of condolence
+from Mr. Glynn, rather a ghastly visit. Ghastly, because Lewis sat
+through it all with red eyes, very much as though he were listening
+to a touching exhortation in church. To be sure, he gripped the
+pastor's hand like a vice, at the end, and thanked him for coming,
+but his silent, afflicted presence had interfered with the free
+interchange of thought which would have been possible had she been
+alone with the clergyman. The subject of death, and the whole train
+of reflections incident to it, were uppermost in her mind, and she
+would have been glad to probe the mysteries of the subject by
+controversial argument, instead of listening to hearty, sonorous
+platitudes. She listened rather contemptuously, for she recognized
+that Mr. Glynn was saying the stereotyped thing in the stereotyped
+way, without realizing that it was nothing but sacerdotal pap,
+little adapted to an intelligent soul. What was suited to Lewis was
+not fit for her. And yet her baby's death had served to dissipate
+somewhat the immediate discontent which she felt with her husband.
+His strong grief had touched her in spite of herself, and, though
+she blamed him still for his inconsiderate accusation, she was fond
+of him as she might have been fond of some loving Newfoundland,
+which, splendid in awkward bulk, caressed her and licked her hand.
+It was pleasant enough to be in his arms, for the touch of
+man&mdash;even the wrong man&mdash;was, at times, a comfort.</p>
+<p>She took up again with determined interest her relations to the
+Institute, joining additional classes and pursuing a variety of
+topics of study, in regard to some of which she consulted
+Littleton. She missed his presence less than she had expected,
+especially after they had begun to correspond and were able to keep
+in touch by letter. His letters were delightful. They served her in
+her lecture courses, for they so clearly and concisely expressed
+her views that she was able to use long extracts from them word for
+word. And every now and then they contained a respectful allusion
+which showed that he still retained a personal interest in her. So
+the weeks slipped away and she was reasonably happy. She was
+absorbed and there was nothing new to mar the tenor of her life,
+though she was vaguely conscious that the loss of their little girl
+had widened the breach between her and her husband&mdash;widened it
+for the reason that now, for the first time, he perceived how
+lonely he was. The baby had furnished him with constant delight and
+preoccupation. He had looked forward all day to seeing it at night,
+and questions relating to it had supplied a never-ceasing small
+change of conversation between him and her. He had let her go her
+way with a smile on his face. Selma did not choose to dwell on the
+situation, but it was obvious that Lewis continued to look glum,
+and that there were apt to be long silences between them at meals.
+Now and again he would show some impatience at the continuous
+recurrence of the Institute classes as a bar to some project of
+domesticity or recreation, as though she had not been an active
+member of the Institute before baby was born.</p>
+<p>One of the plans in which Mrs. Earle was most interested was a
+Congress of Women's Clubs, and in the early summer of the same
+year&mdash;some four months subsequent to the death of Muriel
+Grace&mdash;a small beginning toward this end was arranged to take
+place in Chicago. There were to be six delegates from each club,
+and Selma was unanimously selected as one of the delegation from
+the Benham Women's Institute. The opinion was generally expressed
+that a change would do her good, and there was no question that she
+was admirably fitted to represent the club. Selma, who had not
+travelled a hundred miles beyond Benham in her life, was elated at
+the prospect of the expedition; so much so that she proudly
+recounted to Lewis the same evening the news of her appointment. It
+never occurred to her that he would wish to accompany her, and when
+he presently informed her that he had been wishing to go to Chicago
+on business for some time, and that the date proposed would suit
+him admirably, she was dumfounded. Half of the interest of the
+expedition would consist in travelling as an independent
+delegation. A husband would be in the way and spoil the savor of
+the occasion. It would never do, and so Selma proceeded to explain.
+She wished to go alone.</p>
+<p>"A pack of six women travel by themselves?" blurted Lewis.
+"Suppose there were an accident?" he added, after searching his
+brain for a less feeble argument.</p>
+<p>"We should either be killed or we shouldn't be," said Selma
+firmly. "We are perfectly well able to take care of ourselves.
+Women travel alone everywhere every-day&mdash;that is, intelligent
+American women."</p>
+<p>Lewis looked a little sad. "I thought, perhaps, it would seem
+nice for you to go with me, Selma. We haven't been off since we
+were married, and I can get away now just as well as not."</p>
+<p>"So it would have been if I weren't one of the delegation. I
+should think you would see, Lewis, that your coming is out of the
+question."</p>
+<p>So it proved. Selma set forth for Chicago on the appointed day,
+made many new acquaintances among the delegates, and was pleased to
+be introduced and referred to publicly as Mrs. Selma
+Babcock&mdash;a form of address to which she was unaccustomed at
+Benham. On the night before her departure, being in pleasant
+spirits, she told Lewis that her absence would do him good, and
+that he would appreciate her all the more on her return.</p>
+<p>She was to be gone a week. The first twenty-four hours passed
+gloomily for Babcock. Then he began to take notice. He noticed that
+the county fair was fixed for the following days. He had hoped to
+carry Selma there, but, as she was not to be had, it seemed to him
+sensible to get what enjoyment from it he could alone. Then it
+happened that a former companion of his bachelor days and his
+bachelor habits, a commercial traveller, whom he had not seen since
+his marriage, appeared on the scene.</p>
+<p>"The very man for me!" he ejaculated, jubilantly.</p>
+<p>The obscurity of this remark was presently made clear to his
+friend, who had hoped perhaps to enjoy a snug evening at Babcock's
+domestic hearth, but who was not averse to playing a different
+part&mdash;that of cheering up a father who had lost his baby, and
+whose wife had left him in the lurch. He assured Babcock that a
+regular old time outing&mdash;a shaking up&mdash;would do him good,
+and Babcock was ready to agree with him, intending thereby a
+free-handed two days at the fair. As has been intimated, his manner
+of life before marriage had not been irreproachable, but he had
+been glad of an opportunity to put an end to the mildly riotous and
+coarse bouts which disfigured his otherwise commonplace existence.
+He had no intention now of misbehaving himself, but he felt the
+need of being enlivened. His companion was a man who delighted in
+what he called a lark, and whose only method of insuring a lark was
+by starting in with whiskey and keeping it up. That had been also
+Babcock's former conception of a good time, and though he had dimly
+in mind that he was now a husband and church-member, he strove to
+conduct himself in such a manner as to maintain his self-respect
+without becoming a spoil sport.</p>
+<p>During the first day at the fair Babcock managed to preserve
+this nice distinction. On the second, he lost account of his
+conduct, and by the late afternoon was sauntering with his friend
+among the booths in the company of two suspicions looking women.
+With these same women the pair of revellers drove off in top
+buggies just before dusk, and vanished in the direction of the open
+country.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VII.</h3>
+<p>Babcock returned to his home twenty-four hours later like a
+whipped cur. He was disgusted with himself. It seemed to him
+incredible that he should have fallen so low. He had sinned against
+his wife and his own self-respect without excuse; for it was no
+excuse that he had let himself be led to drink too much. His heart
+ached and his cheek burned at the recollection of his two days of
+debauchery. What was to be done? If only he were able to cut this
+ugly sore in his soul out with a knife and have done with it
+forever! But that was impossible. It stared him in the face, a
+haunting reality. In his distress he asked himself whether he would
+not go to Mr. Glynn and make a clean breast of it; but his
+practical instincts answered him that he would none the less have
+made a beast of himself. He held his head between his hands, and
+stared dejectedly at his desk. Some relief came to him at last only
+from the reflection that it was a single fault, and that it need
+never&mdash;it should never be repeated. Selma need not know, and
+he would henceforth avoid all such temptations. Terrible as it was,
+it was a slip, not a deliberate fault, and his love for his wife
+was not in question.</p>
+<p>Thus reasoning, he managed by the third day after his return to
+reach a less despondent frame of mind. While busy writing in his
+office a lady was announced, and looking up he encountered the
+meretricious smile of the courtesan with whom he had forgotten
+himself. She had taken a fancy to her victim, and having learned
+that he was well to do, she had come in order to establish, if
+possible, on a more permanent basis, her relations with him. She
+was a young woman, who had been drifting from place to place, and
+whose professional inclination for a protector was heightened by
+the liking which she had conceived for him. Babcock recalled in her
+smile merely his shame, and regarded her reappearance as
+effrontery. He was blind to her prettiness and her sentimental
+mood. He asked her roughly what she wanted, and rising from his
+chair, he bade her be gone before she had time to answer. Nine out
+of ten women of her class would have taken their dismissal lightly.
+Some might have answered back in tones loud enough to enlighten the
+clerks, and thus have accomplished a pretty revenge in the course
+of retreat. This particular Lesbian was in no humor to be harshly
+treated. She was a little desperate and Babcock had pleased her. It
+piqued her to be treated in such a fashion; accordingly, she held
+her ground and sat down. She tried upon him, alternately, irony and
+pathos. He was angry but confused under the first, he became savage
+and merciless under the second, throwing back in her teeth the
+suggestion of her fondness, and stigmatizing her coarsely. Then she
+became angry in her turn&mdash;angry as a woman whose proffered
+love is spurned. The method for revenge was obvious, and she told
+him plainly what she intended. His wife should know at once how her
+husband passed his time during her absence. She had posted herself,
+and she saw that her shaft hurt. Babcock winced, but mad and
+incredulous, he threatened her with arrest and drove her from the
+room. She went out smiling, but with an ominous look in her eyes,
+the remembrance of which made him ask himself now and again if she
+could be vicious enough, or fool enough, to keep her promise. He
+dismissed the idea as improbable; still the bare chance worried
+him. Selma was to arrive early the next morning, and he had
+reconciled himself to the conclusion that she need never know, and
+that he would henceforth be a faithful husband. Had he not given an
+earnest of his good faith in his reception of his visitor? Surely,
+no such untoward and unnatural accident would dash the cup of
+returning happiness from his lips. A more clever man would have
+gone straight to police headquarters, instead of trusting to
+chance.</p>
+<p>A night's rest reassured him as to the idleness of the threat,
+so that he was able to welcome Selma at the railroad station with a
+comparatively light heart. She was in high spirits over the success
+of her expedition, and yet graciously ready to admit that she was
+glad to return home&mdash;meaning thereby, to her own bed and
+bathing facilities; but the general term seemed to poor Lewis a
+declaration of wifely devotion. He went to his business with the
+mien of a man who had passed through an ordeal and is beginning
+life again; but when he returned at night, as soon as he beheld
+Selma, he suspected what had happened.</p>
+<p>She was awaiting him in the parlor. Though he saw at a glance
+that she looked grave, he went forward to kiss her, but she rose
+and, stepping behind the table, put out her hand forbiddingly.</p>
+<p>"What is the matter?" he faltered.</p>
+<p>"That woman has been here," was her slow, scornful response.</p>
+<p>"Selma, I&mdash;" A confusing sense of hopelessness as to what
+to say choked Babcock's attempt to articulate. There was a brief
+silence, while he looked at her imploringly and miserably.</p>
+<p>"Is it true what she says? Have you been false to your marriage
+vows? Have you committed adultery?"</p>
+<p>"My God! Selma, you don't understand."</p>
+<p>"It is an easy question to answer, yes or no?"</p>
+<p>"I forgot myself, Selma. I was drunk and crazy. I ask your
+pardon."</p>
+<p>She shook her head coldly. "I shall have nothing more to do with
+you. I cannot live with you any longer."</p>
+<p>"Not live with me?"</p>
+<p>"Would you live with me if it were I who had forgotten
+myself?"</p>
+<p>"I think I would, Selma. You don't understand. I was a brute. I
+have been wretched ever since. But it was a slip&mdash;an accident.
+I drank too much, and it happened. I love you, Selma, with all my
+heart. I have never been false to you in my affection."</p>
+<p>"It is a strange time to talk of affection. I went away for a
+week, and in my absence you insulted me by debauchery with a
+creature like that. Love? You have no conception of the meaning of
+the word. Oh no, I shall never live with you again."</p>
+<p>Babcock clinched his palms in his distress and walked up and
+down. She stood pale and determined looking into space. Presently
+he turned to her and asked with quiet but intense solicitude, "You
+don't mean that you're going to leave me for one fault, we being
+husband and wife and the little girl in her grave? I said you don't
+understand and you don't. A man's a man, and there are times when
+he's been drinking when he's liable to yield to temptation, and
+that though he's so fond of his wife that life without her would be
+misery. This sounds strange to a woman, and it's a poor excuse. But
+it ought to count, Selma, when it comes to a question of our
+separating. There would be happy years before us yet if you give me
+another chance."</p>
+<p>"Not happy years for me," she replied concisely. "The American
+woman does not choose to live with the sort of man you describe.
+She demands from her husband what he demands from her, faithfulness
+to the marriage tie. We could never be happy again. Our ideal of
+life is different. I have made excuses for you in other things, but
+my soul revolts at this."</p>
+<p>Babcock looked at her for a moment in silence, then he said, a
+little sternly, "You shouldn't have gone away and left me. I'm not
+blaming you, but you shouldn't have gone." He walked to the window
+but he saw nothing. His heart was racked. He had been eager to
+humiliate himself before her to prove his deep contrition, but he
+had come to the end of his resources, and yet she was adamant. Her
+charge that she had been making excuses for him hitherto reminded
+him that they had not been really sympathetic for some time past.
+With his back turned to her he heard her answer:</p>
+<p>"It was understood before I agreed to marry you that I was to be
+free to follow my tastes and interests. It is a paltry excuse that,
+because I left you alone for a week in pursuit of them, I am
+accessory to your sin."</p>
+<p>Babcock faced her sadly. "The sin's all mine," he said. "I can't
+deny that. But, Selma, I guess I've been pretty lonely ever since
+the baby died."</p>
+<p>"Lonely?" she echoed. "Then my leaving you will not matter so
+much. Here," she said, slipping off her wedding-ring, "this belongs
+to you." She remembered Mrs. Earle's proceeding, and though she had
+not yet decided what course to pursue in order to maintain her
+liberty, she regarded this as the significant and definite act. She
+held out the ring, but Babcock shook his head.</p>
+<p>"The law doesn't work as quick as that, nor the church either.
+You can get a divorce if you're set on it, Selma. But we're husband
+and wife yet."</p>
+<p>"Only the husk of our marriage is left. The spirit is dead," she
+said sententiously. "I am going away. I cannot pass another night
+in this house. If you will not take this ring, I shall leave it
+here."</p>
+<p>Babcock turned to hide the tears which blinded his eyes. Selma
+regarded him a moment gravely, then she laid her wedding-ring on
+the table and went from the room.</p>
+<p>She put her immediate belongings into a bag and left the house.
+She had decided to go to Mrs. Earle's lodgings where she would be
+certain to find shelter and sympathy. Were she to go to her aunt's
+she would be exposed to importunity on her husband's behalf from
+Mrs. Farley, who was partial to Lewis. Her mind was entirely made
+up that there could be no question of reconciliation. Her duty was
+plain; and she would be doing herself an injustice were she to
+continue to live with one so weak and regardless of the honor which
+she had a right to demand of the man to whom she had given her
+society and her body. His gross conduct had entitled her to her
+liberty, and to neglect to seize it would be to condemn herself to
+continuous unhappiness, for this overt act of his was merely a
+definite proof of the lack of sympathy between them, of which she
+had for some time been well aware at heart. As she walked along the
+street she was conscious that it was a relief to her to be
+sloughing off the garment of an uncongenial relationship and to be
+starting life afresh. There was nothing in her immediate
+surroundings from which she was not glad to escape. Their house was
+full of blemishes from the stand-point of her later knowledge, and
+she yearned to dissociate herself, once and for all, from the
+trammels of her pitiful mistake. She barely entertained the thought
+that she was without means. She would have to support herself, of
+course, but it never occurred to her to doubt her ability to do so,
+and the necessity added a zest to her decision. It would be plain
+sailing, for Mrs. Earle had more than once invited her to send copy
+to the <i>Benham Sentinel</i>, and there was no form of occupation
+which would be more to her liking than newspaper work. It was
+almost with the mien of a prisoner escaped from jail that she
+walked in upon her friend and said:</p>
+<p>"I have left my husband. He has been unfaithful to me."</p>
+<p>In Mrs. Earle, conventional feminine instincts were apt, before
+she had time to think, to get the upper hand of her set theories.
+"You, poor, poor child," she cried extending her arms.</p>
+<p>Selma had not intended to weep. Still the opportunity was
+convenient, and her nerves were on edge. She found herself sobbing
+with her head on Mrs. Earle's, bosom, and telling her sad
+story.</p>
+<p>"He was never good enough for you. I have always said so," Mrs.
+Earle murmured stroking her hair.</p>
+<p>"I ought to have known from the first that it was impossible for
+us to be happy. Why did I ever marry him? He said he loved me, and
+I let myself be badgered into it," Selma answered through her
+tears. "Well, it's all over now," she added, sitting up and drying
+her eyes. "He has given me back my liberty. I am a free woman."</p>
+<p>"Yes, dear, if you are perfectly sure of yourself, there is only
+one course to pursue. Only you should consider the matter solemnly.
+Perhaps in a few days, after he has apologized and shown proper
+contrition, you might feel willing to give him another chance."</p>
+<p>Selma was unprepared for Mrs. Earle's sentimentality. "Surely,"
+she exclaimed with tragic earnestness, "you wouldn't have me live
+with him after what occurred? Contrition? He said everything he
+could think of to get me to stay, but I made my decision then and
+there."</p>
+<p>Mrs. Earle put her own handkerchief to her eyes. "Women have
+forgiven such things; but I respect you all the more for not being
+weak. I know how you feel. It is hard to do, but if I had it to do
+over again, I would act just the same&mdash;just the same. It's a
+serious responsibility to encourage any one to desert a home, but
+under the circumstances I would not live with him another minute,
+my child&mdash;not another minute." Thereupon Mrs. Earle protruded
+her bosom to celebrate the triumph of justice in her own mental
+processes over conventional and maudlin scruples. "You will apply
+for a divorce, I suppose?"</p>
+<p>"I have not considered that. All I care for is never to see him
+again."</p>
+<p>"Oh yes, you must get a divorce. It is much better, you know. In
+my case I couldn't, for he did nothing public. A divorce settles
+matters, and puts you back where you were before. You might wish
+some day to marry again."</p>
+<p>"I have had enough of marriage."</p>
+<p>"It isn't any harm to be a free woman&mdash;free in the eye of
+the law as well as of conscience. I know an excellent
+lawyer&mdash;a Mr. Lyons, a sympathetic and able man. Besides your
+husband is bound to support you. You must get alimony."</p>
+<p>"I wouldn't touch a dollar of his money," Selma answered with
+scorn. "I intend to support myself. I shall write&mdash;work."</p>
+<p>"Of course you will, dear; and it will be a boon and a blessing
+to me to have you in our ranks&mdash;one of the new army of
+self-supporting, self-respecting women. I suppose you are right. I
+have never had a sixpence. But your husband deserves to be
+punished. Perhaps it is punishment enough to lose you."</p>
+<p>"He will get over that. It is enough for me," she exclaimed,
+ardently, after a dreamy pause, "that I am separated from him
+forever&mdash;that I am free&mdash;free&mdash;free."</p>
+<p>A night's sleep served to intensify Selma's determination, and
+she awoke clearly of the opinion that a divorce was desirable. Why
+remain fettered by a bare legal tie to one who was a husband only
+in name? Accordingly, in company with Mrs. Earle, she visited the
+office of James O. Lyons, and took the initiatory steps to dissolve
+the marriage.</p>
+<p>Mr. Lyons was a large, full-bodied man of thirty-five, with a
+fat, cleanly-shaven, cherubic countenance, an aspect of candor, and
+keen, solemn eyes. His manner was impressive and slightly
+pontificial; his voice resonant and engaging. He knew when to joke
+and when to be grave as an owl. He wore in every-day life a shiny,
+black frock-coat, a standing collar, which yawned at the throat,
+and a narrow, black tie. His general effect was that of a cross
+between a parson and a shrewd Yankee&mdash;a happy suggestion of
+righteous, plain, serious-mindedness, protected against the wiles
+of human society&mdash;and able to protect others&mdash;by a canny
+intelligence. For a young man he had already a considerable
+clientage. A certain class of people, notably the hard-headed,
+God-fearing, felt themselves safe in his hands. His magnetic yet
+grave manner of conducting business pleased Benham, attracting also
+both the distressed and the bilious portions of the community, and
+the farmers from the surrounding country. As Mrs. Earle informed
+Selma, he was in sympathy with all progressive and stimulating
+ideas, and he already figured in the newspapers politically, and
+before the courts as a friend of the masses, and a fluent advocate
+of social reforms. His method of handling Selma's case was smooth.
+To begin with, he was sympathetic within proper limits, giving her
+tacitly to understand that, though as a man and brother, he
+deplored the necessity of extreme measures, he recognized that she
+had made up her mind, and that compromise was out of the question.
+To put it concisely, his manner was grieved, but practical. He told
+her that he would represent to Babcock the futility of contesting a
+cause, which, on the evidence, must be hopeless, and that, in all
+probability, the matter could be disposed of easily and without
+publicity. He seemed to Selma a very sensible and capable man, and
+it was agreeable to her to feel that he appreciated that, though
+divorce in the abstract was deplorable, her experience justified
+and called for the protection of the law.</p>
+<p>In the meantime Babcock was very unhappy, and was casting about
+for a method to induce his wife to return. He wrote to her a
+pitiful letter, setting forth once more the sorry facts in the best
+light which he could bring to bear on them, and implored her
+forgiveness. He applied to her aunt, Mrs. Farley, and got her to
+supplement his plea with her good-natured intervention. "There are
+lots of men like that," she confided to Selma, "and he's a kind,
+devoted creature." When this failed, he sought Rev. Mr. Glynn as a
+last resort, and, after he had listened to a stern and fervid
+rating from the clergyman on the lust of the flesh, he found his
+pastor on his side. Mr. Glynn was opposed to divorce on general
+ecclesiastical principles; moreover, he had been educated under the
+law of England, by which a woman cannot obtain a divorce from her
+husband for the cause of adultery unless it be coupled with
+cruelty&mdash;a clever distinction between the sexes, which was
+doubtless intended as a cloak for occasional lapses on the part of
+man. It was plain to him, as a Christian and as a hearty soul, that
+there had been an untoward accident&mdash;a bestial fault, a
+soul-debasing carnal sin, but still an accident, and hence to be
+forgiven by God and woman. It was his duty to interfere; and so,
+having disciplined the husband, he essayed the more delicate matter
+of propitiating the wife. And he essayed it without a thought of
+failure.</p>
+<p>"I'm afraid she's determined to leave me, and that there's not
+much hope," said Babcock, despondently, as he gripped the
+clergyman's hand in token of his gratitude.</p>
+<p>"Nonsense, my man," asserted Mr. Glynn briskly. "All she needs
+is an exhortation from me, and she will take you back."</p>
+<p>Selma was opposed to divorce in theory. That is, she had
+accepted on trust the traditional prejudice against it as she had
+accepted Shakespeare and Boston. But theory stood for nothing in
+her regard before the crying needs of her own experience. She had
+not the least intention of living with her husband again. No one
+could oblige her to do that. In addition, the law offered her a
+formal escape from his control and name. Why not avail herself of
+it? She recollected, besides, that her husband's church recognized
+infidelity as a lawful ground of release from the so-called
+sacrament of marriage. This had come into her mind as an additional
+sanction to her own decision. But it had not contributed to that
+decision. Consequently, when she was confronted in Mrs. Earle's
+lodgings by the errand of Mr. Glynn, she felt that his coming was
+superfluous. Still, she was glad of the opportunity to measure
+ideas with him in a thorough interview free from interruption.</p>
+<p>Mr. Glynn's confidence was based on his intention to appeal to
+the ever womanly quality of pity. He expected to encounter some
+resistance, for indisputably here was a woman whose sensibilities
+had been justly and severely shocked&mdash;a woman of finer tissue
+than her husband, as he had noted in other American couples. She
+was entitled to her day in court&mdash;to a stubborn, righteous
+respite of indignation. But he expected to carry the day in the
+end, amid a rush of tears, with which his own might be mingled. He
+trusted to what he regarded as the innate reluctance of the wife to
+abandon the man she loved, and to the leaven of feminine Christian
+charity.</p>
+<p>As a conscientious hater of sin, he did not attempt to minimize
+Babcock's act or the insult put upon her. That done, he was free to
+intercede fervently for him and to extol the virtue and the
+advisability of forgiveness. This plea, however cogent, was narrow,
+and once stated admitted merely of duplication in the same form. It
+was indeed no argument, merely an appeal, and, in proportion as it
+failed to move the listener, became feeble. Selma listened to him
+with a tense face, her hands clasped before her in the guise of an
+interested and self-scrutinizing spirit. But she betrayed no sign
+of yielding, or symptom of doubt. She shook her head once or twice
+as he proceeded, and, when he paused, asked why she should return
+to a man who had broken faith with her; asked it in such a genuine
+tone of conviction that Dr. Glynn realized the weakness of his own
+case, and became slightly nettled at the same time.</p>
+<p>"True," he said, rather sternly, "your husband has committed a
+hideous, carnal sin, but he is genuinely repentant. Do you wish to
+ruin his life forever?"</p>
+<p>"His life?" said Selma. "It would ruin my life to return to him.
+I have other plans&mdash;plans which will bring me happiness. I
+could never be happy with him."</p>
+<p>The clergyman was baffled. Other plans! The words offended him,
+and yet he could not dispute her right to do as she chose. Still he
+saw fit to murmur: "He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he
+that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."</p>
+<p>Selma flushed. To be accused of acting contrary to Christian
+precepts was painful and surprising to her. "Mr. Glynn," she said,
+"I see you don't understand. My husband and I ought never to have
+married. It has all been a dreadful mistake. We have not the same
+tastes and interests. I am sorry for him, but I can never consent
+to return to him. To do so would condemn us both to a life of
+unhappiness. We were not intended for husband and wife, and it is
+best&mdash;yes, more Christian&mdash;for us to separate. We
+American women do not feel justified in letting a mistake ruin our
+lives when there is a chance to escape."</p>
+<p>Mr. Glynn regarded her in silence for a moment. He was
+accustomed to convince, and he had not succeeded, which to a
+clergyman is more annoying than to most men. Still what she said
+made his plea seem doubtful wisdom.</p>
+<p>"Then you do not love your husband?" he said.</p>
+<p>"No," said Selma quietly, "I do not love him. It is best to be
+frank with one's self&mdash;with you, in such a matter, isn't it?
+So you see that what you ask is out of the question."</p>
+<p>Mr. Glynn rose. Clearly his mission had failed, and there was
+nothing more to be said. Being a just man, he hesitated to pass an
+unkind judgment on this bright-faced, pensive woman. She was within
+her moral rights, and he must be careful to keep within his. But he
+went away bewildered and discomfited. Selma would have liked to
+dismiss the subject and keep him longer. She would have been glad
+to branch off on to other ethical topics and discuss them. She was
+satisfied with the result of the interview, for she had vindicated
+her position and spiked Lewis's last gun.</p>
+<p>So, indeed, it proved. Mr. Glynn sent for Babcock and told him
+the naked truth, that his wife's love for him was dead and
+reconciliation impossible. He properly refrained from expressing
+the doubt lurking in his own mind as to whether Selma had ever
+loved her husband. Thus convinced of the hopelessness of his
+predicament, Babcock agreed to Mr. Lyons's suggestion not to
+contest the legal proceedings. The lawyer had been diligent, and
+the necessary evidence&mdash;the testimony of the woman&mdash;was
+secure. She was ready to carry her revenge to the end, hoping,
+perhaps, that the victim of it would return to her when he had lost
+his wife. Accordingly, a few weeks later, Selma was granted a
+divorce nisi and the right to resume her maiden name. She had
+decided, however, to retain the badge of marriage as a decorous
+social prefix, and to call herself Mrs. Selma White.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VIII.</h3>
+<p>The consciousness that she was dependent for the means of
+support solely on her own exertions was a genuine pleasure to
+Selma, and she applied herself with confidence and enthusiasm to
+the problem of earning her livelihood. She had remained steadfast
+to her decision to accept nothing from her husband except the legal
+costs of the proceedings, though Mr. Lyons explained to her that
+alimony was a natural and moral increment of divorce. Still, after
+her refusal, he informed her as a man and a friend that he
+respected and admired the independence of her action, which was an
+agreeable tribute. She had fixed definitely on newspaper work as
+the most inviting and congenial form of occupation. She believed
+herself to be well fitted for it. It would afford her an immediate
+income, and it would give her the opportunity which she craved for
+giving public expression to her ideas and fixing attention on
+herself. There was room for more than one Mrs. Earle in Benham, for
+Benham was growing and wide-awake and on the alert for originality
+of any kind&mdash;especially in the way of reportorial and
+journalistic cleverness. Selma had no intention of becoming a
+second Mrs. Earle. That is, she promised herself to follow, but not
+to follow blindly; to imitate judiciously, but to improve on a
+gradually diverging line of progress. This was mere generalization
+as yet. It was an agreeable seething brain consciousness for future
+development. For the moment, however, she counted on Mrs. Earle to
+obtain for her a start by personal influence at the office of the
+<i>Benham Sentinel</i>. This was provided forthwith in the form of
+an invitation to prepare a weekly column under the caption of "What
+Women Wear;" a summary of passing usages in clothes. The woman
+reporter in charge of it had just died. Selma's first impulse was
+to decline the work as unworthy of her abilities, yet she was in
+immediate need of employment to avoid running in debt and she was
+assured by Mrs. Earle that she would be very foolish to reject such
+an offer. Reflection caused her to think more highly of the work
+itself. It would afford her a chance to explain to the women of
+Benham, and indirectly to the country at large, that taste in dress
+was not necessarily inconsistent with virtue and serious
+intentions&mdash;a truth of which she herself had become possessed
+since her marriage and which it seemed to her might be utilized
+delightfully in her department. She would endeavor to treat dress
+from the standpoint of ethical responsibility to society, and to
+show that both extravagance and dowdy homeliness were to be
+avoided. Clothes in themselves had grown to be a satisfaction to
+her, and any association of vanity would be eliminated by the
+introduction of a serious artistic purpose into a weekly commentary
+concerning them. Accordingly she accepted the position and entered
+upon its duties with grave zeal.</p>
+<p>For each of these contributions Selma was to receive eight
+dollars&mdash;four hundred a year, which she hoped to expand to a
+thousand by creative literary production&mdash;preferably essays
+and poetry. She hired a room in the same neighborhood as Mrs.
+Earle, in the boarding-house district appurtenant to Central
+Avenue&mdash;that is to say, on the ragged edge of Benham's social
+artery, and set up her new household gods. The interest of
+preparing the first paper absorbed her to the exclusion of
+everything else. She visited all the dress-making and dry-goods
+establishments in town, examined, at a hint from Mrs. Earle, the
+fashion departments of the New York papers, and then, pen in hand,
+gave herself up to her subject. The result seemed to her a happy
+blending of timely philosophy and suggestions as to toilette, and
+she took it in person to the editor. He saw fit to read it on the
+spot. His brow wrinkled at first and he looked dubious. He re-read
+it and said with some gusto, "It's a novelty, but I guess they'll
+like it. Our women readers have been used to fashion notes which
+are crisp and to the point, and the big houses expect to have
+attention called to the goods they wish to sell. If you'll run over
+this again and set your cold facts in little paragraphs by
+themselves every now and then, I shouldn't wonder if the rest were
+a sort of lecture course which will catch them. It's a good idea.
+Next time you could work in a pathetic story&mdash;some references
+to a dead baby&mdash;verses&mdash;anecdotes&mdash;a little variety.
+You perceive the idea?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes," said Selma, appropriately sober at the allusion yet
+ecstatic. "That's just what I should like to do. It would give me
+more scope. I wish my articles to be of real use&mdash;to help
+people to live better, and to dress better."</p>
+<p>"That's right, that's right; and if they make the paper sell,
+we'll know that folks like them," responded the editor with Delphic
+urbanity.</p>
+<p>The first article was a success. That is, Selma's method was not
+interfered with, and she had the satisfaction of reading in the
+<i>Sentinel</i> during the week an item calling gratified attention
+to the change in its "What Women Wear" column, and indicating that
+it would contain new features from week to week. It gave her a
+pleasant thrill to see her name, "Selma White," signed at the end
+of the printed column, and she set to work eagerly to carry out the
+editor's suggestions. At the same time she tried her hand at a
+short story&mdash;the story of an American girl who went to Paris
+to study art, refused to alter her mode of life to suit foreign
+ideas of female propriety, displayed exceptional talent as an
+artist, and finally married a fine-spirited young American, to the
+utter discomfiture of a French member of the nobility, who had
+begun by insulting her and ended with making her an offer of
+marriage. This she sent to the <i>Eagle</i>, the other Benham
+newspaper, for its Sunday edition.</p>
+<p>It took her a month to compose this story, and after a week she
+received it back with a memorandum to the effect that it was
+one-half too long, but intimating that in a revised form it would
+be acceptable. This was a little depressing, especially as it
+arrived at a time when the novelty of her occupation had worn off
+and she was realizing the limitations of her present life. She had
+begun to miss the advantages of a free purse and the importance of
+a domestic establishment. She possessed her liberty, and was
+fulfilling her mission as a social force, but her life had been
+deprived of some of its savor, and, though she was thankful to be
+rid of Babcock, she felt the lack of an element of personal
+devotion to herself, an element which was not to be supplied by
+mere admiration on the part of Mrs. Earle and the other members of
+the Institute. It did not suit her not to be able to gratify her
+growing taste in clothes and in other lines of expenditure, and
+there were moments when she experienced the need of being petted
+and made much of by a man. She was conscious of loneliness, and in
+this mood she pitied herself as a victim of untoward circumstances,
+one who had wasted the freshness of her young life, and missed the
+happiness which the American wife is apt to find waiting for her.
+Under the spell of this nostalgia she wrote a poem entitled "The
+Bitter Sweets of Solitude," and disposed of it for five dollars to
+the <i>Sentinel</i>. The price shocked her, for the verses seemed
+flesh of her flesh. Still, five dollars was better than nothing,
+and she discerned from the manner of the newspaper editor that he
+cared little whether she left them or not. It was on that evening
+that she received a letter from Littleton, stating that he was on
+the eve of leaving New York for Benham. He was coming to consult
+concerning certain further interior decorations which the committee
+had decided to add to the church.</p>
+<p>Selma's nerves vibrated blissfully as she read the news. For
+some reason, which she had never seen fit definitely to define, she
+had chosen not to acquaint Littleton with the fact of her divorce.
+Their letters had been infrequent during the last six months, for
+this visit had been impending, having been put off from time to
+time because the committee had been dilatory and he otherwise
+engaged. Perhaps her secret motive had been to surprise him, to let
+him find himself confronted with an accomplished fact, which would
+obviate argument and reveal her established in her new career, a
+happy, independent citizen, without ties. At any rate she smiled
+now at the address on the envelope&mdash;Mrs. Lewis Babcock.
+Obviously he was still in the dark as to the truth, and it would be
+her privilege to enlighten him. She began to wonder what would be
+the upshot of his coming, and tears came to her eyes, tears of
+self-congratulation that the narrow tenor of her daily life was to
+be irradiated by a sympathetic spirit.</p>
+<p>When Littleton duly appeared at the committee meeting on the
+following day, Selma saw at a glance that he was unaware of what
+had happened. He looked slightly puzzled when one of the members
+addressed her as Mrs. White, but evidently he regarded this as a
+slip of the tongue. Selma looked, as she felt, contented and
+vivacious. She had dressed herself simply, but with effective
+trigness. To those who knew her experience, her appearance
+indicated courage and becoming self-respect. Public opinion, even
+as embodied in the church committee, while deploring the necessity,
+was not disposed to question the propriety of her action. That is,
+all except Mrs. Taylor. In her, Selma thought she had detected
+signs of coldness, a sort of suspicious reservation of judgment,
+which contrasted itself unpleasantly with the sympathetic attitude
+of the others, who were fain to refer to her, in not altogether
+muffled whispers, as a plucky, independent, little woman. Hence,
+she was glad that Mrs. Taylor happened to be detained at home by
+illness on this afternoon, and that, accordingly, she was free to
+enjoy unreservedly the dramatic nature of the situation. Her heart
+beat a little faster as the chairman, turning to her to ask a
+question, addressed her unmistakably as Mrs. White. She could not
+refrain from casting half-amused, half-pathetic sheep's eyes at
+Littleton. He started visibly, regarded her for, a moment in
+obvious amazement, then flushed to the roots of his hair. She felt
+the blood rising to her own cheeks, and a sensation of mild
+triumph. The meeting was over and the members were merely lingering
+to tie up the loose threads of the matter arranged for. In a few
+moments Selma found herself with the architect sufficiently apart
+from the others for him to ask:</p>
+<p>"Two persons have addressed you this afternoon as Mrs. White. I
+do not understand."</p>
+<p>She cast down her eyes, as a woman will when a question of
+modesty is involved, then she raised them and said: "You did not
+know, then, that I had left my husband?"</p>
+<p>"Left him?"</p>
+<p>"Yes. I have obtained a divorce. He was unfaithful to me."</p>
+<p>"I see"&mdash;said Littleton with a sort of gasp&mdash;"I see. I
+did not know. You never wrote to me."</p>
+<p>"I did not feel like writing to any body. There was nothing to
+be done but that."</p>
+<p>Littleton regarded her with a perturbed, restless air.</p>
+<p>"Then you live no longer at 25 Onslow Avenue?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, no. I left there more than six months ago. I live in
+lodgings. I am supporting myself by literary work. I am Mrs. Selma
+White now, and my divorce has been absolute more than a month."</p>
+<p>She spoke gravely and quietly, with less than her usual
+assurance, for she felt the spell of his keen, eager scrutiny and
+was not averse to yield at the moment to the propensity of her sex.
+She wondered what he was thinking about. Did he blame her? Did he
+sympathize with her?</p>
+<p>"Where are you going when you leave here?" he asked.</p>
+<p>"Home&mdash;to my new home. Will you walk along with me?"</p>
+<p>"That is what I should like. I am astonished by what you have
+told me, and am anxious to hear more about it, if to speak of it
+would not wound you. Divorced! How you must have suffered! And I
+did not have the chance to offer you my help&mdash;my
+sympathy."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I have suffered. But that is all over now. I am a free
+woman. I am beginning my life over again."</p>
+<p>It was a beautiful afternoon, and by mutual consent, which
+neither put into words, they diverged from the exact route to
+Selma's lodging house and turned their steps to the open country
+beyond the city limits&mdash;the picturesque dell which has since
+become the site of Benham's public park. There they seated
+themselves where they would not be interrupted. Selma told him on
+the way the few vital facts in her painful story, to which he
+listened in a tense silence, broken chiefly by an occasional
+ejaculation expressive of his contempt for the man who had brought
+such unhappiness upon her. She let him understand, too, that her
+married life, from the first, had been far less happy than he had
+imagined&mdash;wretched makeshift for the true relation of husband
+and wife. She spoke of her future buoyantly, yet with a touch of
+sadness, as though to indicate that she was aware that the triumphs
+of intelligence and individuality could not entirely be a
+substitute for a happy home.</p>
+<p>"And what do you expect to do?" he inquired in a bewildered
+fashion, as though her delineation of her hopes had been lost on
+him.</p>
+<p>"Do? Support myself by my own exertions, as I have told you. By
+writing I expect. I am doing very well already. Do you question my
+ability to continue?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, no; not that. Only&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"Only what? Surely you are not one of the men who grudge women
+the chance to prove what is in them&mdash;who would treat us like
+china dolls and circumscribe us by conventions? I know you are not,
+because I have heard you inveigh against that very sort of narrow
+mindedness. Only what?"</p>
+<p>"I can't make up my mind to it. And I suppose the reason is that
+it means so much to me&mdash;that you mean so much to me. What is
+the use of my dodging the truth, Selma&mdash;seeking to conceal it
+because such a short time has elapsed since you ceased to be a
+wife? Forgive me if I hurt you, if it seem indelicate to speak of
+love at the very moment when you are happy in your liberty. I can't
+help it; it's my nature to speak openly. And there's no bar now.
+The fact that you are free makes clear to me what I have not dared
+to countenance before, that you are the one woman in the world for
+me&mdash;the woman I have dreamed of&mdash;and longed to
+meet&mdash;the woman whose influence has blessed me already, and
+without whom I shall lack the greatest happiness which life can
+give. Selma, I love you&mdash;I adore you."</p>
+<p>Selma listened with greedy ears, which she could scarcely
+believe. It seemed to her that she was in dream-land, so
+unexpected, yet entrancing, was his avowal. She had been vaguely
+aware that he admired her more than he had allowed himself to
+disclose, and conscious, too, that his presence was agreeable to
+her; but in an instant now she recognized that this was
+love&mdash;the love she had sought, the love she had yearned to
+inspire and to feel. Compared with it, Babcock's clumsy ecstasy and
+her own sufferance of it had been a sham and a delusion. Of so much
+she was conscious in a twinkling, and yet what she deemed proper
+self-respect restrained her from casting herself into his arms. It
+was, indeed, soon, and she had been happy in her liberty. At least,
+she had supposed herself so; and she owed it to her own plans and
+hopes not to act hastily, though she knew what she intended to do.
+She had been lonely, yes starving, for lack of true companionship,
+and here was the soul which would be a true mate to hers.</p>
+<p>They were sitting on a grassy bank. He was bending toward her
+with clasped hands, a picture of fervor. She could see him out of
+the corner of her glance, though she looked into space with her
+gaze of seraphic worry. Yet her lips were ready to lend themselves
+to a smile of blissful satisfaction and her eyes to fill with the
+melting mood of the thought that at last happiness had come to
+her.</p>
+<p>The silence was very brief, but Littleton, as would have seemed
+fitting to her, feared lest she were shocked.</p>
+<p>"I distress you," he said. "Forgive me. Listen&mdash;will you
+listen?" Selma was glad to listen. The words of love, such love as
+this, were delicious, and she felt she owed it to herself not to be
+won too easily. "I am listening," she answered softly with the
+voice of one face to face with an array of doubts.</p>
+<p>"Before I met you, Selma, woman but was a name to me. My life
+brought me little into contact with them, except my dear sister,
+and I had no temptation to regret that I could not support a wife.
+Yet I dreamed of woman and of love and of a joy which might some
+day come to me if I could meet one who fulfilled my ideal of what a
+true woman should be. So I dreamed until I met you. The first time
+I saw you, Selma, I knew in my heart that you were a woman whom I
+could love. Perhaps I should have recognized more clearly as time
+went on that you were more to me even then than I had a right to
+allow; yet I call heaven to witness that I did not, by word or
+sign, do a wrong to him who has done such a cruel wrong to
+you."</p>
+<p>"Never by word or sign," echoed Selma solemnly. The bare
+suggestion that Babcock had cause to complain of either of them
+seemed to her preposterous. Yet she was saying to herself that it
+was easy to perceive that he had loved her from the first.</p>
+<p>"And since I love you with all my soul must I&mdash;should I in
+justice to myself&mdash;to my own hopes of happiness, refrain from
+speaking merely because you have so recently been divorced? I must
+speak&mdash;I am speaking. It is too soon, I dare say, for you to
+be willing to think of marriage again&mdash;but I offer you the
+love and protection of a husband. My means are small, but I am able
+now to support a wife in decent comfort. Selma, give me some hope.
+Tell me, that in time you may be willing to trust yourself to my
+love. You wish to work&mdash;to distinguish yourself. Would I be a
+hindrance to that? Indeed, you must know that I would do every
+thing in my power to promote your desire to be of service to the
+world."</p>
+<p>The time for her smile and her tears had come. He had argued his
+case and her own, and it was clear to her mind that delay would be
+futile. Since happiness was at hand, why not grasp it? As for her
+work, he need not interfere with that. And, after all, now that she
+had tried it, was she so sure that newspaper work&mdash;hack work,
+such as she was pursuing, was what she wished? As a wife,
+re-established in the security of a home, she could pick and choose
+her method of expression. Perhaps, indeed, it would not be writing,
+except occasionally. Was not New York a wide, fruitful field, for a
+reforming social influence? She saw herself in her mind's eye a
+leader of movements and of progress. And that with a man she
+loved&mdash;yes, adored even as he adored her.</p>
+<p>So she turned to Littleton with her smile and in tears&mdash;the
+image of bewitching but pathetic self-justification and surrender.
+Her mind was made up; hence why procrastinate and coyly postpone
+the desirable, and the inevitable? That was what she had the
+shrewdness to formulate in the ecstasy of her transport; and so
+eloquent was the mute revelation of her love that Littleton,
+diffident reverencer of the modesty of woman as he was, without a
+word from her clasped her to his breast, a victor in a breath. As,
+regardless of the possible invasion of interlopers, he took her in
+his embrace, she felt with satisfaction once more the grasp of
+masculine arms. She let her head fall on his shoulder in delighted
+contentment. While he murmured in succession inarticulate terms of
+endearment, she revelled in the thrill of her nerves and approved
+her own sagacious and commendable behavior.</p>
+<p>"Dearest," she whispered, "you are right. We are right. Since we
+love each other, why should we not say so? I love you&mdash;I love
+you. The ugly hateful past shall not keep us apart longer. You say
+you loved me from the first; so did I love you, though I did not
+know it then. We were meant for each other&mdash;God meant
+us&mdash;did he not? It is right, and we shall be so happy,
+Wilbur."</p>
+<p>"Yes, Selma." Words seemed to him an inadequate means for
+expressing his emotions. He pressed his lips upon hers with the
+adoring respect of a worshipper touching his god, yet with the
+energy of a man. She sighed and compared him in her thought with
+Babcock. How gentle this new lover! How refined and sensitive and
+appreciative! How intelligent and gentlemanly!</p>
+<p>"If I had my wish, darling," he said, "we should be married
+to-night and I would carry you away from here forever."</p>
+<p>She remembered that Babcock had uttered the same wish on the
+occasion when he had offered himself. To grant it then had been out
+of the question. To do so now would be convenient&mdash;a prompt
+and satisfactory blotting out of her past and present life&mdash;a
+happy method of solving many minor problems of ways and means
+connected with waiting to be married. Besides it would be romantic,
+and a delicious, fitting crowning of her present blissful mood.</p>
+<p>He mistook her silence for womanly scruples, and he recounted
+with a little laugh the predicament in which he should find himself
+on his own account were they to be so precipitate. "What would my
+sister think if she were to get a telegram&mdash;'Married to-night.
+Expect us to-morrow?' She would think I had lost my senses. So I
+have, darling; and you are the cause. She knows about you. I have
+talked to her about you."</p>
+<p>"But she thinks I am Mrs. Babcock."</p>
+<p>"Oh yes. Ha! ha! It would never do to state to whom I was
+married, unless I sent a telegram as long as my arm. Dear Pauline!
+She will be radiant. It is all arranged that she is to stay where
+she is in the old quarters, and I am to take you to a new house.
+We've decided on that, time and again, when we've chanced to talk
+of what might happen&mdash;of 'the fair, the chaste and
+unexpressive she'&mdash;my she. Dearest, I wondered if I should
+ever find her. Pauline has always said that she would never run the
+risk of spoiling everything by living with us."</p>
+<p>"It would be very nice&mdash;and very simple," responded Selma,
+slowly. "You wouldn't think any the worse of me, Wilbur, if I were
+to marry you to-night?"</p>
+<p>"The worse of you? It is what I would like of all things. Whom
+does it concern but us? Why should we wait in order to make a
+public spectacle of ourselves?"</p>
+<p>"I shouldn't wish that. I should insist on being married very
+quietly. Under all the circumstances there is really no
+reason&mdash;it seems to me it would be easier if we were to be
+married as soon as possible. It would avoid explanations and talk,
+wouldn't it? That is, if you are perfectly sure."</p>
+<p>"Sure? That I love you? Oh Selma!"</p>
+<p>She shut her eyes under the thrill which his kiss gave her.
+"Then we will be married whenever you wish," she said.</p>
+<p>It was already late in the afternoon, so that the prospects of
+obtaining a license did not seem favorable. Still it happened that
+Littleton knew a clergyman of his own
+faith&mdash;Unitarian&mdash;in Benham, a college classmate, whom he
+suggested as soon as he understood that Selma preferred not to be
+married by Mr. Glynn. They found him at home, and by diligent
+personal effort on his part the necessary legal forms were complied
+with and they were made husband and wife three hours before the
+departure of the evening train for New York. After the ceremony
+they stepped buoyantly, arm in arm in the dusk, along the street to
+send the telegram to Miss Littleton, and to snatch a hasty meal
+before Selma went to her lodgings to pack. There were others in the
+restaurant, so having discovered that they were not hungry, they
+bought sandwiches and bananas, and resumed their travels. The
+suddenness and surprise of it all made Selma feel as if on wings.
+It seemed to her to be of the essence of new and exquisite romance
+to be walking at the side of her fond, clever lover in the
+democratic simplicity of two paper bags of provender and an open,
+yet almost headlong marriage. She felt that at last she was yoked
+to a spirit who comprehended her and who would stimulate instead of
+repress the fire of originality within her. She had found love and
+she was happy. Meanwhile she had decided to leave Benham without a
+word to anyone, even Mrs. Earle. She would write and explain what
+had happened.</p>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="BOOK_II" id="BOOK_II"></a><i>BOOK II.</i></h2>
+<h2>THE STRUGGLE</h2>
+<h3>CHAPTER I.</h3>
+<p>Littleton had not expected that Selma would accede to his
+request to be married at once, but he was delighted at her
+decision. He had uttered his wish in sincerity, for there was
+really no reason for waiting, and by an immediate marriage they
+would escape the tedium of an engagement during which they could
+hope to see each other but rarely. He was able to support a wife
+provided they were to live simply and economically. He felt sure
+that Selma understood his circumstances and was no less ready than
+he to forego luxuries in order that they might be all in all to
+each other spiritually as husband and wife. Besides he had hopes
+that his clientage would continue to grow so that he would be able
+to provide all reasonable comforts for his new home. Consequently
+he drove up from the station in New York with a light heart, fondly
+pointing out to his wife this and that building and other objects
+of interest. He mistook her pensive silence for diffidence at the
+idea of descending suddenly on another woman's home&mdash;a matter
+which in this instance gave him no concern, for he had unlimited
+confidence in Pauline's executive ability and her tendency not to
+get ruffled. She had been his good angel, domestically speaking,
+and, indeed, in every way, since they had first begun to keep house
+together, and it had rather amused him to let fall such a bombshell
+as the contents of his telegram upon the regularity of her daily
+life.</p>
+<p>"Don't be nervous, darling," he said gayly. "You will find
+Pauline bubbling over with joy at our coming, and everything
+arranged as though we were expected to live there all our
+lives."</p>
+<p>Selma looked at him blankly and then remembered. She was not
+feeling nervous, and Pauline was not in her thoughts. She had been
+lost in her own reflections&mdash;lost in the happy consciousness
+of the contrast between her new and her old husband, and in the
+increasing satisfaction that she was actually in New York. How
+bright and busy the streets looked! The throng of eager passers and
+jostling vehicles against the background of brilliant shop-windows
+bewildered and stimulated her. She was saying to herself that here
+was the place where she was suited to live, and mutely
+acknowledging its superiority to Benham as a centre of life. This
+was a rash, swift conclusion, but Selma prided herself on her
+capacity to arrive at wise judgments by rapid mental processes. So
+absorbed was she in the glittering, stirring panorama that Wilbur's
+efforts at enlightenment were practically wasted. She was in no
+humor for details; she was glorying in the exalted impression which
+the whole vivid scene produced upon her.</p>
+<p>His remark caused her to realize that they must be near their
+destination. She had no misgivings on the score of her own
+reception, but she was interested and curious to see Pauline, this
+wonderful sister of whom Wilbur was so fond and so proud. Then her
+husband cried, "Here we are!" and in another moment she found
+herself in the hearty embrace of a large, comely woman who met her
+at the door. This of course must be Pauline. Selma was just a
+little shocked by the fervor of the greeting; for though she
+delighted in rapid intimacies, unexpected liberties with her person
+were contrary to her conceptions of propriety. Still it was
+delightful to be welcomed so heartily. She returned the embrace
+warmly but with dignity, and allowed herself to be convoyed into
+the house arm in arm with her new relation who seemed, indeed, to
+be bubbling over with joy. It was not until they were in the same
+room that Selma could get a good look at her.</p>
+<p>Pauline Littleton was fine looking rather than pretty. She was
+tall and substantial, with an agreeable face, an intelligent brow,
+a firm yet sweet mouth, and steady, honest eyes which now sparkled
+with pleasure. Her physique was very different from her brother's.
+Selma noticed that she was taller than herself and only a little
+shorter than Wilbur. She had Wilbur's smile too, suggesting a
+disposition to take things humorously; but her expression lacked
+the poetic cast which made him so attractive and congenial to
+herself and excused the existence of the lighter vein. Selma did
+not admire women who were inclined to be stout. She associated
+spareness of person with high thinking, and an abundance of flesh
+as an indication of material or commonplace aims. She reflected
+that Pauline was presumably business-like and a good house-keeper,
+and, very likely, an industrious teacher in her classes, but she
+set her down in her mind as deficient in the finer sensibilities of
+the spirit belonging to herself and Wilbur. It was instinctive with
+Selma to form a prompt estimate of every one she met, and it was a
+relief to her to come to the agreeable conclusion that there was
+nothing in her sister-in-law's appearance to make her discontented
+with herself. This warmed her heart at once toward Pauline. To be
+sure Pauline manifested the same sort of social grace which
+distinguished Mrs. Hallett Taylor, but Selma, though she still
+regarded this with suspicion, for the reason that she had not yet
+become mistress of it, was secretly content to know that she had
+married into a family which possessed it. Altogether she was
+agreeably impressed by her scrutiny of her new sister, who, in her
+opinion, would not be an irritating rival either in looks or
+character, and yet who was a pleasing and sufficiently
+serious-minded person&mdash;in short just the sort of sister-in-law
+which she yearned to have.</p>
+<p>Pauline, on her part, was duly fascinated by the delicate and
+inspiring beauty of her brother's wife. She understood at once why
+Wilbur had chosen her in preference to any one of his own circle.
+Selma obviously symbolized by her grave, tense, thin face the
+serious ideals of living and womanhood, which had been dear to his
+meditation as a youth and a part of his heritage from his New
+England ancestors. It made her joyous to feel that he had found a
+wife who would be a constant source of inspiration to him, for she
+knew that Wilbur would not be happy with any one who fell short of
+his ideal as to what a woman should be. She knew her brother well,
+and she understood how deeply in earnest he was to make the most of
+his life, and what an exalted vision he entertained as to the
+possibilities for mutual sympathy and help between husband and
+wife.</p>
+<p>Partly as a consequence of their limited means, partly owing to
+absorption in their respective studies and interests, the
+Littletons, though of gentle stock, lived simple lives according to
+New York standards. They were aware of the growth of luxury
+resulting from the accumulation of big fortunes since the war. As
+an architect, Wilbur saw larger and more elaborate public and
+private buildings being erected on every side. As a house-keeper
+and a woman with social interests, Pauline knew that the power of
+money was revolutionizing the public taste in the matter of
+household expenditure; that in the details of domestic life there
+was more color and more circumstance, and that people who were
+well-to-do, and many who were not, were requiring as daily comforts
+all sorts of things to which they had been unaccustomed. But though
+they both thus knew vaguely that the temper of society had changed,
+and that sober citizens and their wives, who, twenty years before,
+would have prated solemnly against a host of gay, enlivening or
+pretty customs as incompatible with American virtue, were now
+adopting these as rapidly as money could procure them&mdash;the
+brother and sister had remained comparatively unaffected by the
+consequences of the transformation scene. Certainly their home had.
+It was old-fashioned in its garniture and its gentility. It spoke
+of a day, not so many years before, when high thinking had led to
+blinking where domestic decoration was concerned, and people had
+bought ugly wooden and worsted things to live with because only the
+things of the spirit seemed of real importance. Still time, with
+its marvellous touch, has often the gift of making furniture and
+upholstery, which were hideous when bought, look interesting and
+cosey when they have become old-fashioned. In this way Pauline
+Wilbur's parlor was a delightful relic of a day gone by. There was
+scarcely a pretty thing in it, as Wilbur himself well knew, yet, as
+a whole, it had an atmosphere&mdash;an atmosphere of simple
+unaffected refinement. Their domestic belongings had come to them
+from their parents, and they had never had the means to replenish
+them. When, in due time, they had realized their artistic
+worthlessness, they had held to them through affection, humorously
+conscious of the incongruity that two such modern individuals as
+themselves should be living in a domestic museum. Then, presto!
+friends had begun to congratulate them on the uniqueness of their
+establishment, and to express affection for it. It had become a
+favorite resort for many modern spirits&mdash;artists, literary
+men, musicians, self-supporting women&mdash;and Pauline's oyster
+suppers, cooked in her grandmother's blazer, were still a stimulus
+to high thinking.</p>
+<p>So matters stood when Selma entered it as a bride. Her coming
+signified the breaking up of the household and the establishment.
+Pauline had thought that out in her clear brain over night since
+receiving Wilbur's telegram. Wilbur must move into a modern house,
+and she into a modern flat. She would keep the very old things,
+such as the blazer and some andirons and a pair of candlesticks,
+for they were ancient enough to be really artistic, but the
+furniture of the immediate past, her father and mother's
+generation, should be sold at auction. Wilbur and she must, if only
+for Selma's sake, become modern in material matters as well as in
+their mental interests.</p>
+<p>Pauline proceeded to unfold this at the dinner-table that
+evening. She had heard in the meanwhile from her brother, the story
+of Selma's divorce and the explanation of his sudden marriage; and
+in consequence, she felt the more solicitous that her
+sister-in-law's new venture should begin propitiously. It was
+agreed that Wilbur should make inquiries at once about houses
+further uptown, and that his present lease from year to year should
+not be renewed. She said to Selma:</p>
+<p>"You have saved us from becoming an old-fashioned bachelor and
+maid. Our friends began to leave this neighborhood five years ago,
+and there is no one left. We are surrounded by boarding-houses and
+shops. We were comfortable, and we were too busy to care. But it
+would never do for a young married couple to begin house-keeping
+here. You must have a brand new house uptown, Selma. You must
+insist on that. Don't be alarmed, Wilbur. I know it will have to be
+small, but I noticed the other day several blocks of new houses
+going up on the side streets west of the Park, which looked
+attractive and cheap."</p>
+<p>"I will look at them," said Wilbur. "Since you seem determined
+not to live with us, and we are obliged to move, we will follow the
+procession. But Selma and I could be happy anywhere." He turned
+from his sister to her as he spoke with a proud, happy look.</p>
+<p>Selma said nothing to mar his confidence. She had no intention
+of living either with Pauline or in their present house, and she
+felt that her sister-in-law had shown good sense in recognizing
+that neither was possible. She necessarily had vague ideas as to
+New York houses and locations, but she had seen enough in her drive
+from the station to understand that it was a wonderful and
+decorative place. Although her experience of Benham had taught her
+that some old things&mdash;such as Mrs. Hallett Taylor's gleanings
+from Europe&mdash;were desirable, she associated new things with
+progress&mdash;especially American progress. Consequently the
+Littleton household possessions had puzzled her, for though she
+thought them ugly, she was resolved not to commit herself too
+hastily. But now that Pauline had sounded a note of warning, the
+situation was clear. They had suffered themselves to fall behind
+the times, and she was to be her husband's good angel by helping
+him to catch up with them. And it was evident that Pauline would be
+her ally. Selma for the first time asked herself whether it might
+be that Wilbur was a little visionary.</p>
+<p>Meanwhile he was saying: "Pauline is right, Selma. I had already
+asked myself if it would not be fairer to you to move uptown where
+we should be in the van and in touch with what is going on. Pauline
+is gently hinting to you that you must not humor me as she has
+done, and let me eat bread and milk out of a bowl in this old
+curiosity shop, instead of following in the wake of fashion. She
+has spoiled me and now she deserts me at the critical moment of my
+life. Selma, you shall have the most charming modern house in New
+York within my means. It must be love in a cottage, but the cottage
+shall have the latest improvements&mdash;hot and cold water, tiles,
+hygienic plumbing and dados."</p>
+<p>"Bravo!" said Pauline. "He says I have spoiled him, Selma.
+Perhaps I have. It will be your turn now. You will fail to convert
+him as I have failed, and the world will be the better for it.
+There are too few men who think noble thoughts and practice them,
+who are true to themselves and the light which is in them through
+thick and thin. But you see, he admits himself that he needs to mix
+with the world a little more. Otherwise he is perfect. You know
+that perhaps, already, Selma. But I wish to tell it to you before
+him. Take care of him, dear, won't you?"</p>
+<p>"It was because I felt that his thoughts were nobler than most
+men's that I wished to marry him," Selma replied, seraphically.
+"But I can see that it is sensible to live where your friends live.
+I shall try not to spoil him, Pauline." She was already conscious
+of a mission which appealed to her. She had been content until now
+in the ardor of her love to regard Wilbur as flawless&mdash;as in
+some respects superior to herself; but it was a gratification to
+her to detect this failing, and to perceive her opportunity for
+usefulness. Surely it was important for her husband to be
+progressive and not merely a dreamer.</p>
+<p>Littleton looked from one to the other fondly. "Not many men are
+blessed with the love of two such women," he said. "I put myself in
+your hands. I bow my neck to the yoke."</p>
+<p>In New York in the early seventies the fashionable quarter lay
+between Eighth and Fortieth Streets, bounded on either side by
+Fourth and Sixth Avenues. Central Park was completed, but the
+region west of it was, from the social stand-point, still a
+wilderness, and Fifth Avenue in the neighborhood of Twenty-third
+Street was the centre of elegant social life. Selma took her first
+view of this brilliant street on the following day on her way to
+hunt for houses in the outlying district. The roar and bustle of
+the city, which thrilled yet dazed her, seemed here softened by the
+rows of tall, imposing residences in brown stone. Along the sunny
+sidewalks passed with jaunty tread an ever-hurrying procession of
+stylishly clad men and women; and along the roadbed sped an array
+of private carriages conducted by coachmen in livery. It was a
+brilliant day, and New Yorkers were making the most of it.</p>
+<p>Selma had never seen such a sight before. Benham faded into
+insignificance in comparison. She was excited, and she gazed
+eagerly at the spectacle. Yet her look, though absorbed, was stern.
+This sort of thing was unlike anything American within her personal
+experience. This avenue of grand houses and this procession of fine
+individuals and fine vehicles made her think of that small section
+of Benham into which she had never been invited, and the thought
+affected her disagreeably.</p>
+<p>"Who are the people who live in these houses?" she asked,
+presently.</p>
+<p>Littleton had already told her that it was the most fashionable
+street in the city.</p>
+<p>"Oh, the rich and prosperous."</p>
+<p>"Those who gamble in stocks, I suppose." Selma wished to be
+assured that this was so.</p>
+<p>"Some of them," said Littleton, with a laugh. "They belong to
+people who have made money in various ways or have inherited
+it&mdash;our well-to-do class, among them the first families in New
+York, and many of them our best citizens."</p>
+<p>"Are they friends of yours?"</p>
+<p>Littleton laughed again. "A few&mdash;not many. Society here is
+divided into sets, and they are not in my set. I prefer mine, and
+fortunately, for I can't afford to belong to theirs."</p>
+<p>"Oh!"</p>
+<p>The frigidity and dryness of the exclamation Littleton ascribed
+to Selma's intuitive enmity to the vanities of life.</p>
+<p>"You mustn't pass judgment on them too hastily," he said. "New
+York is a wonderful place, and it's likely to shock you before you
+learn to appreciate what is interesting and fine here. I will tell
+you a secret, Selma. Every one likes to make money. Even clergymen
+feel it their duty to accept a call from the congregation which
+offers the best salary, and probing men of science do not hesitate
+to reap the harvest from a wonderful invention. Yet it is the
+fashion with most of the people in this country who possess little
+to prate about the wickedness of money-getters and to think evil of
+the rich. That proceeds chiefly from envy, and it is sheer cant.
+The people of the United States are engaged in an eager struggle to
+advance themselves&mdash;to gain individual distinction, comfort,
+success, and in New York to a greater extent than in any other
+place can the capable man or woman sell his or her wares to the
+best advantage&mdash;be they what they may, stocks, merchandise,
+law, medicine, pictures. The world pays well for the things it
+wants&mdash;and the world is pretty just in the long run. If it
+doesn't like my designs, that will be because they're not worth
+buying. The great thing&mdash;the difficult thing to guard against
+in the whirl of this great city, where we are all striving to get
+ahead&mdash;is not to sell one's self for money, not to sacrifice
+the thing worth doing for mere pecuniary advantage. It's the great
+temptation to some to do so, for only money can buy fine houses,
+and carriages and jewels&mdash;yes, and in a certain sense, social
+preferment. The problem is presented in a different form to every
+man. Some can grow rich honestly, and some have to remain poor in
+order to be true to themselves. We may have to remain poor, Selma
+mia." He spoke gayly, as though that prospect did not disturb him
+in the least.</p>
+<p>"And we shall be just as good as the people who own these
+houses." She said it gravely, as if it were a declaration of
+principles, and at the same moment her gaze was caught and
+disturbed by a pair of blithe, fashionably dressed young women
+gliding by her with the quiet, unconscious grace of good-breeding.
+She was inwardly aware, though she would never acknowledge it by
+word or sign, that such people troubled her. More even than Mrs.
+Taylor had troubled her. They were different from her and they
+tantalized her.</p>
+<p>At the same moment her husband was saying in reply, "Just as
+good, but not necessarily any better. No&mdash;other things being
+equal&mdash;not so good. We mustn't deceive ourselves with that
+piece of cant. Some of them are frivolous enough, and dishonest
+enough, heaven knows, but so there are frivolous and dishonest
+people in every class. But there are many more who endeavor to be
+good citizens&mdash;are good citizens, our best citizens. The
+possession of money gives them the opportunity to become arbiters
+of morals and taste, and to seek culture under the best advantages.
+After all, an accumulation of money represents brains and energy in
+some one. Look at this swell," he continued, indicating an
+attractive looking young man who was passing. "His grandfather was
+one of the ablest men in the city&mdash;an intelligent,
+self-respecting, shrewd, industrious, public-spirited citizen who
+made a large fortune. The son has had advantages which I have never
+had, and I happen to know that he is a fine fellow and a very able
+one. If it came to comparisons, I should be obliged to admit that
+he's a more ornamental member of society than Jones, Brown, or
+Robinson, and certainly no less useful. Do I shock you&mdash;you
+sweet, unswerving little democrat of the democrats?"</p>
+<p>It always pleased Selma to be called endearing names, and it
+suited her in her present frame of mind to be dubbed a democrat,
+for it did not suit her to be painfully realizing that she was
+unable, at one brilliant swoop, to take her place as a leader in
+social influence. Somehow she had expected to do this, despite her
+first difficulties at Benham, for she had thought of New York as a
+place where, as the wife of Littleton, the architect, she would at
+once be a figure of importance. She shook her head and said, "It's
+hard to believe that these people are really in earnest; that they
+are serious in purpose and spirit." Meanwhile she was being haunted
+by the irritating reflection that her clothes and her bearing were
+inferior to those of the women she was passing. Secretly she was
+making a resolve to imitate them, though she believed that she
+despised them. She put her hand through her husband's arm and
+added, almost fiercely, as she pressed closer to him, "We needn't
+trouble our heads about them, Wilbur. We can get along without
+being rich and fashionable, you and I. In spite of what you say, I
+don't consider this sort of thing American."</p>
+<p>"Get along? Darling, I was merely trying to be just to them; to
+let you see that they are not so black as they're painted. We will
+forget them forever. We have nothing in common with them. Get
+along? I feel that my life will be a paradise living with you and
+trying to make some impression on the life of this big, striving
+city. But as to its not being American to live like these
+people&mdash;well you know they are Americans and that New York is
+the Mecca of the hard-fisted sons of toil from all over the country
+who have made money. But you're right, Selma. Those who go in for
+show and extravagance are not the best Americans&mdash;the
+Americans whom you and I believe in. Sometimes I get discouraged
+when I stop to think, and now I shall have you to keep me steadfast
+to our faith."</p>
+<p>"Yes, Wilbur. And how far from here are we to live?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, a mile or more. On some side street where the land is cheap
+and the rent low. What do we care for that, Selma mia?"</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3>
+<p>Shortly before Selma Littleton took up her abode in New York,
+Miss Florence, or, as she was familiarly known, Miss Flossy Price,
+was an inhabitant of a New Jersey city. Her father was a second
+cousin of Morton Price, whose family at that time was socially
+conspicuous in fashionable New York society. Not aggressively
+conspicuous, as ultra fashionable people are to-day, by dint of
+frequent newspaper advertisement, but in consequence of elegant,
+conservative respectability, fortified by and cushioned on a huge
+income. In the early seventies to know the Morton Prices was a
+social passport, and by no means every one socially ambitious knew
+them. Morton Price's great-grandfather had been a peddler, his
+grandfather a tea merchant, his father a tea merchant and bank
+organizer, and he himself did nothing mercantile, but was a
+director in diverse institutions, representing trusts or
+philantrophy, and was regarded by many, including himself, as the
+embodiment of ornamental and admirable citizenship. He could talk
+by the hour on the degeneracy of state and city politics and the
+evil deeds of Congress, and was, generally speaking, a
+conservative, fastidious, well-dressed, well-fed man, who had a
+winning way with women and a happy faculty of looking wise and
+saying nothing rash in the presence of men. Some of the younger
+generation were apt, with the lack of reverence belonging to youth,
+to speak of him covertly as "a stuffed club," but no echo of this
+epithet had ever reached the ear of his cousin, David Price, in New
+Jersey. For him, as for most of the world within a radius of two
+hundred miles, he was above criticism and a monument of social
+power.</p>
+<p>David Price, Miss Flossy's father, was the president of a small
+and unprogressive but eminently solid bank. Respectable routine was
+his motto, and he lived up to it, and, as a consequence, no more
+sound institution of the kind existed in his neighborhood. He and
+his directors were slow to adopt innovations of any kind; they put
+stumbling blocks in the path of business convenience whenever they
+could; in short, David Price in his humble way was a righteous,
+narrow, hide-bound retarder of progress and worshipper of
+established local custom. Therefore it was a constant source of
+surprise and worry to him that he should have a progressive
+daughter. There were four other children, patterns of quiet,
+plodding conservatism, but&mdash;such is the irony of
+fate&mdash;the youngest, prettiest, and his favorite, was an
+independent, opinionated young woman, who seemed to turn a deaf ear
+to paternal and maternal advice of safest New Jersey type. In her
+father's words, she had no reverence for any thing or any body,
+which was approximately true, for she did not hesitate to speak
+disrespectfully even of the head of the house in New York.</p>
+<p>"Poppa," she said one day, "Cousin Morton doesn't care for any
+of us a little bit. I know what you're going to say," she added;
+"that he sends you two turkeys every Thanksgiving. The last were
+terribly tough. I'm sure he thinks that we never see turkeys here
+in New Jersey, and that he considers us poor relations and that we
+live in a hole. If one of us should call on him, I know it would
+distress him awfully. He's right in thinking that this is a hole.
+Nothing ever happens here, and when I marry I intend to live in New
+York."</p>
+<p>This was when she was seventeen. Her father was greatly shocked,
+especially as he suspected in his secret soul that the tirade was
+true in substance. He had been the recipient of Thanksgiving
+turkeys for nearly twenty years on the plea that they had been
+grown on the donor's farm in Westchester county, and he had seen
+fit to invite his fellow-directors annually to dine off one of them
+as a modest notice that he was on friendly terms with his
+aristocratic New York cousin. But in all these twenty years turkeys
+had been the only medium of intercourse between them. David Price,
+on the few occasions when he had visited New York, had not found it
+convenient to call. Once he had walked by on the other side of
+Fifth avenue and looked at the house, but shyness and the thought
+that he had no evening clothes in his valise had restrained him
+from ringing the doorbell.</p>
+<p>"You do your cousin Morton great injustice&mdash;great
+injustice, Florence," he answered. "He never forgets to send the
+turkeys, and as to the rest of your speech, I have only to say that
+it is very disrespectful and very foolish. The next time I go to
+New York I will take you to call on your cousins."</p>
+<p>"And what would I say to them? No thank you, poppa." The young
+woman shook her head decisively, and then she added, "I'm not going
+to call on them, until I'm fit to. There!"</p>
+<p>The ambiguity of this remark gave Mr. Price the opportunity to
+say that, in view of her immediate shortcomings, it was a wise
+conclusion, but he knew what she really meant and was distressed.
+His feeling toward his cousin, though mildly envious, did not
+extend to self-depreciation, nor had it served to undermine his
+faith in the innate dignity and worth of New Jersey family life. He
+could not only with a straight face, but with a kindling eye
+inveigh against the perils of New York fashionable life, and
+express gratification that no son or daughter of his had wandered
+so far from the fold. It distressed him to think that Florence
+should be casting sheep's eyes at the flesh-pots of Gotham, and so
+failing to appreciate the blessings and safety of a quiet American
+home.</p>
+<p>Miss Flossy continued to entertain and to express opinions of
+her own, and as a result became socially interesting. At eighteen,
+by her beauty, her engaging frankness and lack of
+self-consciousness, she spread havoc among the young men of her
+native city, several of whom offered her marriage. But marriage was
+far from her thoughts. Life seemed too interesting and she wished
+to see the world. She was erect and alert looking, with a compact
+figure of medium height, large brown eyes and rich red hair, and a
+laughing mouth; also an innocent demeanor, which served to give
+her, by moonlight, the effect of an angel. She succeeded in
+visiting Bar Harbor, where she promptly became a bright particular
+star among the galaxy of young women who at that period were
+establishing the reputation of the summer girl. She continued to be
+a summer girl for four seasons without injury to her own peace of
+mind. At the end of the fourth summer she appeared on close
+scrutiny to be a little worn, and her innocent air seemed a trifle
+deliberate. She returned to her home in New Jersey in not quite her
+usual spirits. In fact she became pensive. She had seen the world,
+and lo! she found it stuffed with sawdust. She was ready to settle
+down, but the only man with whom she would have been willing to
+settle had never asked her. He was the brother of one of the girls
+who had been forbidden by her mother to stay out in canoes with
+young men after nine at night. The rumor had reached Flossy that
+this same mother had referred to her in "the fish pond" at Rodick's
+as "that dreadful girl." It would have pleased her after that to
+have wrung an offer of marriage from the son and heir, who knew her
+cousins, the Morton Prices, and to whom she would have been willing
+to engage herself temporarily at all events. He was very devoted;
+they stayed out in his canoe until past midnight; he wrote verses
+to her and told her his innermost thoughts; but he stopped there.
+He went away without committing himself, and she was left to chew
+the cud of reflection. It was bitter, not because she was in love
+with him, for she was not. In her heart she knew he bored her a
+little. But she was piqued. Evidently he had been afraid to marry
+"that dreadful girl." She was piqued and she was sad. She
+recognized that it was another case of not being fit. When would
+she be fit? What was she to do in order to become fit&mdash;fit
+like the girl who was not allowed to stay on the water after nine
+o'clock? She had ceased to think of the young man, but the image of
+his sister haunted her. How stylish she was, yet how simple and
+quiet! "I wonder," thought Flossy to herself, "if I could ever
+become like her." The reflection threw her into a brown study in
+which she remained for weeks, and during which she refused the hand
+of a staid and respectable townsman, who, in her father's words,
+was ready to take her with all her follies. David Price was
+disappointed. He loved this independent daughter, and he had hopes
+that her demure and reticent deportment signified that the
+effervescence of youth had evaporated. But it was only an effort on
+Flossy's part to imitate the young man's sister.</p>
+<p>At this juncture and just when she was bored and dispirited by
+the process, Gregory Williams appeared on the scene. Flossy met him
+at a dancing party. He had a very tall collar, a very friendly,
+confident, and (toward her) devoted manner, and good looks. It was
+whispered among the girls that he was a banker from New York. He
+was obviously not over thirty, which was young for a banker, but so
+he presently described himself to Flossy with hints of impending
+prosperity. He spoke glibly and picturesquely. He had a convincing
+eloquence of gesture&mdash;a wave of the hand which suggested
+energy and compelled confidence. He had picked her out at once to
+be introduced to, and sympathy between them was speedily
+established. Her wearing, as a red-headed girl, a white horse in
+the form of a pin, in order to prevent the attention of the men to
+whom she talked from wandering, delighted him. He said to himself
+that here was a girl after his own heart. He had admired her looks
+at the outset, but he gazed at her now more critically. He danced
+every dance with her, and they sat together at supper, apart from
+everybody else. Flossy's resolutions were swept away. That is, she
+had become in an instant indifferent to the fact that the New York
+girl she had yearned to imitate would not have made herself so
+conspicuous. Her excuse was that she could not help herself. It was
+a case of genuine, violent attraction, which she made no effort to
+straggle against.</p>
+<p>The attraction was violent on both sides. Gregory Williams was
+not seeking to be married. He had been, until within six months, a
+broker's clerk, and had become a banker on the strength of ten
+thousand dollars bequeathed to him by a grandmother. He and a clerk
+from another broker's office, J. Willett VanHorne, had recently
+formed a partnership as Williams &amp; VanHorne, Bankers and
+Dealers in Stocks and Bonds. He was not seeking to be married, but
+he intended to be married some day, and it was no part of his
+scheme of life to deny himself anything he wished. Support a wife?
+Of course he could; and support her in the same grandiose fashion
+which he had adopted for himself since he had begun business on his
+own account. He had chosen as a philosophy of life the smart
+paradox, which he enjoyed uttering, that he spent what he needed
+first and supplied the means later; and at the same time he let it
+be understood that the system worked wonderfully. He possessed
+unlimited confidence in himself, and though he was dimly aware that
+a very small turn of the wheel of fortune in the wrong direction
+would ruin him financially, he chose to close his eyes to the
+possibilities of disaster and to assume a bold and important
+bearing before the world. He had implicit faith in his own special
+line of ability, and he appreciated the worth of his partner,
+VanHorne. He had joined forces with VanHorne because he knew that
+he was the opposite of himself&mdash;that he was a delving,
+thorough, shrewd, keen office man&mdash;and able too. How genuinely
+able Williams did not yet know. He himself was to be the showy
+partner, the originator of schemes and procurer of business, the
+brilliant man before the world. So there was some method in his
+madness. And with it all went a cheery, incisive, humorous point of
+view which was congenial and diverting to Flossy.</p>
+<p>He went away, but he came back once&mdash;twice&mdash;thrice in
+quick succession. On business, so he said casually to Mr. and Mrs.
+Price, but his language to their daughter was a declaration of
+personal devotion. It remained for her to say whether she would
+marry him or no. Of one thing she was sure without need of
+reflection, that she loved him ardently. As a consequence she
+surrendered at once, though, curiously enough, she was conscious
+when she permitted him to kiss her with effusion that he was not
+the sort of man she had intended to marry&mdash;that he was not fit
+in her sense of the word. Yet she was determined to marry him, and
+from the moment their troth was plighted she found herself his
+eager and faithful ally, dreaming and scheming on their joint
+account. She would help him to succeed; they would conquer the
+world together; she would never doubt his ability to conquer it.
+And in time&mdash;yes, in time they would make even the Morton
+Prices notice them.</p>
+<p>And so after some bewildered opposition on the part of Mr.
+Price, who was alternately appalled and fascinated by the
+magniloquent language of his would-be son-in-law, they were
+married. Flossy gave but a single sign to her husband that she
+understood him and recognized what they really represented. It was
+one evening a few months after they had set up housekeeping while
+they were walking home from the theatre. They had previously dined
+at Delmonico's, and the cost of the evening's entertainment,
+including a bottle of champagne at dinner, their tickets and a
+corsage bouquet of violets for Flossy, had been fifteen dollars.
+Flossy wore a resplendent theatre hat and fashionable
+cape&mdash;one of the several stylish costumes with which her
+husband had hastened to present her, and Gregory was convoying her
+along the Avenue with the air of a man not averse to have the world
+recognize that they were a well set up and prosperous couple.
+Flossy had put her arm well inside his and was doing her best to
+help him produce the effect which he desired, when she suddenly
+said:</p>
+<p>"I wonder, Gregory, how long it will be before we're really
+anybody. Now, of course, we're only make believe swell."</p>
+<p>Gregory gave an amused laugh. "What a clever little woman!
+That's just what we are. We'll keep it a secret, though, and won't
+advertise it to the world."</p>
+<p>"Mum's the word," she replied, giving his arm a squeeze. "I only
+wished you to know that I was not being fooled; that I
+understood."</p>
+<p>Fate ordained that the Williamses and the Littletons should take
+houses side by side in the same block. It was a new block, and at
+first they were the sole occupants. Williams bought his house,
+giving a mortgage back to the seller for all the man would accept,
+and obtaining a second mortgage from a money lender in
+consideration of a higher rate of interest, for practically the
+remaining value. He furnished his house ornately from top to bottom
+in the latest fashion, incurring bills for a portion of the
+effects, and arranging to pay on the instalment plan where he could
+not obtain full credit. His reasoning was convincing to himself and
+did not alarm Flossy, who was glad to feel that they were the
+owners of the house and attractive furniture. It was that the land
+was sure to improve in value before the mortgage became due, and as
+for the carpets and curtains and other outlays, a few points in the
+stock market would pay for them at any time.</p>
+<p>Wilbur Littleton did not possess the ready money to buy;
+consequently he took a lease of his new house for three years, and
+paid promptly for the furniture he bought, the selection of which
+was gradual. Gregory Williams had a marvellous way of entering a
+shop and buying everything which pleased his eye at one fell swoop,
+but Wilbur, who desired to accomplish the best &aelig;sthetic
+effects possible consistent with his limited means, trotted Selma
+from one shop to another before choosing. This process of selecting
+slowly the things with which they were to pass their lives was a
+pleasure to him, and, as he supposed, to Selma. She did enjoy
+keenly at first beholding the enticing contents of the various
+stores which they entered in the process of procuring wall-papers,
+carpets, and the other essentials for house-keeping. It was a
+revelation to her that such beautiful things existed, and her
+inclination was to purchase the most showy and the most costly
+articles. In the adornment of her former home Babcock had given her
+a free hand. That is, his disposition had been to buy the finest
+things which the shopkeepers of Benham called to his attention. She
+understood now that his taste and the taste of Benham, and even
+her's, had been at fault, but she found herself hampered now by a
+new and annoying limitation, the smallness of their means. Almost
+every thing was very expensive, and she was obliged to pass by the
+patterns and materials she desired to possess, and accept articles
+of a more sober and less engaging character. Many of these, to be
+sure, were declared by Wilbur to be artistically charming and more
+suitable than many which she preferred, but it would have suited
+her better to fix on the rich upholstery and solid furniture, which
+were evidently the latest fashion in household decoration, rather
+than go mousing from place to place, only at last to pick up in the
+back corner of some store this or that object which was both
+reasonably pretty and reasonably cheap. When it was all over Selma
+was pleased with the effect of her establishment, but she had eaten
+of the tree of knowledge. She had visited the New York shops.
+These, in her capacity of a God-fearing American, she would have
+been ready to anathematize in a speech or in a newspaper article,
+but the memory of them haunted her imagination and left her
+domestic yearnings not wholly satisfied.</p>
+<p>Wilbur Littleton's scheme of domestic life was essentially
+spiritual, and in the development of it he felt that he was
+consulting his wife's tastes and theories no less than his own. He
+knew that she understood that he was ambitious to make a name for
+himself as an architect; but to make it only by virtue of work of a
+high order; that he was unwilling to become a time-server or to
+lower his professional standards merely to make temporary progress,
+which in the end would mar a success worth having. He had no doubt
+that he had made this clear to her and that she sympathized with
+him. As a married man it was his desire and intention not to allow
+his interest in this ambition to interfere with the enjoyment of
+the new great happiness which had come into his life. He would be a
+professional recluse no longer. He would cast off his work when he
+left his office, and devote his evenings to the &aelig;sthetic
+delights of Selma's society. They would read aloud; he would tell
+her his plans and ask her advice; they would go now and then to the
+theatre; and, in justice to her, they would occasionally entertain
+their friends and accept invitations from them. With this outlook
+in mind he had made such an outlay as would render his home
+attractive and cosey&mdash;simple as became a couple just beginning
+life, yet the abode of a gentleman and a lover of inspiring and
+pretty things.</p>
+<p>As has been mentioned, Littleton was a Unitarian, and one effect
+of his faith had been to make his point of view broad and
+straightforward. He detested hypocrisy and cant, subterfuge and
+self-delusion. He was content to let other people live according to
+their own lights without too much distress on their account, but he
+was too honest and too clear-headed to be able to deceive himself
+as to his own motives and his own conduct. He had no intention to
+be morbid, but he saw clearly that it was his privilege and his
+duty to be true to both his loves, his wife and his profession, and
+that if he neglected either, he would be so far false to his best
+needs and aspirations. Yet he felt that for the moment it was
+incumbent on him to err on the side of devotion to his wife until
+she should become accustomed to her new surroundings.</p>
+<p>The problem of the proper arrangement and subdivision of life in
+a large city and in these seething, modern times is perplexing to
+all of us. There are so many things we would like to do which we
+cannot; so many things which we do against our wills. We are
+perpetually squinting at happiness, but just as we get a delightful
+vision before our eyes we are whisked off by duty or ambition or
+the force of social momentum to try a different view. Consequently
+our perennial regret is apt to be that we have seen our real
+interests and our real friends as in a panorama, for a fleeting
+moment, and then no more until the next time. For Littleton this
+was less true than for most. His life was deep and stable rather
+than many-sided. To be sure his brain experienced, now and then,
+the dazing effects of trying to confront all the problems of the
+universe and adapt his architectural endeavors to his
+interpretation of them; and he knew well the bewildering
+difficulties of the process of adjusting professional theories to
+the sterile conditions which workaday practice often presented. But
+this crowding of his mental canvas was all in the line of his life
+purpose. The days were too short, and sometimes left him perplexed
+and harassed by their rush; yet he was still pursuing the tenor of
+his way. The interest of marriage was not, therefore, in his case a
+fresh burden on a soul already laden with a variety of side
+pursuits. He was neither socially nor philanthropically active; he
+was not a club man, nor an athletic enthusiast; he was on no
+committees; he voted on election days, but he did not take an
+active part in politics. For Selma's sake all this must be changed;
+and he was glad to acknowledge that he owed it to himself as well
+as to her to widen his sympathies.</p>
+<p>As a first step in reform he began to leave his office daily at
+five instead of six, and, on Saturdays, as soon after two as
+possible. For a few months these brands of time snatched from the
+furnace of his professional ardor were devoted to the shopping
+relative to house-furnishing. When that was over, to walking with
+Selma; sometimes as a sheer round of exercise in company, sometimes
+to visit a print-shop, exhibition of pictures, book-store, or other
+attraction of the hour. But the evening was for him the ideal
+portion of the day; when, after dinner was done, they made
+themselves comfortable in the new library, their living room, and
+it became his privilege to read aloud to her or to compare ideas
+with her regarding books and pictures and what was going on in the
+world. It had been a dream of Littleton's that some day he would
+re-read consecutively the British poets, and as soon as the
+furniture was all in place and the questions of choice of rugs and
+chairs and pictures had been settled by purchase, he proposed it as
+a definite occupation whenever they had nothing else in view. It
+delighted him that Selma received this suggestion with enthusiasm.
+Accordingly, they devoted their spare evenings to the undertaking,
+reading aloud in turn. Littleton's enunciation was clear and
+intelligent, and as a happy lover he was in a mood to fit poetic
+thoughts to his own experience, and to utter them ardently. While
+he read, Selma knew that she was ever the heroine of his
+imagination, which was agreeable, and she recognized besides that
+his performance in itself was &aelig;sthetically attractive. Yet in
+spite of the personal tribute, Selma preferred the evenings when
+she herself was the elocutionist. She enjoyed the sound of her own
+voice, and she enjoyed the emotions which her utterance of the
+rhythmic stanzas set coursing through her brain. It was obvious to
+her that Wilbur was captivated by her reading, and she delighted in
+giving herself up to the spirit of the text with the reservations
+appropriate to an enlightened but virtuous soul. For instance, in
+the case of Shelley, she gloried in his soaring, but did not let
+herself forget that fire-worship was not practical; in the case of
+Byron, though she yielded her senses to the spell of his passionate
+imagery, she reflected approvingly that she was a married
+woman.</p>
+<p>But Littleton appreciated also that his wife should have the
+society of others beside himself. Pauline introduced her promptly
+to her own small but intelligent feminine circle, and pending
+Pauline's removal to a flat, the Saturday evening suppers were
+maintained at the old establishment. Here Selma made the
+acquaintance of her husband's and his sister's friends, both men
+and women, who dropped in often after the play and without ceremony
+for a weekly interchange of thought and comradeship. Selma looked
+forward to the first of these occasions with an eager curiosity.
+She expected a renewal of the Benham Institute, only in a more
+impressive form, as befitted a great literary centre; that papers
+would be read, original compositions recited, and many interesting
+people of both sexes perform according to their specialties. She
+confidently hoped to have the opportunity to declaim, "Oh, why
+should the spirit of mortal be proud?" "Curfew must not ring
+to-night," or some other of her literary pieces.</p>
+<p>Therefore, it was almost a shock to her that the affair was so
+informal, and that the company seemed chiefly occupied in behaving
+gayly&mdash;in making sallies at each other's expense, which were
+greeted with merriment. They seemed to her like a lot of children
+let loose from school. There were no exercises, and no allusion was
+made to the attainments of the various guests beyond an occasional
+word of introduction by Pauline or Wilbur; and this word was apt to
+be of serio-comic import. Selma realized that among the fifteen
+people present there were representatives of various interesting
+crafts&mdash;writers, artists, a magazine editor, two critics of
+the stage, a prominent musician, and a college professor&mdash;but
+none of them seemed to her to act a part or to have their
+accomplishments in evidence, as she would have liked. Every one was
+very cordial to her, and appeared desirous to recognize her as a
+permanent member of their circle, but she could not help feeling
+disappointed at the absence of ceremony and formal events. There
+was no president or secretary, and presently the party went into
+the dining-room and sat around a table, at either end of which
+Pauline and Wilbur presided over a blazer. Interest centred on the
+preparation of a rabbit and creamed oysters, and pleasant badinage
+flew from tongue to tongue. Selma found herself between the
+magazine editor and a large, powerfully built man with a broad,
+rotund, strong face, who was introduced to her as Dr. Page, and who
+was called George by every one else. He had arrived late, just as
+they were going in to supper, and his appearance had been greeted
+with a murmur of satisfaction. He had placed himself between
+Pauline and her, and he showed himself, to Selma's thinking, one of
+the least dignified of the company.</p>
+<p>"My dear Mrs. Littleton," he said, with a counterfeit of great
+gravity, "you are now witnessing an impressive example of the
+politeness of true friendship. There are cynics who assert that the
+American people are lacking in courtesy, and cast in our teeth the
+superiority of Japanese manners. I wish they were here to-night.
+There is not a single individual present, male or female, married
+or single, who does not secretly cherish the amiable belief that he
+or she can cook things on a blazer better than any one else. And
+yet we abstain from criticism; we offer no suggestions; we accept,
+without a murmur, the proportions of cheese and beer and butter
+inflicted upon us by our hostess and her brother, and are silent.
+We shall even become complimentary later. Can the Japanese vie with
+this?"</p>
+<p>The contrast between his eager, grave gaze, and the levity of
+his words, puzzled Selma. He looked interesting, but his speech
+seemed to her trivial and unworthy of the occasion. Still she
+appreciated that she must not be a spoil-sport, and that it was
+incumbent on her to resign herself to the situation, so she smiled
+gayly, and said: "I am the only one then not suffering from
+self-restraint. I never made a Welsh rabbit, nor cooked on a
+blazer." Then, in her desire for more serious conversation, she
+added: "Do you really think that we, as a people, are less polite
+than the Japanese?"</p>
+<p>The doctor regarded her with solemn interest for an instant, as
+though he were pondering the question. As a matter of fact, he was
+thinking that she was remarkably pretty. Then he put his finger on
+his lips, and in a hoarse whisper, said, "Sh! Be careful. If the
+editorial ear should catch your proposition the editorial man would
+appropriate it. There!" he added, as her left-hand neighbor bent
+toward them in response to the summons, "he has heard, and your
+opportunity to sell an idea to the magazine is lost. It is all very
+fine for him to protest that he has heard nothing. That is a trick
+of his trade. Let us see now if he will agree to buy. If he
+refuses, it will be a clear case that he has heard and purloined
+it. Come, Dennison, here's a chance for a ten thousand-word
+symposium debate, 'Are we, as a nation, less polite than the
+Japanese?' We offer it for a hundred and fifty cash, and cheap at
+the price."</p>
+<p>Mr. Dennison, who was a keen-eyed, quiet man, with a brown,
+closely-cut beard, had paused in his occupation of buttering hot
+toast for the impending rabbit, and was smiling quizzically. "If
+you have literary secrets to dispose of, Mrs. Littleton, let me
+warn you against making a confidant of Dr. Page. Had you spoken to
+me first, there is no knowing what I might have&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"What did I tell you?" broke in the doctor. "A one hundred and
+fifty-dollar idea ruthlessly appropriated. These editors, these
+editors!"</p>
+<p>It was tantalizing to Selma to be skirting the edge of themes
+she would have enjoyed to hear treated seriously. She hoped that
+Mr. Dennison would inquire if she really wrote, and at least he
+would tell her something about his magazine and literary life in
+New York. But he took up again his task of buttering toast, and
+sought to interest her in that. Presently she was unable to resist
+the temptation of remarking that the editorship of a magazine must
+be one of the most interesting of all occupations; but he looked at
+her with his quizzical smile, and answered:</p>
+<p>"Between you and me, Mrs. Littleton, I will confide to you that
+a considerable portion of the time it is a confounded bore. To tell
+the truth, I much prefer to sit next to you and butter toast."</p>
+<p>This was depressing and puzzling to Selma; but after the
+consumption of the rabbit and the oysters there was some
+improvement in the general tone of the conversation. Yet, not so
+far as she was concerned. Mr. Dennison neglected to confide to her
+the secrets of his prison house, and Dr. Page ruthlessly refused to
+discuss medicine, philosophy, or the Japanese. But here and there
+allusion was made by one or another of the company to something
+which had been done in the world of letters, or art, or music,
+which possessed merit or deserved discouragement. What was said was
+uttered simply, often trenchantly and lightly, but never as a
+dogma, or with the solemnity which Mrs. Earle had been wont to
+impart to her opinions. Just as the party was about to break up,
+Dr. Page approached Selma and offered her his hand. "It is a great
+pleasure to me to have met you," he said, looking into her face
+with his honest eyes. "A good wife was just what Wilbur needed to
+insure him happiness and a fine career. His friends have great
+confidence in his ability, and we intrust him to you in the belief
+that the world will hear from him&mdash;and I, for one, shall be
+very grateful to you."</p>
+<p>He spoke now with evident feeling, and his manner suggested the
+desire to be her friend. Selma admired his large physique and felt
+the attraction of his searching gaze.</p>
+<p>"Perhaps he did need a wife," she answered with an attempt at
+the sprightliness which he had laid aside. "I shall try not to let
+him be too indifferent to practical considerations."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER III.</h3>
+<p>"Who is Dr. Page?" asked Selma of her husband when they left the
+house.</p>
+<p>"One of our best friends, and one of the leading physicians in
+the city. The energy of that man is tireless. He is absorbed in his
+profession. The only respite he allows himself are these Saturday
+evenings, and his devotion to his little son who has hip disease.
+He told me to-night that he had finished his day's work only just
+before he came in. What did you think of him? He likes to
+tease."</p>
+<p>"Then he is married?"</p>
+<p>"He is a widower."</p>
+<p>"He seems interested in you. He was good enough to say that he
+thought you needed a wife."</p>
+<p>"Then he must have admired you, Selma. Poor fellow! I wish he
+might have that happiness himself. I'll tell you a secret: He has
+desired to marry Pauline for years. They are devoted
+friends&mdash;but until now that is all. His wife was an
+actress&mdash;a handsome creature. Two years after they were
+married she ran away with another man and left him. Left him with
+one little boy, a cripple, on whom he lavishes all the love of his
+big nature."</p>
+<p>"How dreadful!"</p>
+<p>"Yes, it is a sad story. That was ten years ago. He was very
+young and the woman was very beautiful. It has been the making of
+him, though, in one way. He had the pride and confidence of
+ability, but he lacked sympathy. His experience and the appealing
+presence of his son have developed his nature and given him
+tenderness. He has not been imbittered; he has simply become
+gentle. And how he works! He is already famous in his
+profession."</p>
+<p>"Does Pauline care for him?"</p>
+<p>"I don't know her feelings. I am sure she is fond of him, and
+admires him. I fancy, though, that she hesitates to renounce her
+own ambitions. As you are aware, she is greatly interested in her
+classes, and in matters pertaining to the higher education of
+women. George Page knew her at the time of his marriage. I do not
+mean that he paid her serious attention then, but he had the
+opportunity to ask her instead of the other. Now, when she has
+become absorbed in her life-work, she would naturally decline to
+give it up unless she felt sure that she could not be happy without
+him."</p>
+<p>"I would not marry him if I were she," said Selma. "He has given
+his best to the other woman. He is the one at fault, not Pauline.
+Why should she sacrifice her own career in order to console
+him?"</p>
+<p>"She might love him sufficiently to be willing to do so, Selma.
+Love makes women blind to faults. But poor George was scarcely at
+fault. It was a misfortune."</p>
+<p>"He made his choice and was deceived. It would be weak of her to
+give up her own life merely because he is lonely. We modern women
+have too much self-respect for that. Love is love, and it is not to
+be trifled with."</p>
+<p>"Yes, love is love," murmured Littleton, "and I am happy in
+mine."</p>
+<p>"That is because neither of us has loved before, you foolish
+boy. But as to this evening, it wasn't at all what I expected. Are
+your friends always like that?"</p>
+<p>Littleton laughed. "Did they seem to you frivolous and
+undignified, then?"</p>
+<p>"Almost. They certainly said nothing serious."</p>
+<p>"It is their holiday&mdash;their evening out. They have to be
+serious during the rest of the week&mdash;busy with problems and
+cares, for they are a set of hard workers. The stress of life is so
+rigorous and constant here in New York that we have learned not to
+take our pleasure sadly. When you become accustomed to their way
+you will realize that they are no less serious at heart because
+they frolic now and then."</p>
+<p>Selma was silent a moment; then she said, "That reminds me; have
+you found out about our next-door neighbors yet?"</p>
+<p>"He is a banker named Williams, I believe."</p>
+<p>"I saw his wife pass the window this morning. She was
+beautifully dressed. They must be rich."</p>
+<p>"I dare say."</p>
+<p>"But they live in the same style of house as ours."</p>
+<p>"Bankers have mysterious ways of making money. We cannot compete
+with those."</p>
+<p>"I suppose not. I was thinking that she had the same manner as
+some of your friends this evening, only more pronounced. She
+stopped to speak to some one just in front of the house, so I could
+observe her. I should think she was frivolous, but fascinating.
+That must be the New York manner, and, consequently, she may be
+very much in earnest."</p>
+<p>"It isn't given to every woman to be attractive all the time
+just because she looks in earnest, as it is to you, dearest. But
+you musn't be too severe on the others."</p>
+<p>"On the contrary, I think I shall like Mrs. Williams. She may
+teach us to be practical. You know that is what your friends would
+like to have me help you to be, Wilbur."</p>
+<p>"Then they did talk a word or two of sense?"</p>
+<p>"They said that. Do you think it is true that you are
+visionary?"</p>
+<p>"It is your duty to tell me so, Selma, when you think it, just
+as I have told you that we can afford to laugh now and then. Come,
+begin."</p>
+<p>"I haven't been your wife long enough yet. I shall know better
+by the end of another six months."</p>
+<p>A fortnight elapsed before Selma made the acquaintance of Mrs.
+Gregory Williams. It was not a chance meeting. Flossy rang the bell
+deliberately one afternoon and was ushered in, thereby bridging
+over summarily the yawning chasm which may continue to exist for an
+indefinite period between families in the same block who are
+waiting to be introduced.</p>
+<p>"I said to my husband last night, Mrs. Littleton, that it was
+ridiculous for us to be living side by side without knowing one
+another, and that I was going to call. We moved in three weeks
+before you, so I'm the one who ought to break the ice. Otherwise we
+might have stared at each other blankly for three months, looked at
+each other sheepishly out of the corner of our eyes for another
+three, half bowed for six months, and finally, perhaps, reached the
+stage where we are now. Neighbors should be neighborly, don't you
+think so?"</p>
+<p>"Indeed I do. Of course I knew you by sight; and I felt I should
+like to make your acquaintance." Selma spoke with enthusiasm. Here
+was some one whose social deftness was no less marked than Mrs.
+Hallett Taylor's, and, to her mind, more brilliant, yet whom she
+felt at once to be congenial. Though she perceived that her
+neighbor's clothes made her own apparel seem dull, and was
+accordingly disposed to be on her guard, she realized instinctively
+that she was attracted by the visitor.</p>
+<p>"That is very nice of you," said Flossy. "I told my
+husband&mdash;Gregory&mdash;the other day that I was sure you were
+something literary&mdash;I mean Mr. Littleton, of course&mdash;and
+when he found out that he was I said we must certainly cultivate
+you as an antidote to the banking business. Gregory's a banker. It
+must be delightful to plan houses. This room is so pretty and
+tasteful."</p>
+<p>"It isn't wholly furnished yet. We are buying things by degrees,
+as we find pieces which we like."</p>
+<p>"We bought all our things in two days at one fell swoop," said
+Flossy with a gay laugh. "Gregory gave the dealers carte blanche.
+That's his way," she added with a touch of pride. "I dare say the
+house would have been prettier if we could have taken more time.
+However, it is all paid for now. Some of it was bought on the
+instalment plan, but Gregory bought or sold something in stocks the
+next week which covered the furniture and paid for a present for me
+of this besides," she said, indicating her seal-skin cape. "Wasn't
+he a dear?"</p>
+<p>Selma did not know precisely what the instalment plan was, but
+she understood that Mr. Williams had been distinctly clever in his
+wife's estimation. She perceived that Mrs. Williams had the same
+light, half jocular manner displayed by Wilbur's friends, and that
+she spoke with bubbling, jaunty assurance, which was suggestive of
+frivolity. Still Wilbur had intimated that this might be the New
+York manner, and clearly her neighbor had come in a friendly spirit
+and was duly appreciative of the distinction of being literary.
+Besides, her ready disposition to talk about herself and her
+affairs seemed to Selma the sign of a willingness to be truly
+friendly. The seal-skin cape she wore was very handsome, and she
+was more conspicuously attired from head to foot than any woman
+with whom Selma had ever conversed. She was pretty, too&mdash;a
+type of beauty less spiritual than her own&mdash;with piquant,
+eager features, laughing, restless gray eyes, and light hair which
+escaped from her coquettish bonnet in airy ringlets. If they had
+met three years earlier Selma would certainly have regarded her as
+an incarnation of volatility and servility to foreign fashions.
+Now, though she classed her promptly as a frivolous person, she
+regarded her with a keen curiosity not unmixed with self-distress,
+and the reflection came to her that a little of the New York manner
+might perhaps be desirable when in New York.</p>
+<p>"Yes, it's beautiful," she replied, referring to the cape.</p>
+<p>"Gregory is always making me presents like that. He gave me this
+bracelet yesterday. He saw it in the shop-window and went in and
+bought it. Speaking of husbands, you won't mind my saying that I
+think Mr. Littleton is very distinguished looking? I often see him
+pass the window in the morning."</p>
+<p>"Of course <i>I</i> think so," said Selma. "I suppose it would
+seem flat if I were to say that I admired Mr. Williams's appearance
+also."</p>
+<p>"The truth is no harm. Wouldn't it be nice if we should happen
+to become friends? We are the pioneers in this block, but I hear
+three other houses have been sold. I suppose you own your
+house?"</p>
+<p>"I believe not. We have a lease of it."</p>
+<p>"That's a pity, because Gregory bought ours on a mortgage,
+thinking the land is sure to become more valuable. He hopes to be
+able to sell some day for a great deal more than he paid for it.
+May I ask where you lived before you were married?"</p>
+<p>Selma told her briefly.</p>
+<p>"Then you are almost Western. I felt sure you weren't a New
+Yorker, and I didn't think you were from Boston. You have the
+Boston earnest expression, but somehow you're different. You don't
+mind my analyzing you, do you? That's a Boston habit by the way.
+But I'm not from Boston. I've lived all my life in New Jersey. So
+we are both strangers in New York. That is, I'm the same as a
+stranger, though my father is a cousin of the Morton Prices. We
+sent them wedding cards and they called one day when I was out. I
+shall return the call and find them out, and that will be the last
+move on either side until Gregory does something remarkable. I'm
+rather glad I wasn't at home, because it would have been awkward.
+They wouldn't have known what to say to me, and they might have
+felt that they ought to ask me to dinner, and I don't care to have
+them ask me until they're obliged to. Do I shock you running on so
+about my own affairs?" Flossy asked, noticing Selma draw herself up
+sternly.</p>
+<p>"Oh no, I like that. I was only thinking that it was very
+strange of your cousins. You are as good as they, aren't you?"</p>
+<p>"Mercy, no. We both know it, and that's what makes the situation
+so awkward. As Christians, they had to call on me, but I really
+think they are justified in stopping there. Socially I'm
+nobody."</p>
+<p>"In this country we are all free and equal."</p>
+<p>"You're a dear&mdash;a delicious dear," retorted Flossy, with a
+caressing laugh. "There's something of the sort in the Declaration
+of Independence, but, as Gregory says, that was put in as a bluff
+to console salesladies. Was everybody equal in Benham, Mrs.
+Littleton?"</p>
+<p>"Practically so," said Selma, with an air of haughtiness, which
+was evoked by her recollection of the group of houses on Benham's
+River Drive into which she had never been invited. "There were some
+people who were richer than others, but that didn't make them
+better than any one else."</p>
+<p>"Well, in New York it's different. Of course, every body has the
+same right to vote or to be elected President of the United States,
+but equality ends there. People here are either in society or out
+of it, and society itself is divided into sets. There's the
+conservative aristocratic set, the smart rapid set, the set which
+hasn't much money, but has Knickerbocker or other highly
+respectable ancestors, the new millionaire set, the literary set,
+the intellectual philanthropic set, and so on, according to one's
+means or tastes. Each has its little circle which shades away into
+the others, and every now and then there is a big entertainment to
+which they all go."</p>
+<p>"I see," said Selma, coldly.</p>
+<p>"Now, to make it plain, I will confide to you in strictest
+confidence that Gregory and I aren't yet really in any set. We are
+trying to get a footing and are holding on by our teeth to the
+fringe of the social merry-go-round. I wouldn't admit it to any one
+but you; but as you are a stranger like myself and in the same
+block, I am glad to initiate you into the customs of this part of
+the country," Flossy gave a merry toss to her head which set her
+ringlets bobbing, and rose to go.</p>
+<p>"And in what set are your cousins?" asked Selma.</p>
+<p>"If you wish to hear about them, I shall have to sit down again.
+The Morton-Prices belong to the ultra-conservative, solid, stupid,
+aristocratic set&mdash;the most dignified and august of all. They
+are almost as sacred as Hindoo gods, and some people would walk
+over red-hot coals to gain admission to their house. And really,
+it's quite just in one way that incense should be burnt before
+them. You mustn't look so disgusted, because there's some sense in
+it all. As Gregory says, it's best to look things squarely in the
+face. Most of the people in these different sets are somebodies
+because either their grandfathers or they have done something
+well&mdash;better than other people, and made money as a
+consequence. And when a family has made money or won distinction by
+its brains and then has brushed its teeth twice a day religiously
+for two generations, the members of it, even though dull, are
+entitled to respect, don't you think so?"</p>
+<p>Selma, who brushed her teeth but once a day, looked a little
+sharp at Flossy.</p>
+<p>"It makes money of too much importance and it establishes class
+distinctions. I don't approve of such a condition of affairs at
+all."</p>
+<p>Flossy shrugged her shoulders. "I have never thought whether I
+approve of it or not. I am only telling you what exists. I don't
+deny that money counts for a great deal, for, as Gregory says,
+money is the measure of success. But money isn't everything. Brains
+count and refinement, and nice honorable ways of looking at things.
+Of course, I'm only telling you what my ambition is. People have
+different kinds of bees in their bonnets. Some men have the
+presidential bee; I have the social bee. I should like to be
+recognized as a prominent member of the charmed circle on my own
+merits and show my cousins that I am really worthy of their
+attention. There are a few who are able to be superior to that sort
+of thing, who go on living their own lives attractively and finely,
+without thinking of society, and who suddenly wake up some day to
+find themselves socially famous&mdash;to find that they have been
+taken up. That's the best way, but one requires to be the right
+sort of person and to have a lot of moral courage. I can imagine it
+happening to you and your husband. But it would never happen to
+Gregory and me. We shall have to make money and cut a dash in order
+to attract attention, and by-and-by, if we are persistent and
+clever enough, we may be recognized as somebodies, provided there
+is something original or interesting about us. There! I have told
+you my secret and shocked you into the bargain. I really must be
+going. But I'll tell you another secret first: It'll be a pleasure
+to me to see you, if I may, because you look at things differently
+and haven't a social bee. I wish I were like that&mdash;really like
+it. But then, as Gregory would say, I shouldn't be myself, and not
+to be one's self is worse than anything else after all, isn't it?
+You and your husband must come and dine with us soon."</p>
+<p>After Mrs. Williams had gone, Selma fell into a brown study. She
+had listened to sentiments of which she thoroughly disapproved, and
+which were at variance with all her theories and conceptions. What
+her friendly, frivolous visitor had told her with engaging
+frankness offended her conscience and patriotism. She did not
+choose to admit the existence of these class-distinctions, and she
+knew that even if they did exist, they could not possibly concern
+Wilbur and herself. Even Mrs. Williams had appreciated that Wilbur
+and her literary superiority put them above and beyond the
+application of any snobbish, artificial, social measuring-tape. And
+yet Selma's brow was clouded. Her thought reverted to the row of
+stately houses on either side of Fifth Avenue, into none of which
+she had the right of free access, in spite of the fact that she was
+leading her life attractively and finely, without regard to
+society. She thought instinctively of Sodom and Gomorrah, and she
+saw righteously with her mind's eye for a moment an angel with a
+flaming sword consigning to destruction these offending mansions
+and their owners as symbols of mammon and contraband to God.</p>
+<p>That evening she told Wilbur of Mrs. Williams's visit. "She's a
+bright, amusing person, and quite pretty. We took a fancy to each
+other. But what do you suppose she said? She intimated that we
+haven't any social position."</p>
+<p>"Very kind of her, I'm sure. She must be a woman of
+discrimination&mdash;likewise something of a character."</p>
+<p>"She's smart. So you think it's true?"</p>
+<p>"What? About our social position? Ours is as good as theirs, I
+fancy."</p>
+<p>"Oh yes, Wilbur. She acknowledges that herself. She admires us
+both and she thinks it fine that we don't care for that sort of
+thing. What she said was chiefly in connection with herself, but
+she intimated that neither they, nor we, are
+the&mdash;er&mdash;equals of the people who live on Fifth Avenue
+and thereabouts. She's a cousin of the Morton Prices, whoever they
+may be, and she declared perfectly frankly that they were better
+than she. Wasn't it funny?"</p>
+<p>"You seem to have made considerable progress for one visit."</p>
+<p>"I like that, you know, Wilbur. I prefer people who are willing
+to tell me their real feelings at once."</p>
+<p>"Morton Price is one of the big bugs. His great grandfather was
+among the wise, shrewd pioneers in the commercial progress of the
+city. The present generation are eminently respectable, very
+dignified, mildly philanthropic, somewhat self-indulgent,
+reasonably harmless, decidedly ornamental and rather dull."</p>
+<p>"But Mrs. Williams says that she will never be happy until her
+relations and the people of that set are obliged to take notice of
+her, and that she and her husband are going to cut a dash to
+attract attention. It's her secret."</p>
+<p>"The cat which she let out of the bag is a familiar one. She
+must be amusing, provided she is not vulgar."</p>
+<p>"I don't think she's vulgar, Wilbur. She wears gorgeous clothes,
+but they're extremely pretty. She said that she called on me
+because she thought that we were literary, and that she desired an
+antidote to the banker's business, which shows she isn't altogether
+worldly. She wishes us to dine with them soon."</p>
+<p>"That's neighborly."</p>
+<p>"Why was it, Wilbur, that you didn't buy our house instead of
+hiring it?"</p>
+<p>"Because I hadn't money enough to pay for it."</p>
+<p>"The Williamses bought theirs. But I don't believe they paid for
+it altogether. She says her husband thinks the land will increase
+in value, and they hope some day to make money by the rise. I
+imagine Mr. Williams must be shrewd."</p>
+<p>"He's a business man. Probably he bought, and gave a mortgage
+back. I might have done that, but we weren't sure we should like
+the location, and it isn't certain yet that fashion will move in
+just this direction. I have very little, and I preferred not to tie
+up everything in a house we might not wish to keep."</p>
+<p>"I see. She appreciates that people may take us up any time. She
+thinks you are distinguished looking."</p>
+<p>"If she isn't careful, I shall make you jealous, Selma. Was
+there anything you didn't discuss?"</p>
+<p>"I regard you as the peer of any Morton Price alive. Why aren't
+you?"</p>
+<p>"Far be it from me to discourage such a wifely conclusion.
+Provided you think so, I don't care for any one else's
+opinion."</p>
+<p>"But you agree with her. That is, you consider because people of
+that sort don't invite us to their houses, they are better than
+we."</p>
+<p>"Nothing of the kind. But there's no use denying the existence
+of social classes in this city, and that, though I flatter myself
+you and I are trying to make the most of our lives in accordance
+with the talents and means at our disposal, we are not and are not
+likely to become, for the present at any rate, socially prominent.
+That's what you have in mind, I think. I don't know those people;
+they don't know me. Consequently they do not ask me to their
+beautiful and costly entertainments. Some day, perhaps, if I am
+very successful as an architect, we may come more in contact with
+them, and they will have a chance to discover what a charming wife
+I have. But from the point of view of society, your neighbor Mrs.
+Williams is right. She evidently has a clear head on her shoulders
+and knows what she desires. You and I believe that we can get more
+happiness out of life by pursuing the even tenor of our way in the
+position in which we happen to find ourselves."</p>
+<p>"I don't understand it," said Selma, shaking her head and
+looking into space with her spiritual expression. "It troubles me.
+It isn't American. I didn't think such distinctions existed in this
+country. Is it all a question of money, then? Do intelligence
+and&mdash;er&mdash;purpose count for nothing?"</p>
+<p>"My dear girl, it simply means that the people who are on
+top&mdash;the people who, by force of success, or ability, or
+money, are most prominent in the community, associate together, and
+the world gives a certain prominence to their doings. Here, where
+fortunes have been made so rapidly, and we have no formal
+aristocracy, money undoubtedly plays a conspicuous part in giving
+access to what is known as society. But it is only an entering
+wedge. Money supplies the means to cultivate manners and the right
+way of looking at things, and good society represents the best
+manners and, on the whole, the best way of looking at things."</p>
+<p>"Yes. But you say that we don't belong to it."</p>
+<p>"We do in the broad, but not in the narrow sense. We have
+neither the means nor the time to take part in fashionable society.
+Surely, Selma, you have no such ambition?"</p>
+<p>"I? You know I disapprove of everything of the sort. It is like
+Europe. There's nothing American in it."</p>
+<p>"I don't know about that. The people concerned in it are
+Americans. If a man has made money there is no reason why he
+shouldn't build a handsome house, maintain a fine establishment,
+give his children the best educational advantages, and choose his
+own friends. So the next generation becomes more civilized. It
+isn't the best Americanism to waste one's time in pursuing
+frivolities and excessive luxury, as some of these people do; but
+there's nothing un-American in making the most of one's
+opportunities. As I've said to you before, Selma, it's the way in
+which one rises that's the important thing in the individual
+equation, and every man must choose for himself what that shall be.
+My ambition is to excel in my profession, and to mould my life to
+that end without neglecting my duties as a citizen or a husband.
+If, in the end, I win fame and fortune, so much the better. But
+there's no use in worrying because other people are more
+fashionable than we."</p>
+<p>"Of course. You speak as if you thought I was envious of them,
+Wilbur. What I don't understand is why such people should be
+allowed to exist in this country."</p>
+<p>"We're a free people, Selma. I'm a good democrat, but you must
+agree that the day-laborer in his muddy garb would not find himself
+at ease in a Fifth Avenue drawing-room. On that account shall we
+abolish the drawing-room?"</p>
+<p>"We are not day-laborers."</p>
+<p>"Not precisely; but we have our spurs to win. And, unlike some
+people in our respectable, but humble station, we have each other's
+love to give us courage to fight the battle of life bravely. I had
+a fresh order to-day&mdash;and I have bought tickets for to-night
+at the theatre."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER IV.</h3>
+<p>Almost the first persons at the theatre on whom Selma's eyes
+rested were the Gregory Williamses. They were in a box with two
+other people, and both Flossy and her husband were talking with the
+festive air peculiar to those who are willing to be noticed and
+conscious that their wish is being gratified. Flossy wore a gay
+bonnet and a stylish frock, supplemented by a huge bunch of
+violets, and her husband's evening dress betrayed a slight
+exaggeration of the prevailing fashion in respect to his standing
+collar and necktie. Selma had never had a thorough look at him
+before, and she reflected that he was decidedly impressive and
+handsome. His face was full and pleasant, his mustache large and
+gracefully curved, and his figure manly. His most distinguishing
+characteristic was a dignity of bearing uncommon in so young a man,
+suggesting that he carried, if not the destiny of republics on his
+shoulders, at least, important financial secrets in his brain. The
+man and woman with them were almost elderly and gave the effect of
+being strangers to the city. They were Mr. and Mrs. Silas S.
+Parsons. Mr. Parsons was a prosperous Western business man, who now
+and then visited New York, and who had recently become a customer
+of Williams's. He had dealt in the office where Williams was a
+clerk, and, having taken a fancy to him, was disposed to help the
+new firm. Gregory had invited them to dinner and to the theatre, by
+way of being attentive, and had taken a box instead of stalls, in
+order to make his civility as magnificent as the occasion would
+permit. A box, besides being a delicate testimonial to his guest,
+would cause the audience to notice him and his wife and to ask who
+they were.</p>
+<p>In the gradual development of the social appetite in this
+country a certain class has been evolved whose drawing-room is the
+floor of the leading theatres. Society consists for them chiefly in
+being present often at theatrical performances in sumptuous dress,
+not merely to witness the play, but to be participants in a social
+function which enhances their self-esteem. To be looked at and to
+look on these occasions takes the place with them of balls and
+dinner parties. They are not theatregoers in the proper sense, but
+social aspirants, and the boxes and stalls are for them an arena in
+which for a price they can show themselves in their finery and
+attractions, for lack of other opportunities.</p>
+<p>Our theatres are now in the full blaze of this harmless
+appropriation for quasi-ballroom uses. At the time when Selma was a
+New York bride the movement was in its infancy. The people who went
+to the theatre for spectacular purposes no less than to see the
+actors on the stage were comparatively few in number. Still the
+device was practised, and from the very fact that it was not freely
+employed, was apt to dazzle the eyes of the uninitiated public more
+unreservedly than to-day. The sight of Mrs. Williams in a box, in
+the glory of her becoming frock and her violets, caused even so
+stern a patriot and admirer of simplicity as Selma to seize her
+husband's arm and whisper:</p>
+<p>"Look." What is more she caught herself a moment later blushing
+with satisfaction on account of the friendly bow which was bestowed
+on her.</p>
+<p>Wilbur Littleton's ambitions were so definite and congenial that
+the sight of his neighbors' splendor neither offended nor irritated
+him. He did not feel obliged to pass judgment on them while
+deriving amusement from their display, nor did he experience any
+qualms of regret that he was not able to imitate them. He regarded
+Flossy and her husband with the tolerant gaze of one content to
+allow other people to work out their salvation, without officious
+criticism, provided he were allowed the same privilege, and ready
+to enjoy any features of the situation which appealed to his sense
+of humor or to his human sympathy. Flossy's frank, open nod and
+ingenuous face won his favor at once, especially as he appreciated
+that she and Selma had found each other attractive, and though he
+tabooed luxury and fashionable paraphernalia where he was
+immediately concerned, it occurred to him that this evidently
+wide-awake, vivacious-looking couple might, as friends, introduce
+just the right element of variety into their lives. He had no wish
+to be a banker himself, nor to hire boxes at the theatre, but he
+was disposed to meet half-way these entertaining and gorgeous
+neighbors.</p>
+<p>Selma, in spite of her wish to watch the play, found her glance
+returning again and again to the occupants of the box, though she
+endeavored to dispose of the matter by remarking presently that she
+could not understand why people should care to make themselves so
+conspicuous, particularly as the seats in the boxes were less
+desirable for seeing the stage than their own.</p>
+<p>"We wouldn't care for it, but probably it's just what they
+like," said Wilbur. "Some society reporter may notice them; in
+which case we shall see in the Sunday newspaper that Mr. Gregory
+Williams and party occupied a private box at the Empire Theatre
+last Tuesday evening, which will be another straw toward helping
+them to carry out their project of attracting attention. I like the
+face of your new friend, my dear. I mean to say that she looks
+unaffected and honest, and as if she had a sense of humor. With
+those three virtues a woman can afford to have some faults. I
+suppose she has hers."</p>
+<p>Littleton felt that Selma was disposed to fancy her neighbor,
+but was restrained by conscientious scruples due to her dislike for
+society concerns. He had fallen in love with and married his wife
+because he believed her to be free from and superior to the petty
+weaknesses of the feminine social creed; but though extremely proud
+of her uncompromising standards, he had begun to fear lest she
+might indulge her point of view so far as to be unjust. Her
+scornful references from time to time to those who had made money
+and occupied fine houses had wounded his own sense of justice. He
+had endeavored to explain that virtue was not the exclusive
+prerogative of the noble-minded poor, and now he welcomed an
+opportunity of letting her realize from personal experience that
+society was not so bad as it was painted.</p>
+<p>Selma returned Mrs. Williams's call during the week, but did not
+find her at home. A few days later arrived a note stamped with a
+purple and gold monogram inviting them to dinner. When the evening
+arrived they found only a party of four. A third couple had given
+out at the last minute, so they were alone with their hosts. The
+Williams house in its decoration and upholstery was very different
+from their own. The drawing-room was bright with color. The
+furniture was covered with light blue plush; there were blue and
+yellow curtains, gay cushions, and a profusion of gilt
+ornamentation. A bear-skin, a show picture on an easel, and a
+variety of florid bric-&agrave;-brac completed the brilliant aspect
+of the apartment. Selma reflected at once that that this was the
+sort of drawing-room which would have pleased her had she been
+given her head and a full purse. It suggested her home at Benham
+refurnished by the light of her later experience undimmed by the
+shadow of economy. On the way down to dinner she noticed in the
+corner of the hall a suit of old armor, and she was able to
+perceive that the little room on one side of the front door, which
+they learned subsequently was Mr. Williams's den, contained
+Japanese curiosities. The dinner-table shone with glass and silver
+ware, and was lighted by four candles screened by small pink
+shades. By the side of Flossy's plate and her own was a small bunch
+of violets, and there was a rosebud for each of the men. The
+dinner, which was elaborate, was served by two trig maids. There
+were champagne and frozen pudding. Selma felt almost as if she were
+in fairy-land. She had never experienced anything just like this
+before; but her exacting conscience was kept at bay by the
+reflection that this must be a further manifestation of the New
+York manner, and her self-respect was propitiated by the cordiality
+of her entertainers. The conversation was bubbling and
+light-hearted on the part of both Mr. and Mrs. Williams. They kept
+up a running prattle on the current fads of the day, the theatre,
+the doings of well-known social personages, and their own household
+possessions, which they na&iuml;vely called to the attention of
+their guests, that they might be admired. But Selma enjoyed more
+than the general conversation her talk with the master of the
+house, who possessed all the friendly suavity of his wife and also
+the valuable masculine trait of seeming to be utterly absorbed in
+any woman to whom he was talking. Gregory had a great deal of
+manner and a confidential fluency of style, which gave distinction
+even to commonplace remarks. His method did not condescend to
+nudging when he wished to note a point, but it fell only so far
+short of it as he thought social elegance required. His
+conversation presently drifted, or more properly speaking, flowed
+into a graphic and frank account of his own progress as a banker.
+He referred to past successful undertakings, descanted on his
+present roseate responsibilities, and hinted sagely at impending
+operations which would eclipse in importance any in which he had
+hitherto been engaged. In answer to Selma's questions he discoursed
+alluringly concerning the methods of the Stock Exchange, and gave
+her to understand that for an intelligent and enterprising man
+speculation was the high road to fortune. No doubt for fools and
+for people of mediocre or torpid abilities it was a dangerous
+trade; but for keen and bold intellects what pursuit offered such
+dazzling opportunities?</p>
+<p>Selma listened, abhorrent yet fascinated. It worried her to be
+told that what she had been accustomed to regard as gambling should
+be so quickly and richly rewarded. Yet the fairy scene around her
+manifestly confirmed the prosperous language of her host and left
+no room for doubt that her neighbors were making brilliant
+progress. Apparently, too, this business of speculation and of vast
+combinations of railroad and other capital, the details of which
+were very vague to her, was, in his opinion, the most desirable and
+profitable of callings.</p>
+<p>"Do you know," she said, "that I have been taught to believe
+that to speculate in stocks is rather dreadful, and that the people
+of the country don't approve of it." She spoke smilingly, for the
+leaven of the New York manner was working, but she could not
+refrain from testifying on behalf of righteousness.</p>
+<p>"The people of the country!" exclaimed Gregory, with a smile of
+complacent amusement. "My dear Mrs. Littleton, you must not let
+yourself be deceived by the Sunday school, Fourth of July,
+legislative or other public utterances of the American people. It
+isn't necessary to shout it on the house-tops, but I will confide
+to you that, whatever they may declaim or publish to the contrary,
+the American people are at heart a nation of gamblers. They don't
+play little horses and other games in public for francs, like the
+French, for the law forbids it, but I don't believe that any one,
+except we bankers and brokers, realizes how widely exists the habit
+of playing the stock-market. Thousands of people, big and little,
+sanctimonious and highly respectable, put up their margins and reap
+their profits or their losses. Oh no, the country doesn't approve
+of it, especially those who lose. I assure you that the letters
+which pass through the post-office from the godly, freeborn voters
+in the rural districts would tell an eloquent story concerning the
+wishes of the people of the country in regard to speculation."</p>
+<p>Flossy was rising from table as he finished, so he accompanied
+the close of his statement with a sweeping bow which comported with
+his jaunty dignity.</p>
+<p>"I am afraid you are a wicked man. You ought not to slander the
+American people like that," Selma answered, pleased as she spoke at
+the light touch which she was able to impart to her speech.</p>
+<p>"It's true. Every word of it is true," he said as she passed
+him. He added in a low tone&mdash;"I would almost even venture to
+wager a pair of gloves that at some time or other your husband has
+had a finger in the pie."</p>
+<p>"Never," retorted Selma.</p>
+<p>"What is that Gregory is saying?" interrupted Flossy, putting
+her arm inside Selma's. "I can see by his look that he has been
+plaguing you."</p>
+<p>"Yes, he has been trying to shatter my ideals, and now he is
+trying to induce me to make an odious bet with him."</p>
+<p>"Don't, for you would be certain to lose. Gregory is in great
+luck nowadays."</p>
+<p>"That is evident, for he has had the good fortune to make the
+acquaintance of Mrs. Littleton," said Williams gallantly.</p>
+<p>The two men were left alone with their cigars. After these were
+lighted, as if he were carrying out his previous train of thought,
+Gregory remarked, oracularly, at the end of a puff: "Louisville and
+Nashville is certain to sell higher."</p>
+<p>Littleton looked blank for a moment. He knew so little of stocks
+that at first he did not understand what was meant. Then he said,
+politely: "Indeed!"</p>
+<p>"It is good for a ten-point rise in my opinion," Williams
+continued after another puff. He was of a liberal nature, and was
+making a present of this tip to his guest in the same spirit of
+hospitality as he had proffered the dinner and the champagne. He
+was willing to take for granted that Littleton, as a gentleman,
+would give him the order in case he decided to buy, which would add
+another customer to his list. But his suggestion was chiefly
+disinterested.</p>
+<p>"I'm afraid I know very little about such matters," Littleton
+responded with a smile. "I never owned but ten shares of stock in
+my life." Then, by way, perhaps, of showing that he was not
+indifferent to all the good things which the occasion afforded, he
+said, indicating a picture on the opposite wall: "That is a fine
+piece of color."</p>
+<p>Williams, having discharged his obligations as a host, was
+willing to exchange the stock-market as a topic for his own
+capacity as a lightning appreciator and purchaser of objects of
+art.</p>
+<p>"Yes," he said, urbanely, "that is a good thing. I saw it in the
+shop-window, asked the price and bought it. I bought two other
+pictures at the same time. 'I'll take that, and that, and that,' I
+said, pointing with my cane. The dealer looked astonished. He was
+used, I suppose, to having people come in and look at a picture
+every day for a fortnight before deciding. When I like a thing I
+know it. The three cost me eighteen hundred dollars, and I paid for
+them within a week by a turn in the market."</p>
+<p>"You were very fortunate," said Littleton, who wished to seem
+sympathetic.</p>
+<p>Meanwhile the two wives had returned to the drawing-room arm in
+arm, and established themselves on one of those small sofas for
+two, constructed so that the sitters are face to face. They had
+taken a strong fancy to each other, especially Flossy to Selma, and
+in the half hour which followed they made rapid progress toward
+intimacy. Before they parted each had agreed to call the other by
+her Christian name, and Selma had confided the story of her
+divorce. Flossy listened with absorbed interest and murmured at the
+close:</p>
+<p>"Who would have thought it? You look so pure and gentle and
+refined that a man must have been a brute to treat you like that.
+But you are happy now, thank goodness. You have a husband worthy of
+you."</p>
+<p>Each had a host of things still unsaid when Littleton and
+Williams joined them.</p>
+<p>"Well, my dear," said Wilbur as they left the house, "that was a
+sort of Arabian Nights entertainment for us, wasn't it? A little
+barbaric, but handsome and well intentioned. I hope it didn't shock
+you too much."</p>
+<p>"It struck me as very pleasant, Wilbur. I think I am beginning
+to understand New York a little better. Every thing costs so much
+here that it seems necessary to make money, doesn't it? I don't see
+exactly how poor people get along. Do you know, Mr. Williams wished
+to bet me a pair of gloves that you buy stocks sometimes."</p>
+<p>"He would have lost his bet."</p>
+<p>"So I told him at once. But he didn't seem to believe me. I was
+sure you never did. He appears to be very successful; but I let him
+see that I knew it was gambling. You consider it gambling, don't
+you?"</p>
+<p>"Not quite so bad as that. Some stock-brokers are gamblers; but
+the occupation of buying and selling stocks for a commission is a
+well recognized and fashionable business."</p>
+<p>"Mr. Williams thinks that a great many Americans make money in
+stocks&mdash;that we are gamblers as a nation."</p>
+<p>"I am, in my heart, of the same opinion."</p>
+<p>"Oh, Wilbur. I find you are not so good a patriot as I
+supposed."</p>
+<p>"I hate bunkum."</p>
+<p>"What is that?"</p>
+<p>"Saying things for effect, and professing virtue which we do not
+possess."</p>
+<p>Selma was silent a moment. "What does champagne cost a
+bottle?"</p>
+<p>"About three dollars and a half."</p>
+<p>"Do you really think their house barbaric?"</p>
+<p>"It certainly suggests to me heterogeneous barbaric splendor.
+They bought their upholstery as they did their pictures, with
+free-handed self-confidence. Occasionally they made a brilliant
+shot, but oftener they never hit the target at all."</p>
+<p>"I think I like brighter colors than you do, Wilbur," mused
+Selma. "I used to consider things like that as wrong; but I suppose
+that was because our fathers wished Europe to understand that we
+disapproved of the luxury of courts and the empty lives of the
+nobility. But if people here with purpose have money, it would seem
+sensible to furnish their houses prettily."</p>
+<p>"Subject always to the crucifying canons of art," laughed
+Littleton. "I'm glad you're coming round to my view, Selma. Only I
+deny the ability of the free-born American, with the overflowing
+purse, to indulge his newly acquired taste for gorgeous effects
+without professional assistance."</p>
+<p>"I suppose so. I can see that their house is crude, though I do
+think that they have some handsome things. It must be interesting
+to walk through shops and say: 'I'll take that,' just because it
+pleases you."</p>
+<p>During her first marriage Selma had found the problem of dollars
+and cents a simple one. The income of Lewis Babcock was always
+larger than the demands made upon it, and though she kept house and
+was familiar with the domestic disbursements, questions of
+expenditure solved themselves readily. She had never been obliged
+to ask herself whether they could afford this or that outlay. Her
+husband had been only too eager to give her anything she desired.
+Consideration of the cost of things had seemed to her beneath her
+notice, and as the concern of the providing man rather than the
+thoughtful American wife and mother. After she had been divorced
+the difficulty in supplying herself readily with money had been a
+dismaying incident of her single life. Dismaying because it had
+seemed to her a limitation unworthy of her aspirations and
+abilities. She had married Littleton because she believed him her
+ideal of what a man should be, but she had been glad that he would
+be able to support her and exempt her from the necessity of asking
+what things cost.</p>
+<p>By the end of their first year and a half of marriage, Selma
+realized that this necessity still stood, almost like a wolf at the
+door, between her and the free development of her desires and
+aspirations. New York prices were appalling; the demands of life in
+New York still more so. They had started house-keeping on a more
+elaborate scale than she had been used to in Benham. As Mrs.
+Babcock she had kept one hired girl; but in her new kitchen there
+were two servants, in deference to the desire of Littleton, who did
+not wish her to perform the manual work of the establishment. Men
+rarely appreciate in advance to the full extent the extra cost of
+married life, and Littleton, though intending to be prudent, found
+his bills larger than he had expected. He was able to pay them
+promptly and without worry, but he was obliged to make evident to
+Selma that the margin over and above their carefully considered
+expenses was very small. The task of watching the butcher's book
+and the provision list, and thinking twice before making any new
+outlay, was something she had not bargained for. All through her
+early life as a girl, the question of money had been kept in the
+background by the simplicity of her surroundings. In her country
+town at home they had kept no servants. A woman relative had done
+the work, and she had been free to pursue her mental interests and
+devote herself to her father. She had thought then that the
+existence of domestic servants was an act of treason against the
+institutions of the country by those who kept them. Yet she had
+accepted, with glee, the hired-girl whom Babcock had provided,
+satisfying her own democratic scruples by dubbing her "help," and
+by occasionally offering her a book to read or catechising her as
+to her moral needs. There is probably no one in the civilized world
+more proud of the possession of a domestic servant than the
+American woman who has never had one, and no one more prompt to
+consign her to the obscurity of the kitchen after a feeble pretence
+at making her feel at home. Selma was delighted to have two instead
+of one, and, after beholding Mrs. Williams's trig maids, was eager
+to see her own arrayed in white caps and black alpaca dresses. Yet,
+though she had become keen to cultivate the New York manner, and
+had succeeded in reconciling her conscience to the possession of
+beautiful things by people with a purpose, it irked her to feel
+that she was hampered in living up to her new-found faith by the
+bugbear of a lean purse. She had expected, as Wilbur's wife, to
+figure quickly and gracefully in the van of New York intellectual
+and social progress. Instead, she was one among thousands, living
+in a new and undeveloped locality, unrecognized by the people of
+whom she read in the newspapers, and without opportunities for
+displaying her own individuality and talents. It depressed her to
+see the long lines of houses, street after street, and to think
+that she was merely a unit, unknown by name, in this great sea of
+humanity&mdash;she, Selma Littleton, free-born American, conscious
+of virtue and power. This must not be; and she divined clearer and
+clearer every day that it need not be if she had more money.</p>
+<p>It began to be annoying to her that Wilbur's professional
+progress was not more rapid. To be sure he had warned her that he
+could not hope to reach the front rank at once; that recognition
+must be gradual; and that he must needs work slowly in order to do
+himself justice. She had accepted this chiefly as a manifestation
+of modesty, not doubting that many orders would be forthcoming,
+especially now that he had the new stimulus of her love and
+inspiration. Instead there had been no marked increase in the
+number of his commissions; moreover he had been unsuccessful in two
+out of three competitions for minor public buildings for which he
+had submitted designs. From both the pecuniary and professional
+point of view these failures had been a disappointment. He was in
+good spirits and obviously happy, and declared that he was doing as
+well as he could reasonably expect; yet on his discouraged days he
+admitted that the cost of retaining his draughtsmen was a drain on
+the profit side of his ledger.</p>
+<p>In contrast with this the prosperity of her neighbors the
+Williamses was a little hard to bear. The sudden friendship
+developed into neighborly intimacy, and she and Flossy saw much of
+each other, dropping in familiarly, and often walking and shopping
+together. The two men were on sufficiently cordial terms, each
+being tolerant of the other's limitations, and seeking to recognize
+his good points for the sake of the bond between their wives. The
+return dinner was duly given, and Selma, hopeless of imitating the
+barbaric splendor, sought refuge in the reflection that the
+&aelig;sthetic and intellectual atmosphere of her table would atone
+for the lack of material magnificence, and limited her efforts to a
+few minor details such as providing candles with colored shades and
+some bonbon dishes. It was plain that Flossy admired her because
+she recognized her to be a fine and superior soul, and the
+appreciation of this served to make it more easy not to repine at
+the difference between their entertainments. Still the constant
+acquisition of pretty things by her frank and engaging friend was
+an ordeal which only a soul endowed with high, stern democratic
+faith and purpose could hope to endure with equanimity. Flossy
+bought new adornments for her house and her person with an amiable
+lavishness which required no confession to demonstrate that her
+husband was making money. She made the confession, though, from
+time to time with a bubbling pride, never suspecting that it could
+harass or tempt her spiritual looking friend. She prattled
+artlessly of theatre parties followed by a supper at one of the
+fashionable restaurants, and of new acquaintances whom she
+entertained, and through whom her social circle was enlarged,
+without divining that the sprightly narration was a thorn in the
+flesh of her hearer. Selma was capricious in her reception of these
+reports of progress. At times she listened to them with grave, cold
+eyes, which Flossy took for signals of noble disdain and sought to
+deprecate by wooing promises to be less worldly. At others she
+asked questions with a feverish, searching curiosity, which
+stimulated Mrs. Williams's free and independent style into running
+commentaries on the current course of social events and the doings
+and idiosyncracies of contemporary leaders of fashion whom she had
+viewed from afar. One afternoon Selma saw from her window Flossy
+and her husband drive jubilantly away in a high cart with yellow
+wheels drawn by a sleek cob, and at the same moment she became
+definitely aware that her draught from the cup of life had a bitter
+taste. Why should these people drive in their own vehicle rather
+than she? It seemed clear to her that Wilbur could not be making
+the best use of his talents, and that she had both a grievance
+against him and a sacred duty to perform in his and her own behalf.
+Justice and self-respect demanded that their mutual light should no
+longer be hid under a bushel.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER V.</h3>
+<p>Pauline Littleton was now established in her new lodgings.
+Having been freed by her brother's marriage from the
+responsibilities of a housewife, she was able to concentrate her
+attention on the work in which she was interested. Her classes
+absorbed a large portion of her time. The remainder was devoted to
+writing to girls in other cities who sought her advice in regard to
+courses of study, and to correspondence, consultation, and
+committee meetings with a group of women in New York and elsewhere,
+who like herself were engrossed in educational matters. She was
+glad to have the additional time thus afforded her for pursuing her
+own tastes, and the days seemed too short for what she wished to
+accomplish. She occupied two pleasant rooms within easy walking
+distance of her brother's house. Her classes took her from home
+four days in the week, and two mornings in every seven were spent
+at her desk with her books and papers, in the agreeable labor of
+planning and correspondence.</p>
+<p>Naturally one of her chief desires was to be on loving terms
+with her brother's wife, and to do everything in her power to add
+to Selma's happiness. She summoned her women friends to meet her
+sister-in-law at afternoon tea. All of these called on the bride,
+and some of them invited her to their houses. They were busy women
+like Pauline herself, intent in their several ways on their
+vocations or avocations. They were disposed to extend the right
+hand of fellowship to Mrs. Littleton, whom they without exception
+regarded as interesting in appearance, but they had no leisure for
+immediate intimacy with her. Having been introduced to her and
+having scheduled her in their minds as a new and desirable
+acquaintance, they went their ways, trusting chiefly to time to
+renew the meeting and to supply the evidence as to the stranger's
+social value. Busy people in a large city are obliged to argue that
+new-comers should win their spurs, and that great minds, valuable
+opinions, and moving social graces are never crushed by inhumanity,
+but are certain sooner or later to gain recognition. Therefore
+after being very cordial and expressing the hope of seeing more of
+her in the future, every one departed and left Selma to her duties
+and her opportunities as Littleton's wife, without having the
+courtesy to indicate that they considered her a superior woman.</p>
+<p>Pauline regarded this behavior on the part of her friends as
+normal, and having done her social duty in the afternoon tea line,
+without a suspicion that Selma was disappointed by the experience,
+she gave herself up to the congenial undertaking of becoming
+intimate with her sister-in-law. She ascribed Selma's reserve, and
+cold, serious manner partly to shyness due to her new surroundings,
+and partly to the spiritual rigor of the puritan conscience and
+point of view. She had often been told that individuals of this
+temperament possessed more depth of character than more emotional
+and socially facile people, and she was prepared to woo. In
+comparison with Wilbur, Pauline was accustomed to regard herself as
+a practical and easy-going soul, but she was essentially a woman of
+fine and vigorous moral and mental purpose. Like many of her
+associates in active life, however, she had become too occupied
+with concrete possibilities to be able to give much thought to her
+own soul anatomy, and she was glad to look up to her brother's wife
+as a spiritual superior and to recognize that the burden lay on
+herself to demonstrate her own worthiness to be admitted to close
+intimacy on equal terms. Wilbur was to her a creature of light, and
+she had no doubt that his wife was of the same ethereal
+composition.</p>
+<p>Pauline was glad, too, of the opportunity really to know a
+countrywoman of a type so different from her own friends. She, like
+Wilbur, had heard all her life of these interesting and inspiring
+beings; intense, marvellously capable, peerless, free-born
+creatures panoplied in chastity and endowed with congenital mental
+power and bodily charms, who were able to cook, educate children,
+control society and write literature in the course of the day's
+employment. The newspapers and popular opinion had given her to
+understand that these were the true Americans, and caused her to
+ask herself whether the circle to which she herself belonged was
+not retrograde from a nobler ideal. In what way she did not
+precisely understand, except that she and her friends did not
+altogether disdain nice social usages and conventional womanly
+ways. But, nevertheless, the impression had remained in her mind
+that she must be at fault somehow, and it interested her that she
+would now be able to understand wherein she was inferior.</p>
+<p>She went to see Selma as often as she could, and encouraged her
+to call at her lodgings on the mornings when she was at home,
+expecting that it might please her sister-in-law to become familiar
+with the budding educational enterprises, and that thus a fresh
+bond of sympathy would be established between them. Selma presented
+herself three or four times in the course of the next three months,
+and on the first occasion expressed gratifying appreciation of the
+cosiness of the new lodgings.</p>
+<p>"I almost envy you," she said, "your freedom to live your own
+life and do just what you like. It must be delightful away up here
+where you can see over the tops of the houses and almost touch the
+sky, and there is no one to disturb the current of your thoughts.
+It must be a glorious place to work and write. I shall ask you to
+let me come up here sometimes when I wish to be alone with my own
+ideas."</p>
+<p>"As often as you like. You shall have a pass key."</p>
+<p>"I should think," said Selma, continuing to gaze, with her far
+away look, over the vista of roofs which the top story of the
+apartment house commanded, "that you would be a great deal happier
+than if you had married him."</p>
+<p>The pause which ensued caused her to look round, and add
+jauntily, "I have heard, you know, about Dr. Page."</p>
+<p>A wave of crimson spread over Pauline's face&mdash;the crimson
+of wounded surprise, which froze Selma's genial intentions to the
+core.</p>
+<p>"I didn't think you'd mind talking about it," she said
+stiffly.</p>
+<p>"There's nothing to talk about. Since you have mentioned it, Dr.
+Page is a dear friend of mine, and will always continue to be, I
+hope."</p>
+<p>"Oh, I knew you were nothing but friends now," Selma answered.
+She felt wounded in her turn. She had come with the wish to be
+gracious and companionable, and it had seemed to her a happy
+thought to congratulate Pauline on the wisdom of her decision. She
+did not like people who were not ready to be communicative and
+discuss their intimate concerns.</p>
+<p>The episode impaired the success of the first morning visit. At
+the next, which occurred a fortnight later, Pauline announced that
+she had a piece of interesting news.</p>
+<p>"Do you know a Mr. Joel Flagg in Benham?"</p>
+<p>"I know who he is," said Selma. "I have met his daughter."</p>
+<p>"It seems he has made a fortune in oil and real estate, and is
+desirous to build a college for women in memory of his mother,
+Sarah Wetmore. One of my friends has just received a letter from a
+Mrs. Hallett Taylor, to whom Mr. Flagg appears to have applied for
+counsel, and who wishes some of us who are interested in
+educational matters to serve as an advisory committee. Probably you
+know Mrs. Taylor too?"</p>
+<p>"Oh yes. I have been at her house, and I served with her on the
+committee which awarded Wilbur the church."</p>
+<p>"Why, then you are the very person to tell us all about her. I
+think I remember now having heard Wilbur mention her name."</p>
+<p>"Wilbur fancied her, I believe."</p>
+<p>"Your tone rather implies that you did not. You must tell me
+everything you know. My friend has corresponded with her before in
+regard to some artistic matters, but she has never met her. Her
+letter suggests a lady."</p>
+<p>"I dare say you would like Mrs. Taylor," said Selma, gravely.
+"She is attractive, I suppose, and seemed to know more or less
+about European art and pictures, but we in Benham didn't consider
+her exactly an American. If you really wish to know my opinion, I
+think that she was too exclusive a person to have fine ideas."</p>
+<p>"That's a pity."</p>
+<p>"If she lived in New York she would like to be one of those
+society ladies who live on Fifth Avenue; only she hasn't really any
+conception of what true elegance is. Her house there, except for
+the ornaments she had bought abroad, was not so well furnished as
+the one I lived in. I wonder what she would think if she could look
+into the drawing-room of my friend Mrs. Williams."</p>
+<p>"I see," said Pauline, though in truth she was puzzled. "I am
+sorry if she is a fine lady, but people like that, when they become
+interested, are often excellent workers. It is a noble gift of Mr.
+Flagg's&mdash;$500,000 as a foundation fund. He's a good American
+at all events. Wilbur must certainly compete for the buildings, and
+his having first met you there ought to be an inspiration to him to
+do fine work."</p>
+<p>Selma had been glad of the opportunity to criticise Mrs. Hallett
+Taylor, whom she had learned, by the light of her superior social
+knowledge, to regard as an unimportant person. Yet she had been
+conscious of a righteous impulse in saying what she thought of her.
+She knew that she had never liked Mrs. Taylor, and she was not
+pleased to hear that Mr. Flagg had selected her from among the
+women of Benham to superintend the administration of his splendid
+gift. Benham had come to seem to her remote and primitive, yet she
+preferred, and was in the mood, to think that it represented the
+principles which were dear to her, and that she had been
+appreciated there far better than in her present sphere. She was
+still tied to Benham by correspondence with Mrs. Earle. Selma had
+written at once to explain her sudden departure, and letters passed
+between them at intervals of a few weeks&mdash;letters on Selma's
+part fluent with dazzled metropolitan condescension, yet containing
+every now and then a stern charge against her new fellow-citizens
+on the score of levity and worldliness.</p>
+<p>The donation for the establishment of Wetmore College was made
+shortly after another institution for the education of women in
+which Pauline was interested&mdash;Everdean College&mdash;had been
+opened to students. The number of applicants for admission to
+Everdean had been larger than the authorities had anticipated, and
+Pauline, who had been one of the promoters and most active workers
+in raising funds for and supervising the construction of this labor
+of love, was jubilant over the outlook, and busy in regard to a
+variety of new matters presented for solution by the suddenly
+evolved needs of the situation. Among these was the acquisition of
+two or three new women instructors; and it occurred to Pauline at
+once that Selma might know of some desirable candidate. Selma
+appeared to manifest but little interest in this inquiry at the
+time, but a few months subsequent to their conversation in regard
+to Mrs. Taylor she presented herself at Pauline's rooms one morning
+with the announcement that she had found some one. Pauline, who was
+busy at her desk, asked permission to finish a letter before
+listening; so there was silence for a few minutes, and Selma, who
+wore a new costume of a more fashionable guise than her last,
+reflected while she waited that the details of such work as
+occupied her sister-in-law must be tedious. Indeed, she had begun
+to entertain of late a sort of contempt for the deliberate, delving
+processes of the Littletons. She was inclined to ask herself if
+Wilbur and Pauline were not both plodders. Her own idea of doing
+things was to do them quickly and brilliantly, arriving at
+conclusions, as became an American, with prompt energy and
+despatch. It seemed to her that Wilbur, in his work, was slow and
+elaborate, disposed to hesitate and refine instead of producing
+boldly and immediately. And his sister, with her studies and
+letter-writing, suggested the same wearisome tendency. Why should
+not Wilbur, in his line, act with the confident enterprise and
+capacity to produce immediate, ostensible results which their
+neighbor, Gregory Williams, displayed? As for Pauline, of course
+she had not Wilbur's talent and could not, perhaps, be expected to
+shine conspicuously, but surely she might make more of herself if
+only she would cease to spend so much time in details and
+cogitation, with nothing tangible to show for her labor. Selma
+remembered her own experience as a small school teacher, and her
+thankfulness at her escape from a petty task unworthy of her
+capabilities, and she smiled scornfully to herself, as she sat
+waiting, at what she regarded Pauline's willingness to spend her
+energies in such inconspicuous, self-effacing work. Indeed, when
+Pauline had finished her letter and announced that she was now
+entirely at leisure, Selma felt impelled to remark:</p>
+<p>"I should think, Pauline, that you would give a course of
+lectures on education. We should be glad to have them at our house,
+and your friends ought to be able to dispose of a great many
+tickets." Such a thing had never occurred to Selma until this
+moment, but it seemed to her, as she heard her own words, a
+brilliant suggestion, both as a step forward for Pauline and a
+social opportunity for herself.</p>
+<p>"On education? My dear Selma, you have no idea of the depths of
+my ignorance. Education is an enormous subject, and I am just
+beginning to realize how little I know concerning it. People have
+talked and written about education enough. What we need and what
+some of us are trying to do is to study statistics and observe
+results. I am very much obliged to you, but I should only make
+myself a laughing-stock."</p>
+<p>"I don't think you would. You have spent a great deal of time in
+learning about education, and you must have interesting things to
+say. You are too modest and&mdash;don't you think it may be that
+you are not quite enterprising enough? A course of lectures would
+call public attention to you, and you would get ahead faster,
+perhaps. I think that you and Wilbur are both inclined to hide your
+light under a bushel. It seems to me that one can be conscientious
+and live up to one's ideals without neglecting one's
+opportunities."</p>
+<p>"The difficulty is," said Pauline, with a laugh, "that I
+shouldn't regard it as an opportunity, and I am sure it wouldn't
+help me to get ahead, as you call it, with the people I desire to
+impress, to give afternoon tea or women-club lectures. I don't know
+enough to lecture effectively. As to enterprise, I am busy from
+morning until night. What more can a woman do? You mustn't hurry
+Wilbur, Selma. All he needs is time to let the world see his
+light."</p>
+<p>"Very likely. Of course, if you don't consider that you know
+enough there is nothing to be said. I thought of it because I used
+to lecture in Benham, at the Benham Institute, and I am sure it
+helped me to get ahead. I used to think a great deal about
+educational matters, and perhaps I will set you the example by
+giving some lectures myself."</p>
+<p>"That would be very interesting. If a person has new ideas and
+has confidence in them, it is natural to wish to let the world hear
+them."</p>
+<p>Pauline spoke amiably, but she was disposed to regard her sister
+with more critical eyes. She felt no annoyance at the patronizing
+tone toward herself, but the reference to Wilbur made her blood
+rebel. Still she could not bear to harbor distrust against that
+grave face with its delicate beauty and spiritualized air, which
+was becomingly accommodated to metropolitan conditions by a more
+festive bonnet than any which she herself owned. Yet she noticed
+that the thin lips had an expression of discontent, and she
+wondered why.</p>
+<p>Recurring to the errand on which she had come, Selma explained
+that she had just received a letter from Benham&mdash;from her
+friend, Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle, an authoress and a promulgator
+of advanced and original ideas in respect to the cause of
+womanhood, asking if she happened to know of an opening for a
+gifted young lady in any branch of intellectual work.</p>
+<p>"I thought at once of Everdean," said Selma, "and have come to
+give you the opportunity of securing her."</p>
+<p>Pauline expressed her thanks cordially, and inquired if Mrs.
+Earle had referred to the candidate's experience or special fitness
+for the duties of the position.</p>
+<p>"She writes that she is very clever and gifted. I did not bring
+the letter with me, but I think Mrs. Earle's language was that Miss
+Bailey will perform brilliantly any duties which may be intrusted
+to her."</p>
+<p>"That is rather general," said Pauline. "I am sorry that she
+didn't specify what Miss Bailey's education has been, and whether
+she has taught elsewhere."</p>
+<p>"Mrs. Earle wouldn't have recommended her if she hadn't felt
+sure that she was well educated. I remember seeing her at the
+Benham Institute on one of the last occasions when I was present.
+She delivered a whistling solo which every one thought clever and
+melodious."</p>
+<p>"I dare say she is just the person we are looking for," said
+Pauline, leniently. "It happens that Mrs. Grainger&mdash;my friend
+to whom Mrs. Taylor wrote concerning Mr. Flagg's gift&mdash;is to
+make Mrs. Taylor a visit at Benham next week, in order to consider
+the steps to be taken in regard to Wetmore College. She and Miss
+Bailey can arrange to meet, and that will save Miss Bailey the
+expense of a journey to New York, at the possible risk of
+disappointment."</p>
+<p>"I thought," said Selma, "that you would consider yourselves
+fortunate to secure her services."</p>
+<p>"I dare say we shall be very fortunate, Selma. But we cannot
+engage her without seeing her and testing her qualifications."</p>
+<p>Selma made no further demur at the delay, but she was obviously
+surprised and piqued that her offer should be treated in this
+elaborate fashion. She was obliged to acknowledge to herself that
+she could not reasonably expect Pauline to make a definite decision
+without further inquiry, but she had expected to be able to report
+to Mrs. Earle that the matter was as good as settled&mdash;that, if
+Miss Bailey would give a few particulars as to her accomplishments,
+the position would be hers. Surely she and Mrs. Earle were
+qualified to choose a school-teacher. Here was another instance of
+the Littleton tendency to waste time on unimportant details. She
+reasoned that a woman with more wide-awake perceptions would have
+recognized the opportunity as unusual, and would have snapped up
+Miss Bailey on the spot.</p>
+<p>The sequel was more serious. Neither Selma nor Pauline spoke of
+the matter for a month. Then it was broached by Pauline, who wrote
+a few lines to the effect that she was sorry to report that the
+authorities of Everdean, after investigation, had concluded not to
+engage the services of Miss Bailey as instructor. When Selma read
+the note her cheeks burned with resentment. She regarded the
+decision as an affront. Pauline dined with them on the evening of
+that day, and at table Selma was cold and formal. When the two
+women were alone, Selma said at once, with an attempt at
+calmness:</p>
+<p>"What fault do you find with my candidate?"</p>
+<p>"I think it possible that she might have been satisfactory from
+the mere point of scholarship," judicially answered Pauline, who
+did not realize in the least that her sister-in-law was offended,
+"though Mrs. Grainger stopped short of close inquiry on that score,
+for the reason that Miss Bailey failed to satisfy our requirements
+in another respect. I don't wish to imply by what I am going to say
+anything against her character, or her capacity for usefulness as a
+teacher under certain conditions, but I confide to you frankly,
+Selma, that we make it an absolute condition in the choice of
+instructors for our students that they should be first of all
+lady-like in thought and speech, and here it was that she fell
+short. Of course I have never seen Miss Bailey, but Mrs. Grainger
+reported that she was&mdash;er&mdash;impossible."</p>
+<p>"You mean that your friend does not consider her a lady? She
+isn't a society lady, but I did not suppose an American girl would
+be refused a position as a teacher for such a reason as that."</p>
+<p>"A lady is a lady, whether she is what you term a society lady
+or not. Mrs. Grainger told us that Miss Bailey's appearance and
+manners did not suggest the womanly refinement which we deem
+indispensable in those who are to teach our college students. Five
+years ago only scholarship and cleverness were demanded, but
+experience has taught the educators of women that this was a
+mistake."</p>
+<p>"I presume," said Selma, with dramatic scorn, "that Mrs. Hallett
+Taylor disapproved of her. I thought there would be some such
+outcome when I heard that she was to be consulted."</p>
+<p>"Mrs. Taylor's name was not mentioned," answered Pauline, in
+astonishment. "I had no idea, Selma, that you regarded this as a
+personal matter. You told me that you had seen Miss Bailey but
+once."</p>
+<p>"I am interested in her because&mdash;because I do not like to
+see a cruel wrong done. You do not understand her. You allow a
+prejudice, a class-prejudice, to interfere with her career and the
+opportunity to display her abilities. You should have trusted Mrs.
+Earle, Pauline, She is my friend, and she recommended Miss Bailey
+because she believed in her. It is a reflection on me and my
+friends to intimate that she is not a lady."</p>
+<p>She bent forward from the sofa with her hands clasped and her
+lips tightly compressed. For a moment she gazed angrily at the
+bewildered Pauline, then, as though she had suddenly bethought her
+of her New York manner, she drew herself up and said with a forced
+laugh&mdash;"If the reason you give were not so ridiculous, I
+should be seriously offended."</p>
+<p>"Offended! Offended with Pauline," exclaimed Littleton, who
+entered the room at the moment. "It cannot be that my two guardian
+angels have had a falling out." He looked from one to the other
+brightly as if it were really a joke.</p>
+<p>"It is nothing," said Selma.</p>
+<p>"It seems," said Pauline with fervor, "that I have
+unintentionally hurt Selma's feelings. It is the last thing in the
+world I wish to do, and I trust that when she thinks the matter
+over she will realize that I am innocent. I am very, very
+sorry."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VI.</h3>
+<p>"Why don't you follow the advice of Mr. Williams and buy some
+shares of stock?" asked Selma lightly, yet coaxingly, of her
+husband one day in the third year of their marriage. The Williamses
+were dining with them at the time, and a statement by Gregory, not
+altogether without motive, as to the profits made by several people
+who had taken his advice, called forth the question. He and his
+wife were amiably inclined toward the Littletons, and were proud of
+the acquaintance. Among their other friends they boasted of the
+delightful excursions into the literary circle which the intimacy
+afforded them. They both would have been pleased to see their
+neighbors more amply provided with money, and Gregory, partly at
+the instance of Flossy, partly from sheer good-humor in order to
+give a deserving but impractical fellow a chance to better himself,
+threw out tips from time to time&mdash;crumbs from the rich man's
+table, but bestowed in a friendly spirit. Whenever they were let
+fall, Selma would look at Wilbur hoping for a sign of interest, but
+hitherto they had evoked merely a smile of refusal or had been
+utterly ignored.</p>
+<p>Her own question had been put on several occasions, both in the
+company of the tempter and in the privacy of the domestic hearth,
+and both in the gayly suggestive and the pensively argumentative
+key. Why might they not, by means of a clever purchase in the stock
+market, occasionally procure some of the agreeable extra pleasures
+of life&mdash;provide the ready money for theatres, a larger
+wardrobe, trips from home, or a modest equipage? Why not take
+advantage of the friendly advice given? Mr. Williams had made clear
+that the purchase of stocks on a sufficient margin was no more
+reprehensible as a moral proposition than the purchase of cargoes
+of sugar, cotton, coffee or tea against which merchants borrowed
+money at the bank. In neither instance did the purchaser own
+outright what he sought to sell at an advance; merely in one case
+it was shares, in the other merchandise. Of course it was foolish
+for inexperienced country folk with small means to dabble in stocks
+and bonds, but why should not city people who were clever and had
+clever friends in the business eke out the cost of living by shrewd
+investments? In an old-fashioned sense it might be considered
+gambling; but, if it were true, as Wilbur and Mr. Williams both
+maintained, that the American people were addicted to speculation,
+was not the existence of the habit strong evidence that the
+prejudice against it must be ill-founded? The logical and the
+patriotic conclusion must needs be that business methods had
+changed, and that the American nation had been clever enough to
+substitute dealings in shares of stock, and in contracts relating
+to cereals and merchandise for the methods of their grandfathers
+who delivered the properties in bulk.</p>
+<p>To this condensation of Gregory's glib sophistries on the lips
+of his wife, Wilbur had seemed to turn a deaf ear. It did not occur
+to him, at first, that Selma was seriously in earnest. He regarded
+her suggestions of neglected opportunities, which were often
+whimsically uttered, as more than half playful&mdash;a sort of
+make-believe envy of the meteoric progress in magnificence of their
+friendly neighbors. He was even glad that she should show herself
+appreciative of the merits of civilized comfort, for he had been
+afraid lest her ascetic scruples would lead her judgments too far
+in the opposite direction. He welcomed them and encouraged her
+small schemes to make the establishment more festive and stylish in
+appearance, in modest imitation of the splendor next door. But
+constant and more sombre reference to the growing fortunes of the
+Williamses presently attracted his attention and made him more
+observant. His income sufficed to pay the ordinary expenses of
+quiet domestic life, and to leave a small margin for carefully,
+considered amusements, but he reflected that if Selma were yearning
+for greater luxury, he could not afford at present to increase
+materially her allowance. It grieved him as a proud man to think
+that the woman he loved should lack any thing she desired, and
+without a thought of distrust he applied himself more strenuously
+to his work, hoping that the sum of his commissions would enable
+him presently to gratify some of her hankerings&mdash;such, for
+instance, as the possession of a horse and vehicle. Selma had
+several times alluded with a sigh to the satisfaction there must be
+in driving in the new park. Babcock had kept a horse, and the
+Williamses now drove past the windows daily in a phaeton drawn by
+two iron gray, champing steeds. He said to himself that he could
+scarcely blame Selma if she coveted now and then Flossy's fine
+possessions, and the thought that she was not altogether happy in
+consequence of his failure to earn more kept recurring to his mind
+and worried him. No children had been born to them, and he pictured
+with growing concern his wife lonely at home on this account, yet
+without extra income to make purchases which might enable her to
+forget at times that there was no baby in the house. Flossy had two
+children, a boy and a girl, two gorgeously bedizened little beings
+who were trundled along the sidewalk in a black, highly varnished
+baby-wagon which was reputed by the dealer who sold it to Gregory
+to have belonged to an English nobleman. Wilbur more than once
+detected Selma looking at the babies with a wistful glance. She was
+really admiring their clothes, yet the thought of how prettily she
+would have been able to dress a baby of her own was at times so
+pathetic as to bring tears to her eyes, and cause her to deplore
+her own lack of children as a misfortune.</p>
+<p>As the weeks slipped away and Wilbur realized that, though he
+was gaining ground in his profession, more liberal expenditures
+were still out of the question, he reached a frame of mind which
+made him yearn for a means of relief. So it happened that, when
+Selma asked him once more why he did not follow the advice
+proffered and buy some stocks, he replied by smiling at Gregory and
+inquiring what he should buy. During the dinner, which had been
+pleasant, Wilbur's eye had been attracted by the brilliancy of some
+new jewels which Mrs. Williams wore, and he had been conscious of
+the wish that he were able to make a present like that to his own
+wife.</p>
+<p>"You take my breath away. Wonders will never cease," responded
+Gregory, while both the women clapped their hands. "But you musn't
+buy anything; you must sell," he continued. "VanHorne and I both
+came to the conclusion to-day that it is time for a turn on the
+short side of the market. When the public are crazy and will buy
+any thing, then is the time to let them have all they wish."</p>
+<p>"What, then, am I to sell?" asked Wilbur "I am a complete lamb,
+you know." He was already sorry that he had consented, but Selma's
+manifest interest restrained him from turning the matter into a
+joke.</p>
+<p>"Leave it all to me," said Williams with a magnificent
+gesture.</p>
+<p>"But you will need some money from me."</p>
+<p>"Not at all. If you would feel better, you may send me a check
+or a bond for a thousand dollars. But it isn't necessary in your
+case."</p>
+<p>"I will bring you in a bond to-morrow&mdash;one of the very few
+I own."</p>
+<p>Wilbur having delivered his security the first thing in the
+morning, heard nothing further from Williams for a fortnight. One
+day he received a formal account of certain transactions executed
+by Williams and VanHorne for Wilbur Littleton, Esq., and a check
+for two thousand dollars. The flush which rose to his cheeks was
+induced partly by pleasure, partly by shame. His inclination, as he
+reflected, was to return the check, but he recognized presently
+that this was a foolish idea, and that the only thing to be done
+was to deposit it. He wrote a grateful note of acknowledgment to
+Williams, and then gave himself up to the agreeable occupation of
+thinking what he should buy for Selma with the money. He decided
+not to tell her of his good fortune, but to treat her to a
+surprise. His first fancy was in favor of jewelry&mdash;some
+necklace or lustrous ornament for the hair, which would charm the
+feminine eye and might make Selma even more beautiful than she
+already appeared in evening dress. His choice settled on a horse
+and buggy as more genuinely useful. To be sure there was the feed
+of the animal to be considered; but he would be able to reserve
+sufficient money to cover this cost for some months, and by the end
+of that time he would perhaps be able to afford the outlay from his
+income. Horse-flesh and vehicles were not in his line, but he
+succeeded by investigation in procuring a modest equipment for
+seven hundred dollars, which left him three hundred for fodder, and
+the other thousand. This he had decided to hand over to Selma as
+pin money. It was for her sake that he had consented to speculate,
+and it seemed meet that she should have the satisfaction of
+spending it.</p>
+<p>He carried out his surprise by appearing one afternoon before
+the door and inviting her to drive. Selma became radiant at the
+news that the horse and buggy were hers, though, when the
+particulars of the purchase were disclosed she said to herself that
+she wished Wilbur had allowed her to choose the vehicle. She would
+have preferred one more stylish and less domestic looking. She
+flung her arms about his neck and gave him a kiss on their return
+to show her satisfaction.</p>
+<p>"You see how easy it is, Wilbur," she said as she surveyed the
+check which he had handed her.</p>
+<p>"It was not I, it was Williams."</p>
+<p>"No, but you could, if you would only think so. I have the
+greatest confidence in you, dear," she added, looking eagerly into
+his face; "but don't you sometimes go out of your way to avoid what
+is enterprising and&mdash;er&mdash;modern, just because it is
+modern?"</p>
+<p>"Gambling is as old as the hills, Selma."</p>
+<p>"Yes. And if this were gambling&mdash;the sort of gambling you
+mean, do you think I would allow you to do it? Do you think the
+American people would tolerate it for a minute?" she asked
+triumphantly.</p>
+<p>"It seems to me that your admiration for the American people
+sometimes makes you a little weak in your logic," he answered with
+good-humor. He was so pleased by Selma's gratification that he was
+disposed to exorcise his scruples.</p>
+<p>"I have always told you that I was more of a patriot than you,
+Wilbur."</p>
+<p>The bond had not been returned by Williams at the time he sent
+the money, and some fortnight later&mdash;only a few days in fact
+after this drive, Littleton received another cheque for $500 and a
+request that he call at the office.</p>
+<p>"I thought you would like to see the instruments of torture at
+work&mdash;the process of lamb-shearing in active operation,"
+Williams explained as he shook hands and waved him into his private
+room. After a few easy remarks on the methods of doing business the
+broker continued, "I flatter myself that for so small an investment
+and so short a time, I have done tolerably well for you."</p>
+<p>"I scarcely know how to express my thanks and my admiration for
+your skill. Indeed I feel rather awkwardly about&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"That's all right, my dear fellow. It's my business; I get my
+commission. Still I admit friendly regard&mdash;and this is why I
+suggested your dropping in&mdash;by introducing the personal
+equation, makes one nervous. If instead of closing out your
+account, I had in each instance held on, you would have made more
+money. I was glad to take this responsibility at first because you
+were a neophyte at the business, but I think it will be more
+satisfactory both for you and for me that in future transactions
+you should give me the word when to reap the profit. Of course you
+shall have all the information which I possess and my advice will
+be at your command, but where a man's money is concerned his own
+head is apt to be the wisest counsellor. Now I took the liberty
+yesterday of selling for you two hundred shares of Reading
+railroad. You can cover to-day at a profit of one point&mdash;about
+$200. I do not urge it. On the contrary I believe that the market,
+barring occasional rallies, is still on the downward track. I wish,
+however, to put you in a position where you can, if you desire,
+take advantage of the full opportunities of the financial situation
+and save myself from feeling that I have robbed you by my friendly
+caution."</p>
+<p>"In other words you don't wish to speculate with my money," said
+Littleton. "You wish me to paddle my own canoe."</p>
+<p>Williams' real desire was to escape the bother of personally
+superintending an insignificant account. His circumlocution was a
+suave way of stating that he had done all that could be expected of
+a neighbor and benevolent friend, and that the ordinary relation of
+broker and customer ought now be established. As for Littleton, he
+perceived that he was not free to retire from the market on the
+profits of friendly regard unless he was prepared to fly in the
+face of advice and buy in his two hundred Reading railroad. To do
+so would be pusillanimous; moreover to retire and abstain from
+further dealings would make Williams' two cheques more obviously a
+charitable donation, and the thought of them was becoming galling.
+Above all there were Selma's feelings to be considered. The
+possession of the means to afford her happiness was already a sweet
+argument in favor of further experiments.</p>
+<p>And so it happened that during the next nine months Littleton
+became a frequenter of the office of Williams &amp; VanHorne. He
+was not among those who hung over the tape and were to be seen
+there daily; but he found himself attracted as the needle by the
+magnet to look in once or twice a week to ascertain the state of
+the market. His ventures continued to be small, and were conducted
+under the ken of Williams, and though the occasional rallies
+referred to by the broker harassed Wilbur's spirit when they
+occurred, the policy of selling short proved reasonably
+remunerative in the course of half a dozen separate speculations.
+In round figures he added another $2,500 to that which Williams had
+made for him. The process kept him on pins and needles, and led him
+to scan the list of stock quotations before reading anything else
+in the newspaper. Selma was delighted at his success, and though he
+chose not to tell her the details of his dealings, she watched him
+furtively, followed the general tendency of the market, and when
+she perceived that he was in good spirits, satisfied sufficiently
+her curiosity by questions.</p>
+<p>On the strength of this addition to their pecuniary resources,
+Selma branched out into sundry mild extravagances. She augmented
+her wardrobe, engaged an additional house-maid and a more expensive
+cook, and entertained with greater freedom and elaboration. She was
+fond of going to the theatre and supping afterward at some
+fashionable restaurant where she could show her new plumage and be
+a part of the gay, chattering rout at the tables consuming
+soft-shelled crabs and champagne. She was gradually increasing her
+acquaintance, chiefly among the friends of the Williamses, people
+who were fond of display and luxury and who seemed to have plenty
+of money. In this connection she was glad to avail herself of the
+reputation of belonging to the literary circle, and she conceived
+the plan of mingling these new associates with Wilbur's former
+set&mdash;to her thinking a delightful scheme, which she
+inaugurated by means of a dinner party. She included among the
+guests Pauline and Dr. Page, and considered that she had acted
+gracefully in putting them side by side at table, thus sacrificing
+the theory of her entertainment to her feminine interest in
+romance. In her opinion it was more than Pauline deserved, and she
+was proud of her generosity. There were fourteen in the company,
+and after dinner they were regaled by a young woman who had brought
+a letter of introduction to Selma from Mrs. Earle, who read from
+her own poems. The dinner was given for her, and her seat was
+between Wilbur and Mr. Dennison, the magazine editor. Selma had
+attended a dinner-party at the Williamses a fortnight earlier where
+there had been music in the drawing-room by a ballad-singer at a
+cost of $100 (so Flossy had told her in confidence). A poetess
+reading from her own works, a guest and not invited in after dinner
+on a business footing, appealed to Selma as more American, and less
+expensive. She, in her secret soul, would have liked to recite
+herself, but she feared to run the gauntlet of the New York manner.
+The verses were intense in character and were delivered by the
+young woman with a hollow-eyed fervor which, as one of the
+non-literary wing of the company stated, made one creep and weep
+alternately. There was no doubt that the entertainment was novel
+and acceptable to the commercial element, and to Selma it seemed a
+delightful reminder of the Benham Institute. She was curious to
+know what Mr. Dennison thought, though she said to herself that she
+did not really care. She felt that anything free and earnest in the
+literary line was likely to be frowned on by the coterie to which
+her husband's people belonged. Nevertheless she seized an
+opportunity to ask the editor if he did not think the verses
+remarkable.</p>
+<p>"They are certainly remarkable," answered Mr. Dennison. After a
+brief pause he added, "Being a strictly truthful person, Mrs.
+Littleton, I do not wish to seek shelter behind the rampart which
+your word 'remarkable' affords. A dinner may be
+remarkable&mdash;remarkably good, like the one I have just eaten,
+or remarkably bad. Some editors would have replied to you as I have
+done, and yet been capable of a mental reservation unflattering to
+the ambitious young woman to whom we have been listening. But
+without wishing to express an opinion, let me remind you that
+poetry, like point-lace, needs close scrutiny before its merits can
+be defined. I thought I recognized some ancient and well-worn
+flowers of speech, but my editorial ear and eye may have been
+deceived. She has beautiful hair at all events."</p>
+<p>"'Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">And beauty draws us by a single
+hair.'</span></p>
+<p>"You cynical personage! I only hope she may prove a genius and
+that you will realize when too late that you might have discovered
+her," said Selma, looking into his face brightly with a knowing
+smile and tapping her fan against her hand. She was in a gay humor
+at the success of the entertainment, despite the non-committal
+attitude of this censor, and pleased at the appositeness of her
+quotation. Her figure had filled out since her marriage. She was
+almost plump and she wore a single short fat curl pendent behind
+her ear.</p>
+<p>A few months subsequent to this dinner party Flossy announced
+one day that Mr. Silas S. Parsons, whom Selma had seen with the
+Williamses at the theatre nearly three years before, had come to
+live in New York with his wife and daughter. Flossy referred to him
+eagerly as one of her husband's most valuable customers, a shrewd,
+sensible, Western business man, who had made money in patent
+machinery and was superbly rich. He had gone temporarily to a
+hotel, but he was intending to build a large house on Fifth Avenue
+near the park. Selma heard this announcement with keen interest,
+asking herself at once why Wilbur should not be the architect. Why
+not, indeed? She promptly reasoned that here was her chance to aid
+her husband; that he, if left to his own devices, would do nothing
+to attract the magnate's attention, and that it behooved her, as an
+American wife and a wide-awake, modern woman, to let Mr. Parsons
+know his qualifications, and to prepossess him in Wilbur's favor by
+her own attractions. The idea appealed to her exceedingly. She had
+been hoping that some opportunity to take an active part in the
+furtherance of Wilbur's career would present itself, for she felt
+instinctively that with her co-operation he would make more rapid
+progress. Here was exactly the occasion longed for. She saw in her
+mind's eye Mr. Parsons's completed mansion, stately and beautiful,
+the admired precursor of a host of important edifices&mdash;a
+revolutionizing monument in contemporary architecture. Wilbur would
+become the fashion, and his professional success be assured, thanks
+to the prompt ability of his wife to take advantage of
+circumstances. So she would prove herself a veritable helpmate, and
+the bond of marital sympathy would be strengthened and
+refreshed.</p>
+<p>To begin with, Selma hinted to Mrs. Williams that Mr. Parsons
+might do worse than employ Wilbur to design his house. Flossy
+accepted the suggestion with enthusiasm and promised her support,
+adding that Mr. Parsons was a person of sudden and strong fancies,
+and that if he were to take a fancy to Wilbur, the desired result
+would be apt to follow. Selma quickly decided that Mr. Parsons must
+be made to like her, for she feared lest Wilbur's quiet,
+undemonstrative manner would fail to attract him. Evidently he
+admired the self-confidence and manly assertion of Gregory
+Williams, and would be liable to regard Wilbur as lacking in force
+and enterprise. The reflection that she would thus be
+working&mdash;as necessarily she would&mdash;for the eternal
+progress of truth, added a pleasant savor to the undertaking, for
+it was clear that her husband was an ideal architect for the
+purpose, and she would be doing a true service to Mr. Parsons in
+convincing him that this was so. Altogether her soul was in an
+agreeable flutter, notwithstanding that her neighbor Flossy had
+recently received invitations to two or three large balls, and been
+referred to in the society columns of the newspapers as the
+fascinating and clever wife of the rising banker Gregory
+Williams.</p>
+<p>The Littletons were promptly given by Flossy the opportunity to
+make the acquaintance of the Parsons family. Mr. Parsons was a
+ponderous man of over sixty, with a solid, rotund, grave face and a
+chin whisker. He was absorbed in financial interests, though he had
+retired from active business, and had come to New York to live
+chiefly to please his wife and daughter. Mrs. Parsons, who was
+somewhat her husband's junior, was a devotee, or more correctly, a
+debauchee, of hotel life. Since the time when they had become
+exceedingly rich, about ten years before, they had made a grand
+tour of the hotels of this country and Europe. By so doing Mrs.
+Parsons and her daughter felt that they became a part of the social
+life of the cities which they visited. Although they had been used
+to plain, if not slovenly, house-keeping before the money came,
+both the wife and daughter had evolved into connoisseurs of modish
+and luxurious hotel apparatus and garniture. They had learned to
+revel in many courses, radiantly upholstered parlors, and a close
+acquaintance with the hotel register. Society for them, wherever
+they went, meant finding out the names of the other guests and
+dressing for them, being on easy terms with the head waiter and
+elevator boy, visiting the theatres, and keeping up a round of
+shopping in pursuit of articles of apparel. They wore rich garments
+and considerable jewelry, and plastered themselves&mdash;especially
+the daughter&mdash;with bunches of violets or roses self-bestowed.
+Mrs. Parsons was partial to perfume, and they both were addicted to
+the free consumption of assorted bonbons. To be sure they had made
+some acquaintances in the course of their peregrinations, but one
+reason for moving to New York was that Mrs. Parsons had come to the
+melancholy conclusion that neither the princes of Europe nor the
+sons of American leading citizens were paying that attention to her
+daughter which the young lady's charms seemed to her to merit. If
+living lavishly in hotels and seeing everybody right and left were
+not the high-road to elegant existence and hence to a brilliant
+match for Lucretia, Mrs. Parsons was ready to try the effect of a
+house on Fifth Avenue, though she preferred the comforts of her
+present mode of life. Still one advantage of a stable home would be
+that Mr. Parsons could be constantly with them, instead of an
+occasional and intermittent visitor communicated with more
+frequently by electricity than by word of mouth. While Mr. Parsons
+was selecting the land, she and Lucretia had abandoned themselves
+to an orgy of shopping, and with an eye to the new house, their
+rooms at the hotel were already littered with gorgeous fabrics,
+patterns of wall-paper and pieces of pottery.</p>
+<p>Selma's facility in the New York manner was practised on Silas
+Parsons with flattering success. He was captivated by
+her&mdash;more so than by Flossy, who amused him as a
+flibbertigibbet, but who seemed to him to lack the serious cast of
+character which he felt that he discerned beneath the sprightliness
+of this new charmer. Mr. Parsons was what he called a "stickler"
+for the dignity of a serious demeanor. He liked to laugh at the
+theatre, but mistrusted a daily point of view which savored of
+buffoonery. He was fond of saying that more than one public man in
+the United States had come to grief politically from being a joker,
+and that the American people could not endure flippancy in their
+representatives. He liked to tell and listen to humorous stories in
+the security of a smoking-room, but in his opinion it behooved a
+citizen to maintain a dignified bearing before the world. Like
+other self-made men who had come to New York&mdash;like Selma
+herself&mdash;he had shrunk from and deplored at first the lighter
+tone of casual speech. Still he had grown used to it, and had even
+come to depend on it as an amusement. But he felt that in the case
+of Selma there was a basis of ethical earnestness, appropriate to
+woman, beneath her chatty flow of small talk. That she was
+comparatively a new-comer accounted partially for this impression,
+but it was mainly due to the fact that she still reverted after her
+sallies of pleasantry to a grave method of deportment.</p>
+<p>Selma's chief hospitality toward the Parsonses took the form of
+a theatre party, which included a supper at Delmonico's after the
+play. It was an expensive kind of entertainment, which she felt
+obliged to justify to Wilbur by the assertion that the Williamses
+had been so civil she considered it would be only decent to show
+attention to their friends. She was unwilling to disclose her
+secret, lest the knowledge of it might make Wilbur offish and so
+embarrass her efforts. There were eight in the party, and the
+affair seemed to Selma to go off admirably. She was enthralled by
+the idea of using her own personal magnetism to promote her
+husband's business. She felt that it was just the sort of thing she
+would like and was fitted for, and that here was an opportunity for
+her individuality to display itself. She devoted herself with
+engaging assiduity to Mr. Parsons, pleased during the active
+process of propitiation by the sub-consciousness that her table was
+one of the centres of interest in the large restaurant. She had
+dressed herself with formal care, and nothing in the way of
+compliment could have gratified her more than the remark which Mr.
+Parsons made, as he regarded her appreciatively, when he had
+finished his supper, that she suggested his idea of Columbia. Selma
+glowed with satisfaction. The comparison struck her as apt and
+appropriate, and she replied with a proud erection of her head,
+which imparted to her features their transcendental look, and
+caused her short curl to joggle tremulously, "I suppose I see what
+you mean, Mr. Parsons."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VII.</h3>
+<p>One evening, four or five days after this supper party, Wilbur
+laid down the book which he was pretending to read, and said,
+"Selma, I have come to the conclusion that I must give up dabbling
+in stocks. I am being injured by it&mdash;not financially, for, as
+you know, I have made a few thousand dollars&mdash;but
+morally."</p>
+<p>"I thought you were convinced that it was not immoral," answered
+Selma, in a constrained voice.</p>
+<p>"I do not refer to whether speculation is justifiable in itself,
+but to its effect on me as an individual&mdash;its distraction to
+my mind and consequent interference with my professional work."</p>
+<p>"Oh."</p>
+<p>"For a year now, the greater portion of the time, I have had
+some interest in the market, and as a consequence, have felt
+impelled to look in on Williams and VanHorne every
+day&mdash;sometimes oftener. I am unable to dismiss my speculations
+from my thoughts. I find myself wondering what has happened to the
+stocks I am carrying, and I am satisfied that the practice is
+thoroughly demoralizing to my self-respect and to my progress. I am
+going to give it up."</p>
+<p>"I suppose you must give it up if it affects you like that,"
+responded Selma drily. "I don't see exactly why it should."</p>
+<p>"It may seem foolish to you, but I am unable to put my ventures
+out of my mind. The consequences of loss would be so serious to me
+that I suppose my imagination becomes unduly active and
+apprehensive. Also, I find myself eager to secure large gains. I
+must renounce Aladdin's lamp from this day forth, my dear, and
+trust to my legitimate business for my income."</p>
+<p>Selma folded her hands and looked grave. "It's disappointing
+that you feel so just when we are beginning to get on, Wilbur."</p>
+<p>"I have realized, Selma, that you have enjoyed
+and&mdash;er&mdash;been made happier by the freedom to spend which
+this extra money has afforded you. But I know, when you reflect,
+you will understand that I am right, and that it would be
+disastrous to both of us if I were to continue to do what I believe
+demoralizing. It is a mortification to me to ask you to retrench,
+but I said to myself that Selma would be the first to insist on our
+doing so if she knew my feelings, and it makes me happy to be sure
+of your approval."</p>
+<p>Littleton spoke with a tender plaintiveness which betrayed that
+in his secret soul he was less confident on this score than his
+words declared, or than he himself supposed. "Of course," he added,
+earnestly, "I shall hope that it will not make much difference. My
+business is slowly, but steadily, improving, and I am doing more
+this year than last. I am bending all my energies on my plans for
+Wetmore College. If I win in that competition, I shall make a
+reputation and a respectable commission."</p>
+<p>"You have been on those plans three months."</p>
+<p>"Yes, and shall not finish them for another two. I wish to do my
+best work, and I shall be glad not to hear quotations of the ticker
+in my brain. You desire me to be thorough, surely, Selma
+<i>mia</i>?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes. Only, you know people very often spoil things by
+pottering over them."</p>
+<p>"I never potter. I reject because I am dissatisfied rather than
+offer a design which does not please me, but I do not waste my
+time."</p>
+<p>"Call it over-conscientiousness then. I wish you to do your best
+work, of course, but one can't expect to do best work invariably.
+Everything was going so nicely that you must perceive it will be
+inconvenient to have to economize as we did before."</p>
+<p>Littleton looked at his wife with a glance of loving distress.
+"You wouldn't really care a button. I know you wouldn't, Selma," he
+said, stoutly.</p>
+<p>"Of course not, if it were necessary," she answered. "Only I
+don't wish to do so unless it is necessary. I am not controverting
+your decision about the stocks, though I think your imagination, as
+you say, is to blame. I would rather cut my right hand off than
+persuade you to act contrary to your conscience. But it <i>is</i>
+inconvenient, Wilbur, you must admit, to give up the things we have
+become accustomed to."</p>
+<p>"We shall be able to keep the horse. I am certain of that."</p>
+<p>"I wish you to see my side of it. Say that you do," she said,
+with shrill intensity.</p>
+<p>"It is because I do see it that I am troubled, Selma. For myself
+I am no happier now than I was when we lived more simply. I can't
+believe that you will really find it a hardship to deny yourself
+such extravagances as our theatre party last week. Being a man," he
+added, after a pause, "I suppose I may not appreciate how important
+and seductive some of these social observances appear to a woman,
+and heaven knows my chief wish in life is to do everything in my
+power to make you happy. You must be aware of that, dearest. I
+delight to work hard for your sake. But it seems almost ludicrous
+to be talking of social interests to you, of all women. Why, at the
+time we were married, I feared that you would cut yourself off from
+reasonable pleasures on account of your dislike of everything
+frivolous. I remember I encouraged you not to take too ascetic a
+view of such things. So I am bound to believe that your side is my
+side&mdash;that we both will find true happiness in not attempting
+to compete with people whose tastes are not our tastes, and whose
+aims are not our aims."</p>
+<p>"Then you think I have deteriorated," she said, with a superior
+smile.</p>
+<p>"I think of you as the most conscientious woman I ever met. It
+was only natural that you should be spurred by our neighbors, the
+Williamses, to make a better showing socially before the world. I
+have been glad to see you emulous up to a certain point. You must
+realize though, that we cannot keep pace with them, even if we so
+desire. Already they are in the public eye. He appears to have made
+considerable money, and his views on the stock-market are given
+prominence by the press. He and his wife are beginning to be
+recognized by people who were ignorant of their existence four
+years ago. You told me last week that Mrs. Williams had attended
+one of the fashionable balls, and I saw in yesterday's newspaper a
+description of her toilette at another. It begins to look as if, in
+a few years more, their ambition might be realized, and the doors
+of the Morton Price mansion open wide to admit this clever country
+cousin to the earthly paradise. It must be evident to you, Selma,
+that very shortly we shall see only the dust of their
+chariot-wheels in the dim social distance. Williams told me to-day
+that he has bought a house near the park."</p>
+<p>"He has bought a new house? They are going to move?" exclaimed
+Selma, sitting up straight, and with a fierce light in her
+eyes.</p>
+<p>"Yes. He was going home to tell his wife. It seems that they
+have been talking vaguely of moving for some time. An acquaintance
+happened to offer him a house, and Williams closed the bargain on
+the spot in his customary chain-lightning style. I shall be sorry
+to have them go on some accounts, for they have always been
+friendly, and you seem fond of the wife, but we shall find it
+easier, perhaps, when they are gone, to live according to our own
+ideas."</p>
+<p>"Flossy has not been quite so nice lately," said Selma; "I am
+afraid she is disposed to put on airs."</p>
+<p>"Her head may have been turned by her success. She has a kind
+heart, but a giddy brain in spite of its cleverness."</p>
+<p>"Flossy has been getting on, of course. But so are we getting
+on. Why should they be recognized, as you call it, any more than
+we? In time, I mean. Not in the same way, perhaps, since you don't
+approve of the sort of things&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"Since I don't approve? Why, Selma, surely&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"Since <i>we</i> don't approve, then. I only mean that Gregory
+Williams has shown initiative, has pushed ahead, and
+is&mdash;er&mdash;the talk of the town. I expect you to be
+successful, too. Is there any reason on earth why the door of the
+Morton Prices should open wide to her and not to me?"</p>
+<p>"I suppose not, if&mdash;if you wish it."</p>
+<p>She made a gesture of impatience and gazed at him a moment with
+an imperious frown, then suddenly, with the litheness of a cat, she
+slipped from her chair to the floor at his feet, and leaning
+against his knee, looked up into his face.</p>
+<p>"You dear boy, I am going to tell you something. You said to me
+once that if ever the time came when I thought you visionary, I was
+to let you know. Of course I understand you are worth a thousand
+<i>Gregorys</i>; but don't you think you would get on faster if you
+were a little more aggressive in your work?&mdash;if you weren't so
+afraid of being superficial or sensational? You were intimating a
+few minutes ago," she added, speaking rapidly under the stress of
+the message she burned to deliver, "that I seemed changed. I don't
+believe I am changed. But, if I seem different, it is because I
+feel so strongly that those who wish to succeed must assert
+themselves and seize opportunities. There is where it seems to me
+that Mr. Williams has the advantage over you, Wilbur. One of the
+finest and most significant qualities of our people, you know, is
+their enterprise and aggressiveness. Architecture isn't like the
+stock business, but the same theory of progress must be applicable
+to both. Don't you think I may be right, Wilbur? Don't you see what
+I mean?"</p>
+<p>He stroked her hair and answered gently, "What is it that I am
+not doing which you think I might do?"</p>
+<p>Selma snuggled close to him, and put her hand in his. She was
+vibrating with the proud consciousness of the duty vouchsafed to
+her to guide and assist the man she loved. It was a blissful and a
+precious moment to her. "If I were you," she said, solemnly, "I
+should build something striking and original, something which would
+make everyone who beheld it ask, 'what is the architect's name?' I
+would strike out boldly without caring too much what the critics
+and the people of Europe would say. You musn't be too afraid,
+Wilbur, of producing something American, and you mustn't be too
+afraid of the American ways of doing things. We work more quickly
+here in everything, and&mdash;and I still can't help feeling that
+you potter a little. Necessarily I don't know about the details of
+your business, but if I were you, instead of designing small
+buildings or competing for colleges and churches, where more than
+half the time someone else gets the award, I should make friends
+with the people who live in those fine houses on Fifth Avenue, and
+get an order to design a splendid residence for one of them. If you
+were to make a grand success of that, as you surely would, your
+reputation would be made. You ask me why I like to entertain and am
+willing to know people like that. It is to help you to get clients
+and to come to the front professionally. Now isn't that sensible
+and practical and right, too?"</p>
+<p>Her voice rang triumphantly with the righteousness of her
+plea.</p>
+<p>"Selma, dear, if I am not worldly-wise enough, I am glad to
+listen to your suggestions. But art is not to be hurried. I cannot
+vulgarize my art. I could not consent to that."</p>
+<p>"Of course not, Wilbur. Not worldly-wise enough is just the
+phrase, I think. You are so absorbed in the theory of fine things
+that I am sure you often let the practical opportunities to get the
+fine things to do slip."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps, dear. I will try to guard against it." Wilbur took her
+hands in his and looked down tenderly into her face. His own was a
+little weary. "Above everything else in life I wish, to make you
+happy," he said.</p>
+<p>"I am happy, you dear boy."</p>
+<p>"Truly?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, truly. And if something happens which I am nearly sure
+will happen, I shall be happier still. It's a secret, and I mustn't
+tell you, but if it does happen, you can't help agreeing that your
+wife has been clever and has helped you in your profession."</p>
+<p>"Helped me? Ah, Selma," he said, folding her in his arms, "I
+don't think you realize how much you are to me. In this modern
+world, what with self-consciousness, and shyness and contemporary
+distaste for fulsome expression, it is difficult to tell adequately
+those we love how we feel toward them. You are my darling and my
+inspiration. The sun rises and sets with you, and unless you were
+happy, I could never be. Each man in this puzzling world must live
+according to his own lights, and I, according to mine, am trying to
+make the most of myself, consistent with self-respect and avoidance
+of the low human aims and time-serving methods upon which our new
+civilization is supposed to frown. If I am neglecting my lawful
+opportunities, if I am failing to see wisely and correctly, I shall
+be grateful for counsel. Ah, Selma, for your sake, even more than
+for my own, I grieve that we have no children. A baby's hands
+would, I fancy, be the best of counsellors and enlighteners."</p>
+<p>"If children had come at first, it would have been very nice.
+But now&mdash;now I think they might stand in the way of my being
+of help to you. And I am so anxious to help you, Wilbur."</p>
+<p>As a result of this conversation Littleton devoted himself more
+assiduously than ever to his work. He was eager to increase his
+earnings so that his income should not be curtailed by his decision
+to avoid further ventures in the stock-market. He was troubled in
+soul, for Selma's accusation that he was visionary haunted him.
+Could it be that he was too scrupulous, too uncompromising, and
+lacked proper enterprise? Self-scrutiny failed to convince him that
+this was so, yet left a lurking doubt which was harassing. His
+clear mind was too modest to believe in its own infallibility, for
+he was psychologist enough to understand that no one can be
+absolutely sure that his perspective of life is accurate. Possibly
+he was sacrificing his wife's legitimate aspirations to too rigid
+canons of behavior, and to an unconscious lack of initiative. On
+the other hand, as a positive character, he believed that he saw
+clearly, and he could not avoid the reflection that, if this was
+the case, he and Selma were drifting apart&mdash;the more bitter
+alternative of the two, and a condition which, if perpetuated,
+would involve the destruction of the scheme of matrimonial
+happiness, the ideal communion of two sympathetic souls, in which
+he was living as a proud partner. Apparently he was in one of two
+predicaments; either he was self deceived, which was abhorrent to
+him as a thoughtful grappler with the eternal mysteries, or he had
+misinterpreted the character of the woman whose transcendent
+quality was a dearer faith to him than the integrity of his own
+manhood.</p>
+<p>So it was with a troubled heart that he applied himself to more
+rigorous professional endeavor. Like most architects he had pursued
+certain lines of work because orders had come to him, and the
+chances of employment had ordained that his services should be
+sought for small churches, school-houses and kindred buildings in
+the surrounding country rather than for more elaborate and costly
+structures. On these undertakings it was his habit to expend
+abundant thought and devotion. The class of work was to his taste,
+for, though the funds at his disposal were not always so large as
+he desired for artistic effects, yet he enjoyed the opportunity of
+showing that simplicity need not be homely and disenchanting, but
+could wear the aspect of grace and poetry. Latterly he had been
+requested to furnish designs for some blocks of houses in the
+outlying wards of the city, where the owners sought to provide
+attractive, modern flats for people with moderate means. Various
+commissions had come to him, also, to design decorative work, which
+interested him and gave scope to his refined and aspiring
+imagination, and he was enthusiastically absorbed in preparing his
+competitive plans for the building of Wetmore College. His time was
+already well occupied by the matters which he had in hand. That is,
+he had enough to do and yet did not feel obliged to deny himself
+the luxury of deliberate thoroughness in connection with each
+professional undertaking. Save for the thought that he must needs
+earn more in order to please Selma, he would have been completely
+happy in the slow but flattering growth of his business, and in
+feeling his way securely toward greater success. Now, however, he
+began to ask himself if it were not possible to hasten this or that
+piece of work in order to afford himself the necessary leisure for
+new employment. He began also to consider whether he might not be
+able, without loss of dignity, to put himself in the way of
+securing more important clients. To solicit business was not to be
+thought of, but now and again he put the question to himself
+whether he had not been too indifferent as to who was who, and what
+was what, in the development of his business.</p>
+<p>While Littleton was thus mulling over existing conditions, and
+subjecting his conduct to the relentless lens of his own conscience
+and theories, Selma announced to him jubilantly, about a fortnight
+subsequent to their conversation, that her secret was a secret no
+longer, and that Mr. Parsons desired to employ him to build an
+imposing private residence on Fifth Avenue near the Park. Mr.
+Parsons confirmed this intelligence on the following day in a
+personal interview. He informed Littleton that he was going to
+build in order to please his wife and daughter, and intimated that
+expense need not stand in the way of the gratification of their
+wishes. After the business matters were disposed of he was
+obviously ready to intrust all the artistic details to his
+architect. Consequently Littleton enjoyed an agreeable quarter of
+an hour of exaltation. He was pleased at the prospect of building a
+house of this description, and the hope of being able to give free
+scope to his architectural bent without molestation made that
+prospect roseate. He could desire no better opportunity for
+expressing his ideas and proving his capacity. It was an ideal
+chance, and his soul thrilled as he called up the shadowy fabric of
+scheme after scheme to fill the trial canvas of his fantasy. Nor
+did he fail to award due credit to Selma for her share in the
+transaction; not to the extent, perhaps, of confessing incapacity
+on his own part, but by testifying lovingly to her cleverness. She
+was in too good humor at her success to insist on his humiliation
+in set terms. The two points in which she was most vitally
+interested&mdash;the advantage of her own interference and the
+consequent prompt extension of her husband's field of
+usefulness&mdash;had been triumphantly proved, and there was no
+need that the third&mdash;Wilbur's lack of capacity to battle and
+discriminate for himself&mdash;should be emphasized. Selma knew
+what she thought in her own mind, and she entertained the hope that
+this lesson might be a lamp to his feet for future illumination.
+She was even generous enough to exclaim, placing her hands on his
+shoulders and looking into his face with complacent fervor:</p>
+<p>"You might have accomplished it just as well yourself,
+Wilbur."</p>
+<p>Littleton shook his head and smiled. "It was a case of witchery
+and fascination. He probably divined how eager you were to help me,
+and he was glad to yield to the agreeable spell of your wifely
+devotion."</p>
+<p>"Oh, no," said Selma. "I am sure he never guessed for one moment
+of what I was thinking. Of course, I did try to make him like me,
+but that was only sensible. To make people like one is the way to
+get business, I believe."</p>
+<p>Littleton's quarter of an hour of exaltation was rudely checked
+by a note from Mrs. Parsons, requesting an interview in regard to
+the plans. When he presented himself he found her and her daughter
+imbued with definite ideas on the subject of architects and
+architecture. In the eyes of Mrs. Parsons the architect of her
+projected house was nothing but a young man in the employ of her
+husband, who was to guide them as to measurements, carpentry,
+party-walls and plumbing, but was otherwise to do her bidding for a
+pecuniary consideration, on the same general basis as the waiter at
+the hotel or the theatre ticket-agent. As to architecture, she
+expected him to draw plans just as she expected dealers in carpets
+or wall-papers to show her patterns in easy succession. "I don't
+care for that; take it away." "That is rather pretty, but let me
+see something else." What she said to Littleton was, "We haven't
+quite decided yet what we want, but, if you'll bring some plans the
+next time you call, we'll let you know which we like best. There's
+a house in Vienna I saw once, which I said at the time to Lucretia
+I would copy if I ever built. I've mislaid the photograph of it,
+but I may be able to tell you when I see your drawings how it
+differed from yours. Lucretia has a fancy for something Moorish or
+Oriental. I guess Mr. Parsons would prefer brown-stone, plain and
+massive, but he has left it all to us, and both daughter and I
+think we'd rather have a house which would speak for itself, and
+not be mixed up with everybody else's. You'd better bring us half a
+dozen to choose from, and between me and you and Lucretia, we'll
+arrive at something elegant and unique."</p>
+<p>This was sadly disillusionizing to Littleton, and the second
+experience was no less so. The refined outline sketches proffered
+by him were unenthusiastically surveyed and languidly discarded
+like so many wall-papers. It was evident that both the mother and
+daughter were disappointed, and Littleton presently divined that
+their chief objection was to the plainness of the several designs.
+This was made unmistakably obvious when Mrs. Parsons, after
+exhibiting a number of photographs of foreign public buildings with
+which she had armed herself, surveyed the most ornate, holding it
+out with her head on one side, and exclaimed impressively, "This is
+more the sort of thing we should like. I think Mr. Parsons has
+already explained to you that he desired our house to be as
+handsome as possible."</p>
+<p>"I had endeavored to bear that in mind," Littleton retorted with
+spirit. "I believe that either of these plans would give you a
+house which would be handsome, interesting and in good taste."</p>
+<p>"It does not seem to me that there is anything unique about any
+of them," said Mrs. Parsons, with a cold sniff intended to be
+conclusive. Nor did Littleton's efforts to explain that elaboration
+in a private residence was liable to detract from architectural
+dignity and to produce the effect of vulgarity fall upon receptive
+soil. The rich man's wife listened in stony silence, at times
+raising her lorgnette to examine as a curiosity this young man who
+was telling her&mdash;an American woman who had travelled around
+the world and seen everything to be seen&mdash;how she ought to
+build her own house. The upshot of this interview was that
+Littleton was sent away with languid instructions to try again. He
+departed, thinking melancholy thoughts and with fire in his soul,
+which, for Selma's sake, he endeavored to keep out of his eyes.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VIII.</h3>
+<p>The departure of the Williamses to a smarter neighborhood was a
+trial for Selma. She nursed the dispiriting reflection that she and
+Wilbur might just as well be moving also; that a little foresight
+and shrewdness on her husband's part would have enabled him to sell
+at a handsome profit the house in which they were living; and that
+there was no reason, except the sheer, happy faculty of making the
+most of opportunities, to account for the social recognition which
+Flossy and her husband were beginning to receive. It had not been
+easy to bear with equanimity during the last year the ingenuous,
+light-hearted warblings in which Flossy had indulged as an outlet
+to her triumphant spirits, and to listen to na&iuml;ve recitals of
+new progress, as though she herself were a companion or ladies'
+maid, to whom such developments could never happen. She was weary
+of being merely a recipient of confidences and a sympathetic
+listener, and more weary still of being regarded as such by her
+self-absorbed and successful neighbor. Why should Flossy be so
+dense? Why should she play second fiddle to Flossy? Why should
+Flossy take for granted that she did not intend to keep pace with
+her? Keep pace, indeed, when, if circumstances would only shape
+themselves a little differently, she would be able speedily to
+outstrip her volatile friend in the struggle for social
+preferment.</p>
+<p>Not unnaturally their friendship had been somewhat strained by
+the simmering of these thoughts in Selma's bosom. If a recipient of
+confidences becomes tart or cold, ingenuous prattle is apt to flow
+less spontaneously. Though Flossy was completely self-absorbed, and
+consequently glad to pour out her satisfaction into a sympathetic
+ear, she began to realize that there was something amiss with her
+friend which mere conscientious disapproval of her own frivolities
+did not adequately explain. It troubled her somewhat, for she liked
+the Littletons and was proud of her acquaintance with them.
+However, she was conscious of having acquitted herself toward them
+with liberality, and, especially now that her social vista was
+widening, she was not disposed at first to analyze too deeply the
+cause of the lack of sympathy between them. That is, she was struck
+by Selma's offish manner and frigid silences, but forgot them until
+they were forced upon her attention the next time they met. But as
+her friend continued to receive her bubbling announcements with
+stiff indifference, Flossy, in her perplexity, began to bend her
+acute mental faculties more searchingly on her idol. A fixed point
+of view will keep a shrine sacred forever, but let a worshipper's
+perspective be altered, and it is astonishing how different the
+features of divinity will appear. Flossy had worshipped with the
+eyes of faith. Now that her adoration was rejected without apparent
+cause, her curiosity was piqued, and she sought an interpretation
+of the mystery from her clever wits. As she observed Selma more
+dispassionately her suspicion was stirred, and she began to wonder
+if she had been burning incense before a false goddess. This doubt
+was agitating her mind at the time when they moved from the
+street.</p>
+<p>Selma was unconscious of the existence of this doubt as she had
+been largely unconscious of her own sour demeanor. She had no wish
+to lose the advantages of intimate association with the Williamses.
+On the contrary, she expected to make progress on her own account
+by admission into their new social circle. She went promptly to
+call, and saw fit to show herself tactfully appreciative of the new
+establishment and more ready to listen to Flossy's volubility.
+Flossy, who was radiant and bubbling over with fresh experiences
+which she was eager to impart, was glad to dismiss her doubt and to
+give herself up to the delights of unbridled speech. She took Selma
+over her new house, which had been purchased just as it stood,
+completely furnished, from the previous owner, who had suffered
+financial reverses. "Gregory bought it because it was really a
+bargain," she said. "It will do very well for the present, but we
+intend to build before long. I am keeping my eye on your husband,
+and am expecting great things from the Parsons house. Do you know,
+I believe in Mr. Littleton, and feel sure that some day we shall
+wake up and find him famous."</p>
+<p>This was amiable, particularly as Flossy was very busily engaged
+in contemplating the brilliant progress of Gregory Williams and his
+wife. But Selma returned home feeling sore and dissatisfied. Flossy
+had been gracious, but still dense and na&iuml;vely condescending.
+Selma chose to foresee that her friend would neglect her, and her
+foresight was correct. The call was not returned for many weeks,
+although Flossy had assured her when they separated that distance
+would make no difference in their intimacy. But in the first place,
+her doubts recurred to Flossy after the departure of her visitor,
+and in the second, the agitations incident to her new surroundings,
+fortified by these doubts, made neglect easy. When she did call,
+Selma happened to be out. A few days later an invitation to dine
+with the Williamses arrived. Selma would have preferred to remain
+at home as a rebuke, but she was miserably conscious that Flossy
+would not perceive the point of the refusal. So she went, and was
+annoyed when she realized that the guests were only people whom she
+knew already&mdash;the Parsonses, and some of Gregory Williams's
+former associates, whom she had met at the old house. It was a
+pleasant dinner, apparently, to all except Selma. The entertainment
+was flatteringly lavish, and both the host and hostess with suavity
+put in circulation, under the rose, the sentiment that there are no
+friends like old friends&mdash;a graceful insincerity which most of
+them present accepted as true. Indeed, in one sense it was not an
+insincerity, for Gregory and his wife entertained cordial feelings
+toward them all. But on the other hand, Selma's immediate and
+bitter conclusion was also true, that the company had been invited
+together for the reason that, in the opinion of Flossy, they would
+not have harmonized well with anyone else.</p>
+<p>Said Wilbur as they drove away from the house&mdash;"Barring a
+few moments of agony in the society of my tormentor, Mrs. Parsons,
+I had a pleasant evening. They were obviously potting their old
+acquaintance in one pie, but to my thinking it was preferable to
+being sandwiched in between some of their new friends whom we do
+not know and who know nothing of us. It was a little evident, but
+on the whole agreeable."</p>
+<p>Selma, shrouded in her wraps, made no reply at first. Suddenly
+she exclaimed, with, fierceness, "I consider it rank impertinence.
+It was as much as to say that they do not think us good enough to
+meet their new friends."</p>
+<p>Littleton, who still found difficulty in remembering that his
+wife would not always enjoy the humor of an equivocal situation,
+was sorry that he had spoken. "Come, Selma," he said, "there's no
+use in taking that view of the matter. You would not really care to
+meet the other people."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I would, and she knows it. I shall never enter her house
+again."</p>
+<p>"As to that, my dear, the probabilities are that we shall not be
+asked for some time. You know perfectly well that, in the nature of
+things, your intimacy with Mrs. Williams must languish now that she
+lives at a distance and has new surroundings. She may continue to
+be very fond of you, but you can't hope to see very much of her,
+unless I am greatly mistaken in her character."</p>
+<p>"She is a shallow little worldling," said Selma, with measured
+intensity.</p>
+<p>"But you knew that already. The fact that she invited us to
+dinner and did not ignore our existence altogether shows that she
+likes us and wishes to continue the friendship. I've no doubt she
+believes that she is going to see a great deal of us, and you
+should blame destiny and the force of fashionable circumstances,
+not Flossy, if you drift apart."</p>
+<p>"She invited us because she wished to show off her new
+house."</p>
+<p>"Not altogether. You musn't be too hard on her."</p>
+<p>Selma moved her shoulders impatiently, and there was silence for
+some moments broken only by the tapping of her foot. Then she
+asked, "How nearly have you finished the plans for the Parsons
+house?"</p>
+<p>Wilbur's brow clouded under cover of the night. He hesitated an
+instant before replying, "I am sorry to say that Mrs. Parsons and I
+do not seem to get on very well together. Her ideas and mine on the
+subject of architecture are wide apart, as I have intimated to you
+once or twice. I have modified my plans again, and she has made
+airy suggestions which from my point of view are impossible. We are
+practically at loggerheads, and I am trying to make up my mind what
+I ought to do."</p>
+<p>There was a wealth of condensation in the word 'impossible'
+which brought back unpleasantly to Selma Pauline's use of the same
+word in connection with the estimate which had been formed of Miss
+Bailey. "There can be only one thing to do in the end," she said,
+"if you can't agree. Mrs. Parsons, of course, must have her house
+as she wishes it. It is her house, Wilbur."</p>
+<p>"It is her house, and she has that right, certainly. The
+question is whether I am willing to allow the world to point to an
+architectural hotch-potch and call it mine."</p>
+<p>"Isn't this another case of neglecting the practical side,
+Wilbur? I am sure you exaggerate the importance of the changes she
+desires. If I were building a house, I should expect to have it
+built to suit me, and I should be annoyed if the architect stood on
+points and were captious." Selma under the influence of this more
+congenial theme had partially recovered her equanimity. Her duty
+was her pleasure, and it was clearly her duty to lead her husband
+in the right path and save him from becoming the victim of his own
+shortcomings.</p>
+<p>Wilbur sighed. "I have told her," he said, "that I would submit
+another entirely new sketch. It may be that I can introduce some of
+her and her daughter's splurgy and garish misconceptions without
+making myself hopelessly ridiculous."</p>
+<p>He entered the house wearily, and as he stood before the hall
+table under the chandelier, Selma took him by the arm and turning
+him toward her gazed into his face. "I wish to examine you. Pauline
+said to me to-day that she thinks you are looking pale. I don't see
+that you are; no more so than usual. You never were rosy exactly.
+Do you know I have an idea that she thinks I am working you to
+death."</p>
+<p>"Pauline? What reason has she to think anything of the kind?
+Besides, I am perfectly well. It is a delight to work for a woman
+like you, dearest." He took her face between his hands and kissed
+her tenderly; yet gravely, too, as though the riddle of life did
+not solve itself at the touch of her lips. "You will be interested
+to hear," he added, "that I shall finish and send off the Wetmore
+College plans this week."</p>
+<p>"I am glad they are off your hands, for you will have more time
+for other work."</p>
+<p>"Yes. I think I may have done something worth while," he said,
+wistfully.</p>
+<p>"And I shall try not to be annoyed if someone else gets the
+award," she responded, smoothing down the sheen of her evening
+dress and regarding herself in the mirror.</p>
+<p>"Of course someone else may have taken equal pains and done a
+better thing. It is necessary always to be prepared for that."</p>
+<p>"That is the trouble. That is why I disapprove of
+competitions."</p>
+<p>"Selma, you are talking nonsense," Littleton exclaimed with
+sudden sternness.</p>
+<p>The decision in his tone made her start. The color mounted to
+her face, and she surveyed him for an instant haughtily, as though
+he had done her an injury. Then with an oratorical air and her
+archangel look, she said, "You do not seem to understand, Wilbur,
+that I am trying to save you from yourself."</p>
+<p>Littleton was ever susceptible to that look of hers. It
+suggested incarnate conscientiousness, and seemed incompatible with
+human imperfection or unworthy ambitions. He was too wroth to
+relent altogether, but he compressed his lips and returned her look
+searchingly, as though he would scrutinize her soul.</p>
+<p>"I'm bound to believe, I do believe, that you are trying to help
+me, Selma. I need your advice and help, even against myself, I dare
+say. But there are some matters of which you cannot judge so well
+as I. You must trust my opinion where the development of my
+professional life is concerned. I shall not forget your caution to
+be practical, but for the sake of expediency I cannot be false to
+what I believe true. Come, dear, let us go to bed."</p>
+<p>He put his hand on her arm to lead her upstairs, but she turned
+from it to collect her fan and gloves. Looking, not at him, but at
+herself in the mirror, she answered, "Of course. I trust, though,
+that this does not mean you intend to act foolishly in regard to
+the Parsons house."</p>
+<p>"I have already told you," he said, looking back, "that I am
+going to make another attempt to satisfy that exasperating woman
+and her daughter."</p>
+<p>"And you can satisfy them, I'm sure, if you only choose to,"
+said Selma, by way of a firm, final observation.</p>
+<p>Littleton's prophecy in regard to the waning of friendship
+between his wife and Mrs. Williams proved to be correct.
+Propinquity had made them intimate, and separation by force of
+circumstances put a summary end to frequent and cordial intercourse
+between them. As he had predicted, their first invitation to the
+new house was still the last at the end of three months, and save
+for a few words on one occasion in the street, Selma and Flossy did
+not meet during that period. But during that same three months
+Selma's attention was constantly attracted to the Williamses by
+prominent newspaper allusions to their prosperity and growing
+fashionable prestige. What they did and where they went were
+chronicled in the then new style journalistic social gossip, and
+the every-day world was made familiar with his financial opinions
+and his equipages and her toilettes. The meeting in the street was
+an ordeal for Selma. Flossy had been shopping and was about to step
+into her carriage, the door of which was held open by an imposing
+liveried footman, when the two women nearly collided.</p>
+<p>"I have not seen you for an age," Flossy exclaimed, with the
+genuine ring of regret in her tone, with which busy people
+partially atone for having left undone the things they ought or
+would like to have done. "Which way are you going? Can't I take you
+somewhere?"</p>
+<p>Selma glanced sternly at the snug coupe and stylish horses. "No,
+we don't seem to meet very often," she said drily. "I'm living,
+though, at the same place," she added, with a determination to be
+sprightly.</p>
+<p>"Yes, I know; I owe you a call. It's dreadful of me. I've been
+intending to come, but you can't imagine how busy I've been. Such a
+number of invitations, and new things to be done. I'm looking
+forward to giving you a full account of my experiences."</p>
+<p>"I've read about them in the newspapers."</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes. Gregory is always civil to reporters. He says that the
+newspapers are one of the great institutions of the country, and
+that it is sensible to keep in touch with them. I will confide to
+you that I think the whole business vulgar, and I intend some day,
+when we are firmly established, to be ugly to them. But at present
+the publicity is rather convenient and amusing," she exclaimed,
+with a gay shake of her head, which set her ringlets bobbing.</p>
+<p>"I should think it would be unpleasant to have the details of
+one's appearance described by the press."</p>
+<p>Flossy's doubts had returned in full force during the
+conversation. She said to herself, "I wonder if that is true? I
+wonder if it wouldn't be the very thing she would like?" But she
+answered blithely, "Oh, one gets used to it. Then I can't take you
+anywhere? I'm sorry. Some day I hope my round of gayety will cease,
+so that we can have a quiet evening together. I miss your husband.
+I always find him suggestive and interesting."</p>
+<p>"'Her round of gayety! A quiet evening together!'" murmured
+Selma as she walked away. "Wilbur is right; purse-proud, frivolous
+little thing! She is determined to destroy our friendship."</p>
+<p>Four weeks subsequent to this meeting the newspapers contained a
+fulsome account of a dancing party given by Mr. and Mrs. Gregory
+Williams&mdash;"an elegant and recherch&eacute; entertainment," in
+the language of the reporter. A list of the company followed, which
+Selma scrutinized with a brow like a thunder-cloud. She had
+acquired a feverish habit of perusing similar lists, and she
+recognized that Flossy's guests&mdash;among the first of whom were
+Mr. and Mrs. Morton Price and the Misses Price&mdash;were chiefly
+confined to persons whom she had learned to know as members of
+fashionable society. She read, in the further phraseology of the
+reporter, that "it was a small and select affair." At the end of
+the list, as though they had been invited on sufferance as a
+business necessity, were the Parsonses; but these were the only
+former associates of the Williamses. Selma had just finished her
+second reading of this news item when her meditation was
+interrupted by the voice of her husband, who had been silent during
+dinner, as though he had some matter on his mind, and was at the
+moment sitting close by, on the other side of the lamp which
+lighted the library table.</p>
+<p>"I fear you will be disappointed, Selma, but I have informed Mr.
+Parsons definitely this morning, that he must get another
+architect. The ideas of his wife and daughter are hopelessly at
+variance with mine. He seemed to be sorry&mdash;indeed, I should
+think he was a reasonable and sensible man&mdash;but he said that
+he was building to please Mrs. Parsons, and we both agreed that
+under the circumstances it was necessary that she should make a
+fresh start. He asked me to send my bill, and we parted on the best
+of terms. So it is all over, and except from the point of view of
+dollars and cents, I am very glad. Only the remembrance that you
+had set your heart on my making this my masterpiece, prevented me
+from throwing over the contract weeks ago. Tell me, Selma
+<i>mia</i>, that you approve of what I have done and congratulate
+me." He pulled forward his chair so that he might see her face
+without interference from the lamp and leaned toward her with frank
+appeal.</p>
+<p>"Yes, I had set my heart on it, and you knew it. Yet you
+preferred to give up this fine opportunity to show what you could
+do and to get business worth having rather than sacrifice your own
+ideas as to how a house should be built to the ideas of the women
+who were to live in it. I dare say I should agree with them, and
+that the things which they wished and you objected to were things I
+would have insisted on having."</p>
+<p>Littleton started as though she had struck him in the face.
+"Selma! My wife! Do you realize what you are saying?"</p>
+<p>"Perfectly."</p>
+<p>"Then&mdash;then&mdash;. Why, what have I said, what have I done
+that you should talk like this?"</p>
+<p>"Done? Everything. For one thing you have thrown away the chance
+for getting ahead in your profession which I procured for you. For
+another, by your visionary, unpractical ways, you have put me in
+the position where I can be insulted. Read that, and judge for
+yourself." She held out to him the newspaper containing the account
+of the dancing party, pointing with her finger to the obnoxious
+passage.</p>
+<p>With nervous hands Littleton drew the page under the light.
+"What is all this about? A party? What has it to do with our
+affairs?"</p>
+<p>"It has this to do with them&mdash;if you had been more
+practical and enterprising, our names would have been on that
+list."</p>
+<p>"I am glad they are not there."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I know. You would be content to have us remain nobodies
+all our days. You do not care what becomes of my life, provided you
+can carry out your own narrow theory of how we ought to live. And I
+had such faith in you, too! I have refused to believe until now
+that you were not trying to make the most of your opportunities,
+and to enable me to make the most of mine."</p>
+<p>"Selma, are you crazy? To think that you, the woman I have loved
+with all my soul, should be capable of saying such things to me!
+What does it mean?"</p>
+<p>She was quick to take advantage of his phrase. "Have loved? Yes,
+I know that you do not love me as you did; otherwise you could not
+have refused to build that house, against my wish and advice. It
+means this, Wilbur Littleton, that I am determined not to let you
+spoil my life. You forget that in marrying you I gave up my own
+ambitions and hopes for your sake; because&mdash;because I believed
+that by living together we should be more, and accomplish more,
+than by living apart. You said you needed me, and I was fool enough
+to believe it."</p>
+<p>The fierce tragedy in her tone lapsed into self-pity under the
+influence of her last thought, and Littleton, eager in his
+bewilderment for some escape from the horror of the situation, put
+aside his anger and dropping on his knees beside her tried to take
+her hands.</p>
+<p>"You are provoked, my darling. Do not say things which you will
+be sorry for to-morrow. I call God to witness that I have sought
+above all else to make you happy, and if I have failed, I am
+utterly miserable. I have needed you, I do need you. Do not let a
+single difference of opinion spoil the joy of both our lives and
+divide our hearts."</p>
+<p>She pulled her hands away, and shunning his endearment, rose to
+her feet.</p>
+<p>"I am provoked, but I know what I am saying. A single difference
+of opinion? Do you not see, Wilbur, that none of our opinions are
+the same, and that we look at everything differently? Even your
+religion and the God you call to witness are not mine. They are
+stiff and cold; you Unitarians permit your consciences to deaden
+your emotions and belittle your outlook on life. When I went with
+Mr. Parsons the other day to the Methodist church, I could not help
+thinking how different it was. I was thrilled and I felt I could do
+anything and be anything. My mother was a Methodist. They sang
+'Onward Christian Soldiers,' and it was glorious." She paused a
+moment and, with an exalted look, seemed to be recalling the
+movement of the hymn. "With you, Wilbur, and the people like
+you&mdash;Pauline is the same&mdash;everything is measured and
+pondered over, and nothing is spontaneous. I like action, and
+progress and prompt, sensible conclusions. That is the American
+way, and the way in which people who succeed get on. But you won't
+see it&mdash;you can't see it. I've tried to explain it to you, and
+now&mdash;now it's too late. We're nobodies, and, if our hearts are
+divided, that's fate I suppose. It's a very cruel fate for me. But
+I don't choose to remain a nobody."</p>
+<p>Littleton's expression as she talked had changed from
+astonishment to anger, and from anger to a sternness which gave his
+words of response the effect of calm and final decision. "You have
+said so many things with which I do not agree, and which I should
+have to dispute, that I will not attempt to argue with you
+concerning them. One thing is clear, both of us have made a
+horrible mistake. Each has misunderstood the other. You are
+dissatisfied with me; I realize suddenly that you are utterly
+different from what I supposed. I am overwhelmed, but your words
+make plain many things which have distressed and puzzled me." He
+paused as though in spite of the certainty of his tone, he hoped
+that she would see fit to deny his conclusions. "We have made a
+mistake and we shall both be miserable&mdash;that must needs
+be&mdash;but we must consider whether there is any method by which
+we can be less unhappy. What would you like to have me do, Selma?
+We have no children, thank heaven! Would it be more agreeable to
+live apart from me and receive support? A divorce does not seem
+necessary. Besides, our misconception of each other would not be a
+legal cause."</p>
+<p>Selma flushed at the reference to divorce. Littleton's sad,
+simple statement wore on the surface no sign of a design to hark
+back to her experience with her first husband, yet she divined that
+it must be in his thoughts and she resented the recurrence.
+Moreover, separation, certainly for the present, went beyond her
+purpose.</p>
+<p>"I have no wish for divorce or separation. I see no reason why
+we should not continue to live as we are," she answered. "To
+separate would cause scandal. It is not necessary that people
+should know we have made a mistake. I shall merely feel more free
+now to live my own life&mdash;and there is no telling that you may
+not some day see things from my point of view and sympathize with
+me more." She uttered the last words with a mixture of pathos and
+bright solicitation.</p>
+<p>Littleton shook his head. "I agree with you that to go on as we
+are is our best course. As you say, we ought, if possible, to keep
+the knowledge of our sorrow to ourselves. God knows that I wish I
+could hope that our life could ever be as it was before. Too many
+things have become plain to me in the last half-hour to make that
+possible. I could never learn to accept or sympathize with your
+point of view. There can be no half-love with me, Selma. It is my
+nature to be frank, and as you are fond of saying, that is the
+American way. I am your husband still, and while I live you shall
+have my money and my protection. But I have ceased to be your
+lover, though my heart is broken."</p>
+<p>"Very well," said Selma, after a painful pause. "But you know,
+Wilbur," she added in a tone of eager protestation, "that I do not
+admit for a moment that I am at fault. I was simply trying to help
+you. You have only yourself to blame for your unhappiness
+and&mdash;and for mine. I hope you understand that."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I understand that you think so," he said sadly.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER IX.</h3>
+<p>The breach between Littleton and his wife was too serious to be
+healed, for he was confronted by the conviction that Selma was a
+very different being from the woman whom he had supposed that he
+was marrying. He had been slow to harbor distrust, and loath, even
+in the face of her own words, to admit that he had misinterpreted
+her character; but this last conversation left no room for doubt.
+Selma had declared to him, unequivocally, that his ideas and theory
+of life were repugnant to her, and that, henceforth, she intended
+to act independently of them, so far as she could do so, and yet
+maintain the semblance of the married state. It was a cruel shock
+and disappointment to him. At the time of his marriage he would
+have said that the least likely of possible happenings would be
+self-deception as to the character of the woman he loved. Yet this
+was precisely what had befallen him.</p>
+<p>Having realized his mistake, he did not seek to flinch from the
+bitter truth. He saw clearly that their future relations toward
+each other must be largely formal; that tender comradeship and
+mutual soul alliance were at an end. At the same time his simple,
+direct conscience promptly indicated to him that it was his duty to
+recognize Selma's point of view and endeavor to satisfy it as far
+as he could without sacrifice of his own principles. He chose to
+remember that she, too, had made a mistake, and that he was not the
+kind of husband whom she desired; that his tastes were not her
+tastes, nor his ambitions her's; that she had tastes and ambitions
+of her own which he, as the man to whom she was bound by the law,
+must not disregard. Thus reasoning, he resolved to carry out the
+scheme of life which she appeared to despise, but also to work hard
+to provide her with the means to fulfil her own aims. She craved
+money for social advancement. She should have it from him, for
+there was no other source from which she could obtain it. The
+poignancy of his own sorrow should not cause him to ignore that she
+had given up her own career and pursuits in order to become his
+wife, and was now disappointed and without independent resources.
+His pride was sorely wounded, his ideals shattered and his heart
+crushed; yet, though he could not forbear from judging Selma, and
+was unconscious of having failed in his obligations to her as a
+husband and a man, he saw what she called her side, and he took up
+the thread of life again under the spur of an intention to give her
+everything but love.</p>
+<p>On her part Selma felt aggrieved yet emancipated. She had not
+looked for any such grave result from her vituperation. She had
+intended to reprove his surrender of the Parsons's contract, in
+direct opposition to her own wishes, with the severity it deserved,
+and to let him understand clearly that he was sacrificing her
+happiness, no less than his own, by his hysterical folly. When the
+conversation developed stubborn resistance on his part, and she
+realized that he was defending and adhering to his purpose, a
+righteous sense of injury became predominant in her mind over
+everything else. All her past wrongs cried for redress, and she
+rejoiced in the opportunity of giving free vent to the pent up
+grievances which had been accumulating for many months. Even then
+it was startling to her that Wilbur should suddenly utter the
+tragic ultimatum that their happiness was at an end, and hint at
+divorce. She considered that she loved him, and it had never
+occurred to her that he could ever cease to love her. Rather than
+retract a word of her own accusations she would have let him leave
+her, then and there, to live her own life without protection or
+support from him, but his calmer decision that they should continue
+to live together, yet apart, suited her better. In spite of his
+resolute mien she was sceptical of the seriousness of the
+situation. She believed in her heart that after a few days of
+restraint they would resume their former life, and that Wilbur, on
+reflection, would appreciate that he had been absurd.</p>
+<p>When it became apparent that he was not to be appeased and that
+his threat had been genuine, Selma accepted the new relation
+without demur, and prepared to play her part in the compact as
+though she had been equally obdurate in her outcry for her freedom.
+She met reserve with reserve, maintaining rigorously the attitude
+that she had been wronged and that he was to blame. Meantime she
+watched him narrowly, wondering what his grave, sad demeanor and
+solicitous politeness signified. When presently it became plain to
+her that not merely she was to be free to follow her own bent, but
+that he was ready to provide her with the means to carry out her
+schemes, she regarded his liberality as weakness and a sign that he
+knew in his heart that she was in the right. Immediately, and with
+thinly concealed triumph, she planned to utilize the new liberty at
+her disposal, purging any scruples from her conscience by the
+generous reflection that when Wilbur's brow unbent and his lips
+moved freely she would forgive him and proffer him once more her
+conjugal counsel and sympathy. She was firmly of the opinion that,
+unless he thus acknowledged his shortcomings and promised
+improvement, the present arrangement was completely to her liking,
+and that confidence and happiness between them would be utterly
+impossible. She shed some tears over the thought that unkind
+circumstances had robbed her of the love by which she had set such
+store and which she, on her part, still cherished, but she
+comforted herself with the retort that its loss was preferable to
+sacrificing weakly the development of her own ideas and life to its
+perpetuation.</p>
+<p>Her flush of triumph was succeeded, however, by a discontented
+mood, because cogitation constrained her to suspect that her social
+progress might not be so rapid as her first rosy visions had
+suggested. She counted on being able to procure the participation
+of Wilbur sufficiently to preserve the appearance of domestic
+harmony. This would be for practical purposes a scarcely less
+effective furtherance of her plans than if he were heartily in
+sympathy with them. Were there not many instances where busy
+husbands took part in the social undertakings of their wives,
+merely on the surface, to preserve appearances? The attitude of
+Wilbur seemed reasonably secure. That which harassed her as the
+result of her reflections and efforts to plan was the unpalatable
+consciousness that she did not know exactly what to do, and that no
+one, even now that she was free, appeared eager to extend to her
+the hand of recognition. She was prompt to lay the blame of this on
+her husband. It was he who, by preventing her from taking advantage
+of the social opportunities at their disposal, had consigned her to
+this eddy where she was overlooked. This seemed to her a complete
+excuse, and yet, though she made the most of it, it did not satisfy
+her. Her helplessness angered her, and aroused her old feelings of
+suspicion and resentment against the fashionable crew who appeared
+to be unaware of her existence. She was glad to believe that the
+reason they ignored her was because she was too serious minded and
+spiritual to suit their frivolous and pleasure-loving tastes.
+Sometimes she reasoned that the sensible thing for her to do was to
+break away from her present life, where convention and caste
+trammelled her efforts, and make a name for herself as an
+independent soul, like Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle and other
+free-born women of the Republic. With satisfaction she pictured
+herself on the lecture platform uttering burning denunciation of
+the un-American social proclivities of this shallow society, and
+initiating a crusade which should sweep it from existence beneath
+the ban of the moral sense of the thoughtful people of the
+country.</p>
+<p>But more frequently she nursed her resentment against Mrs.
+Williams, to whom she ascribed the blame of her isolation,
+reasoning that if Flossy had been a true friend, not even Wilbur's
+waywardness would have prevented her social recognition and
+success. That, instead, this volatile, fickle prattler had used her
+so long as she needed her, and then dropped her heartlessly. The
+memory of Flossy's ball still rankled deeply, and appeared to Selma
+a more obvious and more exasperating insult as the days passed
+without a sign of explanation on the part of her late neighbor, and
+as her new projects languished for lack of a few words of
+introduction here and there, which, in her opinion, were all she
+needed to ensure her enthusiastic welcome as a social leader. The
+appreciation that without those words of introduction she was
+helpless for the time being focused her resentment, already keen,
+on the successful Flossy, whose gay doings had disappeared from the
+public prints in a blaze of glory with the advent of the Lenten
+season. Refusing to acknowledge her dependence, Selma essayed
+several spasmodic attempts to assert herself, but they proved
+unsatisfactory. She made the most of Mr. Parsons's predilection for
+her society, which had not been checked by Wilbur's termination of
+the contract. She was thus enabled to affiliate with some of their
+new friends, but she was disagreeably conscious that she was not
+making real progress, and that Mr. and Mrs. Parsons and their
+daughter had, like herself, been dropped by the
+Williamses&mdash;dropped skilfully and imperceptibly, yet none the
+less dropped. Two dinner parties, which she gave in the course of a
+fortnight to the most important of these new acquaintances, by way
+of manifesting to Wilbur her intention to enjoy her liberty at his
+expense, left her depressed and sore.</p>
+<p>It was just at this time that Flossy took it into her head to
+call on her&mdash;one of her first Lenten duties, as she hastened
+to assure Selma, with glib liveliness, as soon as she entered.
+Flossy was in too exalted a frame of mind, too bubbling over with
+the desire to recite her triumphs, to have in mind either her
+doubts concerning Selma or the need of being more than mildly
+apologetic for her lack of devotion. She felt friendly, for she was
+in good humor, and was na&iuml;vely desirous to be received in the
+same spirit, so that she might unbosom herself unreservedly.
+Sweeping into the room, an animated vision of smiling, stylish
+cordiality, she sought, as it were, to carry before her by force of
+her own radiant mood all obstacles to an amiable reception.</p>
+<p>"My dear, we haven't met for ages. Thank heaven, Lent has come,
+and now I may see something of you. I said to Gregory only
+yesterday that I should make a bee-line for your house, and here I
+am. Well, dear, how are you? All sorts of things have happened,
+Selma, since we've had a real chat together. Do you remember my
+telling you&mdash;of course you do&mdash;not long after Gregory and
+I were married that I never should be satisfied until one thing
+happened? Well, you may congratulate me; it has happened. We dined
+a week ago to-night with my cousins&mdash;the Morton Prices&mdash;a
+dinner of fourteen, all of them just the people I wished to know.
+Wasn't it lovely? I have waited for it to come, and I haven't moved
+a finger to bring it about, except to ask them to my dancing
+party&mdash;I had to do that, for after all they are my relations.
+They accepted and came and I was pleased by it; but they could
+easily have ignored me afterward if they had wished. What really
+pleased me, Selma, was their asking me to one of their select
+dinners, because&mdash;because it showed that we are&mdash;"</p>
+<p>Flossy's hesitation was due partly to the inherent difficulty of
+expressing her thought with proper regard for modesty. With her
+rise in life she had learned that unlimited laudation of self was
+not altogether consistent with "fitness," even in such a
+confidential interview as the present. But she was also
+disconcerted by the look in Selma's eyes&mdash;a look which, at
+first startled into momentary friendliness by the suddenness of the
+onslaught, had become more and more lowering until it was
+unpleasantly suggestive of scornful dislike. While she thus
+faltered, Selma drily rounded out the sentence with the words,
+"Because it showed that you are somebodies now."</p>
+<p>Flossy gave an embarrassed little laugh. "Yes, that's what I
+meant. I see you have a good memory, and it sounds nicer on your
+lips than it would on mine."</p>
+<p>"You have come here to-day on purpose to tell me this?" said
+Selma.</p>
+<p>"I thought you would be interested to hear that my cousins had
+recognized me at last. I remember, you thought it strange that they
+should take so little notice of me." Flossy's festive manner had
+disappeared before the tart reception of her confidences, and her
+keen wits, baffled in their search for flattery, recalled the
+suspicions which were only slumbering. She realized that Selma was
+seriously offended with her, and though she did not choose to
+acknowledge to herself that she knew the cause, she had already
+guessed it. An encounter at repartee had no terrors for her, if
+necessary, and the occasion seemed to her opportune for probing the
+accumulating mysteries of Selma's hostile demeanor. Yet, without
+waiting for a response to her last remark, she changed the subject,
+and said, volubly, "I hear that your husband has refused to build
+the new Parsons house because Mrs. Parsons insisted on drawing the
+plans."</p>
+<p>Selma's pale, tense face flushed. She thought for a moment that
+she was being taunted.</p>
+<p>"That was Mr. Littleton's decision, not mine."</p>
+<p>"I admire his independence. He was quite right. What do Mrs.
+Parsons or her daughter know about architecture? Everybody is
+laughing at them. You know I consider your husband a friend of
+mine, Selma."</p>
+<p>"And we were friends, too, I believe?" Selma exclaimed, after a
+moment of stern silence.</p>
+<p>"Naturally," responded Flossy, with a slightly sardonic air,
+prompted by the acerbity with which the question was put.</p>
+<p>"Then, if we were friends&mdash;are friends, why have you ceased
+to associate with us, simply because you live in another street and
+a finer house?"</p>
+<p>Flossy gave a gasp. "Oh," she said to herself, "it's true. She
+is jealous. Why didn't I appreciate it before?"</p>
+<p>"Am I not associating with you now by calling on you, Selma?"
+she said aloud. "I don't understand what you mean."</p>
+<p>"You are calling on me, and you asked us to dinner to
+meet&mdash;to meet just the people we knew already, and didn't care
+to meet; but you have never asked us to meet your new friends, and
+you left us out when you gave your dancing party."</p>
+<p>"You do not dance."</p>
+<p>"How do you know?"</p>
+<p>"I have never associated you with dancing. I assumed that you
+did not dance."</p>
+<p>"What grounds had you for such an assumption?"</p>
+<p>"Really, Selma, your catechism is most extraordinary. Excuse my
+smiling. And I don't know how to answer your questions&mdash;your
+fierce questions any better. I didn't ask you to my party because I
+supposed that you and your husband were not interested in that sort
+of thing, and would not know any of the people. You have often told
+me that you thought they were frivolous."</p>
+<p>"I consider them so still."</p>
+<p>"Then why do you complain?"</p>
+<p>"Because&mdash;because you have not acted like a friend. Your
+idea of friendship has been to pour into my ears, day after day,
+how you had been asked to dinner by this person and taken up by
+that person, until I was weary of the sound of your voice, but it
+seems not to have occurred to you, as a friend of mine, and a
+friend and admirer of my husband, to introduce us to people whom
+you were eager to know, and who might have helped him in his
+profession. And now, after turning the cold shoulder on us, and
+omitting us from your party, because you assumed I didn't dance,
+you have come here this morning, in the name of friendship, to tell
+me that your cousins, at last, have invited you to dinner. And yet
+you think it strange that I'm not interested. That's the only
+reason you came&mdash;to let me know that you are a somebody now;
+and you expected me, as a friend and a nobody, to tell you how glad
+I am."</p>
+<p>Flossy's eyes opened wide. Free as she was accustomed to be in
+her own utterances, this flow of bitter speech delivered with
+seer-like intensity was a new experience to her. She did not know
+whether to be angry or amused by the indictment, which caused her
+to wince notwithstanding that she deemed it slander. Moreover the
+insinuation that she had been a bore was humiliating.</p>
+<p>"I shall not weary you soon again with my confidences," she
+answered. "So it appears that you were envious of me all the
+time&mdash;that while you were preaching to me that fashionable
+society was hollow and un-American, you were secretly unhappy
+because you couldn't do what I was doing&mdash;because you weren't
+invited, too. Oh, I see it all now; it's clear as daylight. I've
+suspected the truth for some time, but I've refused to credit it.
+Now everything is explained. I took you at your word; I believed in
+you and your husband and looked up to you as literary
+people&mdash;people who were interested in fine and ennobling
+things. I admired you for the very reason that I thought you didn't
+care, and that you didn't need to care, about society and
+fashionable position. I kept saying to you that I envied you your
+tastes, and let you see that I considered myself your real inferior
+in my determination to attract attention and oblige society to
+notice us. I was guileless and simpleton enough to tell you of my
+progress&mdash;things I would have blushed to tell another woman
+like myself&mdash;because I considered you the embodiment of high
+aims and spiritual ideas, as far superior to mine as the poetic
+star is superior to the garish electric light. I thought it might
+amuse you to listen to my vanities. Instead, it seems you were
+masquerading and were eating your heart out with envy of
+me&mdash;poor me. You were ambitious to be like me."</p>
+<p>"I wouldn't be like you for anything in the world."</p>
+<p>"You couldn't if you tried. That's one of the things which this
+extraordinary interview has made plain beyond the shadow of a
+doubt. You are aching to be a social success. You are not fit to
+be. I have found that out for certain to-day."</p>
+<p>"It is false," exclaimed Selma, with a tragic intonation. "You
+do not understand. I have no wish to be a social success. I should
+abhor to spend my life after the manner of you and your associates.
+What I object to, what I complain of, is that, in spite of your
+fine words and pretended admiration of me, you have preferred these
+people, who are exclusive without a shadow of right, to me who was
+your friend, and that you have chosen to ignore me for the sake of
+them, and behaved as if you thought I was not their equal or your
+equal. That is not friendship, it is snobbishness&mdash;un-American
+snobbishness."</p>
+<p>"It is very amusing. Amusing yet depressing," continued Flossy,
+without heed to this asseveration. "You have proved one of my
+ideals to be a delusion, which is sad." She had arisen and stood
+gently swaying pendent by its crook her gay parasol, with her head
+on one side, and seeming for once to be choosing her words
+judicially. "When we met first and I nearly rushed into your arms,
+I was fascinated, and I said to myself that here was the sort of
+American woman of whom I had dreamed&mdash;the sort of woman I had
+fondly imagined once that I might become. I saw you were
+unsophisticated and different from the conventional women to whom I
+was accustomed, and, even at first, the things you said every now
+and then gave me a creepy feeling, but you were inspiring to look
+at&mdash;though now that the scales have fallen from my eyes I
+wonder at my infatuation&mdash;and I continued to worship you as a
+goddess on a pedestal. I used to say to Gregory, 'there's a couple
+who are to the manner born; they never have to make believe. They
+are genuinely free and gentle souls.' Your husband? I can't believe
+that I have been deluded in regard to him, also. I just wonder if
+you appreciate him&mdash;if it is possible that he has been
+deluded, also. That's rank impertinence, I know; but after all, we
+are unbosoming our thoughts to each other to-day, and may as well
+speak openly. You said just now that it was his decision not to go
+on with the Parsons house. Did you disapprove of it?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, I disapproved of it," answered Selma with flashing eyes.
+"And what if I did?"</p>
+<p>She rose and stood confronting her visitor as though to banish
+her from the house.</p>
+<p>"I'm going," said Flossy. "It's none of my concern of course,
+and I'm aware that I appear very rude. I'm anxious though not to
+lose faith in your husband, and now that I've begun to understand
+you, my wits are being flooded with light. I was saying that you
+were not fit to be a social success, and I'm going to tell you why.
+No one else is likely to, and I'm just mischievous and frank
+enough. You're one of those American women&mdash;I've always been
+curious to meet one in all her glory&mdash;who believe that they
+are born in the complete panoply of flawless womanhood; that they
+are by birthright consummate house-wives, leaders of the world's
+thought and ethics, and peerless society queens. All this by
+instinct, by heritage, and without education. That's what you
+believe, isn't it? And now you are offended because you haven't
+been invited to become a leader of New York society. You don't
+understand, and I don't suppose you ever will understand, that a
+true lady&mdash;a genuine society queen&mdash;represents modesty
+and sweetness and self-control, and gentle thoughts and feelings;
+that she is evolved by gradual processes from generation to
+generation, not ready made. Oh, you needn't look at me like that.
+I'm quite aware that if I were the genuine article I shouldn't be
+talking to you in this fashion. But there's hope for me because I'm
+conscious of my shortcomings and am trying to correct them; whereas
+you are satisfied, and fail to see the difference between yourself
+and the well-bred women whom you envy and sneer at. You're pretty
+and smart and superficial and&mdash;er&mdash;common, and you don't
+know it. I'm rather dreadful, but I'm learning. I don't believe you
+will ever learn. There! Now I'm going."</p>
+<p>"Go!" cried Selma with a wave of her arm. "Yes, I am one of
+those women. I am proud to be, and you have insulted by your
+aspersions, not only me, but the spirit of independent and aspiring
+American womanhood. You don't understand us; you have nothing in
+common with us. You think to keep us down by your barriers of caste
+borrowed from effete European courts, but we&mdash;I&mdash;the
+American people defy you. The time will come when we shall rise in
+our might and teach you your place. Go! Envy you? I would not
+become one of your frivolous and purposeless set if you were all on
+your bended knees before me."</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes you would," exclaimed Flossy, glancing back over her
+shoulder. "And it's because you've not been given the chance that
+we have quarrelled now."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER X.</h3>
+<p>The morning after her drastic interview with Mrs. Williams,
+Selma studied herself searchingly in her mirror. Of all Flossy's
+candid strictures the intimation that she was not and never would
+be completely a lady was the only one which rankled. The effrontery
+of it made her blood boil; and yet she consulted her glass in the
+seclusion of her chamber in order to reassure herself as to the
+spiteful falsity of the criticism. Wild horses would not have
+induced her to admit even to herself that there was the slightest
+ground for it; still it rankled, thereby suggesting a
+sub-consciousness of suspicion on the look out for just such a
+calumny.</p>
+<p>She gave Littleton her own version of the quarrel. Her
+explanation was that she had charged Flossy with a lack of
+friendship in failing to invite her to her ball, and convicted her
+of detestable snobbery; that she had denounced this conduct in
+vigorous language, that they had parted in anger, and that all
+intercourse between them was at an end.</p>
+<p>"We understand each other now," she added. "I have felt for some
+time that we were no longer sympathetic; and that something of this
+kind was inevitable. I am glad that we had the chance to speak
+plainly, for I was able to show her that I had been waiting for an
+excuse to cut loose from her and her frivolous surroundings. I have
+wearied my spirit long enough with listening to social inanities,
+and in lowering my standards to hers for the sake of appearing
+friendly and conventional. That is all over now, thank heaven."</p>
+<p>It did not occur to Selma that there was any inconsistency in
+these observations, or that they might appear a partial vindication
+of her husband's point of view. The most salient effect of her
+encounter with Flossy had been suddenly to fuse and crystallize her
+mixed and seemingly contradictory ambitions into utter hostility to
+conventional fashionable society. Even when her heart had been
+hungering for an invitation to Flossy's ball, she considered that
+she despised these people, but the interview had served to
+establish her in the glowing faith that they, by their inability to
+appreciate her, had shown themselves unworthy of further
+consideration. The desire which she had experienced of late for a
+renewal of her intimacy with Mrs. Earle and a reassertion of her
+former life of independent feminine activity had returned to her,
+coupled with the crusading intention to enroll herself openly once
+more in the army of new American women, whose impending victorious
+campaign she had prophesied in her retort to Mrs. Williams's
+maledictions. She had, in her own opinion, never ceased to belong
+to this army, and she felt herself now more firmly convinced than
+ever that the course of life of those who had turned a cold
+shoulder on her was hostile to the spirit of American institutions.
+So far as her husband was concerned, imaginative enterprise and the
+capacity to take advantage of opportunities still seemed to her of
+the essence of fine character. Indeed, she was not conscious of any
+change in her point of view. She had resented Flossy's charge that
+she desired to be a social success, and had declared that her
+wounded feelings were solely due to Flossy's betrayal of
+friendship, not to balked social ambition. Consequently it was no
+strain on her conscientiousness to feel that her real sentiments
+had always been the same.</p>
+<p>Nevertheless she scrutinized herself eagerly and long in her
+mirror, and the process left her serious brow still clouded. She
+saw in the glass features which seemed to her suggestive of
+superior womanhood, a slender clear-cut nose, the nostrils of which
+dilated nervously, delicately thin, compressed lips, a pale,
+transparent complexion, and clear, steel-like, greenish-brown eyes
+looking straight and boldly from an anxious forehead surmounted
+with a coiffure of elaborately and smoothly arranged hair. She saw
+indisputable evidence that she had ceased to be the ethically
+attractive, but modishly unsophisticated and physically undeveloped
+girl, who had come to New York five years before, for her figure
+was compact without being unduly plump, her cheeks becomingly oval,
+and her toilette stylish. There were rings on her fingers, and her
+neck-gear was smart. Altogether the vision was satisfactory, yet
+she recognized as she gazed that her appearance and general effect
+were not precisely those of Flossy, Pauline, or Mrs. Hallett
+Taylor. She had always prided herself on the distinction of her
+face, and admired especially its freedom from gross or
+unintellectual lines. She did not intend to question its
+superiority now; but Flossy's offensive words rang in her ears and
+caused her to gnaw her lips with annoyance. What was the difference
+between them? Flossy had dared to call her common and superficial;
+had dared to insinuate that she never could be a lady. A lady? What
+was there in her appearance not lady-like? In what way was she the
+inferior of any of them in beauty, intelligence or character?
+Rigorous as was the scrutiny, the face in the mirror seemed to her
+an unanswerable refutation of the slander. What was the difference?
+Was it that her eyes were keener and brighter, her lips thinner and
+less fleshly, her general expression more wide-awake and
+self-reliant? If so, were these not signs of superiority; signs
+that they, not she, were deficient in the attributes of the best
+modern womanhood in spite of their affectation of
+exclusiveness?</p>
+<p>The result of this process of self-examination in her
+looking-glass, which was not limited to a single occasion,
+established more firmly than ever in Selma's opinion the malignant
+falsity of the imputation, and yet she was still haunted by it. She
+was tortured by the secret thought that, though her ambition had
+been to become just like those other women, she was still
+distinguishable from them; and moreover, that she was baffled in
+her attempt to analyze the distinction. Distinguishable even from
+Flossy&mdash;from Flossy, who had slighted and then reviled her!
+Why had she ever faltered in her distrust of these enemies of true
+American society? Yet this lingering sense of torture served to
+whet her new-found purpose to have done with them forever, and to
+obtain the recognition and power to which she was entitled, in
+spite of their impertinence and neglect.</p>
+<p>The announcement was made to her by Wilbur at about this time
+that his plans for Wetmore College had been accepted, and that he
+was to be the architect of the new buildings. As he told her his
+face showed a tremulous animation which it had not worn for many
+weeks, and he regarded her for a moment with shy eagerness, as
+though he half hoped that this vindication of his purposes by
+success might prompt her to tender some sort of apology, and thus
+afford him the chance to persuade himself that he had been mistaken
+after all in his judgment of her.</p>
+<p>"You must be very much pleased," she said. "And so am I, of
+course." Then, after a moment of reflective abstraction, she asked
+with sudden eagerness, "How long will it take to build them?"</p>
+<p>"Two or three years, I suppose."</p>
+<p>"And you would be obliged to go frequently to Benham?"</p>
+<p>"In order to oversee the work I should have to make short trips
+there from time to time."</p>
+<p>"Yes. Wilbur," she exclaimed, with her exalted expression, "why
+shouldn't we go to Benham to live? I have been thinking a great
+deal lately about what we said to each other that time when you
+felt so badly, and I have come to the conclusion that our living in
+New York is what is really the trouble. I have the feeling, Wilbur,
+that in some other place than this cruel, conventional city we
+should be happier than we are now&mdash;indeed, very happy. Has it
+ever occurred to you? You see, New York doesn't understand me; it
+doesn't understand you, Wilbur. It sneers at our aspirations.
+Benham is a growing, earnest city&mdash;a city throbbing with the
+best American spirit and energy. I suggest Benham because we both
+know it so well. The college buildings would give you a grand
+start, and I&mdash;we both would be in our proper sphere."</p>
+<p>Littleton had started at the suggestion. As a drowning man will
+grasp at a straw, his grieving soul for an instant entertained the
+plan as a panacea for their woes. But his brow grew grave and sad
+under the influence of reflection as she proceeded to set forth her
+reasons in her wrapt fashion. If he had not learned to remain cold
+under the witchery of her intense moods, he no longer hesitated to
+probe her fervid assertions with his self-respecting
+common-sense.</p>
+<p>"I would he willing to go to the ends of the earth, Selma," he
+answered, "if I believed that by so doing you and I could become
+what we once were to each other. But I cannot see why we should
+hope to be happier in Benham than here, nor do I agree with you
+that this is not our proper sphere. I do not share your sentiments
+in regard to New York; but whatever its faults, New York is the
+place where I have established myself and am known, and where the
+abilities which I possess can be utilized and will be appreciated
+soonest. Benham is twenty-five years behind this city in all things
+which concern art and my professional life, as you well know."</p>
+<p>Selma flushed. "On the contrary, I have reason to believe that
+Benham has made wonderful progress in the last five years. My
+friends there write that there are many new streets and beautiful
+buildings, and that the spirit of the place is enthusiastic and
+liberal, not luxurious and sneering. You never appreciated Benham
+at its true worth, Wilbur."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps not. But we chose New York."</p>
+<p>"Then you insist on remaining here?"</p>
+<p>"I see no reason for sacrificing the fruits of the past five
+years&mdash;for pulling myself up by the roots and making a fresh
+start. From a professional point of view, I think it would be
+madness."</p>
+<p>"Not even to save our happiness?" Selma's eyes swam and her lips
+trembled as she spoke. She felt very miserable, and she yearned
+with the desire that her husband would clasp her in his arms in a
+vast embrace, and tell her that she was right and that he would go.
+She felt that if he did, the horror of the past would be wiped out
+and loving harmony be restored.</p>
+<p>Wilbur's lips trembled, too. He gazed at her for a moment
+without speaking, in conflict with himself; then passing his hand
+across his forehead, as though he would sweep away a misty spell
+from his eyes, said, "Be sensible, Selma. If we could be happy in
+Benham, we should be happy here."</p>
+<p>"Then you refuse?"</p>
+<p>"For the present, yes."</p>
+<p>"And I must remain here to be insulted&mdash;and a nobody."</p>
+<p>"For God's sake, Selma, let us not renew that discussion. What
+you ask is impossible at present, but I shall remember that it is
+your wish, and when I begin my work at Benham the circumstances and
+surroundings may be such that I shall feel willing to move."</p>
+<p>Selma turned to the table and took up a book, dissatisfied, yet
+buoyed by a new hope. She did not observe the tired lines on her
+husband's face&mdash;the weariness of a soul disappointed in its
+most precious aspirations.</p>
+<p>Within the next month it happened that a terrible and unusual
+fatality was the occasion of the death of both Mrs. Parsons and her
+daughter. They were killed by a fall of the elevator at the hotel
+in which they were living&mdash;one of those dire casualties which
+are liable to happen to any one of us in these days of swift and
+complicated apparatus, but which always seem remote from personal
+experience. This cruel blow of fate put an end to all desire on the
+part of the bereaved husband and father to remain in New York,
+whither he had come to live mainly to please his women folk, as he
+called them. As soon as he recovered from the bewilderment of the
+shock, Mr. Parsons sent for the architect who had taken Littleton's
+place, and who had just begun the subservient task of fusing
+diverse types of architecture in order to satisfy an American
+woman's appetite for startling effect, and told him to arrange to
+dispose of the lot and its immature walls to the highest bidder.
+His precise plans for the future were still uncertain when Selma
+called on him, and found comfort for her own miseries in
+ministering to his solitude, but he expressed an inclination to
+return to his native Western town, as the most congenial spot in
+which to end his days. Selma, whose soul was full of Benham,
+suggested it as an alternative, enlarging with contagious
+enthusiasm on its civic merits. The crushed old man listened with
+growing attention. Already the germs of a plan for the disposition
+of his large property were sprouting in his mind to provide him
+with a refuge from despondency. He was a reticent man, not in the
+habit of confiding his affairs until ready to act, but he paid
+interested heed to Selma's eulogy of the bustling energy and rapid
+growth of Benham. His preliminary thought had been that it would
+make him happy to endow his native town, which was a small and
+inconspicuous place, with a library building. But, as his visitor
+referred to the attractions and admirable public spirit of the
+thriving city, which was in the same State as his own home, he
+silently reasoned that residence there need not interfere with his
+original project, and that he might find a wide and more important
+field for his benefactions in a community so representative of
+American ideas and principles.</p>
+<p>Selma's visits of condolence to Mr. Parsons were interrupted by
+the illness of her own husband. In reflecting, subsequently, she
+remembered that he had seemed weary and out of sorts for several
+days, but her conscious attention was invoked by his coming home
+early in the afternoon, suffering from a violent chill, and
+manifestly in a state of physical collapse. He went to bed at once;
+Selma brought blankets and a hot-water bottle, and Dr. George Page
+was sent for. Dr. Page was the one of Littleton's friends whom
+Selma had unsuccessfully yearned to know better. She had never been
+able to understand him exactly, but he fascinated her in spite
+of&mdash;perhaps because of&mdash;his bantering manner. She found
+difficulty in reconciling it with his reputation for hard work and
+masterly skill in his profession. She was constantly hoping to
+extract from him something worthy of his large, solid face, with
+its firm mouth and general expression of reserve force, but he
+seemed always bent on talking nonsense in her society, and more
+than once the disagreeable thought had occurred to her that he was
+laughing at her. He had come to the house after her marriage now
+and then, but during the past year or two she had scarcely seen
+him. The last time when they had met, Selma had taxed him with his
+neglect of her.</p>
+<p>His reply had been characteristically elusive and
+unsatisfactory. "I will not attempt to frame excuses for my
+behavior, Mrs. Littleton, for no reason which I could offer would
+be a justification."</p>
+<p>But on the present occasion his greeting was grave and
+eager.</p>
+<p>"Wilbur sick? I feared as much. I warned Pauline two months ago
+that he was overworking, and only last week I told him that he
+would break down if he did not go away for a fortnight's rest."</p>
+<p>"I wish you had spoken to me."</p>
+<p>Selma noted with satisfaction that there was no raillery in his
+manner now. He bent his gaze on her searchingly.</p>
+<p>"Have you not noticed that he looked ill and tired?"</p>
+<p>She did not flinch. Why indeed should she? "A little. He tired
+himself, I think, over the designs for Wetmore College, which he
+did in addition to his other work. But since the award was made it
+has seemed to me that he was looking better."</p>
+<p>She started to lead the way to Wilbur's room, but the doctor
+paused, and regarding her again fixedly, as though he had formed a
+resolution to ferret the secrets of her soul, said laconically:</p>
+<p>"Is he happy?"</p>
+<p>"Happy?" she echoed.</p>
+<p>"Has he anything on his mind, I mean&mdash;anything except his
+work?"</p>
+<p>"Nothing&mdash;that is," she added, looking up at her inquisitor
+with bright, interested eyes, "nothing except that he is very
+conscientious&mdash;over-conscientious I sometimes think." To be
+bandying psychological analyses with this able man was an edifying
+experience despite her concern for Wilbur.</p>
+<p>"I see," he answered dryly, and for an instant there was a
+twinkle in his eyes. Yet he added, "To make a correct diagnosis it
+is important to know all the facts of the case."</p>
+<p>"Of course," she said solemnly, reassured in her belief that she
+was being consulted and was taking part in the treatment of her
+husband's malady.</p>
+<p>She accompanied Dr. Page to Wilbur's bed-side. He conversed in a
+cheery tone with his friend while he took his temperature and made
+what seemed to her a comparatively brief examination. Selma jumped
+to the conclusion that there was nothing serious the matter. The
+moment they had left the room, the doctor's manner changed, and he
+said with alert concern:</p>
+<p>"Your husband is very ill; he has pneumonia. I am going to send
+for a nurse."</p>
+<p>"A nurse? I will nurse him myself, Dr. Page."</p>
+<p>It seemed to her the obvious thing to do. She spoke proudly, for
+it flashed into her mind that here was the opportunity to redeem
+the situation with Wilbur. She would tend him devotedly and when he
+had been restored to health by her loving skill, perhaps he would
+appreciate her at her worth, and recognize that she had thwarted
+him only to help him.</p>
+<p>The doctor's brow darkened, and he said with an emphasis which
+was almost stern: "Mrs. Littleton, I do not wish to alarm you, but
+it is right that you should know that Wilbur's symptoms are grave.
+I hope to save his life, but it can be saved only by trained skill
+and attendance. Inexperienced assistance, however devoted, would be
+of no use in a case like this."</p>
+<p>"But I only wished to nurse him."</p>
+<p>"I know it; I understand perfectly. You supposed that anyone
+could do that. At least that you could. I shall return in an hour
+at the latest with a nurse who was trained for three years in a
+hospital to fit her to battle for valuable lives."</p>
+<p>Selma flushed with annoyance. She felt that she was being
+ridiculed and treated as though she were an incapable doll. She
+divined that by his raillery he had been making fun of her, and
+forthwith her predilection was turned to resentment. Not nurse her
+husband? Did this brow-beating doctor realize that, as a girl, she
+had been the constant attendant of her invalid father, and that
+more than once it had occurred to her that her true mission in life
+might be to become a nurse? Training? She would prove to him that
+she needed no further training. These were her thoughts, and she
+felt like crying, because he had humiliated her at a time like
+this. Yet she had let Dr. Page go without a word. She returned to
+Wilbur and established herself beside his bed. He tried to smile at
+her coming.</p>
+<p>"I think I shall be better to-morrow. It is only a heavy cold,"
+he said, but already he found difficulty in speaking.</p>
+<p>"I have come to nurse you. The blankets and hot-water bottle
+have made you warmer, haven't they? Nod; you mustn't talk."</p>
+<p>"Yes," he whispered huskily.</p>
+<p>She felt his forehead, and it was burning. She took his hand and
+saying, "Sh! You ought not to talk," held it in her own. Then there
+was silence save for Wilbur's uneasy turning. It was plain that he
+was very uncomfortable. She realized that he was growing worse, and
+though she chose to believe that the doctor had exaggerated the
+seriousness of the case in order to affront her, the thought came
+that he might die. She had never considered such a possibility
+before. What should she do? She would be a widow without children
+and without means, for she knew that Wilbur had laid up little if
+anything. She would have to begin life over again&mdash;a pathetic
+prospect, yet interesting. Even this conjecture of such a dire
+result conjured up a variety of possible methods of livelihood and
+occupation which sped through her mind.</p>
+<p>The return of Dr. Page with a nurse cut short these painful yet
+engrossing speculations. His offensive manner appeared to have
+exhausted itself, but he proceeded to install his companion in
+Wilbur's room. Selma would have liked to turn her out of the house,
+but realized that she could not run the risk of taking issue with
+him at a time when her husband's life might be in danger. With an
+injured air yet in silence she beheld the deliberate yet swift
+preparations. Once or twice Dr. Page asked her to procure for him
+some article or appliance likely to be in the house, speaking with
+a crisp, business-like preoccupation which virtually ignored her
+existence, yet was free from offence. His soul evidently was
+absorbed by his patient, whom he observed with alert watchfulness,
+issuing brief directions now and then to his white-capped,
+methodical, and noiseless assistant. Selma sat with her hands
+before her in a corner of the bed-room, practically ignored. The
+shadows deepened and a maid announced dinner. Dr. Page looked at
+his watch.</p>
+<p>"I shall pass the night here," he said.</p>
+<p>"Is he worse?"</p>
+<p>"The disease is making progress and must run its course. This is
+only the beginning. You should eat your dinner, for you will need
+your strength," he added with simple graciousness.</p>
+<p>"But I am doing nothing," she blurted.</p>
+<p>"If there is anything you can do I will let you know."</p>
+<p>Their eyes met. His were gray and steady, but kind. She felt
+that he chose to treat her like a child, yet that he was trying to
+be considerate. She was galled, but after all, he was the doctor,
+and Wilbur had the utmost confidence in him, so she must submit.
+She ate her dinner, and when she returned preparations were being
+made for the night. The nurse was to use a lounge at the foot of
+Wilbur's bed. Dr. Page asked permission to occupy the dressing-room
+adjoining, so as to be within easy call. He established himself
+there with a book, returning at short intervals to look at his
+patient. Selma had resumed her seat. It was dark save for a night
+lamp. In the stillness the only sounds were the ticking of the
+clock on the mantel-piece and Wilbur's labored breathing. It seemed
+as though he were struggling for his life. What should she do if he
+died? Why was she debarred from tending him? It was cruel. Tears
+fell on her hand. She stared into the darkness, twisting her
+fingers, until at last, as though to show her independence, she
+stepped to the bed on tip-toe. Wilbur's eyes were open. He put out
+his hand, and, taking hers, touched it to his burning lips.</p>
+<p>"Good-night, Selma," he murmured.</p>
+<p>She stooped and kissed his brow. "I am here beside you,
+Wilbur."</p>
+<p>A figure stood behind her. She turned, expecting to encounter
+the white-capped sentinel. It was Dr. Page. He touched her gently
+on the arm. "We must let him rest now. You can do no good. Won't
+you go to bed?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, no. I shall sit with him all night."</p>
+<p>"Very well. But it is important that you should not speak to
+him," he said with another touch of emphasis.</p>
+<p>She resumed her seat and sat out the night, wide-awake and
+conscious of each movement on Wilbur's part. He was restless and
+moaning. Twice the nurse summoned the doctor, and two or three
+times he came to the bed-side of his own accord. She felt slighted,
+and once, when it seemed to her that Wilbur was in distress and
+anxious for something, she forestalled the nurse.</p>
+<p>"He wishes water," Selma said sternly, and she fetched a glass
+from the table and let him drink.</p>
+<p>Dr. Page took breakfast with her. She was conscious that somehow
+her vigil had affected his estimate of her, for his speech was
+frank and direct, as though he considered her now more fit to be
+treated with confidence.</p>
+<p>"He is very ill, but he is holding his own. If you will lie down
+for a few hours, I will call you to take Miss Barker's place while
+she rests."</p>
+<p>This was gratifying, and tended to assuage her bitterness. But
+the doctor appeared to her anxious, and spent only a few minutes at
+table. He said as he rose,</p>
+<p>"Excuse me, but Pauline&mdash;does she know?"</p>
+<p>"I will send her word."</p>
+<p>Selma would have been glad to dispense with the presence of her
+sister-in-law. Their relations had not been sympathetic since the
+episode of Miss Bailey, and, though Pauline still dined at the
+house once a week, the intercourse between them had become reserved
+and perfunctory. She grudged sharing with her what might be
+Wilbur's last hours. She grudged, too, permitting her to help to
+nurse him, especially now that her own capabilities were in the way
+of being recognized, for she remembered Dr. Page's partiality for
+her. Still, she appreciated that she must let her know.</p>
+<p>Pauline arrived speedily, and Selma found herself sobbing in her
+arms. She was pleased by this rush of feeling on her own part, and,
+confirmed in her belief that her sister-in-law was cold because she
+did not break down, and, shrinking from her efforts to comfort her,
+she quickly regained her self-control. Pauline seemed composed and
+cheerful, but the unceasing watchfulness and manifest tension of
+the doctor were disconcerting, and as the afternoon shadows
+deepened, the two women sat grave and silent, appalled by the
+suspicion that Wilbur's condition was eminently critical. Yet Dr.
+Page volunteered to say to them presently:</p>
+<p>"If his heart holds out, I am hopeful that he will pull
+through."</p>
+<p>Dr. Page had given up all his duties for the sake of Wilbur. He
+never left the house, manifestly devoting, as shown by the
+unflagging, absorbed scrutiny with which he noted every symptom and
+change, the fullest measure of his professional skill and a
+heart-felt purpose to save his friend's life if human brain or
+human concentration could avail. And yet he stated to Pauline in
+Selma's hearing that, beyond keeping up the patient's strength by
+stimulants, science was practically helpless, and that all they
+could do was to wait.</p>
+<p>And so they sat, still and unemployed watchers, while day turned
+into darkness. From time to time, by the night-lamp, Selma saw
+Pauline smiling at her as though in defiance of whatever fate might
+have in store. Selma herself felt the inclination neither to smile
+nor to weep. She sat looking before her with her hands clasped,
+resenting the powerlessness of the few remedies used, and impatient
+of the inactivity and relentless silence. Why did not the doctor
+adopt more stringent measures? Surely there was something to be
+done to enable Wilbur to combat the disease. Dr. Page had the
+reputation of being a skilful physician, and, presumably, was doing
+his best; but was it not possible, was it not sensible, to suppose
+there was a different and better way of treating pneumonia&mdash;a
+way which was as superior to the conventional and stereotyped
+method as the true American point of view was superior in other
+matters?</p>
+<p>It came over her as a conviction that if she were
+elsewhere&mdash;in Benham, for instance&mdash;her husband could be
+readily and brilliantly cured. This impassive mode of treatment
+seemed to her of one piece with the entire Littleton surroundings,
+the culmination of which was Pauline smiling in the face of death.
+She yearned to do something active and decided. Yet, how helpless
+she was! This arbitrary doctor was following his own dictates
+without a word to anyone, and without suspecting the existence of
+wiser expedients.</p>
+<p>In a moment of rebellion she rose, and swiftly approaching
+Wilbur's bed, exclaimed, fervently: "Is there not something we can
+do for you, darling? Something you feel will do you good?"</p>
+<p>The sufferer faintly smiled and feebly shook his head, and at
+the same moment she was drawn away by a firm hand, and Dr. Page
+whispered: "He is very weak. Entire rest is his only chance. The
+least exertion is a drain on his vitality."</p>
+<p>"Surely there must be some medicine&mdash;some powerful
+application which will help his breathing," she retorted, and she
+detected again the semblance of laughter in the doctor's eyes.</p>
+<p>"Everything which modern science can do is being done, Mrs.
+Littleton."</p>
+<p>What was there but to resume her seat and helpless vigil? Modern
+science? The word grated on her ears. It savored to her of narrow
+medical tyranny, and distrust of aspiring individuality. Wilbur was
+dying, and all modern science saw fit to do was to give him brandy
+and wait. And she, his wife&mdash;the one who loved him best in the
+world, was powerless to intervene. Nay, she had intervened, and
+modern science had mocked her.</p>
+<p>Selma's eyes, like the glint of two swords, bent themselves on
+her husband's bed. A righteous anger reinforced her grieving heart
+and made her spirit militant, while the creeping hours passed. Over
+and over she pursued the tenor of her protest until her wearied
+system sought refuge in sleep. She was not conscious of slumbering,
+but she reasoned later that she must have slept, for she suddenly
+became conscious of a touch on the shoulder and a vibrant utterance
+of her name.</p>
+<p>"Selma, Selma, you must come at once."</p>
+<p>Her returning wits realized that it was Pauline who was arousing
+her and urging her to Wilbur's bed-side. She sprang forward, and
+saw the light of existence fading from her husband's eyes into the
+mute dulness of death. Dr. Page was bending over him in a
+desperate, but vain, effort to force some restorative between his
+lips. At the foot of the bed stood the nurse, with an expression
+which betrayed what had occurred.</p>
+<p>"What is it, Wilbur? What have they done to you? What has
+happened?" Selma cried, looking from one to the other, though she
+had discerned the truth in a flash. As she spoke, Dr. Page desisted
+from his undertaking, and stepped back from the bed, and instantly
+Selma threw herself on her knees and pressed her face upon
+Littleton's lifeless features. There was no response. His spirit
+had departed.</p>
+<p>"His heart could not stand the strain. That is the great peril
+in pneumonia," she heard the doctor murmur.</p>
+<p>"He is dead," she cried, in a horrified outburst, and she looked
+up at the pitying group with the gaze of an afflicted lioness. She
+caught sight of Pauline smiling through her tears&mdash;that same
+unprotesting, submissive smile&mdash;and holding out her hands to
+her. Selma, rising, turned away, and as her sister-in-law sought to
+put her arm about her, evaded the caress.</p>
+<p>"No&mdash;no," she said. Then facing her, added, with aggrieved
+conviction:</p>
+<p>"I cannot believe that Wilbur's death was necessary. Why was not
+something energetic done?"</p>
+<p>Pauline flushed, but, ascribing the calumny to distress, she
+held her peace, and said, simply:</p>
+<p>"Sh! dear. You will understand better by and by."</p>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="BOOK_III" id="BOOK_III"></a><i>BOOK III.</i></h2>
+<h2>THE SUCCESS</h2>
+<h3>CHAPTER I.</h3>
+<p>It had never occurred to Selma that she might lose her husband.
+Even with his shortcomings he was so important to her from the
+point of view of support, and her scheme of life was so interwoven
+with his, she had taken for granted that he would live as long as
+she desired. She felt that destiny had a second time been signally
+cruel to her, and that she was drinking deeply of the cup of
+sorrow. She was convinced that Wilbur, had he lived, would have
+moved presently to Benham, in accordance with her desire, and that
+they would then have been completely happy again. Instead he was
+dead and under the sod, and she was left to face the world with no
+means save $5,000 from his life insurance and the natural gifts and
+soul which God had given her.</p>
+<p>She appreciated that she was still a comparatively young woman,
+and that, notwithstanding her love for Wilbur, she had been unable
+as his wife to exhibit herself to the world in her true light. She
+was free once more to lead her own life, and to obtain due
+recognition for her ideas and principles. She deplored with a grief
+which depleted the curve of her oval cheeks the premature end of
+her husband's artistic career&mdash;an aspiring soul cut off on the
+threshold of success&mdash;yet, though of course she never squarely
+made the reflection, she was aware that the development of her own
+life was more intrinsically valuable to the world than his, and
+that of the two it was best that he should be taken. She was sad,
+sore against Providence, and uncertain as to the future. But she
+was keenly conscious that she had a future, and she was eager to be
+stirring. Still, for the moment, the outlook was perplexing. What
+was she to do? First, and certainly, she desired to shake the dust
+of New York from her feet at the earliest opportunity. She inclined
+toward Benham as a residence, and to the lecture platform,
+supplemented by literature, and perhaps eventually the stage, as a
+means of livelihood. She believed in her secret soul that she could
+act. Her supposed facility in acquiring the New York manner had
+helped to generate that impression. It seemed to her more than
+probable that with a little instruction as to technical stage
+business she could gain fame and fortune almost at once as an
+actress of tragedy or melodrama. Comedy she despised as unworthy of
+her. But the stage appealed to her only on the ground of income.
+The life of an actress lacked the ethical character which she liked
+to associate with whatever she did. To be sure, a great actress was
+an inspiring influence. Nevertheless she preferred some more
+obviously improving occupation, provided it would afford a suitable
+support. Yet was it fitting that she should be condemned to do hack
+work for her daily bread instead of something to enlighten and
+uplift the community in which she lived? She considered that she
+had served her apprenticeship by teaching school and writing for
+the newspapers, and she begrudged spending further time in
+subordinate work. Better on the whole a striking success on the
+stage than this, for after she had made a name and money she could
+retire and devote herself to more congenial undertakings.
+Nevertheless her conscience told her that a theatrical career must
+be regarded as a last resort, and she appreciated the importance of
+not making a hasty decision as to what she would do. The lease of
+her house would not expire for six months, and it seemed to her
+probable that even in New York, where she was not understood,
+someone would realize her value as a manager of some intellectual
+or literary movement and make overtures to her. She wrote to Mrs.
+Earle and received a cordial response declaring that Benham would
+welcome her with open arms, a complimentary though somewhat vague
+certificate. She sent a line also to Mr. Dennison, informing him
+that she hoped soon to submit some short stories for his magazine,
+and received a guarded but polite reply to the effect that he would
+be glad to read her manuscripts.</p>
+<p>While she was thus deliberating and winding up her husband's
+affairs, Mr. Parsons, who had been absent from New York at the time
+of Wilbur's decease, called and bluntly made the announcement that
+he had bought a house in Benham, was to move there immediately, and
+was desirous that she should live with him as his companion and
+housekeeper on liberal pecuniary terms.</p>
+<p>"I am an old man," he said, "and my health is not what it used
+to be. I need someone to look after me and to keep me company. I
+like your chatty ways, and, if I have someone smart and brisk
+around like you, I sha'n't be thinking so often that I'm all alone
+in the world. It'll be dull for you, I guess; but you'll be keeping
+quiet for the present wherever you are; and when the time comes
+that you wish to take notice again I won't stand in the way of your
+amusing yourself."</p>
+<p>To this homely plea Selma returned a beatific smile. It struck
+her as an ideal arrangement; a golden opportunity for him, and
+convenient and promising for her. In the first place she was
+accorded the mission of cheering and guarding the declining years
+of this fine old man, whom she had come to look on with esteem and
+liking. And at the same time as his companion&mdash;the virtual
+mistress of his house, for she knew perfectly well that as a
+genuine American he was not offering her a position less than
+this&mdash;she would be able to shape her life gradually along
+congenial lines, and to wait for the ripe occasion for usefulness
+to present itself. In an instant a great load was lifted from her
+spirit. She was thankful to be spared conscientious qualms
+concerning the career of an actress, and thankful to be freed at
+one bound from her New York associations&mdash;especially with
+Pauline, whose attitude toward her had been further strained by her
+continued conviction that Wilbur's life might have been saved.
+Indeed, so completely alleviating was Mr. Parsons's proposition
+that, stimulated by the thought that he was to be a greater gainer
+from the plan than she, Selma gave rein to her emotions by
+exclaiming with fervor:</p>
+<p>"Usually I like to think important plans over before coming to a
+decision; but this arrangement seems to me so sensible and natural
+and mutually advantageous, Mr. Parsons, that I see no reason why I
+shouldn't accept your offer now. God grant that I may be a worthy
+daughter to you&mdash;and in some measure take the place of the
+dear ones you have lost."</p>
+<p>"That's what I want," he said. "I took a liking to you the first
+time we met. Then it's settled?"</p>
+<p>"Yes. I suppose," she added, after a moment's
+hesitation&mdash;speaking with an accent of scorn&mdash;"I suppose
+there may be people&mdash;people like those who are called
+fashionable here&mdash;who will criticise the arrangement on the
+ground&mdash;er&mdash;of propriety, because I'm not a relation, and
+you are not very old. But I despise conventions such as that. They
+may be necessary for foreigners; but they are not meant for
+self-respecting American women. I fancy my sister-in-law may not
+wholly approve of it, but I don't know. I shall take pleasure in
+showing her and the rest that it would be wicked as well as foolish
+to let a flimsy suggestion of evil interfere with the happiness of
+two people situated as we are."</p>
+<p>Mr. Parsons seemed puzzled at first, as though he did not
+understand exactly what she meant, but when she concluded he
+said:</p>
+<p>"You come to me, as you have yourself stated, on the footing of
+a daughter. If folk are not content to mind their own business, I
+guess we needn't worry because they don't happen to be suited.
+There's one or two relations of mine would be glad to be in your
+shoes, but I don't know of anything in the Bible or the
+Constitution of the United States which forbids an old man from
+choosing the face he'll have opposite to him at table."</p>
+<p>"Or forbids the interchange of true sympathy&mdash;that
+priceless privilege," answered Selma, her liking for a sententious
+speech rising paramount even to the pleasure caused her by the
+allusion to her personal appearance. Nevertheless it was agreeable
+to be preferred to his female cousins on the score of
+comeliness.</p>
+<p>Accordingly, within six months of her husband's death, the
+transition to Benham was accomplished, and Selma was able to
+encounter the metaphorically open arms, referred to by Mrs. Earle,
+without feeling that she was a less important person than when she
+had been whisked off as a bride by Littleton, the rising architect.
+She was returning as the confidential, protecting companion of a
+successful, self-made old man, who was relying on her to make his
+new establishment a pleasure to himself and a credit to the
+wide-awake city in which he had elected to pass his remaining days.
+She was returning to a house on the River Drive (the aristocratic
+boulevard of Benham, where the river Nye makes a broad sweep to the
+south); a house not far distant from the Flagg mansion at which, as
+Mrs. Lewis Babcock, she had looked askance as a monument inimical
+to democratic simplicity. Wilbur had taught her that it was very
+ugly, and now that she saw it again after a lapse of years she was
+pleased to note that her new residence, though slightly smaller,
+had a more modern and distinguished air.</p>
+<p>The new house was of rough-hewn red sandstone, combining solid
+dignity and some artistic merit, for Benham had not stood still
+architecturally speaking. The River Drive was a grotesque, yet on
+the whole encouraging exhibit. Most of the residences had been
+designed by native talent, but under the spur of experiment even
+the plain, hard-headed builders had been constrained to dub
+themselves "architects," and adopt modern methods; and here and
+there stood evidences that the seed planted by Mrs. Hallett Taylor
+and Littleton had borne fruit, for Benham possessed at least half a
+dozen private houses which could defy criticism.</p>
+<p>The one selected by Mr. Parsons was not of these half dozen; but
+the plain, hard-headed builder who had erected it for the original
+owner was shrewd and imitative, and had avoided ambitious
+deviations from the type he wished to copy&mdash;the red sandstone,
+swell front variety, which ten years before would have seemed to
+the moral sense of Benham unduly cheerful. Mr. Parsons was so
+fortunate as to be able to buy it just after it had been completed,
+together with a stable and half an acre of ground, from one of the
+few Benhamites whose financial ventures had ended in disaster, and
+who was obliged to sell. It was a more ambitious residence than Mr.
+Parsons had desired, but it was the most available, inasmuch as he
+could occupy it at once. It had been painted and decorated within,
+but was unfurnished. Mr. Parsons, as a practical business man,
+engaged the builder to select and supply the bedroom and solid
+fittings, but it occurred to him to invite Selma to choose the
+furnishings for what he called the show rooms.</p>
+<p>Selma was delighted to visit once more the New York stores, free
+from the bridle of Wilbur's criticism and unrestrained by economy.
+She found to her satisfaction that the internal decoration of the
+new house was not unlike that of the Williamses' first
+habitation&mdash;that is, gay and bedizened; and she was resolved
+in the selection of her draperies and ornaments to buy things which
+suggested by their looks that they were handsome, and whose claim
+to distinction was not mere sober unobtrusiveness. She realized
+that some of her purchases would have made Wilbur squirm, but since
+his death she felt more sure than ever that even where art was
+concerned his taste was subdued, timid, and unimaginative. For
+instance, she believed that he would not have approved her choice
+of light-blue satin for the upholstery of the drawing-room, nor of
+a marble statue&mdash;an allegorical figure of Truth, duly draped,
+as its most conspicuous ornament.</p>
+<p>Selma was spared the embarrassment of her first husband's
+presence. Divorce is no bar to ordinary feminine curiosity as to
+the whereabouts of a former partner for life, and she had proved no
+exception to the rule. Mrs. Earle had kept her posted as to
+Babcock's career since their separation, and what she learned had
+tended merely to demonstrate the wisdom and justice of her action.
+As a divorced man he had, after a time, resumed the free and easy,
+coarse companionship to which he had been partial before his
+marriage, and had gradually become a heavy drinker. Presently he
+had neglected his business, a misfortune of which a rival concern
+had been quick to take advantage. The trend of his affairs had been
+steadily downhill, and had come to a crisis three months before
+Littleton's death, when, in order to avoid insolvency, he sold out
+his factory and business to the rival company, and accepted at the
+same hands the position of manager in a branch office in a city
+further west. Consequently, Selma could feel free from molestation
+or an appeal to her sensibilities. She preferred to think of
+Babcock as completely outside her life, as dead to her, and she
+would have disliked the possibility of meeting him in the flesh
+while shopping on Central avenue. It had been the only drawback to
+her proposed return to Benham.</p>
+<p>During the years of Selma's second marriage Benham had waxed
+rapidly in population and importance. People had been attracted
+thither by the varied industries of the city&mdash;alike those in
+search of fortune, and those offering themselves for employment in
+the mills, oil-works, and pork factories; and at the date of
+Littleton's death it boasted over one hundred and fifty thousand
+inhabitants. It was already the second city of the State in point
+of population, and was freely acknowledged to be the most
+wide-awake and enterprising. The civic spirit of Benham was reputed
+to be constantly and increasingly alert and progressive,
+notwithstanding the river Nye still ran the color of bean-soup
+above where it was drawn for drinking purposes, and the ability of
+a plumber, who had become an alderman, to provide a statue or lay
+out a public park was still unquestioned by the majority. Even
+to-day, when trained ability has obtained recognition in many
+quarters, the Benhamites at large are apt to resent criticism as
+aristocratic fault-finding; yet at this time that saving minority
+of souls who refused to regard everything which Benham did as
+perfection, and whose subsequent forlorn hopes and desperately won
+victories have little by little taught the community wisdom, if not
+modesty, was beginning to utter disagreeable strictures.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle, when she opened her arms to Selma
+and folded her to her bosom with a hug of welcome, was raging
+inwardly against this minority, and they had not been many minutes
+together before she gave utterance to her grievance.</p>
+<p>"You have come just in time to give us your sympathy and support
+in an important matter, my dear. Miss Bailey has been nominated for
+the School Board at the instance of the Executive Committee of the
+Benham Institute. We supposed that she would have plain sailing,
+for many of the voters have begun to recognize the justice of
+having one or two women on the School Board, and by hard work we
+had succeeded in getting her name put on the Democratic ticket.
+Judge, then, of our feelings when we learned that the Reform Club
+had decided to blacklist and refuse to support at the polls three
+of the six names on the ticket, including our Luella Bailey, on the
+ground of lack of experience in educational matters. The Reform
+Club has nominated three other persons&mdash;one of them a woman.
+And who do you suppose is the head and front of this unholy
+crusade?"</p>
+<p>"It sounds like Mrs. Hallett Taylor," answered Selma,
+sternly.</p>
+<p>"How did you know? What made you think so? How clever of you,
+Selma! Yes, she is the active spirit."</p>
+<p>"It was she who was at the bottom of Miss Bailey's rejection
+when she was my candidate for a position at Everdean College."</p>
+<p>"To be sure. I remember. This Reform Club, which was started a
+year or so ago, and which sets itself up as a censor of what we are
+trying to do in Benham, has nominated a Miss Snow, who is said to
+have travelled abroad studying the school systems of Europe."</p>
+<p>"As if that would help us in any way."</p>
+<p>"Precisely. She has probably come home with her head full of
+queer-fangled notions which would be out of keeping with our
+institutions. Just the reason why she shouldn't be chosen. We are
+greatly troubled as to the result, dear, for though we expect to
+win, the prejudice of some men against voting for a woman under any
+circumstances will operate against our candidate, so that this
+action of the Reform Club may possibly be the means of electing one
+of the men on the Republican ticket instead of Luella. Miss Snow
+hasn't the ghost of a chance. But that isn't all. These Reform Club
+nominations are preliminary to a bill before the Legislature to
+take away from the people the right to elect members of the school
+committee, and substitute an appointive board of specialists to
+serve during long terms of good behavior. As Mr. Lyons says, that's
+the real issue involved. It's quixotic and it isn't necessary.
+Haven't we always prided ourselves on our ability to keep our
+public schools the best in the world? And is there any doubt,
+Selma, that either you or I would be fully qualified to serve on
+the School Board though we haven't made any special study of
+primers and geographies? Luella Bailey hasn't had any special
+training, but she's smart and progressive, and the poor thing would
+like the recognition. We fixed on her because we thought it would
+help her to get ahead, for she has not been lucky in obtaining
+suitable employment. As Mr. Lyons says, a serious principle is
+involved. He has come out strong against the movement and declares
+that it is a direct menace to the intelligence of the plain people
+of the United States and a subtle invasion of their liberties."</p>
+<p>"Mr. Lyons? What Mr. Lyons is that?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, dear, it is the same one who managed your affair. Your Mr.
+Lyons. He has become an important man since you left Benham. He
+speaks delightfully, and is likely to receive the next Democratic
+nomination for Congress. He is in accord with all liberal
+movements, and a foe of everything exclusive, unchristian or
+arbitrary. He has declared his intention to oppose the bill when it
+is introduced, and I shall devote myself body and soul to working
+against it in case Luella Bailey is defeated. It is awkward because
+Mrs. Taylor is a member of the Institute, though she doesn't often
+come, and the club has never been in politics. But here when there
+was a chance to do Luella Bailey a good turn, and I'd been able
+through some of my newspaper friends to get her on the ticket, it
+seems to me positively unchristian&mdash;yes, that's the
+word&mdash;to try to keep her off the board. There are some things
+of course, Luella couldn't do&mdash;and if the position were
+superintendent of a hospital, for instance, I dare say that special
+training would be advantageous, though nursing can be picked up
+very rapidly by a keen intelligence: but to raise such objections
+in regard to a candidate for the School Board seems to me
+ridiculous as well as cruel. What we need there are open, receptive
+minds, free from fads and prejudice&mdash;wide-awake, progressive
+enthusiastic intellects. It worries me to see the Institute dragged
+into politics, but it is my duty to resist this undemocratic
+movement."</p>
+<p>"Surely," exclaimed Selma, with fire. "I am thankful I have come
+in time to help you. I understand exactly. I have been passing
+through just such experiences in New York&mdash;encountering and
+being rebuffed by just such people as those who belong to this
+Reform Club. My husband was beginning to see through them and to
+recognize that we were both tied hand and foot by their narrowness
+and lack of enthusiasm when he died. If he had lived, we would have
+moved to Benham shortly in order to escape from bondage. And one
+thing is certain, dear Mrs. Earle," she continued with intensity,
+"we must not permit this carping spirit of hostility to original
+and spontaneous effort to get a foothold in Benham. We must crush
+it, we must stamp it out."</p>
+<p>"Amen, my dear. I am delighted to hear you talk like that. I
+declare you would be very effective in public if you were
+roused."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I am roused, and I am willing to speak in public if it
+becomes necessary in order to keep Benham uncontaminated by the
+insidious canker of exclusiveness and the distrust of aspiring
+souls which a few narrow minds choose to term untrained. Am
+<i>I</i> untrained? Am <i>I</i> superficial and common? Do <i>I</i>
+lack the appearance and behavior of a lady?"</p>
+<p>Selma accompanied these interrogatories with successive waves of
+the hand, as though she were branding so many falsehoods.</p>
+<p>"Assuredly not, Selma. I consider you"&mdash;and here Mrs. Earle
+gasped in the process of choosing her words&mdash;"I consider you
+one of our best trained and most independent minds&mdash;cultured,
+a friend of culture, and an earnest seeker after truth. If you are
+not a lady, neither am I, neither is anyone in Benham. Why do you
+ask, dear?" And without waiting for an answer, Mrs. Earle added
+with a touch of material wisdom, "You return to Benham under
+satisfactory, I might say, brilliant auspices. You will be the
+active spirit in this fine house, and be in a position to promote
+worthy intellectual and moral movements."</p>
+<p>"Thank heavens, yes. And to combat those which are unworthy and
+dangerous," exclaimed Selma, clasping her fingers, "I can count on
+the support of Mr. Parsons, God bless him! And it would seem at
+last as if I had, a real chance&mdash;a real chance at last. Mrs.
+Earle&mdash;Cora&mdash;I know you can keep a secret. I feel almost
+as though you were my mother, for there is no one else now to whom
+I can talk like this. I have not been happy in New York. I thought
+I was happy at first, but lately we have been miserable. My
+marriage&mdash;er&mdash;they drove my husband to the wall, and
+killed him. He was sensitive and noble, but not practical, and he
+fell a victim to the mercenary despotism of our surroundings. When
+I tried to help him they became jealous of me, and shut their doors
+in our faces."</p>
+<p>"You poor, poor child. I have suspected for some time that
+something was wrong."</p>
+<p>"It nearly killed me. But now, thank heaven, I breathe freely
+once more. I have lost my dear husband, but I have escaped from
+that prison-house; and with his memory to keep me merciless, I am
+eager to wage war against those influences which are conspiring to
+fetter the free-born soul and stifle spontaneity. Luella Bailey
+must be elected, and these people be taught that foreign ideas may
+flourish in New York, but cannot obtain root in Benham."</p>
+<p>Mrs. Earle wiped her eyes, which were running over as the result
+of this combination of confidence and eloquence.</p>
+<p>"If you don't mind my saying so, Selma, I never saw anyone so
+much improved as you. You always had ideas, and were well equipped,
+but now you speak as though you could remove mountains if
+necessary. It's a blessing for us as well as you that you're back
+among us once more."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3>
+<p>When Selma uttered her edict that Luella Bailey must be elected
+she did not know that the election was only three days off. When
+she was told this by Mrs. Earle, she cast about feverishly during a
+few hours for the means to compass certain victory, then promptly
+and sensibly disclaimed responsibility for the result, suggesting
+even that her first appearance as a remover of mountains be
+deferred to the time when the bill should be before the
+Legislature. As she aptly explained to Mrs. Earle, the canvass was
+virtually at an end, she was unacquainted with the practical
+features of the situation, and was to all intents a stranger in
+Benham after so long an absence. Mrs. Earle was unable to combat
+the logic of these representations, but she obtained from Selma a
+ready promise to accompany the Benham Institute to the final rally
+on the evening before election day and sit in a prominent place on
+the platform. The Institute was to attend as a body by way of
+promoting the cause of its candidate, for though the meeting was
+called in aid of the entire Democratic municipal ticket, Hon. James
+O. Lyons, the leading orator of the occasion, had promised to
+devote special attention to Miss Bailey, whose election, owing to
+the attitude of the Reform Club, was recognized as in doubt. Selma
+also agreed to accompany Mrs. Earle in a hack on the day itself,
+and career through the city in search of recalcitrant or
+indifferent female voters, for the recently acquired right of
+Benham women to vote for members of the School Board had not as yet
+been exercised by any considerable number of the emancipated
+sex.</p>
+<p>As a part of the programme of the meeting the Benham Institute,
+or the major portion of it (for there were a few who sympathized
+openly with Mrs. Taylor), filed showily on to the platform headed
+by Mrs. Earle, who waved her pocket handkerchief at the audience,
+which was the occasion for renewed hand-clapping and enthusiasm.
+Selma walked not far behind and took her seat among the forty other
+members, who all wore white silk badges stamped in red with the
+sentiment "A vote for Luella Bailey is a vote for the liberty of
+the people." Her pulses were throbbing with interest and pleasure.
+This was the sort of thing she delighted in, and which she had
+hoped would be a frequent incident of her life in New York. It
+pleased her to think how naturally and easily she had taken her
+place in the ranks of these earnest, enthusiastic workers, and that
+she had merely to express a wish in order to have leadership urged
+upon her. Matters had shaped themselves exactly as she desired. Mr.
+Parsons not only treated her completely as an equal, but consulted
+her in regard to everything. He had already become obviously
+dependent on her, and had begun to develop the tendencies of an
+invalid.</p>
+<p>The exercises were of a partisan cast. The theory that municipal
+government should be independent of party politics had been an
+adage in Benham since its foundation, and been disregarded annually
+by nine-tenths of the population ever since. This was a Democratic
+love-feast. The speakers and the audience alike were in the best of
+spirits, for there was no uncertainty in the minds of the party
+prophets as to the result of the morrow's ballot&mdash;excepting
+with regard to Miss Bailey. The rest of the ticket would
+unquestionably be elected; accordingly all hands and voices were
+free to focus their energies in her behalf and thus make the
+victory a clean sweep. Nevertheless the earlier speakers felt
+obliged to let their eloquence flow over the whole range of
+political misgovernment from the White House and the national
+platform down, although the actual issue was the choice of a mayor,
+twelve aldermen and a school committee, so that only casual
+reference was made to the single weak spot on the ticket until the
+Hon. James O. Lyons rose to address the meeting. The reception
+accorded him was more spontaneous and effusive than that which had
+been bestowed on either of his predecessors, and as he stood
+waiting with dignified urbanity for the applause to subside, some
+rapturous admirer called for three cheers, and the tumult was
+renewed.</p>
+<p>Selma was thrilled. Her acquaintance with Mr. Lyons naturally
+heightened her interest, and she observed him eagerly. Time had
+added to his corporeal weight since he had acted as her counsel,
+and enhanced the sober yet genial decorum of his bearing. His
+slightly pontifical air seemed an assurance against ill-timed
+levity. His cheeks were still fat and smooth shaven, but, like many
+of the successful men of Benham, he now wore a chin beard&mdash;a
+thick tuft of hair which in his case tapered so that it bore some
+resemblance to the beard of a goat, and gave a rough-and-ready
+aspect to his appearance suggestive alike of smart, solid worth and
+an absence of dandified tendencies. Mr. Parsons had a thicker beard
+of the same character, which Selma regarded with favor as a badge
+of serious intentions.</p>
+<p>"My friends," he began when the applause had subsided; then
+paused and surveyed his audience in a manner which left them in
+doubt as to whether he was struggling with emotion or busy in
+silent prayer. "My friends, a month ago to-day the citizens of
+Benham assembled to crown with appropriate and beautiful services
+the monument which they, the survivors, have erected with pious
+hands to perpetuate the memory of those who laid down their lives
+to keep intact our beloved union of States and to banish slavery
+forever from the confines of our aspiring civilization. A week ago
+an equally representative assembly, without regard to creed or
+party, listened to the exercises attending the dedication of the
+new Court House which we have raised to Justice&mdash;that
+white-robed goddess, the guardian of the liberties of the people.
+Each was a notable and significant event. On each occasion I had
+the honor to say a few poor words. We celebrated with bowed heads
+and with garlands the deeds of the heroic dead, and now have
+consecrated ourselves to the opportunities and possibilities of
+peace under the law&mdash;to the revelation of the temper of our
+new civilization which, tried in the furnace of war, is to be a
+grand and vital power for the advancement of the human race, for
+the righteous furtherance of the brotherhood of man. What is the
+hope of the world?" he asked. "America&mdash;these United States, a
+bulwark against tyranny, an asylum for the aspiring and the
+downtrodden. The eyes of the nations are upon us. In the souls of
+the survivors and of the sons and daughters of the patriots who
+have died in defence of the liberties of our beloved country abide
+the seed and inspiration for new victories of peace. Our privilege
+be it as the heirs of Washington and Franklin and Hamilton and
+Lincoln and Grant to set the nations of the earth an example of
+what peace under the law may accomplish, so that the free-born son
+of America from the shores of Cape Cod to the western limits of the
+Golden Gate may remain a synonym for noble aims and noble deeds,
+for truth and patriotism and fearlessness of soul."</p>
+<p>The speaker's words had been uttered slowly at the
+outset&mdash;ponderous, sonorous, sentence by sentence, like the
+big drops before a heavy shower. As he warmed to his theme the
+pauses ceased, and his speech flowed with the musical sweep of a
+master of platform oratory. When he spoke of war his voice choked;
+in speaking of peace he paused for an appreciable moment, casting
+his eyes up as though he could discern the angel of national
+tranquillity hovering overhead. Although this opening peroration
+seemed scarcely germane to the occasion, the audience listened in
+absorbed silence, spell-bound by the magnetism of his delivery.
+They felt sure that he had a point in reserve to which these
+splendid and agreeable truths were a pertinent introduction.</p>
+<p>Proceeding, with his address, Mr. Lyons made a panegyric on
+these United States of America, from the special standpoint of
+their dedication to the "God of our fathers," a solemn figure of
+speech. The sincerity of his patriotism was emphasized by the
+religious fervor of his deduction that God was on the side of the
+nation, and the nation on the side of God. Though he abstained from
+direct strictures, both his manner and his matter seemed to serve a
+caveat, so to speak, on the other nations by declaring that for
+fineness of heart and thought, and deed, the world must look to the
+land "whose wide and well-nigh boundless prairies were blossoming
+with the buds of truth fanned by the breeze of liberty and
+fertilized by the aspirations of a God-fearing and a God-led
+population. What is the hope of the world, I repeat?" he continued.
+"The plain and sovereign people of our beloved country. Whatever
+menaces their liberties, whatever detracts from their, power and
+infringes on their prerogatives is a peril to our institutions and
+a step backward in the science of government. My friends, we are
+here to-night to protest against a purpose to invade those
+liberties&mdash;a deliberately conceived design to take away from
+the sovereign people of this city one of their cherished
+privileges&mdash;the right to decide who shall direct the policy of
+our free public-school system, that priceless heritage of every
+American. I beg to remind you that this contest is no mere question
+of healthy rivalry between two great political parties; nor again
+is it only a vigorous competition between two ambitious and
+intelligent women. A ballot in behalf of our candidate will be a
+vote of confidence in the ability of the plain people of this
+country to adopt the best educational methods without the
+patronizing dictation of aboard of specialists nurtured on foreign
+and uninspiring theories of instruction. A ballot against Miss
+Luella Bailey, the competent and cultivated lady whose name adds
+strength and distinction to our ticket, and who has been needlessly
+and wantonly opposed by those who should be her proud friends, will
+signify a willingness to renounce one of our most precious
+liberties&mdash;the free man's right to choose those who are to
+impart to his children mastery of knowledge and love of country. I
+take my stand to-night as the resolute enemy of this aristocratic
+and un-American suggestion, and urge you, on the eve of election,
+to devote your energies to overwhelming beneath the shower of your
+fearless ballots this insult to the intelligence of the voters of
+Benham, and this menace to our free and successful institutions,
+which, under the guidance of the God of our fathers, we purpose to
+keep perpetually progressive and undefiled."</p>
+<p>A salvo of enthusiasm greeted Mr. Lyons as he concluded. His
+speeches were apt to cause those whom he addressed to feel that
+they were no common campaign utterances, but eloquent expressions
+of principle and conviction, clothed in memorable language, as,
+indeed, they were. He was fond of giving a moral or patriotic
+flavor to what he said in public, for he entertained both a
+profound reverence for high moral ideas and an abiding faith in the
+superiority of everything American. He had arrayed himself on the
+threshold of his legal career as a friend and champion of the mass
+of the people&mdash;the plain and sovereign people, as he was apt
+to style them in public. His first and considerable successes had
+been as the counsel for plaintiffs before juries in accident cases
+against large corporations, and he had thought of himself with
+complete sincerity as a plain man, contesting for human rights
+before the bar of justice, by the sheer might of his sonorous voice
+and diligent brain. His political development had been on the same
+side. Latterly the situation had become a little puzzling, though
+to a man of straightforward intentions, like himself, not
+fundamentally embarrassing. That is, the last four or five years
+had altered both the character of his practice and his
+circumstances, so that instead of fighting corporations he was now
+the close adviser of a score of them; not the defender of their
+accident cases, but the confidential attorney who was consulted in
+regard to their vital interests, and who charged them liberal sums
+for his services. He still figured in court from time to time in
+his capacity of the plain man's friend, which he still considered
+himself to be no less than before, but most of his time was devoted
+to protecting the legal interests of the railroad, gas, water,
+manufacturing, mining and other undertakings which, the rapid
+growth of Benham had forgotten. And as a result of this commerce
+with the leading men of affairs in Benham, and knowledge of what
+was going on, he had been able to invest his large fees to the best
+advantage, and had already reaped a rich harvest from the rapid
+rise in value of the securities of diverse successful enterprises.
+When new projects were under consideration he was in a position to
+have a finger in the pie, and he was able to borrow freely from a
+local bank in which he was a director.</p>
+<p>He was puzzled&mdash;it might be said distressed&mdash;how to
+make these rewards of his professional prominence appear compatible
+with his real political principles, so that the plain and sovereign
+people would recognize as clearly as he that there was no
+inconsistency in his having taken advantage of the opportunities
+for professional advancement thrown in his way. He was ambitious
+for political preferment, sharing the growing impression that he
+was well qualified for public office, and he desired to rise as the
+champion of popular ideas. Consequently he resented bitterly the
+calumnies which had appeared in one or two irresponsible newspapers
+to the effect that he was becoming a corporation attorney and a
+capitalist. Could a man refuse legitimate business which was thrust
+upon him? How were his convictions and interest in the cause of
+struggling humanity altered or affected by his success at the bar?
+Hence he neglected no occasion to declare his allegiance to
+progressive doctrine, and to give utterance to the patriotism which
+at all times was on tap in his emotional system. He had been
+married, but his wife had been dead a number of years, and he made
+his home with his aged mother, to whom he was apt to refer with
+pious tremulousness when he desired to emphasize some domestic
+situation before a jury. As a staunch member of the Methodist
+Church, he was on terms of intimate association with his pastor,
+and was known as a liberal contributor to domestic and foreign
+missions.</p>
+<p>Selma was genuinely carried away by the character of his
+oratory. His sentiments were so completely in accord with her own
+ideas that she felt he had left nothing unsaid, and had put the
+case grandly. Here at last was a man who shared with her the
+convictions with which her brain was seething&mdash;a man who was
+not afraid to give public expression to his views, and who
+possessed a splendid gift of statement. She had felt sure that she
+would meet sympathy and kindred spirits in Benham, but her
+experience in New York had so far depressed her that she had not
+allowed herself to expect such a thorough-going champion. What a
+contrast his solid, devotional, yet business-like aspect was to the
+quizzical lightness of the men in New York she had been told were
+clever, like Dr. Page and Mr. Dennison! He possessed Wilbur's ardor
+and reverence, with a robustness of physique and a practical air
+which Wilbur had lacked&mdash;lacked to his and her detriment. If
+Wilbur had been as vigorous in body as he ought to have been, would
+he have died? She had read somewhere lately that physical delicacy
+was apt to react on the mind and make one's ideas too fine-spun and
+unsubstantial. Here was the advantage which a man like Mr. Lyons
+had over Wilbur. He was strong and thickset, and looked as though
+he could endure hard work without wincing. So could she. It was a
+great boon, an essential of effective manhood or womanhood. These
+thoughts followed in the wake of the enthusiasm his personality had
+aroused in her at the close of his address. She scarcely heard the
+remarks of the next speaker, the last on the programme. Her eyes
+kept straying wistfully in the direction of Mr. Lyons, and she
+wondered if there would be an opportunity when the meeting was over
+to let him know how much she approved of what he had said, and how
+necessary she felt the promulgation, of such ideas was for the
+welfare of the country.</p>
+<p>She was aroused from contemplation by the voice of Mrs. Earle,
+who, now that everybody was standing up preliminary to departure,
+bent over her front bench on the platform to whisper, "Wasn't Mr.
+Lyons splendid?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, indeed," said Selma. "I should like so much to make his
+acquaintance, to compare notes with him and thank him for his
+brave, true words."</p>
+<p>"I know he'd be pleased to meet you. I'll try to catch his eye.
+I wish some of those Reform Club people could have heard what he
+thought of them. There! He's looking this way. I'm going to attract
+his attention." Whereupon Mrs. Earle began to nod in his direction
+energetically. "He sees us now, and has noticed you. I shouldn't
+wonder if he has recognized you. Follow me close, Selma, and we'll
+be able to shake hands with him."</p>
+<p>By dint of squeezing and stertorous declarations of her desire,
+Mrs. Earle obtained a gradual passage through the crowd. Many from
+the audience had ascended to the platform for the purpose of
+accosting the speakers, and a large share of the interest was being
+bestowed on Mr. Lyons, who was holding an impromptu reception. When
+at last Mrs. Earle had worked her way to within a few feet of him,
+her wheezing condition and bulk announced her approach, and
+procured her consideration from the others in the line, so that she
+was able to plant herself pervasively and firmly in front of her
+idol and take possession of him by the fervid announcement, "You
+were simply unanswerable. Eloquent, convincing, and unanswerable.
+And I have brought with me an old friend, Mrs. Littleton, who
+sympathizes with your superb utterances, and wishes to tell you
+so."</p>
+<p>As Selma stepped forward in recognition of this introduction she
+vibrated to hear Mr. Lyons say, without a sign of hesitation, "A
+friend whom it is a pleasure to welcome back to Benham, Mrs.
+Littleton, I am pleased to meet you again."</p>
+<p>Selma had hoped, and felt it her due, that he would recognize
+her. Still his having done so at once was a compliment which served
+to enhance the favorable opinion which she had already formed
+regarding him.</p>
+<p>"I have been longing for months, Mr. Lyons," she said, "to hear
+someone say what you have said to-night. I am concerned, as we all
+are of course, in Miss Bailey's election, and your advocacy of her
+cause was most brilliant; but what I refer to&mdash;what
+interested, me especially, was the splendid protest you uttered
+against all movements to prevent the intelligence of the people
+from asserting itself. It gave me encouragement and made me feel
+that the outlook for the future is bright&mdash;that our truths
+must prevail."</p>
+<p>It was a maxim with Lyons that it was desirable to remember
+everyone he met, and he prided himself on his ability to call
+cordially by name clients or chance acquaintances whom he had not
+seen for years. Nature had endowed him with a good memory for names
+and faces, but he had learned to take advantage of all
+opportunities to brush up his wits before they were called into
+flattering, spontaneous action. When his glance, attracted by Mrs.
+Earle's remote gesticulation, rested on Selma's face, he began to
+ask himself at once where he had seen it before. In the interval
+vouchsafed by her approach he recalled the incident of the divorce,
+that her name had been Babcock, and that she had married again, but
+he was still groping for the name of her husband when the necessary
+clew was supplied by Mrs. Earle, and he was able to make his
+recognition of her exhaustive. He noticed with approval her pretty
+face and compact figure, reflecting that the slight gain in flesh
+was to her advantage, and noticed also her widow's mourning. But
+her eager, fluent address and zealous manner had prevented his
+attention from secretly wandering with business-like foresight to
+the next persons in the line of those anxious to shake his hand,
+and led him to regard her a second time. He was accustomed to
+compliments, but he was struck by the note of discriminating
+companionship in her congratulation. He believed that he had much
+at heart the very issue which she had touched upon, and it
+gratified him that a woman whose appearance was so attractive to
+him should single out for sympathetic enthusiasm what was in his
+opinion the cardinal principle involved, instead of expatiating on
+the assistance he had rendered Miss Bailey. Lyons said to himself
+that here was a kindred spirit&mdash;a woman with whom conversation
+would be a pleasure; with whom it would be possible to discourse on
+terms of mental comradeship. He was partial to comely women, but he
+did not approve of frivolity except on special and guarded
+occasions.</p>
+<p>"I thank you cordially for your appreciation," he answered. "You
+have grasped the vital kernel of my speech and I am grateful for
+your good opinion."</p>
+<p>Even in addressing the other sex, Lyons could not forget the
+responsibility of his frock-coat and that it was incumbent upon him
+to be strictly serious in public. Nevertheless his august but glib
+demeanor suited Selma's mood better than more obvious gallantry,
+especially as she got the impression, which he really wished to
+convey, that he admired her. It was out of the question for him to
+prolong the situation in the face of those waiting to grasp his
+hand, but Lyons heard with interest the statement which Mrs. Earle
+managed to whisper hoarsely in his ear just as he turned to welcome
+the next comer, and they were swept along:</p>
+<p>"She is one of our brightest minds. The poor child has recently
+lost her husband, and has come to keep Mr. Parsons company in his
+new house&mdash;an ideal arrangement."</p>
+<p>The identity of Mr. Parsons was well known to Lyons. He had met
+him occasionally in the past in other parts of the State in
+connection with business complications, and regarded him as a
+practical, intelligent citizen whose name would be of value to an
+aspirant for Congressional honors. It occurred to him as he shook
+hands with those next in line and addressed them that it would be
+eminently suitable if he should pay his respects to this new-comer
+to Benham by a visit. By so doing he world kill two birds with one
+stone, for he had reasoned of late that he owed it to himself to
+see more of the other sex. He had no specific matrimonial
+intentions; that is, he was not on the lookout for a wife; but he
+approved of happy unions as one of the great bulwarks of the
+community, and was well-disposed to encounter a suitable helpmate.
+He should expect physical charms, dignity, capacity and a
+sympathetic mind; a woman, in short, who would be an ornament to
+his home, a Christian influence in society and a companion whose
+intelligent tact would be likely to promote his political fortunes.
+And so it happened that in the course of the next few days he found
+himself thinking of Mrs. Littleton as a fine figure of a woman.
+This had not happened to him before since the death of his wife,
+and it made him thoughtful to the extent of asking "Why not?" For
+in spite of his long frock-coat and proper demeanor, passion was
+not extinct in the bosom of the Hon. James O. Lyons, and he was
+capable on special and guarded occasions of telling a woman that he
+loved her.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER III.</h3>
+<p>Miss Luella Bailey was not elected. The unenlightened prejudice
+of man to prefer one of his own sex, combined with the hostility of
+the Reform Club, procured her defeat, notwithstanding that the rest
+of her ticket triumphed at the polls. There was some consolation
+for her friends in the fact that her rival, Miss Snow, had a
+considerably smaller number of votes than she. Selma solaced
+herself by the reflection that, as she had been consulted only at
+the twelfth hour, she was not responsible for the result, but she
+felt nerved by the defeat to concentrate her energies against the
+proposed bill for an appointed school board.</p>
+<p>Her immediate attention and sympathy were suddenly invoked by
+the illness of Mr. Parsons, who had seemed lacking in physical
+vigor for some weeks, and whose symptoms culminated in a slight
+paralysis, which confined him to his bed for a month, and to his
+house during the remainder of the autumn. Selma rejoiced in this
+opportunity to develop her capacities as a nurse, to prove how
+adequate she would have been to take complete charge of her late
+husband, had Dr. Page chosen to trust her. She administered with
+scrupulous regularity to the invalid such medicines as were
+ordered, and kept him cheerful by reading and conversation, so that
+the physician in charge complimented her on her proficiency.
+Trained nurses were unknown in Benham at this time, and any old or
+unoccupied female was regarded as qualified to watch over the sick.
+Selma appreciated from what she had observed of the conduct of
+Wilbur's nurse that there was a wrong and a right way of doing
+things, but she blamed Dr. Page for his failure to appreciate
+instinctively that she was sure to do things suitably. It seemed to
+her that he had lacked the intuitive gift to discern latent
+capabilities&mdash;a fault of which the Benham practitioner proved
+blameless.</p>
+<p>From the large, sunny chamber in which Mr. Parsons slowly
+recovered some portion of his vitality, Selma could discern the
+distant beginnings of Wetmore College, pleasantly situated on an
+elevation well beyond the city limits on the further side of the
+winding river. An architect had been engaged to carry out Wilbur's
+plans, and she watched the outlines of the new building gradually
+take shape during the convalescence of her benefactor. She
+recognized that the college would be theoretically a noble addition
+to the standing of Benham as a city of intellectual and
+&aelig;sthetic interests, but it provoked her to think that its
+management was in the hands of Mrs. Hallett Taylor and her friends,
+between whom and herself she felt that a chasm of irreconcilable
+differences of opinion existed. Mrs. Taylor had not called on her
+since her return. She believed that she was glad of this, and hoped
+that some of the severely indignant criticism which she had uttered
+in regard to the Reform Club movement had reached her ears. Or was
+Mrs. Taylor envious of her return to Benham as the true mistress of
+this fine establishment on the River Drive, so superior to her own?
+Nevertheless, it would have suited Selma to have been one of the
+trustees of this new college&mdash;her husband's handiwork in the
+doing of which he had laid down his promising life&mdash;and the
+fact that no one had sought her out and offered her the honor as a
+fitting recognition of her due was secretly mortifying. The Benham
+Institute had been prompt to acknowledge her presence by giving a
+reception in her honor, at which she was able to recite once more,
+"Oh, why should the Spirit of Mortal be proud?" with old-time
+success, and she had been informed by Mrs. Earle that she was
+likely to be chosen one of the Vice-Presidents at the annual
+meeting. But these Reform Club people had not even done her the
+courtesy to ask her to join them or consider their opinions. She
+would have spurned the invitation with contempt, but it piqued her
+not to know more about them; it distressed her to think that there
+should exist in Benham an exclusive set which professed to be
+ethically and intellectually superior and did not include her, for
+she had come to Benham with the intention of leading such a
+movement, to the detriment of fashion and frivolity. With Mr.
+Parsons's money at her back, she was serenely confident that the
+houses of the magnates of Benham&mdash;the people who corresponded
+in her mind's eye to the dwellers on Fifth Avenue&mdash;would open
+to her. Already there had been flattering indications that she
+would be able to command attention there. She had expected to find
+this so; her heart would have been broken to find it otherwise.
+Still, her hope in shaking the dust of New York from her feet had
+been to find in Benham an equally admirable and satisfactory
+atmosphere in regard to mental and moral progress. She had come
+just in time, it is true, to utter her vehement protest against
+this exclusive, aristocratic movement&mdash;this arrogant
+affectation of superiority, and to array herself in battle line
+against it, resolved to give herself up with enthusiasm to its
+annihilation. Yet the sight of the college buildings for the higher
+education of women, rising without her furtherance and supervision,
+and under the direction of these people, made her sad and gave her
+a feeling of disappointment. Why had they been permitted to obtain
+this foothold? Someone had been lacking in vigilance and foresight.
+Thank heaven, with her return and a strong, popular spirit like Mr.
+Lyons in the lead, these unsympathetic, so-called reformers would
+speedily be confounded, and the intellectual air of Benham restored
+to its original purity.</p>
+<p>One afternoon while Selma's gaze happened to be directed toward
+the embryo college walls, and she was incubating on the situation,
+Mr. Parsons, who had seemed to be dozing, suddenly said:</p>
+<p>"I should like you to write to Mr. Lyons, the lawyer, and ask
+him to come to see me."</p>
+<p>"I will write to-night. You know he called while you were
+ill."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I thought him a clever fellow when we met two or three
+times on railroad matters, and I gather from what you told me about
+his speech at the political meeting that he's a rising man
+hereabouts. I'm going to make my will, and I need him to put it
+into proper shape."</p>
+<p>"I'm sure he'd do it correctly."</p>
+<p>"There's not much for him to do except to make sure that the
+language is legal, for I've thought it all out while I've been
+lying here during these weeks. Still, it's important to have in a
+lawyer to fix it so the people whom I don't intend to get my money
+shan't be able to make out that I'm not in my right mind. I guess,"
+he added, with a laugh, "that the doctor will allow I've my wits
+sufficiently for that?"</p>
+<p>"Surely. You are practically well now."</p>
+<p>Mr. Parsons was silent for a moment. He prided himself on being
+close-mouthed about his private affairs until they were ripe for
+utterance. His intention had been to defer until after the
+interview with his lawyer any statement of his purpose, but it
+suddenly occurred to him that it would please him to unbosom his
+secret to his companion because he felt sure in advance that she
+would sympathize fully with his plans. He had meant to tell her
+when the instrument was signed. Why not now?</p>
+<p>"Selma," he said, "I've known ever since my wife and daughter
+died that I ought to make a will, but I kept putting it off until
+it has almost happened that everything I've got went to my next of
+kin&mdash;folk I'm fond of, too, and mean to remember&mdash;but not
+fond enough for that. If I give them fifty thousand dollars
+apiece&mdash;the three of them&mdash;I shall rest easy in my grave,
+even if they think they ought to have had a bigger slice. It's hard
+on a man who has worked all his days, and laid up close to a
+million of dollars, not to have a son or a daughter, flesh of my
+flesh, to leave it to; a boy or a girl given at the start the
+education I didn't get, and who, by the help of my money, might
+make me proud, if I could look on, of my name or my blood. It
+wasn't to be, and I must grin and bear it, and do the next best
+thing. I caught a glimpse of what that thing was soon after I lost
+my wife and daughter, and it was the thought of that more than
+anything which kept me from going crazy with despair. I'm a plain
+man, an uneducated man, but the fortune I've made has been made
+honestly, and I'm going to spend it for the good of the American
+people&mdash;to contribute my mite toward helping the cause of
+truth and good citizenship and free and independent ideas which
+this nation calls for. I'm going to give my money for benevolent
+uses."</p>
+<p>"Oh, Mr. Parsons," exclaimed Selma, clasping her hands, "how
+splendid! how glorious! How I envy you. It was what I hoped."</p>
+<p>"I knew you would be pleased. I've had half a mind once or twice
+to let the cat out of the bag, because I guessed it would be the
+sort of thing that would take your fancy; but somehow I've kept
+mum, for fear I might be taken before I'd been able to make a will.
+And then, too, I've been of several minds as to the form of my
+gift. I thought it would suit me best of all to found a college,
+and I was disappointed when I learned that neighbor Flagg had got
+the start of me with his seminary for women across the river. I
+wasn't happy over it until one night, just after the doctor had
+gone, the thought came to me, 'Why, not give a hospital?' And
+that's what it's to be. Five hundred thousand dollars for a free
+hospital in the City of Benham, in memory of my wife and daughter.
+That'll be useful, won't it? That'll help the people as much as a
+college? And, Selma," he added, cutting off the assuring answer
+which trembled on her tongue and blazed from her eyes, "I shan't
+forget you. After I'm gone you are to have twenty thousand dollars.
+That'll enable you, in case you don't marry, to keep a roof over
+your head without working too hard."</p>
+<p>"Thank you. You are very generous," she said. The announcement
+was pleasant to her, but at the moment it seemed of secondary
+importance. Her enthusiasm had been aroused by the fact and
+character of his public donation, and already her brain was dancing
+with the thought of the prospect of a rival vital institution in
+connection with which her views and her talents would in all
+probability be consulted and allowed to exercise themselves. Her's,
+and not Mrs. Taylor's, or any of that censorious and restricting
+set. In that hospital, at least, ambition and originality would be
+allowed to show what they could do unfettered by envy or paralyzed
+by conservatism. "But I can't think of anything now, Mr. Parsons,
+except the grand secret you have confided to me. A hospital! It is
+an ideal gift. It will show the world what noble uses our rich,
+earnest-minded men make of their money, and it will give our
+doctors and our people a chance to demonstrate what a free hospital
+ought to be. Oh, I congratulate you. I will write to Mr. Lyons at
+once."</p>
+<p>A note in prompt response stated the hour when the lawyer would
+call. On his arrival he was shown immediately to Mr. Parsons's
+apartments, with whom he was closeted alone. Selma managed to cross
+the hall at the moment he was descending, and he was easily
+persuaded to linger and to follow her into the library.</p>
+<p>"I was anxious to say a few words to you, Mr. Lyons," she said.
+"I know the purpose for which Mr. Parsons sent for you. He has
+confided to me concerning his will&mdash;told me everything. It is
+a noble disposition of his property. A free hospital for Benham is
+an ideal selection, and one envies him his opportunity."</p>
+<p>"Yes. It is a superb and generous benefaction."</p>
+<p>"I lay awake for hours last night thinking about it; thinking
+particularly of the special point I am desirous to consult you in
+regard to. I don't wish to appear officious, or to say anything I
+shouldn't, but knowing from what I heard you state in your speech
+the other day that you feel as I do in regard to such matters, I
+take the liberty of suggesting that it seems to me of very great
+importance that the management of this magnificent gift should be
+in proper hands. May I ask you without impropriety if you will
+protect Mr. Parsons so that captious or unenthusiastic persons, men
+or women, will be unable to control the policy of his hospital? He
+would wish it so, I am sure. I thought of mentioning the matter to
+him myself, but I was afraid lest it might worry him and spoil the
+satisfaction of his generosity or retard his cure. Is what I ask
+possible? Do I make myself clear?"</p>
+<p>"Perfectly&mdash;perfectly. A valuable suggestion," he said. "I
+am glad that you have spoken&mdash;very glad. Alive as I am to the
+importance of protecting ourselves at all points, I might not have
+realized this particular danger had you not called it to my
+attention. Perhaps only a clever woman would have thought of
+it."</p>
+<p>"Oh, thank you. I felt that I could not keep silence, and run
+the risk of what might happen."</p>
+<p>"Precisely. I think I can relieve your mind by telling
+you&mdash;which under the circumstances is no breach of
+professional secrecy, for it is plain that the testator desires you
+to know his purpose&mdash;that Mr. Parsons has done me the honor to
+request me to act as the executor of his will. As such I shall be
+in a position to make sure that those to whom the management of his
+hospital is intrusted are people in whom you and I would have
+confidence."</p>
+<p>"Ah! That is very satisfactory. It makes everything as it should
+be, and I am immensely relieved."</p>
+<p>"Now that you have spoken," he added, meeting her eager gaze
+with a propitiating look of reflective wisdom, "I will consider the
+advisability of taking the further precaution of advising the
+testator to name in his will the persons who shall act as the
+trustees of his charity. That would clinch the matter. The
+selection of the individuals would necessarily lie with Mr.
+Parsons, but it would seem eminently natural and fitting that he
+should name you to represent your sex on such a board. I hope it
+would be agreeable to you to serve?"</p>
+<p>Selma flushed. "It would be a position which I should prize
+immensely. Such a possibility had not occurred to me, though I felt
+that some definite provision should be made. The responsibility
+would be congenial to me and very much in my line."</p>
+<p>"Assuredly. If you will permit me to say so, you are just the
+woman for the place. We have met only a few times, Mrs. Littleton,
+but I am a man who forms my conclusions of people rapidly, and it
+is obvious to me that you are thoughtful, energetic, and
+liberal-minded&mdash;qualities which are especially requisite for
+intelligent progress in semi-public work. It is essentially
+desirable to enlist the co-operation of well-equipped women to
+promote the national weal."</p>
+<p>Lyons departed with an agreeable impression that he had been
+talking to a woman who combined mental sagacity and enterprise with
+considerable fascination of person. This capable companion of Mr.
+Parsons was no coquettish or simpering beauty, no mere devotee of
+fashionable manners, but a mature, well-poised character endowed
+with ripe intellectual and bodily graces. Their interview suggested
+that she possessed initiative and discretion in directing the
+course of events, and a strong sense of moral responsibility,
+attributes which attracted his interest. He was obliged to make two
+more visits before the execution of the will, and on each occasion
+he had an opportunity to spend a half-hour alone in the society of
+Selma. He found her gravely and engagingly sympathetic with his
+advocacy of democratic principles; he told her of his ambition to
+be elected to Congress&mdash;an ambition which he believed would be
+realized the following autumn. He confided to her, also, that he
+was engaged in his leisure moments in the preparation of a literary
+volume to be entitled, "Watchwords of Patriotism," a study of the
+requisites of the best citizenship, exemplified by pertinent
+extracts from the public utterances of the most distinguished
+American public servants.</p>
+<p>Selma on her part reciprocated by a reference to the course of
+lectures on "Culture and Higher Education," which she had resolved
+to deliver before the Benham Institute during the winter. In these
+lectures she meant to emphasize the importance of unfettered
+individuality, and to comment adversely on the tendencies hostile
+to this fundamental principle of progress which she had observed in
+New York and from which Benham itself did not appear to her to be
+entirely exempt. After delivering these lectures in Benham she
+intended to repeat them in various parts of the State, and in some
+of the large cities elsewhere, under the auspices of the
+Confederated Sisterhood of Women's Clubs of America, the Sorosis
+which Mrs. Earle had established on a firm basis, and of which at
+present she was second vice-president. As a token of sympathy with
+this undertaking, Mr. Lyons offered to procure her a free pass on
+the railroads over which she would be obliged to travel. This
+pleased Selma greatly, for she had always regarded free passes as a
+sign of mysterious and enviable importance.</p>
+<p>Two months later Selma, as secretary of the sub-committee of the
+Institute selected to oppose before the legislature the bill to
+create an appointed school board, had further occasion to confer
+with Mr. Lyons. He agreed to be the active counsel, and approved of
+the plan that a delegation of women should journey to the capital,
+two hours and a half by rail, and add the moral support of their
+presence at the hearing before the legislative committee.</p>
+<p>The expedition was another gratification to Selma&mdash;who had
+become possessed of her free pass. She felt that in visiting the
+state-house and thus taking an active part in the work of
+legislation she was beginning to fulfil the larger destiny for
+which she was qualified. Side by side with Mrs. Earle at the head
+of a delegation of twenty Benham women she marched augustly into
+the committee chamber. The contending factions sat on opposite
+sides of the room. Through its middle ran a long table occupied by
+the Committee on Education to which the bill had been referred.
+Among the dozen or fifteen persons who appeared in support of the
+bill Selma perceived Mrs. Hallett Taylor, whom she had not seen
+since her return. She was disappointed to observe that Mrs.
+Taylor's clothes, though unostentatious, were in the latest
+fashion. She had hoped to find her dowdy or unenlightened, and to
+be able to look down on her from the heights of her own New York
+experience.</p>
+<p>The lawyer in charge of the bill presented lucidly and with
+skill the merits of his case, calling to the stand four prominent
+educators from as many different sections of the State, and several
+citizens of well-known character, among them Babcock's former
+pastor, Rev. Henry Glynn. He pointed out that the school committee,
+as at present constituted, was an unwieldy body of twenty-four
+members, that it was regarded as the first round in the ladder of
+political preferment, and that the members which composed it were
+elected not on the ground of their fitness, but because they were
+ambitious for political recognition.</p>
+<p>The legislative committee listened politely but coldly to these
+statements and to the testimony of the witnesses. It was evident
+that they regarded the proposed reform with distrust.</p>
+<p>"Do you mean us to understand that the public schools of this
+State are not among the best, if not the best, in the world?" asked
+one member of the committee, somewhat sternly.</p>
+<p>"I recognize the merits of our school system, but I am not blind
+to its faults," responded the attorney in charge of the bill. He
+was a man who possessed the courage of his convictions, but he was
+a lawyer of tact, and he knew that his answer went to the full
+limit of what he could safely utter by way of qualification without
+hopelessly imperilling his cause.</p>
+<p>"Are not our public schools turning out yearly hundreds of boys
+and girls who are a growing credit to the soundness of the
+institutions of the country?" continued the same inquisitor.</p>
+<p>Here was a proposition which opened such a vista of circuitous
+and careful speech, were he to attempt to answer it and be true to
+conscience without being false to patriotism, that Mr. Hunter was
+driven to reply, "I am unable to deny the general accuracy of your
+statement."</p>
+<p>"Then why seek to harass those who are doing such good work by
+unfriendly legislation?"</p>
+<p>The member plainly felt that he had disposed of the matter by
+this triumphant interrogation, for he listened with scant attention
+to a repetition of the grounds on which, relief was sought.</p>
+<p>Mr. Lyons's method of reply was a surprise to Selma. She had
+looked for a fervid vindication of the principle of the people's
+choice, and an eloquent, sarcastic setting forth of the evils of
+the exclusive and aristocratic spirit. He began by complimenting
+the members of the committee on their ability to deal intelligently
+with the important question before them, and then proceeded to
+refer to the sincere but mistaken zeal of the advocates of the
+bill, whom he described as people animated by conscientious
+motives, but unduly distrustful of the capacity of the American
+people. His manner suggested a desire to be at peace with all the
+world and was agreeably conciliatory, as though he deprecated the
+existence of friction. He said that he would not do the members of
+the committee the injustice to suppose that they could seriously
+favor the passage of a bill which would deprive the intelligent
+average voter of one of his dearest privileges; but that he desired
+to put himself on record as thinking it a fortunate circumstance,
+on the whole, that the well-intentioned promoters of the bill had
+brought this matter to the attention of the legislature, and had an
+opportunity to express their views. He believed that the hearing
+would be productive of benefit to both parties, in that on the one
+hand it would tend to make the voters more careful as to whom they
+selected for the important duties of the school board, and on the
+other would&mdash;he, as a lover of democratic institutions,
+hoped&mdash;serve to convince the friends of the bill that they had
+exaggerated the evils of the situation, and that they were engaged
+in a false and hopeless undertaking in seeking to confine by hard
+and fast lines the spontaneous yearnings of the American people to
+control the education of their children. "We say to these critics,"
+he continued, "some of whom are enrolled under the solemn name of
+reformers, that we welcome their zeal and offer co-operation in a
+resolute purpose to exercise unswerving vigilance in the selection
+of candidates for the high office of guardians of our public
+schools. So far as they will join hands with us in keeping
+undefiled the traditions of our forefathers, to that extent we are
+heartily in accord with them, but when they seek to override those
+traditions and to fasten upon this community a method which is
+based on a lack of confidence in democratic theories, then
+I&mdash;and gentlemen, I feel sure that you&mdash;are against
+them."</p>
+<p>Lyons sat down, having given everyone in the room, with the
+exception of a few discerning spirits on the other side, the
+impression that he had intended to be pre-eminently fair, and that
+he had held out the olive branch when he would have been justified
+in using the scourge. The inclination to make friends, to smooth
+over seamy situations and to avoid repellent language in dealing
+with adversaries, except in corporation cases before juries and on
+special occasions when defending his political convictions, had
+become a growing tendency with him now that he was in training for
+public office. Selma did not quite know what to make of it at
+first. She had expected that he would crush their opponents beneath
+an avalanche of righteous invective. Instead he took his seat with
+an expression of countenance which was no less benignant than
+dignified. When the hearing was declared closed, a few minutes
+later, he looked in her direction, and in the course of his passage
+to where she was sitting stopped to exchange affable greetings with
+assemblymen and others who came in his way. At his approach Mrs.
+Earle uttered congratulations so comprehensive that Selma felt able
+to refrain for the moment from committing herself. "I am glad that
+you were pleased," he said. "I think I covered the ground, and no
+one's feelings have been hurt." As though he divined what was
+passing through Selma's mind, he added in an aside intended only
+for their ears, "It was not necessary to use all our powder, for I
+could tell from the way the committee acted that they were with
+us."</p>
+<p>"I felt sure they would be," exclaimed Mrs. Earle. "And, as you
+say, it is a pleasure that no one's feelings were hurt, and that we
+can all part friends."</p>
+<p>"Which reminds me," said Lyons, "that I should be glad of an
+introduction to Mrs. Taylor as she passes us on her way out. I wish
+to assure her personally of my willingness to further her efforts
+to improve the quality of the school board."</p>
+<p>"That would be nice of you," said Mrs. Earle, "and ought to
+please and encourage her, for she will be disappointed, poor thing,
+and after all I suppose she means well. There she is now, and I
+will keep my eye on her."</p>
+<p>"But surely, Mr. Lyons," said Selma, dazed yet interested by
+this doctrine of brotherly love, "don't you think our school
+committee admirable as it is?"</p>
+<p>"A highly efficient body," he answered. "But I should be glad to
+have our opponents&mdash;mistaken as we believe them to
+be&mdash;appreciate that we no less than they are zealous to
+preserve the present high standard. We must make them recognize
+that we are reformers and in sympathy with reform."</p>
+<p>"I see," said Selma. "For, of course, we are the real reformers.
+Convert them you mean? Be civil to them at least? I understand.
+Yes, I suppose there is no use in making enemies of them." She was
+thinking aloud. Though ever on her guard to resent false doctrine,
+she was so sure of the loyalty of both her companions that she
+could allow herself to be interested by this new point of
+view&mdash;a vast improvement on the New York manner because of its
+ethical suggestion. She realized that if Mr. Lyons was certain of
+the committee, it was right, and at the same time sensible, not to
+hurt anyone's feelings unnecessarily&mdash;although she felt a
+little suspicious because he had asked to be introduced to Mrs.
+Taylor. Indeed, the more she thought of this attitude, on the
+assumption that the victory was assured, the more it appealed to
+her conscience and intelligence; so much so that when Mrs. Earle
+darted forward to detain Mrs. Taylor, Selma was reflecting with
+admiration on his magnanimity.</p>
+<p>She observed intently the meeting between Mr. Lyons and Mrs.
+Taylor. He was deferential, complimentary, and genial, and he made
+a suave, impressive offer of his personal services, in response to
+which Mrs. Taylor regarded him with smiling incredulity&mdash;a
+smile which Selma considered impertinent. How dared she treat his
+courtly advances with flippant distrust!</p>
+<p>"Are you aware, Mr. Lyons," Mrs. Taylor was saying, "that one of
+the present members of the school board is a milkman, and another a
+carpenter&mdash;both of them persons of very ordinary efficiency
+from an educational standpoint? Will you co-operate with us, when
+their terms expire next year and they seek re-election, to nominate
+more suitable candidates in their stead?"</p>
+<p>"I shall be very glad when the time comes to investigate
+carefully their qualifications, and if they are proved to be
+unworthy of the confidence of the people, to use my influence
+against them. You may rely on this&mdash;rely on my cordial
+support, and the support of these ladies," he added, indicating
+Mrs. Earle and Selma, with a wave of his hand, "who, if you will
+permit me to say so, are no less interested than you in promoting
+good government."</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes, indeed. We thought we were making an ideal choice in
+Miss Luella Bailey," said Mrs. Earle with effusion. "If Mrs. Taylor
+had seen more of her, I feel sure she would have admired her, and
+then our Institute would not have been dragged into politics."</p>
+<p>Mrs. Taylor did not attempt to answer this appeal. Instead she
+greeted Selma civilly, and said, "I was sorry to hear that you were
+against us, Mrs. Littleton. We were allies once in a good cause,
+and in spite of Mr. Lyons's protestations to the contrary, I assure
+you that this is another genuine opportunity to improve the
+existing order of things. At least," she added, gayly but firmly,
+"you must not let Mr. Lyons's predilection to see everything
+through rose-colored spectacles prevent you from looking into the
+matter on your own account."</p>
+<p>"I have done so already," answered Selma, affronted at the
+suggestion that she was uninformed, yet restrained from displaying
+her annoyance by the sudden inspiration that here was an admirable
+opportunity to practise the proselytizing forbearance suggested by
+Mr. Lyons. The idea of patronizing Mrs. Taylor from the
+vantage-ground of infallibility, tinctured by magnanimous
+condescension, appealed to her. "I have made a thorough study of
+the question, and I never could look at it as you do, Mrs. Taylor.
+I sided with you before because I thought you were
+right&mdash;because you were in favor of giving everyone a chance
+of expression. But now I'm on the other side for the same
+reason&mdash;because you and your friends are disposed to deprive
+people of that very thing, and to regard their aspirations and
+their efforts contemptuously, if I may say so. That's the mistake
+we think you make&mdash;we who, as Mr. Lyons has stated, are no
+less eager than you to maintain the present high character of
+everything which concerns our school system. But if you only would
+see things in a little different light, both Mrs. Earle and I would
+be glad to welcome you as an ally and to co-operate with you."</p>
+<p>Selma had not expected to make such a lengthy speech, but as she
+proceeded she was spurred by the desire to teach Mrs. Taylor her
+proper place, and at the same time to proclaim her own allegiance
+to the attitude of optimistic forbearance.</p>
+<p>"I knew that was the way they felt," said Lyons, ingratiatingly.
+"It would be a genuine pleasure to us all to see this unfortunate
+difference of opinion between earnest people obviated."</p>
+<p>Mrs. Taylor, as Selma was pleased to note, flushed at her
+concluding offer, and she answered, drily, "I fear that we are too
+far apart in our ideas to talk of co-operation. If our bill is
+defeated this year, we shall have to persevere and trust to the
+gradual enlightenment of public sentiment. Good afternoon."</p>
+<p>Selma left the State-house in an elated frame of mind. She felt
+that she had taken a righteous and patriotic stand, and it pleased
+her to think that she was taking an active part in defending the
+institutions of the country. She chatted eagerly as she walked
+through the corridors with Mr. Lyons, who, portly and imposing,
+acted as escort to her and Mrs. Earle, and invited them to luncheon
+at a hotel restaurant. Excitement had given her more color than
+usual, to which her mourning acted as a foil, and she looked her
+best. Lyons was proud of being in the company of such a presentable
+and spirited appearing woman, and made a point of stopping two or
+three members of the legislature and introducing them to her. When
+they reached the restaurant he established them at a table where
+they could see everybody and be seen, and he ordered scolloped
+oysters, chicken-salad, ice-cream, coffee, and some bottles of
+sarsaparilla. Both women were in high spirits, and Selma was
+agreeably conscious that people were observing them. Before the
+repast was over a messenger brought a note to Mr. Lyons, which
+announced that the legislative committee had given the petitioners
+leave to withdraw their bill, which, in Selma's eyes, justified the
+management of the affair, and set the seal of complete success on
+an already absorbing and delightful occasion.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER IV.</h3>
+<p>Her mourning and the slow convalescence of Mr. Parsons deprived
+Selma of convincing evidence in regard to her social reception in
+Benham, for those socially prominent were thus barred from inviting
+her to their houses, and her own activities were correspondingly
+fettered. Indeed, her circumstances supplied her with an obvious
+salve for her proper dignity had she been disposed to let suspicion
+lie fallow. As it was a number of people had left cards and sent
+invitations notwithstanding they could not be accepted, and she
+might readily have believed, had she chosen&mdash;and as she
+professed openly to Mr. Parsons&mdash;that everyone had been
+uncommonly civil and appreciative.</p>
+<p>She found herself, however, in spite of her declared devotion to
+her serious duties, noting that the recognition accorded to Mr.
+Parsons and herself was not precisely of the character she craved.
+The visiting-cards and invitations were from people residing on the
+River Drive and in that neighborhood, indeed&mdash;but from people
+like the Flaggs, for instance, who, having acquired large wealth
+and erected lordly dwellings, were eager to dispense good-natured,
+lavish hospitality without social experience. Her sensitive ordeal
+in New York had quickened her social perceptions, so that whereas
+at the time of her departure from Benham as Mrs. Littleton she
+regarded her present neighborhood as an integral class, she was now
+prompt to separate the sheep from the goats, and to remark that
+only the goats seemed conscious of her existence. With the
+exception of Mrs. Taylor, who had called when she was out, not one
+of a certain set, the outward manifestations of whose stately being
+were constantly passing her windows, appeared to take the slightest
+interest in her. Strictly speaking, Mrs. Taylor was of this set,
+yet apart from it. Hers was the exclusive intellectual and
+&aelig;sthetic set, this the exclusive fashionable set&mdash;both
+alike execrable and foreign to the traditions of Benham. As Selma
+had discovered the one and declared war against it, so she promised
+herself to confound the other when the period of her mourning was
+over, and she was free to appear again in society. Once more she
+congratulated herself that she had come in time to nip in the bud
+this other off-shoot of aristocratic tendencies. As yet either set
+was small in number, and she foresaw that it would be an easy task
+to unite in a solid phalanx of offensive-defensive influence the
+friendly souls whom these people treated as outsiders, and purge
+the society atmosphere of the miasma of exclusiveness. In
+connection with the means to this end, when the winter slipped away
+and left her feeling that she had been ignored, and that she was
+eager to assume a commanding position, she began to take more than
+passing thought of the attentions of Mr. Lyons. That he was
+interested by her there could be no doubt, for he plainly went out
+of his way to seek her society, calling at the house from time to
+time, and exercising a useful, nattering superintendence over her
+lecture course in the other cities of the State, in each of which
+he appeared to have friends on the newspaper press who put
+agreeable notices in print concerning her performance. She had
+returned to Benham believing that her married life was over; that
+her heart was in the grave with Wilbur, and that she would never
+again part with her independence. The notice which Mr. Lyons had
+taken of her from the outset had gratified her, but though she
+contrasted his physical energy with Wilbur's lack of vigor, it had
+not occurred to her to consider him in the light of a possible
+husband. Now that a year had passed since Wilbur's death, she felt
+conscious once more, as had happened after her divorce, of the need
+of a closer and more individual sympathy than any at her command.
+Her relations with Mr. Parsons, to be sure, approximated those of
+father and daughter, but his perceptions were much less acute than
+before his seizure; he talked little and ceased to take a vital
+interest in current affairs. She felt the lack of companionship
+and, also, of personal devotion, such personal devotion as was
+afforded by the strenuous, ardent allegiance of a man. On the other
+hand she was firmly resolved never to allow the current of her own
+life to be turned away again by the subordination of her purposes
+to those of any other person, and she had believed that this
+resolution would keep her indifferent to marriage, in spite of any
+sensations of loneliness or craving for masculine idolatry. But as
+a widow of a year's standing she was now suddenly interested by the
+thought that this solid, ambitious, smooth-talking man might
+possibly satisfy her natural preference for a mate without
+violating her individuality. She began to ask herself if he were
+not truly congenial in a sense which no man had ever been to her
+before; also, to ask if their aspirations and aims were not so
+nearly identical that he would be certain as her husband to be
+proud of everything she did and said, and to allow her to work hand
+in hand with him for the furtherance of their common purpose. She
+did not put these questions to herself until his conduct suggested
+that he was seeking her society as a suitor; but having put them,
+she was pleased to find her heart throb with the hope of a
+stimulating and dear discovery.</p>
+<p>Certain causes contributed to convince her that this hope rested
+on a sure foundation&mdash;causes associated with her present life
+and point of view. She felt confident first of all of the godliness
+of Mr. Lyons as indicated not only by his sober, successful life,
+and his enthusiastic, benignant patriotism, but by his active,
+reverent interest in the affairs of his church&mdash;the Methodist
+Church&mdash;to which Mr. Parsons belonged, and which Selma had
+begun to attend since her return to Benham. It had been her
+mother's faith, and she had felt a certain filial glow in
+approaching it, which had been fanned into pious flame by the
+effect of the ministration. The fervent hymns and the opportunities
+for bearing testimony at some of the services appealed to her needs
+and gave her a sense of oneness with eternal truth, which had
+hitherto been lacking from her religious experience. In judging
+Wilbur she was disposed to ascribe the defects of his character
+largely to the coldness and analyzing sobriety of his creed. She
+had accompanied him to church listlessly, and had been bored by the
+unemotional appeals to conscience and quiet subjective designations
+of duty. She preferred to thrill with the intensity of words which
+now roundly rated sin, now passionately called to mind the ransom
+of the Saviour, and ever kept prominent the stirring mission of
+evangelizing ignorant foreign people. It appeared probable to Selma
+that, as the wife of one of the leading church-members, who was the
+chairman of the local committee charged with spreading the gospel
+abroad, her capacity for doing good would be strengthened, and the
+spiritual availability of them both be enhanced.</p>
+<p>Then, too, Mr. Lyons's political prospects were flattering. The
+thought that a marriage with him would put her in a position to
+control the social tendencies of Benham was alluring. As the wife
+of Hon. James O. Lyons, Member of Congress, she believed that she
+would be able to look down on and confound those who had given her
+the cold shoulder. What would Flossy say when she heard it? What
+would Pauline? This was a form of distinction which would put her
+beyond the reach of conspiracy and exclusiveness; for, as the wife
+of a representative, selected by the people to guard their
+interests and make their laws, would not her social position be
+unassailable? And apart from these considerations, a political
+future seemed to her peculiarly attractive. Was not this the real
+opportunity for which she had been waiting? Would she be justified
+in giving it up? In what better way could her talents be spent than
+as the helpmate and intellectual companion of a public man&mdash;a
+statesman devoted to the protection and development of American
+ideas? Her own individuality need not, would not be repressed. She
+had seen enough of Mr. Lyons to feel sure that their views on the
+great questions of life were thoroughly in harmony. They held the
+same religious opinions. Who could foretell the limit of their
+joint progress? He was still a young man&mdash;strong, dignified,
+and patriotic&mdash;endowed with qualities which fitted him for
+public service. It might well be that a brilliant future was before
+him&mdash;before them, if she were his wife. If he were to become
+prominent in the councils of the nation&mdash;Speaker of the
+House&mdash;Governor&mdash;even President, within the bounds of
+possibility, what a splendid congenial scope his honors would
+afford her own versatility! As day by day she dwelt on these points
+of recommendation, Selma became more and more disposed to smile on
+the aspirations of Mr. Lyons in regard to herself, and to feel that
+her life would develop to the best advantage by a union with him.
+Until the words asking her to be his wife were definitely spoken
+she could not be positive of his intentions, but his conduct left
+little room for doubt, and moreover, was marked by a deferential
+soberness of purpose which indicated to her that his views
+regarding marriage were on a higher plane than those of any man she
+had known. He referred frequently to the home as the foundation on
+which American civilization rested, and from which its inspiration
+was largely derived, and spoke feelingly of the value to a public
+man of a stimulating and dignifying fireside. It became his habit
+to join her after morning service and to accompany her home,
+carrying her hymn-books, and he sent her from time to time, through
+the post, quotations which had especially struck his fancy from the
+speeches he was collecting for his "Watchwords of Patriotism."</p>
+<p>Another six months passed, and at its close Lyons received the
+expected nomination for Congress. The election promised to be close
+and exciting. Both parties were confident of victory, and were
+preparing vigorously to keep their adherents at fever pitch by
+rallies and torch-light processions. Although the result of the
+caucus was not doubtful, it was understood between Lyons and Selma
+that he would call at the house that evening to let her know that
+he had been successful. She was waiting to receive him in the
+library. Mr. Parsons had gone to bed. His condition was not
+promising. He had recently suffered another slight attack of
+paralysis, which seemed to indicate that he was liable at any time
+to a fatal seizure.</p>
+<p>Lyons entered smilingly. "So far so good," he exclaimed.</p>
+<p>"Then you have won?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes. As I told you, it was a foregone conclusion. Now the
+fight begins."</p>
+<p>Selma, who had provided a slight refection, handed him a cup of
+tea. "I feel sure that you will be chosen," she said. "See if I am
+not right. When is the election?"</p>
+<p>"In six weeks. Six weeks from to-morrow."</p>
+<p>"Then you will go to Washington to live?"</p>
+<p>"Not until the fourth of March."</p>
+<p>"I envy you. If I were a man I should prefer success in politics
+to anything else."</p>
+<p>He was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Will you help me to
+achieve success? Will you go with me to Washington as my wife?"</p>
+<p>His courtship had been formal and elaborate, but his declaration
+was signally simple and to the point. Selma noticed that the cup in
+his hand trembled. While she kept her eyes lowered, as women are
+supposed to do at such moments, she was wondering whether she loved
+him as much as she had loved Wilbur? Not so ardently, but more
+worthily, she concluded, for he seemed to her to fulfil her maturer
+ideal of strong and effective manhood, and to satisfy alike her
+self-respect and her physical fancy. A man of his type would not
+split hairs, but proceed straight toward the goal of his ambition
+without fainting or wavering. Why should she not satisfy her
+renewed craving to be yoked to a kindred spirit and companion who
+appreciated her true worth?</p>
+<p>"I cannot believe," he was saying, "that my words are a surprise
+to you. You can scarcely have failed to understand that I admired
+you extremely. I have delayed to utter my desire to make you my
+wife because I did not dare to cherish too fondly the hope that the
+love inspired in me could be reciprocated, and that you would
+consent to unite your life to mine and trust your happiness to my
+keeping. If I may say so, we are no boy and girl. We understand the
+solemn significance of marriage; what it imports and what it
+demands. Of late I have ventured to dream that the sympathy in
+ideas and identity of purpose which exist between us might be the
+trustworthy sign of a spiritual bond which we could not afford to
+ignore. I feel that without you the joy and power of my life will
+be incomplete. With you at my side I shall aspire to great things.
+You are to me the embodiment of what is charming and serviceable in
+woman."</p>
+<p>Selma looked up. "I like you very much, Mr. Lyons. You, in your
+turn, must have realized that, I think. As you say, we are no boy
+and girl. You meant by that, too, that we both have been married
+before. I have had two husbands, and I did not believe that I could
+ever think of marriage again. I don't wish you to suppose that my
+last marriage was not happy. Mr. Littleton was an earnest, talented
+man, and devoted to me. Yet I cannot deny that in spite of mutual
+love our married life was not a success&mdash;a success as a
+contribution to accomplishment. That nearly broke my heart, and
+he&mdash;he died from lack of the physical and mental vigor which
+would have made so much difference. I am telling you this because I
+wish you to realize that if I should consent to comply with your
+wishes, it would be because I was convinced that true
+accomplishment&mdash;the highest accomplishment&mdash;would result
+from the union of our lives as the result of our riper experience.
+If I did not believe, Mr. Lyons, that man and woman as we
+are&mdash;no longer boy and girl&mdash;a more perfect scheme of
+happiness, a grander conception of the meaning of life than either
+of us had entertained was before us, I would not consider your
+offer for one moment."</p>
+<p>"Yes, yes, I understand," Lyons exclaimed eagerly. "I share your
+belief implicitly. It was what I would have said only&mdash;"</p>
+<p>Despite his facility as an orator, Lyons left this sentence
+incomplete in face of the ticklish difficulty of explaining that he
+had refrained from suggesting such a hope to a widow who had lost
+her husband only two years before. Yet he hastened to bridge over
+this ellipsis by saying, "Without such a faith a union between us
+must fall short of its sweetest and grandest opportunities."</p>
+<p>"It would be a mockery; there would be no excuse for its
+existence," cried Selma impetuously. "I am an idealist, Mr. Lyons,"
+she said clasping her hands. "I believe devotedly in the mission
+and power of love. But I believe that our conception of love
+changes as we grow. I welcomed love formerly as an intoxicating,
+delirious potion, and as such it was very sweet. You have just told
+me of your own feelings toward me, so it is your right to know that
+lately I have begun to realize that my association with you has
+brought peace into my life&mdash;peace and religious
+faith&mdash;essentials of happiness of which I have not known the
+blessings since I was a child. You have dedicated yourself to a
+lofty work; you have chosen the noble career of a statesman&mdash;a
+statesman zealous to promote principles in which we both believe.
+And you ask me to share with you the labors and the privileges
+which will result from this dedication. If I accept your offer, it
+must be because I know that I love you&mdash;love you in a sense I
+have not loved before&mdash;may the dead pardon me! If I accept you
+it will be because I wish to perpetuate that faith and peace, and
+because I believe that our joint lives will realize worthy
+accomplishment." Selma looked into space with her wrapt gaze,
+apparently engaged in an intense mental struggle.</p>
+<p>"And you will accept? You do feel that you can return my love? I
+cannot tell you how greatly I am stirred and stimulated by what you
+have said. It makes me feel that I could never be happy without
+you." Lyons put into this speech all his solemnity and all his
+emotional beneficence of temperament. He was genuinely moved. His
+first marriage had been a love match. His wife&mdash;a mere
+girl&mdash;had died within a year; so soon that the memory of her
+was a tender but hazy sentiment rather than a formulated impression
+of character. By virtue of this memory he had approached marriage
+again as one seeking a companion for his fireside, and a comely,
+sensible woman to preside over his establishment and promote his
+social status, rather than one expecting to be possessed by or to
+inspire a dominant passion. Yet he, too, regarded himself
+distinctly as an idealist, and he had lent a greedy ear to Selma's
+suggestion that mature mutual sympathy and comradeship in
+establishing convictions and religious aims were the source of a
+nobler type of love than that associated with early matrimony. It
+increased his admiration for her, and gave to his courtship, the
+touch of idealism which&mdash;partly owing to his own modesty as a
+man no longer in the flush of youth&mdash;it had lacked. He
+nervously stroked his beard with his thick hand, and gave himself
+up to the spell of this vision of blessedness while he eagerly
+watched Selma's face and waited for her answer. To combine moral
+purpose and love in a pervasive alliance appealed to him
+magnetically as a religious man.</p>
+<p>Selma, as she faced Lyons, was conscious necessarily of the
+contrast between him and her late husband. But she was attuned to
+regard his coarser physical fibre as masculine vigor and a protest
+against aristocratic delicacy, and to derive comfort and exaltation
+from it.</p>
+<p>"Mr. Lyons," she said, "I will tell you frankly that the
+circumstances of married life have hitherto hampered the expression
+of that which is in me, and confined the scope of my individuality
+within narrow and uncongenial limits. I am not complaining; I have
+no intention to rake up the past; but it is proper you should know
+that I believe myself capable of larger undertakings than have yet
+been afforded me, and worthy of ampler recognition than I have yet
+received. If I accept you as a husband, it will be because I feel
+confident that you will give my life the opportunity to expand, and
+that you sympathize with my desire to express myself adequately and
+to labor hand in hand, side by side, with you in the important work
+of the world."</p>
+<p>"That is what I would have you do, Selma. Because you are worthy
+of it, and because it is your right."</p>
+<p>"On that understanding it seems that we might be very
+happy."</p>
+<p>"I am certain of it. You fill my soul with gladness," he cried,
+and seizing her hand he pressed it to his lips and covered it with
+kisses, but she withdrew it, saying, "Not yet&mdash;not yet. This
+step represents so much to me. It means that if I am mistaken in
+you, my whole life will be ruined, for the next years should be my
+best. We must not be too hasty. There are many things to be thought
+of. I must consider Mr. Parsons. I cannot leave him immediately, if
+at all, for he is very dependent on me."</p>
+<p>"I had thought of that. While Mr. Parsons lives, I realize that
+your first duty must be to him."</p>
+<p>The reverential gravity of his tone was in excess of the needs
+of the occasion, and Selma understood that he intended to imply
+that Mr. Parsons would not long need her care. The same thought was
+in her own mind, and it had occurred to her in the course of her
+previous cogitations in regard to Lyons, that in the event of his
+death it would suit her admirably to continue to occupy the house
+as its real mistress. She looked grave for a moment in her turn,
+then with a sudden access of coyness she murmured, "I do not
+believe that I am mistaken in you."</p>
+<p>"Ah," he cried, and would have folded her in his arms, but she
+evaded his onset and said with her dramatic intonation, "The
+knights of old won their lady-loves by brilliant deeds. If you are
+elected a member of Congress, you may come to claim me."</p>
+<p>Reflection served only to convince Selma of the wisdom of her
+decision to try matrimony once more. She argued, that though a
+third marriage might theoretically seem repugnant if stated as a
+bald fact, the actual circumstances in her case not merely
+exonerated her from a lack of delicacy, but afforded an exhibition
+of progress&mdash;a gradual evolution in character. She felt
+light-hearted and triumphant at the thought of her impending new
+importance as the wife of a public man, and she interested herself
+exuberantly in the progress of the political campaign. She was
+pleased to think that her stipulation had given her lover a new
+spur to his ambition, and she was prepared to believe that his
+victory would be due to the exhaustive efforts to win which the
+cruel possibility of losing her obliged him to make.</p>
+<p>This was a campaign era of torch-light processions. The rival
+factions expressed their confidence and enthusiasm by parading at
+night in a series of battalions armed with torches&mdash;some
+resplendently flaring, some glittering gayly through colored
+glass&mdash;and bearing transparencies inscribed with trenchant
+sentiments. The houses of their adherents along the route were
+illuminated from attic to cellar with rows of candles, and the
+atmosphere wore a dusky glow of red and green fire. To Selma all
+this was entrancing. She revelled in it as an introduction to the
+more conspicuous life which she was about to lead. She showed
+herself a zealous and enthusiastic partisan, shrouding the house in
+the darkness of Erebus on the occasion when the rival procession
+passed the door, and imparting to every window the effect of a
+blaze of light on the following evening&mdash;the night before
+election&mdash;when the Democratic party made its final appeal to
+the voters. Standing on a balcony in evening dress, in company with
+Mrs. Earle and Miss Luella Bailey, whom she had invited to view the
+procession from the River Drive, Selma looked down on the parade in
+an ecstatic mood. The torches, the music, the fireworks and the
+enthusiasm set her pulses astir and brought her heart into her
+mouth in melting appreciation of the sanctity of her party cause
+and her own enviable destiny as the wife of an American
+Congressman. She held in one hand a flag which she waved from time
+to time at the conspicuous features of the procession, and she
+stationed herself so that the Bengal lights and other fireworks set
+off by Mr. Parsons's hired man should throw her figure into
+conspicuous relief. The culminating interest of the, occasion for
+her was reached when the James O. Lyons Cadets, the special body of
+youthful torch-bearers devoted to advertising the merits of her
+lover, for whose uniforms and accoutrements he had paid, came in
+sight.</p>
+<p>They proved to be the most flourishing looking organization in
+line. They were preceded by a large, nattily attired drum corps;
+their ranks were full, their torches lustrous, and they bore a
+number of transparencies setting forth the predominant
+qualifications of the candidate for Congress from the second
+district, the largest of which presented his portrait superscribed
+with the sentiment, "A vote for James O. Lyons is a vote in support
+of the liberties of the plain people." On the opposite end of the
+canvas was the picture of the king of beasts, with open jaws and
+bristling mane, with the motto, "Our Lyons's might will keep our
+institutions sacred." In the midst of this glittering escort the
+candidate himself rode in an open barouche on his way to the hall
+where he was to deliver a final speech. He was bowing to right and
+left, and constant cheers marked his progress along the avenue.
+Selma leaned forward from the balcony to obtain the earliest sight
+of her hero. The rolling applause was a new, intoxicating music in
+her ears, and filled her soul with transport. She clapped her hands
+vehemently; seized a roman-candle, and amid a blaze of fiery sparks
+exploded its colored stars in the direction of the approaching
+carriage. Then with the flag slanted across her bosom, she stood
+waiting for his recognition. It was made solemnly, but with the
+unequivocal demonstration of a cavalier or knight of old, for Lyons
+stood up, and doffing his hat toward her, made a conspicuous
+salute. A salvo of applause suggested to Selma that the multitude
+had understood that he was according to her the homage due a
+lady-love, and that their cheers were partly meant for her. She put
+her hand to her bosom with the gesture of a queen of melodrama, and
+culling one from a bunch of roses Lyons had sent her that afternoon
+threw it from the balcony at the carriage. The flower fell almost
+into the lap of her lover, who clutched it, pressed it to his lips,
+and doffed his hat again. The episode had been visible to many, and
+a hoarse murmur of interested approval crowned the performance. The
+glance of the crowds on the sidewalk was turned upward, and someone
+proposed three cheers for the lady in the balcony. They were given.
+Selma bowed to either side in delighted acknowledgment, while the
+torches of the cadets waved tumultuously, and there was a fresh
+outburst of colored fires.</p>
+<p>"I can't keep the secret any longer," she exclaimed, turning to
+her two companions. "I'm engaged to be married to Mr. Lyons."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER V.</h3>
+<p>Lyons was chosen to Congress by a liberal margin. The
+Congressional delegation from his State was almost evenly divided
+between the two parties as the result of the election, and the
+majorities in every case were small. Consequently the more complete
+victory of Lyons was a feather in his cap, and materially enhanced
+his political standing.</p>
+<p>The sudden death of Mr. Parsons within a week of the election
+saved Selma's conscience from the strain of arranging a harmonious
+and equitable separation from him. She had felt that the
+enlargement of her sphere of life and the opportunity to serve her
+country which this marriage offered were paramount to any other
+considerations, but she was duly conscious that Mr. Parsons would
+miss her sorely, and she was considering the feasibility of
+substituting Miss Bailey as his companion in her place, when fate
+supplied a different solution. Selma had pledged her friends to
+secrecy, so that Mr. Parsons need know nothing until the plans for
+his happiness had been perfected, and he died in ignorance of the
+interesting matrimonial alliance which had been fostered under his
+roof. By the terms of his will Selma was bequeathed the twenty
+thousand dollars he had promised her. She and Mr. Lyons, with a
+third person, to be selected by them, were appointed trustees of
+the Free Hospital with which he had endowed Benham, and Mr. Lyons
+was nominated as the sole executor under the will.</p>
+<p>Selma's conception that her third betrothal was coincident with
+spiritual development, and that she had fought her way through
+hampering circumstances to a higher plane of experience, had taken
+firm hold of her imagination. She presently confessed to Lyons that
+she had not hitherto appreciated the full meaning of the dogma that
+marriage was a sacrament. She evinced a disposition to show herself
+with him at church gatherings, and to cultivate the acquaintance of
+his pastor. She felt that she had finally secured the opportunity
+to live the sober, simple life appropriate to those who believed in
+maintaining American principles, and in eschewing luxurious and
+effete foreign innovations; the sort of life she had always meant
+to live, and from which she had been debarred. She had now not only
+opportunity, but a responsibility. As the bride of a Congressman,
+it behooved her both to pursue virtue for its own sake and for the
+sake of example. It was incumbent on her to preserve and promote
+democratic conditions in signal opposition to so-called fashionable
+society, and at the same time to assert her own proper dignity and
+the dignity of her constituents by a suitable outward show.</p>
+<p>This last subtlety of reflection convinced Selma that they ought
+to occupy the house on the River Drive. Lyons himself expressed
+some doubts as to the advisability of this. He admitted that he
+could afford the expense, and that it was just such a residence as
+he desired, but he suggested that their motives might not be
+understood, and he questioned whether it were wise, with the State
+so close, to give his political enemies the chance to make unjust
+accusations.</p>
+<p>"Of course you ought to understand about this matter better than
+I," she said; "but I have the feeling, James, that your
+constituents will be disappointed if we don't show ourselves
+appreciative of the dignity of your position. We both agree that we
+should make Benham our home, and that it will be preferable if I
+visit Washington a month or two at a time during the session rather
+than for us to set up housekeeping there, and I can't help
+believing that the people will be better pleased if you, as their
+representative, make that home all which a beautiful home should
+be. They will be proud of it, and if they are, you needn't mind
+what a few fault-finders say. I have been thinking it over, and it
+seems to me that we shall make a mistake to let this house go. It
+just suits us. I feel sure that in their hearts the American people
+like to have their public men live comfortably. This house is small
+compared to many in New York, and I flatter myself that we shall be
+able to satisfy everyone that we are rootedly opposed to unseemly
+extravagance of living."</p>
+<p>Lyons yielded readily to this argument. He had been accustomed
+to simple surroundings, but travel and the growth of Benham itself
+had demonstrated to him that the ways of the nation in respect to
+material possessions and comforts had undergone a marked change
+since his youth. He had been brought in contact with this new
+development in his capacity of adviser to the magnates of Benham,
+and he had fallen under the spell of improved creature comforts.
+Still, though he cast sheep's eyes at these flesh pots, he had felt
+chary, both as a worker for righteousness and an ardent champion of
+popular principles, of countenancing them openly. Yet his original
+impulse toward marriage had been a desire to secure an
+establishment, and now that this result was at hand he found
+himself ambitious to put his household on a braver footing,
+provided this would do injury neither to his moral scruples nor to
+his political sincerity. The problem was but another phase of that
+presented to him by his evolution from a jury lawyer, whose hand
+and voice were against corporations, to the status of a richly paid
+chamber adviser to railroads and banking houses. He was exactly in
+the frame of mind to grasp at the euphemism offered by Selma. He
+was not one to be convinced without a reason, but his mind eagerly
+welcomed a suggestion which justified on a moral ground the
+proceeding to which they were both inclined. The idea that the
+people would prefer to see him as their representative living in a
+style consistent with the changes in manners and customs introduced
+by national prosperity, affording thereby an example of correct and
+elevating stewardship of reasonable wealth, by way of contrast to
+vapid society doings, came to him as an illumination which
+dissipated his doubts.</p>
+<p>The wedding took place about three months after the death of Mr.
+Parsons. In her renovated outlook regarding matrimony, Selma
+included formal preparations for and some pomp of circumstances at
+the ceremony. It suited her pious mood that she was not required
+again to be married off-hand, and that she could plight her troth
+in a decorous fashion, suitably attired and amid conventional
+surroundings. Her dress was a subject of considerable
+contemplation. She guided her lover's generosity until it centred
+on a diamond spray for her hair and two rings set with handsome
+precious stones. She did not discourage Miss Luella Bailey from
+heralding the approaching nuptials in the press. She became Mrs.
+Lyons in a conspicuous and solemn fashion before the gaze of
+everybody in Benham whom there was any excuse for asking to the
+church. After a collation at the Parsons house, the happy pair
+started on their honeymoon in a special car put at their service by
+one of the railroads for which the bridegroom was counsel. This
+feature delighted Selma. Indeed, everything, from the complimentary
+embrace of her husband's pastor to the details of her dress and
+wedding presents, described with elaborate good will in the evening
+newspapers, appeared to her gratifying and appropriate.</p>
+<p>They were absent six weeks, during which the Parsons house was
+to be redecorated and embellished within and without according to
+instructions given by Selma before her departure. Their trip
+extended to California by way of the Yosemite. Selma had never seen
+the wonders of the far western scenery, and this appropriate
+background for their sentiment also afforded Lyons the opportunity
+to inspect certain railroad lines in which he was financially
+interested. The atmosphere of the gorgeous snow-clad peaks and
+impressive chasms served to heighten still further the intensity of
+Selma's frame of mind. She managed adroitly on several occasions to
+let people know who they were, and it pleased her to observe the
+conductor indicating to passengers in the common cars that they
+were Congressman Lyons and his wife on their honeymoon. She was
+looking forward to Washington, and as she stood in the presence of
+the inspiring beauties of nature she was prone to draw herself up
+in rehearsal of the dignity which she expected to wear. What were
+these mountains and canyons but physical counterparts of the human
+soul? What but correlative representatives of grand ideas, of noble
+lives devoted to the cause of human liberty? She felt that she was
+very happy, and she bore testimony to this by walking arm in arm
+with her husband, leaning against his firm, stalwart shoulder. It
+seemed to her desirable that the public should know that they were
+a happy couple and defenders of the purity of the home. On their
+way back the train was delayed on Washington's birthday for several
+hours by a wash-out, and presently a deputation made up of
+passengers and townspeople waited on Lyons and invited him to
+deliver an open-air address. He and Selma, when the committee
+arrived, were just about to explore the neighborhood, and Lyons,
+though ordinarily he would have been glad of such an opportunity,
+looked at his wife with an expression which suggested that he would
+prefer a walk with her. The eyes of the committee followed his,
+appreciating that he had thrown the responsibility of a decision on
+his bride. Selma was equal to the occasion. "Of course he will
+address you," she exclaimed. "What more suitable place could there
+be for offering homage to the father of our country than this
+majestic prairie?" She added, proudly, "And I am glad you should
+have the opportunity to hear my husband speak."</p>
+<p>Some letters requiring attention were forwarded to Lyons at one
+of the cities where they stopped. As they lay on his dressing-table
+Selma caught sight of the return address, Williams &amp; Van Horne,
+printed on the uppermost envelope. The reminder aroused a host of
+associations. Flossy had not been much in her thoughts lately, yet
+she had not failed to plume herself occasionally with the
+reflection that she could afford now to snap her fingers at her.
+She had wondered more than once what Flossy would think when she
+heard that she was the wife of a Representative.</p>
+<p>"Do you know these people personally?" she inquired, holding up
+the envelope.</p>
+<p>"Yes. They are my&mdash;er&mdash;financial representatives in
+New York. I have considerable dealings with them."</p>
+<p>Selma had not up to this time concerned herself as to the
+details of her husband's affairs. He had made clear to her that his
+income from his profession was large, and she knew that he was
+interested in a variety of enterprises. That he should have
+connections with a firm of New York brokers was one more proof to
+her of his common sense and capacity to take advantage of
+opportunities.</p>
+<p>"Mr. Littleton used to buy stocks through Williams and Van
+Horne&mdash;only a few. He was not very clever at it, and failed to
+make the most of the chances given him to succeed in that way. We
+knew the Williamses at one time very well. They lived in the same
+block with us for several years after we were married."</p>
+<p>"Williams is a capable, driving sort of fellow. Bold, but on the
+whole sagacious, I think," answered Lyons, with demure urbanity. It
+was rather a shock to him that his wife should learn that he had
+dealings in the stock market. He feared lest it might seem to her
+inconsistent with his other propensities&mdash;his religious
+convictions and his abhorrence of corporate rapacity. He preferred
+to keep such transactions private for fear they should be
+misunderstood. At heart he did not altogether approve of them
+himself. They were a part of his evolution, and had developed by
+degrees until they had become now so interwoven with his whole
+financial outlook that he could not escape from them at the moment
+if he would. Indeed some of them were giving him anxiety. He had
+supposed that the letter in question contained a request for a
+remittance to cover depreciation in his account. Instead he had
+read with some annoyance a confidential request from Williams that
+he would work for a certain bill which, in his capacity as a foe of
+monopoly, he had hoped to be able to oppose. It offended his
+conscience to think that he might be obliged secretly to befriend a
+measure against which his vote must be cast. As has been intimated,
+he would have preferred that his business affairs should remain
+concealed from his wife. Yet her remarks were unexpectedly and
+agreeably reassuring. They served to furnish a fresh indication on
+her part of intelligent sympathy with the perplexities which beset
+the path of an ambitious public man. They suggested a subtle
+appreciation of the reasonableness of his behavior, notwithstanding
+its apparent failure to tally with his outward professions.</p>
+<p>Selma's reply interrupted this rhapsody.</p>
+<p>"I ought to tell you, I suppose, that I quarrelled with Mrs.
+Williams before I left New York. Or, rather, she quarrelled with
+me. She insulted me in my own house, and I was obliged to order her
+to leave it."</p>
+<p>"Quarrelled? That is a pity. An open break? Open breaks in
+friendship are always unfortunate." Lyons looked grieved, and
+fingered his beard meditatively.</p>
+<p>"I appreciate," said Selma, frankly, "that our falling out will
+be an inconvenience in case we should meet in Washington or
+elsewhere, since you and Mr. Williams have business interests in
+common. Of course, James, I wish to help you in every way I can. I
+might as well tell you about it. I think she was jealous of me and
+fancied I was trying to cut her out socially. At all events, she
+insinuated that I was not a lady, because I would not lower my
+standards to hers, and adopt the frivolous habits of her little
+set. But I have not forgotten, James, your suggestion that people
+in public life can accomplish more if they avoid showing resentment
+and strive for harmony. I shall be ready to forget the past if Mrs.
+Williams will, for my position as your wife puts me beyond the
+reach of her criticism. She's a lively little thing in her way, and
+her husband seems to understand about investments and how to get
+ahead."</p>
+<p>They went direct to Washington without stopping at Benham. It
+was understood that the new session of Congress was to be very
+short, and they were glad of an opportunity to present themselves
+in an official capacity at the capital as a conclusion to their
+honeymoon, before settling down at home. Selma found a letter from
+Miss Bailey, containing the news that Pauline Littleton had
+accepted the presidency of Wetmore College, the buildings of which
+were now practically completed. Selma gasped as she read this. She
+had long ago decided that her sister-in-law's studies were
+unpractical, and that Pauline was doomed to teach small classes all
+her days, a task for which she was doubtless well fitted. She
+resented the selection, for, in her opinion, Pauline lacked the
+imaginative talent of Wilbur, and yet shared his subjective,
+unenthusiastic ways. More than once it had occurred to her that the
+presidency of Wetmore was the place of all others for which she
+herself was fitted. Indeed, until Lyons had offered himself she had
+cherished in her inner consciousness the hope that the course of
+events might demonstrate that she was the proper person to direct
+the energies of this new medium for the higher education of women.
+It irritated her to think that an institution founded by Benham
+philanthropy, and which would be a vital influence in the
+development of Benham womanhood, should be under the control of one
+who was hostile to American theories and methods. Selma felt so
+strongly on the subject that she thought of airing her objections
+in a letter to Mr. Flagg, the donor, but she concluded to suspend
+her strictures until her return to Benham. She sent, however, to
+Miss Bailey, who was now regularly attached to one of the Benham
+newspapers, notes for an article which should deplore the choice by
+the trustees of one who was unfamiliar and presumably out of
+sympathy with Benham thought and impulse.</p>
+<p>Selma's emotions on her arrival in Washington were very
+different from those which she had experienced in New York as the
+bride of Littleton. Then she had been unprepared for, dazed, and
+offended by what she saw. Now, though she mentally assumed that the
+capital was the parade ground of American ideas and principles, she
+felt not merely no surprise at the august appearance of the wide
+avenues, but she was eagerly on the lookout, as they drove from the
+station to the hotel, for signs of social development. The aphorism
+which she had supplied to her husband, that the American people
+prefer to have their representatives live comfortably, dwelt in her
+thoughts and was a solace to her. Despite her New York experience,
+she had the impression that the doors of every house in Washington
+would fly open at her approach as the wife of a Congressman. She
+did not formulate her anticipations as to her reception, but she
+entertained a general expectation that their presence would be
+acknowledged as public officials in a notable way. She dressed
+herself on the morning after their arrival at the hotel with some
+showiness, so as to be prepared for flattering emergencies. She had
+said little to her husband on the subject, for she had already
+discovered that, though he was ambitious that they should appear
+well, he was disposed to leave the management of social concerns to
+her. His information had been limited to bidding her come prepared
+for the reception to be given at the White House at the
+reassembling of Congress. Selma had brought her wedding-dress for
+this, and was looking forward to it as a gala occasion.</p>
+<p>The hotel was very crowded, and Selma became aware that many of
+the guests were the wives and daughters of other Congressmen, who
+seemed to be in the same predicament as herself&mdash;that is,
+without anyone to speak to and waiting in their best clothes for
+something to happen. Lyons knew a few of them, and was making
+acquaintances in the corridors, with some of whom he exchanged an
+introduction of wives. As she successively met these other women,
+Selma perceived that no one of them was better dressed than
+herself, and she reflected with pleasure that they would doubtless
+be available allies in her crusade against frivolity and
+exclusiveness.</p>
+<p>Presently she set out with her husband to survey the sights of
+the city. Naturally their first visit was to the Capitol, in the
+presence of which Selma clutched his arm in the pride of her
+patriotism and of her pleasure that he was to be one of the makers
+of history within its splendid precincts. The sight of the stately
+houses of Congress, superbly dominated by their imposing dome, made
+them both walk proudly, lost, save for occasional vivid phrases of
+admiration, in the contemplation of their own possible future. What
+greater earthly prize for man than political distinction among a
+people capable of monuments like this? What grander arena for a
+woman eager to demonstrate truth and promote righteousness? There
+was, of course, too much to see for any one visit. They went up to
+the gallery of the House of Representatives and looked down on the
+theatre of Lyons's impending activities. He was to take his seat on
+the day after the morrow as one of the minority party, but a
+strong, vigorous minority. Selma pictured him standing in the aisle
+and uttering ringing words of denunciation against corporate
+monopolies and the money power.</p>
+<p>"I shall come up here and listen to you often. I shall be able
+to tell if you speak loud enough&mdash;so that the public can hear
+you," she said, glancing at the line of galleries which she saw in
+her mind's eye crowded with spectators. "You must make a long
+speech very soon."</p>
+<p>"That is very unlikely indeed. They tell me a new member rarely
+gets a chance to be heard," answered Lyons.</p>
+<p>"But they will hear you. You have something to say."</p>
+<p>Lyons squeezed her hand. Her words nourished the same hope in
+his own breast. "I shall take advantage of every opportunity to
+obtain recognition, and to give utterance to my opinions."</p>
+<p>"Oh yes, I shall expect you to speak. I am counting on
+that."</p>
+<p>On their way down they scanned with interest the statues and
+portraits of distinguished statesmen and heroes, and the
+representations of famous episodes in American history with which
+the walls of the landings and the rotunda are lined.</p>
+<p>"Some day you will be here," said Selma. "I wonder who will
+paint you or make your bust. I have often thought," she added,
+wistfully, "that, if I had given my mind to it, I could have
+modelled well in clay. Some day I'll try. It would be interesting,
+wouldn't it, to have you here in marble with the inscription
+underneath, 'Bust of the Honorable James O. Lyons, sculptured by
+his wife?'"</p>
+<p>Lyons laughed, but he was pleased. "You are making rapid
+strides, my dear. I am sure of one thing&mdash;if my bust or
+portrait ever is here, I shall owe my success largely to your
+devotion and good sense. I felt certain of it before, but our
+honeymoon has proved to me that we were meant for one another."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I think we were. And I like to hear you say I have good
+sense. That is what I pride myself on as a wife."</p>
+<p>On their return to the hotel Selma was annoyed to find that no
+one but a member of her husband's Congressional delegation had
+called. She had hoped to find that their presence in Washington was
+known and appreciated. It seemed to her, moreover, that they were
+not treated at the hotel with the deference she had supposed would
+be accorded to them. To be sure, equality was of the essence of
+American doctrine; nevertheless she had anticipated that the
+official representatives of the people would be made much of, and
+distinguished from the rest of the world, if not by direct
+attention, by being pointed out and looked at admiringly. Still, as
+Lyons showed no signs of disappointment, she forbore to express her
+own perplexity, which was temporarily relieved by an invitation
+from him to drive. The atmosphere was mild enough for an open
+carriage, and Selma's appetite for processional effect derived some
+crumbs of comfort from the process of showing herself in a barouche
+by the side of her husband. They proceeded in an opposite direction
+from the Capitol, and after surveying the outside of the White
+House, drove along the avenues and circles occupied by private
+residences. Selma noticed that these houses, though attractive,
+were less magnificent and conspicuous than many of those in New
+York&mdash;more like her own in Benham; and she pictured as their
+occupants the families of the public men of the country&mdash;a
+society of their wives and daughters living worthily,
+energetically, and with becoming stateliness, yet at the same time
+rebuking by their example frivolity and rampant luxury. She
+observed with satisfaction the passage of a number of private
+carriages, and that their occupants were stylishly clad. She
+reflected that, as, the wife of a Congressman, her place was among
+them, and she was glad that they recognized the claims of social
+development so far as to dress well and live in comfort. Before
+starting she had herself fastened a bunch of red roses at her waist
+as a contribution to her picturesqueness as a public woman.</p>
+<p>While she was thus absorbed in speculation, not altogether free
+from worrying suspicions, in spite of her mental vision as to the
+occupants of these private residences, she uttered an ejaculation
+of surprise as a jaunty victoria passed by them, and she turned her
+head in an eager attempt to ascertain if her surprise and annoyance
+were well-founded. The other vehicle was moving rapidly, but a
+similar curiosity impelled one of its occupants to look hack also,
+and the eyes of the two women met.</p>
+<p>"It's she; I thought it was."</p>
+<p>"Who, my dear?" said Lyons.</p>
+<p>"Flossy Williams&mdash;Mrs. Gregory Williams. I wonder," she
+added, in a severe tone, "what she is doing here, and how she
+happens to be associating with these people. That was a private
+carriage."</p>
+<p>"Williams has a number of friends in Washington, I imagine. I
+thought it likely that he would be here. That was another proof of
+your good sense, Selma&mdash;deciding to let bygones be bygones and
+to ignore your disagreement with his wife."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I know. I shall treat her civilly. But my heart will be
+broken, James, if I find that Washington is like New York."</p>
+<p>"In what respect?"</p>
+<p>"If I find that the people in these houses lead exclusive,
+un-American, godless lives. It would tempt me almost to despair of
+our country," she exclaimed, with tragic emphasis.</p>
+<p>"I don't understand about social matters, Selma. I must leave
+those to you. But," he added, showing that he shrewdly realized the
+cause of her anguish better than she did herself, "as soon as we
+get better acquainted, I'm sure you will find that we shall get
+ahead, and that you will be able to hold your own with anybody,
+however exclusive."</p>
+<p>Selma colored at the unflattering simplicity of his deduction.
+"I don't desire to hold my own with people of that sort. I despise
+them."</p>
+<p>"I know. Hold your own, I mean, among people of the right sort
+by force of sound ideas and principles. The men and women of
+to-day," he continued, with melodious asseveration, "are the
+grand-children of those who built the splendid halls we visited
+this morning as a monument to our nation's love of truth and
+righteousness. A few frivolous, worldly minded spirits are not the
+people of the United States to whom we look for our encouragement
+and support."</p>
+<p>"Assuredly," answered Selma, with eagerness. "It is difficult,
+though, not to get discouraged at times by the behavior of those
+who ought to aid instead of hinder our progress as a nation."</p>
+<p>For a moment she was silent in wrapt meditation, then she
+asked:</p>
+<p>"Didn't you expect that more notice would be taken of our
+arrival?"</p>
+<p>"In what way?"</p>
+<p>"In some way befitting a member of Congress."</p>
+<p>Lyons laughed. "My dear Selma, I am one new Congressman among
+several hundred. What did you expect? That the President and his
+wife would come and take us to drive?"</p>
+<p>"Of course not." She paused a moment, then she said: "I suppose
+that, as you are not on the side of the administration, we cannot
+expect much notice to be taken of us until you speak in the House.
+I will try not to be too ambitious for you, James; but it would be
+easier to be patient," she concluded, with her far-away look, "if I
+were not beginning to fear that this city also may be contaminated
+just as New York is."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VI.</h3>
+<p>The incidents of the next two days previous to her attendance at
+the evening reception at the White House restored Selma's
+equanimity. She had the satisfaction of being present at the
+opening ceremonies of the House of Representatives, and of
+beholding her husband take the oath of office. She was proud of
+Lyons as she looked down on him from the gallery standing in the
+aisle by his allotted seat. He was holding an improvised reception,
+for a number of his colleagues showed themselves desirous to make
+his acquaintance. She noticed that he appeared already on familiar
+terms with some of his fellow-members; that he drew men or was
+drawn aside for whispered confidences; that he joked knowingly with
+others; and that always as he chatted his large, round, smooth
+face, relieved by its chin beard, wore an aspect of bland dignity
+and shrewd reserve wisdom. It pleased her to be assisting at the
+dedication of a fresh page of national history&mdash;a page yet
+unwritten, but on which she hoped that her own name would be
+inscribed sooner or later by those who should seek to trace the
+complete causes of her husband's usefulness and genius.</p>
+<p>Another source of satisfaction was the visit paid them the day
+before at the hotel by one of the United States Senators from their
+own State&mdash;Mr. Calkins. The two political parties in their own
+State were so evenly divided that one of the Senators in office
+happened to be a Republican and his colleague a Democrat. Mr.
+Calkins belonged to her husband's party, yet he suggested that they
+might enjoy a private audience with the President, with whom,
+notwithstanding political differences of opinion, Mr. Calkins was
+on friendly terms. This was the sort of thing which Selma aspired
+to, and the experience did much to lighten her heart. She enjoyed
+the distinction of seeing guarded doors open at their approach, and
+of finding herself shaking hands with the chief magistrate of the
+nation at a special interview. The President was very affable, and
+was manifestly aware of Lyons's triumph at the expense of his own
+party, and of his consequent political importance. He treated the
+matter banteringly, and Selma was pleased at her ability to enter
+into the spirit of his persiflage and to reciprocate. In her
+opinion solemnity would have been more consistent with his position
+as the official representative of the people of the United States,
+and his jocose manifestations at a time when serious conversation
+seemed to be in order was a disappointment, and tended to confirm
+her previous distrust of him as the leader of the opposite party.
+She had hoped he would broach some vital topics of political
+interest, and that she would have the opportunity to give
+expression to her own views in regard to public questions.
+Nevertheless, as the President saw fit to be humorous, she was glad
+that she understood how to meet and answer his bantering sallies.
+She felt sure that Lyons, were he ever to occupy this dignified
+office, would refrain from ill-timed levity, but she bore in mind
+also the policy of conciliation which she had learned from her
+husband, and concealed her true impressions. She noticed that both
+Lyons and Mr. Calkins forebore to show dissatisfaction, and she
+reflected that, though the President's tone was light, there was
+nothing else in his appearance or bearing to convict him of
+sympathy with lack of enthusiasm and with cynicism. It would have
+destroyed all the enjoyment of her interview had she been forced to
+conclude that a man who did not take himself and his duties
+seriously could be elected President of the United States. She was
+not willing to believe this; but her suspicions were so far aroused
+that she congratulated herself that her political opponents were
+responsible for his election. Nevertheless she was delighted by the
+distinction of the private audience, and by the episode at its
+close, which gave her opportunity to show her individuality. Said
+the President gallantly as she was taking leave:</p>
+<p>"Will you permit me to congratulate Congressman Lyons on his
+good fortune in the affairs of the heart as well as in
+politics?"</p>
+<p>"If you say things like that, Mr. President," interjected Lyons,
+"you will turn her head; she will become a Republican, and then
+where should I be?"</p>
+<p>While she perceived that the President was still inclined to
+levity, the compliment pleased Selma. Yet, though she appreciated
+that her husband was merely humoring him by his reply, she did not
+like the suggestion that any flattery could affect her principles.
+She shook her head coquettishly and said:</p>
+<p>"James, I'm sure the President thinks too well of American women
+to believe that any admiration, however gratifying, would make me
+lukewarm in devotion to my party."</p>
+<p>This speech appeared to her apposite and called for, and she
+departed in high spirits, which were illuminated by the thought
+that the administration was not wholly to be trusted.</p>
+<p>On the following evening Selma went to the reception at the
+White House. The process of arrival was trying to her patience, for
+they were obliged to await their turn in the long file of
+carriages. She could not but approve of the democratic character of
+the entertainment, which anyone who desired to behold and shake
+hands with the Chief Magistrate was free to attend. Still, it again
+crossed her mind that, as an official's wife, she ought to have
+been given precedence. Their turn to alight came at last, and they
+took their places in the procession of visitors on its way through
+the East room to the spot where the President and his wife,
+assisted by some of the ladies of the Cabinet, were submitting to
+the ordeal of receiving the nation. There was a veritable crush, in
+which there was every variety of evening toilette, a display
+essentially in keeping with the doctrines which Selma felt that she
+stood for. She took occasion to rejoice in Lyons's ear at the
+realization of her anticipations in this respect. At the same time
+she was agreeably stimulated by the belief that her wedding dress
+was sumptuous and stylish, and her appearance striking. Her hair
+had been dressed as elaborately as possible; she wore all her
+jewelry; and she carried a bouquet of costly roses. Her wish was to
+regard the function as the height of social demonstration, and she
+had spared no pains to make herself effective. She had esteemed it
+her duty to do so both as a Congressman's wife and as a champion of
+moral and democratic ideas.</p>
+<p>The crowd was oppressive, and three times the train of her dress
+was stepped on to her discomfiture. Amid the sea of faces she
+recognized a few of the people she had seen at the hotel. It struck
+her that no one of the women was dressed so elegantly as herself,
+an observation which cheered her and yet was not without its thorn.
+But the music, the lights, and the variegated movement of the scene
+kept her senses absorbed and interfered with introspection, until
+at last they were close to the receiving party. Selma fixed her
+eyes on the President, expecting recognition. Like her husband, the
+President possessed a gift of faces and the faculty of rallying all
+his energies to the important task of remembering who people were.
+An usher asked and announced the names, but the Chief Magistrate's
+perceptions were kept hard at work. His "How do you do, Congressman
+Lyons? I am very glad to see you here, Mrs. Lyons," were uttered
+with a smiling spontaneity, which to his own soul meant a momentary
+agreeable relaxation of the nerves of memory, resembling the easy
+flourish with which a gymnast engaged in lifting heavy weights
+encounters a wooden dumb-bell. But though his eyes and voice were
+flattering, Selma had barely completed the little bob of a courtesy
+which accompanied her act of shaking hands when she discovered that
+the machinery of the national custom was not to halt on their
+account, and that she must proceed without being able to renew the
+half flirtatious interview of the previous day. She proceeded to
+courtesy to the President's wife and to the row of wives of members
+of the Cabinet who were assisting. Before she could adequately
+observe them, she found herself beyond and a part once more of a
+heterogeneous crush, the current of which she aimlessly followed on
+her husband's arm. She was suspicious of the device of courtesying.
+Why had not the President's wife and the Cabinet ladies shaken
+hands with her and given her an opportunity to make their
+acquaintance? Could it be that the administration was aping foreign
+manners and adopting effete and aristocratic usages?</p>
+<p>"What do we do now?" she asked of Lyons as they drifted
+along.</p>
+<p>"I'd like to find Horace Elton and introduce him to you. I
+caught a glimpse of him further on just before we reached the
+President. Horace knows all the ropes and can tell us who everybody
+is."</p>
+<p>Selma had heard her husband refer to Horace Elton on several
+occasions in terms of respectful and somewhat mysterious
+consideration. She had gathered in a general way that he was a far
+reaching and formidable power in matters political and financial,
+besides being the president and active organizer of the energetic
+corporation known as the Consumers' Gas Light Company of their own
+state. As they proceeded she kept her eyes on the alert for a man
+described by Lyons as short, heavily built, and neat looking, with
+small side whiskers and a close-mouthed expression. When they were
+not far from the door of exit from the East room, some one on the
+edge of the procession accosted her husband, who drew her after him
+in that direction. Selma found herself in a sort of eddy occupied
+by half a dozen people engaged in observing the passing show, and
+in the presence of Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Williams. It was Mr.
+Williams who had diverted them. He now renewed his acquaintance
+with her, exclaiming&mdash;"My wife insisted that she had met you
+driving with some one she believed to be your husband. I had heard
+that Congressman Lyons was on his bridal tour, and now everything
+is clear. Flossy, you were right as usual, and it seems that our
+hearty congratulations are in order to two old friends."</p>
+<p>Williams spoke with his customary contagious confidence. Selma
+noted that he was stouter and that his hair was becomingly streaked
+with gray. Had not her attention been on the lookout for his wife
+she might have noticed that his eye wore a restless, strained
+expression despite his august banker's manner and showy gallantry.
+She did observe that the moment he had made way for Flossy he
+turned to Lyons and began to talk to him in a subdued tone under
+the guise of watching the procession.</p>
+<p>The two women confronted each other with spontaneous
+forgetfulness of the past. There was a shade of haughtiness in
+Selma's greeting. She was prepared to respect her husband's policy
+and to ignore the circumstances under which they had parted, but
+she wished Flossy to understand that this was an act of
+condescension on her part as a Congressman's wife, whose important
+social status was beyond question. She was so thoroughly imbued
+with this sense of her indisputable superiority that she readily
+mistook Flossy's affability for fawning; whereas that young woman's
+ingenuous friendliness was the result of a warning sentence from
+Gregory when Selma and her husband were seen
+approaching&mdash;"Keep a check on your tongue, Floss. This
+statesman with a beard like a goat is likely to have a political
+future."</p>
+<p>"I felt sure it was you the other day," Flossy said with smiling
+sprightliness, "but I had not heard of your marriage to Mr.
+Lyons."</p>
+<p>"We were married at Benham six weeks ago. We are to live in
+Benham. We have bought the house there which belonged to Mr.
+Parsons. We have just returned from visiting the superb scenery of
+the Yosemite and the Rocky Mountains, and it made me prouder than
+ever of my country. If Congressman Lyons had not been obliged to be
+present at the opening of Congress, we should have spent our
+honeymoon in Europe."</p>
+<p>"Gregory and I passed last summer abroad yachting. We crossed on
+a steamer and had our yacht meet us there. Isn't it a jam
+to-night?"</p>
+<p>"There seem to be a great many people. I suppose you came on
+from New York on purpose for this reception?"</p>
+<p>"Mercy, no. We are staying with friends, and we hadn't intended
+to come to-night. But we had been dining out and were dressed, so
+we thought we'd drop in and show our patriotism. It's destruction
+to clothes, and I'm glad I haven't worn my best."</p>
+<p>Selma perceived Flossy's eye making a note of her own elaborate
+costume, and the disagreeable suspicion that she was overdressed
+reasserted itself. She had already observed that Mrs. Williams's
+toilette, though stylish, was comparatively simple. How could one
+be overdressed on such an occasion? What more suitable time for an
+American woman to wear her choicest apparel than when paying her
+respects to the President of the United States? She noticed that
+Flossy seemed unduly at her ease as though the importance of the
+ceremony was lost on her, and that they group of people with whom
+Flossy had been talking and who stood a little apart were obviously
+indulging in quiet mirth at the expense of some of those in the
+procession.</p>
+<p>"Are the friends with whom you are staying connected with the
+Government?" Selma asked airily.</p>
+<p>"Official people? Goodness, no. But I can point out to you who
+everybody is, for we have been in Washington frequently during the
+last three sessions. Gregory has to run over here on business every
+now and then, and I almost always come with him. To-night is the
+opportunity to see the queer people in all their glory&mdash;the
+woolly curiosities, as Gregory calls them. And a sprinkling of the
+real celebrities too," she added.</p>
+<p>Selma's inquiry had been put with a view to satisfy herself that
+Flossy's friends were mere civilians. But she was glad of an
+opportunity to be enlightened as to the names of her
+fellow-officials, though she resented Flossy's flippant tone
+regarding the character of the entertainment. While she listened to
+the breezy, running commentary by which Flossy proceeded to
+identify for her benefit the conspicuous figures in the procession
+she nursed her offended sensibilities.</p>
+<p>"I should suppose," she said, taking advantage of a pause, "that
+on such an occasion as this everybody worth knowing would be
+present."</p>
+<p>Flossy gave Selma one of her quick glances. She had not
+forgotten the past, nor her discovery of the late Mrs. Littleton's
+real grievance against her and the world. Nor did she consider that
+her husband's caveat debarred her from the amusement of worrying
+the wife of the Hon. James O. Lyons, provided it could be done by
+means of the truth ingenuously uttered. She said with a
+confidential smile&mdash;</p>
+<p>"The important and the interesting political people have other
+opportunities to meet one another&mdash;at dinner parties and less
+promiscuous entertainments than this, and the Washington people
+have other opportunities to meet them. Of course the President is a
+dear, and everyone makes a point of attending a public reception
+once in a while, but this sort of thing isn't exactly an edifying
+society event. For instance, notice the woman in the pomegranate
+velvet with two diamond sprays in her hair. That's the wife of
+Senator Colman&mdash;his child wife, so they call her. She came to
+Washington six years ago as the wife of a member of the House from
+one of the wild and woolly States, and was notorious then in the
+hotel corridors on account of her ringletty raven hair and the
+profusion of rings she wore. She used to make eyes at the hotel
+guests and romp with her husband's friends in the hotel parlors,
+which was the theatre of her social activities. Her husband died,
+and a year ago she married old Senator Colman, old enough to be her
+grandfather, and one of the very rich and influential men in the
+Senate. Now she has developed social ambition and is anxious to
+entertain. They have hired a large house for the winter and are
+building a larger one. As Mrs. Polsen&mdash;that was her first
+husband's name&mdash;she was invited nowhere except to wholesale
+official functions like this. The wife of a United States Senator
+with plenty of money can generally attract a following; she is
+somebody. And it happens that people are amused by Mrs. Cohnan's
+eccentricities. She still overdresses, and makes eyes, and she
+nudges those who sit next her at table, but she is good-natured,
+says whatever comes into her head, and has a strong sense of humor.
+So she is getting on."</p>
+<p>"Getting on among society people?" said Selma drily.</p>
+<p>Flossy's eyes twinkled. "Society people is the generic name used
+for them in the newspapers. I mean that she is making friends among
+the women who live in the quarter where I passed you the other
+day."</p>
+<p>Selma frowned. "It is not necessary, I imagine, to make friends
+of that class in order to have influence in Washington,&mdash;the
+best kind of influence. I can readily believe that people of that
+sort would interest most of our public women very little."</p>
+<p>"Very likely. I don't think you quite understand me, Mrs. Lyons,
+or we are talking at cross purposes. What I was trying to make
+clear is that political and social prominence in Washington are by
+no means synonimous. Of course everyone connected with the
+government who desires to frequent Washington society and is
+socially available is received with open arms; but, if people are
+not socially available, it by no means follows that they are able
+to command social recognition merely because they hold political
+office,&mdash;except perhaps in the case of wives of the Cabinet,
+of the Justices of the Supreme Court, or of rich and influential
+Senators, where a woman is absolutely bent on success and takes
+pains. I refer particularly to the wives, because a single man, if
+he is reasonably presentable and ambitious, can go about more or
+less, even if he is a little rough, for men are apt to be scarce.
+But the line is drawn on the women unless they
+are&mdash;er&mdash;really important and have to be tolerated for
+official reasons. Now every woman who is not <i>persona grata</i>,
+as the diplomats say, anywhere else, is apt to attend the
+President's reception in all her finery, and that's why I suggested
+that this sort of thing isn't exactly an edifying social event.
+It's amusing to come here now and then, just as it's amusing to go
+to a menagerie. You see what I mean, don't you?" Flossy asked,
+plying her feathery fan with blithe nonchalance and looking into
+her companion's face with an innocent air.</p>
+<p>"I understand perfectly. And who are these people who draw the
+line?"</p>
+<p>"It sometimes happens," continued Flossy abstractedly, without
+appearing to hear this inquiry, "that they improve after they've
+been in Washington a few years. Take Mrs. Baker, the Secretary of
+the Interior's wife, receiving to-night. When her husband came to
+Washington three years ago she had the social adaptability of a
+solemn horse. But she persevered and learned, and now as a Cabinet
+lady she unbends, and is no longer afraid of compromising her
+dignity by wearing becoming clothes and smiling occasionally. But
+you were asking who the people are who draw the line. The nice
+people here just as everywhere else; the people who have been well
+educated and have fine sensibilities, and who believe in modesty,
+and unselfishness and thorough ways of doing things. You must know
+the sort of people I mean. Some of them make too much of mere
+manners, but as a class they are able to draw the line because they
+draw it in favor of distinction of character as opposed
+to&mdash;what shall I call it?&mdash;haphazard custom-made ethics
+and social deportment."</p>
+<p>Flossy spoke with the artless prattle of one seeking to make
+herself agreeable to a new-comer by explaining the existing order
+of things, but she had chosen her words as she proceeded with
+special reference to her listener's case. There was nothing in her
+manner to suggest that she was trifling with the feelings of the
+wife of Hon. James O. Lyons, but to Selma's sensitive ear there was
+no doubt that the impertinent and unpatriotic tirade had been
+deliberately aimed at her. The closing words had a disagreeably
+familiar sound. Save that they fell from seemingly friendly lips
+they recalled the ban which Flossy had hurled at her at the close
+of their last meeting&mdash;the ban which had decided her to
+declare unwavering hostility against social exclusiveness. Its
+veiled reiteration now made her nerves tingle, but the personal
+affront stirred her less than the conclusion, which the whole of
+Flossy's commentary suggested, that Washington&mdash;Washington the
+hearth-stone of American ideals, was contaminated also. Flossy had
+given her to understand that the houses which she had assumed to be
+occupied by members of the Government were chiefly the residences
+of people resembling in character those whom she had disapproved of
+in New York. Flossy had intimated that unless a woman were hand in
+glove with these people and ready to lower herself to their
+standards, she must be the wife of a rich Senator to be tolerated.
+Flossy had virtually told her that a Congressman's wife was nobody.
+Could this be true? The bitterest part of all was that it was
+evident Flossy spoke with the assurance of one uttering familiar
+truths. Selma felt affronted and bitterly disappointed, but she
+chose to meet Mrs. Williams's innocent affability with composure;
+to let her see that she disagreed with her, but not to reveal her
+personal irritation. She must consider Lyons, whose swift political
+promotion was necessary for her plans. It was important that he
+should become rich, and if his relations with the firm of Williams
+&amp; Van Horne tended to that end, no personal grievance of her
+own should disturb them. Even Flossy had conceded that the wives of
+the highest officials could not be ignored.</p>
+<p>"I fear that we look at these matters from too different a
+standpoint to discuss them further," she responded, with an effort
+at smiling ease. "Evidently you do not appreciate that to the
+majority of the strong women of the country whose husbands have
+been sent to Washington as members of the Government social
+interests seem trivial compared with the great public questions
+they are required to consider. These women doubtless feel little
+inclination for fashionable and&mdash;or&mdash;frivolous
+festivities, and find an occasion like this better suited to their
+conception of social dignity."</p>
+<p>A reply by Flossy to this speech was prevented by the
+interruption of Lyons, who brought up Mr. Horace Elton for
+introduction to his wife. Selma knew him at once from his likeness
+to the description which her husband had given. He was portly and
+thick-set, with a large neck, a strong, unemotional, high-colored
+face, and closely-shaven, small side whiskers. He made her a low
+bow and, after a few moments of conversation, in the course of
+which he let fall a complimentary allusion to her husband's
+oratorical abilities and gave her to understand that he considered
+Lyons's marriage as a wise and enviable proceeding, he invited her
+to promenade the room on his arm. Mr. Elton had a low but clear and
+dispassionate voice, and a concise utterance. His remarks gave the
+impression that he could impart more on any subject if he chose,
+and that what he said proceeded from a reserve fund of special,
+secret knowledge, a little of which he was willing to confide to
+his listener. He enlightened Selma in a few words as to a variety
+of the people present, accompanying his identification with a
+phrase or two of comprehensive personal detail, which had the savor
+of being unknown to the world at large.</p>
+<p>"The lady we just passed, Mrs. Lyons, is the wife of the junior
+Senator from Nevada. Her husband fell in love with her on the stage
+of a mining town theatrical troupe. That tall man, with the profuse
+wavy hair and prominent nose, is Congressman Ross of Colorado, the
+owner of one of the largest cattle ranches in the Far West. It is
+said that he has never smoked, never tasted a glass of liquor, and
+never gambled in his life."</p>
+<p>In the course of these remarks Mr. Elton simply stated his
+interesting facts without comment. He avoided censorious or
+satirical allusions to the people to whom he called Selma's
+attention. On the contrary, his observations suggested
+sympathetically that he desired to point out to her the interesting
+personalities of the capital, and that he regarded the
+entertainment as an occasion to behold the strong men and women of
+the country in their lustre and dignity. As they passed the lady in
+pomegranate velvet, Selma said, in her turn, "That is Mrs. Colman,
+I believe. Senator Colman's child wife." She added what was in her
+thoughts, "I understand that the society people here have taken her
+up."</p>
+<p>"Yes. She has become a conspicuous figure in Washington. I
+remember her, Mrs. Lyons, when she was Addie Farr&mdash;before she
+married Congressman Polsen of Kentucky. She was a dashing looking
+girl in those days, with her black eyes and black ringlets. I
+remember she had a coltish way of tossing her head. The story is
+that when she accepted Polsen another Kentuckian&mdash;a young
+planter&mdash;who was in love with her, drank laudanum. Now, as you
+say, she is being taken up socially, and her husband, the Senator,
+is very proud of her success. After all, if a woman is ambitious
+and has tact, what can she ask better than to be the wife of a
+United States Senator?" He paused a moment, then, with a gallant
+sidelong glance at his companion, resumed in a concise whisper,
+which had the effect of a disclosure, "Prophecies, especially
+political prophecies, are dangerous affairs, but it seems to me not
+improbable that before many years have passed the wife of Senator
+Lyons will be equally prominent&mdash;be as conspicuous socially as
+the wife of Senator Colman."</p>
+<p>Selma blushed, but not wholly with pleasure. Socially
+conspicuous before many years? The splendid prophecy, which went
+beyond the limit of Horace Elton's usual caution&mdash;for he
+combined the faculty of habitual discretion with his chatty
+proclivities&mdash;was dimmed for Selma by the rasping intimation
+that she was not conspicuous yet. Worse still, his statement
+shattered the hope, which Flossy's fluent assertions had already
+disturbed, that she was to find in Washington a company of
+congenial spirits who would appreciate her at her full value
+forthwith, and would join with her and under her leadership in
+resisting the encroachments of women of the stamp of Mrs.
+Williams.</p>
+<p>"I am very ambitious for my husband, Mr. Elton, and of course I
+have hoped&mdash;do hope that some day he will be a Senator. What
+you said just now as to the power of his voice to arouse the moral
+enthusiasm of the people seemed to be impressively true. I should
+be glad to be a Senator's wife, for&mdash;for I wish to help him. I
+wish to demonstrate the truth of the principles to which both our
+lives are dedicated. But I hoped that I might help him
+now&mdash;that my mission might be clear at once. It seems
+according to you that a Congressman's wife is not of much
+importance; that her hands are tied."</p>
+<p>"Practically so, unless&mdash;unless she has unusual social
+facility, and the right sort of acquaintances. Beauty, wealth and
+ambition are valuable aids, but I always am sorry for women who
+come here without friends, and&mdash;er&mdash;the right sort of
+introduction. At any rate, to answer your question frankly, a
+Congressman's wife has her spurs to win just as he has. If you were
+to set up house-keeping, here, Mrs. Lyons, I've no doubt that a
+woman of your attractions and capabilities would soon make a niche
+for herself. You have had social experience, which Addie Farr, for
+instance, was without."</p>
+<p>"I lived in New York for some years with my husband, Mr.
+Littleton, so I have a number of Eastern acquaintances."</p>
+<p>"I remember you were talking with Mrs. Gregory Williams when I
+was introduced to you. The people with whom she is staying are
+among the most fashionable in Washington. What I said had reference
+to the wife of the every-day Congressman who comes to Washington
+expecting recognition. Not to Mrs. James O. Lyons."</p>
+<p>Selma bit her lip. She recognized the death-knell of her
+cherished expectations. She was not prepared to acknowledge
+formally her discomfiture and her disappointment. But she believed
+that Mr. Elton, though a plain man, had comprehensive experience
+and that he spoke with shrewd knowledge of the situation. She felt
+sure that he was not trying to deceive or humiliate her. It was
+clear that Washington was contaminated also.</p>
+<p>"I dare say I should get on here well enough after a time,
+though I should find difficulty in considering that it was right to
+give so much time to merely social matters. But Mr. Lyons and I
+have already decided that I can be more use to him at present in
+Benham. There I feel at home. I am known, and have my friends, and
+there I have important work&mdash;literary lectures and the
+establishment of a large public hospital under way. If the time
+comes, as you kindly predict, that my husband is chosen a United
+States Senator, I shall be glad to return here and accept the
+responsibilities of our position. But I warn you, Mr.
+Elton,&mdash;I warn the people of Washington," she added with a
+wave of her fan, while her eyes sparkled with a stern light "that
+when I am one of their leaders, I shall do away with some of
+the&mdash;er&mdash;false customs of the present administration. I
+shall insist on preserving our American social traditions
+inviolate."</p>
+<p>Here was the grain of consolation in the case, which she
+clutched at and held up before her mind's eye as a new stimulus to
+her patriotism and her conscience. Both Mr. Elton and Flossy had
+indicated that there was a point at which exclusiveness was
+compelled to stop in its haughty disregard of democratic ideals.
+There were certain women whom the people who worshipped lack of
+enthusiasm and made an idol of cynicism were obliged to heed and
+recognize. They might be able to ignore the intelligence and social
+originality of a Congressman's wife, but they dared not turn a cold
+shoulder on the wife of a United States Senator. And if a
+woman&mdash;if she were to occupy this proud position, what a
+satisfaction it would be to assert the power which belonged to it;
+assert it in behalf of the cause for which she had suffered so
+much! Her disappointment tasted bitterly in her mouth, and she was
+conscious of stern revolt; but the new hope had already taken
+possession of her fancy, and she hastened to prove it by the
+ethical standard without which all hopes were valueless to her.
+Even now had anyone told her that the ruling passion of her life
+was to be wooed and made much of by the very people she professed
+to despise, she would have spurned the accuser as a malicious
+slanderer. Nor indeed would it have been wholly true. Mrs. Williams
+had practically told her this at their last meeting in New York,
+and its utterance had convinced her on the contrary of repugnance
+to them, and of her desire to be the leader of a social protest
+against them. Now here, in Washington of all places, she was
+confronted by the bitter suggestion that she was without allies,
+and that her enemies were the keepers of the door which led to
+leadership and power. Despondency stared her in the face, but a
+splendid possibility&mdash;aye probability was left. She would not
+forsake her principles. She would not lower her flag. She would
+return to Benham. Washington refused her homage now, but it should
+listen to her and bow before her some day as the wife of one of the
+real leaders of the State, whom Society did not dare to ignore.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VII.</h3>
+<p>At the close of the fortnight of her stay in Washington
+subsequent to the reception at the White House, Selma found herself
+in the same frame of mind as when she parted from Mr. Elton. During
+this fortnight her time was spent either in sight seeing or at the
+hotel. The exercises at the Capitol were purely formal, preliminary
+to a speedy adjournment of Congress. Consequently her husband had
+no opportunity to distinguish himself by addressing the house. Of
+Flossy she saw nothing, though the two men had several meetings.
+Apparently both Lyons and Williams were content with a surface
+reconciliation between their wives which did not bar family
+intercourse. At least her husband made no suggestion that she
+should call on Mrs. Williams, and Flossy's cards did not appear.
+Beyond making the acquaintance of a few more wives and daughters in
+the hotel, who seemed as solitary as herself, Selma received no
+overtures from her own sex. She knew no one, and no one sought her
+out or paid her attention. She still saw fit to believe that if she
+were to establish herself in Washington and devote her energies to
+rallying these wives and daughters about her, she might be able to
+prove that Flossy and Mr. Elton were mistaken. But she realized
+that the task would be less simple than she had anticipated.
+Besides she yearned to return to Benham, and take up again the
+thread of active life there. Benham would vindicate her, and some
+day Benham would send her back to Washington to claim recognition
+and her rightful place.</p>
+<p>Lyons himself was in a cheerful mood and found congenial
+occupation in visiting with his wife the many historical objects of
+interest, and in chatting in various hotel corridors with the
+public men of the country, his associates in Congress. His
+solicitude in regard to the account which Williams was carrying for
+him had been relieved temporarily by an upward turn in the stock
+market, and the impending prompt adjournment of Congress had saved
+him from the necessity of taking action in regard to the railroad
+bill which Williams had solicited him to support. Moreover Selma
+had repeated to him Horace Elton's prophecy that it was not
+unlikely that some day he would become Senator. To be sure he
+recognized that a remark like this uttered to a pretty woman by an
+astute man of affairs such as Elton was not to be taken too
+seriously. There was no vacancy in the office of Senator from his
+state, and none was likely to occur. At the present time, if one
+should occur, his party in the state legislature was in a minority.
+Hence prophecy was obviously a random proceeding. Nevertheless he
+was greatly pleased, for, after all, Elton would scarcely have made
+the speech had he not been genuinely well disposed. A senatorship
+was one of the great prizes of political life, and one of the
+noblest positions in the world. It would afford him a golden
+opportunity to leave the impress of his convictions on national
+legislation, and defend the liberties of the people by force of the
+oratorical gifts which he possessed. Elton had referred to these
+gifts in complimentary terms. Was it not reasonable to infer that
+Elton would be inclined to promote his political fortunes? Such an
+ally would be invaluable, for Elton was a growing power in the
+industrial development of the section of the country where they
+both lived. He had continued to find him friendly in spite of his
+own antagonism on the public platform to corporate power. A
+favorite and conscientious hope in his political outlook was that
+he might be able to make capital as well as labor believe him to be
+a friend without alienating either; that he might obtain support at
+the polls from both factions, and thus be left free after election
+to work out for their mutual advantage appropriate legislation. He
+had avowed himself unmistakably the champion of popular principles
+in order to win the confidence of the common people, but his policy
+of reasonable conciliation led him to cast sheep's eyes at vested
+interests when he could do so without exposing himself to the
+charge of inconsistency. Many of his friends were wealthy men, and
+his private ambition was to amass a handsome fortune. That had been
+the cause of his speculative ventures in local enterprises which
+promised large returns, and in the stock market. Horace Elton was a
+friend of but three years' standing; one of the men who had
+consulted him occasionally in regard to legal matters since he had
+become a corporation attorney. He admired Elton's strong,
+far-reaching grasp of business affairs, his capacity to formulate
+and incubate on plans of magnitude without betraying a sign of his
+intentions, and his power to act with lightning despatch and
+overwhelming vigor when the moment for the consummation of his
+purposes arrived. He also found agreeable Elton's genial,
+easy-going ways outside of business hours, which frequently took
+the form of social entertainment at which expense seemed to be no
+consideration and gastronomic novelties were apt to be presented.
+Lyons attended one of these private banquets while in
+Washington&mdash;a dinner party served to a carefully chosen
+company of public men, to which newspaper scribes were unable to
+penetrate. This same genial, easy-going tendency of Elton's to make
+himself acceptable to those with whom he came in contact took the
+form of a gift to Mrs. Lyons of a handsome cameo pin which he
+presented to her a day or two after their dialogue at the
+President's reception, and for which, as he confidentially informed
+Selma, he had been seeking a suitable wearer ever since he had
+picked it up in an out-of-the-way store in Brussels the previous
+summer.</p>
+<p>On the day of their departure Selma, as she took a last look
+from the car window at the Capitol and the Washington Monument,
+said to her husband: "This is a beautiful city&mdash;worthy in many
+respects of the genius of the American people&mdash;but I never
+wish to return to Washington until you are United States
+Senator."</p>
+<p>"Would you not be satisfied with Justice of the Supreme Court?"
+asked Lyons, gayly.</p>
+<p>"I should prefer Senator. If you were Senator, you could
+probably be appointed to the Supreme Court in case you preferred
+that place. I am relying on you, James, to bring me back here some
+day."</p>
+<p>She whispered this in his ear, as they sat with heads close
+together looking back at the swiftly receding city. Selma's hands
+were clasped in her lap, and she seemed to her lover to have a
+dreamy air&mdash;an air suggesting poetry and high ethical resolve
+such as he liked to associate with her and their scheme of wedded
+life. It pleased him that his wife should feel so confident that
+the future had in store for him this great prize, and he allowed
+himself to yield to the pathos of the moment and whisper in
+reply:</p>
+<p>"I will say this, Selma. My business affairs look more
+favorable, and, if nothing unforeseen happens, I do not see why we
+shouldn't get on reasonably fast. Nowadays, in order to be a United
+States Senator comfortably, it is desirable in the first place to
+have abundant means."</p>
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+<p>"We must be patient and God-fearing, and with your help, dear,
+and your sympathy, we may live to see what you desire come to pass.
+Of course, my ambition is to be Senator, and&mdash;and to take you
+back to Washington as a Senator's wife."</p>
+<p>Selma had not chosen to confide to Lyons in set terms her social
+grievance against the capital of her country. But she was glad to
+perceive from his last words that he understood she was not
+satisfied with the treatment accorded her, and that he also was
+looking forward to giving her a position which would enable her to
+rebuke the ungodly and presumptuous.</p>
+<p>"Thank you, James," she answered. "When that time comes we shall
+be able to teach them a number of things. For the present though, I
+feel that I can be of best service to you and to the truths which
+we are living for by interesting myself in whatever concerns
+Benham. We believe in Benham, and Benham seems inclined to believe
+in us and our ideas."</p>
+<p>The ensuing year passed uneventfully. Lyons was able to be at
+home from the first of April to the reassembling of Congress in the
+following December. He was glad to give himself up to the enjoyment
+of his handsome establishment. He resumed the tenor of his
+professional practice, feeling that as a sober-minded, married
+citizen he had become of more importance to the community, and he
+was eager to bear witness to his sense of responsibility. He took a
+more active part in soliciting contributions for evangelizing
+benighted countries, and he consented on several occasions to
+deliver an address on "Success in Life" to struggling young men of
+Benham and the surrounding towns. His easy flow of words, his
+dignity and his sober but friendly mien made him a favorite with
+audiences, and constantly broadened his circle of acquaintance.</p>
+<p>Selma, on her side, took up the organization of the Free
+Hospital provided by Mr. Parsons. Her husband left the decision of
+all but legal and financial questions to her and Miss Luella
+Bailey, who, at Selma's request, was made the third member of the
+board of trustees. She decided to call in a committee of prominent
+physicians to formulate a programme of procedure in matters purely
+medical; but she reserved a right of rejection of their
+conclusions, and she insisted on the recognition of certain
+cardinal principles, as she called them. She specified that no one
+school of medicine should dictate the policy of the hospital as
+regards the treatment of patients. To the young physician whom she
+selected to assist her in forming this administrative board she
+stated, with stern emotion: "I do not intend that it shall be
+possible in this hospital for men and women to be sacrificed simply
+because doctors are unwilling to avail themselves of the latest
+resources of brilliant individual discernment. I know what it means
+to see a beloved one die, who might have been saved had the
+physician in charge been willing to try new expedients. The doors
+of this hospital must be ever open to rising unconventional talent.
+There shall be no creeds nor caste of medicine here."</p>
+<p>She also specified that the matron in charge of the hospital
+should be Mrs. Earle, whose lack of trained experience was more
+than counterbalanced by her maternal, humanitarian spirit, as Selma
+expressed it. She felt confident that Mrs. Earle would choose as
+her assistants competent and skilful persons, and at the same time
+that her broad point of view and sympathetic instincts would not
+allow her to turn a deaf ear to aspiring but technically ignorant
+ability. This selection of Mrs. Earle was a keen pleasure to Selma.
+It seemed to her an ideal selection. Mrs. Earle was no longer
+young, and was beginning to find the constant labor of lecture and
+newspaper work exhausting. This dignified and important post would
+provide her with a permanent income, and would afford her an
+attractive field for her progressive capabilities.</p>
+<p>Selma's choice of young Dr. Ashmun as the head of the medical
+board was due to a statement which came to her ears, that he was
+reviled by some of the physicians of Benham because he had patented
+certain discoveries of his own instead of giving his
+fellow-practitioners the benefit of his knowledge. Selma was prompt
+to detect in this hostility an envious disposition on the part of
+the regular physicians to appropriate the fruits of individual
+cleverness and to repress youthful revolt against conventional
+methods. Dr. Ashmun regarded his selection as the professional
+chief of this new institution as a most auspicious occurrence from
+the standpoint of his personal fortunes. He was ambitious, ardent,
+and keen to attract attention, with an abundant fund of energy and
+a nervous, driving manner. He was, besides, good looking and
+fluent, and he quickly perceived the drift of Selma's intentions in
+regard to the hospital, and accommodated himself to them with
+enthusiasm. They afforded him the very opportunity which he most
+desired&mdash;the chance to assert himself against his critics, and
+to obtain public notice. The watchword of liberty and distrust of
+professional canons suited his purposes and his mood, and he threw
+himself eagerly into the work of carrying out Selma's projects.</p>
+<p>As a result of the selection of Dr. Ashmun and of the other
+members of the administrative board, who were chosen with a view to
+their availability as sympathetic colleagues, letters of protest
+from several physicians appeared in the newspapers complaining that
+the new hospital was being conducted on unscientific and shallow
+principles, disapproved of by the leading men of the profession.
+Selma was indignant yet thrilled. She promptly took steps to refute
+the charge, and explained that the hostility of these
+correspondents proceeded from envy and hide-bound reluctance to
+adopt new and revolutionizing expedients. Through the aid of Mrs.
+Earle and Miss Luella Bailey a double-leaded column in the Benham
+<i>Sentinel</i> set forth the merits of the new departure in
+medicine, which was cleverly described as the revolt of the
+talented young men of the profession from the tyranny of their
+conservative elders. Benham became divided in opinion as to the
+merits of this controversy, and Selma received a number of
+anonymous letters through the post approving her stand in behalf of
+advanced, independent thought. Among the physicians who were
+opposed to her administration of the hospital she recognized with
+satisfaction the name of a Dr. Paget, who, as she happened to know,
+was Mrs. Hallett Taylor's medical adviser.</p>
+<p>Another matter in which Selma became interested was the case of
+Mrs. Hamilton. She was a woman who had been born in the
+neighborhood of Benham, but had lived for twenty years in England,
+and had been tried in England by due process of law for the murder
+of her husband and sentenced to imprisonment for life. Some of the
+people of the state who had followed the testimony as reported in
+the American newspapers had decided that she ought not to have been
+convicted. Accordingly a petition setting forth the opinion of her
+former neighbors that she was innocent of the charge, and should as
+an American citizen be released from custody, was circulated for
+signature. A public meeting was held and largely attended, at which
+it was resolved to send a monster petition to the British
+authorities with a request for Mrs. Hamilton's pardon, and also to
+ask the government at Washington to intercede on behalf of the
+unfortunate sufferer. The statement of the case appealed vividly to
+Selma, and at the public meeting, which was attended chiefly by
+women, she spoke, and offered the services of her husband to lay
+the matter before the President. It was further resolved to obtain
+the names of influential persons all over the country in order that
+the petition might show that the sentiment that injustice had been
+done was national as well as local.</p>
+<p>Selma espoused the case with ardor, and busied herself in
+obtaining signatures. She called on Miss Flagg and induced her to
+sign by the assurance that the verdict was entirely contrary to the
+evidence. She then had recourse to her former sister-in-law,
+conceiving that the signature of the President of Wetmore College
+would impress the English. She and Pauline had already exchanged
+visits, and Pauline had shown no umbrage at her marriage. The
+possibility of being rebuffed on this occasion did not occur to
+Selma. She took for granted that Pauline would be only too glad to
+give her support to so deserving a petition, and she considered
+that she was paying her a compliment in soliciting her name for
+insertion among the prominent signers. Pauline listened to her
+attentively, then replied:</p>
+<p>"I am sorry for the woman, if she is innocent: and if she has
+been falsely accused, of course she ought to be released. But what
+makes you think she is innocent, Selma?"</p>
+<p>"The testimony did not justify her conviction. Every one is of
+that opinion."</p>
+<p>"Have you read the testimony yourself, Selma?"</p>
+<p>"No, Pauline."</p>
+<p>"Or your husband?"</p>
+<p>"My husband is satisfied from what others have told him, just as
+I am, that this poor American woman is languishing in prison as the
+result of a cruel miscarriage of justice, and that she never
+committed the crime of which she has been found guilty. My husband
+has had considerable legal experience."</p>
+<p>Pauline's questions were nettling, and Selma intended by her
+response to suggest the presumptuousness of her sister-in-law's
+doubts in the face of competent authority.</p>
+<p>"I realize that your husband ought to understand about such
+matters, but may one suppose that the English authorities would
+deliberately allow an innocent woman to remain in prison? They must
+know that the friends of Mrs. Hamilton believe her innocent. Why
+should we on this side of the water meddle simply because she was
+born an American?"</p>
+<p>"Why?" Selma drew herself up proudly. "In the first place I
+believe&mdash;we believe&mdash;that the English are capable of
+keeping her in prison on a technicality merely because she is there
+already. They are worshippers of legal form and red tape, my
+husband says. And as to meddling, why is it not our duty as an
+earnest and Christian people to remonstrate against the continued
+incarceration of a woman born under our flag and accustomed to
+American ideas of justice? Meddling? In my opinion, we should be
+cowards and derelict in our duty if we did not protest."</p>
+<p>Pauline shook her head. "I cannot see it so. It seems to me an
+interference which may make us seem ridiculous in the eyes of the
+English, as well as offensive to them. I am sorry, Selma, not to be
+able to do as you wish."</p>
+<p>Selma rose with burning cheeks, but a stately air. "If that is
+your decision, I must do without your name. Already we have many
+signatures, and shall obtain hundreds more without difficulty. We
+look at things differently, Pauline. Our point of view has never
+been the same. Ridiculous? I should be proud of the ridicule of
+people too selfish or too unenlightened to heed the outcry of
+aspiring humanity. If we had to depend on your little set to strike
+the note of progress, I fear we should sit with folded hands most
+of the time."</p>
+<p>"I do not know what you mean by my little set," said Pauline
+with a smile. "I am too busy with my college duties to belong to
+any set. I see my friends occasionally just as you see yours; and
+as to progress&mdash;well, I fear that you are right in your
+statement that we shall never look at things alike. To me progress
+presupposes in the individual or the community attaining it a
+prelude of slow struggle, disheartening doubts, and modest
+reverence for previous results&mdash;for the accumulated wisdom of
+the past."</p>
+<p>"I mean by your set the people who think as you do. I understand
+your point of view. I should have liked," she added, "to ask you to
+share with me the responsibility of directing the policy of the
+Benham Free Hospital, had I not known that you would listen to the
+voice of conservative authority in preference to that of fearless
+innovation."</p>
+<p>"I certainly should have hesitated long before I overruled the
+experience of those who have devoted their lives to conscientious
+effort to discover truth."</p>
+<p>"That illustrates admirably the difference between us, Pauline.
+No one is more eager to aid the discovery of truth than I, but I
+believe that truth often is concealed from those who go on, day
+after day, following hum-drum routine, however conscientious. I
+recognized that Dr. Ashmun was a live man and had fresh ideas, so I
+chose him as our chief of staff, notwithstanding the doctors were
+unfriendly to him. As a result, my hospital has individuality, and
+is already a success. That's the sort of thing I mean. Good-by,"
+she said, putting out her hand. "I don't expect to convert you,
+Pauline, to look at things my way, but you must realize by this
+time that it is the Benham way."</p>
+<p>"Yet the leading physicians of Benham disapprove of your plans
+for the management of the hospital," said Pauline firmly.</p>
+<p>"But the people of Benham approve of them. I prefer their
+sanction to that of a coterie of cautious, unenthusiastic
+autocrats."</p>
+<p>Selma, true to her intentions, did not return to Washington with
+her husband when Congress reassembled in December. While she was
+absorbed with her philanthropic plans in Benham, Lyons was
+performing his public duties; seeking to do the country good
+service, and at the right moment to attract attention to himself.
+The opportunity to make a speech along the line of his public
+professions in behalf of labor against corporate monopoly did not
+offer itself until late in the session. He improved the few minutes
+allowed him to such advantage that he was listened to with close
+attention, and was at once recognized as one of the persuasive and
+eloquent speakers of the minority. Before Congress adjourned he
+obtained another chance to take part in debate, by which he
+produced an equally favorable impression. The newspapers of the
+country referred approvingly to his cogent gift of statement and
+dignified style of delivery. Both the bills against which he spoke
+were passed by the Republican majority, but echoes of his words
+came back from some of their constituents, and Lyons was referred
+to as certain to be one of the strong men of the House if he
+returned to Congress. He went home at the close of the session in a
+contented frame of mind so far as his political prospects were
+concerned, but he was not free to enjoy the congratulations
+accorded him for the reason that his business ventures were
+beginning to give him serious solicitude. The trend of the stock
+market was again downward. In expectation of a rise from the
+previous depression, he had added to the line of shares which
+Williams &amp; Van Horne were carrying for him. A slight rise had
+come, sufficient to afford him a chance to escape from the toils of
+Wall street without loss. But he needed a profit to rehabilitate
+his ventures in other directions&mdash;his investments in the
+enterprises of his own state, which had now for some months
+appeared quiescent, if not languishing, from a speculative point of
+view. Everything pointed, it was said, to a further advance as soon
+as Congress adjourned. So he had waited, and now, although the
+session was over, the stock market and financial undertakings of
+every sort appeared suddenly to be tottering. He had not been at
+home a month before prices of all securities began to shrink
+inordinately and the business horizon to grow murky with the clouds
+of impending disaster. To add to his worry, Lyons was conscious
+that he had pursued a fast and loose mental coarse in regard to the
+railroad bill in which his broker, Williams, was interested. He had
+given Williams to understand that he would try to see his way to
+support it; yet in view of his late prominence in Washington, as a
+foe of legislation in behalf of moneyed interests, he was more than
+ever averse to casting a vote in its favor. The bill had not been
+reached before adjournment, a result to which he had secretly
+contributed, but it was certain to be called up shortly after
+Congress reassembled. It disturbed him to feel that his affairs in
+New York were in such shape that Williams could embarrass him
+financially if he chose. It disturbed him still more that he
+appeared to himself to be guilty of bad faith. His conscience was
+troubled, and his favorite palliative of conciliation did not seem
+applicable to the case.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VIII.</h3>
+<p>Until this time the course of financial events in Benham since
+its evolution from a sleepy country town began had been steadily
+prosperous. There had been temporary recessions in prices,
+transient haltings in the tendency of new local undertakings to
+double and quadruple in value. A few rash individuals, indeed, had
+been forced to suspend payments and compound with their creditors.
+But there had been no real set back to commercial enthusiasm and
+speculative gusto. Those who desired to borrow money for
+progressive enterprises had found the banks accommodating and
+unsuspicious, and to Benham initiative it yet appeared that the
+development of the resources of the neighborhood by the unwearying,
+masterful energy of the citizens was still in its infancy.</p>
+<p>But now, after a few months of inactivity, which holders of
+speculative securities had spoken of as another healthy breathing
+spell, the tendency of prices had changed. Had not merely halted,
+but showed a radical tendency to shrink; even to tumble feverishly.
+Buyers were scarce, and the once accommodating banks displayed a
+heartless disposition to scrutinize collateral and to ask
+embarrassing questions in regard to commercial paper. Rates of
+interest on loans were ruthlessly advanced, and additional security
+demanded. A pall of dejection hung over Benham. Evil days had come;
+days the fruit of a long period of inflation. A dozen leading firms
+failed and carried down with them diverse small people. Amid the
+general distrust and anxiety all eyes were fixed on Wall street,
+the so-called money centre of the country, the Gehenna where this
+cyclone had first manifested itself. The newspapers, voicing Benham
+public opinion, cast vituperation at the bankers and brokers of
+Wall street, whose unholy jugglings with fortune had brought this
+commercial blight on the community. Wall street had locked up
+money; consequently funds were tight in Benham, and the plans of
+its honest burghers to promote enterprise and develop the lawful
+industries of the country were interrupted. So spoke public
+opinion, and, at the same time, hundreds of private letters were
+being despatched through the Benham Post Office in response to
+requests for more margins on stocks held for the honest burghers by
+the fraternity of Wall street gamblers. There was private wailing
+and gnashing of teeth also, for in the panic a few of these bankers
+and brokers had been submerged, and the collateral of Benham's
+leading citizens had been swept away.</p>
+<p>The panic itself was brief as panics always are, but it left
+behind it everywhere a paralyzed community. So far as Benham was
+concerned, only a few actually failed, but, in a host of instances,
+possessors of property who had thought themselves wealthy a year
+before found that they were face to face with the knotty problem of
+nursing their dwarfed resources so as to avoid eventual insolvency.
+Everything had shrunk fifty&mdash;often one hundred&mdash;per
+cent., for the basis of Benham's semi-fabulous development had been
+borrowed money. Many of Benham's leading citizens were down to hard
+pan, so to speak. Their inchoate enterprises were being carried by
+the banks on the smallest margins consistent with the solvency of
+those institutions, and clear-headed men knew that months of
+recuperation must elapse before speculative properties would show
+life again. Benham was consequently gloomy for once in despite of
+its native buoyancy. It would have arisen from the ashes of a fire
+as strenuous as a young lion. But, with everybody's stocks and
+merchandise pledged to the money lenders, enterprise was gripped by
+the throat. In the pride of its prosperity Benham had dreamed that
+it was a law unto itself, and that even Wall street could not
+affect its rosy commercial destinies. It appeared to pious owners
+of securities almost as though God had deserted his chosen city of
+a chosen country.</p>
+<p>Lyons was among those upon whom the harrow of this fall in
+prices and subsequent hand-to-mouth struggle with the banks pressed
+with unpleasant rigor. In business phraseology he was too much
+extended. Consequently, as the margins of value of the securities
+on which he had borrowed dropped away, he was kept on tenter-hooks
+as to the future. In case the process of shrinkage went much
+further, he would be required to supply more collateral; and, if
+the rate of money did not fall, the banks would refuse to renew his
+notes as they became due, unless he could furnish clear evidence of
+his solvency. He was owing over one hundred and fifty thousand
+dollars on paper secured only by the stock and bonds of brand-new
+enterprises, which had no market negotiability. From the money
+which he had borrowed he had sent, from time to time, to Williams
+and Van Horne an aggregate of forty thousand dollars to protect
+some two thousand shares of railroad stocks. Williams had
+especially commended the shares of the coal-carrying roads to his
+attention, and the drop in prices had been uniformly severe in
+these properties. Instead of being the possessor of a stable
+quarter of a million, which he considered to be the value of his
+property at the time of his election to Congress, Lyons suddenly
+realized that he was on the brink of a serious financial collapse
+through which he might lose everything before he could discharge
+his liabilities. It seemed cruel to him, for he believed that all
+his ventures were sound, and that if he were not forced to
+sacrifice his possessions, their future value would attest his
+sagacity. But at present the securities of speculative enterprises
+were practically worthless as procurers of ready money. The extreme
+circumstances had come upon him with startling rapidity, so that he
+found himself in the unpleasant predicament of having used for
+temporary relief some of the bonds belonging to the Parsons estate
+which he held as executor. He had forwarded these to Williams
+merely as a matter of convenience before he had become anxious,
+expecting to be able to replace them with funds coming to him
+within thirty days from a piece of real estate for which he had
+received an offer. He had held off in the hope of obtaining a
+higher price. The following week, when signs of danger were
+multiplying, he had found the would-be purchaser unwilling to buy
+at any price. Realizing the compromising position in which he had
+placed himself by his action, he had cast about feverishly for the
+means to redeem the hypothecated securities, but all his resources
+were taxed of a sudden by the advent of the panic. It occurred to
+him to ask Selma to allow substitution of the twenty thousand
+dollars, which had been apportioned, to her as her legacy, for the
+bonds, but at first he had shrunk from the mortification of
+disclosing his condition to her, and now that the situation had
+developed, he feared that he might be obliged to borrow this money
+from her for the protection of his other interests. It gave him
+sore concern that he, a champion of moral ideas, a leading church
+member, and a Representative of the Federal Government should be
+put in such an equivocal position. Here again there was no
+opportunity for conciliation, and dignified urbanity was of no
+avail. If the condition of drooping prices and general distrust, a
+sort of commercial dry-rot, which had succeeded the panic,
+continued much longer he would be driven to the wall unless relief
+were forthcoming. Nor was it much consolation that many others were
+on the verge of failure. Financial insolvency for him would mean
+the probable loss of his seat in Congress, and the serious
+interruption of his political career. From what source could he
+hope for relief? The preparations for the autumn campaign were
+already being considered, and there was likelihood of another close
+contest between the two political parties. But for the worry
+occasioned by his plight, he would have resumed the contest with
+hopeful ardor, appreciating that the pecuniary distress of the
+community would be likely to work to his advantage. His own
+nomination was assured; his re-election appeared probable. But
+after it what could he expect but the deluge?</p>
+<p>One source of the effectiveness of Horace Elton was that he was
+wont to exercise foresight, and make his plans in advance while
+other men were slumbering. He had been prepared for the panic
+because he had been expecting it for more than a year, and the ship
+of his financial fortunes was close reefed to meet the fury of the
+overdue gale. Also he was quick to recognize that the wide-spread
+depreciation of values would inevitably be followed by a period of
+business inactivity which would throw out of employment a large
+number of wage earners whose ballots as a consequence would be cast
+against the political party in power. As far back as the time when
+he made the acquaintance of Selma at Washington and selected her as
+the wearer of his cameo pin, he had been incubating on a scheme for
+the consolidation of the gas companies in the cities and towns of
+the state into one large corporation. For this corporation he
+required a liberal charter, which the next legislature would be
+invited to grant. He expected to be able to procure this franchise
+from the legislature, but he judged that the majority in favor of
+the bill would not be large enough to pass it over the Governor's
+veto. Accordingly it was of the first importance that the Governor
+should be friendly to the measure.</p>
+<p>This was the year of the Presidential election. Both political
+parties were seeking to nominate their strongest candidates for the
+various federal and state offices. A promoter of large business
+schemes was at a disadvantage in a campaign where party feelings
+ran high and national issues were involved, and Elton knew it. He
+commonly chose an off year in politics for the consummation of his
+business deals. But he had chosen to push his bill this year for
+the reason that he wished to be in a position to buy out the
+sub-companies cheaply. The community was pressed for ready money,
+and many men who would be slow in prosperous times to extract gas
+shares from their tin boxes and stockings would be glad to avail
+themselves of a reasonable cash offer. Elton was a Republican on
+national issues. His experience had been that the Republican Party
+was fundamentally friendly to corporations, in spite of occasional
+pious ejaculations in party platforms to the contrary. He had a
+Republican candidate for Governor in mind who would be faithful to
+his interests; but this candidate was put aside in the convention
+in deference to the sentiment that only a man of first-rate mental
+and moral calibre could command the allegiance of independent
+voters, whose co-operation seemed essential to party success. The
+Republican state convention was held three weeks prior to the date
+fixed for that of their opponents. Within twenty-four hours
+subsequent to the nomination of Hon. John Patterson as the
+Republican candidate for Governor, while the party organs were
+congratulating the public on his selection, and the leaders of the
+party were endeavoring to suppress the murmurs of the disappointed
+lower order of politicians who, in metaphorical phrase, felt that
+they were sewed up in a sack for another two years by the choice of
+this strong citizen, one of the most widely circulated democratic
+newspapers announced in large type on its front page that Hon.
+James O. Lyons was the only Democrat who could defeat him in the
+gubernatorial contest. Behind the ledger sheet of this
+newspaper&mdash;which was no other than the Benham
+<i>Sentinel</i>&mdash;lurked the keen intelligence of Horace Elton.
+He knew that the candidate of his own party would never consent to
+indicate in advance what his action on the gas bill would be, and
+that he would only prejudice his chances of obtaining favorable
+action when the time arrived by any attempt to forestall a
+decision. This did not suit Horace Elton. He was accustomed to be
+able to obtain an inkling before election that legislation in which
+he was interested would not encounter a veto. His measures were
+never dishonest. That is, he never sought to foist bogus or
+fraudulent undertakings upon the community. He was seeking, to be
+sure, eventual emolument for himself, but he believed that the
+franchise which he was anxious to obtain would result in more
+progressive and more effectual public service. He had never before
+felt obliged to refrain from asking direct or indirect assurance
+that his plans would be respected by the Governor. Yet he had
+foreseen the possibility of just such an occurrence. The one chance
+in a hundred had happened and he was ready for it. He intended to
+contribute to the Republican national campaign fund, but he did not
+feel that the interests of his State would suffer if he used all
+the influences at his command to secure a Governor who would be
+friendly to his scheme, and Congressman Lyons appeared to him the
+most available man for his purpose.</p>
+<p>It had already occurred to Lyons that his nomination as Governor
+was a possibility, for the leaders of the party were ostensibly
+looking about for a desirable Democrat with whom to confront
+Patterson, and had shown an intention to turn a cold shoulder on
+the ambition of several aspirants for this honor who might have
+been encouraged in an ordinary year as probable victors. He knew
+that his name was under consideration, and he had made up his mind
+that he would accept the nomination if it were offered to him. He
+would regret the interruption of his Congressional career, but he
+felt that his election as Governor in a presidential year after a
+close contest would make him the leader of the party in the State,
+and, in case the candidate of his party were chosen President,
+would entitle him to important recognition from the new
+administration. Moreover, if he became Governor, his financial
+status would be strengthened. The banks would be more likely to
+accommodate one in such a powerful position, and he might be able
+to keep his head above water until better times brought about a
+return of public confidence and a recovery in prices. Yet he felt
+by no means sure that even as Governor he could escape betraying
+his financial embarrassment, and his mind was so oppressed by the
+predicament in which he found himself that he made no effort on his
+own part to cause the party leaders to fix their choice on him. Nor
+did he mention the possibility of his selection to Selma.
+Mortification and self-reproach had made him for the moment inert
+as to his political future, and reluctant to confide his troubles
+to her.</p>
+<p>The clarion declaration of the Benham <i>Sentinel</i> in favor
+of Lyons evoked sympathetic echoes over the State, which promptly
+convinced the political chieftains that he was the strongest
+candidate to pit against Patterson. The enthusiasm caused by the
+suggestion of his name spread rapidly, and at the end of a week his
+nomination at the convention was regarded as certain.</p>
+<p>The championship of the <i>Sentinel</i> was a complete surprise
+to Selma. She had assumed that her husband would return to
+Washington, and that political promotion for the present was out of
+the question. When she saw her husband's features looking out at
+her from a large cut on the front page of the morning newspaper,
+and read the conspicuous heading which accompanied it&mdash;"The
+<i>Sentinel</i> nominates as Governor the Hon. James O. Lyons of
+Benham, the most eloquent orator and most public-spirited citizen
+of the State"&mdash;her heart gave a bound, and she eagerly asked
+herself, "Why not?" That was just what they needed, what she needed
+to secure her hold on the social evolution of Benham. As the wife
+of the Governor of the State she would be able to ignore the people
+who held aloof from her, and introduce the reforms in social
+behavior on which her heart was set.</p>
+<p>"James, have you seen this?" she asked, eagerly.</p>
+<p>Lyons was watching her from across the breakfast table. He had
+seen it, and had laid the newspaper within her reach.</p>
+<p>"Yes, dear. It is very complimentary, isn't it?"</p>
+<p>"But what does it mean? Are you to be Governor? Did you know of
+it, James?"</p>
+<p>"I knew that my name, with others, had been mentioned by those
+who were looking for a candidate whom we can elect. But this
+nomination of the <i>Sentinel</i> comes from a clear sky. Would you
+like to have me Governor, Selma?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, indeed. If the chance is offered you, James, you will
+surely accept it. It would please me immensely to see you Governor.
+We should not be separated then part of the year, and&mdash;and I
+should be able here in Benham to help you as your wife ought to
+help you. I know," she added, "that you have been looking forward
+to the next session of Congress, in the hope of distinguishing
+yourself, but isn't this a finer opportunity? Doesn't it open the
+door to splendid possibilities?"</p>
+<p>Lyons nodded. His wife's eager presentation of the case
+confirmed his own conclusions. "It is an important decision to
+make," he said, with gravity. "If I am not elected, I shall have
+lost my place in the Congressional line, and may find difficulty in
+recovering it later. But if the party needs me, if the State needs
+me, I must not think of that. I cannot help being gratified,
+encouraged by the suggestion that my fellow-citizens of my
+political faith are turning to me as their standard-bearer at this
+time when great public issues are involved. If I can serve God and
+my country in this way, and at the same time please you, my wife,
+what can I ask better?"</p>
+<p>He spoke with genuine feeling and reverence, for it was in
+keeping with his religious tendencies to recognize in advance the
+solemn responsibilities of high office, and to picture himself as
+the agent of the heavenly powers. This attitude of mind always
+found Selma sympathetic and harmonious. Her eyes kindled with
+enthusiasm, and she replied:</p>
+<p>"You view the matter as I would have you view it, James. If this
+trust is committed to us by Providence, it is our duty to accept it
+as lovers of our country and promoters of true progress."</p>
+<p>"It would seem so. And in some ways," he said, as though he felt
+the impulse to be reasonably frank toward Providence in his
+acceptance of the trust, "my election as Governor would be
+advantageous to my political and business interests. I have not
+sought the office," he added with dignified unction, "but my
+knowledge of local conditions leads me to believe that this action
+of the <i>Sentinel</i> signifies that certain powerful influences
+are working in my favor. I shall be able to tell you more
+accurately in regard to this before long."</p>
+<p>Lyons happened to know that the Benham <i>Sentinel</i> had
+enlarged its plant two years previous, and that Horace Elton was
+still the holder of its notes for borrowed money. The transaction
+had passed through his bank, and in the course of his mental search
+for reasons to account for the sudden flat-footed stand of the
+newspaper, the thought came into his mind and dwelt there that
+Elton was at the bottom of it. If so, what was Elton's reason? Why
+should Elton, a Republican, desire his nomination? Surely not to
+compass his defeat.</p>
+<p>In this connection Elton's friendship and the prophecy made to
+Selma as to his political future occurred to him and forbade an
+invidious supposition. "Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and thou shalt
+be what thou art promised!" Lyons left Selma with the conviction
+that he would find Elton to be mainly responsible for what had
+taken place. Shortly after reaching his office he received a note
+from him asking for an appointment. Punctually at twelve o'clock
+Elton arrived and was shown into Lyons's private room. Lyons gave
+orders that he was not to be disturbed, for he believed that the
+results of the interview were likely to have a serious bearing on
+his career as a statesman.</p>
+<p>Both men were of heavy physique, but as they sat facing each
+other an observer would have remarked that Elton's visage possessed
+a clean-cut compactness of expression despite its rotund contour.
+His closely trimmed whiskers, his small, clear, penetrating eyes,
+and the effect of neatness conveyed by his personal appearance were
+so many external indications of his mental lucidity and
+precision.</p>
+<p>In contrast Lyons's moon-shaped face, emphasized by its
+smooth-shaven mobile mouth, below which his almost white chin beard
+hung pendent, expressed a curious interplay of emotional sanctity,
+urbane shrewdness, and solemn self-importance.</p>
+<p>"Governor Lyons, at your service," said Elton, regarding him
+steadily.</p>
+<p>"Do you think so?"</p>
+<p>"I know so, if you desire it."</p>
+<p>"The nomination, you mean?"</p>
+<p>"The election by a comfortable majority."</p>
+<p>Lyons breathed hard with satisfaction. "If the people of the
+State choose to confide their interests to my custody, I shall not
+refuse to serve them."</p>
+<p>"So I supposed. You may be wondering, Lyons, why I, a
+Republican, should be talking like this. I will tell you.
+Observation has led me to believe that the people of this State
+will elect a Democratic Governor this year. The hard times will
+hurt the administration. Consequently, as your friend and my own
+friend, I have taken the liberty to indicate to the managers of
+your party their strongest man. I am responsible for what you saw
+on the front page of the <i>Sentinel</i> this morning. There need
+not be much difficulty," he added, significantly, "in securing
+emphatic endorsement throughout the State of the <i>Sentinel's</i>
+preference."</p>
+<p>Lyons looked grave. "You must be aware that our views on public
+questions&mdash;especially those which concern the relations of
+capital and labor&mdash;are not the same."</p>
+<p>"Certainly. I tell you frankly that while, from a humanitarian
+point of view, I respect your desire to relieve the inequalities of
+modern civilization, as a business man and a man of some property I
+do not regard the remedies presented by your party platform as just
+or adequate. I recognize that your opinions are hostile to
+corporate interests, but I have gathered also that you are disposed
+to be reasonable and conciliatory; that you are not inclined to
+regard all men and all measures as dangerous, merely because they
+have means or are introduced in the name of capital."</p>
+<p>"It has always seemed to me that a conciliatory spirit secures
+the most definite results for the public," assented Lyons.</p>
+<p>"Precisely. See here, Lyons," Elton said, leaning forward across
+the table at which they were sitting, "I wish to be entirely frank
+with you. You know me well enough to understand that I have not
+offered you my support in any philanthropic spirit. I could not
+have deceived you as to this had I tried. I am a practical man, and
+have an axe to grind. I am urging your election as Governor because
+I believe you to possess intelligent capacity to discriminate
+between what is harmful to the community and what is due to
+healthy, individual enterprise&mdash;the energy which is the sap of
+American citizenship. We capitalists have no fear of an honest man,
+provided he has the desire and the ability to protect legitimate
+business acumen against the slander of mere demagogues. I have a
+bill here," he added, drawing a printed document from his pocket,
+"which I am desirous to see passed by the next legislature. It
+embodies a charter authorizing the acquisition and merger in one
+corporation of all the gas companies of this State, and an
+extension of corporate powers so as to cover all forms of municipal
+lighting. Were your hands not tied by your prospective election, I
+should be glad to offer you an opportunity to become one of the
+incorporators, for I believe that the undertaking will be
+lucrative. That, of course, is out of the question. Now then, this
+is a perfectly honest bill. On its face, to be sure, it secures a
+valuable franchise for the petitioners, and consequently may
+encounter some opposition. But, on the other hand, no one who
+considers the matter candidly and closely can fail to recognize
+that the great public will secure cheaper gas and more efficient
+service as the result of the consolidation. And there is where I
+felt that I could count on your intelligence. You would not allow
+the plea that capitalists were interested in obtaining a profitable
+franchise to obscure the more vital consideration that the
+community will be the true gainers."</p>
+<p>Lyons bowed graciously, and stroked his beard. "What is it you
+wish me to do?" he asked.</p>
+<p>"To read the bill in the first place; to convince yourself that
+what I have told you is true; to satisfy yourself that the measure
+is essentially harmless. The bill is not long. Read it now and let
+me hear your objections. I have some papers here to look over which
+will occupy me a quarter of an hour, if you can spare me the
+time."</p>
+<p>Lyons acquiesced, and proceeded to peruse slowly the document.
+When he had finished it he folded it solemnly and returned it to
+Elton. "It is a bill framed in the interest of capital, but I
+cannot say that the public will be prejudiced by it. On the
+contrary, I should judge that the price of gas in our cities and
+towns would be lowered as a consequence of the reduction in running
+expenses caused by the projected consolidation. What is it that you
+wish me to do?"</p>
+<p>"Agree to sign the bill as it now stands if it passes the
+legislature."</p>
+<p>Lyons rested his head on his hand and his mouth moved
+tremulously. "If I am elected governor," he said, "I wish to serve
+the people honestly and fearlessly."</p>
+<p>"I am sure of it. I ask you to point out to me in what manner
+this bill trenches upon the rights of the people. You yourself have
+noted the crucial consequence: It will lower the price of gas. If
+at the same time I am benefited financially, why should I not reap
+the reasonable reward of my foresight?"</p>
+<p>"I will sign the bill, Elton, if it comes to me for signature. I
+may be criticised at first, but the improved public service and
+reduction of the gas bills will be my justification, and show that
+I have not been unmindful of the interests of the great public
+whose burdens my party is seeking to lighten."</p>
+<p>"I shall count on you, then," said Elton, after a pause. "The
+failure of the bill at the last stage when I was expecting its
+passage might affect my affairs seriously."</p>
+<p>"If the legislature does its part, I will do mine," responded
+Lyons, augustly. "I will sign the bill if it comes to me in the
+present form."</p>
+<p>"I thank you, Governor."</p>
+<p>Lyons looked confused but happy at the appellation.</p>
+<p>"By the way," said Elton, after he had returned the papers to
+his pocket, "these are trying times for men with financial
+obligations. It is my custom to be frank and not to mince matters
+where important interests are concerned. A candidate for office in
+this campaign will need the use of all his faculties if he is to be
+successful. I should be very sorry for the sake of my bill to allow
+your mind to be distracted by solicitude in regard to your private
+affairs. Some of the best and most prudent of our business men are
+pressed to-day for ready money. I am in a position to give you
+temporary assistance if you require it. In justice to my interests
+you must not let delicacy stand in the way of your accepting my
+offer."</p>
+<p>Lyons's bosom swelled with the tide of returning happiness. He
+had scarcely been able to believe his ears. Yet here was a
+definite, spontaneous proposition to remove the incubus which
+weighed upon his soul. Here was an opportunity to redeem the bonds
+of the Parsons estate and to repair his damaged self-respect. It
+seemed to him as though the clouds of adversity which had
+encompassed him had suddenly been swept away, and that Providence
+was smiling down at him as her approved and favorite son. His
+emotion choked his speech. His lip trembled and his eyes looked as
+though they would fill with tears. After a brief pause he
+articulated that he was somewhat pressed for ready money. Some
+explanation of his affairs followed, the upshot of which was that
+Elton agreed to indorse Lyons's promissory notes held by the banks
+to the amount of $60,000, and to accept as collateral for a
+personal loan of $40,000 certain securities of new local
+enterprises which had no present marketable value. By this
+arrangement his property was amply protected from sacrifice; he
+would be able to adjust his speculative account in New York; and he
+could await with a tranquil soul the return of commercial
+confidence. Lyons's heart was overflowing with satisfaction. He
+pressed Elton's hand and endeavored to express his gratitude with
+appropriate grandiloquence. But Elton disclaimed the obligation,
+asserting that he had acted merely from self-interest to make the
+election of his candidate more certain.</p>
+<p>The loan of $40,000 was completed within forty-eight hours, and
+before the end of another week Lyons had rescued the bonds of the
+Parsons estate from pawn, and disposed of his line of stocks
+carried by Williams &amp; Van Horne. They were sold at a
+considerable loss, but he made up his mind to free his soul for the
+time being from the toils and torment of speculation and to nurse
+his dwarfed resources behind the bulwark of Elton's relief fund
+until the financial situation cleared. He felt as though he had
+grown ten years younger, and without confiding to Selma the details
+of these transactions he informed her ecstatically that, owing to
+certain important developments, due partly to the friendliness of
+Horace Elton, the outlook for their future advancement had never
+been so bright. When a month later he was nominated as Governor he
+threw himself into the contest with the convincing ardor of
+sincere, untrammelled faith in the reforms he was advocating. His
+speeches reflected complete concentration of his powers on the
+issues of the campaign and evoked enthusiasm throughout the State
+by their eloquent arraignment of corporate rapacity at the expense
+of the sovereign people. In several of his most telling addresses
+he accused the national administration of pandering to the
+un-American gamblers who bought and sold stocks in Wall street.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER IX.</h3>
+<p>Lyons was chosen Governor by a large majority, as Elton had
+predicted. The Republican Party was worsted at the polls and driven
+out of power both at Washington and in the State. Lyons ran ahead
+of his ticket, receiving more votes than the presidential electors.
+The campaign was full of incidents grateful to Selma's self esteem.
+Chief among these was the conspicuous allusions accorded her by the
+newspapers. The campaign itself was a fervid repetition of the
+stirring scenes of two years previous. Once more torch-light
+processions in vociferous serried columns attested the intensity of
+party spirit. Selma felt herself an adept through her former
+experience, and she lost no opportunity to show herself in public
+and bear witness to her devotion to her husband's cause. It pleased
+her to think that the people recognized her when she appeared on
+the balcony or reviewing stand, and that her presence evoked an
+increase of enthusiasm.</p>
+<p>But the newspaper publicity was even more satisfying, for it
+centred attention unequivocally on her. Columns of descriptive
+matter relative to her husband's personality began to appear as
+soon as it became obvious that he was to be Governor. These
+articles aimed to be exhaustive in their character, covering the
+entire scope of his past life, disclosing pitiless details in
+regard to his habits, tastes, and private concerns. Nothing which
+could be discovered or ferreted out was omitted; and most of these
+biographies were illuminated by a variety of more or less hideous
+cuts showing, for example, his excellency as he looked as a school
+boy, his excellency as a fledgling attorney, the humble home where
+his excellency was born, and his excellency's present stately but
+hospitable residence on Benham's River Drive. Almost every
+newspaper in the State took its turn at contributing something
+which it conceived to be edifying to this reportorial budget. And
+after the Governor, came the turn of the Governor's lady, as she
+was called.</p>
+<p>Selma liked best the articles devoted exclusively to herself;
+where she appeared as the special feature of the newspaper issue,
+not merely as an adjunct to her husband. But she liked them all,
+and she was most benignant in her reception of the several
+newspaper scribes, principally of her own sex, who sought an
+interview for the sake of copy. She withheld nothing in regard to
+her person, talents, household, or tastes which would in her
+opinion be effective in print. She had a photograph of herself
+taken in simple, domestic matronly garb to supplement those which
+she already possessed, one of which revealed the magnificence of
+the attire she wore at the President's Reception; another portrayed
+Littleton's earnest bride, and still a fourth disclosed her as the
+wistful, aspiring school-mistress on the threshold of womanhood.
+These, and the facts appropriate to them, she meted out to her
+biographers from time to time, lubricating her amiable confidences
+with the assertion that both she and her husband felt that the
+people were entitled to be made familiar with the lives of their
+public representatives. As the result of her gracious behavior, her
+willingness to supply interesting details concerning herself, and
+her flattering tendency to become intimate on the spot with the
+reporters who visited her, the newspaper articles in most cases
+were in keeping with Selma's prepossessions. Those which pleased
+her most emphasized in the first place her intellectual gifts and
+literary talents, intimating delicately that she had refused
+brilliant offers for usefulness with her pen and on the lecture
+platform in order to become the wife of Congressman Lyons, to whom
+her counsel and high ideals of public service were a constant
+stimulus. Emphasized in the second place her husband's and her own
+pious tastes, and strong religious convictions, to which their
+constant church attendance and the simple sanctity of their
+American home bore testimony. Emphasized in the third
+place&mdash;reproducing ordinarily a sketch and cut of her
+drawing-room&mdash;her great social gifts and graces, which had
+made her a leader of society in the best sense of the word both in
+Benham and in New York. A few of the articles stated in judicious
+terms that she had been twice a widow. Only one of them set this
+forth in conspicuous and opprobrious terms: "Her Third Husband! Our
+Chief Magistrate's Wife's Many Marriages!" Such was the
+unsympathetic, alliterative heading of the malicious statement
+which appeared in an opposition organ. It did no more than recall
+the fact that she had obtained a divorce from her first husband,
+who had in his despair taken to drink, and intimate that her second
+husband had not been altogether happy. Selma wept when she read the
+article. She felt that it was cruel and uncalled for; that it told
+only half the truth and traduced her before the American people.
+She chose to conceive that it had been inspired by Pauline and Mrs.
+Hallett Taylor, neither of whom had sent her a word of
+congratulation on her promotion to be the Governor's wife. Who but
+Pauline knew that her marriage with Littleton had not been
+completely harmonious? Who but Mrs. Taylor or one of her set would
+have the malice to insinuate that she had been merciless to
+Babcock? This was one libel in a long series of complimentary
+productions. The representation of the family group was made
+complete by occasional references to the Governor elect's
+mother&mdash;"Mother Lyons, the venerable parent of our chief
+magistrate." Altogether Selma felt that the picture presented to
+the public was a truthful and inspiring record of pious and
+enterprising American life, which showed to the community that its
+choice of a Governor had been wise and was merited.</p>
+<p>Close upon the election and these eulogistic biographies came
+the inauguration, with Lyons's eloquent address. Selma, of course,
+had special privileges&mdash;a reserved gallery in the State House,
+to which she issued cards of admission to friends of her own
+selection. Occupying in festal attire the centre of this
+conspicuous group, she felt that she was the cynosure of every eye.
+She perceived that she was constantly pointed out as the second
+personage of the occasion. To the few legislators on the floor whom
+she already knew she took pains to bow from her seat with gracious
+cordiality, intending from the outset to aid her husband by
+captivating his friends and conciliating the leaders of the
+opposition party. On her way to and from the gallery she was joined
+by several members, to each of whom she tried to convey subtly the
+impression that she purposed to take an earnest interest in
+legislative affairs, and that her husband would be apt to consult
+her in regard to close questions. On the morning after the
+inauguration she had the satisfaction of seeing her own portrait
+side by side with that of her husband on the front page of two
+newspapers, a flattering indication, as she believed, that the
+press already recognized her value both as a helpmate to him and an
+ornament to the State. She took up her life as the Governor's lady
+feeling that her talents and eagerness to do good had finally
+prevailed and that true happiness at last was in store for her. She
+was satisfied with her husband and recognized his righteous purpose
+and capacity as a statesman, but she believed secretly that his
+rapid success was due in a large measure to her genius. Her
+prompting had inspired him to make a notable speech in his first
+Congress. Her charms and clever conversation had magnetized Mr.
+Elton so that he had seen fit to nominate him for Governor. A fresh
+impulse to her self-congratulation that virtue and ability were
+reaping their reward was given a few weeks later by the
+announcement which Lyons read from the morning newspaper that the
+firm of Williams &amp; Van Horne had failed disastrously. The
+circumstances attending their down-fall were sensational. It
+appeared that Van Horne, the office partner, who managed the
+finances, had shot himself as the culmination of a series of
+fraudulent hypothecations of securities and misrepresentations to
+which it was claimed that Williams was not a party. The firm had
+been hopelessly insolvent for months, and had been forced to the
+wall at last by a futile effort on the part of Van Horne to redeem
+the situation by a final speculation on a large scale. It had
+failed owing to the continuation of the state of dry rot in the
+stock market, and utter ruin followed.</p>
+<p>The regret which Lyons entertained as he read aloud the tragic
+story was overshadowed in his mind by his own thankfulness that he
+had redeemed the bonds and settled his account with them before the
+crash came. He was so absorbed by his own emotions that he failed
+to note the triumphant tone of his wife's ejaculation of amazement.
+"Failed! Williams &amp; Van Horne failed! Oh, how did it happen? I
+always felt sure that they would fail sooner or later."</p>
+<p>Selma sat with tightly folded hands listening to the exciting
+narrative, which Lyons read for her edification with the urbanely
+mournful emphasis of one who has had a narrow escape. He stopped in
+the course of it to relieve any solicitude which she might be
+feeling in regard to his dealings with the firm, by the assertion
+that he had only two months previous closed out his account owing
+to the conviction that prudent investors were getting under cover.
+This assurance gave the episode a still more providential aspect in
+Selma's eyes. In the first flush of her gratitude that Flossy had
+been superbly rebuked for her frivolous existence, she had
+forgotten that they were her husband's brokers. Moreover the lack
+of perturbation in his manner was not calculated to inspire alarm.
+But the news that Lyons had been shrewd enough to escape at the
+twelfth hour without a dollar's loss heightened the justice of the
+situation. She listened with throbbing pulses to the particulars.
+She could scarcely credit her senses that her irrepressible and
+light-hearted enemy had been confounded at last&mdash;confronted
+with bankruptcy and probable disgrace. She interrupted the reading
+to express her scepticism regarding the claim that Williams had no
+knowledge of the frauds.</p>
+<p>"How could he be ignorant? He must have known. He must have
+bribed the reporters to put that in so as to arouse the sympathy of
+some of their fashionable friends. Van Horne is dead, and the lips
+of the dead are sealed."</p>
+<p>Selma spoke with the confidence born of bitterness. She was
+pleased with her acumen in discerning the true inwardness of the
+case. Her husband nodded with mournful acquiescence. "It would
+seem," he said, "as if he must have had an inkling, at least, of
+what was going on."</p>
+<p>"Of course he had. Gregory Williams, with all his faults, was a
+wide-awake man. I always said that."</p>
+<p>Lyons completed the reading and murmured with a sigh, which was
+half pity, half grateful acknowledgment of his own good
+fortune&mdash;"It's a bad piece of business. I'm glad I had the
+sense to act promptly."</p>
+<p>Selma was ruminating. Her steel bright eyes shone with
+exultation. Her sense of righteousness was gratified and
+temporarily appeased. "They'll have to sell their house, of course,
+and give up their horses and steam-yacht? I don't see why it
+doesn't mean that Flossy and her husband must come down off their
+pedestal and begin over again? It follows, doesn't it, that the
+heartless set into which they have wormed their way will drop them
+like hot coals?"</p>
+<p>All these remarks were put by Selma in the slightly
+interrogative form, as though she were courting any argument to the
+contrary which could be adduced in order to knock it in the head.
+But Lyons saw no reason to differ from her verdict. "It means
+necessarily great mortification for them and a curtailment of their
+present mode of life," he said. "I am sorry for them."</p>
+<p>"Sorry? Of course, James, it is distressing to hear that
+misfortune has befallen any person of one's acquaintance, and so
+far as Gregory Williams himself is concerned I have no wish to see
+him punished simply because he has been worldly and vainglorious.
+You thought him able in a business way, and liked to meet him. But
+as for her, Flossy, his wife," Selma continued, with a gasp, "it
+would be sheer hypocrisy for me to assert that I am sorry for her.
+I should deem myself unworthy of being considered an earnest-minded
+American woman if I did not maintain that this disgrace which has
+befallen them is the logical and legitimate consequence of their
+godless lives&mdash;especially of her frivolity and presumptuous
+indifference to spiritual influences. That woman, James, is utterly
+hostile to the things of the spirit. You have no conception&mdash;I
+have never told you, because he was your friend, and I was willing
+to let bygones be bygones on the surface on your account&mdash;you
+have no conception of the cross her behavior became to me in New
+York. From almost the first moment we met I saw that we were far
+apart as the poles in our views of the responsibilities of life.
+She sneered at everything which you and I reverence, and she set
+her face against true progress and the spread of American
+principles. She claimed to be my friend, and to sympathize with my
+zeal for social truth, yet all the time she was toadying secretly
+the people whose luxurious exclusiveness made me tremble sometimes
+for the future of our country. She and her husband were prosperous,
+and everything he touched seemed to turn to gold. It may sound
+irreverent, James, but there was a time during my life in New York
+when I was discouraged; when it seemed as though heaven were
+mocking me and my husband in our homely struggle against the forces
+of evil, and bestowing all its favors on a woman whose example was
+a menace to American womanhood! Sorry? Why should I be sorry to see
+justice triumph and shallow iniquity rebuked? I would give Florence
+Williams money if she is in want, but I am thankful, very thankful,
+that her heartless vanity has found its proper reward."</p>
+<p>Lyons fingered his beard. "I didn't know she was as bad as that,
+Selma. Now that they have come to grief, we are not likely to be
+brought in contact with them, and in all probability they will pass
+out of our lives. Williams was smart and entertaining, but I never
+liked his taking advantage of the circumstances of my having an
+account in his office to urge me to support a measure at variance
+with my political convictions."</p>
+<p>"Precisely. The trouble with them both, James, is that they have
+no conscience; and it is eminently just they should be made to
+realize that people who lack conscience cannot prosper in this
+country in the long run. 'They have loosed the awful lightnings of
+his terrible swift sword.'"</p>
+<p>"I say 'amen' to that assuredly, Selma," Lyons answered. His
+predilection to palliate equivocal circumstances was never proof
+against clear, evidence of moral delinquency. When his religious
+scruples were finally offended, he was grave and unrelenting.</p>
+<p>The downfall of the Williamses continued to be a sweet solace
+and source of encouragement to Selma. It made her, when taken in
+conjunction with her own recent progress, feel that the whirligig
+of time was working in her behalf after all; and that if she
+persevered, not merely Flossy, but all those who worshipped mammon,
+and consequently failed to recognize her talents, would be made to
+bite the dust. At the moment these enemies seemed to have infested
+Benham. Numerically speaking, they were unimportant, but they had
+established an irritating, irregular skirmish line, one end of
+which occupied Wetmore College, another held secret midnight
+meetings at Mrs. Hallett Taylor's. Rumors of various undertakings,
+educational, semi-political, artistic, or philanthropic, agitated
+or directed by this fringe of society, came to her ears from time
+to time, but she heard them as an outsider. When she became the
+Governor's wife she had said to herself that now these aristocrats
+would be compelled to admit her to their counsels. But she found,
+to her annoyance, that the election made no difference. Neither
+Pauline nor Mrs. Taylor nor any of the coterie had asked her to
+join them, and she was unpleasantly conscious that there were
+people on the River Drive who showed no more desire to make her
+acquaintance than when she had been Mrs. Lewis Babcock. What did
+this mean? It meant simply&mdash;she began to argue&mdash;that she
+must hold fast to her faith and bide her time. That if she and her
+friends kept a bold front and resisted the encroachments of this
+pernicious spirit, Providence would interfere presently and
+confound these enemies of social truth no less obviously than it
+had already overwhelmed Mrs. Gregory Williams. As the wife of the
+Governor, she was clearly in a position to maintain this bold front
+effectively. Every mail brought to her requests for her support,
+and the sanction of her signature to social or charitable
+enterprises. Her hospital was flourishing along the lines of the
+policy which she had indicated, and was feeling the advantage of
+her political prosperity. She was able to give the petition in
+behalf of Mrs. Hamilton, which contained now twenty-five thousand
+signatures, fresh value and solemnity by means of an autograph
+letter from the Governor's wife, countersigned by the Governor.
+This, with the bulky list of petitioners, she addressed and
+despatched directly to Queen Victoria. Her presence was in constant
+demand at all sorts of functions, at many of which she had the
+opportunity to make a few remarks; to express the welcome of the
+State, or to utter words of sympathy and encouragement to those
+assembled. In the second month of her husband's administration, she
+had the satisfaction of greeting, in her double capacity as
+newly-elected President of the Benham Institute and wife of the
+Governor, the Federation of Women's Clubs of the United States, on
+the occasion of its annual meeting at Benham. This federation was
+the incorporated fruit of the Congress of Women's Clubs, which
+Selma had attended as a delegate just previous to her divorce from
+Babcock, and she could not refrain from some exultation at the
+progress she had made since then as she sat wielding the gavel over
+the body of women delegates from every State in the Union. The
+meeting lasted three days. Literary exercises alternated with
+excursions to points of interest in the neighborhood, at all of
+which she was in authority, and the celebration was brought to a
+brilliant close by a banquet, to which men were invited. At this
+Selma acted as toastmaster, introducing the speakers of the
+occasion, which included her own husband. Lyons made a graceful
+allusion to her stimulating influence as a helpmate and her
+executive capacity, which elicited loud applause. Succeeding this
+meeting of the Federation of Women's Clubs came a series of
+semi-public festivities under the patronage of
+women&mdash;philanthropic, literary or social in
+character&mdash;for the fever to perpetuate in club form every
+congregation, of free-born citizens, except on election day, had
+seized Benham in common with the other cities of the country in its
+grasp, to each of which the Governor's wife was invited as the
+principal guest of honor. Selma thus found a dozen opportunities to
+exhibit herself to a large audience and testify to her faith in
+democratic institutions.</p>
+<p>On the 22d of February, Washington's birthday, she held a
+reception at their house on River Drive, for which cards had been
+issued a fortnight previous. She pathetically explained to the
+reporters that, had the dimensions and resources of her
+establishment permitted, she and the Governor would simply have
+announced themselves at home to the community at large; that they
+would have preferred this, but of course it would never do. The
+people would not be pleased to see a rabble confound the
+hospitality of the chief magistrate and his wife. The people
+demanded proper dignity from their representatives in office. The
+list of invitations which Selma sent out was, however,
+comprehensive. She aimed to invite everyone of social, public,
+commercial or political importance. A full band was in attendance,
+and a liberal collation was served. Selma confided to some of her
+guests, who, she thought, might criticise the absence of wine, that
+she had felt obliged, out of consideration for her husband's
+political prospects, to avoid wounding the feelings of total
+abstainers. The entertainment lasted from four to seven, and the
+three hours of hand-shaking provided a delicious experience to the
+hostess. She gloried in the consciousness that this crush of
+citizens, representing the leaders of the community in the widest
+sense, had been assembled by her social gift, and that they had
+come to offer their admiring homage to the clever wife of their
+Governor. It gratified her to think that Pauline and Mrs. Taylor
+and the people of that class, to all of whom she had sent cards,
+should behold her as the first lady of the State, and mistress of a
+beautiful home, dispensing hospitality on broad, democratic lines
+to an admiring constituency. When Mr. Horace Elton approached,
+Selma perpetrated a little device which she had planned. As they
+were in the act of shaking hands a very handsome rose
+fell&mdash;seemingly by chance&mdash;from the bouquet which she
+carried. He picked it up and tendered it to her, but Selma made him
+keep it, adding in a lower tone, "It is your due for the gallant
+friendship you have shown me and my husband." She felt as though
+she were a queen bestowing a guerdon on a favorite minister, and
+yet a woman rewarding in a woman's way an admirer's devotion. She
+meant Elton to appreciate that she understood that his interest in
+Lyons was largely due to his partiality for her. It seemed to her
+that she could recognize to this extent his chivalrous conduct
+without smirching her blameless record as an American
+housewife.</p>
+<p>Meantime the Governor was performing his public duties with
+becoming dignity and without much mental friction. The legislature
+was engaged in digesting the batch of miscellaneous business
+presented for its consideration, among which was Elton's gas
+consolidation bill. Already the measure had encountered some
+opposition in committee, but Lyons was led to believe that the bill
+would be passed by a large majority, and that its opponents would
+be conciliated before his signature was required. Lyons's
+reputation as an orator had been extended by his term in the House
+of Representatives and his recent active campaign, and he was in
+receipt of a number of invitations from various parts of the
+country to address august bodies in other States. All of these were
+declined, but when, in the month of April, opportunity was afforded
+him to deliver a speech on patriotic issues on the anniversary of
+the battle of Lexington, he decided, with Selma's approval, to
+accept the invitation. He reasoned that a short respite from the
+cares of office would be agreeable; she was attracted by the
+glamour of revisiting New York as a woman of note. New York had
+refused to recognize her superiority and to do her homage, and New
+York should realize her present status, and what a mistake had been
+made. The speech was a success, and the programme provided for the
+entertainment of the orator and his wife included the hospitality
+of several private houses. Selma felt that she could afford to hold
+her head high and not to thaw too readily for the benefit of a
+society which had failed to appreciate her worth when it had the
+chance. She was the wife now of one of the leading public men of
+the nation, and in a position to set fashions, not to ask favors.
+Nevertheless she chose on the evening before their return to Benham
+to show herself at dinner at Delmonico's, just to let the world of
+so-called fashion perceive her and ask who she was. There would
+doubtless be people there who knew her by sight, and who, when they
+were told that she was now the wife of Governor Lyons, would regret
+if not be ashamed of their short-sightedness and snobbery. She wore
+a striking dress; she encouraged her husband's willingness to order
+an elaborate dinner, including champagne (for they were in a
+champagne country), and she exhibited a sprightly mood, looking
+about her with a knowing air in observation of the other occupants
+of the dining-room.</p>
+<p>While she was thus engaged the entrance of a party of six, whom
+the head waiter conducted with a show of attention to a table which
+had evidently been reserved for them, fettered Selma's attention.
+She stared unable to believe her eyes, then flushed and looked
+indignant. Her attention remained rivetted on this party while they
+laid aside their wraps and seated themselves. Struck by the annoyed
+intensity of his wife's expression, Lyons turned to follow the
+direction of her gaze.</p>
+<p>"What is the matter?" he said.</p>
+<p>For a few moments Selma sat silent with compressed lips, intent
+on her scrutiny.</p>
+<p>"It's an outrage on decency," she murmured, at last. "How dare
+she show herself here and entertain those people?"</p>
+<p>"Of whom are you talking, Selma?"</p>
+<p>"The Williamses. Flossy Williams and her husband. The two
+couples with them live on Fifth Avenue, and used to be among her
+exclusive friends. Her husband has just ordered the dinner. I saw
+him give the directions to the waiter. It is monstrous that they,
+who only a few months ago failed disgracefully and were supposed to
+have lost everything, should be going on exactly as if nothing had
+happened."</p>
+<p>"People in New York have the faculty of getting on their feet
+again quickly after financial reverses," said Lyons, mildly. "Like
+as not some of Williams's friends have enabled him to make a fresh
+start."</p>
+<p>"So it seems," Selma answered, sternly. She sat back in her
+chair with a discouraged air and neglected her truffled chicken.
+"It isn't right; it isn't decent."</p>
+<p>Lyons was puzzled by her demeanor. "Why should you care what
+they do?" he asked. "We can easily avoid them for the future."</p>
+<p>"Because&mdash;because, James Lyons, I can't bear to see godless
+people triumph. Because it offends me to see a man and woman, who
+are practically penniless through their own evil courses, and
+should be discredited everywhere, able to resume their life of
+vanity and extravagance without protest."</p>
+<p>While she was speaking Selma suddenly became aware that her eyes
+had met those of Dr. George Page, who was passing their table on
+his way out. Recognition on both sides came at the same moment, and
+Selma turned in her chair to greet him, cutting off any hope which
+he may have had of passing unobserved. She was glad of the
+opportunity to show the company that she was on familiar terms with
+a man so well known, and she had on her tongue what she regarded as
+a piece of banter quite in keeping with his usual vein.</p>
+<p>"How d'y do, Dr. Page? We haven't met for a long time. You do
+not know my husband, Governor Lyons, I think. Dr. Page used to be
+our family physician when I lived in New York, James. Everyone here
+knows that he has a very large practice."</p>
+<p>Selma was disposed to be gracious and sprightly, for she felt
+that Dr. Page must surely be impressed by her appearance of
+prosperity.</p>
+<p>"I had heard of your marriage, and of your husband's election. I
+congratulate you. You are living in Benham, I believe, far from
+this hurly-burly?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, a little bird told me the other day that a no less
+distinguished person than Dr. Page had been seen in Benham twice
+during the last three months. Of course a Governor's wife is
+supposed to know everything which goes on, and for certain reasons
+I was very much interested to hear this bit of news. I am a very
+discreet woman, doctor. It shall go no further."</p>
+<p>The physician's broad brow contracted slightly, but his habitual
+self-control concealed completely the inclination to strangle his
+bright-eyed, over-dressed inquisitor. He was the last man to shirk
+the vicissitudes of playful speech, and he preferred this mood of
+Selma's to her solemn style, although his privacy was invaded.</p>
+<p>"I should have remembered," he said, "that there is nothing in
+the world which Mrs. Lyons does not know by intuition."</p>
+<p>"Including the management of a hospital, Dr. Page. Perhaps you
+don't know that I am the managing trustee of a large hospital?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, I was informed of that in Benham. I should scarcely
+venture to tell you what my little bird said. It was an old fogy of
+a bird, with a partiality for thorough investigation and scientific
+methods, and a thorough distrust of the results of off-hand
+inspiration in the treatment of disease."</p>
+<p>"I dare say. But we are succeeding splendidly. The next time you
+come to Benham you must come to see me, and I will take you over
+our hospital. I don't despair yet of converting you to our side,
+just as you evidently don't despair of inducing a certain lady some
+day to change her mind. I, for one, think that she is more fitted
+by nature to be a wife than a college president, so I shall await
+with interest more news from my little bird." Selma felt that she
+was talking to greater advantage than almost ever before. Her last
+remark banished every trace of a smile from her adversary's face,
+and he stood regarding her with a preternatural gravity, which
+should have been appalling, but which she welcomed as a sign of
+serious feeling on his part. She felt, too, that at last she had
+got the better of the ironical doctor in repartee, and that he was
+taking his leave tongue-tied. In truth, he was so angry that he did
+not trust himself to speak. He simply glared and departed.</p>
+<p>"Poor fellow," she said, by way of explanation to Lyons, "I
+suppose his emotion got the better of him, because he has loved her
+so long. That was the Dr. Page who has been crazy for years to
+marry Pauline Littleton. When he was young he married a woman of
+doubtful character, who ran away from him. I used to think that
+Pauline was right in refusing to sacrifice her life for his sake.
+But he has been very constant, and I doubt if she has originality
+enough to keep her position as president of Wetmore long. He
+belongs to the old school of medicine. It was he who took care of
+Wilbur when he died. I fancy that case may have taught him not to
+mistrust truth merely because it isn't labelled. But I bear him no
+malice, because I know he meant to do his best. They are just
+suited for each other, and I shall be on his side after this."</p>
+<p>The interest of this episode served to restore somewhat Selma's
+serenity, but she kept her attention fixed on the table where the
+Williamses were sitting, observing with a sense of injury their gay
+behavior. To all appearances, Flossy was as light-hearted and
+volatile as ever. Her attire was in the height of fashion. Had
+adversity taught her nothing? Had the buffet of Providence failed
+utterly to sober her frivolous spirit? It seemed to Selma that
+there could be no other conclusion, and though she and Lyons had
+finished dinner, she was unable to take her eyes off the culprits,
+or to cease to wonder how it was possible for people with nothing
+to continue to live as though they had everything. Her moral nature
+was stirred to resentment, and she sat spell-bound, seeking in vain
+for a point of consolation.</p>
+<p>Meantime Lyons, like a good American, had sent for an evening
+paper, and was deep in its perusal. A startled ejaculation from him
+aroused Selma from her nightmare. Her husband was saying to her
+across the table:</p>
+<p>"My dear, Senator Calkins is dead." He spoke in a solemn,
+excited whisper.</p>
+<p>"Our Senator Calkins?"</p>
+<p>"Yes. This is the despatch from Washington: 'United States
+Senator Calkins dropped dead suddenly in the lobby of the Senate
+chamber, at ten o'clock this morning, while talking with friends.
+His age was 52. The cause of his death was heart-failure. His
+decease has cast a gloom over the Capital, and the Senate adjourned
+promptly out of respect to the memory of the departed
+statesman.'"</p>
+<p>"What a dreadful thing!" Selma murmured.</p>
+<p>"The ways of Providence are inscrutable," said Lyons. "No one
+could have foreseen this public calamity." He poured out a glass of
+ice-water and drank it feverishly.</p>
+<p>"It's fortunate we have everything arranged to return to-morrow,
+for of course you will be needed at home."</p>
+<p>"Yes. Waiter, bring me a telegram."</p>
+<p>"What are you going to do?"</p>
+<p>"Communicate to Mrs. Calkins our sympathy on account of the
+death of her distinguished husband."</p>
+<p>"That will be nice," said Selma. She sat for some moments in
+silence observing her husband, and spell-bound by the splendid
+possibility which presented itself. She knew that Lyons's gravity
+and agitation were not wholly due to the shock of the catastrophe.
+He, like herself, must be conscious that he might become the dead
+Senator's successor. He poured out and drained another goblet of
+ice-water. Twice he drew himself up slightly and looked around the
+room, with the expression habitual to him when about to deliver a
+public address. Selma's veins were tingling with excitement.
+Providence had interfered in her behalf again. As the wife of a
+United States Senator, everything would be within her grasp.</p>
+<p>"James," she said, "we are the last persons in the world to fail
+in respect to the illustrious dead, but&mdash;of course you ought
+to have Senator Calkins's place."</p>
+<p>Lyons looked at his wife, and his large lips trembled. "If the
+people of my State, Selma, feel that I am the most suitable man for
+the vacant senatorship, I shall be proud to serve them."</p>
+<p>Selma nodded appreciatively. She was glad that her husband
+should approach the situation with a solemn sense of
+responsibility.</p>
+<p>"They are sure to feel that," she said. "It seems to me that you
+are practically certain of the party nomination, and your party has
+a clear majority of both branches of the Legislature."</p>
+<p>Lyons glanced furtively about him before he spoke. "I don't see
+at the moment, Selma, how they can defeat me."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER X.</h3>
+<p>The body of Senator Calkins was laid to rest with appropriate
+ceremonies in the soil of his native State, and his virtues as a
+statesman and citizen were celebrated in the pulpit and in the
+public prints. On the day following the funeral the contest for his
+place began in dead earnest. There had been some quiet canvassing
+by the several candidates while the remains were being transported
+from Washington, but public utterance was stayed until the last
+rites were over. Then it transpired that there were four candidates
+in the field; a Congressman, an ex-Governor, a silver-tongued
+orator named Stringer, who was a member of the upper branch of the
+State Legislature and who claimed to be a true defender of popular
+rights, and Hon. James O. Lyons. Newspaper comment concerning the
+candidacy of these aspirants early promulgated the doctrine that
+Governor Lyons was entitled to the place if he desired it. More
+than one party organ claimed that his brilliant services had given
+him a reputation beyond the limit of mere political prestige, and
+that he had become a veritable favorite son of the State. By the
+end of a fortnight the ex-Governor had withdrawn in favor of Lyons;
+while the following of the Congressman was recognized to be
+inconsiderable, and that he was holding out in order to obtain
+terms. Only the silver-tongued orator, Stringer, remained. On him
+the opposition within the party had decided to unite their forces.
+To all appearances they were in a decided minority. There was no
+hope that the Republican members of the Legislature would join
+them, for it seemed scarcely good politics to rally to the support
+of a citizen whose statesmanship had not been tested in preference
+to the Governor of the State. It was conceded by all but the
+immediate followers of Stringer that Lyons would receive the
+majority vote of either house, and be triumphantly elected on the
+first joint ballot.</p>
+<p>And yet the opposition to the Governor, though numerically
+small, was genuine. Stringer was, as he described himself, a man of
+the plain people. That is he was a lawyer with a denunciating
+voice, a keen mind, and a comprehensive grasp on language, who was
+still an attorney for plaintiffs, and whose ability had not yet
+been recognized by corporations or conservative souls. He was where
+Lyons had been ten years before, but he had neither the urbanity,
+conciliatory tendencies, nor dignified, solid physical properties
+of the Governor. He was pleased to refer to himself as a tribune of
+the people, and his thin, nervous figure, clad in a long
+frock-coat, with a yawning collar and black whisp tie, his fiery
+utterance and relentless zeal, bore out the character. He looked
+hungry, and his words suggested that he was in earnest, carrying
+conviction to some of his colleagues in the Legislature. The
+election at which Lyons had been chosen chief magistrate had
+brought into this State government a sprinkling of socialistic
+spirits, as they were called, who applauded vigorously the thinly
+veiled allusions which Stringer made in debate to the lukewarm
+democracy of some of the party leaders. When he spoke with stern
+contempt of those who played fast and loose with sacred
+principles&mdash;who were staunch friends of the humblest citizens
+on the public platform, and behind their backs grew slyly rich on
+the revenues of wealthy corporations, everyone knew that he was
+baiting the Governor. These diatribes were stigmatized as in
+wretched taste, but the politicians of both parties could not help
+being amused. They admitted behind their hands that the taunt was
+not altogether groundless, and that Lyons certainly was on
+extremely pleasant terms with prosperity for an out and out
+champion of popular rights. Nevertheless the leading party
+newspapers termed Stringer a demagogue, and accused him of
+endeavoring to foment discord in the ranks of the Democracy by
+questioning the loyalty of a man who had led them to notable
+victory twice in the last three years. He was invited to step down,
+and to season his aspirations until he could present a more
+significant public record. What had he done that entitled him to
+the senatorship? He had gifts undeniably, but he was young and
+could wait. This was a taking argument with the legislators, many
+of whom had grown gray in the party service, and Lyons's managers
+felt confident that the support accorded to this tribune of the
+people would dwindle to very small proportions when the time came
+to count noses.</p>
+<p>Suddenly there loomed into sight on the political horizon, and
+came bearing down on Lyons under full sail, Elton's bill for the
+consolidation of the gas companies. The Benham <i>Sentinel</i> had
+not been one of the promoters of Lyons's senatorial canvass, but it
+had not espoused the cause of any of his competitors, and latterly
+had referred in acquiescent terms to his election as a foregone
+conclusion. He had not happened to run across Elton during these
+intervening weeks, and preferred not to encounter him. He cherished
+an ostrich-like hope that Elton was in no haste regarding the bill,
+and that consequently it might not pass the legislature until after
+his election as Senator. If he were to come in contact with Elton,
+the meeting might jog the busy magnate's memory. It was a barren
+hope. Immediately after the <i>Sentinel</i> announced that Governor
+Lyons was practically sure to be the next United States Senator,
+the gas bill was reported favorably by the committee which had it
+in charge, and was advanced rapidly in the House. Debate on its
+provisions developed that it was not to have entirely plain
+sailing, though the majority recorded in its favor on the first and
+second readings was large. It was not at first regarded as a party
+measure. Its supporters included most of the Republicans and more
+than half of the Democrats. Yet the opposition to it proceeded from
+the wing of the Democracy with which Stringer was affiliated.
+Elton's interest in the bill was well understood, and the work of
+pledging members in advance, irrespective of party, had been so
+thoroughly done, that but for the exigencies of the senatorial
+contest it would probably have slipped through without notice as a
+harmless measure. As it was, the opposition to it in the lower
+branch was brief and seemed unimportant. The bill passed the House
+of Representatives by a nearly two-thirds vote and went promptly to
+the Senate calendar. Then suddenly it became obvious to Lyons not
+merely that Elton was bent on securing its passage while the
+present Governor was in office, but that his rival, Stringer, had
+conceived the cruel scheme of putting him in the position, by a hue
+and cry against monopoly and corporate interests, where his
+election to the senatorship would be imperilled if he did not veto
+the measure. By a caustic speech in the Senate Stringer drew public
+attention to the skilfully concealed iniquities of the proposed
+franchise, and public attention thus aroused began to bristle.
+Newspapers here and there throughout the state put forth edicts
+that this Legislature had been chosen to protect popular
+principles, and that here was an opportunity for the Democratic
+party to fulfil its pledges and serve the people. Stringer and his
+associates were uttering in the Senate burning words against the
+audacious menace of what they termed the franchise octopus. Did the
+people realize that this bill to combine gas companies, which
+looked so innocent on its face, was a gigantic scheme to wheedle
+them out of a valuable franchise for nothing? Did they understand
+that they were deliberately putting their necks in the grip of a
+monster whose tentacles would squeeze and suck their life-blood for
+its own enrichment? Stringer hammered away with fierce and
+reiterated invective. He had no hope of defeating the bill, but he
+confidently believed that he was putting his adversary, the
+Governor, in a hole. It had been noised about the lobbies by the
+friends of the measure earlier in the session that the Governor was
+all right and could be counted on. Stringer reasoned that Lyons was
+committed to the bill; that, if he signed it, his opponents might
+prevent his election as Senator on the plea that he had catered to
+corporate interests; that if he vetoed it, he would lose the
+support of powerful friends who might seek to revenge themselves by
+uniting on his opponent. Stringer recognized that he was playing a
+desperate game, but it was his only chance. One thing was evident
+already: As a result of the exposure in the Senate, considerable
+public hostility to the bill was manifesting itself. Petitions for
+its defeat were in circulation, and several Senators who had been
+supposed to be friendly to its passage veered round in deference to
+the views of their constituents. Its defeat had almost become a
+party measure. A majority of the Democrats in the Senate were
+claimed to be against it. Nevertheless there was no delay on the
+part of those in charge in pushing it to final action. They had
+counted noses, and their margin of support had been so liberal they
+could afford to lose a few deserters. After a fierce debate the
+bill was passed to be engrossed by a majority of eleven. The
+Democrats in the Senate were just evenly divided on the ballot.</p>
+<p>What would the Governor do? This was the question on everyone's
+lips. Would he sign or veto the bill? Public opinion as represented
+by the newspapers was prompt to point out his duty. The verdict of
+a leading party organ was that, in view of all the circumstances,
+Governor Lyons could scarcely do otherwise than refuse to give his
+official sanction to a measure which threatened to increase the
+burdens of the plain people. The words "in view of all the
+circumstances" appeared to be an euphemism for "in view of his
+ambition to become United States Senator." Several journals
+declared unequivocally that it would become the duty of the party
+to withdraw its support from Governor Lyons in case he allowed this
+undemocratic measure to become law. On the other hand, certain
+party organs questioned the justice of the outcry against the bill,
+arguing that the merits of the case had been carefully examined in
+the Legislature and that there was no occasion for the Governor to
+disturb the result of its action. On the day after the bill was
+sent to the chief magistrate, an editorial appeared in the Benham
+<i>Sentinel</i> presenting an exhaustive analysis of its
+provisions, and pointing out that, though the petitioners might
+under certain contingencies reap a reasonable profit, the public
+could not fail in that event to secure a lower price for gas and
+more effective service. This article was quoted extensively
+throughout the State, and was ridiculed or extolled according to
+the sympathies of the critics. Lyons received a marked copy of the
+<i>Sentinel</i> on the morning when it appeared. He recognized the
+argument as that which he had accepted at the time he promised to
+sign the bill if he were elected Governor. In the course of the
+same day a letter sent by messenger was handed to him in the
+executive chamber. It contained simply two lines in pencil in
+Elton's handwriting&mdash;"It continues to be of vital importance
+to my affairs that the pending bill should receive your signature."
+That was obviously a polite reminder of their agreement; an
+intimation that the circumstances had not altered, and that it was
+incumbent on him to perform his part of their compact. Obviously,
+too, Horace Elton took for granted that a reminder was enough, and
+that he would keep his word. He had promised to sign the bill. He
+had given his word of honor to do so, and Elton was relying on his
+good faith.</p>
+<p>The situation had become suddenly oppressive and disheartening.
+Just when his prospects seemed assured this unfortunate obstacle
+had appeared in his path, and threatened to confound his political
+career. He must sign the bill. And if he signed it, in all
+probability he would lose the senatorship. His enemies would claim
+that the party could not afford to stultify itself by the choice of
+a candidate who favored monopolies. He had given his promise, the
+word of a man of honor, and a business man. What escape was there
+from the predicament? If he vetoed the bill, would he not be a liar
+and a poltroon? If he signed it, the senatorship would slip through
+his fingers. The thought occurred to him to send for Elton and
+throw himself on his mercy, but he shrank from such an interview.
+Elton was a business man, and a promise was a promise. He had
+enjoyed the consideration for his promise; his notes were secure
+and the hypothecated bonds had been redeemed. He was on his feet
+and Governor, thanks to Elton's interposition, and now he was
+called on to do his part&mdash;to pay the fiddler. He must sign the
+bill.</p>
+<p>Lyons had five days in which to consider the matter. At the end
+of that time if he neither signed nor vetoed the bill, it would
+become law without his signature. He was at bay, and the time for
+deliberation was short. An incubus of disappointment weighed upon
+his soul and clouded his brow. His round, smooth face looked
+grieved. It seemed cruel to him that such an untoward piece of
+fortune should confront him just at the moment when this great
+reward for his political services was within his grasp and his
+opportunities for eminent public usefulness assured. He brooded
+over his quandary in silence for twenty-four hours. On the second
+day he concluded to speak of the matter to Selma. He knew that she
+kept a general run of public affairs. Not infrequently she had
+asked him questions concerning measures before the Legislature, and
+he was pleasantly aware that she was ambitious to be regarded as a
+politician. But up to this time there had been no room for question
+as to what his action as Governor should be in respect to any
+measure. It had happened, despite his attitude of mental
+comradeship with his wife, that he had hitherto concealed from her
+his most secret transactions. He had left her in the dark in regard
+to his true dealings with Williams &amp; Van Horne; he had told her
+nothing as to his straitened circumstances, the compact by which he
+had been made Governor, and his relief at the hands of Elton from
+threatened financial ruin. Reluctance, born of the theory in his
+soul that these were accidents in his life, not typical happenings,
+had sealed his lips. He was going to confide in her now not because
+he expected that Selma's view of this emergency would differ from
+his own, but in order that she might learn before he acted that he
+was under an imperative obligation to sign the bill. While he was
+sitting at home in the evening with the topic trembling on his
+tongue, Selma made his confession easy by saying, "I have taken for
+granted that you will veto the gas bill."</p>
+<p>Selma had indeed so assumed. In the early stages of the bill she
+had been ignorant of its existence. During the last fortnight,
+since the controversy had reached an acute phase and public
+sentiment had been aroused against its passage, she had been hoping
+that it would pass so that Lyons might have the glory of returning
+it to the Legislature without his signature. She had reasoned that
+he would be certain to veto the measure, for the bill was clearly
+in the interest of monopoly, and though her nerves were all on edge
+with excitement over the impending election of a Senator, she had
+not interfered because she took for granted that it was
+unnecessary. Even when Lyons, after reading the article in the
+<i>Sentinel</i>, had dropped the remark that the measure was really
+harmless and the outcry against it unwarranted, she had supposed
+that he was merely seeking to be magnanimous. She had forgotten
+this speech until it was recalled by Lyons's obvious state of worry
+during the last few days. She had noticed this at first without
+special concern, believing it due to the malicious insinuations of
+Stringer. Now that the bill was before him for signature there
+could be no question as to his action. Nevertheless her heart had
+suddenly been assailed by a horrible doubt, and straightway her
+sense of duty as a wife and of duty to herself had sought assurance
+in a crucial inquiry.</p>
+<p>"I was going to speak to you about that this evening. I wish to
+tell you the reasons which oblige me to sign the bill," he
+answered. Lyons's manner was subdued and limp. Even his phraseology
+had been stripped of its stateliness.</p>
+<p>"Sign the bill?" gasped Selma. "If you sign it, you will lose
+the senatorship." She spoke like a prophetess, and her steely eyes
+snapped.</p>
+<p>"That is liable to be the consequence I know. I will explain to
+you, Selma. You will see that I am bound in honor and cannot help
+myself."</p>
+<p>"In honor? You are bound in honor to your party&mdash;bound in
+honor to me to veto it."</p>
+<p>"Wait a minute, Selma. You must hear my reasons. Before I was
+nominated for Governor I gave Horace Elton my word, man to man,
+that I would sign this gas bill. It is his bill. I promised, if I
+were elected Governor, not to veto it. At the time, I&mdash;I was
+financially embarrassed. I did not tell you because I was unwilling
+to distress you, but&mdash;er&mdash;my affairs in New York were in
+disorder, and I had notes here coming due. Nothing was said about
+money matters between Elton and me until he had agreed to support
+me as Governor. Then he offered to help me, and I accepted his aid.
+Don't you see that I cannot help myself? That I must sign the
+bill?"</p>
+<p>Selma had listened in amazement. "It's a trap," she murmured.
+"Horace Elton has led you into a trap." The thought that Elton's
+politeness to her was a blind, and that she had been made sport of,
+took precedence in her resentment even of the annoyance caused her
+by her husband's deceit.</p>
+<p>"Why did you conceal all this from me?" she asked,
+tragically.</p>
+<p>"I should not have done so, perhaps."</p>
+<p>"If you had told me, this difficulty never would have arisen.
+Pshaw! It is not a real difficulty. Surely you must throw Elton
+over. Surely you must veto the bill."</p>
+<p>"Throw him over," stammered Lyons. "You don't understand, Selma.
+I gave my word as a business man. I am under great obligations to
+him." He told briefly the details of the transaction; even the
+hypothecation of the Parsons bonds. For once in his life he made a
+clean breast of his bosom's perilous stuff. He was ready to bear
+the consequences of his plight rather than be false to his man's
+standard of honor, and yet his wife's opposition had fascinated as
+well as startled him. He set forth his case&mdash;the case which
+meant his political checkmate, then waited. Selma had risen and
+stood with folded arms gazing into distance with the far away look
+by which she was wont to subdue mountains.</p>
+<p>"Have you finished?" she asked. "What you are proposing to do is
+to sacrifice your life&mdash;and my life, James Lyons, for the sake
+of a&mdash;er&mdash;fetish. Horace Elton, under the pretence of
+friendship for us, has taken advantage of your necessities to
+extract from you a promise to support an evil scheme&mdash;a bill
+to defraud the plain American people of their rights&mdash;the
+people whose interests you swore to protect when you took the oath
+as Governor. Is a promise between man and man, as you call it, more
+sacred than everlasting truth itself? More binding than the tie of
+principle and political good faith? Will you refuse to veto a bill
+which you know is a blow at liberty in order to keep a technical
+business compact with an over-reaching capitalist, who has no
+sympathy with our ideas? I am disappointed in you, James. I thought
+you could see clearer than that."</p>
+<p>Lyons sighed. "I examined the bill at the time with some care,
+and did not think it inimical to the best public interest; but had
+I foreseen the objections which would be raised against it, I admit
+that I never would have agreed to sign it."</p>
+<p>"Precisely. You were taken in." She meant in her heart that they
+had both been taken in. "This is not a case of commercial give and
+take&mdash;of purchase and sale of stocks or merchandise. The
+eternal verities are concerned. You owe it to your country to break
+your word. The triumph of American principles is paramount to your
+obligation to Elton. Whom will this gas bill benefit but the
+promoters? Your view, James, is the old-fashioned view. Just as I
+said to you the other day that Dr. Page is old-fashioned in his
+views of medicine, so it seems to me, if you will forgive my saying
+so, you are, in this instance, behind the times. And you are not
+usually behind the times. It has been one of the joyous features of
+my marriage with you that you have not lacked American initiative
+and independence of conventions. I wish you had confided in me. You
+were forced to give that promise by your financial distress. Will
+you let an old-fashioned theory of private honor make you a traitor
+to our party cause and to the sovereign people of our country?"</p>
+<p>Lyons bowed his head between his hands. "You make me see that
+there are two sides to the question, Selma. It is true that I was
+not myself when Elton got my promise to sign the bill. My mind had
+been on the rack for weeks, and I was unfit to form a correct
+estimate of a complicated public measure. But a promise is a
+promise."</p>
+<p>"What can he do if you break it? He will not kill you."</p>
+<p>"He will not kill me, no; but he will despise me." Lyons
+reflected, as he spoke, that Elton would be unable to injure him
+financially. He would, be able to pay his notes when they became
+due, thanks to the improvement in business affairs which had set in
+since the beginning of the year.</p>
+<p>"And your party&mdash;the American people will despise you if
+you sign the bill. Whose contempt do you fear the most?"</p>
+<p>"I see&mdash;I see," he murmured. "I cannot deny there is much
+force in your argument, dear. I fear there can be no doubt that if
+I let the bill become law, public clamor will oblige the party to
+throw me over and take up Stringer or some dark horse. That means a
+serious setback to my political progress; means perhaps my
+political ruin."</p>
+<p>"Your political suicide, James. And there is another side to
+it," continued Selma, pathetically. "My side. I wish you to think
+of that. I wish you to realize that, if you yield to this false
+notion of honor, you will interfere with the development of my life
+no less than your own. As you know, I think, I became your wife
+because I felt that as a public woman working, at your side in
+behalf of the high purposes in which we had a common sympathy, I
+should be a greater power for good than if I pursued alone my
+career as a writer and on the lecture platform. Until to-day I have
+felt sure that I had made no mistake&mdash;that we had made no
+mistake. Without disrespect to the dead, I may say that for the
+first time in my life marriage has meant to me what it should mean,
+and has tended to bring out the best which is in me. I have grown;
+I have developed; I have been recognized. We have both made
+progress. Only a few days ago I was rejoicing to think that when
+you became a United States Senator, there would be a noble field
+for my abilities as well as yours. We are called to high office,
+called to battle for great principles and to lead the nation to
+worthy things. And now, in a moment of mental blindness, you are
+threatening to spoil all. For my sake, if not for your own, James,
+be convinced that you do not see clearly. Do not snatch the cup of
+happiness from my lips just as at last it is full. Give me the
+chance to live my own life as I wish to live it."</p>
+<p>There was a brief silence. Lyons rose and let fall his hand on
+the table with impressive emphasis. His mobile face was working
+with emotion; his eyes were filled with tears. "I will veto the
+bill," he said, grandiloquently. "The claims of private honor must
+give way to the general welfare, and the demands of civilization.
+You have convinced me, Selma&mdash;my wife. My point of view was
+old-fashioned. Superior ethics permit no other solution of the
+problem. Superior ethics," he repeated, as though the phrase gave
+him comfort, "would not justify a statesman in sacrificing his
+party and his own powers&mdash;aye, and his political
+conscience&mdash;in order to keep a private compact. I shall veto
+the bill."</p>
+<p>"Thank God for that," she murmured.</p>
+<p>Lyons stepped forward and put his arm around her. "You shall
+live your own life as you desire, Selma. No act of mine shall spoil
+it."</p>
+<p>"Superior ethics taught you by your wife! Your poor, wise wife
+in whom you would not confide!" She tapped him playfully on his fat
+cheek. "Naughty boy!"</p>
+<p>"There are moments when a man sees through a glass, darkly," he
+answered, kissing her again. "This is a solemn decision for us,
+Selma. Heaven has willed that you should save me from my own
+errors, and my own blindness."</p>
+<p>"We shall be very happy, James. You will be chosen Senator, and
+all will be as it should be. The clouds on my horizon are one by
+one passing away, and justice is prevailing at last. What do you
+suppose I heard to-day? Pauline Littleton is to marry Dr. Page.
+Mrs. Earle told me so. Pauline has written to the trustees that
+after the first of next January she will cease to serve as
+president of Wetmore; that by that time the college will be running
+smoothly, so that a successor can take up the work. There is a
+chance now that the trustees will choose a genuine educator for the
+place&mdash;some woman of spontaneous impulses and a large outlook
+on life. Pauline's place is by the domestic hearth. She could never
+have much influence on progress."</p>
+<p>"I do not know her very well," said Lyons. "But I know this,
+Selma, you would be just the woman for the place if you were not my
+wife. You would make an ideal president of a college for
+progressive women."</p>
+<p>"I am suited for the work, and I think I am progressive," she
+admitted. "But that, of course, is out of the question for me as a
+married woman and the wife of a United States Senator. But I am
+glad, James, to have you appreciate my strong points."</p>
+<p>On the following day Lyons vetoed the gas bill. His message to
+the Legislature described it as a measure which disposed of a
+valuable franchise for nothing, and which would create a monopoly
+detrimental to the rights of the public. This action met with much
+public approval. One newspaper expressed well the feeling of the
+community by declaring that the Governor had faced the issue
+squarely and shown the courage of his well-known convictions. The
+Benham <i>Sentinel</i> was practically mute. It stated merely in a
+short editorial that it was disappointed in Governor Lyons, and
+that he had played into the hands of the demagogues and the
+sentimentalists. It suggested to the Legislature to show
+commendable independence by passing the bill over his veto. But
+this was obviously a vain hope.</p>
+<p>The vote in the House against the veto not merely fell short of
+the requisite two-thirds, but was less than a plurality, showing
+that the action of the chief magistrate had reversed the sentiment
+of the Legislature. The force of Stringer's opposition was
+practically killed by the Governor's course. He had staked
+everything on the chance that Lyons would see fit to sign the bill.
+When the party caucus for the choice of a candidate for Senator was
+held a few days later, his followers recognized the hopelessness of
+his ambition and prevailed on him to withdraw his name from
+consideration. Lyons was elected Senator of the United States by a
+party vote by the two branches of the Legislature assembled in
+solemn conclave. Apparently Elton had realized that opposition was
+useless, and that he must bide his time for revenge. Booming cannon
+celebrated the result of the proceedings, and Selma, waiting at
+home on the River Drive, received a telegram from the capital
+announcing the glad news. Her husband was United States Senator,
+and the future stretched before her big with promise. She had
+battled with life, she had suffered, she had held fast to her
+principles, and at last she was rewarded.</p>
+<p>Lyons returned to Benham by the afternoon train, and a salute of
+one hundred guns greeted him on his arrival. He walked from the
+station like any private citizen. Frequent cheers attended his
+progress to his house. In the evening the shops and public
+buildings were illuminated, and the James O. Lyons Cadets, who
+considered themselves partly responsible for his rapid promotion,
+led a congratulatory crowd to the River Drive. The Senator-elect,
+in response to the music of a serenade, stepped out on the balcony.
+Selma waited behind the window curtain until the enthusiasm had
+subsided; then she glided forth and showed herself at his elbow. A
+fresh round of cheers for the Senator's wife followed. It was a
+glorious night. The moon shone brightly. The street was thronged by
+the populace, and glittered with the torches of the cadets. Lyons
+stood bareheaded. His large, round, smooth face glistened, and the
+moonbeams, bathing his chin beard, gave him the effect of a
+patriarch, or of one inspired. He raised his hand to induce
+silence, then stood for a moment, as was his habit before speaking,
+with an expression as though he were struggling with emotion or
+busy in silent prayer.</p>
+<p>"Fellow citizens of Benham," he began, slowly, "compatriots of
+the sovereign State which has done me to-day so great an honor, I
+thank you for this precious greeting. You are my constituents and
+my brothers. I accept from your hands this great trust of office,
+knowing that I am but your representative, knowing that my mission
+is to bear constant witness to the love of liberty, the love of
+progress, the love of truth which are enshrined in the hearts of
+the great American people. Your past has been ever glorious; your
+future looms big with destiny. Still leaning on the God of our
+fathers, to whom our patriot sires have ever turned, and whose
+favors to our beloved country are seen in your broad prairies tall
+with fruitful grain, and your mighty engines of commerce, I take up
+the work which you have given me to do, pledged to remain a
+democrat of the democrats, an American of the Americans."</p>
+<p>Selma heard the words of this peroration with a sense of
+ecstasy. She felt that he was speaking for them both, and that he
+was expressing the yearning intention of her soul to attempt and
+perform great things. She stood gazing straight before her with her
+far away, seraph look, as though she were penetrating the future
+even into Paradise.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14645 ***</div>
+</body>
+</html>
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #14645 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14645)
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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Unleavened Bread, by Robert Grant
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Unleavened Bread
+
+Author: Robert Grant
+
+Release Date: January 10, 2005  [eBook #14645]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNLEAVENED BREAD***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Audrey Longhurst, Amy Cunningham, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+
+
+
+UNLEAVENED BREAD
+
+by
+
+ROBERT GRANT
+
+Author of _The Bachelor's Christmas_, etc.
+
+Charles Scribner's Sons
+New York
+
+1900
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+BOOK I
+THE EMANCIPATION
+
+
+BOOK II
+THE STRUGGLE
+
+
+BOOK III
+THE SUCCESS
+
+
+
+
+UNLEAVENED BREAD
+
+
+BOOK I.
+
+THE EMANCIPATION
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+Babcock and Selma White were among the last of the wedding guests to
+take their departure. It was a brilliant September night with a touch of
+autumn vigor in the atmosphere, which had not been without its effect on
+the company, who had driven off in gay spirits, most of them in
+hay-carts or other vehicles capable of carrying a party. Their songs and
+laughter floated back along the winding country road. Selma, comfortable
+in her wraps and well tucked about with a rug, leaned back contentedly
+in the chaise, after the goodbyes had been said, to enjoy the glamour of
+the full moon. They were seven miles from home and she was in no hurry
+to get there. Neither festivities nor the undisguised devotion of a city
+young man were common in her life. Consideration she had been used to
+from a child, and she knew herself to be tacitly acknowledged the
+smartest girl in Westfield, but perhaps for that very reason she had
+held aloof from manhood until now. At least no youth in her neighborhood
+had ever impressed her as her equal. Neither did Babcock so impress her;
+but he was different from the rest. He was not shy and unexpressive; he
+was buoyant and self-reliant, and yet he seemed to appreciate her
+quality none the less.
+
+They had met about a dozen times, and on the last six of these occasions
+he had come from Benham, ten miles to her uncle's farm, obviously to
+visit her. The last two times her Aunt Farley had made him spend the
+night, and it had been arranged that he would drive her in the Farley
+chaise to Clara Morse's wedding. A seven-mile drive is apt to promote or
+kill the germs of intimacy, and on the way over she had been conscious
+of enjoying herself. Scrutiny of Clara's choice had been to the
+advantage of her own cavalier. The bridegroom had seemed to her what her
+Aunt Farley would call a mouse-in-the-cheese young man. Whereas Babcock
+had been the life of the affair.
+
+She had been teaching now in Wilton for more than a year. When, shortly
+after her father's death, she had obtained the position of school
+teacher, it seemed to her that at last the opportunity had come to
+display her capabilities, and at the same time to fulfil her
+aspirations. But the task of grounding a class of small children in the
+rudiments of simple knowledge had already begun to pall and to seem
+unsatisfying. Was she to spend her life in this? And if not, the next
+step, unless it were marriage, was not obvious. Not that she mistrusted
+her ability to shine in any educational capacity, but neither Wilton nor
+the neighboring Westfield offered better, and she was conscious of a
+lack of influential friends in the greater world, which was embodied for
+her in Benham. Benham was a western city of these United States, with an
+eastern exposure; a growing, bustling city according to rumor, with an
+eager population restless with new ideas and stimulating ambitions. So
+at least Selma thought of it, and though Boston and New York and a few
+other places were accepted by her as authoritative, she accepted them,
+as she accepted Shakespeare, as a matter of course and so far removed
+from her immediate outlook as almost not to count. But Benham with its
+seventy-five thousand inhabitants and independent ways was a fascinating
+possibility. Once established there the world seemed within her grasp,
+including Boston. Might it not be that Benham, in that it was newer, was
+nearer to truth and more truly American than that famous city? She was
+not prepared to believe this an absurdity.
+
+At least the mental atmosphere of Westfield and even of the somewhat
+less solemn Wilton suggested this apotheosis of the adjacent city to be
+reasonable. Westfield had stood for Selma as a society of serious though
+simple souls since she could first remember and had been one of them.
+Not that she arrogated to her small native town any unusual qualities of
+soul or mind in distinction from most other American communities, but
+she regarded it as inferior in point of view to none, and typical of the
+best national characteristics. She had probably never put into words the
+reasons of her confidence, but her daily consciousness was permeated
+with them. To be an American meant to be more keenly alive to the
+responsibility of life than any other citizen of civilization, and to be
+an American woman meant to be something finer, cleverer, stronger, and
+purer than any other daughter of Eve. Under the agreeable but sobering
+influence of this faith she had grown to womanhood, and the heroic deeds
+of the civil war had served to intensify a belief, the truth of which
+she had never heard questioned. Her mission in life had promptly been
+recognized by her as the development of her soul along individual lines,
+but until the necessity for a choice had arisen she had been content to
+contemplate a little longer. Now the world was before her, for she was
+twenty-three and singularly free from ties. Her mother had died when she
+was a child. Her father, the physician of the surrounding country, a man
+of engaging energy with an empirical education and a speculative habit
+of mind, had been the companion of her girlhood. During the last few
+years since his return from the war an invalid from a wound, her care
+for him had left her time for little else.
+
+No more was Babcock in haste to reach home; and after the preliminary
+dash from the door into the glorious night he suffered the farm-horse to
+pursue its favorite gait, a deliberate jog. He knew the creature to be
+docile, and that he could bestow his attention on his companion without
+peril to her. His own pulses were bounding. He was conscious of having
+made the whirligig of time pass merrily for the company by his spirits
+and jolly quips, and that in her presence, and he was groping for an
+appropriate introduction to the avowal he had determined to make. He
+would never have a better opportunity than this, and it had been his
+preconceived intention to take advantage of it if all went well. All had
+gone well and he was going to try. She had been kind coming over; and
+had seemed to listen with interest as he told her about himself: and
+somehow he had felt less distant from her. He was not sure what she
+would say, for he realized that she was above him. That was one reason
+why he admired her so. She symbolized for him refinement, poetry, art,
+the things of the spirit--things from which in the same whirligig of
+time he had hitherto been cut off by the vicissitudes of the varnish
+business; but the value of which he was not blind to. How proud he would
+be of such a wife! How he would strive and labor for her! His heart was
+in his mouth and trembled on his lip as he thought of the possibility.
+What a joy to be sitting side by side with her under this splendid moon!
+He would speak and know his fate.
+
+"Isn't it a lovely night?" murmured Selma appreciatively. "There they
+go," she added, indicating the disappearance over the brow of a hill of
+the last of the line of vehicles of the rest of the party, whose songs
+had come back fainter and fainter.
+
+"I don't care. Do you?" He snuggled toward her a very little.
+
+"I guess they won't think I'm lost," she said, with a low laugh.
+
+"What d'you suppose your folks would say if you _were_ lost? I mean if I
+were to run away with you and didn't bring you back?" There was a
+nervous ring in the guffaw which concluded his question.
+
+"My friends wouldn't miss me much; at least they'd soon get over the
+shock; but I might miss myself, Mr. Babcock."
+
+Selma was wondering why it was that she rather liked being alone with
+this man, big enough, indeed, to play the monster, yet half school-boy,
+but a man who had done well in his calling. He must be capable; he could
+give her a home in Benham; and it was plain that he loved her.
+
+"I'll tell you something," he said, eagerly, ignoring her suggestion.
+"I'd like to run away with you and be married to-night, Selma. That's
+what I'd like, and I guess you won't. But it's the burning wish of my
+heart that you'd marry me some time. I want you to be my wife. I'm a
+rough fellow along-side of you, Selma, but I'd do well by you; I would.
+I'm able to look after you, and you shall have all you want. There's a
+nice little house building now in Benham. Say the word and I'll buy it
+for us to-morrow. I'm crazy after you, Selma."
+
+The rein was dangling, and Babcock reached his left arm around the waist
+of his lady-love. He had now and again made the same demonstration with
+others jauntily, but this was a different matter. She was not to be
+treated like other women. She was a goddess to him, even in his ardor,
+and he reached gingerly. Selma did not wholly withdraw from the spread
+of his trembling arm, though this was the first man who had ever
+ventured to lay a finger on her.
+
+"I'd have to give up my school," she said.
+
+"They could get another teacher."
+
+"_Could_ they?"
+
+"Not one like you. You see I'm clumsy, but I'm crazy for you, Selma."
+Emboldened by the obvious feebleness of her opposition, he broadened his
+clutch and drew her toward him. "Say you will, sweetheart."
+
+This time she pulled herself free and sat up in the chaise. "Would you
+let me do things?" she asked after a moment.
+
+"Do things," faltered Babcock. What could she mean? She had told him on
+the way over that her mother had chosen her name from a theatrical
+playbill, and it passed through his unsophisticated brain that she might
+be thinking of the stage.
+
+"Yes, do something worth while. Be somebody. I've had the idea I could,
+if I ever got the chance." Her hands were folded in her lap; there was a
+wrapt expression on her thin, nervous face, and a glitter in her keen
+eyes, which were looking straight at the moon, as though they would
+outstare it in brilliancy.
+
+"You shall be anything you like, if you'll only marry me. What is it
+you're wishing to be?"
+
+"I don't know exactly. It isn't anything especial yet. It's the whole
+thing. I thought I might find it in my school, but the experience so far
+hasn't been--satisfying."
+
+"Troublesome little brats!"
+
+"No, I dare say the fault's in me. If I went to Benham to live it would
+be different. Benham must be interesting--inspiring."
+
+"There's plenty of go there. You'd like it, and people would think lots
+of you."
+
+"I'd try to make them." She turned and looked at him judicially, but
+with a softened expression. Her profile in her exalted mood had
+suggested a beautiful, but worried archangel; her full face seemed less
+this and wore much of the seductive embarrassment of sex. To Babcock she
+seemed the most entrancing being he had ever seen. "Would you really
+like to have me come?"
+
+He gave a hoarse ejaculation, and encircling her eagerly with his strong
+grasp pressed his lips upon her cheek. "Selma! darling! angel! I'm the
+happiest man alive."
+
+"You mustn't do that--yet," she said protestingly.
+
+"Yes, I must; I'm yours, and you're mine,--mine. Aren't you, sweetheart?
+There's no harm in a kiss."
+
+She had to admit to herself that it was not very unpleasant after all to
+be held in the embrace of a sturdy lover, though she had never intended
+that their relations should reach this stage of familiarity so promptly.
+She had known, of course, that girls were to look for endearments from
+those whom they promised to marry, but her person had hitherto been so
+sacred to man and to herself that it was difficult not to shrink a
+little from what was taking place. This then was love, and love was, of
+course, the sweetest thing in the world. That was one of the truths
+which she had accepted as she had accepted the beauty of Shakespeare, as
+something not to be disputed, yet remote. He was a big, affectionate
+fellow, and she must make up her mind to kiss him. So she turned her
+face toward him and their lips met eagerly, forestalling the little peck
+which she had intended. She let her head fall back at his pressure on to
+his shoulder, and gazed up at the moon.
+
+"Are you happy, Selma?" he asked, giving her a fond, firm squeeze.
+
+"Yes, Lewis."
+
+She could feel his frame throb with joy at the situation as she uttered
+his name.
+
+"We'll be married right away. That's if you're willing. My business is
+going first-rate and, if it keeps growing for the next year as it has
+for the past two, you'll be rich presently. When shall it be, Selma?"
+
+"You're in dreadful haste. Well, I'll promise to give the selectmen
+notice to-morrow that they must find another teacher."
+
+"Because the one they have now is going to become Mrs. Lewis J. Babcock.
+I'm the luckiest fellow, hooray! in creation. See here," he added,
+taking her hand, "I guess a ring wouldn't look badly there--a real
+diamond, too. Pretty little fingers."
+
+She sighed gently, by way of response. It was comfortable nestling in
+the hollow of his shoulder, and a new delightful experience to be
+hectored with sweetness in this way. How round and bountiful the moon
+looked. She was tired of her present life. What was coming would be
+better. Her opportunity was at hand to show the world what she was made
+of.
+
+"A real diamond, and large at that," he repeated, gazing down at her,
+and then, as though the far away expression in her eyes suggested
+kinship with the unseen and the eternal, he said, admiringly but humbly,
+"It must be grand to be clever like you, Selma. I'm no good at that. But
+if loving you will make up for it, I'll go far, little woman."
+
+"What I know of that I like, and--and if some day, I can make you proud
+of me, so much the better," said Selma.
+
+"Proud of you? You are an angel, and you know it."
+
+She closed her eyes and sighed again. Even the bright avenues of fame,
+which her keen eyes had traversed through the golden moon, paled before
+this tribute from the lips of real flesh and blood. What woman can
+withstand the fascination of a lover's faith that she is an angel? If a
+man is fool enough to believe it, why undeceive him? And if he is so
+sure of it, may it even not be so? Selma was content to have it so,
+especially as the assertion did not jar with her own prepossessions; and
+thus they rode home in the summer night in the mutual contentment of a
+betrothal.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+The match was thoroughly agreeable to Mrs. Farley, Selma's aunt and
+nearest relation, who with her husband presided over a flourishing
+poultry farm in Wilton. She was an easy-going, friendly spirit, with a
+sharp but not wide vision, who did not believe that a likelier fellow
+than Lewis Babcock would come wooing were her niece to wait a lifetime.
+He was hearty, comical, and generous, and was said to be making money
+fast in the varnish business. In short, he seemed to her an admirable
+young man, with a stock of common-sense and high spirits eminently
+serviceable for a domestic venture. How full of fun he was, to be sure!
+It did her good to behold the tribute his appetite paid to the buckwheat
+cakes with cream and other tempting viands she set before him--a
+pleasing contrast to Selma's starveling diet--and the hearty smack with
+which he enforced his demands upon her own cheeks as his mother-in-law
+apparent, argued an affectionate disposition. Burly, rosy-cheeked,
+good-natured, was he not the very man to dispel her niece's vagaries and
+turn the girl's morbid cleverness into healthy channels?
+
+Selma, therefore, found nothing but encouragement in her choice at home;
+so by the end of another three months they were made man and wife, and
+had moved into that little house in Benham which had attracted Babcock's
+eye. Benham, as has been indicated, was in the throes of bustle and
+self-improvement. Before the war it had been essentially unimportant.
+But the building of a railroad through the town and the discovery of oil
+wells in its neighborhood had transformed it in a twinkling into an
+active and spirited centre. Selma's new house was on the edge of the
+city, in the van of real estate progress, one of a row of small but
+ambitious-looking dwellings, over the dark yellow clapboards of which
+the architect had let his imagination run rampant in scrolls and
+flourishes. There was fancy colored glass in a sort of rose-window over
+the front door, and lozenges of fancy glass here and there in the
+facade. Each house had a little grass-plot, which Babcock in his case
+had made appurtenant to a metal stag, which seemed to him the finishing
+touch to a cosey and ornamental home. He had done his best and with all
+his heart, and the future was before them.
+
+Babcock found himself radiant over the first experiences of married
+life. It was just what he had hoped, only better. His imagination in
+entertaining an angel had not been unduly literal, and it was a constant
+delight and source of congratulation to him to reflect over his pipe on
+the lounge after supper that the charming piece of flesh and blood
+sewing or reading demurely close by was the divinity of his domestic
+hearth. There she was to smile at him when he came home at night and
+enable him to forget the cares and dross of the varnish business. Her
+presence across the table added a new zest to every meal and improved
+his appetite. In marrying he had expected to cut loose from his bachelor
+habits, and he asked for nothing better than to spend every evening
+alone with Selma, varied by an occasional evening at the theatre, and a
+drive out to the Farleys' now and then for supper. This, with the
+regular Sunday service at Rev. Henry Glynn's church, rounded out the
+weeks to his perfect satisfaction. He was conscious of feeling that the
+situation did not admit of improvement, for though, when he measured
+himself with Selma, Babcock was humble-minded, a cheerful and uncritical
+optimism was the ruling characteristic of his temperament. With health,
+business fortune, and love all on his side, it was natural to him to
+regard his lot with complacency. Especially as to all appearances, this
+was the sort of thing Selma liked, also. Presently, perhaps, there would
+be a baby, and then their cup of domestic happiness would be
+overflowing. Babcock's long ungratified yearning for the things of the
+spirit were fully met by these cosey evenings, which he would have been
+glad to continue to the crack of doom. To smoke and sprawl and read a
+little, and exchange chit-chat, was poetry enough for him. So contented
+was he that his joy was apt to find an outlet in ditties and
+whistling--he possessed a slightly tuneful, rollicking knack at both--a
+proceeding which commonly culminated in his causing Selma to sit beside
+him on the sofa and be made much of, to the detriment of her toilette.
+
+As for the bride, so dazing were the circumstances incident to the
+double change of matrimony and adaptation to city life, that her
+judgment was in suspension. Yet though she smiled and sewed demurely,
+she was thinking. The yellow clapboarded house and metal stag, and a
+maid-of-all-work at her beck and call, were gratifying at the outset and
+made demands upon her energies. Selma's position in her father's house
+had been chiefly ornamental and social. She had been his companion and
+nurse, had read to him and argued with him, but the mere household work
+had been performed by an elderly female relative who recognized that her
+mind was bent on higher things. Nevertheless, she had never doubted that
+when the time arrived to show her capacity as a housewife, she would be
+more than equal to the emergency. Assuredly she would, for one of the
+distinguishing traits of American womanhood was the ability to perform
+admirably with one's own hand many menial duties and yet be prepared to
+shine socially with the best. Still the experience was not quite so easy
+as she expected; even harassing and mortifying. Fortunately, Lewis was
+more particular about quantity than quality where the table was
+concerned; and, after all, food and domestic details were secondary
+considerations in a noble outlook. It would have suited her never to be
+obliged to eat, and to be able to leave the care of the house to the
+hired girl; but that being out of the question, it became incumbent on
+her to make those obligations as simple as possible. However, the
+possession of a new house and gay fittings was an agreeable realization.
+At home everything had been upholstered in black horse-hair, and regard
+for material appearances had been obscured for her by the tension of her
+introspective tendencies. Lewis was very kind, and she had no reason to
+reproach herself as yet for her choice. He had insisted that she should
+provide herself with an ample and more stylish wardrobe, and though the
+invitation had interested her but mildly, the effect of shrewdly-made
+and neatly fitting garments on her figure had been a revelation. Like
+the touch of a man's hand, fine raiment had seemed to her hitherto
+almost repellant, but it was obvious now that anything which enhanced
+her effectiveness could not be dismissed as valueless. To arrive at
+definite conclusions in regard to her social surroundings was less easy
+for Selma. Benham, in its rapid growth, had got beyond the level
+simplicity of Westfield and Wilton, and was already confronted by the
+stern realities which baffle the original ideal in every American city.
+We like as a nation to cherish the illusion that extremes of social
+condition do not exist even in our large communities, and that the
+plutocrat and the saleslady, the learned professions and the proletariat
+associate on a common basis of equal virtue, intelligence, and culture.
+And yet, although Benham was a comparatively young and an essentially
+American city, there were very marked differences in all these respects
+in its community.
+
+Topographically speaking the starting point of Benham was its
+water-course. Twenty years before the war Benham was merely a cluster of
+frame houses in the valley of the limpid, peaceful river Nye. At that
+time the inhabitants drank of the Nye taken at a point below the town,
+for there was a high fall which would have made the drawing of water
+above less convenient. This they were doing when Selma came to Benham,
+although every man's hand had been raised against the Nye, which was the
+nearest, and hence for a community in hot haste, the most natural
+receptacle for dyestuffs, ashes and all the outflow from woollen mills,
+pork factories and oil yards, and it ran the color of glistening bean
+soup. From time to time, as the city grew, the drawing point had been
+made a little lower where the stream had regained a portion of its
+limpidity, and no one but wiseacres and busybodies questioned its
+wholesomeness. Benham at that time was too preoccupied and too proud of
+its increasing greatness to mistrust its own judgment in matters
+hygienic, artistic, and educational. There came a day later when the
+river rose against the city, and an epidemic of typhoid fever convinced
+a reluctant community that there were some things which free-born
+Americans did not know intuitively. Then there were public meetings and
+a general indignation movement, and presently, under the guidance of
+competent experts, Lake Mohunk, seven miles to the north, was secured as
+a reservoir. Just to show how the temper of the times has changed, and
+how sophisticated in regard to hygienic matters some of the good
+citizens of Benham in these latter days have become, it is worthy of
+mention that, though competent chemists declare Lake Mohunk to be free
+from contamination, there are those now who use so-called mineral
+spring-waters in preference; notably Miss Flagg, the daughter of old
+Joel Flagg, once the miller and, at the date when the Babcocks set up
+their household gods, one of the oil magnates of Benham. He drank the
+bean colored Nye to the day of his death and died at eighty; but she
+carries a carboy of spring-water with her personal baggage wherever she
+travels, and is perpetually solicitous in regard to the presence of
+arsenic in wall-papers into the bargain.
+
+Verily, the world has wagged apace in Benham since Selma first looked
+out at her metal stag and the surrounding landscape. Ten years later the
+Benham Home Beautifying Society took in hand the Nye and those who
+drained into it, and by means of garbage consumers, disinfectants, and
+filters and judiciously arranged shrubbery converted its channel and
+banks into quite a respectable citizens' paradise. But even at that time
+the industries on either bank of the Nye, which flowed from east to
+west, were forcing the retail shops and the residences further and
+further away. To illustrate again from the Flagg family, just before the
+war Joel Flagg built a modest house less than a quarter of a mile from
+the southerly bank of the river, expecting to end his days there, and
+was accused by contemporary censors of an intention to seclude himself
+in magnificent isolation. About this time he had yielded to the plea of
+his family, that every other building in the street had been given over
+to trade, and that they were stranded in a social Sahara of factories.
+So like the easy going yet soaring soul that he was, he had moved out
+two miles to what was known as the River Drive, where the Nye
+accomplishes a broad sweep to the south. There an ambitious imported
+architect, glad of such an opportunity to speculate in artistic effects,
+had built for him a conglomeration of a feudal castle and an old
+colonial mansion in all the grisly bulk of signal failure.
+
+Considering our ideals, it is a wonder that no one has provided a law
+forbidding the erection of all the architecturally attractive, or
+sumptuous houses in one neighborhood. It ought not to be possible in a
+republic for such a state of affairs to exist as existed in Benham. That
+is to say all the wealth and fashion of the city lay to the west of
+Central Avenue, which was so literally the dividing line that if a
+Benhamite were referred to as living on that street the conventional
+inquiry would be "On which side?" And if the answer were "On the east,"
+the inquirer would be apt to say "Oh!" with a cold inflection which
+suggested a ban. No Benhamite has ever been able to explain precisely
+why it should be more creditable to live on one side of the same street
+than on the other, but I have been told by clever women, who were good
+Americans besides, that this is one of the subtle truths which baffle
+the Gods and democracies alike. Central Avenue has long ago been
+appropriated by the leading retail dry-goods shops, huge establishments
+where everything from a set of drawing-room furniture to a hair-pin can
+be bought under a single roof; but at that time it was the social
+artery. Everything to the west was new and assertive; then came the
+shops and the business centre; and to the east were Tom, Dick, and
+Harry, Michael, Isaac and Pietro, the army of citizens who worked in the
+mills, oil yards, and pork factories. And to the north, across the
+river, on the further side of more manufacturing establishments, was
+Poland, so-called--a settlement of the Poles--to reach whom now there
+are seven bridges of iron. There were but two bridges then, one of wood,
+and journeys across them had not yet been revealed to philanthropic
+young women eager to do good.
+
+Selma's house lay well to the south-west of Central Avenue, far enough
+removed from the River Drive and the Flagg mansion to be humble and yet
+near enough to be called looking up. Their row was complete and mainly
+occupied, but the locality was a-building, and in the process of making
+acquaintance. So many strangers had come to Benham that even Babcock
+knew but few of their neighbors. Without formulating definitely how it
+was to happen, Selma had expected to be received with open arms into a
+society eager to recognize her salient qualities. But apparently, at
+first glance, everybody's interest was absorbed by the butcher and
+grocer, the dressmaker and the domestic hearth. That is, the other
+people in their row seemed to be content to do as they were doing. The
+husbands went to town every day--town which lay in the murky
+distance--and their wives were friendly enough, but did not seem to be
+conscious either of voids in their own existence or of the privilege of
+her society. To be sure, they dressed well and were suggestive in that,
+but they looked blank at some of her inquiries, and appeared to feel
+their days complete if, after the housework had been done and the battle
+fought with the hired girl, they were able to visit the shopping
+district and pore over fabrics, in case they could not buy them. Some
+were evidently looking forward to the day when they might be so
+fortunate as to possess one of the larger houses of the district a mile
+away, and figure among what they termed "society people." There were
+others who, in their satisfaction with this course of life, referred
+with a touch of self-righteousness to the dwellers on the River Drive as
+deserving reprobation on account of a lack of serious purpose. This
+criticism appealed to Selma, and consoled her in a measure for the half
+mortification with which she had begun to realize that she was not of so
+much account as she had expected; at least, that there were people not
+very far distant from her block who were different somehow from her
+neighbors, and who took part in social proceedings in which she and her
+husband were not invited to participate. Manifestly they were unworthy
+and un-American. It was a comfort to come to this conclusion, even
+though her immediate surroundings, including the society of those who
+had put the taunt into her thoughts, left her unsatisfied.
+
+Some relief was provided at last by her church. Babcock was by birth an
+Episcopalian, though he had been lax in his interest during early
+manhood. This was one of the matters which he had expected marriage to
+correct, and he had taken up again, not merely with resignation but
+complacency, the custom of attending service regularly. Dr. White had
+been a controversial Methodist, but since his wife's death, and
+especially since the war, he had abstained from religious observances,
+and had argued himself somewhat far afield from the fold of orthodox
+belief. Consequently Selma, though she attended church at Westfield when
+her father's ailments did not require her presence at home, had been
+brought up to exercise her faculties freely on problems of faith and to
+feel herself a little more enlightened than the conventional worshipper.
+Still she was not averse to following her husband to the Rev. Henry
+Glynn's church. The experience was another revelation to her, for
+service at Westfield had been eminently severe and unadorned. Mr. Glynn
+was an Englishman; a short, stout, strenuous member of the Church of
+England with a broad accent and a predilection for ritual, but
+enthusiastic and earnest. He had been tempted to cross the ocean by the
+opportunities for preaching the gospel to the heathen, and he had fixed
+on Benham as a vineyard where he could labor to advantage. His advent
+had been a success. He had awakened interest by his fervor and by his
+methods. The pew taken by Babcock was one of the last remaining, and
+there was already talk of building a larger church to replace the chapel
+where he ministered. Choir boys, elaborate vestments, and genuflections,
+were novelties in the Protestant worship of Benham, and attracted the
+attention of many almost weary of plainer forms of worship, especially
+as these manifestations of color were effectively supplemented by
+evident sincerity of spirit on the part of their pastor. Nor were his
+energy and zeal confined to purely spiritual functions. The scope of his
+church work was practical and social. He had organized from the
+congregation societies of various sorts to relieve the poor; Bible
+classes and evening reunions which the members of the parish were urged
+to attend in order to become acquainted. Mr. Glynn's manner was both
+hearty and pompous. To him there was no Church in the world but the
+Church of England, and it was obvious that as one of the clergy of that
+Church he considered himself to be no mean man; but apart from this
+serious intellectual foible with respect to his own relative importance,
+he was a stimulating Christian and citizen within his lights. His
+active, crusading, and emotional temperament just suited the seething
+propensities of Benham.
+
+His flock comprised a few of the residents of the River Drive district,
+among them the Flaggs, but was a fairly representative mixture of all
+grades of society, including the poorest. These last were specimens
+under spiritual duress rather than free worshippers, and it was a
+constant puzzle to the reverend gentleman why, in the matter of
+attendance, they, metaphorically speaking, sickened and died. It had
+never been so in England. "Bonnets!" responded one day Mrs. Hallett
+Taylor, who had become Mr. Glynn's leading ally in parish matters, and
+was noted for her executive ability. She was an engaging but
+clear-headed soul who went straight to the point.
+
+"I do not fathom your meaning," said the pastor, a little loftily, for
+the suggestion sounded flippant.
+
+"It hurts their feelings to go to a church where their clothes are
+shabby compared with those of the rest of the congregation."
+
+"Yes, but in God's chapel, dear lady, all such distinctions should be
+forgotten."
+
+"They can't forget, and I don't blame them much, poor things, do you?
+It's the free-born American spirit. There now, Mr. Glynn, you were
+asking me yesterday to suggest some one for junior warden. Why not Mr.
+Babcock? They're new comers and seem available people."
+
+Mr. Glynn's distress at her first question was merged in the interest
+inspired by her second, for his glance had followed hers until it rested
+on the Babcocks, who had just entered the vestry to attend the social
+reunion. Selma's face wore its worried archangel aspect. She was on her
+good behavior and proudly on her guard against social impertinence. But
+she looked very pretty, and her compact, slight figure indicated a busy
+way.
+
+"I will interrogate him," he answered. "I have observed them before,
+and--and I can't quite make out the wife. It is almost a spiritual face,
+and yet--"
+
+"Just a little hard and keen," broke in Mrs. Taylor, upon his
+hesitation. "She is pretty, and she looks clever. I think we can get
+some work out of her."
+
+Thereupon she sailed gracefully in the direction of Selma. Mrs. Taylor
+was from Maryland. Her husband, a physician, had come to Benham at the
+close of the war to build up a practice, and his wife had aided him by
+her energy and graciousness to make friends. Unlike some Southerners,
+she was not indolent, and yet she possessed all the ingratiating,
+spontaneous charm of well-bred women from that section of the country.
+Her tastes were æsthetic and ethical rather than intellectual, and her
+special interest at the moment was the welfare of the church. She
+thought it desirable that all the elements of which the congregation was
+composed should be represented on the committees, and Selma seemed to
+her the most obviously available person from the class to which the
+Babcocks belonged.
+
+"I want you to help us," she said. "I think you have ideas. We need a
+woman with sense and ideas on our committee to build the new church."
+
+Selma was not used to easy grace and sprightly spontaneity. It affected
+her at first much as the touch of man; but just as in that instance the
+experience was agreeable. Life was too serious a thing in her regard to
+lend itself casually to lightness, and yet she felt instinctively
+attracted by this lack of self-consciousness and self-restraint. Besides
+here was an opportunity such as she had been yearning for. She had met
+Mrs. Taylor before, and knew her to be the presiding genius of the
+congregation; and it was evident that Mrs. Taylor had discovered her
+value.
+
+"Thank you," she said, gravely, but cordially. "That is what I should
+like. I wish to be of use. I shall be pleased to serve on the
+committee."
+
+"It will be interesting, I think. I have never helped build anything
+before. Perhaps you have?"
+
+"No," said Selma slowly. Her tone conveyed the impression that, though
+her abilities had never been put to that precise test, the employment
+seemed easily within her capacity.
+
+"Ah! I am sure you will be suggestive" said Mrs. Taylor. "I am right
+anxious that it shall be a credit in an architectural way, you know."
+
+Mr. Glynn, who had followed with more measured tread, now mingled his
+hearty bass voice in the conversation. His mental attitude was friendly,
+but inquisitorial; as seemed to him to befit one charged with the cure
+of souls. He proceeded to ask questions, beginning with inquiries
+conventional and domestic, but verging presently on points of faith.
+Babcock, to whom they were directly addressed, stood the ordeal well,
+revealing himself as flattered, contrite, and zealous to avail himself
+of the blessings of the church. He admitted that lately he had been lax
+in his spiritual duties.
+
+"We come every Sunday now," he said buoyantly, with a glance at Selma as
+though to indicate that she deserved the credit of his reformation.
+
+"The holy sacrament of marriage has led many souls from darkness into
+light, from the flesh-pots of Egypt to the table of the Lord" Mr. Glynn
+answered. "And you, my daughter," he added, meaningly, "guard well your
+advantage."
+
+It was agreeable to Selma that the clergymen seemed to appreciate her
+superiority to her embarrassed husband, especially as she thought she
+knew that in England women were not expected to have opinions of their
+own. She wished to say something to impress him more distinctly with her
+cleverness, for though she was secretly contemptuous of his ceremonials,
+there was something impressive in his mandatory zeal. She came near
+asking whether he held to the belief that it was wrong for a man to
+marry his deceased wife's sister, which was the only proposition in
+relation to the married state which occurred to her at the moment as
+likely to show her independence, but she contented herself instead with
+saying, with so much of Mrs. Taylor's spontaneity as she could reproduce
+without practice, "We expect to be very happy in your church."
+
+Selma, however, supplemented her words with her tense spiritual look.
+She felt happier than she had for weeks, inasmuch as life seemed to be
+opening before her. For a few moments she listened to Mr. Glynn unfold
+his hopes in regard to the new church, trying to make him feel that she
+was no common woman. She considered it a tribute to her when he took
+Lewis aside later and asked him to become a junior warden.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+At this time the necessity for special knowledge as to artistic or
+educational matters was recognized grudgingly in Benham. Any reputable
+citizen was considered capable to pass judgment on statues and pictures,
+design a house or public building, and prescribe courses of study for
+school-children. Since then the free-born Benhamite, little by little,
+through wise legislation or public opinion, born of bitter experience,
+has been robbed of these prerogatives until, not long ago, the
+un-American and undemocratic proposition to take away the laying out of
+the new city park from the easy going but ignorant mercies of the
+so-called city forester, who had been first a plumber and later an
+alderman, prevailed. An enlightened civic spirit triumphed and special
+knowledge was invoked.
+
+That was twenty-five years later. Mrs. Hallett Taylor had found herself
+almost single-handed at the outset in her purpose to build the new
+church on artistic lines. Or rather the case should be stated thus:
+Everyone agreed that it was to be the most beautiful church in the
+country, consistent with the money, and no one doubted that it would be,
+especially as everyone except Mrs. Taylor felt that in confiding the
+matter to the leading architect in Benham the committee would be
+exercising a wise and intelligent discretion. Mr. Pierce, the individual
+suggested, had never, until recently, employed the word architect in
+speaking of himself, and he pronounced it, as did some of the committee,
+"arshitect," shying a little at the word, as though it were caviare and
+anything but American. He was a builder, practised by a brief but
+rushing career in erecting houses, banks, schools, and warehouses
+speedily and boldly. He had been on the spot when the new growth of
+Benham began, and his handiwork was writ large all over the city. The
+city was proud of him, and had, as it were, sniffed when Joel Flagg went
+elsewhere for a man to build his new house. Surely, if it were necessary
+to pay extra for that sort of thing, was not home talent good enough?
+Yet it must be confessed that the ugly splendor of the Flagg mediæval
+castle had so far dazed the eye of Benham that its "arshitect" had felt
+constrained, in order to keep up with the times, to try fancy flights of
+his own. He had silenced any doubting Thomases by his latest effort, a
+new school-house, rich in rampant angles and scrolls, on the brown-stone
+front of which the name _Flagg School_ appeared in ambitious, distorted
+hieroglyphics.
+
+Think what a wealth of imagery in the tossing of the second O on top of
+the L. If artistic novelty and genius were sought for the new church,
+here it was ready to be invoked. Besides, Mr. Pierce was a
+brother-in-law of one of the members of the committee, and, though the
+committee had the fear of God in their hearts in the erection of his
+sanctuary, it was not easy to protest against the near relative of a
+fellow member, especially one so competent.
+
+The committee numbered seven. Selma had been chosen to fill a vacancy
+caused by death, but at the time of her selection the matter was still
+in embryo, and the question of an architect had not been mooted. At the
+next meeting discussion arose as to whether Mr. Pierce should be given
+the job, under the eagle eyes of a sub-committee, or Mrs. Taylor's
+project of inviting competitive designs should be adopted. It was known
+that Mr. Glynn, without meaning disrespect to Mr. Pierce, favored the
+latter plan as more progressive, a word always attractive to Benham ears
+when they had time to listen. Its potency, coupled with veneration, for
+the pastor's opinion, had secured the vote of Mr. Clyme, a banker.
+Another member of the committee, a lawyer, favored Mrs. Taylor's idea
+because of a grudge against Mr. Pierce. The chairman and brother-in-law,
+and a hard-headed stove dealer, were opposed to the competitive plan as
+highfalutin and unnecessary. Thus the deciding vote lay with Selma.
+
+Now that they were on the same committee, Mrs. Taylor could not
+altogether make her out. She remembered that Mr. Glynn had said the same
+thing. Mrs. Taylor was accustomed to conquests. Without actual
+premeditation, she was agreeably conscious of being able to convert and
+sweep most opponents off their feet by the force of her pleasant
+personality. In this case the effect was not so obvious. She was
+conscious that Selma's eyes were constantly fixed upon her, but as to
+what she was thinking Mrs. Taylor felt less certain. Clearly she was
+mesmerized, but was the tribute admiration or hostility? Mrs. Taylor was
+piqued, and put upon her metal. Besides she needed Selma's vote. Not
+being skilled in psychological analyses, she had to resort to practical
+methods, and invited her to afternoon tea.
+
+Selma had never been present at afternoon tea as a domestic function in
+her life. Nor had she seen a home like Mrs. Taylor's. The house was no
+larger than her own, and had cost less. Medicine had not been so
+lucrative as the manufacture of varnish. Externally the house displayed
+stern lines of unadorned brick--the custom-made style of Benham in the
+first throes of expansion before Mr. Pierce's imagination had been
+stirred. Mr. Taylor had bought it as it stood, and his wife had made no
+attempt to alter the outside, which was, after all, inoffensively
+homely. But the interior was bewildering to Selma's gaze in its
+suggestion of cosey comfort. Pretty, tasteful things, many of them
+inexpensive knick-knacks of foreign origin--a small picture, a bit of
+china, a mediæval relic--were cleverly placed as a relief to the
+conventional furniture. Selma had been used to formalism in household
+garniture--to a best room little used and precise with the rigor of wax
+flowers and black horse-hair, and to a living room where the effect
+sought was purely utilitarian. Her new home, in spite of its colored
+glass and iron stag, was arranged in much this fashion, as were the
+houses of her neighbors which she had entered.
+
+Selma managed to seat herself on the one straight-backed chair in the
+room. From this she was promptly driven by Mrs. Taylor and established
+in one corner of a lounge with a soft silk cushion behind her, and
+further propitiated by the proffer of a cup of tea in a dainty cup and
+saucer. All this, including Mrs. Taylor's musical voice, easy speech,
+and ingratiating friendliness, alternately thrilled and irritated her.
+She would have liked to discard her hostess from her thought as a light
+creature unworthy of intellectual seriousness, but she found herself
+fascinated and even thawed in spite of herself.
+
+"I'm glad to have the opportunity really to talk to you," said Mrs.
+Taylor. "At the church reunions one is so liable to interruptions. If
+I'm not mistaken, you taught school before you were married?"
+
+"For a short time."
+
+"That must have been interesting. It is so practical and definite. My
+life," she added deprecatingly, "has been a thing of threads and
+patches--a bit here and a bit there."
+
+She paused, but without forcing a response, proceeded blithely to touch
+on her past by way of illustration. The war had come just when she was
+grown up, and her kin in Maryland were divided on the issue. Her father
+had taken his family abroad, but her heart was in the keeping of a young
+officer on the Northern side--now her husband. Loss of property and
+bitterness of spirit had kept her parents expatriated, and she, with
+them, had journeyed from place to place in Europe. She had seen many
+beautiful places and beautiful things. At last Major Taylor had come for
+her and carried her off as his bride to take up again her life as an
+American.
+
+"I am interested in Benham," she continued, "and I count on you, Mrs.
+Babcock, to help make the new church what it ought to be
+artistically--worthy of all the energy and independence there is in this
+place."
+
+Selma's eye kindled. The allusion to foreign lands had aroused her
+distrust, but this patriotic avowal warmed her pulses.
+
+"Every one is so busy with private affairs here, owing to the rapid
+growth of the city," pursued Mrs. Taylor, "that there is danger of our
+doing inconsiderately things which cannot easily be set right hereafter.
+An ugly or tawdry-looking building may be an eyesore for a generation. I
+know that we have honest and skilful mechanics in Benham, but as
+trustees of the church funds, shouldn't we at least make the effort to
+get the best talent there is? If we have the cleverest architect here,
+so much the better. An open competition will enable us to find out.
+After all Benham is only one city among many, and a very new city. Why
+shouldn't we take advantage of the ideas of the rest of the country--the
+older portion of the country?"
+
+"Mr. Pierce built our house, and we think it very satisfactory and
+pretty."
+
+Selma's tone was firm, but she eyed her hostess narrowly. She had begun
+of late to distrust the æsthetic worth of the colored glass and metal
+stag, and, though she was on her guard against effrontery, she wished to
+know the truth. She knew that Mr. Pierce, with fine business instinct,
+had already conveyed to her husband the promise that he should furnish
+the varnish for the new church in case of his own selection, which, as
+Babcock had remarked, would be a nice thing all round.
+
+Mrs. Taylor underwent the scrutiny without flinching. "I have nothing to
+say against Mr. Pierce. He is capable within his lights. Indeed I think
+it quite possible that we shall get nothing more satisfactory elsewhere.
+Mr. Flagg's grim pile is anything but encouraging. That may sound like
+an argument against my plan, but in the case of the Flagg house there
+was no competition; merely unenlightened choice on the one side and
+ignorant experimenting on the other."
+
+"You don't seem to think very highly of the appearance of Benham," said
+Selma. The remark was slightly interrogative, but was combative withal.
+She wished to know if everything, from the Flagg mansion down, was open
+to criticism, but she would fain question the authority of the
+censor--this glib, graceful woman whose white, starched cuffs seemed to
+make light of her own sober, unadorned wrists.
+
+This time Mrs. Taylor flushed faintly. She realized that their relations
+had reached a critical point, and that the next step might be fatal. She
+put down her teacup, and leaning forward, said with smiling confidential
+eagerness, "I don't. I wouldn't admit it to anyone else. But what's the
+use of mincing matters with an intelligent woman like you? I might put
+you off now, and declare that Benham is well enough. But you would soon
+divine what I really think, and that would be the end of confidence
+between us. I like honesty and frankness, and I can see that you do. My
+opinion of Benham architecture is that it is slip-shod and mongrel.
+There! You see I put myself in your hands, but I do so because I feel
+sure you nearly agree with me already. You know it's so, but you hate to
+acknowledge it."
+
+Selma's eyes were bright with interest. She felt flattered by the
+appeal, and there was a righteous assurance in Mrs. Taylor's manner
+which was convincing. She opened her mouth to say something--what she
+did not quite know--but Mrs. Taylor raised her hand by way of
+interdiction.
+
+"Don't answer yet. Let me show you what I mean. I'm as proud of Benham
+as anyone. I am absorbed by the place, I look to see it fifty years
+hence--perhaps less--a great city, and a beautiful city too. Just at
+present everything is commercial and--and ethical; yes, ethical. We wish
+to do and dare, but we haven't time to adorn as we construct. That is,
+most of us haven't. But if a few determined spirits--women though they
+be--cry 'halt,' art may get a chance here and there to assert herself.
+Look at this," she said, gliding across the room and holding up a small
+vase of exquisite shape and coloring, "I picked it up on the other side
+and it stands almost for a lost art. The hands and taste which wrought
+it represent the transmitted patience and skill of hundreds of years. We
+like to rush things through in a few weeks on a design hastily conceived
+by a Mr. Pierce because we are so earnest. Now, we won't do it this
+time, will we?"
+
+"No, we won't," said Selma. "I see what you mean. I was afraid at first
+that you didn't give us credit for the earnestness--for the ethical
+part. That's the first thing, the great thing according to my idea, and
+it's what distinguishes us from foreigners,--the foreigners who made
+that vase, for instance. But I agree with you that there's such a thing
+as going too fast, and very likely some of the buildings here aren't all
+they might be. We don't need to model them on foreign patterns, but we
+must have them pretty and right."
+
+"Certainly, certainly, my dear. What we should strive for is
+originality--American originality; but soberly, slowly. Art is evolved
+painfully, little by little; it can't be bought ready-made at shops for
+the asking like tea and sugar. If we invite designs for the new church,
+we shall give the youths of the country who have ideas seething in their
+heads a chance to express themselves. Who knows but we may unearth a
+genius?"
+
+"Who knows?" echoed Selma, with her spiritual look. "Yes, you are right,
+Mrs. Taylor. I will help you. As you say, there must be hundreds of
+young men who would like to do just that sort of thing. I know myself
+what it is to have lived in a small place without the opportunity to
+show what one could do; to feel the capacity, but to be without the
+means and occasion to reveal what is in one. And now that I understand
+we really look at things the same way, I'm glad to join with you in
+making Benham beautiful. As you say, we women can do much if we only
+will. I've the greatest faith in woman's mission in this new,
+interesting nation of ours. Haven't you, Mrs. Taylor? Don't you believe
+that she, in her new sphere of usefulness, is one of the great moving
+forces of the Republic?" Selma was talking rapidly, and had lost every
+trace of suspicious restraint. She spoke as one transfigured.
+
+"Yes, indeed," answered Mrs. Taylor, checking any disposition she may
+have felt to interpose qualifications. She could acquiesce generally
+without violence to her convictions, and she could not afford to imperil
+the safety of the immediate issue--her church. "I felt sure you would
+feel so if you only had time to reflect," she added. "If you vote with
+us, you will have the pleasant consciousness of knowing that you have
+advanced woman's cause just so much."
+
+"You may count on my vote."
+
+Selma stopped on her way home, although it was late, to purchase some
+white cuffs. As she approached, her husband stood on the grass-plot in
+his shirt sleeves with a garden-hose. He was whistling, and when he saw
+her he kissed his hand at her jubilantly,
+
+"Well, sweetheart, where you been?"
+
+"Visiting. Taking tea with Mrs. Taylor. I've promised her to vote to
+invite bids for the church plans."
+
+Babcock looked surprised. "That'll throw Pierce out, won't it?"
+
+"Not unless some one else submits a better design than he."
+
+Lewis scratched his head. "I considered that order for varnish as good
+as booked."
+
+"I'm not sure Mr. Pierce knows as much as he thinks he does," said Selma
+oracularly. "We shall get plans from New York and Boston. If we don't
+like them we needn't take them. But that's the way to get an artistic
+thing. And we're going to have the most artistic church in Benham. I'm
+sorry about the varnish, but a principle is involved."
+
+Babcock was puzzled but content. He cared far more for the
+disappointment to Pierce than for the loss of the order. But apart from
+the business side of the question, he never doubted that his wife must
+be right, nor did he feel obliged to inquire what principle was
+involved. He was pleased to have her associate with Mrs. Taylor, and was
+satisfied that she would be a credit to him in any situation where
+occult questions of art or learning were mooted. He dropped his hose and
+pulled her down beside him on the porch settee. There was a beautiful
+sunset, and the atmosphere was soft and refreshing. Selma felt satisfied
+with herself. As Mrs. Taylor had said, it was her vote which would turn
+the scale on behalf of progress. Other things, too, were in her mind.
+She was not ready to admit that she had been instructed, but she was
+already planning changes in her own domestic interior, suggested by what
+she had seen.
+
+She let her husband squeeze her hand, but her thoughts were wandering
+from his blandishments. Presently she said: "Lewis, I've begun lately to
+doubt if that stag is really pretty."
+
+"The stag? Well, now, I've always thought it tasty--one of the features
+of our little place."
+
+"No one would mistake it for a real deer. It looks to me almost
+comical."
+
+Babcock turned to regard judicially the object of her criticism.
+
+"I like it," he said somewhat mournfully, as though he were puzzled.
+"But if you don't, we'll change the stag for something else. I wish you
+to be pleased first of all. Instead we might have a fountain; two
+children under an umbrella I saw the other day. It was cute. How does
+that strike you?"
+
+"I can't tell without seeing it. And, Lewis, promise me that you won't
+select anything new of that sort until I have looked at it."
+
+"Very well," Babcock answered submissively. But he continued to look
+puzzled. In his estimate of his wife's superiority to himself in the
+subtleties of life, it had never occurred to him to include the choice
+of every-day objects of art. He had eyes and could judge for himself
+like any other American citizen. Still, he was only too glad to humor
+Selma in such an unimportant matter, especially as he was eager for her
+happiness.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+Seven designs for the new church were submitted, including three from
+Benham architects. The leaven of influence exercised by spirits like
+Mrs. Taylor was only just beginning to work, and the now common custom
+of competing outside one's own bailiwick was still in embryo. Mr.
+Pierce's design was bold and sumptuous. His brother-in-law stated
+oracularly not long before the day when the plans were to be opened:
+"Pierce is not a man to be frightened out of a job by frills. Mark my
+words; he will give us an elegant thing." Mr. Pierce had conceived the
+happy thought of combining a Moorish mosque and New England
+meeting-house in a conservative and equitable medley, evidently hoping
+thereby to be both picturesque and traditional. The result, even on
+paper, was too bold for some of his admirers. The chairman was heard to
+remark: "I shouldn't feel as though I was in church. That dome set among
+spires is close to making a theatre of the house of God."
+
+The discomfiture of the first architect of Benham cleared the way for
+the triumph of Mrs. Taylor's taste. The design submitted by Wilbur
+Littleton of New York, seemed to her decidedly the most meritorious. It
+was graceful, appropriate, and artistic; entirely in harmony with
+religious associations, yet agreeably different from every day
+sanctuaries. The choice lay between his and that presented by Mr. Cass,
+a Benham builder--a matter-of-fact, serviceable, but very conventional
+edifice. The hard-headed stove dealer on the committee declared in favor
+of the native design, as simpler and more solid.
+
+"It'll be a massive structure" he said, "and when it's finished no one
+will have to ask what it is. It'll speak for itself. Mr. Cass is a solid
+business man, and we know what we'll get. The other plan is what I call
+dandified."
+
+It was evident to the committee that the stove dealer's final criticism
+comprehended the architect as well as his design. Several
+competitors--Littleton among them--had come in person to explain the
+merits of their respective drawings, and by the side of solid,
+red-bearded, undecorative Mr. Cass, Littleton may well have seemed a
+dandy. He was a slim young man with a delicate, sensitive face and
+intelligent brown eyes. He looked eager and interesting. In his case the
+almost gaunt American physiognomy was softened by a suggestion of poetic
+impulses. Yet the heritage of nervous energy was apparent. His
+appearance conveyed the impression of quiet trigness and gentility. His
+figure lent itself to his clothes, which were utterly inconspicuous,
+judged by metropolitan standards, but flawless in the face of
+hard-headed theories of life, and aroused suspicion. He spoke in a
+gentle but earnest manner, pointing out clearly, yet modestly, the
+merits of his composition.
+
+Selma had never seen a man just like him before, and she noticed that
+from the outset his eyes seemed to be fastened on her as though his
+words were intended for her special benefit. She had never read the
+lines--indeed they had not been written--
+
+"I think I could be happy with a gentleman like you."
+
+Nor did the precise sentiment contained in them shape itself in her
+thought. Yet she was suddenly conscious that she had been starving for
+lack of intellectual companionship, and that he was the sort of man she
+had hoped to meet--the sort of man who could appreciate her and whom she
+could appreciate.
+
+It did not become necessary for Selma to act as Mr. Littleton's
+champion, for the stove dealer's criticism found only one supporter. The
+New Yorker's design for the church was so obviously pretty and suitable
+that a majority of the Committee promptly declared in its favor. The
+successful competitor, who had remained a day to learn the result, was
+solemnly informed of the decision, and then elaborately introduced to
+the members. In shaking hands with him, Selma experienced a shade of
+embarrassment. It was plain that his words to her, spoken with a low
+bow--"I am very much gratified that my work pleases you" conveyed a more
+spiritual significance than was contained in his thanks to the others.
+Still he seemed more at his ease with Mrs. Taylor, who promptly broke
+the ice of the situation by fixing him as a close relative of friends in
+Baltimore. Straightway he became sprightly and voluble, speaking of
+things and people beyond Selma's experience. This social jargon
+irritated Selma. It seemed to her a profanation of a noble character,
+yet she was annoyed because she could not understand.
+
+Mrs. Taylor, having discovered in Mr. Littleton one who should have been
+a friend long before, succeeded in carrying him off to dinner. Yet,
+before taking his leave, he came back to Selma for a few words. She had
+overheard Mrs. Taylor's invitation, and she asked herself why she too
+might not become better acquainted with this young man whose attitude
+toward her was that of respectful admiration. To have a strange young
+man to dine off-hand struck her as novel. She had a general conviction
+that it would seem to Lewis closely allied to light conduct, and that
+only foreigners or frivolous people let down to this extent the bars of
+family life. Now that Mrs. Taylor had set her the example, she was less
+certain of the moral turpitude of such an act, but she concluded also
+that her husband would be in the way at table. What she desired was an
+opportunity for a long, interesting chat about high things.
+
+While she reflected, he was saying to her, "I understand that your
+committee is to supervise my work until the new church is completed, so
+I shall hope to have the opportunity to meet you occasionally. It will
+be necessary for me to make trips here from time to time to see that
+everything is being done correctly by the mechanics."
+
+"Do you go away immediately?"
+
+"It may be that I shall be detained by the arrangements which I must
+make here until day after to-morrow."
+
+"If you would really like to see me, I live at 25 Onslow Avenue."
+
+"Thank you very much." Littleton took out a small memorandum book and
+carefully noted the address. "Mrs. Babcock, 25 Onslow Avenue. I shall
+make a point of calling to-morrow afternoon if I stay--and probably I
+shall."
+
+He bowed and left Selma pleasantly stirred by the interview. His voice
+was low and his enunciation sympathetically fluent. She said to herself
+that she would give him afternoon tea and they would compare ideas
+together. She felt sure that his must be interesting.
+
+Later in the evening at Mrs. Taylor's, when there was a pause in their
+sympathetic interchange of social and æsthetic convictions, Littleton
+said abruptly:
+
+"Tell me something, please, about Mrs. Babcock. She has a suggestive as
+well as a beautiful face, and it is easy to perceive that she is
+genuinely American--not one of the women of whom we were speaking, who
+seem to be ashamed of their own institutions, and who ape foreign
+manners and customs. I fancy she would illustrate what I was saying just
+now as to the vital importance of our clinging to our heritage of
+independent thought--of accepting the truth of the ancient order of
+things without allowing its lies and demerits to enslave us."
+
+"I suppose so," said Mrs. Taylor. "She certainly does not belong to the
+dangerous class of whom you were speaking. I was flattering myself that
+neither did I, for I was agreeing with all you said as to the need of
+cherishing our native originality. Yet I must confess that now that you
+compare me with her (the actual comparison is my own, but you instigated
+it), I begin to feel more doubts about myself--that is if she is the
+true species, and I'm inclined to think she is. Pray excuse this
+indirect method of answering your inquiry; it is in the nature of a
+soliloquy; it is an airing of thoughts and doubts which have been
+harassing me for a fortnight--ever since I knew Mrs. Babcock. Really,
+Mr. Littleton, I can tell you very little about her. She is a new-comer
+on the horizon of Benham; she has been married very recently; I believe
+she has taught school and that she was brought up not far from here. She
+is as proud as Lucifer and sometimes as beautiful; she is profoundly
+serious and--and apparently very ignorant. I fancy she is clever and
+capable in her way, but I admit she is an enigma to me and that I have
+not solved it. I can see she does not approve of me altogether. She
+regards me with suspicion, and yet she threw the casting vote in favor
+of my proposal to open the competition for the church to architects from
+other places. I am trying to like her, for I wish to believe in
+everything genuinely American if I can. There, I have told you all I
+know, and to a man she may seem altogether attractive and inspiring."
+
+"Thank you. I had no conception that I was broaching such a complex
+subject. She sounds interesting, and my curiosity is whetted. You have
+not mentioned the husband."
+
+"To be sure. A burly, easy-going manufacturer of varnish, without much
+education, I should judge. He is manifestly her inferior in half a dozen
+ways, but I understand that he is making money, and he looks kind."
+
+Wilbur Littleton's life since he had come to man's estate had been a
+struggle, and he was only just beginning to make headway. He had never
+had time to commiserate himself, for necessity on the one hand and
+youthful ambition on the other had kept his energies tense and his
+thoughts sane and hopeful. He and his sister Pauline, a year his senior,
+had been left orphans while both were students by the death of their
+father on the battlefield. To persevere in their respective tastes and
+work out their educations had been a labor of love, but an undertaking
+which demanded rigorous self-denial on the part of each. Wilbur had
+determined to become an architect. Pauline, early interested in the
+dogma that woman must no longer be barred from intellectual
+companionship with man, had sought to cultivate herself intelligently
+without sacrificing her brother's domestic comfort. She had succeeded.
+Their home in New York, despite its small dimensions and frugal
+hospitality, was already a favorite resort of a little group of
+professional people with busy brains and light purses. Wilbur was in the
+throes of early progress. He had no relatives or influential friends to
+give him business, and employment came slowly. He had been an architect
+on his own account for two years, but was still obliged to supplement
+his professional orders by work as a draughtsman for others. Yet his
+enthusiasm kept him buoyant. In respect to his own work he was
+scrupulous; indeed, a stern critic. He abhorred claptrap and specious
+effects, and aimed at high standards of artistic expression. This gave
+him position among his brother architects, but was incompatible with
+meteoric progress. His design for the church at Benham represented much
+thought and hope, and he felt happy at his success.
+
+Littleton's familiarity with women, apart from his sister, had been
+slight, but his thoughts regarding them were in keeping with a poetic
+and aspiring nature. He hoped to marry some day, and he was fond of
+picturing to himself in moments of reverie the sort of woman to whom his
+heart would be given. In the shrine of his secret fancy she appeared
+primarily as an object of reverence, a white-souled angel of light clad
+in the graceful outlines of flesh, an Amazon and yet a winsome, tender
+spirit, and above all a being imbued with the stimulating intellectual
+independence he had been taught to associate with American womanhood.
+She would be the loving wife of his bosom and the intelligent sharer of
+his thoughts and aspirations--often their guide. So pure and exacting
+was his ideal that while alive to the value of coyness and coquetry as
+elements of feminine attraction for others, Wilbur had chosen to regard
+the maiden of his faith as too serious a spirit to condescend to such
+vanities; and from a similar vein of appreciation he was prone to think
+of her as unadorned, or rather untarnished, by the gewgaws of
+fashionable dressmaking and millinery. His first sight of Selma had made
+him conscious that here was a face not unlike what he had hoped to
+encounter some day, and he had instinctively felt her to be sympathetic.
+He was even conscious of disappointment when he heard her addressed as
+Mrs. Babcock. Evidently she was a free-born soul, unhampered by the
+social weaknesses of a large city, and illumined by the spiritual grace
+of native womanliness. So he thought of her, and Mrs. Taylor's diagnosis
+rather confirmed than impaired his impression, for in Mrs. Taylor Wilbur
+felt he discerned a trace of antagonism born of cosmopolitan
+prejudice--an inability to value at its true worth a nature not moulded
+on conventional lines. Rigorous as he was in his judgments, and eager to
+disown what was cheap or shallow, mere conventionalism, whether in art
+or daily life, was no less abhorrent to him. Here, he said to himself,
+was an original soul, ignorant and unenlightened perhaps, but endowed
+with swift perception and capable of noble development.
+
+The appearance of Selma's scroll and glass bedizened house did not
+affect this impression. Wilbur was first of all appreciatively an
+American. That is he recognized that native energy had hitherto been
+expended on the things of the spirit to the neglect of things material.
+As an artist he was supremely interested in awakening and guiding the
+national taste in respect to art, but at the same time he was thoroughly
+aware that the peculiar vigor and independence of character which he
+knew as Americanism was often utterly indifferent to, or ignorant of,
+the value of æsthetics. After all, art was a secondary consideration,
+whereas the inward vision which absorbed the attention of the thoughtful
+among his countrymen and countrywomen was an absolute essential without
+which the soul must lose its fineness. He himself was seeking to show
+that beauty, in external material expression, was not merely consistent
+with strong ideals but requisite to their fit presentment. He recognized
+too that the various and variegated departures from the monotonous
+homely pattern of the every-day American house, which were evident in
+each live town, were but so many indicators that the nation was
+beginning to realize the truth of this. His battle was with the
+designers and builders who were guiding falsely and flamboyantly, not
+with the deceived victims, nor with those who were still satisfied
+merely to look inwardly, and ignored form and color. Hence he would have
+been able to behold the Babcocks' iron stag without rancor had the
+animal still occupied the grass-plot. Selma, when she saw the figure of
+her visitor in the door-way, congratulated herself that it had been
+removed. It would have pleased her to know that Mr. Littleton had
+already placed her in a niche above the level of mere grass-plot
+considerations. That was where she belonged of course; but she was
+fearful on the score of suspected shortcomings. So it was gratifying to
+be able to receive him in a smarter gown, to be wearing white cuffs, and
+to offer him tea with a touch of Mrs. Taylor's tormenting urbanity. Not
+so unreservedly as she. That would never do. It was and never would be
+in keeping with her own ideas of serious self-respect. Still a touch of
+it was grateful to herself. She felt that it was a grace and enhanced
+her effectiveness.
+
+A few moments later Selma realized that for the first time since she had
+lived in Benham she was being understood and appreciated. She felt too
+that for the first time she was talking to a kindred spirit--to be sure,
+to one different, and more technically proficient in concrete knowledge,
+possibly more able, too, to express his thoughts in words, but eminently
+a comrade and sympathizer. She was not obliged to say much. Nor were,
+indeed, his actual words the source of her realization. The revelation
+came from what was left unsaid--from the silent recognition by him that
+she was worthy to share his best thoughts and was herself a serious
+worker in the struggle of life. No graceful but galling attitude of
+superiority, no polite indifference to her soul-hunger, no disposition
+to criticise. And yet he was no less voluble, clever, and spirited than
+Mrs. Taylor. She listened with wrapt interest to his easy talk, which
+was ever grave in tone, despite his pleasant sallies. He spoke of Benham
+with quick appreciation of its bustling energy, and let her see that he
+divined its capacity for greatness. This led him to refer with kindling
+eyes to the keen impulse toward education and culture which was
+animating the younger men and women of the country; to the new
+beginnings of art, literature, and scientific investigation. At scarcely
+a hint from her he told briefly of his past life and his hopes, and
+fondly mentioned his sister and her present absorption in some history
+courses for women.
+
+"And you?" he said. "You are a student, too. Mrs. Taylor has told me,
+but I should have guessed it. Duties even more interesting claim you
+now, but it is easy to perceive that you have known that other
+happiness, 'To scorn delights and live laborious days.'"
+
+His words sounded musical, though the quotation from Lycidas was
+unfamiliar to her ears. Her brain was thrilling with the import of all
+he had told her--with his allusions to the intellectual and ethical
+movements of Boston and New York, in which she felt herself by right and
+with his recognition a partner and peer.
+
+"You were teaching school when you married, I believe?" he added.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And before that, if I may ask?"
+
+"I lived at Westfield with my father. It is a small country town, but we
+tried to be in earnest."
+
+"I understand--I understand. You grew up among the trees, and the
+breezes and the brooks, those wonderful wordless teachers. I envy you,
+for they give one time to think--to expand. I have known only city life
+myself. It is stimulating, but one is so easily turned aside from one's
+direct purpose. Do you write at all?"
+
+"Not yet. But I have wished to. Some day I shall. Just now I have too
+many domestic concerns to--"
+
+She did not finish, for Babcock's heavy tread and whistle resounded in
+the hall and at the next moment he was calling "Selma!"
+
+She felt annoyed at being interrupted, but she divined that it would
+never do to show it.
+
+"My husband," she said, and she raised her voice to utter with a sugared
+dignity which would have done credit to Mrs. Taylor,
+
+"I am in the parlor, Lewis."
+
+"Enter your chief domestic concern," said Littleton blithely. "A happy
+home is preferable to all the poems and novels in the world."
+
+Babcock, pushing open the door, which stood ajar, stopped short in his
+melody.
+
+"This is Mr. Littleton, Lewis. The architect of our new church."
+
+"Pleased to make your acquaintance." And by way of accounting for the
+sudden softening of his brow, Babcock added, "I set you down at first as
+one of those lightning-rod agents. There was one here last week who
+wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."
+
+"He has an advantage over me," answered Littleton with a laugh. "In my
+business a man can't solicit orders. He has to sit and wait for them to
+come to him."
+
+"I want to know. My wife thinks a lot of your drawings for the new
+church."
+
+"I hope to make it a credit to your city. I've just been saying to your
+wife, Mr. Babcock, that Benham has a fine future before it. The very
+atmosphere seems charged with progress."
+
+Babcock beamed approvingly. "It's a driving place, sir. The man in
+Benham who stops by the way-side to scratch his head gets left behind.
+When we moved into this house a year ago looking through that window we
+were at the jumping-off place; now you see houses cropping up in every
+direction. It's going to be a big city. Pleased to have you stop to
+supper with us," he added with burly suavity as their visitor rose.
+
+Littleton excused himself and took his leave. Babcock escorted him to
+the front door and full of his subject delayed him on the porch to touch
+once more on the greatness of Benham. There was a clumsy method too in
+this optimistic garrulity, for at the close he referred with some pride
+to his own business career, and made a tender of his business card,
+"Lewis Babcock & Company, Varnishes," with a flourish. "If you do
+anything in my line, pleased to accommodate you."
+
+Littleton departing, tickled by a pleasant sense of humor, caught
+through the parlor window a last glimpse of Selma's inspired face bowing
+gravely, yet wistfully, in acknowledgment of his lifted hat, and he
+strode away under the spell of a brain picture which he transmuted into
+words: "There's the sort of case where the cynical foreigner fails to
+appreciate the true import of our American life. That couple typifies
+the elements of greatness in our every-day people. At first blush the
+husband's rough and material, but he's shrewd and enterprising and
+vigorous--the bread winner. He's enormously proud of her, and he has
+reason to be, for she is a constant stimulus to higher things. Little by
+little, and without his knowing it, perhaps, she will smoothe and
+elevate him, and they will develop together, growing in intelligence and
+cultivation as they wax in worldly goods. After all, woman is our most
+marvellous native product--that sort of woman. Heigho!" Having given
+vent to this sigh, Littleton proceeded to recognize the hopelessness of
+the personal situation by murmuring with a slightly forced access of
+sprightliness
+
+     "If she be not fair for me,
+     What care I how fair she be?"
+
+Still he intended to see more of Mrs. Babcock, and that without
+infringing the tenth or any other commandment. To flirt with a married
+woman savored to him of things un-American and unworthy, and Littleton
+had much too healthy an imagination to rhapsodize from such a
+stand-point. Yet he foresaw that they might be mutually respecting
+friends.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+Selma knew intuitively that an American woman was able to cook a smooth
+custard, write a poem and control real society with one and the same
+brain and hand, and she was looking forward to the realization of the
+apotheosis; but, though she was aware that children are the natural
+increment of wedlock, she had put the idea from her ever since her
+marriage as impersonal and vaguely disgusting. Consequently her
+confinement came as an unwelcome interruption of her occupations and
+plans.
+
+Her connection with the committee for the new church had proved an
+introduction to other interests, charitable and social. One day she was
+taken by Mrs. Taylor to a meeting of the Benham Woman's Institute, a
+literary club recently established by Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle, a
+Western newspaper woman who had made her home in Benham. Selma came in
+upon some twenty of her own sex in a hotel private parlor hired weekly
+for the uses of the Institute. Mrs. Earle, the president, a large florid
+woman of fifty, with gray hair rising from the brow, fluent of speech,
+endowed with a public manner, a commanding bust and a vigorous,
+ingratiating smile, wielded a gavel at a little table and directed the
+exercises. A paper on Shakespeare's heroines was read and discussed.
+Selections on the piano followed. A thin woman in eye-glasses, the
+literary editor of the _Benham Sentinel_, recited "Curfew must not ring
+to-night," and a visitor from Wisconsin gave an exhibition in melodious
+whistling. In the intervals, tea, chocolate with whipped cream and
+little cakes were dispensed.
+
+Selma was absorbed and thrilled. What could be more to her taste than
+this? At the close of the whistling exercise, Mrs. Earle came over and
+spoke to her. They took a strong fancy to each other on the spot. Selma
+preferred a person who would tell you everything about herself and to
+whom you could tell everything about yourself without preliminaries.
+People like Mrs. Taylor repressed her, but the motherly loquacity and
+comprehension of Mrs. Earle drew her out and thawed at once and forever
+the ice of acquaintanceship. Before she quite realized the extent of
+this fascination she had promised to recite something, and as in a
+dream, but with flushing cheeks, she heard the President rap the table
+and announce "You will be gratified to hear that a talented friend who
+is with us has kindly consented to favor us with a recital. I have the
+honor to introduce Mrs. Lewis Babcock."
+
+After the first flush of nervousness, Selma's grave dignity came to her
+support, and justified her completely in her own eyes. Her father had
+been fond of verse, especially of verse imbued with moral melancholy,
+and at his suggestion she had learned and had been wont to repeat many
+of the occasional pieces which he cut from the newspapers and collected
+in a scrap-book. Her own preference among these was the poem, "O why
+should the spirit of mortal be proud?" which she had been told was a
+great favorite of Abraham Lincoln. It was this piece which came into her
+mind when Mrs. Earle broached the subject, and this she proceeded to
+deliver with august precision. She spoke clearly and solemnly without
+the trace of the giggling protestation which is so often incident to
+feminine diffidence. She treated the opportunity with the seriousness
+expected, for though the Institute was not proof against light and
+diverting contributions, as the whistling performance indicated, levity
+of spirit would have been out of place.
+
+     "'Tis a twink of the eye, 'tis a draught of the breath
+     From the blossom of health to the paleness of death;
+     From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud,
+     O why should the spirit of mortal be proud?"
+
+Selma enjoyed the harmony between the long, slow cadence of the metre
+and the important gravity of the theme. She rolled out the verses with
+the intensity of a seer, and she looked a beautiful seer as well.
+Liberal applause greeted her as she sat down, though the clapping woman
+is apt to be a feeble instrument at best. Selma knew that she had
+produced an impression and she was moved by her own effectiveness. She
+was compelled to swallow once or twice to conceal the tears in her voice
+while listening to the congratulations of Mrs. Earle. The words which
+she had just recited were ringing through her brain and seemed to her to
+express the pitch at which her life was keyed.
+
+Selma was chosen a member of the Institute at the next meeting, and
+forthwith she became intimate with the president. Mrs. Margaret Rodney
+Earle was, as she herself phrased it, a live woman. She supported
+herself by writing for the newspapers articles of a morally utilitarian
+character--for instance a winter's series, published every Saturday,
+"Hints on Health and Culture," or again, "Receipts for the Parlor and
+the Kitchen." She also contributed poetry of a pensive cast, and chatty
+special correspondence flavored with personal allusion. She was one of
+the pioneers in modern society journalism, which at this time, however,
+was comparatively veiled and delicate in its methods. Besides, she was a
+woman of tireless energy, with theories on many subjects and an ardor
+for organization. She advocated prohibition, the free suffrage of woman,
+the renunciation of corsets, and was interested in reforms relating to
+labor, the pauper classes and the public schools. In behalf of any of
+these causes she was ready from time to time to dash off an article at
+short notice or address an audience. But her dearest concern was the
+promotion of woman's culture and the enlargement of woman's sphere of
+usefulness through the club. The idea of the woman's club, which was
+taking root over the country, had put in the shade for the time being
+all her other plans, including the scheme of a society for making the
+golden-rod the national flower. As the founder and president of the
+Benham Institute, she felt that she had found an avocation peculiarly
+adapted to her capacities, and she was already actively in
+correspondence with clubs of a similar character in other cities, in the
+hope of forming a national organization for mutual enlightenment and
+support.
+
+Mrs. Earle received Selma by invitation at her lodgings the following
+day, and so quickly did their friendship ripen that at the end of two
+hours each had told the other everything. Selma was prone instinctively
+to regard as aristocratic and un-American any limitations to confidence.
+The evident disposition on the part of Mrs. Earle to expose promptly and
+without reserve the facts of her past and her plans for the future
+seemed to Selma typical of an interesting character, and she was
+thankful to make a clean breast in her turn as far as was possible. Mrs.
+Earle's domestic experience had been thorny.
+
+"I had a home once, too," she said, "a happy home, I thought. My husband
+said he loved me. But almost from the first we had trouble. It went on
+so from month to month, and finally we agreed to part. He objected, my
+dear, to my living my own life. He didn't like me to take an interest in
+things outside the house--public matters. I was elected on the
+school-board--the only woman--and he ought to have been proud. He said
+he was, at first, but he was too fond of declaring that a woman's place
+is in her kitchen. One day I said to him, 'Ellery, this can't go on. If
+we can't agree we'd better separate. A cat-and-dog life is no life at
+all.' He answered back, 'I'm not asking you to leave me, but if you're
+set on it don't let me hinder you, Margaret. You don't need a man to
+support you. You're as good as a man yourself.' He meant that to be
+sarcastic, I suppose. 'Yes,' said I, 'thank God, I think I can take care
+of myself, even though I am a woman.' That was the end of it. There was
+no use for either of us to get excited. I packed my things, and a few
+mornings later I said to him, 'Good-by, Ellery Earle: I wish you well,
+and I suppose you're my husband still, but I'm going to live my own life
+without let or hindrance from any man. There's your ring.' My holding
+out the ring was startling to him, for he said, 'Aren't you going to be
+sorry for this, Margaret?' 'No,' said I, 'I've thought it all out, and
+it's best for both of us. There's your ring.' He wouldn't take it, so I
+dropped it on the table and went out. Some people miss it, and
+misbelieve I was ever married. That was close on to twenty years ago,
+and I've never seen him since. When the war broke out I heard he
+enlisted, but what's become of him I don't know. Maybe he got a divorce.
+I've kept right on and lived my own life in my own way, and never lacked
+food or raiment. I'm forty-five years old, but I feel a young woman
+still."
+
+Notwithstanding Mrs. Earle's business-like directness and the
+protuberance of her bust in conclusion, by way of reasserting her
+satisfaction with the results of her action, there was a touch of
+plaintiveness in her confession which suggested the womanly author of
+"Hints on Culture and Hygiene," rather than the man-hater. This was lost
+on Selma, who was fain to sympathize purely from the stand-point of
+righteousness.
+
+"It was splendid," she said. "He had no right to prevent you living your
+own life. No husband has that right."
+
+Mrs. Earle brushed her eyes with her handkerchief. "You musn't think, my
+dear, that I'm not a believer in the home because mine has been
+unhappy--because my husband didn't or couldn't understand. The true home
+is the inspirer and nourisher of all that is best in life--in our
+American life; but men must learn the new lesson. There are many
+homes--yours, I'm sure--where the free-born American woman has
+encouragement and the opportunity to expand."
+
+"Oh, yes. My husband lets me do as I wish. I made him promise before I
+accepted him that he wouldn't thwart me; that he'd let me live my own
+life."
+
+Selma was so appreciative of Mrs. Earle, and so energetic and suggestive
+in regard to the scope of the Institute, that she was presently chosen a
+member of the council, which was the body charged with the supervision
+of the fortnightly entertainments. It occurred to her as a brilliant
+conception to have Littleton address the club on "Art," and she broached
+the subject to him when he next returned to Benham and appeared before
+the church committee. He declared that he was too busy to prepare a
+suitable lecture, but he yielded finally to her plea that he owed it to
+himself to let the women of Benham hear his views and opinions.
+
+"They are wives and they are mothers," said Selma sententiously. "It was
+a woman's vote, you remember, which elected you to build our church. You
+owe it to Art; don't you think so?"
+
+A logical appeal to his conscience was never lost on Littleton. Besides
+he was glad to oblige Mrs. Babcock, who seemed so earnest in her desire
+to improve the æsthetic taste of Benham. Accordingly, he yielded. The
+lecture was delivered a few weeks later and was a marked success, for
+Littleton's earnestness of theme and manner was relieved by a graceful,
+sympathetic delivery. Selma, whose social aplomb was increasing every
+day, glided about the rooms with a contented mien receiving
+felicitations and passing chocolate. She enjoyed the distinction of
+being the God behind the curtain.
+
+A few days later the knowledge that she herself was to become a mother
+was forced upon her attention, and was a little irksome. Of necessity
+her new interests would be interrupted. Though she did not question that
+she would perform maternal duties fitly and fully, they seemed to her
+less peculiarly adapted to her than concerns of the intellect and the
+spirit. However, the possession of a little daughter was more precious
+to her than she had expected, and the consciousness that the tiny doll
+which lay upon her breast, was flesh of her flesh and bone of her bone
+affected her agreeably and stirred her imagination. It should be reared,
+from the start, in the creed of soul independence and expansion, and she
+herself would find a new and sacred duty in catering to the needs of
+this budding intelligence. So she reflected as she lay in bed, but the
+outlook was a little marred by the thought that the baby was the living
+image of its father--broad-featured and burly--not altogether desirable
+cast of countenance for a girl. What a pity, when it might just as well
+have looked like her.
+
+Babcock, on his part, was transported by paternity. He was bubbling over
+with appreciation of the new baby, and fondly believed it to be a human
+wonder. He was solicitous on the score of its infantile ailments, and
+loaded it with gifts and toys beyond the scope of its enjoyment. He went
+about the house whistling more exuberantly than ever. There was no speck
+on his horizon; no fly in his pot of ointment. It was he who urged that
+the child should be christened promptly, though Dr. Glynn was not
+disposed to dwell on the clerical barbarism as to the destiny of
+unbaptized infants. Babcock was cultivating a conservative method: He
+realized that there was no object in taking chances. Illogical as was
+the theory that a healthy dog which had bitten him should be killed at
+once, lest it subsequently go mad and he contract hydrophobia, he was
+too happy and complacent to run the risk of letting it live. So it was
+with regard to baby. But Selma chose the name. Babcock preferred in this
+order another Selma, Sophia, after his mother, or a compliment to the
+wife of the President of the United States. But Selma, as the result of
+grave thought, selected Muriel Grace. Without knowing exactly why, she
+asked Mrs. Taylor to be godmother. The ceremony was solemn and inspiring
+to her. She knew from the glass in her room that she was looking very
+pretty. But she was weak and emotional. The baby behaved admirably, even
+when Lewis, trembling with pride, held it out to Mr. Glynn for baptism
+and held it so that the blood rushed to its head. "I baptize thee in the
+name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." She was happy and the
+tears were in her eyes. The divine blessing was upon her and her house,
+and, after all, baby was a darling and her husband a kind, manly soul.
+With the help of heaven she would prove herself their good angel.
+
+When they returned home there was a whistle of old silver of light,
+graceful design, a present from Mrs. Taylor to Muriel. Her aunt, Mrs.
+Farley, compared this to its disparagement with one already purchased by
+Lewis, on the gaudily embossed stem of which perched a squirrel with a
+nut in its mouth. But Selma shook her head. "Both of you are wrong," she
+said with authority. "This is a beauty."
+
+"It doesn't look new to my eyes," protested Mrs. Parley.
+
+"Of course it isn't new. I shouldn't wonder if she bought it while
+travelling abroad in Europe. It's artistic, and--and I shan't let baby
+destroy it."
+
+Babcock glanced from one gift to the other quizzically. Then by way of
+disposing of the subject he seized his daughter in his arms and dandling
+her toward the ceiling cried, "If it's artistic things we must have,
+this is the most artistic thing which I know of in the wide world.
+Aren't you, little sugar-plum?"
+
+Mrs. Farley, with motherly distrust of man, apprehensively followed with
+her eyes and arms the gyrations of rise and fall; but Selma, though she
+saw, pursued the current of her own thought which prompted her to
+examine her wedding-ring. She was thinking that, compared with Mrs.
+Taylor's, it was a cart wheel--a clumsy, conspicuous band of metal,
+instead of a delicate hoop. She wondered if Lewis would object to
+exchange it for another.
+
+With the return of her strength, Selma took up again eagerly the tenor
+of her former life, aiding and abetting Mrs. Earle in the development of
+the Institute. The president was absorbed in enlarging its scope by the
+enrollment of more members, and the establishment of classes in a
+variety of topics--such as literature, science, philosophy, current
+events, history, art, and political economy. She aimed to construct a
+club which should be social and educational in the broadest sense by
+mutual co-operation and energy. Selma, in her eagerness to make the most
+of the opportunities for culture offered, committed herself to two of
+the new topic classes--"Italian and Grecian Art," and "The Governments
+of Civilization," and as a consequence found some difficulty in
+accommodating her baby's nursing hours to these engagements. It was
+indeed a relief to her when the doctor presently pronounced the supply
+of her breast-milk inadequate. She was able to assuage Lewis' regret
+that Muriel should be brought up by hand with the information that a
+large percentage of Benham and American mothers were similarly barren
+and that bottle babies were exceedingly healthy. She had gleaned the
+first fact from the physician, the second from Mrs. Earle, and her own
+conclusion on the subject was that a lack of milk was an indication of
+feminine evolution from the status of the brute creation, a sign of
+spiritual as opposed to animal quality. Selma found Mrs. Earle
+sympathetic on this point, and also practical in her suggestions as to
+the rearing of infants by artificial means, recommendations concerning
+which were contained in one of her series of papers entitled "Mother
+Lore."
+
+The theory of the new classes was co-operation. That is, the members
+successively, turn by turn, lectured on the topic, and all were expected
+to study in the interim so as to be able to ask questions and discuss
+the views of the lecturer. Concerning both Italian and Grecian Art and
+the Governments of Civilization, Selma knew that she had convictions in
+the abstract, but when she found herself face to face with a specific
+lecture on each subject, it occurred to her as wise to supplement her
+ideas by a little preparation. The nucleus of a public library had been
+recently established by Joel Flagg and placed at the disposal of Benham.
+Here, by means of an encyclopædia and two hand-books, Selma was able in
+three forenoons to compile a paper satisfactory to her self-esteem on
+the dynasties of Europe and their inferiority to the United States, but
+her other task was illumined for her by a happy incident, the promise of
+Littleton to lend her books. Indeed he seemed delightfully interested in
+both of her classes, which was especially gratifying in view of the fact
+that Mrs. Taylor, who was a member of the Institute, had combated the
+new programme on the plea that they were attempting too much and that it
+would encourage superficiality. But Littleton seemed appreciative of the
+value of the undertaking, and he made his promise good forthwith by
+forwarding to her a package of books on art, among them two volumes of
+Ruskin. Selma, who had read quotations from Ruskin on one or two
+occasions and believed herself an admirer of, and tolerably familiar
+with, his writings, was thrilled. She promptly immersed herself in
+"Stones of Venice" and "Seven Lamps of Architecture," sitting up late at
+night to finish them. When she had read these and the article in the
+encyclopædia under the head of Art, she felt bursting with her subject
+and eager to air her knowledge before the class. Her lecture was
+acknowledged to be the most stirring and thorough of the course.
+
+Reports of its success came back to her from Littleton, who offered to
+assist his pupil further by practical demonstration of the eternal
+architectural fitness and unfitness of things--especially the latter--in
+walks through the streets of Benham. But six times in as many months,
+however. There was no suggestion of coquetry on either side in these
+excursions, yet each enjoyed them. Littleton's own work was beginning to
+assume definite form, and his visits to Benham became of necessity more
+frequent; flying trips, but he generally managed to obtain a few words
+with Selma. He continued to lend her books, and he invited her criticism
+on the slowly growing church edifice. The responsibility of critic was
+an absorbing sensation to her, but the stark glibness of tongue which
+stood her in good stead before the classes of the Institute failed her
+in his presence--the presence of real knowledge. She wished to praise,
+but to praise discriminatingly, with the cant of æsthetic appreciation,
+so that he should believe that she knew. As for the church itself, she
+was interested in it; it was fine, of course, but that was a secondary
+consideration compared with her emotions. His predilection in her favor,
+however, readily made him deaf in regard to her utterances. He scarcely
+heeded her halting, solemn, counterfeit transcendentalisms; or rather
+they passed muster as subtle and genuine, so spell bound was he by the
+Delphic beauty of her criticising expression. It was enough for him to
+watch her as she stood with her head on one side and the worried
+archangel look transfiguring her profile. What she said was lost in his
+reverie as to what she was--what she represented in his contemplation.
+As she looked upon his handiwork he was able to view it with different
+eyes, to discern its weaknesses and to gain fresh inspiration from her
+presence. He felt that it was growing on his hands and that he should be
+proud of it, and though, perhaps, he was conscious in his inner soul
+that she was more to him than another man's wife should be, he knew too,
+that no word or look of his had offended against the absent husband.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+By the end of another six months Littleton's work was practically
+completed. Only the finishing touches to the interior decoration
+remained to be done. The members of Rev. Mr. Glynn's congregation,
+including Mrs. Hallett Taylor, were thoroughly satisfied with the
+appearance of the new church. It was attractive in its lines, yet it was
+simple and, consequently, in keeping with the resources of the treasury.
+There was no large bill for extras to be audited, as possibly would have
+been the case had a hard-headed designer like Mr. Pierce been employed.
+The committee felt itself entitled to the congratulations of the
+community. Nor was the community on the whole disposed to grumble, for
+home talent had been employed by the architect; under rigorous
+supervision, to be sure, so that poor material and slap-dash workmanship
+were out of the question. Still, payments had been prompt, and Benham
+was able to admire competent virtue. The church was a monument of
+suggestion in various ways, artistic and ethical, and it shone neatly
+with Babcock varnish.
+
+One morning Selma set forth by agreement with Littleton, in order to
+inspect some fresco work. Muriel Grace was ailing slightly, but as she
+would be home by mid-day, she bade the hired girl be watchful of baby,
+and kept her appointment. The child had grown dear to her, for Muriel
+was a charming little dot, and Selma had already begun to enjoy the
+maternal delight of human doll dressing, an extravagance in which she
+was lavishly encouraged by her husband. Babcock was glad of any excuse
+to spend money on his daughter, who seemed to him, from day to day, a
+greater marvel of precocity--such a child as became Selma's beauty and
+cleverness and his own practical common-sense.
+
+Selma was in a pensive frame of mind this morning. Two days before she
+had read a paper at the Institute on "Motherhood," which had been
+enthusiastically received. Mrs. Earle had printed a flattering item
+concerning it in the _Benham Sentinel_. It was agreeable to her to be
+going to meet Littleton, for he was the most interesting masculine
+figure in her life. She was sure of Lewis. He was her husband and she
+knew herself to be the apple of his eye; but she knew exactly what he
+was going to say before he said it, and much of what he said grated on
+her. She was almost equally sure of Littleton; that is of his
+admiration. His companionship was a constant pleasure to her. As a
+married woman, and as a Christian and American woman, she desired no
+more than this. But on the other hand, she would fain have this admiring
+companionship continue; and yet it could not. Littleton had told her the
+day before that he was going back to New York and that it was doubtful
+if he would return. She would miss him. She would have the Institute and
+Mrs. Earle still, but her life would be less full.
+
+Littleton was waiting for her at the church entrance. She followed him
+down the nave to the chancel where she listened dreamily to his
+presentation of the merits of the new decoration. He seemed inclined to
+talk, and from this presently branched off to describe with enthusiasm
+the plates of a French book on interior architecture, which he had
+recently bought as a long-resisted but triumphant piece of extravagance.
+Mechanically, they turned from the chancel and slowly made the round of
+the aisles. A short silence succeeded his professional ardor. His
+current of thought, in its reversion to home matters, had reminded him
+afresh of what was perpetually this morning uppermost in his
+consciousness--his coming departure.
+
+"Now," he said, abruptly, "is the most favorable opportunity I shall
+have, Mrs. Babcock, to tell you how much I am your debtor. I shan't
+despair of our meeting again, for the world is small, and good friends
+are sure to meet sooner or later. But the past is secure to me at any
+rate. If this church is in some measure what I have dreamed and wished
+it to be, if my work with all its faults is a satisfaction to myself, I
+wish you to know how much you have contributed to make it what it is."
+
+The words were as a melody in Selma's ears, and she listened greedily.
+Littleton paused, as one seriously moved will pause before giving the
+details of an important announcement. She, thinking he had finished,
+interjected with a touch of modesty, "I'm so glad. But my suggestions
+and criticisms have not been what I meant them to be. It was all new to
+me, you know."
+
+"Oh, yes. It hasn't been so much what you have said in words which has
+helped me, though that has been always intelligent and uplifting. I did
+not look for technical knowledge. You do not possess that, of course.
+There are women in New York who would be able to confuse you with their
+familiarity with these things. And yet it is by way of contrast with
+those very women--fine women, too, in their way--that you have been my
+good angel. There is no harm in saying that. I should be an ingrate,
+surely, if I would not let you know that your sane, simple outlook upon
+life, your independent vision, has kept my brain clear and my soul free.
+I am a better artist and a better man for the experience. Good-by, and
+may all happiness attend you. If once in a while you should find time to
+write to a struggling architect named Littleton, he will be charmed to
+do your bidding--to send you books and to place his professional
+knowledge at your service. Good-by."
+
+He held out his hand with frank effusion. He was obviously happy at
+having given utterance to his sense of obligation. Selma was tingling
+from head to foot and a womanly blush was on her cheek, though the
+serious seraph spoke in her words and eyes. She felt moved to a wave of
+unreserved speech.
+
+"What you have said is very interesting to me. I wish to tell you how
+much I, too, have enjoyed our friendship. The first time we met I felt
+sure we should be sympathetic, and we have been, haven't we? One of the
+fine things about friendships between men and women in this country is
+that they can really get to know each other without--er--harm to either.
+Isn't it? It's such a pleasure to know people really, and I feel as if I
+had known you, as if we had known each other really. I've never known
+any man exactly in that way, and I have always wanted to. Except, of
+course, my husband. And he's extremely different--that is, his tastes
+are not like yours. It's a happiness to me to feel that I have been of
+assistance to you in your work, and you have been equally helpful to me
+in mine. As you say, I have never had the opportunity to learn the
+technical parts of art, and your books have instructed me as to that. I
+have never been in New York, but I understand what you meant about your
+friends, those other women. I suppose society people must be constantly
+diverted from serious work--from the intellectual and spiritual life. Oh
+yes, we ought to write. Our friendship mustn't languish. We must let
+each other know what we are thinking and doing. Good-by."
+
+As Selma walked along the street her heart was in her mouth. She felt
+pity for herself. To just the right person she would have confessed the
+discovery that she had made a mistake and tied herself for life to the
+wrong man. It was not so much that she fancied Littleton which
+distressed her, for, indeed, she was but mildly conscious of
+infatuation. What disturbed her was the contrast between him and
+Babcock, which definite separation now forced upon her attention. An
+indefinable impression that Littleton might think less of her if she
+were to state this soul truth had restrained her at the last moment from
+disclosing the secret. Not for an instant did she entertain the idea of
+being false to Lewis. Her confession would have been but a dissertation
+on the inexorable irony of fate, calling only for sympathy, and in no
+way derogating from her dignity and self-respect as a wife. Still, she
+had restrained herself, and stopped just short of the confidence. He was
+gone, and she would probably not see him again for years. That was
+endurable. Indeed, a recognition of the contrary would not have seemed
+to her consistent with wifely virtue. What brought the tears to her eyes
+was the vision of continued wedlock, until death intervened, with a
+husband who could not understand. Could she bear this? Must she endure
+it? There was but one answer: She must. At the thought she bit her lip
+with the intensity and sternness of a martyr. She would be faithful to
+her marriage vows, but she would not let Lewis's low aims interfere with
+the free development of her own life.
+
+It was after noon when she reached home. She was met at the door by the
+hired girl with the worried ejaculation that baby was choking. The
+doctor was hastily summoned. He at once pronounced that Muriel Grace had
+membranous croup, and was desperately ill. Remedies of various sorts
+were tried, and a consulting physician called, but when Babcock returned
+from his office her condition was evidently hopeless. The child died in
+the early night. Selma was relieved to hear the doctor tell her husband
+that it was a malignant case from the first, and that nothing could have
+averted the result. In response to questions from Lewis, however, she
+was obliged to admit that she had not been at home when the acute
+symptoms appeared. This afforded Babcock an outlet for his suffering. He
+spoke to her roughly for the first time in his life, bitterly suggesting
+neglect on her part.
+
+"You knew she wasn't all right this morning, yet you had to go
+fiddle-faddling with that architect instead of staying at home where you
+belonged. And now she's dead. My little girl, my little girl!" And the
+big man burst out sobbing.
+
+Selma grew deadly pale. No one had ever spoken to her like that before
+in her life. To the horror of her grief was added the consciousness that
+she was being unjustly dealt with. Lewis had heard the doctor's
+statement, and yet he dared address her in such terms. As if the loss of
+the child did not fall equally on her.
+
+"If it were to be done over again, I should do just the same," she
+answered, with righteous quietness. "To all appearances she had nothing
+but a little cold. You have no right to lay the blame on me, her
+mother." At the last word she looked ready to cry, too.
+
+Babcock regarded her like a miserable tame bull. "I didn't mean to," he
+blubbered. "She's taken away from me, and I'm so wretched that I don't
+know what I'm saying. I'm sorry, Selma."
+
+He held out his arms to her. She was ready to go to them, for the angel
+of death had entered her home and pierced her heart, where it should be
+most tender. She loved her baby. Yet, when she had time to think, she
+was not sure that she wished to have another. When the bitterness of his
+grief had passed away, that was the hope which Lewis ventured to
+express, at first in a whisper, and later with reiterated boldness.
+Selma acquiesced externally, but she had her own opinions. Certain
+things which were not included in "Mother Lore," had been confided by
+Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle by word of mouth in the fulness of their
+mutual soul-scourings, and had remained pigeon-holed for future
+reference in Selma's inner consciousness. Another baby just at this time
+meant interference with everything elevating. There was time enough. In
+a year or two, when she had established herself more securely in the
+social sphere of Benham, she would present her husband with a second
+child. It was best for them both to wait, for her success was his
+success; but it would be useless to try to make that clear to him in his
+present mood.
+
+So she put away her baby things, dropping tears over the little socks
+and other reminders of her sorrow, and took up her life again, keeping
+her own counsel. The sympathy offered her was an interesting experience.
+Mrs. Earle came to her at once, and took her to her bosom; Mrs. Taylor
+sent her flowers with a kind note, which set Selma thinking whether she
+ought not to buy mourning note-paper; and within a week she received a
+visit of condolence from Mr. Glynn, rather a ghastly visit. Ghastly,
+because Lewis sat through it all with red eyes, very much as though he
+were listening to a touching exhortation in church. To be sure, he
+gripped the pastor's hand like a vice, at the end, and thanked him for
+coming, but his silent, afflicted presence had interfered with the free
+interchange of thought which would have been possible had she been alone
+with the clergyman. The subject of death, and the whole train of
+reflections incident to it, were uppermost in her mind, and she would
+have been glad to probe the mysteries of the subject by controversial
+argument, instead of listening to hearty, sonorous platitudes. She
+listened rather contemptuously, for she recognized that Mr. Glynn was
+saying the stereotyped thing in the stereotyped way, without realizing
+that it was nothing but sacerdotal pap, little adapted to an intelligent
+soul. What was suited to Lewis was not fit for her. And yet her baby's
+death had served to dissipate somewhat the immediate discontent which
+she felt with her husband. His strong grief had touched her in spite of
+herself, and, though she blamed him still for his inconsiderate
+accusation, she was fond of him as she might have been fond of some
+loving Newfoundland, which, splendid in awkward bulk, caressed her and
+licked her hand. It was pleasant enough to be in his arms, for the touch
+of man--even the wrong man--was, at times, a comfort.
+
+She took up again with determined interest her relations to the
+Institute, joining additional classes and pursuing a variety of topics
+of study, in regard to some of which she consulted Littleton. She missed
+his presence less than she had expected, especially after they had begun
+to correspond and were able to keep in touch by letter. His letters were
+delightful. They served her in her lecture courses, for they so clearly
+and concisely expressed her views that she was able to use long extracts
+from them word for word. And every now and then they contained a
+respectful allusion which showed that he still retained a personal
+interest in her. So the weeks slipped away and she was reasonably happy.
+She was absorbed and there was nothing new to mar the tenor of her life,
+though she was vaguely conscious that the loss of their little girl had
+widened the breach between her and her husband--widened it for the
+reason that now, for the first time, he perceived how lonely he was. The
+baby had furnished him with constant delight and preoccupation. He had
+looked forward all day to seeing it at night, and questions relating to
+it had supplied a never-ceasing small change of conversation between him
+and her. He had let her go her way with a smile on his face. Selma did
+not choose to dwell on the situation, but it was obvious that Lewis
+continued to look glum, and that there were apt to be long silences
+between them at meals. Now and again he would show some impatience at
+the continuous recurrence of the Institute classes as a bar to some
+project of domesticity or recreation, as though she had not been an
+active member of the Institute before baby was born.
+
+One of the plans in which Mrs. Earle was most interested was a Congress
+of Women's Clubs, and in the early summer of the same year--some four
+months subsequent to the death of Muriel Grace--a small beginning toward
+this end was arranged to take place in Chicago. There were to be six
+delegates from each club, and Selma was unanimously selected as one of
+the delegation from the Benham Women's Institute. The opinion was
+generally expressed that a change would do her good, and there was no
+question that she was admirably fitted to represent the club. Selma, who
+had not travelled a hundred miles beyond Benham in her life, was elated
+at the prospect of the expedition; so much so that she proudly recounted
+to Lewis the same evening the news of her appointment. It never occurred
+to her that he would wish to accompany her, and when he presently
+informed her that he had been wishing to go to Chicago on business for
+some time, and that the date proposed would suit him admirably, she was
+dumfounded. Half of the interest of the expedition would consist in
+travelling as an independent delegation. A husband would be in the way
+and spoil the savor of the occasion. It would never do, and so Selma
+proceeded to explain. She wished to go alone.
+
+"A pack of six women travel by themselves?" blurted Lewis. "Suppose
+there were an accident?" he added, after searching his brain for a less
+feeble argument.
+
+"We should either be killed or we shouldn't be," said Selma firmly. "We
+are perfectly well able to take care of ourselves. Women travel alone
+everywhere every-day--that is, intelligent American women."
+
+Lewis looked a little sad. "I thought, perhaps, it would seem nice for
+you to go with me, Selma. We haven't been off since we were married, and
+I can get away now just as well as not."
+
+"So it would have been if I weren't one of the delegation. I should
+think you would see, Lewis, that your coming is out of the question."
+
+So it proved. Selma set forth for Chicago on the appointed day, made
+many new acquaintances among the delegates, and was pleased to be
+introduced and referred to publicly as Mrs. Selma Babcock--a form of
+address to which she was unaccustomed at Benham. On the night before her
+departure, being in pleasant spirits, she told Lewis that her absence
+would do him good, and that he would appreciate her all the more on her
+return.
+
+She was to be gone a week. The first twenty-four hours passed gloomily
+for Babcock. Then he began to take notice. He noticed that the county
+fair was fixed for the following days. He had hoped to carry Selma
+there, but, as she was not to be had, it seemed to him sensible to get
+what enjoyment from it he could alone. Then it happened that a former
+companion of his bachelor days and his bachelor habits, a commercial
+traveller, whom he had not seen since his marriage, appeared on the
+scene.
+
+"The very man for me!" he ejaculated, jubilantly.
+
+The obscurity of this remark was presently made clear to his friend, who
+had hoped perhaps to enjoy a snug evening at Babcock's domestic hearth,
+but who was not averse to playing a different part--that of cheering up
+a father who had lost his baby, and whose wife had left him in the
+lurch. He assured Babcock that a regular old time outing--a shaking
+up--would do him good, and Babcock was ready to agree with him,
+intending thereby a free-handed two days at the fair. As has been
+intimated, his manner of life before marriage had not been
+irreproachable, but he had been glad of an opportunity to put an end to
+the mildly riotous and coarse bouts which disfigured his otherwise
+commonplace existence. He had no intention now of misbehaving himself,
+but he felt the need of being enlivened. His companion was a man who
+delighted in what he called a lark, and whose only method of insuring a
+lark was by starting in with whiskey and keeping it up. That had been
+also Babcock's former conception of a good time, and though he had dimly
+in mind that he was now a husband and church-member, he strove to
+conduct himself in such a manner as to maintain his self-respect without
+becoming a spoil sport.
+
+During the first day at the fair Babcock managed to preserve this nice
+distinction. On the second, he lost account of his conduct, and by the
+late afternoon was sauntering with his friend among the booths in the
+company of two suspicions looking women. With these same women the pair
+of revellers drove off in top buggies just before dusk, and vanished in
+the direction of the open country.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+Babcock returned to his home twenty-four hours later like a whipped cur.
+He was disgusted with himself. It seemed to him incredible that he
+should have fallen so low. He had sinned against his wife and his own
+self-respect without excuse; for it was no excuse that he had let
+himself be led to drink too much. His heart ached and his cheek burned
+at the recollection of his two days of debauchery. What was to be done?
+If only he were able to cut this ugly sore in his soul out with a knife
+and have done with it forever! But that was impossible. It stared him in
+the face, a haunting reality. In his distress he asked himself whether
+he would not go to Mr. Glynn and make a clean breast of it; but his
+practical instincts answered him that he would none the less have made a
+beast of himself. He held his head between his hands, and stared
+dejectedly at his desk. Some relief came to him at last only from the
+reflection that it was a single fault, and that it need never--it should
+never be repeated. Selma need not know, and he would henceforth avoid
+all such temptations. Terrible as it was, it was a slip, not a
+deliberate fault, and his love for his wife was not in question.
+
+Thus reasoning, he managed by the third day after his return to reach a
+less despondent frame of mind. While busy writing in his office a lady
+was announced, and looking up he encountered the meretricious smile of
+the courtesan with whom he had forgotten himself. She had taken a fancy
+to her victim, and having learned that he was well to do, she had come
+in order to establish, if possible, on a more permanent basis, her
+relations with him. She was a young woman, who had been drifting from
+place to place, and whose professional inclination for a protector was
+heightened by the liking which she had conceived for him. Babcock
+recalled in her smile merely his shame, and regarded her reappearance as
+effrontery. He was blind to her prettiness and her sentimental mood. He
+asked her roughly what she wanted, and rising from his chair, he bade
+her be gone before she had time to answer. Nine out of ten women of her
+class would have taken their dismissal lightly. Some might have answered
+back in tones loud enough to enlighten the clerks, and thus have
+accomplished a pretty revenge in the course of retreat. This particular
+Lesbian was in no humor to be harshly treated. She was a little
+desperate and Babcock had pleased her. It piqued her to be treated in
+such a fashion; accordingly, she held her ground and sat down. She tried
+upon him, alternately, irony and pathos. He was angry but confused under
+the first, he became savage and merciless under the second, throwing
+back in her teeth the suggestion of her fondness, and stigmatizing her
+coarsely. Then she became angry in her turn--angry as a woman whose
+proffered love is spurned. The method for revenge was obvious, and she
+told him plainly what she intended. His wife should know at once how her
+husband passed his time during her absence. She had posted herself, and
+she saw that her shaft hurt. Babcock winced, but mad and incredulous, he
+threatened her with arrest and drove her from the room. She went out
+smiling, but with an ominous look in her eyes, the remembrance of which
+made him ask himself now and again if she could be vicious enough, or
+fool enough, to keep her promise. He dismissed the idea as improbable;
+still the bare chance worried him. Selma was to arrive early the next
+morning, and he had reconciled himself to the conclusion that she need
+never know, and that he would henceforth be a faithful husband. Had he
+not given an earnest of his good faith in his reception of his visitor?
+Surely, no such untoward and unnatural accident would dash the cup of
+returning happiness from his lips. A more clever man would have gone
+straight to police headquarters, instead of trusting to chance.
+
+A night's rest reassured him as to the idleness of the threat, so that
+he was able to welcome Selma at the railroad station with a
+comparatively light heart. She was in high spirits over the success of
+her expedition, and yet graciously ready to admit that she was glad to
+return home--meaning thereby, to her own bed and bathing facilities; but
+the general term seemed to poor Lewis a declaration of wifely devotion.
+He went to his business with the mien of a man who had passed through an
+ordeal and is beginning life again; but when he returned at night, as
+soon as he beheld Selma, he suspected what had happened.
+
+She was awaiting him in the parlor. Though he saw at a glance that she
+looked grave, he went forward to kiss her, but she rose and, stepping
+behind the table, put out her hand forbiddingly.
+
+"What is the matter?" he faltered.
+
+"That woman has been here," was her slow, scornful response.
+
+"Selma, I--" A confusing sense of hopelessness as to what to say choked
+Babcock's attempt to articulate. There was a brief silence, while he
+looked at her imploringly and miserably.
+
+"Is it true what she says? Have you been false to your marriage vows?
+Have you committed adultery?"
+
+"My God! Selma, you don't understand."
+
+"It is an easy question to answer, yes or no?"
+
+"I forgot myself, Selma. I was drunk and crazy. I ask your pardon."
+
+She shook her head coldly. "I shall have nothing more to do with you. I
+cannot live with you any longer."
+
+"Not live with me?"
+
+"Would you live with me if it were I who had forgotten myself?"
+
+"I think I would, Selma. You don't understand. I was a brute. I have
+been wretched ever since. But it was a slip--an accident. I drank too
+much, and it happened. I love you, Selma, with all my heart. I have
+never been false to you in my affection."
+
+"It is a strange time to talk of affection. I went away for a week, and
+in my absence you insulted me by debauchery with a creature like that.
+Love? You have no conception of the meaning of the word. Oh no, I shall
+never live with you again."
+
+Babcock clinched his palms in his distress and walked up and down. She
+stood pale and determined looking into space. Presently he turned to her
+and asked with quiet but intense solicitude, "You don't mean that you're
+going to leave me for one fault, we being husband and wife and the
+little girl in her grave? I said you don't understand and you don't. A
+man's a man, and there are times when he's been drinking when he's
+liable to yield to temptation, and that though he's so fond of his wife
+that life without her would be misery. This sounds strange to a woman,
+and it's a poor excuse. But it ought to count, Selma, when it comes to a
+question of our separating. There would be happy years before us yet if
+you give me another chance."
+
+"Not happy years for me," she replied concisely. "The American woman
+does not choose to live with the sort of man you describe. She demands
+from her husband what he demands from her, faithfulness to the marriage
+tie. We could never be happy again. Our ideal of life is different. I
+have made excuses for you in other things, but my soul revolts at this."
+
+Babcock looked at her for a moment in silence, then he said, a little
+sternly, "You shouldn't have gone away and left me. I'm not blaming you,
+but you shouldn't have gone." He walked to the window but he saw
+nothing. His heart was racked. He had been eager to humiliate himself
+before her to prove his deep contrition, but he had come to the end of
+his resources, and yet she was adamant. Her charge that she had been
+making excuses for him hitherto reminded him that they had not been
+really sympathetic for some time past. With his back turned to her he
+heard her answer:
+
+"It was understood before I agreed to marry you that I was to be free to
+follow my tastes and interests. It is a paltry excuse that, because I
+left you alone for a week in pursuit of them, I am accessory to your
+sin."
+
+Babcock faced her sadly. "The sin's all mine," he said. "I can't deny
+that. But, Selma, I guess I've been pretty lonely ever since the baby
+died."
+
+"Lonely?" she echoed. "Then my leaving you will not matter so much.
+Here," she said, slipping off her wedding-ring, "this belongs to you."
+She remembered Mrs. Earle's proceeding, and though she had not yet
+decided what course to pursue in order to maintain her liberty, she
+regarded this as the significant and definite act. She held out the
+ring, but Babcock shook his head.
+
+"The law doesn't work as quick as that, nor the church either. You can
+get a divorce if you're set on it, Selma. But we're husband and wife
+yet."
+
+"Only the husk of our marriage is left. The spirit is dead," she said
+sententiously. "I am going away. I cannot pass another night in this
+house. If you will not take this ring, I shall leave it here."
+
+Babcock turned to hide the tears which blinded his eyes. Selma regarded
+him a moment gravely, then she laid her wedding-ring on the table and
+went from the room.
+
+She put her immediate belongings into a bag and left the house. She had
+decided to go to Mrs. Earle's lodgings where she would be certain to
+find shelter and sympathy. Were she to go to her aunt's she would be
+exposed to importunity on her husband's behalf from Mrs. Farley, who was
+partial to Lewis. Her mind was entirely made up that there could be no
+question of reconciliation. Her duty was plain; and she would be doing
+herself an injustice were she to continue to live with one so weak and
+regardless of the honor which she had a right to demand of the man to
+whom she had given her society and her body. His gross conduct had
+entitled her to her liberty, and to neglect to seize it would be to
+condemn herself to continuous unhappiness, for this overt act of his was
+merely a definite proof of the lack of sympathy between them, of which
+she had for some time been well aware at heart. As she walked along the
+street she was conscious that it was a relief to her to be sloughing off
+the garment of an uncongenial relationship and to be starting life
+afresh. There was nothing in her immediate surroundings from which she
+was not glad to escape. Their house was full of blemishes from the
+stand-point of her later knowledge, and she yearned to dissociate
+herself, once and for all, from the trammels of her pitiful mistake. She
+barely entertained the thought that she was without means. She would
+have to support herself, of course, but it never occurred to her to
+doubt her ability to do so, and the necessity added a zest to her
+decision. It would be plain sailing, for Mrs. Earle had more than once
+invited her to send copy to the _Benham Sentinel_, and there was no form
+of occupation which would be more to her liking than newspaper work. It
+was almost with the mien of a prisoner escaped from jail that she walked
+in upon her friend and said:
+
+"I have left my husband. He has been unfaithful to me."
+
+In Mrs. Earle, conventional feminine instincts were apt, before she had
+time to think, to get the upper hand of her set theories. "You, poor,
+poor child," she cried extending her arms.
+
+Selma had not intended to weep. Still the opportunity was convenient,
+and her nerves were on edge. She found herself sobbing with her head on
+Mrs. Earle's, bosom, and telling her sad story.
+
+"He was never good enough for you. I have always said so," Mrs. Earle
+murmured stroking her hair.
+
+"I ought to have known from the first that it was impossible for us to
+be happy. Why did I ever marry him? He said he loved me, and I let
+myself be badgered into it," Selma answered through her tears. "Well,
+it's all over now," she added, sitting up and drying her eyes. "He has
+given me back my liberty. I am a free woman."
+
+"Yes, dear, if you are perfectly sure of yourself, there is only one
+course to pursue. Only you should consider the matter solemnly. Perhaps
+in a few days, after he has apologized and shown proper contrition, you
+might feel willing to give him another chance."
+
+Selma was unprepared for Mrs. Earle's sentimentality. "Surely," she
+exclaimed with tragic earnestness, "you wouldn't have me live with him
+after what occurred? Contrition? He said everything he could think of to
+get me to stay, but I made my decision then and there."
+
+Mrs. Earle put her own handkerchief to her eyes. "Women have forgiven
+such things; but I respect you all the more for not being weak. I know
+how you feel. It is hard to do, but if I had it to do over again, I
+would act just the same--just the same. It's a serious responsibility to
+encourage any one to desert a home, but under the circumstances I would
+not live with him another minute, my child--not another minute."
+Thereupon Mrs. Earle protruded her bosom to celebrate the triumph of
+justice in her own mental processes over conventional and maudlin
+scruples. "You will apply for a divorce, I suppose?"
+
+"I have not considered that. All I care for is never to see him again."
+
+"Oh yes, you must get a divorce. It is much better, you know. In my case
+I couldn't, for he did nothing public. A divorce settles matters, and
+puts you back where you were before. You might wish some day to marry
+again."
+
+"I have had enough of marriage."
+
+"It isn't any harm to be a free woman--free in the eye of the law as
+well as of conscience. I know an excellent lawyer--a Mr. Lyons, a
+sympathetic and able man. Besides your husband is bound to support you.
+You must get alimony."
+
+"I wouldn't touch a dollar of his money," Selma answered with scorn. "I
+intend to support myself. I shall write--work."
+
+"Of course you will, dear; and it will be a boon and a blessing to me to
+have you in our ranks--one of the new army of self-supporting,
+self-respecting women. I suppose you are right. I have never had a
+sixpence. But your husband deserves to be punished. Perhaps it is
+punishment enough to lose you."
+
+"He will get over that. It is enough for me," she exclaimed, ardently,
+after a dreamy pause, "that I am separated from him forever--that I am
+free--free--free."
+
+A night's sleep served to intensify Selma's determination, and she awoke
+clearly of the opinion that a divorce was desirable. Why remain fettered
+by a bare legal tie to one who was a husband only in name? Accordingly,
+in company with Mrs. Earle, she visited the office of James O. Lyons,
+and took the initiatory steps to dissolve the marriage.
+
+Mr. Lyons was a large, full-bodied man of thirty-five, with a fat,
+cleanly-shaven, cherubic countenance, an aspect of candor, and keen,
+solemn eyes. His manner was impressive and slightly pontificial; his
+voice resonant and engaging. He knew when to joke and when to be grave
+as an owl. He wore in every-day life a shiny, black frock-coat, a
+standing collar, which yawned at the throat, and a narrow, black tie.
+His general effect was that of a cross between a parson and a shrewd
+Yankee--a happy suggestion of righteous, plain, serious-mindedness,
+protected against the wiles of human society--and able to protect
+others--by a canny intelligence. For a young man he had already a
+considerable clientage. A certain class of people, notably the
+hard-headed, God-fearing, felt themselves safe in his hands. His
+magnetic yet grave manner of conducting business pleased Benham,
+attracting also both the distressed and the bilious portions of the
+community, and the farmers from the surrounding country. As Mrs. Earle
+informed Selma, he was in sympathy with all progressive and stimulating
+ideas, and he already figured in the newspapers politically, and before
+the courts as a friend of the masses, and a fluent advocate of social
+reforms. His method of handling Selma's case was smooth. To begin with,
+he was sympathetic within proper limits, giving her tacitly to
+understand that, though as a man and brother, he deplored the necessity
+of extreme measures, he recognized that she had made up her mind, and
+that compromise was out of the question. To put it concisely, his manner
+was grieved, but practical. He told her that he would represent to
+Babcock the futility of contesting a cause, which, on the evidence, must
+be hopeless, and that, in all probability, the matter could be disposed
+of easily and without publicity. He seemed to Selma a very sensible and
+capable man, and it was agreeable to her to feel that he appreciated
+that, though divorce in the abstract was deplorable, her experience
+justified and called for the protection of the law.
+
+In the meantime Babcock was very unhappy, and was casting about for a
+method to induce his wife to return. He wrote to her a pitiful letter,
+setting forth once more the sorry facts in the best light which he could
+bring to bear on them, and implored her forgiveness. He applied to her
+aunt, Mrs. Farley, and got her to supplement his plea with her
+good-natured intervention. "There are lots of men like that," she
+confided to Selma, "and he's a kind, devoted creature." When this
+failed, he sought Rev. Mr. Glynn as a last resort, and, after he had
+listened to a stern and fervid rating from the clergyman on the lust of
+the flesh, he found his pastor on his side. Mr. Glynn was opposed to
+divorce on general ecclesiastical principles; moreover, he had been
+educated under the law of England, by which a woman cannot obtain a
+divorce from her husband for the cause of adultery unless it be coupled
+with cruelty--a clever distinction between the sexes, which was
+doubtless intended as a cloak for occasional lapses on the part of man.
+It was plain to him, as a Christian and as a hearty soul, that there had
+been an untoward accident--a bestial fault, a soul-debasing carnal sin,
+but still an accident, and hence to be forgiven by God and woman. It was
+his duty to interfere; and so, having disciplined the husband, he
+essayed the more delicate matter of propitiating the wife. And he
+essayed it without a thought of failure.
+
+"I'm afraid she's determined to leave me, and that there's not much
+hope," said Babcock, despondently, as he gripped the clergyman's hand in
+token of his gratitude.
+
+"Nonsense, my man," asserted Mr. Glynn briskly. "All she needs is an
+exhortation from me, and she will take you back."
+
+Selma was opposed to divorce in theory. That is, she had accepted on
+trust the traditional prejudice against it as she had accepted
+Shakespeare and Boston. But theory stood for nothing in her regard
+before the crying needs of her own experience. She had not the least
+intention of living with her husband again. No one could oblige her to
+do that. In addition, the law offered her a formal escape from his
+control and name. Why not avail herself of it? She recollected, besides,
+that her husband's church recognized infidelity as a lawful ground of
+release from the so-called sacrament of marriage. This had come into her
+mind as an additional sanction to her own decision. But it had not
+contributed to that decision. Consequently, when she was confronted in
+Mrs. Earle's lodgings by the errand of Mr. Glynn, she felt that his
+coming was superfluous. Still, she was glad of the opportunity to
+measure ideas with him in a thorough interview free from interruption.
+
+Mr. Glynn's confidence was based on his intention to appeal to the ever
+womanly quality of pity. He expected to encounter some resistance, for
+indisputably here was a woman whose sensibilities had been justly and
+severely shocked--a woman of finer tissue than her husband, as he had
+noted in other American couples. She was entitled to her day in
+court--to a stubborn, righteous respite of indignation. But he expected
+to carry the day in the end, amid a rush of tears, with which his own
+might be mingled. He trusted to what he regarded as the innate
+reluctance of the wife to abandon the man she loved, and to the leaven
+of feminine Christian charity.
+
+As a conscientious hater of sin, he did not attempt to minimize
+Babcock's act or the insult put upon her. That done, he was free to
+intercede fervently for him and to extol the virtue and the advisability
+of forgiveness. This plea, however cogent, was narrow, and once stated
+admitted merely of duplication in the same form. It was indeed no
+argument, merely an appeal, and, in proportion as it failed to move the
+listener, became feeble. Selma listened to him with a tense face, her
+hands clasped before her in the guise of an interested and
+self-scrutinizing spirit. But she betrayed no sign of yielding, or
+symptom of doubt. She shook her head once or twice as he proceeded, and,
+when he paused, asked why she should return to a man who had broken
+faith with her; asked it in such a genuine tone of conviction that Dr.
+Glynn realized the weakness of his own case, and became slightly nettled
+at the same time.
+
+"True," he said, rather sternly, "your husband has committed a hideous,
+carnal sin, but he is genuinely repentant. Do you wish to ruin his life
+forever?"
+
+"His life?" said Selma. "It would ruin my life to return to him. I have
+other plans--plans which will bring me happiness. I could never be happy
+with him."
+
+The clergyman was baffled. Other plans! The words offended him, and yet
+he could not dispute her right to do as she chose. Still he saw fit to
+murmur: "He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his
+life for my sake shall find it."
+
+Selma flushed. To be accused of acting contrary to Christian precepts
+was painful and surprising to her. "Mr. Glynn," she said, "I see you
+don't understand. My husband and I ought never to have married. It has
+all been a dreadful mistake. We have not the same tastes and interests.
+I am sorry for him, but I can never consent to return to him. To do so
+would condemn us both to a life of unhappiness. We were not intended for
+husband and wife, and it is best--yes, more Christian--for us to
+separate. We American women do not feel justified in letting a mistake
+ruin our lives when there is a chance to escape."
+
+Mr. Glynn regarded her in silence for a moment. He was accustomed to
+convince, and he had not succeeded, which to a clergyman is more
+annoying than to most men. Still what she said made his plea seem
+doubtful wisdom.
+
+"Then you do not love your husband?" he said.
+
+"No," said Selma quietly, "I do not love him. It is best to be frank
+with one's self--with you, in such a matter, isn't it? So you see that
+what you ask is out of the question."
+
+Mr. Glynn rose. Clearly his mission had failed, and there was nothing
+more to be said. Being a just man, he hesitated to pass an unkind
+judgment on this bright-faced, pensive woman. She was within her moral
+rights, and he must be careful to keep within his. But he went away
+bewildered and discomfited. Selma would have liked to dismiss the
+subject and keep him longer. She would have been glad to branch off on
+to other ethical topics and discuss them. She was satisfied with the
+result of the interview, for she had vindicated her position and spiked
+Lewis's last gun.
+
+So, indeed, it proved. Mr. Glynn sent for Babcock and told him the naked
+truth, that his wife's love for him was dead and reconciliation
+impossible. He properly refrained from expressing the doubt lurking in
+his own mind as to whether Selma had ever loved her husband. Thus
+convinced of the hopelessness of his predicament, Babcock agreed to Mr.
+Lyons's suggestion not to contest the legal proceedings. The lawyer had
+been diligent, and the necessary evidence--the testimony of the
+woman--was secure. She was ready to carry her revenge to the end,
+hoping, perhaps, that the victim of it would return to her when he had
+lost his wife. Accordingly, a few weeks later, Selma was granted a
+divorce nisi and the right to resume her maiden name. She had decided,
+however, to retain the badge of marriage as a decorous social prefix,
+and to call herself Mrs. Selma White.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+The consciousness that she was dependent for the means of support solely
+on her own exertions was a genuine pleasure to Selma, and she applied
+herself with confidence and enthusiasm to the problem of earning her
+livelihood. She had remained steadfast to her decision to accept nothing
+from her husband except the legal costs of the proceedings, though Mr.
+Lyons explained to her that alimony was a natural and moral increment of
+divorce. Still, after her refusal, he informed her as a man and a friend
+that he respected and admired the independence of her action, which was
+an agreeable tribute. She had fixed definitely on newspaper work as the
+most inviting and congenial form of occupation. She believed herself to
+be well fitted for it. It would afford her an immediate income, and it
+would give her the opportunity which she craved for giving public
+expression to her ideas and fixing attention on herself. There was room
+for more than one Mrs. Earle in Benham, for Benham was growing and
+wide-awake and on the alert for originality of any kind--especially in
+the way of reportorial and journalistic cleverness. Selma had no
+intention of becoming a second Mrs. Earle. That is, she promised herself
+to follow, but not to follow blindly; to imitate judiciously, but to
+improve on a gradually diverging line of progress. This was mere
+generalization as yet. It was an agreeable seething brain consciousness
+for future development. For the moment, however, she counted on Mrs.
+Earle to obtain for her a start by personal influence at the office of
+the _Benham Sentinel_. This was provided forthwith in the form of an
+invitation to prepare a weekly column under the caption of "What Women
+Wear;" a summary of passing usages in clothes. The woman reporter in
+charge of it had just died. Selma's first impulse was to decline the
+work as unworthy of her abilities, yet she was in immediate need of
+employment to avoid running in debt and she was assured by Mrs. Earle
+that she would be very foolish to reject such an offer. Reflection
+caused her to think more highly of the work itself. It would afford her
+a chance to explain to the women of Benham, and indirectly to the
+country at large, that taste in dress was not necessarily inconsistent
+with virtue and serious intentions--a truth of which she herself had
+become possessed since her marriage and which it seemed to her might be
+utilized delightfully in her department. She would endeavor to treat
+dress from the standpoint of ethical responsibility to society, and to
+show that both extravagance and dowdy homeliness were to be avoided.
+Clothes in themselves had grown to be a satisfaction to her, and any
+association of vanity would be eliminated by the introduction of a
+serious artistic purpose into a weekly commentary concerning them.
+Accordingly she accepted the position and entered upon its duties with
+grave zeal.
+
+For each of these contributions Selma was to receive eight dollars--four
+hundred a year, which she hoped to expand to a thousand by creative
+literary production--preferably essays and poetry. She hired a room in
+the same neighborhood as Mrs. Earle, in the boarding-house district
+appurtenant to Central Avenue--that is to say, on the ragged edge of
+Benham's social artery, and set up her new household gods. The interest
+of preparing the first paper absorbed her to the exclusion of everything
+else. She visited all the dress-making and dry-goods establishments in
+town, examined, at a hint from Mrs. Earle, the fashion departments of
+the New York papers, and then, pen in hand, gave herself up to her
+subject. The result seemed to her a happy blending of timely philosophy
+and suggestions as to toilette, and she took it in person to the editor.
+He saw fit to read it on the spot. His brow wrinkled at first and he
+looked dubious. He re-read it and said with some gusto, "It's a novelty,
+but I guess they'll like it. Our women readers have been used to fashion
+notes which are crisp and to the point, and the big houses expect to
+have attention called to the goods they wish to sell. If you'll run over
+this again and set your cold facts in little paragraphs by themselves
+every now and then, I shouldn't wonder if the rest were a sort of
+lecture course which will catch them. It's a good idea. Next time you
+could work in a pathetic story--some references to a dead
+baby--verses--anecdotes--a little variety. You perceive the idea?"
+
+"Oh, yes," said Selma, appropriately sober at the allusion yet ecstatic.
+"That's just what I should like to do. It would give me more scope. I
+wish my articles to be of real use--to help people to live better, and
+to dress better."
+
+"That's right, that's right; and if they make the paper sell, we'll know
+that folks like them," responded the editor with Delphic urbanity.
+
+The first article was a success. That is, Selma's method was not
+interfered with, and she had the satisfaction of reading in the
+_Sentinel_ during the week an item calling gratified attention to the
+change in its "What Women Wear" column, and indicating that it would
+contain new features from week to week. It gave her a pleasant thrill to
+see her name, "Selma White," signed at the end of the printed column,
+and she set to work eagerly to carry out the editor's suggestions. At
+the same time she tried her hand at a short story--the story of an
+American girl who went to Paris to study art, refused to alter her mode
+of life to suit foreign ideas of female propriety, displayed exceptional
+talent as an artist, and finally married a fine-spirited young American,
+to the utter discomfiture of a French member of the nobility, who had
+begun by insulting her and ended with making her an offer of marriage.
+This she sent to the _Eagle_, the other Benham newspaper, for its Sunday
+edition.
+
+It took her a month to compose this story, and after a week she received
+it back with a memorandum to the effect that it was one-half too long,
+but intimating that in a revised form it would be acceptable. This was a
+little depressing, especially as it arrived at a time when the novelty
+of her occupation had worn off and she was realizing the limitations of
+her present life. She had begun to miss the advantages of a free purse
+and the importance of a domestic establishment. She possessed her
+liberty, and was fulfilling her mission as a social force, but her life
+had been deprived of some of its savor, and, though she was thankful to
+be rid of Babcock, she felt the lack of an element of personal devotion
+to herself, an element which was not to be supplied by mere admiration
+on the part of Mrs. Earle and the other members of the Institute. It did
+not suit her not to be able to gratify her growing taste in clothes and
+in other lines of expenditure, and there were moments when she
+experienced the need of being petted and made much of by a man. She was
+conscious of loneliness, and in this mood she pitied herself as a victim
+of untoward circumstances, one who had wasted the freshness of her young
+life, and missed the happiness which the American wife is apt to find
+waiting for her. Under the spell of this nostalgia she wrote a poem
+entitled "The Bitter Sweets of Solitude," and disposed of it for five
+dollars to the _Sentinel_. The price shocked her, for the verses seemed
+flesh of her flesh. Still, five dollars was better than nothing, and she
+discerned from the manner of the newspaper editor that he cared little
+whether she left them or not. It was on that evening that she received a
+letter from Littleton, stating that he was on the eve of leaving New
+York for Benham. He was coming to consult concerning certain further
+interior decorations which the committee had decided to add to the
+church.
+
+Selma's nerves vibrated blissfully as she read the news. For some
+reason, which she had never seen fit definitely to define, she had
+chosen not to acquaint Littleton with the fact of her divorce. Their
+letters had been infrequent during the last six months, for this visit
+had been impending, having been put off from time to time because the
+committee had been dilatory and he otherwise engaged. Perhaps her secret
+motive had been to surprise him, to let him find himself confronted with
+an accomplished fact, which would obviate argument and reveal her
+established in her new career, a happy, independent citizen, without
+ties. At any rate she smiled now at the address on the envelope--Mrs.
+Lewis Babcock. Obviously he was still in the dark as to the truth, and
+it would be her privilege to enlighten him. She began to wonder what
+would be the upshot of his coming, and tears came to her eyes, tears of
+self-congratulation that the narrow tenor of her daily life was to be
+irradiated by a sympathetic spirit.
+
+When Littleton duly appeared at the committee meeting on the following
+day, Selma saw at a glance that he was unaware of what had happened. He
+looked slightly puzzled when one of the members addressed her as Mrs.
+White, but evidently he regarded this as a slip of the tongue. Selma
+looked, as she felt, contented and vivacious. She had dressed herself
+simply, but with effective trigness. To those who knew her experience,
+her appearance indicated courage and becoming self-respect. Public
+opinion, even as embodied in the church committee, while deploring the
+necessity, was not disposed to question the propriety of her action.
+That is, all except Mrs. Taylor. In her, Selma thought she had detected
+signs of coldness, a sort of suspicious reservation of judgment, which
+contrasted itself unpleasantly with the sympathetic attitude of the
+others, who were fain to refer to her, in not altogether muffled
+whispers, as a plucky, independent, little woman. Hence, she was glad
+that Mrs. Taylor happened to be detained at home by illness on this
+afternoon, and that, accordingly, she was free to enjoy unreservedly the
+dramatic nature of the situation. Her heart beat a little faster as the
+chairman, turning to her to ask a question, addressed her unmistakably
+as Mrs. White. She could not refrain from casting half-amused,
+half-pathetic sheep's eyes at Littleton. He started visibly, regarded
+her for, a moment in obvious amazement, then flushed to the roots of his
+hair. She felt the blood rising to her own cheeks, and a sensation of
+mild triumph. The meeting was over and the members were merely lingering
+to tie up the loose threads of the matter arranged for. In a few moments
+Selma found herself with the architect sufficiently apart from the
+others for him to ask:
+
+"Two persons have addressed you this afternoon as Mrs. White. I do not
+understand."
+
+She cast down her eyes, as a woman will when a question of modesty is
+involved, then she raised them and said: "You did not know, then, that I
+had left my husband?"
+
+"Left him?"
+
+"Yes. I have obtained a divorce. He was unfaithful to me."
+
+"I see"--said Littleton with a sort of gasp--"I see. I did not know. You
+never wrote to me."
+
+"I did not feel like writing to any body. There was nothing to be done
+but that."
+
+Littleton regarded her with a perturbed, restless air.
+
+"Then you live no longer at 25 Onslow Avenue?"
+
+"Oh, no. I left there more than six months ago. I live in lodgings. I am
+supporting myself by literary work. I am Mrs. Selma White now, and my
+divorce has been absolute more than a month."
+
+She spoke gravely and quietly, with less than her usual assurance, for
+she felt the spell of his keen, eager scrutiny and was not averse to
+yield at the moment to the propensity of her sex. She wondered what he
+was thinking about. Did he blame her? Did he sympathize with her?
+
+"Where are you going when you leave here?" he asked.
+
+"Home--to my new home. Will you walk along with me?"
+
+"That is what I should like. I am astonished by what you have told me,
+and am anxious to hear more about it, if to speak of it would not wound
+you. Divorced! How you must have suffered! And I did not have the chance
+to offer you my help--my sympathy."
+
+"Yes, I have suffered. But that is all over now. I am a free woman. I am
+beginning my life over again."
+
+It was a beautiful afternoon, and by mutual consent, which neither put
+into words, they diverged from the exact route to Selma's lodging house
+and turned their steps to the open country beyond the city limits--the
+picturesque dell which has since become the site of Benham's public
+park. There they seated themselves where they would not be interrupted.
+Selma told him on the way the few vital facts in her painful story, to
+which he listened in a tense silence, broken chiefly by an occasional
+ejaculation expressive of his contempt for the man who had brought such
+unhappiness upon her. She let him understand, too, that her married
+life, from the first, had been far less happy than he had
+imagined--wretched makeshift for the true relation of husband and wife.
+She spoke of her future buoyantly, yet with a touch of sadness, as
+though to indicate that she was aware that the triumphs of intelligence
+and individuality could not entirely be a substitute for a happy home.
+
+"And what do you expect to do?" he inquired in a bewildered fashion, as
+though her delineation of her hopes had been lost on him.
+
+"Do? Support myself by my own exertions, as I have told you. By writing
+I expect. I am doing very well already. Do you question my ability to
+continue?"
+
+"Oh, no; not that. Only--"
+
+"Only what? Surely you are not one of the men who grudge women the
+chance to prove what is in them--who would treat us like china dolls and
+circumscribe us by conventions? I know you are not, because I have heard
+you inveigh against that very sort of narrow mindedness. Only what?"
+
+"I can't make up my mind to it. And I suppose the reason is that it
+means so much to me--that you mean so much to me. What is the use of my
+dodging the truth, Selma--seeking to conceal it because such a short
+time has elapsed since you ceased to be a wife? Forgive me if I hurt
+you, if it seem indelicate to speak of love at the very moment when you
+are happy in your liberty. I can't help it; it's my nature to speak
+openly. And there's no bar now. The fact that you are free makes clear
+to me what I have not dared to countenance before, that you are the one
+woman in the world for me--the woman I have dreamed of--and longed to
+meet--the woman whose influence has blessed me already, and without whom
+I shall lack the greatest happiness which life can give. Selma, I love
+you--I adore you."
+
+Selma listened with greedy ears, which she could scarcely believe. It
+seemed to her that she was in dream-land, so unexpected, yet entrancing,
+was his avowal. She had been vaguely aware that he admired her more than
+he had allowed himself to disclose, and conscious, too, that his
+presence was agreeable to her; but in an instant now she recognized that
+this was love--the love she had sought, the love she had yearned to
+inspire and to feel. Compared with it, Babcock's clumsy ecstasy and her
+own sufferance of it had been a sham and a delusion. Of so much she was
+conscious in a twinkling, and yet what she deemed proper self-respect
+restrained her from casting herself into his arms. It was, indeed, soon,
+and she had been happy in her liberty. At least, she had supposed
+herself so; and she owed it to her own plans and hopes not to act
+hastily, though she knew what she intended to do. She had been lonely,
+yes starving, for lack of true companionship, and here was the soul
+which would be a true mate to hers.
+
+They were sitting on a grassy bank. He was bending toward her with
+clasped hands, a picture of fervor. She could see him out of the corner
+of her glance, though she looked into space with her gaze of seraphic
+worry. Yet her lips were ready to lend themselves to a smile of blissful
+satisfaction and her eyes to fill with the melting mood of the thought
+that at last happiness had come to her.
+
+The silence was very brief, but Littleton, as would have seemed fitting
+to her, feared lest she were shocked.
+
+"I distress you," he said. "Forgive me. Listen--will you listen?" Selma
+was glad to listen. The words of love, such love as this, were
+delicious, and she felt she owed it to herself not to be won too easily.
+"I am listening," she answered softly with the voice of one face to face
+with an array of doubts.
+
+"Before I met you, Selma, woman but was a name to me. My life brought me
+little into contact with them, except my dear sister, and I had no
+temptation to regret that I could not support a wife. Yet I dreamed of
+woman and of love and of a joy which might some day come to me if I
+could meet one who fulfilled my ideal of what a true woman should be. So
+I dreamed until I met you. The first time I saw you, Selma, I knew in my
+heart that you were a woman whom I could love. Perhaps I should have
+recognized more clearly as time went on that you were more to me even
+then than I had a right to allow; yet I call heaven to witness that I
+did not, by word or sign, do a wrong to him who has done such a cruel
+wrong to you."
+
+"Never by word or sign," echoed Selma solemnly. The bare suggestion that
+Babcock had cause to complain of either of them seemed to her
+preposterous. Yet she was saying to herself that it was easy to perceive
+that he had loved her from the first.
+
+"And since I love you with all my soul must I--should I in justice to
+myself--to my own hopes of happiness, refrain from speaking merely
+because you have so recently been divorced? I must speak--I am speaking.
+It is too soon, I dare say, for you to be willing to think of marriage
+again--but I offer you the love and protection of a husband. My means
+are small, but I am able now to support a wife in decent comfort. Selma,
+give me some hope. Tell me, that in time you may be willing to trust
+yourself to my love. You wish to work--to distinguish yourself. Would I
+be a hindrance to that? Indeed, you must know that I would do every
+thing in my power to promote your desire to be of service to the world."
+
+The time for her smile and her tears had come. He had argued his case
+and her own, and it was clear to her mind that delay would be futile.
+Since happiness was at hand, why not grasp it? As for her work, he need
+not interfere with that. And, after all, now that she had tried it, was
+she so sure that newspaper work--hack work, such as she was pursuing,
+was what she wished? As a wife, re-established in the security of a
+home, she could pick and choose her method of expression. Perhaps,
+indeed, it would not be writing, except occasionally. Was not New York a
+wide, fruitful field, for a reforming social influence? She saw herself
+in her mind's eye a leader of movements and of progress. And that with a
+man she loved--yes, adored even as he adored her.
+
+So she turned to Littleton with her smile and in tears--the image of
+bewitching but pathetic self-justification and surrender. Her mind was
+made up; hence why procrastinate and coyly postpone the desirable, and
+the inevitable? That was what she had the shrewdness to formulate in the
+ecstasy of her transport; and so eloquent was the mute revelation of her
+love that Littleton, diffident reverencer of the modesty of woman as he
+was, without a word from her clasped her to his breast, a victor in a
+breath. As, regardless of the possible invasion of interlopers, he took
+her in his embrace, she felt with satisfaction once more the grasp of
+masculine arms. She let her head fall on his shoulder in delighted
+contentment. While he murmured in succession inarticulate terms of
+endearment, she revelled in the thrill of her nerves and approved her
+own sagacious and commendable behavior.
+
+"Dearest," she whispered, "you are right. We are right. Since we love
+each other, why should we not say so? I love you--I love you. The ugly
+hateful past shall not keep us apart longer. You say you loved me from
+the first; so did I love you, though I did not know it then. We were
+meant for each other--God meant us--did he not? It is right, and we
+shall be so happy, Wilbur."
+
+"Yes, Selma." Words seemed to him an inadequate means for expressing his
+emotions. He pressed his lips upon hers with the adoring respect of a
+worshipper touching his god, yet with the energy of a man. She sighed
+and compared him in her thought with Babcock. How gentle this new lover!
+How refined and sensitive and appreciative! How intelligent and
+gentlemanly!
+
+"If I had my wish, darling," he said, "we should be married to-night and
+I would carry you away from here forever."
+
+She remembered that Babcock had uttered the same wish on the occasion
+when he had offered himself. To grant it then had been out of the
+question. To do so now would be convenient--a prompt and satisfactory
+blotting out of her past and present life--a happy method of solving
+many minor problems of ways and means connected with waiting to be
+married. Besides it would be romantic, and a delicious, fitting crowning
+of her present blissful mood.
+
+He mistook her silence for womanly scruples, and he recounted with a
+little laugh the predicament in which he should find himself on his own
+account were they to be so precipitate. "What would my sister think if
+she were to get a telegram--'Married to-night. Expect us to-morrow?' She
+would think I had lost my senses. So I have, darling; and you are the
+cause. She knows about you. I have talked to her about you."
+
+"But she thinks I am Mrs. Babcock."
+
+"Oh yes. Ha! ha! It would never do to state to whom I was married,
+unless I sent a telegram as long as my arm. Dear Pauline! She will be
+radiant. It is all arranged that she is to stay where she is in the old
+quarters, and I am to take you to a new house. We've decided on that,
+time and again, when we've chanced to talk of what might happen--of 'the
+fair, the chaste and unexpressive she'--my she. Dearest, I wondered if I
+should ever find her. Pauline has always said that she would never run
+the risk of spoiling everything by living with us."
+
+"It would be very nice--and very simple," responded Selma, slowly. "You
+wouldn't think any the worse of me, Wilbur, if I were to marry you
+to-night?"
+
+"The worse of you? It is what I would like of all things. Whom does it
+concern but us? Why should we wait in order to make a public spectacle
+of ourselves?"
+
+"I shouldn't wish that. I should insist on being married very quietly.
+Under all the circumstances there is really no reason--it seems to me it
+would be easier if we were to be married as soon as possible. It would
+avoid explanations and talk, wouldn't it? That is, if you are perfectly
+sure."
+
+"Sure? That I love you? Oh Selma!"
+
+She shut her eyes under the thrill which his kiss gave her. "Then we
+will be married whenever you wish," she said.
+
+It was already late in the afternoon, so that the prospects of obtaining
+a license did not seem favorable. Still it happened that Littleton knew
+a clergyman of his own faith--Unitarian--in Benham, a college classmate,
+whom he suggested as soon as he understood that Selma preferred not to
+be married by Mr. Glynn. They found him at home, and by diligent
+personal effort on his part the necessary legal forms were complied with
+and they were made husband and wife three hours before the departure of
+the evening train for New York. After the ceremony they stepped
+buoyantly, arm in arm in the dusk, along the street to send the telegram
+to Miss Littleton, and to snatch a hasty meal before Selma went to her
+lodgings to pack. There were others in the restaurant, so having
+discovered that they were not hungry, they bought sandwiches and
+bananas, and resumed their travels. The suddenness and surprise of it
+all made Selma feel as if on wings. It seemed to her to be of the
+essence of new and exquisite romance to be walking at the side of her
+fond, clever lover in the democratic simplicity of two paper bags of
+provender and an open, yet almost headlong marriage. She felt that at
+last she was yoked to a spirit who comprehended her and who would
+stimulate instead of repress the fire of originality within her. She had
+found love and she was happy. Meanwhile she had decided to leave Benham
+without a word to anyone, even Mrs. Earle. She would write and explain
+what had happened.
+
+
+
+
+BOOK II.
+
+THE STRUGGLE
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+Littleton had not expected that Selma would accede to his request to be
+married at once, but he was delighted at her decision. He had uttered
+his wish in sincerity, for there was really no reason for waiting, and
+by an immediate marriage they would escape the tedium of an engagement
+during which they could hope to see each other but rarely. He was able
+to support a wife provided they were to live simply and economically. He
+felt sure that Selma understood his circumstances and was no less ready
+than he to forego luxuries in order that they might be all in all to
+each other spiritually as husband and wife. Besides he had hopes that
+his clientage would continue to grow so that he would be able to provide
+all reasonable comforts for his new home. Consequently he drove up from
+the station in New York with a light heart, fondly pointing out to his
+wife this and that building and other objects of interest. He mistook
+her pensive silence for diffidence at the idea of descending suddenly on
+another woman's home--a matter which in this instance gave him no
+concern, for he had unlimited confidence in Pauline's executive ability
+and her tendency not to get ruffled. She had been his good angel,
+domestically speaking, and, indeed, in every way, since they had first
+begun to keep house together, and it had rather amused him to let fall
+such a bombshell as the contents of his telegram upon the regularity of
+her daily life.
+
+"Don't be nervous, darling," he said gayly. "You will find Pauline
+bubbling over with joy at our coming, and everything arranged as though
+we were expected to live there all our lives."
+
+Selma looked at him blankly and then remembered. She was not feeling
+nervous, and Pauline was not in her thoughts. She had been lost in her
+own reflections--lost in the happy consciousness of the contrast between
+her new and her old husband, and in the increasing satisfaction that she
+was actually in New York. How bright and busy the streets looked! The
+throng of eager passers and jostling vehicles against the background of
+brilliant shop-windows bewildered and stimulated her. She was saying to
+herself that here was the place where she was suited to live, and mutely
+acknowledging its superiority to Benham as a centre of life. This was a
+rash, swift conclusion, but Selma prided herself on her capacity to
+arrive at wise judgments by rapid mental processes. So absorbed was she
+in the glittering, stirring panorama that Wilbur's efforts at
+enlightenment were practically wasted. She was in no humor for details;
+she was glorying in the exalted impression which the whole vivid scene
+produced upon her.
+
+His remark caused her to realize that they must be near their
+destination. She had no misgivings on the score of her own reception,
+but she was interested and curious to see Pauline, this wonderful sister
+of whom Wilbur was so fond and so proud. Then her husband cried, "Here
+we are!" and in another moment she found herself in the hearty embrace
+of a large, comely woman who met her at the door. This of course must be
+Pauline. Selma was just a little shocked by the fervor of the greeting;
+for though she delighted in rapid intimacies, unexpected liberties with
+her person were contrary to her conceptions of propriety. Still it was
+delightful to be welcomed so heartily. She returned the embrace warmly
+but with dignity, and allowed herself to be convoyed into the house arm
+in arm with her new relation who seemed, indeed, to be bubbling over
+with joy. It was not until they were in the same room that Selma could
+get a good look at her.
+
+Pauline Littleton was fine looking rather than pretty. She was tall and
+substantial, with an agreeable face, an intelligent brow, a firm yet
+sweet mouth, and steady, honest eyes which now sparkled with pleasure.
+Her physique was very different from her brother's. Selma noticed that
+she was taller than herself and only a little shorter than Wilbur. She
+had Wilbur's smile too, suggesting a disposition to take things
+humorously; but her expression lacked the poetic cast which made him so
+attractive and congenial to herself and excused the existence of the
+lighter vein. Selma did not admire women who were inclined to be stout.
+She associated spareness of person with high thinking, and an abundance
+of flesh as an indication of material or commonplace aims. She reflected
+that Pauline was presumably business-like and a good house-keeper, and,
+very likely, an industrious teacher in her classes, but she set her down
+in her mind as deficient in the finer sensibilities of the spirit
+belonging to herself and Wilbur. It was instinctive with Selma to form a
+prompt estimate of every one she met, and it was a relief to her to come
+to the agreeable conclusion that there was nothing in her
+sister-in-law's appearance to make her discontented with herself. This
+warmed her heart at once toward Pauline. To be sure Pauline manifested
+the same sort of social grace which distinguished Mrs. Hallett Taylor,
+but Selma, though she still regarded this with suspicion, for the reason
+that she had not yet become mistress of it, was secretly content to know
+that she had married into a family which possessed it. Altogether she
+was agreeably impressed by her scrutiny of her new sister, who, in her
+opinion, would not be an irritating rival either in looks or character,
+and yet who was a pleasing and sufficiently serious-minded person--in
+short just the sort of sister-in-law which she yearned to have.
+
+Pauline, on her part, was duly fascinated by the delicate and inspiring
+beauty of her brother's wife. She understood at once why Wilbur had
+chosen her in preference to any one of his own circle. Selma obviously
+symbolized by her grave, tense, thin face the serious ideals of living
+and womanhood, which had been dear to his meditation as a youth and a
+part of his heritage from his New England ancestors. It made her joyous
+to feel that he had found a wife who would be a constant source of
+inspiration to him, for she knew that Wilbur would not be happy with any
+one who fell short of his ideal as to what a woman should be. She knew
+her brother well, and she understood how deeply in earnest he was to
+make the most of his life, and what an exalted vision he entertained as
+to the possibilities for mutual sympathy and help between husband and
+wife.
+
+Partly as a consequence of their limited means, partly owing to
+absorption in their respective studies and interests, the Littletons,
+though of gentle stock, lived simple lives according to New York
+standards. They were aware of the growth of luxury resulting from the
+accumulation of big fortunes since the war. As an architect, Wilbur saw
+larger and more elaborate public and private buildings being erected on
+every side. As a house-keeper and a woman with social interests, Pauline
+knew that the power of money was revolutionizing the public taste in the
+matter of household expenditure; that in the details of domestic life
+there was more color and more circumstance, and that people who were
+well-to-do, and many who were not, were requiring as daily comforts all
+sorts of things to which they had been unaccustomed. But though they
+both thus knew vaguely that the temper of society had changed, and that
+sober citizens and their wives, who, twenty years before, would have
+prated solemnly against a host of gay, enlivening or pretty customs as
+incompatible with American virtue, were now adopting these as rapidly as
+money could procure them--the brother and sister had remained
+comparatively unaffected by the consequences of the transformation
+scene. Certainly their home had. It was old-fashioned in its garniture
+and its gentility. It spoke of a day, not so many years before, when
+high thinking had led to blinking where domestic decoration was
+concerned, and people had bought ugly wooden and worsted things to live
+with because only the things of the spirit seemed of real importance.
+Still time, with its marvellous touch, has often the gift of making
+furniture and upholstery, which were hideous when bought, look
+interesting and cosey when they have become old-fashioned. In this way
+Pauline Wilbur's parlor was a delightful relic of a day gone by. There
+was scarcely a pretty thing in it, as Wilbur himself well knew, yet, as
+a whole, it had an atmosphere--an atmosphere of simple unaffected
+refinement. Their domestic belongings had come to them from their
+parents, and they had never had the means to replenish them. When, in
+due time, they had realized their artistic worthlessness, they had held
+to them through affection, humorously conscious of the incongruity that
+two such modern individuals as themselves should be living in a domestic
+museum. Then, presto! friends had begun to congratulate them on the
+uniqueness of their establishment, and to express affection for it. It
+had become a favorite resort for many modern spirits--artists, literary
+men, musicians, self-supporting women--and Pauline's oyster suppers,
+cooked in her grandmother's blazer, were still a stimulus to high
+thinking.
+
+So matters stood when Selma entered it as a bride. Her coming signified
+the breaking up of the household and the establishment. Pauline had
+thought that out in her clear brain over night since receiving Wilbur's
+telegram. Wilbur must move into a modern house, and she into a modern
+flat. She would keep the very old things, such as the blazer and some
+andirons and a pair of candlesticks, for they were ancient enough to be
+really artistic, but the furniture of the immediate past, her father and
+mother's generation, should be sold at auction. Wilbur and she must, if
+only for Selma's sake, become modern in material matters as well as in
+their mental interests.
+
+Pauline proceeded to unfold this at the dinner-table that evening. She
+had heard in the meanwhile from her brother, the story of Selma's
+divorce and the explanation of his sudden marriage; and in consequence,
+she felt the more solicitous that her sister-in-law's new venture should
+begin propitiously. It was agreed that Wilbur should make inquiries at
+once about houses further uptown, and that his present lease from year
+to year should not be renewed. She said to Selma:
+
+"You have saved us from becoming an old-fashioned bachelor and maid. Our
+friends began to leave this neighborhood five years ago, and there is no
+one left. We are surrounded by boarding-houses and shops. We were
+comfortable, and we were too busy to care. But it would never do for a
+young married couple to begin house-keeping here. You must have a brand
+new house uptown, Selma. You must insist on that. Don't be alarmed,
+Wilbur. I know it will have to be small, but I noticed the other day
+several blocks of new houses going up on the side streets west of the
+Park, which looked attractive and cheap."
+
+"I will look at them," said Wilbur. "Since you seem determined not to
+live with us, and we are obliged to move, we will follow the procession.
+But Selma and I could be happy anywhere." He turned from his sister to
+her as he spoke with a proud, happy look.
+
+Selma said nothing to mar his confidence. She had no intention of living
+either with Pauline or in their present house, and she felt that her
+sister-in-law had shown good sense in recognizing that neither was
+possible. She necessarily had vague ideas as to New York houses and
+locations, but she had seen enough in her drive from the station to
+understand that it was a wonderful and decorative place. Although her
+experience of Benham had taught her that some old things--such as Mrs.
+Hallett Taylor's gleanings from Europe--were desirable, she associated
+new things with progress--especially American progress. Consequently the
+Littleton household possessions had puzzled her, for though she thought
+them ugly, she was resolved not to commit herself too hastily. But now
+that Pauline had sounded a note of warning, the situation was clear.
+They had suffered themselves to fall behind the times, and she was to be
+her husband's good angel by helping him to catch up with them. And it
+was evident that Pauline would be her ally. Selma for the first time
+asked herself whether it might be that Wilbur was a little visionary.
+
+Meanwhile he was saying: "Pauline is right, Selma. I had already asked
+myself if it would not be fairer to you to move uptown where we should
+be in the van and in touch with what is going on. Pauline is gently
+hinting to you that you must not humor me as she has done, and let me
+eat bread and milk out of a bowl in this old curiosity shop, instead of
+following in the wake of fashion. She has spoiled me and now she deserts
+me at the critical moment of my life. Selma, you shall have the most
+charming modern house in New York within my means. It must be love in a
+cottage, but the cottage shall have the latest improvements--hot and
+cold water, tiles, hygienic plumbing and dados."
+
+"Bravo!" said Pauline. "He says I have spoiled him, Selma. Perhaps I
+have. It will be your turn now. You will fail to convert him as I have
+failed, and the world will be the better for it. There are too few men
+who think noble thoughts and practice them, who are true to themselves
+and the light which is in them through thick and thin. But you see, he
+admits himself that he needs to mix with the world a little more.
+Otherwise he is perfect. You know that perhaps, already, Selma. But I
+wish to tell it to you before him. Take care of him, dear, won't you?"
+
+"It was because I felt that his thoughts were nobler than most men's
+that I wished to marry him," Selma replied, seraphically. "But I can see
+that it is sensible to live where your friends live. I shall try not to
+spoil him, Pauline." She was already conscious of a mission which
+appealed to her. She had been content until now in the ardor of her love
+to regard Wilbur as flawless--as in some respects superior to herself;
+but it was a gratification to her to detect this failing, and to
+perceive her opportunity for usefulness. Surely it was important for her
+husband to be progressive and not merely a dreamer.
+
+Littleton looked from one to the other fondly. "Not many men are blessed
+with the love of two such women," he said. "I put myself in your hands.
+I bow my neck to the yoke."
+
+In New York in the early seventies the fashionable quarter lay between
+Eighth and Fortieth Streets, bounded on either side by Fourth and Sixth
+Avenues. Central Park was completed, but the region west of it was, from
+the social stand-point, still a wilderness, and Fifth Avenue in the
+neighborhood of Twenty-third Street was the centre of elegant social
+life. Selma took her first view of this brilliant street on the
+following day on her way to hunt for houses in the outlying district.
+The roar and bustle of the city, which thrilled yet dazed her, seemed
+here softened by the rows of tall, imposing residences in brown stone.
+Along the sunny sidewalks passed with jaunty tread an ever-hurrying
+procession of stylishly clad men and women; and along the roadbed sped
+an array of private carriages conducted by coachmen in livery. It was a
+brilliant day, and New Yorkers were making the most of it.
+
+Selma had never seen such a sight before. Benham faded into
+insignificance in comparison. She was excited, and she gazed eagerly at
+the spectacle. Yet her look, though absorbed, was stern. This sort of
+thing was unlike anything American within her personal experience. This
+avenue of grand houses and this procession of fine individuals and fine
+vehicles made her think of that small section of Benham into which she
+had never been invited, and the thought affected her disagreeably.
+
+"Who are the people who live in these houses?" she asked, presently.
+
+Littleton had already told her that it was the most fashionable street
+in the city.
+
+"Oh, the rich and prosperous."
+
+"Those who gamble in stocks, I suppose." Selma wished to be assured that
+this was so.
+
+"Some of them," said Littleton, with a laugh. "They belong to people who
+have made money in various ways or have inherited it--our well-to-do
+class, among them the first families in New York, and many of them our
+best citizens."
+
+"Are they friends of yours?"
+
+Littleton laughed again. "A few--not many. Society here is divided into
+sets, and they are not in my set. I prefer mine, and fortunately, for I
+can't afford to belong to theirs."
+
+"Oh!"
+
+The frigidity and dryness of the exclamation Littleton ascribed to
+Selma's intuitive enmity to the vanities of life.
+
+"You mustn't pass judgment on them too hastily," he said. "New York is a
+wonderful place, and it's likely to shock you before you learn to
+appreciate what is interesting and fine here. I will tell you a secret,
+Selma. Every one likes to make money. Even clergymen feel it their duty
+to accept a call from the congregation which offers the best salary, and
+probing men of science do not hesitate to reap the harvest from a
+wonderful invention. Yet it is the fashion with most of the people in
+this country who possess little to prate about the wickedness of
+money-getters and to think evil of the rich. That proceeds chiefly from
+envy, and it is sheer cant. The people of the United States are engaged
+in an eager struggle to advance themselves--to gain individual
+distinction, comfort, success, and in New York to a greater extent than
+in any other place can the capable man or woman sell his or her wares to
+the best advantage--be they what they may, stocks, merchandise, law,
+medicine, pictures. The world pays well for the things it wants--and the
+world is pretty just in the long run. If it doesn't like my designs,
+that will be because they're not worth buying. The great thing--the
+difficult thing to guard against in the whirl of this great city, where
+we are all striving to get ahead--is not to sell one's self for money,
+not to sacrifice the thing worth doing for mere pecuniary advantage.
+It's the great temptation to some to do so, for only money can buy fine
+houses, and carriages and jewels--yes, and in a certain sense, social
+preferment. The problem is presented in a different form to every man.
+Some can grow rich honestly, and some have to remain poor in order to be
+true to themselves. We may have to remain poor, Selma mia." He spoke
+gayly, as though that prospect did not disturb him in the least.
+
+"And we shall be just as good as the people who own these houses." She
+said it gravely, as if it were a declaration of principles, and at the
+same moment her gaze was caught and disturbed by a pair of blithe,
+fashionably dressed young women gliding by her with the quiet,
+unconscious grace of good-breeding. She was inwardly aware, though she
+would never acknowledge it by word or sign, that such people troubled
+her. More even than Mrs. Taylor had troubled her. They were different
+from her and they tantalized her.
+
+At the same moment her husband was saying in reply, "Just as good, but
+not necessarily any better. No--other things being equal--not so good.
+We mustn't deceive ourselves with that piece of cant. Some of them are
+frivolous enough, and dishonest enough, heaven knows, but so there are
+frivolous and dishonest people in every class. But there are many more
+who endeavor to be good citizens--are good citizens, our best citizens.
+The possession of money gives them the opportunity to become arbiters of
+morals and taste, and to seek culture under the best advantages. After
+all, an accumulation of money represents brains and energy in some one.
+Look at this swell," he continued, indicating an attractive looking
+young man who was passing. "His grandfather was one of the ablest men in
+the city--an intelligent, self-respecting, shrewd, industrious,
+public-spirited citizen who made a large fortune. The son has had
+advantages which I have never had, and I happen to know that he is a
+fine fellow and a very able one. If it came to comparisons, I should be
+obliged to admit that he's a more ornamental member of society than
+Jones, Brown, or Robinson, and certainly no less useful. Do I shock
+you--you sweet, unswerving little democrat of the democrats?"
+
+It always pleased Selma to be called endearing names, and it suited her
+in her present frame of mind to be dubbed a democrat, for it did not
+suit her to be painfully realizing that she was unable, at one brilliant
+swoop, to take her place as a leader in social influence. Somehow she
+had expected to do this, despite her first difficulties at Benham, for
+she had thought of New York as a place where, as the wife of Littleton,
+the architect, she would at once be a figure of importance. She shook
+her head and said, "It's hard to believe that these people are really in
+earnest; that they are serious in purpose and spirit." Meanwhile she was
+being haunted by the irritating reflection that her clothes and her
+bearing were inferior to those of the women she was passing. Secretly
+she was making a resolve to imitate them, though she believed that she
+despised them. She put her hand through her husband's arm and added,
+almost fiercely, as she pressed closer to him, "We needn't trouble our
+heads about them, Wilbur. We can get along without being rich and
+fashionable, you and I. In spite of what you say, I don't consider this
+sort of thing American."
+
+"Get along? Darling, I was merely trying to be just to them; to let you
+see that they are not so black as they're painted. We will forget them
+forever. We have nothing in common with them. Get along? I feel that my
+life will be a paradise living with you and trying to make some
+impression on the life of this big, striving city. But as to its not
+being American to live like these people--well you know they are
+Americans and that New York is the Mecca of the hard-fisted sons of toil
+from all over the country who have made money. But you're right, Selma.
+Those who go in for show and extravagance are not the best
+Americans--the Americans whom you and I believe in. Sometimes I get
+discouraged when I stop to think, and now I shall have you to keep me
+steadfast to our faith."
+
+"Yes, Wilbur. And how far from here are we to live?"
+
+"Oh, a mile or more. On some side street where the land is cheap and the
+rent low. What do we care for that, Selma mia?"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+Shortly before Selma Littleton took up her abode in New York, Miss
+Florence, or, as she was familiarly known, Miss Flossy Price, was an
+inhabitant of a New Jersey city. Her father was a second cousin of
+Morton Price, whose family at that time was socially conspicuous in
+fashionable New York society. Not aggressively conspicuous, as ultra
+fashionable people are to-day, by dint of frequent newspaper
+advertisement, but in consequence of elegant, conservative
+respectability, fortified by and cushioned on a huge income. In the
+early seventies to know the Morton Prices was a social passport, and by
+no means every one socially ambitious knew them. Morton Price's
+great-grandfather had been a peddler, his grandfather a tea merchant,
+his father a tea merchant and bank organizer, and he himself did nothing
+mercantile, but was a director in diverse institutions, representing
+trusts or philantrophy, and was regarded by many, including himself, as
+the embodiment of ornamental and admirable citizenship. He could talk by
+the hour on the degeneracy of state and city politics and the evil deeds
+of Congress, and was, generally speaking, a conservative, fastidious,
+well-dressed, well-fed man, who had a winning way with women and a happy
+faculty of looking wise and saying nothing rash in the presence of men.
+Some of the younger generation were apt, with the lack of reverence
+belonging to youth, to speak of him covertly as "a stuffed club," but no
+echo of this epithet had ever reached the ear of his cousin, David
+Price, in New Jersey. For him, as for most of the world within a radius
+of two hundred miles, he was above criticism and a monument of social
+power.
+
+David Price, Miss Flossy's father, was the president of a small and
+unprogressive but eminently solid bank. Respectable routine was his
+motto, and he lived up to it, and, as a consequence, no more sound
+institution of the kind existed in his neighborhood. He and his
+directors were slow to adopt innovations of any kind; they put stumbling
+blocks in the path of business convenience whenever they could; in
+short, David Price in his humble way was a righteous, narrow, hide-bound
+retarder of progress and worshipper of established local custom.
+Therefore it was a constant source of surprise and worry to him that he
+should have a progressive daughter. There were four other children,
+patterns of quiet, plodding conservatism, but--such is the irony of
+fate--the youngest, prettiest, and his favorite, was an independent,
+opinionated young woman, who seemed to turn a deaf ear to paternal and
+maternal advice of safest New Jersey type. In her father's words, she
+had no reverence for any thing or any body, which was approximately
+true, for she did not hesitate to speak disrespectfully even of the head
+of the house in New York.
+
+"Poppa," she said one day, "Cousin Morton doesn't care for any of us a
+little bit. I know what you're going to say," she added; "that he sends
+you two turkeys every Thanksgiving. The last were terribly tough. I'm
+sure he thinks that we never see turkeys here in New Jersey, and that he
+considers us poor relations and that we live in a hole. If one of us
+should call on him, I know it would distress him awfully. He's right in
+thinking that this is a hole. Nothing ever happens here, and when I
+marry I intend to live in New York."
+
+This was when she was seventeen. Her father was greatly shocked,
+especially as he suspected in his secret soul that the tirade was true
+in substance. He had been the recipient of Thanksgiving turkeys for
+nearly twenty years on the plea that they had been grown on the donor's
+farm in Westchester county, and he had seen fit to invite his
+fellow-directors annually to dine off one of them as a modest notice
+that he was on friendly terms with his aristocratic New York cousin. But
+in all these twenty years turkeys had been the only medium of
+intercourse between them. David Price, on the few occasions when he had
+visited New York, had not found it convenient to call. Once he had
+walked by on the other side of Fifth avenue and looked at the house, but
+shyness and the thought that he had no evening clothes in his valise had
+restrained him from ringing the doorbell.
+
+"You do your cousin Morton great injustice--great injustice, Florence,"
+he answered. "He never forgets to send the turkeys, and as to the rest
+of your speech, I have only to say that it is very disrespectful and
+very foolish. The next time I go to New York I will take you to call on
+your cousins."
+
+"And what would I say to them? No thank you, poppa." The young woman
+shook her head decisively, and then she added, "I'm not going to call on
+them, until I'm fit to. There!"
+
+The ambiguity of this remark gave Mr. Price the opportunity to say that,
+in view of her immediate shortcomings, it was a wise conclusion, but he
+knew what she really meant and was distressed. His feeling toward his
+cousin, though mildly envious, did not extend to self-depreciation, nor
+had it served to undermine his faith in the innate dignity and worth of
+New Jersey family life. He could not only with a straight face, but with
+a kindling eye inveigh against the perils of New York fashionable life,
+and express gratification that no son or daughter of his had wandered so
+far from the fold. It distressed him to think that Florence should be
+casting sheep's eyes at the flesh-pots of Gotham, and so failing to
+appreciate the blessings and safety of a quiet American home.
+
+Miss Flossy continued to entertain and to express opinions of her own,
+and as a result became socially interesting. At eighteen, by her beauty,
+her engaging frankness and lack of self-consciousness, she spread havoc
+among the young men of her native city, several of whom offered her
+marriage. But marriage was far from her thoughts. Life seemed too
+interesting and she wished to see the world. She was erect and alert
+looking, with a compact figure of medium height, large brown eyes and
+rich red hair, and a laughing mouth; also an innocent demeanor, which
+served to give her, by moonlight, the effect of an angel. She succeeded
+in visiting Bar Harbor, where she promptly became a bright particular
+star among the galaxy of young women who at that period were
+establishing the reputation of the summer girl. She continued to be a
+summer girl for four seasons without injury to her own peace of mind. At
+the end of the fourth summer she appeared on close scrutiny to be a
+little worn, and her innocent air seemed a trifle deliberate. She
+returned to her home in New Jersey in not quite her usual spirits. In
+fact she became pensive. She had seen the world, and lo! she found it
+stuffed with sawdust. She was ready to settle down, but the only man
+with whom she would have been willing to settle had never asked her. He
+was the brother of one of the girls who had been forbidden by her mother
+to stay out in canoes with young men after nine at night. The rumor had
+reached Flossy that this same mother had referred to her in "the fish
+pond" at Rodick's as "that dreadful girl." It would have pleased her
+after that to have wrung an offer of marriage from the son and heir, who
+knew her cousins, the Morton Prices, and to whom she would have been
+willing to engage herself temporarily at all events. He was very
+devoted; they stayed out in his canoe until past midnight; he wrote
+verses to her and told her his innermost thoughts; but he stopped there.
+He went away without committing himself, and she was left to chew the
+cud of reflection. It was bitter, not because she was in love with him,
+for she was not. In her heart she knew he bored her a little. But she
+was piqued. Evidently he had been afraid to marry "that dreadful girl."
+She was piqued and she was sad. She recognized that it was another case
+of not being fit. When would she be fit? What was she to do in order to
+become fit--fit like the girl who was not allowed to stay on the water
+after nine o'clock? She had ceased to think of the young man, but the
+image of his sister haunted her. How stylish she was, yet how simple and
+quiet! "I wonder," thought Flossy to herself, "if I could ever become
+like her." The reflection threw her into a brown study in which she
+remained for weeks, and during which she refused the hand of a staid and
+respectable townsman, who, in her father's words, was ready to take her
+with all her follies. David Price was disappointed. He loved this
+independent daughter, and he had hopes that her demure and reticent
+deportment signified that the effervescence of youth had evaporated. But
+it was only an effort on Flossy's part to imitate the young man's
+sister.
+
+At this juncture and just when she was bored and dispirited by the
+process, Gregory Williams appeared on the scene. Flossy met him at a
+dancing party. He had a very tall collar, a very friendly, confident,
+and (toward her) devoted manner, and good looks. It was whispered among
+the girls that he was a banker from New York. He was obviously not over
+thirty, which was young for a banker, but so he presently described
+himself to Flossy with hints of impending prosperity. He spoke glibly
+and picturesquely. He had a convincing eloquence of gesture--a wave of
+the hand which suggested energy and compelled confidence. He had picked
+her out at once to be introduced to, and sympathy between them was
+speedily established. Her wearing, as a red-headed girl, a white horse
+in the form of a pin, in order to prevent the attention of the men to
+whom she talked from wandering, delighted him. He said to himself that
+here was a girl after his own heart. He had admired her looks at the
+outset, but he gazed at her now more critically. He danced every dance
+with her, and they sat together at supper, apart from everybody else.
+Flossy's resolutions were swept away. That is, she had become in an
+instant indifferent to the fact that the New York girl she had yearned
+to imitate would not have made herself so conspicuous. Her excuse was
+that she could not help herself. It was a case of genuine, violent
+attraction, which she made no effort to straggle against.
+
+The attraction was violent on both sides. Gregory Williams was not
+seeking to be married. He had been, until within six months, a broker's
+clerk, and had become a banker on the strength of ten thousand dollars
+bequeathed to him by a grandmother. He and a clerk from another broker's
+office, J. Willett VanHorne, had recently formed a partnership as
+Williams & VanHorne, Bankers and Dealers in Stocks and Bonds. He was not
+seeking to be married, but he intended to be married some day, and it
+was no part of his scheme of life to deny himself anything he wished.
+Support a wife? Of course he could; and support her in the same
+grandiose fashion which he had adopted for himself since he had begun
+business on his own account. He had chosen as a philosophy of life the
+smart paradox, which he enjoyed uttering, that he spent what he needed
+first and supplied the means later; and at the same time he let it be
+understood that the system worked wonderfully. He possessed unlimited
+confidence in himself, and though he was dimly aware that a very small
+turn of the wheel of fortune in the wrong direction would ruin him
+financially, he chose to close his eyes to the possibilities of disaster
+and to assume a bold and important bearing before the world. He had
+implicit faith in his own special line of ability, and he appreciated
+the worth of his partner, VanHorne. He had joined forces with VanHorne
+because he knew that he was the opposite of himself--that he was a
+delving, thorough, shrewd, keen office man--and able too. How genuinely
+able Williams did not yet know. He himself was to be the showy partner,
+the originator of schemes and procurer of business, the brilliant man
+before the world. So there was some method in his madness. And with it
+all went a cheery, incisive, humorous point of view which was congenial
+and diverting to Flossy.
+
+He went away, but he came back once--twice--thrice in quick succession.
+On business, so he said casually to Mr. and Mrs. Price, but his language
+to their daughter was a declaration of personal devotion. It remained
+for her to say whether she would marry him or no. Of one thing she was
+sure without need of reflection, that she loved him ardently. As a
+consequence she surrendered at once, though, curiously enough, she was
+conscious when she permitted him to kiss her with effusion that he was
+not the sort of man she had intended to marry--that he was not fit in
+her sense of the word. Yet she was determined to marry him, and from the
+moment their troth was plighted she found herself his eager and faithful
+ally, dreaming and scheming on their joint account. She would help him
+to succeed; they would conquer the world together; she would never doubt
+his ability to conquer it. And in time--yes, in time they would make
+even the Morton Prices notice them.
+
+And so after some bewildered opposition on the part of Mr. Price, who
+was alternately appalled and fascinated by the magniloquent language of
+his would-be son-in-law, they were married. Flossy gave but a single
+sign to her husband that she understood him and recognized what they
+really represented. It was one evening a few months after they had set
+up housekeeping while they were walking home from the theatre. They had
+previously dined at Delmonico's, and the cost of the evening's
+entertainment, including a bottle of champagne at dinner, their tickets
+and a corsage bouquet of violets for Flossy, had been fifteen dollars.
+Flossy wore a resplendent theatre hat and fashionable cape--one of the
+several stylish costumes with which her husband had hastened to present
+her, and Gregory was convoying her along the Avenue with the air of a
+man not averse to have the world recognize that they were a well set up
+and prosperous couple. Flossy had put her arm well inside his and was
+doing her best to help him produce the effect which he desired, when she
+suddenly said:
+
+"I wonder, Gregory, how long it will be before we're really anybody.
+Now, of course, we're only make believe swell."
+
+Gregory gave an amused laugh. "What a clever little woman! That's just
+what we are. We'll keep it a secret, though, and won't advertise it to
+the world."
+
+"Mum's the word," she replied, giving his arm a squeeze. "I only wished
+you to know that I was not being fooled; that I understood."
+
+Fate ordained that the Williamses and the Littletons should take houses
+side by side in the same block. It was a new block, and at first they
+were the sole occupants. Williams bought his house, giving a mortgage
+back to the seller for all the man would accept, and obtaining a second
+mortgage from a money lender in consideration of a higher rate of
+interest, for practically the remaining value. He furnished his house
+ornately from top to bottom in the latest fashion, incurring bills for a
+portion of the effects, and arranging to pay on the instalment plan
+where he could not obtain full credit. His reasoning was convincing to
+himself and did not alarm Flossy, who was glad to feel that they were
+the owners of the house and attractive furniture. It was that the land
+was sure to improve in value before the mortgage became due, and as for
+the carpets and curtains and other outlays, a few points in the stock
+market would pay for them at any time.
+
+Wilbur Littleton did not possess the ready money to buy; consequently he
+took a lease of his new house for three years, and paid promptly for the
+furniture he bought, the selection of which was gradual. Gregory
+Williams had a marvellous way of entering a shop and buying everything
+which pleased his eye at one fell swoop, but Wilbur, who desired to
+accomplish the best æsthetic effects possible consistent with his
+limited means, trotted Selma from one shop to another before choosing.
+This process of selecting slowly the things with which they were to pass
+their lives was a pleasure to him, and, as he supposed, to Selma. She
+did enjoy keenly at first beholding the enticing contents of the various
+stores which they entered in the process of procuring wall-papers,
+carpets, and the other essentials for house-keeping. It was a revelation
+to her that such beautiful things existed, and her inclination was to
+purchase the most showy and the most costly articles. In the adornment
+of her former home Babcock had given her a free hand. That is, his
+disposition had been to buy the finest things which the shopkeepers of
+Benham called to his attention. She understood now that his taste and
+the taste of Benham, and even her's, had been at fault, but she found
+herself hampered now by a new and annoying limitation, the smallness of
+their means. Almost every thing was very expensive, and she was obliged
+to pass by the patterns and materials she desired to possess, and accept
+articles of a more sober and less engaging character. Many of these, to
+be sure, were declared by Wilbur to be artistically charming and more
+suitable than many which she preferred, but it would have suited her
+better to fix on the rich upholstery and solid furniture, which were
+evidently the latest fashion in household decoration, rather than go
+mousing from place to place, only at last to pick up in the back corner
+of some store this or that object which was both reasonably pretty and
+reasonably cheap. When it was all over Selma was pleased with the effect
+of her establishment, but she had eaten of the tree of knowledge. She
+had visited the New York shops. These, in her capacity of a God-fearing
+American, she would have been ready to anathematize in a speech or in a
+newspaper article, but the memory of them haunted her imagination and
+left her domestic yearnings not wholly satisfied.
+
+Wilbur Littleton's scheme of domestic life was essentially spiritual,
+and in the development of it he felt that he was consulting his wife's
+tastes and theories no less than his own. He knew that she understood
+that he was ambitious to make a name for himself as an architect; but to
+make it only by virtue of work of a high order; that he was unwilling to
+become a time-server or to lower his professional standards merely to
+make temporary progress, which in the end would mar a success worth
+having. He had no doubt that he had made this clear to her and that she
+sympathized with him. As a married man it was his desire and intention
+not to allow his interest in this ambition to interfere with the
+enjoyment of the new great happiness which had come into his life. He
+would be a professional recluse no longer. He would cast off his work
+when he left his office, and devote his evenings to the æsthetic
+delights of Selma's society. They would read aloud; he would tell her
+his plans and ask her advice; they would go now and then to the theatre;
+and, in justice to her, they would occasionally entertain their friends
+and accept invitations from them. With this outlook in mind he had made
+such an outlay as would render his home attractive and cosey--simple as
+became a couple just beginning life, yet the abode of a gentleman and a
+lover of inspiring and pretty things.
+
+As has been mentioned, Littleton was a Unitarian, and one effect of his
+faith had been to make his point of view broad and straightforward. He
+detested hypocrisy and cant, subterfuge and self-delusion. He was
+content to let other people live according to their own lights without
+too much distress on their account, but he was too honest and too
+clear-headed to be able to deceive himself as to his own motives and his
+own conduct. He had no intention to be morbid, but he saw clearly that
+it was his privilege and his duty to be true to both his loves, his wife
+and his profession, and that if he neglected either, he would be so far
+false to his best needs and aspirations. Yet he felt that for the moment
+it was incumbent on him to err on the side of devotion to his wife until
+she should become accustomed to her new surroundings.
+
+The problem of the proper arrangement and subdivision of life in a large
+city and in these seething, modern times is perplexing to all of us.
+There are so many things we would like to do which we cannot; so many
+things which we do against our wills. We are perpetually squinting at
+happiness, but just as we get a delightful vision before our eyes we are
+whisked off by duty or ambition or the force of social momentum to try a
+different view. Consequently our perennial regret is apt to be that we
+have seen our real interests and our real friends as in a panorama, for
+a fleeting moment, and then no more until the next time. For Littleton
+this was less true than for most. His life was deep and stable rather
+than many-sided. To be sure his brain experienced, now and then, the
+dazing effects of trying to confront all the problems of the universe
+and adapt his architectural endeavors to his interpretation of them; and
+he knew well the bewildering difficulties of the process of adjusting
+professional theories to the sterile conditions which workaday practice
+often presented. But this crowding of his mental canvas was all in the
+line of his life purpose. The days were too short, and sometimes left
+him perplexed and harassed by their rush; yet he was still pursuing the
+tenor of his way. The interest of marriage was not, therefore, in his
+case a fresh burden on a soul already laden with a variety of side
+pursuits. He was neither socially nor philanthropically active; he was
+not a club man, nor an athletic enthusiast; he was on no committees; he
+voted on election days, but he did not take an active part in politics.
+For Selma's sake all this must be changed; and he was glad to
+acknowledge that he owed it to himself as well as to her to widen his
+sympathies.
+
+As a first step in reform he began to leave his office daily at five
+instead of six, and, on Saturdays, as soon after two as possible. For a
+few months these brands of time snatched from the furnace of his
+professional ardor were devoted to the shopping relative to
+house-furnishing. When that was over, to walking with Selma; sometimes
+as a sheer round of exercise in company, sometimes to visit a
+print-shop, exhibition of pictures, book-store, or other attraction of
+the hour. But the evening was for him the ideal portion of the day;
+when, after dinner was done, they made themselves comfortable in the new
+library, their living room, and it became his privilege to read aloud to
+her or to compare ideas with her regarding books and pictures and what
+was going on in the world. It had been a dream of Littleton's that some
+day he would re-read consecutively the British poets, and as soon as the
+furniture was all in place and the questions of choice of rugs and
+chairs and pictures had been settled by purchase, he proposed it as a
+definite occupation whenever they had nothing else in view. It delighted
+him that Selma received this suggestion with enthusiasm. Accordingly,
+they devoted their spare evenings to the undertaking, reading aloud in
+turn. Littleton's enunciation was clear and intelligent, and as a happy
+lover he was in a mood to fit poetic thoughts to his own experience, and
+to utter them ardently. While he read, Selma knew that she was ever the
+heroine of his imagination, which was agreeable, and she recognized
+besides that his performance in itself was æsthetically attractive. Yet
+in spite of the personal tribute, Selma preferred the evenings when she
+herself was the elocutionist. She enjoyed the sound of her own voice,
+and she enjoyed the emotions which her utterance of the rhythmic stanzas
+set coursing through her brain. It was obvious to her that Wilbur was
+captivated by her reading, and she delighted in giving herself up to the
+spirit of the text with the reservations appropriate to an enlightened
+but virtuous soul. For instance, in the case of Shelley, she gloried in
+his soaring, but did not let herself forget that fire-worship was not
+practical; in the case of Byron, though she yielded her senses to the
+spell of his passionate imagery, she reflected approvingly that she was
+a married woman.
+
+But Littleton appreciated also that his wife should have the society of
+others beside himself. Pauline introduced her promptly to her own small
+but intelligent feminine circle, and pending Pauline's removal to a
+flat, the Saturday evening suppers were maintained at the old
+establishment. Here Selma made the acquaintance of her husband's and his
+sister's friends, both men and women, who dropped in often after the
+play and without ceremony for a weekly interchange of thought and
+comradeship. Selma looked forward to the first of these occasions with
+an eager curiosity. She expected a renewal of the Benham Institute, only
+in a more impressive form, as befitted a great literary centre; that
+papers would be read, original compositions recited, and many
+interesting people of both sexes perform according to their specialties.
+She confidently hoped to have the opportunity to declaim, "Oh, why
+should the spirit of mortal be proud?" "Curfew must not ring to-night,"
+or some other of her literary pieces.
+
+Therefore, it was almost a shock to her that the affair was so informal,
+and that the company seemed chiefly occupied in behaving gayly--in
+making sallies at each other's expense, which were greeted with
+merriment. They seemed to her like a lot of children let loose from
+school. There were no exercises, and no allusion was made to the
+attainments of the various guests beyond an occasional word of
+introduction by Pauline or Wilbur; and this word was apt to be of
+serio-comic import. Selma realized that among the fifteen people present
+there were representatives of various interesting crafts--writers,
+artists, a magazine editor, two critics of the stage, a prominent
+musician, and a college professor--but none of them seemed to her to act
+a part or to have their accomplishments in evidence, as she would have
+liked. Every one was very cordial to her, and appeared desirous to
+recognize her as a permanent member of their circle, but she could not
+help feeling disappointed at the absence of ceremony and formal events.
+There was no president or secretary, and presently the party went into
+the dining-room and sat around a table, at either end of which Pauline
+and Wilbur presided over a blazer. Interest centred on the preparation
+of a rabbit and creamed oysters, and pleasant badinage flew from tongue
+to tongue. Selma found herself between the magazine editor and a large,
+powerfully built man with a broad, rotund, strong face, who was
+introduced to her as Dr. Page, and who was called George by every one
+else. He had arrived late, just as they were going in to supper, and his
+appearance had been greeted with a murmur of satisfaction. He had placed
+himself between Pauline and her, and he showed himself, to Selma's
+thinking, one of the least dignified of the company.
+
+"My dear Mrs. Littleton," he said, with a counterfeit of great gravity,
+"you are now witnessing an impressive example of the politeness of true
+friendship. There are cynics who assert that the American people are
+lacking in courtesy, and cast in our teeth the superiority of Japanese
+manners. I wish they were here to-night. There is not a single
+individual present, male or female, married or single, who does not
+secretly cherish the amiable belief that he or she can cook things on a
+blazer better than any one else. And yet we abstain from criticism; we
+offer no suggestions; we accept, without a murmur, the proportions of
+cheese and beer and butter inflicted upon us by our hostess and her
+brother, and are silent. We shall even become complimentary later. Can
+the Japanese vie with this?"
+
+The contrast between his eager, grave gaze, and the levity of his words,
+puzzled Selma. He looked interesting, but his speech seemed to her
+trivial and unworthy of the occasion. Still she appreciated that she
+must not be a spoil-sport, and that it was incumbent on her to resign
+herself to the situation, so she smiled gayly, and said: "I am the only
+one then not suffering from self-restraint. I never made a Welsh rabbit,
+nor cooked on a blazer." Then, in her desire for more serious
+conversation, she added: "Do you really think that we, as a people, are
+less polite than the Japanese?"
+
+The doctor regarded her with solemn interest for an instant, as though
+he were pondering the question. As a matter of fact, he was thinking
+that she was remarkably pretty. Then he put his finger on his lips, and
+in a hoarse whisper, said, "Sh! Be careful. If the editorial ear should
+catch your proposition the editorial man would appropriate it. There!"
+he added, as her left-hand neighbor bent toward them in response to the
+summons, "he has heard, and your opportunity to sell an idea to the
+magazine is lost. It is all very fine for him to protest that he has
+heard nothing. That is a trick of his trade. Let us see now if he will
+agree to buy. If he refuses, it will be a clear case that he has heard
+and purloined it. Come, Dennison, here's a chance for a ten
+thousand-word symposium debate, 'Are we, as a nation, less polite than
+the Japanese?' We offer it for a hundred and fifty cash, and cheap at
+the price."
+
+Mr. Dennison, who was a keen-eyed, quiet man, with a brown, closely-cut
+beard, had paused in his occupation of buttering hot toast for the
+impending rabbit, and was smiling quizzically. "If you have literary
+secrets to dispose of, Mrs. Littleton, let me warn you against making a
+confidant of Dr. Page. Had you spoken to me first, there is no knowing
+what I might have--"
+
+"What did I tell you?" broke in the doctor. "A one hundred and
+fifty-dollar idea ruthlessly appropriated. These editors, these
+editors!"
+
+It was tantalizing to Selma to be skirting the edge of themes she would
+have enjoyed to hear treated seriously. She hoped that Mr. Dennison
+would inquire if she really wrote, and at least he would tell her
+something about his magazine and literary life in New York. But he took
+up again his task of buttering toast, and sought to interest her in
+that. Presently she was unable to resist the temptation of remarking
+that the editorship of a magazine must be one of the most interesting of
+all occupations; but he looked at her with his quizzical smile, and
+answered:
+
+"Between you and me, Mrs. Littleton, I will confide to you that a
+considerable portion of the time it is a confounded bore. To tell the
+truth, I much prefer to sit next to you and butter toast."
+
+This was depressing and puzzling to Selma; but after the consumption of
+the rabbit and the oysters there was some improvement in the general
+tone of the conversation. Yet, not so far as she was concerned. Mr.
+Dennison neglected to confide to her the secrets of his prison house,
+and Dr. Page ruthlessly refused to discuss medicine, philosophy, or the
+Japanese. But here and there allusion was made by one or another of the
+company to something which had been done in the world of letters, or
+art, or music, which possessed merit or deserved discouragement. What
+was said was uttered simply, often trenchantly and lightly, but never as
+a dogma, or with the solemnity which Mrs. Earle had been wont to impart
+to her opinions. Just as the party was about to break up, Dr. Page
+approached Selma and offered her his hand. "It is a great pleasure to me
+to have met you," he said, looking into her face with his honest eyes.
+"A good wife was just what Wilbur needed to insure him happiness and a
+fine career. His friends have great confidence in his ability, and we
+intrust him to you in the belief that the world will hear from him--and
+I, for one, shall be very grateful to you."
+
+He spoke now with evident feeling, and his manner suggested the desire
+to be her friend. Selma admired his large physique and felt the
+attraction of his searching gaze.
+
+"Perhaps he did need a wife," she answered with an attempt at the
+sprightliness which he had laid aside. "I shall try not to let him be
+too indifferent to practical considerations."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+"Who is Dr. Page?" asked Selma of her husband when they left the house.
+
+"One of our best friends, and one of the leading physicians in the city.
+The energy of that man is tireless. He is absorbed in his profession.
+The only respite he allows himself are these Saturday evenings, and his
+devotion to his little son who has hip disease. He told me to-night that
+he had finished his day's work only just before he came in. What did you
+think of him? He likes to tease."
+
+"Then he is married?"
+
+"He is a widower."
+
+"He seems interested in you. He was good enough to say that he thought
+you needed a wife."
+
+"Then he must have admired you, Selma. Poor fellow! I wish he might have
+that happiness himself. I'll tell you a secret: He has desired to marry
+Pauline for years. They are devoted friends--but until now that is all.
+His wife was an actress--a handsome creature. Two years after they were
+married she ran away with another man and left him. Left him with one
+little boy, a cripple, on whom he lavishes all the love of his big
+nature."
+
+"How dreadful!"
+
+"Yes, it is a sad story. That was ten years ago. He was very young and
+the woman was very beautiful. It has been the making of him, though, in
+one way. He had the pride and confidence of ability, but he lacked
+sympathy. His experience and the appealing presence of his son have
+developed his nature and given him tenderness. He has not been
+imbittered; he has simply become gentle. And how he works! He is already
+famous in his profession."
+
+"Does Pauline care for him?"
+
+"I don't know her feelings. I am sure she is fond of him, and admires
+him. I fancy, though, that she hesitates to renounce her own ambitions.
+As you are aware, she is greatly interested in her classes, and in
+matters pertaining to the higher education of women. George Page knew
+her at the time of his marriage. I do not mean that he paid her serious
+attention then, but he had the opportunity to ask her instead of the
+other. Now, when she has become absorbed in her life-work, she would
+naturally decline to give it up unless she felt sure that she could not
+be happy without him."
+
+"I would not marry him if I were she," said Selma. "He has given his
+best to the other woman. He is the one at fault, not Pauline. Why should
+she sacrifice her own career in order to console him?"
+
+"She might love him sufficiently to be willing to do so, Selma. Love
+makes women blind to faults. But poor George was scarcely at fault. It
+was a misfortune."
+
+"He made his choice and was deceived. It would be weak of her to give up
+her own life merely because he is lonely. We modern women have too much
+self-respect for that. Love is love, and it is not to be trifled with."
+
+"Yes, love is love," murmured Littleton, "and I am happy in mine."
+
+"That is because neither of us has loved before, you foolish boy. But as
+to this evening, it wasn't at all what I expected. Are your friends
+always like that?"
+
+Littleton laughed. "Did they seem to you frivolous and undignified,
+then?"
+
+"Almost. They certainly said nothing serious."
+
+"It is their holiday--their evening out. They have to be serious during
+the rest of the week--busy with problems and cares, for they are a set
+of hard workers. The stress of life is so rigorous and constant here in
+New York that we have learned not to take our pleasure sadly. When you
+become accustomed to their way you will realize that they are no less
+serious at heart because they frolic now and then."
+
+Selma was silent a moment; then she said, "That reminds me; have you
+found out about our next-door neighbors yet?"
+
+"He is a banker named Williams, I believe."
+
+"I saw his wife pass the window this morning. She was beautifully
+dressed. They must be rich."
+
+"I dare say."
+
+"But they live in the same style of house as ours."
+
+"Bankers have mysterious ways of making money. We cannot compete with
+those."
+
+"I suppose not. I was thinking that she had the same manner as some of
+your friends this evening, only more pronounced. She stopped to speak to
+some one just in front of the house, so I could observe her. I should
+think she was frivolous, but fascinating. That must be the New York
+manner, and, consequently, she may be very much in earnest."
+
+"It isn't given to every woman to be attractive all the time just
+because she looks in earnest, as it is to you, dearest. But you musn't
+be too severe on the others."
+
+"On the contrary, I think I shall like Mrs. Williams. She may teach us
+to be practical. You know that is what your friends would like to have
+me help you to be, Wilbur."
+
+"Then they did talk a word or two of sense?"
+
+"They said that. Do you think it is true that you are visionary?"
+
+"It is your duty to tell me so, Selma, when you think it, just as I have
+told you that we can afford to laugh now and then. Come, begin."
+
+"I haven't been your wife long enough yet. I shall know better by the
+end of another six months."
+
+A fortnight elapsed before Selma made the acquaintance of Mrs. Gregory
+Williams. It was not a chance meeting. Flossy rang the bell deliberately
+one afternoon and was ushered in, thereby bridging over summarily the
+yawning chasm which may continue to exist for an indefinite period
+between families in the same block who are waiting to be introduced.
+
+"I said to my husband last night, Mrs. Littleton, that it was ridiculous
+for us to be living side by side without knowing one another, and that I
+was going to call. We moved in three weeks before you, so I'm the one
+who ought to break the ice. Otherwise we might have stared at each other
+blankly for three months, looked at each other sheepishly out of the
+corner of our eyes for another three, half bowed for six months, and
+finally, perhaps, reached the stage where we are now. Neighbors should
+be neighborly, don't you think so?"
+
+"Indeed I do. Of course I knew you by sight; and I felt I should like to
+make your acquaintance." Selma spoke with enthusiasm. Here was some one
+whose social deftness was no less marked than Mrs. Hallett Taylor's,
+and, to her mind, more brilliant, yet whom she felt at once to be
+congenial. Though she perceived that her neighbor's clothes made her own
+apparel seem dull, and was accordingly disposed to be on her guard, she
+realized instinctively that she was attracted by the visitor.
+
+"That is very nice of you," said Flossy. "I told my
+husband--Gregory--the other day that I was sure you were something
+literary--I mean Mr. Littleton, of course--and when he found out that he
+was I said we must certainly cultivate you as an antidote to the banking
+business. Gregory's a banker. It must be delightful to plan houses. This
+room is so pretty and tasteful."
+
+"It isn't wholly furnished yet. We are buying things by degrees, as we
+find pieces which we like."
+
+"We bought all our things in two days at one fell swoop," said Flossy
+with a gay laugh. "Gregory gave the dealers carte blanche. That's his
+way," she added with a touch of pride. "I dare say the house would have
+been prettier if we could have taken more time. However, it is all paid
+for now. Some of it was bought on the instalment plan, but Gregory
+bought or sold something in stocks the next week which covered the
+furniture and paid for a present for me of this besides," she said,
+indicating her seal-skin cape. "Wasn't he a dear?"
+
+Selma did not know precisely what the instalment plan was, but she
+understood that Mr. Williams had been distinctly clever in his wife's
+estimation. She perceived that Mrs. Williams had the same light, half
+jocular manner displayed by Wilbur's friends, and that she spoke with
+bubbling, jaunty assurance, which was suggestive of frivolity. Still
+Wilbur had intimated that this might be the New York manner, and clearly
+her neighbor had come in a friendly spirit and was duly appreciative of
+the distinction of being literary. Besides, her ready disposition to
+talk about herself and her affairs seemed to Selma the sign of a
+willingness to be truly friendly. The seal-skin cape she wore was very
+handsome, and she was more conspicuously attired from head to foot than
+any woman with whom Selma had ever conversed. She was pretty, too--a
+type of beauty less spiritual than her own--with piquant, eager
+features, laughing, restless gray eyes, and light hair which escaped
+from her coquettish bonnet in airy ringlets. If they had met three years
+earlier Selma would certainly have regarded her as an incarnation of
+volatility and servility to foreign fashions. Now, though she classed
+her promptly as a frivolous person, she regarded her with a keen
+curiosity not unmixed with self-distress, and the reflection came to her
+that a little of the New York manner might perhaps be desirable when in
+New York.
+
+"Yes, it's beautiful," she replied, referring to the cape.
+
+"Gregory is always making me presents like that. He gave me this
+bracelet yesterday. He saw it in the shop-window and went in and bought
+it. Speaking of husbands, you won't mind my saying that I think Mr.
+Littleton is very distinguished looking? I often see him pass the window
+in the morning."
+
+"Of course _I_ think so," said Selma. "I suppose it would seem flat if I
+were to say that I admired Mr. Williams's appearance also."
+
+"The truth is no harm. Wouldn't it be nice if we should happen to become
+friends? We are the pioneers in this block, but I hear three other
+houses have been sold. I suppose you own your house?"
+
+"I believe not. We have a lease of it."
+
+"That's a pity, because Gregory bought ours on a mortgage, thinking the
+land is sure to become more valuable. He hopes to be able to sell some
+day for a great deal more than he paid for it. May I ask where you lived
+before you were married?"
+
+Selma told her briefly.
+
+"Then you are almost Western. I felt sure you weren't a New Yorker, and
+I didn't think you were from Boston. You have the Boston earnest
+expression, but somehow you're different. You don't mind my analyzing
+you, do you? That's a Boston habit by the way. But I'm not from Boston.
+I've lived all my life in New Jersey. So we are both strangers in New
+York. That is, I'm the same as a stranger, though my father is a cousin
+of the Morton Prices. We sent them wedding cards and they called one day
+when I was out. I shall return the call and find them out, and that will
+be the last move on either side until Gregory does something remarkable.
+I'm rather glad I wasn't at home, because it would have been awkward.
+They wouldn't have known what to say to me, and they might have felt
+that they ought to ask me to dinner, and I don't care to have them ask
+me until they're obliged to. Do I shock you running on so about my own
+affairs?" Flossy asked, noticing Selma draw herself up sternly.
+
+"Oh no, I like that. I was only thinking that it was very strange of
+your cousins. You are as good as they, aren't you?"
+
+"Mercy, no. We both know it, and that's what makes the situation so
+awkward. As Christians, they had to call on me, but I really think they
+are justified in stopping there. Socially I'm nobody."
+
+"In this country we are all free and equal."
+
+"You're a dear--a delicious dear," retorted Flossy, with a caressing
+laugh. "There's something of the sort in the Declaration of
+Independence, but, as Gregory says, that was put in as a bluff to
+console salesladies. Was everybody equal in Benham, Mrs. Littleton?"
+
+"Practically so," said Selma, with an air of haughtiness, which was
+evoked by her recollection of the group of houses on Benham's River
+Drive into which she had never been invited. "There were some people who
+were richer than others, but that didn't make them better than any one
+else."
+
+"Well, in New York it's different. Of course, every body has the same
+right to vote or to be elected President of the United States, but
+equality ends there. People here are either in society or out of it, and
+society itself is divided into sets. There's the conservative
+aristocratic set, the smart rapid set, the set which hasn't much money,
+but has Knickerbocker or other highly respectable ancestors, the new
+millionaire set, the literary set, the intellectual philanthropic set,
+and so on, according to one's means or tastes. Each has its little
+circle which shades away into the others, and every now and then there
+is a big entertainment to which they all go."
+
+"I see," said Selma, coldly.
+
+"Now, to make it plain, I will confide to you in strictest confidence
+that Gregory and I aren't yet really in any set. We are trying to get a
+footing and are holding on by our teeth to the fringe of the social
+merry-go-round. I wouldn't admit it to any one but you; but as you are a
+stranger like myself and in the same block, I am glad to initiate you
+into the customs of this part of the country," Flossy gave a merry toss
+to her head which set her ringlets bobbing, and rose to go.
+
+"And in what set are your cousins?" asked Selma.
+
+"If you wish to hear about them, I shall have to sit down again. The
+Morton-Prices belong to the ultra-conservative, solid, stupid,
+aristocratic set--the most dignified and august of all. They are almost
+as sacred as Hindoo gods, and some people would walk over red-hot coals
+to gain admission to their house. And really, it's quite just in one way
+that incense should be burnt before them. You mustn't look so disgusted,
+because there's some sense in it all. As Gregory says, it's best to look
+things squarely in the face. Most of the people in these different sets
+are somebodies because either their grandfathers or they have done
+something well--better than other people, and made money as a
+consequence. And when a family has made money or won distinction by its
+brains and then has brushed its teeth twice a day religiously for two
+generations, the members of it, even though dull, are entitled to
+respect, don't you think so?"
+
+Selma, who brushed her teeth but once a day, looked a little sharp at
+Flossy.
+
+"It makes money of too much importance and it establishes class
+distinctions. I don't approve of such a condition of affairs at all."
+
+Flossy shrugged her shoulders. "I have never thought whether I approve
+of it or not. I am only telling you what exists. I don't deny that money
+counts for a great deal, for, as Gregory says, money is the measure of
+success. But money isn't everything. Brains count and refinement, and
+nice honorable ways of looking at things. Of course, I'm only telling
+you what my ambition is. People have different kinds of bees in their
+bonnets. Some men have the presidential bee; I have the social bee. I
+should like to be recognized as a prominent member of the charmed circle
+on my own merits and show my cousins that I am really worthy of their
+attention. There are a few who are able to be superior to that sort of
+thing, who go on living their own lives attractively and finely, without
+thinking of society, and who suddenly wake up some day to find
+themselves socially famous--to find that they have been taken up. That's
+the best way, but one requires to be the right sort of person and to
+have a lot of moral courage. I can imagine it happening to you and your
+husband. But it would never happen to Gregory and me. We shall have to
+make money and cut a dash in order to attract attention, and by-and-by,
+if we are persistent and clever enough, we may be recognized as
+somebodies, provided there is something original or interesting about
+us. There! I have told you my secret and shocked you into the bargain. I
+really must be going. But I'll tell you another secret first: It'll be a
+pleasure to me to see you, if I may, because you look at things
+differently and haven't a social bee. I wish I were like that--really
+like it. But then, as Gregory would say, I shouldn't be myself, and not
+to be one's self is worse than anything else after all, isn't it? You
+and your husband must come and dine with us soon."
+
+After Mrs. Williams had gone, Selma fell into a brown study. She had
+listened to sentiments of which she thoroughly disapproved, and which
+were at variance with all her theories and conceptions. What her
+friendly, frivolous visitor had told her with engaging frankness
+offended her conscience and patriotism. She did not choose to admit the
+existence of these class-distinctions, and she knew that even if they
+did exist, they could not possibly concern Wilbur and herself. Even Mrs.
+Williams had appreciated that Wilbur and her literary superiority put
+them above and beyond the application of any snobbish, artificial,
+social measuring-tape. And yet Selma's brow was clouded. Her thought
+reverted to the row of stately houses on either side of Fifth Avenue,
+into none of which she had the right of free access, in spite of the
+fact that she was leading her life attractively and finely, without
+regard to society. She thought instinctively of Sodom and Gomorrah, and
+she saw righteously with her mind's eye for a moment an angel with a
+flaming sword consigning to destruction these offending mansions and
+their owners as symbols of mammon and contraband to God.
+
+That evening she told Wilbur of Mrs. Williams's visit. "She's a bright,
+amusing person, and quite pretty. We took a fancy to each other. But
+what do you suppose she said? She intimated that we haven't any social
+position."
+
+"Very kind of her, I'm sure. She must be a woman of
+discrimination--likewise something of a character."
+
+"She's smart. So you think it's true?"
+
+"What? About our social position? Ours is as good as theirs, I fancy."
+
+"Oh yes, Wilbur. She acknowledges that herself. She admires us both and
+she thinks it fine that we don't care for that sort of thing. What she
+said was chiefly in connection with herself, but she intimated that
+neither they, nor we, are the--er--equals of the people who live on
+Fifth Avenue and thereabouts. She's a cousin of the Morton Prices,
+whoever they may be, and she declared perfectly frankly that they were
+better than she. Wasn't it funny?"
+
+"You seem to have made considerable progress for one visit."
+
+"I like that, you know, Wilbur. I prefer people who are willing to tell
+me their real feelings at once."
+
+"Morton Price is one of the big bugs. His great grandfather was among
+the wise, shrewd pioneers in the commercial progress of the city. The
+present generation are eminently respectable, very dignified, mildly
+philanthropic, somewhat self-indulgent, reasonably harmless, decidedly
+ornamental and rather dull."
+
+"But Mrs. Williams says that she will never be happy until her relations
+and the people of that set are obliged to take notice of her, and that
+she and her husband are going to cut a dash to attract attention. It's
+her secret."
+
+"The cat which she let out of the bag is a familiar one. She must be
+amusing, provided she is not vulgar."
+
+"I don't think she's vulgar, Wilbur. She wears gorgeous clothes, but
+they're extremely pretty. She said that she called on me because she
+thought that we were literary, and that she desired an antidote to the
+banker's business, which shows she isn't altogether worldly. She wishes
+us to dine with them soon."
+
+"That's neighborly."
+
+"Why was it, Wilbur, that you didn't buy our house instead of hiring
+it?"
+
+"Because I hadn't money enough to pay for it."
+
+"The Williamses bought theirs. But I don't believe they paid for it
+altogether. She says her husband thinks the land will increase in value,
+and they hope some day to make money by the rise. I imagine Mr. Williams
+must be shrewd."
+
+"He's a business man. Probably he bought, and gave a mortgage back. I
+might have done that, but we weren't sure we should like the location,
+and it isn't certain yet that fashion will move in just this direction.
+I have very little, and I preferred not to tie up everything in a house
+we might not wish to keep."
+
+"I see. She appreciates that people may take us up any time. She thinks
+you are distinguished looking."
+
+"If she isn't careful, I shall make you jealous, Selma. Was there
+anything you didn't discuss?"
+
+"I regard you as the peer of any Morton Price alive. Why aren't you?"
+
+"Far be it from me to discourage such a wifely conclusion. Provided you
+think so, I don't care for any one else's opinion."
+
+"But you agree with her. That is, you consider because people of that
+sort don't invite us to their houses, they are better than we."
+
+"Nothing of the kind. But there's no use denying the existence of social
+classes in this city, and that, though I flatter myself you and I are
+trying to make the most of our lives in accordance with the talents and
+means at our disposal, we are not and are not likely to become, for the
+present at any rate, socially prominent. That's what you have in mind, I
+think. I don't know those people; they don't know me. Consequently they
+do not ask me to their beautiful and costly entertainments. Some day,
+perhaps, if I am very successful as an architect, we may come more in
+contact with them, and they will have a chance to discover what a
+charming wife I have. But from the point of view of society, your
+neighbor Mrs. Williams is right. She evidently has a clear head on her
+shoulders and knows what she desires. You and I believe that we can get
+more happiness out of life by pursuing the even tenor of our way in the
+position in which we happen to find ourselves."
+
+"I don't understand it," said Selma, shaking her head and looking into
+space with her spiritual expression. "It troubles me. It isn't American.
+I didn't think such distinctions existed in this country. Is it all a
+question of money, then? Do intelligence and--er--purpose count for
+nothing?"
+
+"My dear girl, it simply means that the people who are on top--the
+people who, by force of success, or ability, or money, are most
+prominent in the community, associate together, and the world gives a
+certain prominence to their doings. Here, where fortunes have been made
+so rapidly, and we have no formal aristocracy, money undoubtedly plays a
+conspicuous part in giving access to what is known as society. But it is
+only an entering wedge. Money supplies the means to cultivate manners
+and the right way of looking at things, and good society represents the
+best manners and, on the whole, the best way of looking at things."
+
+"Yes. But you say that we don't belong to it."
+
+"We do in the broad, but not in the narrow sense. We have neither the
+means nor the time to take part in fashionable society. Surely, Selma,
+you have no such ambition?"
+
+"I? You know I disapprove of everything of the sort. It is like Europe.
+There's nothing American in it."
+
+"I don't know about that. The people concerned in it are Americans. If a
+man has made money there is no reason why he shouldn't build a handsome
+house, maintain a fine establishment, give his children the best
+educational advantages, and choose his own friends. So the next
+generation becomes more civilized. It isn't the best Americanism to
+waste one's time in pursuing frivolities and excessive luxury, as some
+of these people do; but there's nothing un-American in making the most
+of one's opportunities. As I've said to you before, Selma, it's the way
+in which one rises that's the important thing in the individual
+equation, and every man must choose for himself what that shall be. My
+ambition is to excel in my profession, and to mould my life to that end
+without neglecting my duties as a citizen or a husband. If, in the end,
+I win fame and fortune, so much the better. But there's no use in
+worrying because other people are more fashionable than we."
+
+"Of course. You speak as if you thought I was envious of them, Wilbur.
+What I don't understand is why such people should be allowed to exist in
+this country."
+
+"We're a free people, Selma. I'm a good democrat, but you must agree
+that the day-laborer in his muddy garb would not find himself at ease in
+a Fifth Avenue drawing-room. On that account shall we abolish the
+drawing-room?"
+
+"We are not day-laborers."
+
+"Not precisely; but we have our spurs to win. And, unlike some people in
+our respectable, but humble station, we have each other's love to give
+us courage to fight the battle of life bravely. I had a fresh order
+to-day--and I have bought tickets for to-night at the theatre."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+Almost the first persons at the theatre on whom Selma's eyes rested were
+the Gregory Williamses. They were in a box with two other people, and
+both Flossy and her husband were talking with the festive air peculiar
+to those who are willing to be noticed and conscious that their wish is
+being gratified. Flossy wore a gay bonnet and a stylish frock,
+supplemented by a huge bunch of violets, and her husband's evening dress
+betrayed a slight exaggeration of the prevailing fashion in respect to
+his standing collar and necktie. Selma had never had a thorough look at
+him before, and she reflected that he was decidedly impressive and
+handsome. His face was full and pleasant, his mustache large and
+gracefully curved, and his figure manly. His most distinguishing
+characteristic was a dignity of bearing uncommon in so young a man,
+suggesting that he carried, if not the destiny of republics on his
+shoulders, at least, important financial secrets in his brain. The man
+and woman with them were almost elderly and gave the effect of being
+strangers to the city. They were Mr. and Mrs. Silas S. Parsons. Mr.
+Parsons was a prosperous Western business man, who now and then visited
+New York, and who had recently become a customer of Williams's. He had
+dealt in the office where Williams was a clerk, and, having taken a
+fancy to him, was disposed to help the new firm. Gregory had invited
+them to dinner and to the theatre, by way of being attentive, and had
+taken a box instead of stalls, in order to make his civility as
+magnificent as the occasion would permit. A box, besides being a
+delicate testimonial to his guest, would cause the audience to notice
+him and his wife and to ask who they were.
+
+In the gradual development of the social appetite in this country a
+certain class has been evolved whose drawing-room is the floor of the
+leading theatres. Society consists for them chiefly in being present
+often at theatrical performances in sumptuous dress, not merely to
+witness the play, but to be participants in a social function which
+enhances their self-esteem. To be looked at and to look on these
+occasions takes the place with them of balls and dinner parties. They
+are not theatregoers in the proper sense, but social aspirants, and the
+boxes and stalls are for them an arena in which for a price they can
+show themselves in their finery and attractions, for lack of other
+opportunities.
+
+Our theatres are now in the full blaze of this harmless appropriation
+for quasi-ballroom uses. At the time when Selma was a New York bride the
+movement was in its infancy. The people who went to the theatre for
+spectacular purposes no less than to see the actors on the stage were
+comparatively few in number. Still the device was practised, and from
+the very fact that it was not freely employed, was apt to dazzle the
+eyes of the uninitiated public more unreservedly than to-day. The sight
+of Mrs. Williams in a box, in the glory of her becoming frock and her
+violets, caused even so stern a patriot and admirer of simplicity as
+Selma to seize her husband's arm and whisper:
+
+"Look." What is more she caught herself a moment later blushing with
+satisfaction on account of the friendly bow which was bestowed on her.
+
+Wilbur Littleton's ambitions were so definite and congenial that the
+sight of his neighbors' splendor neither offended nor irritated him. He
+did not feel obliged to pass judgment on them while deriving amusement
+from their display, nor did he experience any qualms of regret that he
+was not able to imitate them. He regarded Flossy and her husband with
+the tolerant gaze of one content to allow other people to work out their
+salvation, without officious criticism, provided he were allowed the
+same privilege, and ready to enjoy any features of the situation which
+appealed to his sense of humor or to his human sympathy. Flossy's frank,
+open nod and ingenuous face won his favor at once, especially as he
+appreciated that she and Selma had found each other attractive, and
+though he tabooed luxury and fashionable paraphernalia where he was
+immediately concerned, it occurred to him that this evidently
+wide-awake, vivacious-looking couple might, as friends, introduce just
+the right element of variety into their lives. He had no wish to be a
+banker himself, nor to hire boxes at the theatre, but he was disposed to
+meet half-way these entertaining and gorgeous neighbors.
+
+Selma, in spite of her wish to watch the play, found her glance
+returning again and again to the occupants of the box, though she
+endeavored to dispose of the matter by remarking presently that she
+could not understand why people should care to make themselves so
+conspicuous, particularly as the seats in the boxes were less desirable
+for seeing the stage than their own.
+
+"We wouldn't care for it, but probably it's just what they like," said
+Wilbur. "Some society reporter may notice them; in which case we shall
+see in the Sunday newspaper that Mr. Gregory Williams and party occupied
+a private box at the Empire Theatre last Tuesday evening, which will be
+another straw toward helping them to carry out their project of
+attracting attention. I like the face of your new friend, my dear. I
+mean to say that she looks unaffected and honest, and as if she had a
+sense of humor. With those three virtues a woman can afford to have some
+faults. I suppose she has hers."
+
+Littleton felt that Selma was disposed to fancy her neighbor, but was
+restrained by conscientious scruples due to her dislike for society
+concerns. He had fallen in love with and married his wife because he
+believed her to be free from and superior to the petty weaknesses of the
+feminine social creed; but though extremely proud of her uncompromising
+standards, he had begun to fear lest she might indulge her point of view
+so far as to be unjust. Her scornful references from time to time to
+those who had made money and occupied fine houses had wounded his own
+sense of justice. He had endeavored to explain that virtue was not the
+exclusive prerogative of the noble-minded poor, and now he welcomed an
+opportunity of letting her realize from personal experience that society
+was not so bad as it was painted.
+
+Selma returned Mrs. Williams's call during the week, but did not find
+her at home. A few days later arrived a note stamped with a purple and
+gold monogram inviting them to dinner. When the evening arrived they
+found only a party of four. A third couple had given out at the last
+minute, so they were alone with their hosts. The Williams house in its
+decoration and upholstery was very different from their own. The
+drawing-room was bright with color. The furniture was covered with light
+blue plush; there were blue and yellow curtains, gay cushions, and a
+profusion of gilt ornamentation. A bear-skin, a show picture on an
+easel, and a variety of florid bric-à-brac completed the brilliant
+aspect of the apartment. Selma reflected at once that that this was the
+sort of drawing-room which would have pleased her had she been given her
+head and a full purse. It suggested her home at Benham refurnished by
+the light of her later experience undimmed by the shadow of economy. On
+the way down to dinner she noticed in the corner of the hall a suit of
+old armor, and she was able to perceive that the little room on one side
+of the front door, which they learned subsequently was Mr. Williams's
+den, contained Japanese curiosities. The dinner-table shone with glass
+and silver ware, and was lighted by four candles screened by small pink
+shades. By the side of Flossy's plate and her own was a small bunch of
+violets, and there was a rosebud for each of the men. The dinner, which
+was elaborate, was served by two trig maids. There were champagne and
+frozen pudding. Selma felt almost as if she were in fairy-land. She had
+never experienced anything just like this before; but her exacting
+conscience was kept at bay by the reflection that this must be a further
+manifestation of the New York manner, and her self-respect was
+propitiated by the cordiality of her entertainers. The conversation was
+bubbling and light-hearted on the part of both Mr. and Mrs. Williams.
+They kept up a running prattle on the current fads of the day, the
+theatre, the doings of well-known social personages, and their own
+household possessions, which they naïvely called to the attention of
+their guests, that they might be admired. But Selma enjoyed more than
+the general conversation her talk with the master of the house, who
+possessed all the friendly suavity of his wife and also the valuable
+masculine trait of seeming to be utterly absorbed in any woman to whom
+he was talking. Gregory had a great deal of manner and a confidential
+fluency of style, which gave distinction even to commonplace remarks.
+His method did not condescend to nudging when he wished to note a point,
+but it fell only so far short of it as he thought social elegance
+required. His conversation presently drifted, or more properly speaking,
+flowed into a graphic and frank account of his own progress as a banker.
+He referred to past successful undertakings, descanted on his present
+roseate responsibilities, and hinted sagely at impending operations
+which would eclipse in importance any in which he had hitherto been
+engaged. In answer to Selma's questions he discoursed alluringly
+concerning the methods of the Stock Exchange, and gave her to understand
+that for an intelligent and enterprising man speculation was the high
+road to fortune. No doubt for fools and for people of mediocre or torpid
+abilities it was a dangerous trade; but for keen and bold intellects
+what pursuit offered such dazzling opportunities?
+
+Selma listened, abhorrent yet fascinated. It worried her to be told that
+what she had been accustomed to regard as gambling should be so quickly
+and richly rewarded. Yet the fairy scene around her manifestly confirmed
+the prosperous language of her host and left no room for doubt that her
+neighbors were making brilliant progress. Apparently, too, this business
+of speculation and of vast combinations of railroad and other capital,
+the details of which were very vague to her, was, in his opinion, the
+most desirable and profitable of callings.
+
+"Do you know," she said, "that I have been taught to believe that to
+speculate in stocks is rather dreadful, and that the people of the
+country don't approve of it." She spoke smilingly, for the leaven of the
+New York manner was working, but she could not refrain from testifying
+on behalf of righteousness.
+
+"The people of the country!" exclaimed Gregory, with a smile of
+complacent amusement. "My dear Mrs. Littleton, you must not let yourself
+be deceived by the Sunday school, Fourth of July, legislative or other
+public utterances of the American people. It isn't necessary to shout it
+on the house-tops, but I will confide to you that, whatever they may
+declaim or publish to the contrary, the American people are at heart a
+nation of gamblers. They don't play little horses and other games in
+public for francs, like the French, for the law forbids it, but I don't
+believe that any one, except we bankers and brokers, realizes how widely
+exists the habit of playing the stock-market. Thousands of people, big
+and little, sanctimonious and highly respectable, put up their margins
+and reap their profits or their losses. Oh no, the country doesn't
+approve of it, especially those who lose. I assure you that the letters
+which pass through the post-office from the godly, freeborn voters in
+the rural districts would tell an eloquent story concerning the wishes
+of the people of the country in regard to speculation."
+
+Flossy was rising from table as he finished, so he accompanied the close
+of his statement with a sweeping bow which comported with his jaunty
+dignity.
+
+"I am afraid you are a wicked man. You ought not to slander the American
+people like that," Selma answered, pleased as she spoke at the light
+touch which she was able to impart to her speech.
+
+"It's true. Every word of it is true," he said as she passed him. He
+added in a low tone--"I would almost even venture to wager a pair of
+gloves that at some time or other your husband has had a finger in the
+pie."
+
+"Never," retorted Selma.
+
+"What is that Gregory is saying?" interrupted Flossy, putting her arm
+inside Selma's. "I can see by his look that he has been plaguing you."
+
+"Yes, he has been trying to shatter my ideals, and now he is trying to
+induce me to make an odious bet with him."
+
+"Don't, for you would be certain to lose. Gregory is in great luck
+nowadays."
+
+"That is evident, for he has had the good fortune to make the
+acquaintance of Mrs. Littleton," said Williams gallantly.
+
+The two men were left alone with their cigars. After these were lighted,
+as if he were carrying out his previous train of thought, Gregory
+remarked, oracularly, at the end of a puff: "Louisville and Nashville is
+certain to sell higher."
+
+Littleton looked blank for a moment. He knew so little of stocks that at
+first he did not understand what was meant. Then he said, politely:
+"Indeed!"
+
+"It is good for a ten-point rise in my opinion," Williams continued
+after another puff. He was of a liberal nature, and was making a present
+of this tip to his guest in the same spirit of hospitality as he had
+proffered the dinner and the champagne. He was willing to take for
+granted that Littleton, as a gentleman, would give him the order in case
+he decided to buy, which would add another customer to his list. But his
+suggestion was chiefly disinterested.
+
+"I'm afraid I know very little about such matters," Littleton responded
+with a smile. "I never owned but ten shares of stock in my life." Then,
+by way, perhaps, of showing that he was not indifferent to all the good
+things which the occasion afforded, he said, indicating a picture on the
+opposite wall: "That is a fine piece of color."
+
+Williams, having discharged his obligations as a host, was willing to
+exchange the stock-market as a topic for his own capacity as a lightning
+appreciator and purchaser of objects of art.
+
+"Yes," he said, urbanely, "that is a good thing. I saw it in the
+shop-window, asked the price and bought it. I bought two other pictures
+at the same time. 'I'll take that, and that, and that,' I said, pointing
+with my cane. The dealer looked astonished. He was used, I suppose, to
+having people come in and look at a picture every day for a fortnight
+before deciding. When I like a thing I know it. The three cost me
+eighteen hundred dollars, and I paid for them within a week by a turn in
+the market."
+
+"You were very fortunate," said Littleton, who wished to seem
+sympathetic.
+
+Meanwhile the two wives had returned to the drawing-room arm in arm, and
+established themselves on one of those small sofas for two, constructed
+so that the sitters are face to face. They had taken a strong fancy to
+each other, especially Flossy to Selma, and in the half hour which
+followed they made rapid progress toward intimacy. Before they parted
+each had agreed to call the other by her Christian name, and Selma had
+confided the story of her divorce. Flossy listened with absorbed
+interest and murmured at the close:
+
+"Who would have thought it? You look so pure and gentle and refined that
+a man must have been a brute to treat you like that. But you are happy
+now, thank goodness. You have a husband worthy of you."
+
+Each had a host of things still unsaid when Littleton and Williams
+joined them.
+
+"Well, my dear," said Wilbur as they left the house, "that was a sort of
+Arabian Nights entertainment for us, wasn't it? A little barbaric, but
+handsome and well intentioned. I hope it didn't shock you too much."
+
+"It struck me as very pleasant, Wilbur. I think I am beginning to
+understand New York a little better. Every thing costs so much here that
+it seems necessary to make money, doesn't it? I don't see exactly how
+poor people get along. Do you know, Mr. Williams wished to bet me a pair
+of gloves that you buy stocks sometimes."
+
+"He would have lost his bet."
+
+"So I told him at once. But he didn't seem to believe me. I was sure you
+never did. He appears to be very successful; but I let him see that I
+knew it was gambling. You consider it gambling, don't you?"
+
+"Not quite so bad as that. Some stock-brokers are gamblers; but the
+occupation of buying and selling stocks for a commission is a well
+recognized and fashionable business."
+
+"Mr. Williams thinks that a great many Americans make money in
+stocks--that we are gamblers as a nation."
+
+"I am, in my heart, of the same opinion."
+
+"Oh, Wilbur. I find you are not so good a patriot as I supposed."
+
+"I hate bunkum."
+
+"What is that?"
+
+"Saying things for effect, and professing virtue which we do not
+possess."
+
+Selma was silent a moment. "What does champagne cost a bottle?"
+
+"About three dollars and a half."
+
+"Do you really think their house barbaric?"
+
+"It certainly suggests to me heterogeneous barbaric splendor. They
+bought their upholstery as they did their pictures, with free-handed
+self-confidence. Occasionally they made a brilliant shot, but oftener
+they never hit the target at all."
+
+"I think I like brighter colors than you do, Wilbur," mused Selma. "I
+used to consider things like that as wrong; but I suppose that was
+because our fathers wished Europe to understand that we disapproved of
+the luxury of courts and the empty lives of the nobility. But if people
+here with purpose have money, it would seem sensible to furnish their
+houses prettily."
+
+"Subject always to the crucifying canons of art," laughed Littleton.
+"I'm glad you're coming round to my view, Selma. Only I deny the ability
+of the free-born American, with the overflowing purse, to indulge his
+newly acquired taste for gorgeous effects without professional
+assistance."
+
+"I suppose so. I can see that their house is crude, though I do think
+that they have some handsome things. It must be interesting to walk
+through shops and say: 'I'll take that,' just because it pleases you."
+
+During her first marriage Selma had found the problem of dollars and
+cents a simple one. The income of Lewis Babcock was always larger than
+the demands made upon it, and though she kept house and was familiar
+with the domestic disbursements, questions of expenditure solved
+themselves readily. She had never been obliged to ask herself whether
+they could afford this or that outlay. Her husband had been only too
+eager to give her anything she desired. Consideration of the cost of
+things had seemed to her beneath her notice, and as the concern of the
+providing man rather than the thoughtful American wife and mother. After
+she had been divorced the difficulty in supplying herself readily with
+money had been a dismaying incident of her single life. Dismaying
+because it had seemed to her a limitation unworthy of her aspirations
+and abilities. She had married Littleton because she believed him her
+ideal of what a man should be, but she had been glad that he would be
+able to support her and exempt her from the necessity of asking what
+things cost.
+
+By the end of their first year and a half of marriage, Selma realized
+that this necessity still stood, almost like a wolf at the door, between
+her and the free development of her desires and aspirations. New York
+prices were appalling; the demands of life in New York still more so.
+They had started house-keeping on a more elaborate scale than she had
+been used to in Benham. As Mrs. Babcock she had kept one hired girl; but
+in her new kitchen there were two servants, in deference to the desire
+of Littleton, who did not wish her to perform the manual work of the
+establishment. Men rarely appreciate in advance to the full extent the
+extra cost of married life, and Littleton, though intending to be
+prudent, found his bills larger than he had expected. He was able to pay
+them promptly and without worry, but he was obliged to make evident to
+Selma that the margin over and above their carefully considered expenses
+was very small. The task of watching the butcher's book and the
+provision list, and thinking twice before making any new outlay, was
+something she had not bargained for. All through her early life as a
+girl, the question of money had been kept in the background by the
+simplicity of her surroundings. In her country town at home they had
+kept no servants. A woman relative had done the work, and she had been
+free to pursue her mental interests and devote herself to her father.
+She had thought then that the existence of domestic servants was an act
+of treason against the institutions of the country by those who kept
+them. Yet she had accepted, with glee, the hired-girl whom Babcock had
+provided, satisfying her own democratic scruples by dubbing her "help,"
+and by occasionally offering her a book to read or catechising her as to
+her moral needs. There is probably no one in the civilized world more
+proud of the possession of a domestic servant than the American woman
+who has never had one, and no one more prompt to consign her to the
+obscurity of the kitchen after a feeble pretence at making her feel at
+home. Selma was delighted to have two instead of one, and, after
+beholding Mrs. Williams's trig maids, was eager to see her own arrayed
+in white caps and black alpaca dresses. Yet, though she had become keen
+to cultivate the New York manner, and had succeeded in reconciling her
+conscience to the possession of beautiful things by people with a
+purpose, it irked her to feel that she was hampered in living up to her
+new-found faith by the bugbear of a lean purse. She had expected, as
+Wilbur's wife, to figure quickly and gracefully in the van of New York
+intellectual and social progress. Instead, she was one among thousands,
+living in a new and undeveloped locality, unrecognized by the people of
+whom she read in the newspapers, and without opportunities for
+displaying her own individuality and talents. It depressed her to see
+the long lines of houses, street after street, and to think that she was
+merely a unit, unknown by name, in this great sea of humanity--she,
+Selma Littleton, free-born American, conscious of virtue and power. This
+must not be; and she divined clearer and clearer every day that it need
+not be if she had more money.
+
+It began to be annoying to her that Wilbur's professional progress was
+not more rapid. To be sure he had warned her that he could not hope to
+reach the front rank at once; that recognition must be gradual; and that
+he must needs work slowly in order to do himself justice. She had
+accepted this chiefly as a manifestation of modesty, not doubting that
+many orders would be forthcoming, especially now that he had the new
+stimulus of her love and inspiration. Instead there had been no marked
+increase in the number of his commissions; moreover he had been
+unsuccessful in two out of three competitions for minor public buildings
+for which he had submitted designs. From both the pecuniary and
+professional point of view these failures had been a disappointment. He
+was in good spirits and obviously happy, and declared that he was doing
+as well as he could reasonably expect; yet on his discouraged days he
+admitted that the cost of retaining his draughtsmen was a drain on the
+profit side of his ledger.
+
+In contrast with this the prosperity of her neighbors the Williamses was
+a little hard to bear. The sudden friendship developed into neighborly
+intimacy, and she and Flossy saw much of each other, dropping in
+familiarly, and often walking and shopping together. The two men were on
+sufficiently cordial terms, each being tolerant of the other's
+limitations, and seeking to recognize his good points for the sake of
+the bond between their wives. The return dinner was duly given, and
+Selma, hopeless of imitating the barbaric splendor, sought refuge in the
+reflection that the æsthetic and intellectual atmosphere of her table
+would atone for the lack of material magnificence, and limited her
+efforts to a few minor details such as providing candles with colored
+shades and some bonbon dishes. It was plain that Flossy admired her
+because she recognized her to be a fine and superior soul, and the
+appreciation of this served to make it more easy not to repine at the
+difference between their entertainments. Still the constant acquisition
+of pretty things by her frank and engaging friend was an ordeal which
+only a soul endowed with high, stern democratic faith and purpose could
+hope to endure with equanimity. Flossy bought new adornments for her
+house and her person with an amiable lavishness which required no
+confession to demonstrate that her husband was making money. She made
+the confession, though, from time to time with a bubbling pride, never
+suspecting that it could harass or tempt her spiritual looking friend.
+She prattled artlessly of theatre parties followed by a supper at one of
+the fashionable restaurants, and of new acquaintances whom she
+entertained, and through whom her social circle was enlarged, without
+divining that the sprightly narration was a thorn in the flesh of her
+hearer. Selma was capricious in her reception of these reports of
+progress. At times she listened to them with grave, cold eyes, which
+Flossy took for signals of noble disdain and sought to deprecate by
+wooing promises to be less worldly. At others she asked questions with a
+feverish, searching curiosity, which stimulated Mrs. Williams's free and
+independent style into running commentaries on the current course of
+social events and the doings and idiosyncracies of contemporary leaders
+of fashion whom she had viewed from afar. One afternoon Selma saw from
+her window Flossy and her husband drive jubilantly away in a high cart
+with yellow wheels drawn by a sleek cob, and at the same moment she
+became definitely aware that her draught from the cup of life had a
+bitter taste. Why should these people drive in their own vehicle rather
+than she? It seemed clear to her that Wilbur could not be making the
+best use of his talents, and that she had both a grievance against him
+and a sacred duty to perform in his and her own behalf. Justice and
+self-respect demanded that their mutual light should no longer be hid
+under a bushel.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+Pauline Littleton was now established in her new lodgings. Having been
+freed by her brother's marriage from the responsibilities of a
+housewife, she was able to concentrate her attention on the work in
+which she was interested. Her classes absorbed a large portion of her
+time. The remainder was devoted to writing to girls in other cities who
+sought her advice in regard to courses of study, and to correspondence,
+consultation, and committee meetings with a group of women in New York
+and elsewhere, who like herself were engrossed in educational matters.
+She was glad to have the additional time thus afforded her for pursuing
+her own tastes, and the days seemed too short for what she wished to
+accomplish. She occupied two pleasant rooms within easy walking distance
+of her brother's house. Her classes took her from home four days in the
+week, and two mornings in every seven were spent at her desk with her
+books and papers, in the agreeable labor of planning and correspondence.
+
+Naturally one of her chief desires was to be on loving terms with her
+brother's wife, and to do everything in her power to add to Selma's
+happiness. She summoned her women friends to meet her sister-in-law at
+afternoon tea. All of these called on the bride, and some of them
+invited her to their houses. They were busy women like Pauline herself,
+intent in their several ways on their vocations or avocations. They were
+disposed to extend the right hand of fellowship to Mrs. Littleton, whom
+they without exception regarded as interesting in appearance, but they
+had no leisure for immediate intimacy with her. Having been introduced
+to her and having scheduled her in their minds as a new and desirable
+acquaintance, they went their ways, trusting chiefly to time to renew
+the meeting and to supply the evidence as to the stranger's social
+value. Busy people in a large city are obliged to argue that new-comers
+should win their spurs, and that great minds, valuable opinions, and
+moving social graces are never crushed by inhumanity, but are certain
+sooner or later to gain recognition. Therefore after being very cordial
+and expressing the hope of seeing more of her in the future, every one
+departed and left Selma to her duties and her opportunities as
+Littleton's wife, without having the courtesy to indicate that they
+considered her a superior woman.
+
+Pauline regarded this behavior on the part of her friends as normal, and
+having done her social duty in the afternoon tea line, without a
+suspicion that Selma was disappointed by the experience, she gave
+herself up to the congenial undertaking of becoming intimate with her
+sister-in-law. She ascribed Selma's reserve, and cold, serious manner
+partly to shyness due to her new surroundings, and partly to the
+spiritual rigor of the puritan conscience and point of view. She had
+often been told that individuals of this temperament possessed more
+depth of character than more emotional and socially facile people, and
+she was prepared to woo. In comparison with Wilbur, Pauline was
+accustomed to regard herself as a practical and easy-going soul, but she
+was essentially a woman of fine and vigorous moral and mental purpose.
+Like many of her associates in active life, however, she had become too
+occupied with concrete possibilities to be able to give much thought to
+her own soul anatomy, and she was glad to look up to her brother's wife
+as a spiritual superior and to recognize that the burden lay on herself
+to demonstrate her own worthiness to be admitted to close intimacy on
+equal terms. Wilbur was to her a creature of light, and she had no doubt
+that his wife was of the same ethereal composition.
+
+Pauline was glad, too, of the opportunity really to know a countrywoman
+of a type so different from her own friends. She, like Wilbur, had heard
+all her life of these interesting and inspiring beings; intense,
+marvellously capable, peerless, free-born creatures panoplied in
+chastity and endowed with congenital mental power and bodily charms, who
+were able to cook, educate children, control society and write
+literature in the course of the day's employment. The newspapers and
+popular opinion had given her to understand that these were the true
+Americans, and caused her to ask herself whether the circle to which she
+herself belonged was not retrograde from a nobler ideal. In what way she
+did not precisely understand, except that she and her friends did not
+altogether disdain nice social usages and conventional womanly ways.
+But, nevertheless, the impression had remained in her mind that she must
+be at fault somehow, and it interested her that she would now be able to
+understand wherein she was inferior.
+
+She went to see Selma as often as she could, and encouraged her to call
+at her lodgings on the mornings when she was at home, expecting that it
+might please her sister-in-law to become familiar with the budding
+educational enterprises, and that thus a fresh bond of sympathy would be
+established between them. Selma presented herself three or four times in
+the course of the next three months, and on the first occasion expressed
+gratifying appreciation of the cosiness of the new lodgings.
+
+"I almost envy you," she said, "your freedom to live your own life and
+do just what you like. It must be delightful away up here where you can
+see over the tops of the houses and almost touch the sky, and there is
+no one to disturb the current of your thoughts. It must be a glorious
+place to work and write. I shall ask you to let me come up here
+sometimes when I wish to be alone with my own ideas."
+
+"As often as you like. You shall have a pass key."
+
+"I should think," said Selma, continuing to gaze, with her far away
+look, over the vista of roofs which the top story of the apartment house
+commanded, "that you would be a great deal happier than if you had
+married him."
+
+The pause which ensued caused her to look round, and add jauntily, "I
+have heard, you know, about Dr. Page."
+
+A wave of crimson spread over Pauline's face--the crimson of wounded
+surprise, which froze Selma's genial intentions to the core.
+
+"I didn't think you'd mind talking about it," she said stiffly.
+
+"There's nothing to talk about. Since you have mentioned it, Dr. Page is
+a dear friend of mine, and will always continue to be, I hope."
+
+"Oh, I knew you were nothing but friends now," Selma answered. She felt
+wounded in her turn. She had come with the wish to be gracious and
+companionable, and it had seemed to her a happy thought to congratulate
+Pauline on the wisdom of her decision. She did not like people who were
+not ready to be communicative and discuss their intimate concerns.
+
+The episode impaired the success of the first morning visit. At the
+next, which occurred a fortnight later, Pauline announced that she had a
+piece of interesting news.
+
+"Do you know a Mr. Joel Flagg in Benham?"
+
+"I know who he is," said Selma. "I have met his daughter."
+
+"It seems he has made a fortune in oil and real estate, and is desirous
+to build a college for women in memory of his mother, Sarah Wetmore. One
+of my friends has just received a letter from a Mrs. Hallett Taylor, to
+whom Mr. Flagg appears to have applied for counsel, and who wishes some
+of us who are interested in educational matters to serve as an advisory
+committee. Probably you know Mrs. Taylor too?"
+
+"Oh yes. I have been at her house, and I served with her on the
+committee which awarded Wilbur the church."
+
+"Why, then you are the very person to tell us all about her. I think I
+remember now having heard Wilbur mention her name."
+
+"Wilbur fancied her, I believe."
+
+"Your tone rather implies that you did not. You must tell me everything
+you know. My friend has corresponded with her before in regard to some
+artistic matters, but she has never met her. Her letter suggests a
+lady."
+
+"I dare say you would like Mrs. Taylor," said Selma, gravely. "She is
+attractive, I suppose, and seemed to know more or less about European
+art and pictures, but we in Benham didn't consider her exactly an
+American. If you really wish to know my opinion, I think that she was
+too exclusive a person to have fine ideas."
+
+"That's a pity."
+
+"If she lived in New York she would like to be one of those society
+ladies who live on Fifth Avenue; only she hasn't really any conception
+of what true elegance is. Her house there, except for the ornaments she
+had bought abroad, was not so well furnished as the one I lived in. I
+wonder what she would think if she could look into the drawing-room of
+my friend Mrs. Williams."
+
+"I see," said Pauline, though in truth she was puzzled. "I am sorry if
+she is a fine lady, but people like that, when they become interested,
+are often excellent workers. It is a noble gift of Mr. Flagg's--$500,000
+as a foundation fund. He's a good American at all events. Wilbur must
+certainly compete for the buildings, and his having first met you there
+ought to be an inspiration to him to do fine work."
+
+Selma had been glad of the opportunity to criticise Mrs. Hallett Taylor,
+whom she had learned, by the light of her superior social knowledge, to
+regard as an unimportant person. Yet she had been conscious of a
+righteous impulse in saying what she thought of her. She knew that she
+had never liked Mrs. Taylor, and she was not pleased to hear that Mr.
+Flagg had selected her from among the women of Benham to superintend the
+administration of his splendid gift. Benham had come to seem to her
+remote and primitive, yet she preferred, and was in the mood, to think
+that it represented the principles which were dear to her, and that she
+had been appreciated there far better than in her present sphere. She
+was still tied to Benham by correspondence with Mrs. Earle. Selma had
+written at once to explain her sudden departure, and letters passed
+between them at intervals of a few weeks--letters on Selma's part fluent
+with dazzled metropolitan condescension, yet containing every now and
+then a stern charge against her new fellow-citizens on the score of
+levity and worldliness.
+
+The donation for the establishment of Wetmore College was made shortly
+after another institution for the education of women in which Pauline
+was interested--Everdean College--had been opened to students. The
+number of applicants for admission to Everdean had been larger than the
+authorities had anticipated, and Pauline, who had been one of the
+promoters and most active workers in raising funds for and supervising
+the construction of this labor of love, was jubilant over the outlook,
+and busy in regard to a variety of new matters presented for solution by
+the suddenly evolved needs of the situation. Among these was the
+acquisition of two or three new women instructors; and it occurred to
+Pauline at once that Selma might know of some desirable candidate. Selma
+appeared to manifest but little interest in this inquiry at the time,
+but a few months subsequent to their conversation in regard to Mrs.
+Taylor she presented herself at Pauline's rooms one morning with the
+announcement that she had found some one. Pauline, who was busy at her
+desk, asked permission to finish a letter before listening; so there was
+silence for a few minutes, and Selma, who wore a new costume of a more
+fashionable guise than her last, reflected while she waited that the
+details of such work as occupied her sister-in-law must be tedious.
+Indeed, she had begun to entertain of late a sort of contempt for the
+deliberate, delving processes of the Littletons. She was inclined to ask
+herself if Wilbur and Pauline were not both plodders. Her own idea of
+doing things was to do them quickly and brilliantly, arriving at
+conclusions, as became an American, with prompt energy and despatch. It
+seemed to her that Wilbur, in his work, was slow and elaborate, disposed
+to hesitate and refine instead of producing boldly and immediately. And
+his sister, with her studies and letter-writing, suggested the same
+wearisome tendency. Why should not Wilbur, in his line, act with the
+confident enterprise and capacity to produce immediate, ostensible
+results which their neighbor, Gregory Williams, displayed? As for
+Pauline, of course she had not Wilbur's talent and could not, perhaps,
+be expected to shine conspicuously, but surely she might make more of
+herself if only she would cease to spend so much time in details and
+cogitation, with nothing tangible to show for her labor. Selma
+remembered her own experience as a small school teacher, and her
+thankfulness at her escape from a petty task unworthy of her
+capabilities, and she smiled scornfully to herself, as she sat waiting,
+at what she regarded Pauline's willingness to spend her energies in such
+inconspicuous, self-effacing work. Indeed, when Pauline had finished her
+letter and announced that she was now entirely at leisure, Selma felt
+impelled to remark:
+
+"I should think, Pauline, that you would give a course of lectures on
+education. We should be glad to have them at our house, and your friends
+ought to be able to dispose of a great many tickets." Such a thing had
+never occurred to Selma until this moment, but it seemed to her, as she
+heard her own words, a brilliant suggestion, both as a step forward for
+Pauline and a social opportunity for herself.
+
+"On education? My dear Selma, you have no idea of the depths of my
+ignorance. Education is an enormous subject, and I am just beginning to
+realize how little I know concerning it. People have talked and written
+about education enough. What we need and what some of us are trying to
+do is to study statistics and observe results. I am very much obliged to
+you, but I should only make myself a laughing-stock."
+
+"I don't think you would. You have spent a great deal of time in
+learning about education, and you must have interesting things to say.
+You are too modest and--don't you think it may be that you are not quite
+enterprising enough? A course of lectures would call public attention to
+you, and you would get ahead faster, perhaps. I think that you and
+Wilbur are both inclined to hide your light under a bushel. It seems to
+me that one can be conscientious and live up to one's ideals without
+neglecting one's opportunities."
+
+"The difficulty is," said Pauline, with a laugh, "that I shouldn't
+regard it as an opportunity, and I am sure it wouldn't help me to get
+ahead, as you call it, with the people I desire to impress, to give
+afternoon tea or women-club lectures. I don't know enough to lecture
+effectively. As to enterprise, I am busy from morning until night. What
+more can a woman do? You mustn't hurry Wilbur, Selma. All he needs is
+time to let the world see his light."
+
+"Very likely. Of course, if you don't consider that you know enough
+there is nothing to be said. I thought of it because I used to lecture
+in Benham, at the Benham Institute, and I am sure it helped me to get
+ahead. I used to think a great deal about educational matters, and
+perhaps I will set you the example by giving some lectures myself."
+
+"That would be very interesting. If a person has new ideas and has
+confidence in them, it is natural to wish to let the world hear them."
+
+Pauline spoke amiably, but she was disposed to regard her sister with
+more critical eyes. She felt no annoyance at the patronizing tone toward
+herself, but the reference to Wilbur made her blood rebel. Still she
+could not bear to harbor distrust against that grave face with its
+delicate beauty and spiritualized air, which was becomingly accommodated
+to metropolitan conditions by a more festive bonnet than any which she
+herself owned. Yet she noticed that the thin lips had an expression of
+discontent, and she wondered why.
+
+Recurring to the errand on which she had come, Selma explained that she
+had just received a letter from Benham--from her friend, Mrs. Margaret
+Rodney Earle, an authoress and a promulgator of advanced and original
+ideas in respect to the cause of womanhood, asking if she happened to
+know of an opening for a gifted young lady in any branch of intellectual
+work.
+
+"I thought at once of Everdean," said Selma, "and have come to give you
+the opportunity of securing her."
+
+Pauline expressed her thanks cordially, and inquired if Mrs. Earle had
+referred to the candidate's experience or special fitness for the duties
+of the position.
+
+"She writes that she is very clever and gifted. I did not bring the
+letter with me, but I think Mrs. Earle's language was that Miss Bailey
+will perform brilliantly any duties which may be intrusted to her."
+
+"That is rather general," said Pauline. "I am sorry that she didn't
+specify what Miss Bailey's education has been, and whether she has
+taught elsewhere."
+
+"Mrs. Earle wouldn't have recommended her if she hadn't felt sure that
+she was well educated. I remember seeing her at the Benham Institute on
+one of the last occasions when I was present. She delivered a whistling
+solo which every one thought clever and melodious."
+
+"I dare say she is just the person we are looking for," said Pauline,
+leniently. "It happens that Mrs. Grainger--my friend to whom Mrs. Taylor
+wrote concerning Mr. Flagg's gift--is to make Mrs. Taylor a visit at
+Benham next week, in order to consider the steps to be taken in regard
+to Wetmore College. She and Miss Bailey can arrange to meet, and that
+will save Miss Bailey the expense of a journey to New York, at the
+possible risk of disappointment."
+
+"I thought," said Selma, "that you would consider yourselves fortunate
+to secure her services."
+
+"I dare say we shall be very fortunate, Selma. But we cannot engage her
+without seeing her and testing her qualifications."
+
+Selma made no further demur at the delay, but she was obviously
+surprised and piqued that her offer should be treated in this elaborate
+fashion. She was obliged to acknowledge to herself that she could not
+reasonably expect Pauline to make a definite decision without further
+inquiry, but she had expected to be able to report to Mrs. Earle that
+the matter was as good as settled--that, if Miss Bailey would give a few
+particulars as to her accomplishments, the position would be hers.
+Surely she and Mrs. Earle were qualified to choose a school-teacher.
+Here was another instance of the Littleton tendency to waste time on
+unimportant details. She reasoned that a woman with more wide-awake
+perceptions would have recognized the opportunity as unusual, and would
+have snapped up Miss Bailey on the spot.
+
+The sequel was more serious. Neither Selma nor Pauline spoke of the
+matter for a month. Then it was broached by Pauline, who wrote a few
+lines to the effect that she was sorry to report that the authorities of
+Everdean, after investigation, had concluded not to engage the services
+of Miss Bailey as instructor. When Selma read the note her cheeks burned
+with resentment. She regarded the decision as an affront. Pauline dined
+with them on the evening of that day, and at table Selma was cold and
+formal. When the two women were alone, Selma said at once, with an
+attempt at calmness:
+
+"What fault do you find with my candidate?"
+
+"I think it possible that she might have been satisfactory from the mere
+point of scholarship," judicially answered Pauline, who did not realize
+in the least that her sister-in-law was offended, "though Mrs. Grainger
+stopped short of close inquiry on that score, for the reason that Miss
+Bailey failed to satisfy our requirements in another respect. I don't
+wish to imply by what I am going to say anything against her character,
+or her capacity for usefulness as a teacher under certain conditions,
+but I confide to you frankly, Selma, that we make it an absolute
+condition in the choice of instructors for our students that they should
+be first of all lady-like in thought and speech, and here it was that
+she fell short. Of course I have never seen Miss Bailey, but Mrs.
+Grainger reported that she was--er--impossible."
+
+"You mean that your friend does not consider her a lady? She isn't a
+society lady, but I did not suppose an American girl would be refused a
+position as a teacher for such a reason as that."
+
+"A lady is a lady, whether she is what you term a society lady or not.
+Mrs. Grainger told us that Miss Bailey's appearance and manners did not
+suggest the womanly refinement which we deem indispensable in those who
+are to teach our college students. Five years ago only scholarship and
+cleverness were demanded, but experience has taught the educators of
+women that this was a mistake."
+
+"I presume," said Selma, with dramatic scorn, "that Mrs. Hallett Taylor
+disapproved of her. I thought there would be some such outcome when I
+heard that she was to be consulted."
+
+"Mrs. Taylor's name was not mentioned," answered Pauline, in
+astonishment. "I had no idea, Selma, that you regarded this as a
+personal matter. You told me that you had seen Miss Bailey but once."
+
+"I am interested in her because--because I do not like to see a cruel
+wrong done. You do not understand her. You allow a prejudice, a
+class-prejudice, to interfere with her career and the opportunity to
+display her abilities. You should have trusted Mrs. Earle, Pauline, She
+is my friend, and she recommended Miss Bailey because she believed in
+her. It is a reflection on me and my friends to intimate that she is not
+a lady."
+
+She bent forward from the sofa with her hands clasped and her lips
+tightly compressed. For a moment she gazed angrily at the bewildered
+Pauline, then, as though she had suddenly bethought her of her New York
+manner, she drew herself up and said with a forced laugh--"If the reason
+you give were not so ridiculous, I should be seriously offended."
+
+"Offended! Offended with Pauline," exclaimed Littleton, who entered the
+room at the moment. "It cannot be that my two guardian angels have had a
+falling out." He looked from one to the other brightly as if it were
+really a joke.
+
+"It is nothing," said Selma.
+
+"It seems," said Pauline with fervor, "that I have unintentionally hurt
+Selma's feelings. It is the last thing in the world I wish to do, and I
+trust that when she thinks the matter over she will realize that I am
+innocent. I am very, very sorry."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+"Why don't you follow the advice of Mr. Williams and buy some shares of
+stock?" asked Selma lightly, yet coaxingly, of her husband one day in
+the third year of their marriage. The Williamses were dining with them
+at the time, and a statement by Gregory, not altogether without motive,
+as to the profits made by several people who had taken his advice,
+called forth the question. He and his wife were amiably inclined toward
+the Littletons, and were proud of the acquaintance. Among their other
+friends they boasted of the delightful excursions into the literary
+circle which the intimacy afforded them. They both would have been
+pleased to see their neighbors more amply provided with money, and
+Gregory, partly at the instance of Flossy, partly from sheer good-humor
+in order to give a deserving but impractical fellow a chance to better
+himself, threw out tips from time to time--crumbs from the rich man's
+table, but bestowed in a friendly spirit. Whenever they were let fall,
+Selma would look at Wilbur hoping for a sign of interest, but hitherto
+they had evoked merely a smile of refusal or had been utterly ignored.
+
+Her own question had been put on several occasions, both in the company
+of the tempter and in the privacy of the domestic hearth, and both in
+the gayly suggestive and the pensively argumentative key. Why might they
+not, by means of a clever purchase in the stock market, occasionally
+procure some of the agreeable extra pleasures of life--provide the ready
+money for theatres, a larger wardrobe, trips from home, or a modest
+equipage? Why not take advantage of the friendly advice given? Mr.
+Williams had made clear that the purchase of stocks on a sufficient
+margin was no more reprehensible as a moral proposition than the
+purchase of cargoes of sugar, cotton, coffee or tea against which
+merchants borrowed money at the bank. In neither instance did the
+purchaser own outright what he sought to sell at an advance; merely in
+one case it was shares, in the other merchandise. Of course it was
+foolish for inexperienced country folk with small means to dabble in
+stocks and bonds, but why should not city people who were clever and had
+clever friends in the business eke out the cost of living by shrewd
+investments? In an old-fashioned sense it might be considered gambling;
+but, if it were true, as Wilbur and Mr. Williams both maintained, that
+the American people were addicted to speculation, was not the existence
+of the habit strong evidence that the prejudice against it must be
+ill-founded? The logical and the patriotic conclusion must needs be that
+business methods had changed, and that the American nation had been
+clever enough to substitute dealings in shares of stock, and in
+contracts relating to cereals and merchandise for the methods of their
+grandfathers who delivered the properties in bulk.
+
+To this condensation of Gregory's glib sophistries on the lips of his
+wife, Wilbur had seemed to turn a deaf ear. It did not occur to him, at
+first, that Selma was seriously in earnest. He regarded her suggestions
+of neglected opportunities, which were often whimsically uttered, as
+more than half playful--a sort of make-believe envy of the meteoric
+progress in magnificence of their friendly neighbors. He was even glad
+that she should show herself appreciative of the merits of civilized
+comfort, for he had been afraid lest her ascetic scruples would lead her
+judgments too far in the opposite direction. He welcomed them and
+encouraged her small schemes to make the establishment more festive and
+stylish in appearance, in modest imitation of the splendor next door.
+But constant and more sombre reference to the growing fortunes of the
+Williamses presently attracted his attention and made him more
+observant. His income sufficed to pay the ordinary expenses of quiet
+domestic life, and to leave a small margin for carefully, considered
+amusements, but he reflected that if Selma were yearning for greater
+luxury, he could not afford at present to increase materially her
+allowance. It grieved him as a proud man to think that the woman he
+loved should lack any thing she desired, and without a thought of
+distrust he applied himself more strenuously to his work, hoping that
+the sum of his commissions would enable him presently to gratify some of
+her hankerings--such, for instance, as the possession of a horse and
+vehicle. Selma had several times alluded with a sigh to the satisfaction
+there must be in driving in the new park. Babcock had kept a horse, and
+the Williamses now drove past the windows daily in a phaeton drawn by
+two iron gray, champing steeds. He said to himself that he could
+scarcely blame Selma if she coveted now and then Flossy's fine
+possessions, and the thought that she was not altogether happy in
+consequence of his failure to earn more kept recurring to his mind and
+worried him. No children had been born to them, and he pictured with
+growing concern his wife lonely at home on this account, yet without
+extra income to make purchases which might enable her to forget at times
+that there was no baby in the house. Flossy had two children, a boy and
+a girl, two gorgeously bedizened little beings who were trundled along
+the sidewalk in a black, highly varnished baby-wagon which was reputed
+by the dealer who sold it to Gregory to have belonged to an English
+nobleman. Wilbur more than once detected Selma looking at the babies
+with a wistful glance. She was really admiring their clothes, yet the
+thought of how prettily she would have been able to dress a baby of her
+own was at times so pathetic as to bring tears to her eyes, and cause
+her to deplore her own lack of children as a misfortune.
+
+As the weeks slipped away and Wilbur realized that, though he was
+gaining ground in his profession, more liberal expenditures were still
+out of the question, he reached a frame of mind which made him yearn for
+a means of relief. So it happened that, when Selma asked him once more
+why he did not follow the advice proffered and buy some stocks, he
+replied by smiling at Gregory and inquiring what he should buy. During
+the dinner, which had been pleasant, Wilbur's eye had been attracted by
+the brilliancy of some new jewels which Mrs. Williams wore, and he had
+been conscious of the wish that he were able to make a present like that
+to his own wife.
+
+"You take my breath away. Wonders will never cease," responded Gregory,
+while both the women clapped their hands. "But you musn't buy anything;
+you must sell," he continued. "VanHorne and I both came to the
+conclusion to-day that it is time for a turn on the short side of the
+market. When the public are crazy and will buy any thing, then is the
+time to let them have all they wish."
+
+"What, then, am I to sell?" asked Wilbur "I am a complete lamb, you
+know." He was already sorry that he had consented, but Selma's manifest
+interest restrained him from turning the matter into a joke.
+
+"Leave it all to me," said Williams with a magnificent gesture.
+
+"But you will need some money from me."
+
+"Not at all. If you would feel better, you may send me a check or a bond
+for a thousand dollars. But it isn't necessary in your case."
+
+"I will bring you in a bond to-morrow--one of the very few I own."
+
+Wilbur having delivered his security the first thing in the morning,
+heard nothing further from Williams for a fortnight. One day he received
+a formal account of certain transactions executed by Williams and
+VanHorne for Wilbur Littleton, Esq., and a check for two thousand
+dollars. The flush which rose to his cheeks was induced partly by
+pleasure, partly by shame. His inclination, as he reflected, was to
+return the check, but he recognized presently that this was a foolish
+idea, and that the only thing to be done was to deposit it. He wrote a
+grateful note of acknowledgment to Williams, and then gave himself up to
+the agreeable occupation of thinking what he should buy for Selma with
+the money. He decided not to tell her of his good fortune, but to treat
+her to a surprise. His first fancy was in favor of jewelry--some
+necklace or lustrous ornament for the hair, which would charm the
+feminine eye and might make Selma even more beautiful than she already
+appeared in evening dress. His choice settled on a horse and buggy as
+more genuinely useful. To be sure there was the feed of the animal to be
+considered; but he would be able to reserve sufficient money to cover
+this cost for some months, and by the end of that time he would perhaps
+be able to afford the outlay from his income. Horse-flesh and vehicles
+were not in his line, but he succeeded by investigation in procuring a
+modest equipment for seven hundred dollars, which left him three hundred
+for fodder, and the other thousand. This he had decided to hand over to
+Selma as pin money. It was for her sake that he had consented to
+speculate, and it seemed meet that she should have the satisfaction of
+spending it.
+
+He carried out his surprise by appearing one afternoon before the door
+and inviting her to drive. Selma became radiant at the news that the
+horse and buggy were hers, though, when the particulars of the purchase
+were disclosed she said to herself that she wished Wilbur had allowed
+her to choose the vehicle. She would have preferred one more stylish and
+less domestic looking. She flung her arms about his neck and gave him a
+kiss on their return to show her satisfaction.
+
+"You see how easy it is, Wilbur," she said as she surveyed the check
+which he had handed her.
+
+"It was not I, it was Williams."
+
+"No, but you could, if you would only think so. I have the greatest
+confidence in you, dear," she added, looking eagerly into his face; "but
+don't you sometimes go out of your way to avoid what is enterprising
+and--er--modern, just because it is modern?"
+
+"Gambling is as old as the hills, Selma."
+
+"Yes. And if this were gambling--the sort of gambling you mean, do you
+think I would allow you to do it? Do you think the American people would
+tolerate it for a minute?" she asked triumphantly.
+
+"It seems to me that your admiration for the American people sometimes
+makes you a little weak in your logic," he answered with good-humor. He
+was so pleased by Selma's gratification that he was disposed to exorcise
+his scruples.
+
+"I have always told you that I was more of a patriot than you, Wilbur."
+
+The bond had not been returned by Williams at the time he sent the
+money, and some fortnight later--only a few days in fact after this
+drive, Littleton received another cheque for $500 and a request that he
+call at the office.
+
+"I thought you would like to see the instruments of torture at work--the
+process of lamb-shearing in active operation," Williams explained as he
+shook hands and waved him into his private room. After a few easy
+remarks on the methods of doing business the broker continued, "I
+flatter myself that for so small an investment and so short a time, I
+have done tolerably well for you."
+
+"I scarcely know how to express my thanks and my admiration for your
+skill. Indeed I feel rather awkwardly about--"
+
+"That's all right, my dear fellow. It's my business; I get my
+commission. Still I admit friendly regard--and this is why I suggested
+your dropping in--by introducing the personal equation, makes one
+nervous. If instead of closing out your account, I had in each instance
+held on, you would have made more money. I was glad to take this
+responsibility at first because you were a neophyte at the business, but
+I think it will be more satisfactory both for you and for me that in
+future transactions you should give me the word when to reap the profit.
+Of course you shall have all the information which I possess and my
+advice will be at your command, but where a man's money is concerned his
+own head is apt to be the wisest counsellor. Now I took the liberty
+yesterday of selling for you two hundred shares of Reading railroad. You
+can cover to-day at a profit of one point--about $200. I do not urge it.
+On the contrary I believe that the market, barring occasional rallies,
+is still on the downward track. I wish, however, to put you in a
+position where you can, if you desire, take advantage of the full
+opportunities of the financial situation and save myself from feeling
+that I have robbed you by my friendly caution."
+
+"In other words you don't wish to speculate with my money," said
+Littleton. "You wish me to paddle my own canoe."
+
+Williams' real desire was to escape the bother of personally
+superintending an insignificant account. His circumlocution was a suave
+way of stating that he had done all that could be expected of a neighbor
+and benevolent friend, and that the ordinary relation of broker and
+customer ought now be established. As for Littleton, he perceived that
+he was not free to retire from the market on the profits of friendly
+regard unless he was prepared to fly in the face of advice and buy in
+his two hundred Reading railroad. To do so would be pusillanimous;
+moreover to retire and abstain from further dealings would make
+Williams' two cheques more obviously a charitable donation, and the
+thought of them was becoming galling. Above all there were Selma's
+feelings to be considered. The possession of the means to afford her
+happiness was already a sweet argument in favor of further experiments.
+
+And so it happened that during the next nine months Littleton became a
+frequenter of the office of Williams & VanHorne. He was not among those
+who hung over the tape and were to be seen there daily; but he found
+himself attracted as the needle by the magnet to look in once or twice a
+week to ascertain the state of the market. His ventures continued to be
+small, and were conducted under the ken of Williams, and though the
+occasional rallies referred to by the broker harassed Wilbur's spirit
+when they occurred, the policy of selling short proved reasonably
+remunerative in the course of half a dozen separate speculations. In
+round figures he added another $2,500 to that which Williams had made
+for him. The process kept him on pins and needles, and led him to scan
+the list of stock quotations before reading anything else in the
+newspaper. Selma was delighted at his success, and though he chose not
+to tell her the details of his dealings, she watched him furtively,
+followed the general tendency of the market, and when she perceived that
+he was in good spirits, satisfied sufficiently her curiosity by
+questions.
+
+On the strength of this addition to their pecuniary resources, Selma
+branched out into sundry mild extravagances. She augmented her wardrobe,
+engaged an additional house-maid and a more expensive cook, and
+entertained with greater freedom and elaboration. She was fond of going
+to the theatre and supping afterward at some fashionable restaurant
+where she could show her new plumage and be a part of the gay,
+chattering rout at the tables consuming soft-shelled crabs and
+champagne. She was gradually increasing her acquaintance, chiefly among
+the friends of the Williamses, people who were fond of display and
+luxury and who seemed to have plenty of money. In this connection she
+was glad to avail herself of the reputation of belonging to the literary
+circle, and she conceived the plan of mingling these new associates with
+Wilbur's former set--to her thinking a delightful scheme, which she
+inaugurated by means of a dinner party. She included among the guests
+Pauline and Dr. Page, and considered that she had acted gracefully in
+putting them side by side at table, thus sacrificing the theory of her
+entertainment to her feminine interest in romance. In her opinion it was
+more than Pauline deserved, and she was proud of her generosity. There
+were fourteen in the company, and after dinner they were regaled by a
+young woman who had brought a letter of introduction to Selma from Mrs.
+Earle, who read from her own poems. The dinner was given for her, and
+her seat was between Wilbur and Mr. Dennison, the magazine editor. Selma
+had attended a dinner-party at the Williamses a fortnight earlier where
+there had been music in the drawing-room by a ballad-singer at a cost of
+$100 (so Flossy had told her in confidence). A poetess reading from her
+own works, a guest and not invited in after dinner on a business
+footing, appealed to Selma as more American, and less expensive. She, in
+her secret soul, would have liked to recite herself, but she feared to
+run the gauntlet of the New York manner. The verses were intense in
+character and were delivered by the young woman with a hollow-eyed
+fervor which, as one of the non-literary wing of the company stated,
+made one creep and weep alternately. There was no doubt that the
+entertainment was novel and acceptable to the commercial element, and to
+Selma it seemed a delightful reminder of the Benham Institute. She was
+curious to know what Mr. Dennison thought, though she said to herself
+that she did not really care. She felt that anything free and earnest in
+the literary line was likely to be frowned on by the coterie to which
+her husband's people belonged. Nevertheless she seized an opportunity to
+ask the editor if he did not think the verses remarkable.
+
+"They are certainly remarkable," answered Mr. Dennison. After a brief
+pause he added, "Being a strictly truthful person, Mrs. Littleton, I do
+not wish to seek shelter behind the rampart which your word 'remarkable'
+affords. A dinner may be remarkable--remarkably good, like the one I
+have just eaten, or remarkably bad. Some editors would have replied to
+you as I have done, and yet been capable of a mental reservation
+unflattering to the ambitious young woman to whom we have been
+listening. But without wishing to express an opinion, let me remind you
+that poetry, like point-lace, needs close scrutiny before its merits can
+be defined. I thought I recognized some ancient and well-worn flowers of
+speech, but my editorial ear and eye may have been deceived. She has
+beautiful hair at all events."
+
+     "'Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare;
+      And beauty draws us by a single hair.'
+
+"You cynical personage! I only hope she may prove a genius and that you
+will realize when too late that you might have discovered her," said
+Selma, looking into his face brightly with a knowing smile and tapping
+her fan against her hand. She was in a gay humor at the success of the
+entertainment, despite the non-committal attitude of this censor, and
+pleased at the appositeness of her quotation. Her figure had filled out
+since her marriage. She was almost plump and she wore a single short fat
+curl pendent behind her ear.
+
+A few months subsequent to this dinner party Flossy announced one day
+that Mr. Silas S. Parsons, whom Selma had seen with the Williamses at
+the theatre nearly three years before, had come to live in New York with
+his wife and daughter. Flossy referred to him eagerly as one of her
+husband's most valuable customers, a shrewd, sensible, Western business
+man, who had made money in patent machinery and was superbly rich. He
+had gone temporarily to a hotel, but he was intending to build a large
+house on Fifth Avenue near the park. Selma heard this announcement with
+keen interest, asking herself at once why Wilbur should not be the
+architect. Why not, indeed? She promptly reasoned that here was her
+chance to aid her husband; that he, if left to his own devices, would do
+nothing to attract the magnate's attention, and that it behooved her, as
+an American wife and a wide-awake, modern woman, to let Mr. Parsons know
+his qualifications, and to prepossess him in Wilbur's favor by her own
+attractions. The idea appealed to her exceedingly. She had been hoping
+that some opportunity to take an active part in the furtherance of
+Wilbur's career would present itself, for she felt instinctively that
+with her co-operation he would make more rapid progress. Here was
+exactly the occasion longed for. She saw in her mind's eye Mr. Parsons's
+completed mansion, stately and beautiful, the admired precursor of a
+host of important edifices--a revolutionizing monument in contemporary
+architecture. Wilbur would become the fashion, and his professional
+success be assured, thanks to the prompt ability of his wife to take
+advantage of circumstances. So she would prove herself a veritable
+helpmate, and the bond of marital sympathy would be strengthened and
+refreshed.
+
+To begin with, Selma hinted to Mrs. Williams that Mr. Parsons might do
+worse than employ Wilbur to design his house. Flossy accepted the
+suggestion with enthusiasm and promised her support, adding that Mr.
+Parsons was a person of sudden and strong fancies, and that if he were
+to take a fancy to Wilbur, the desired result would be apt to follow.
+Selma quickly decided that Mr. Parsons must be made to like her, for she
+feared lest Wilbur's quiet, undemonstrative manner would fail to attract
+him. Evidently he admired the self-confidence and manly assertion of
+Gregory Williams, and would be liable to regard Wilbur as lacking in
+force and enterprise. The reflection that she would thus be working--as
+necessarily she would--for the eternal progress of truth, added a
+pleasant savor to the undertaking, for it was clear that her husband was
+an ideal architect for the purpose, and she would be doing a true
+service to Mr. Parsons in convincing him that this was so. Altogether
+her soul was in an agreeable flutter, notwithstanding that her neighbor
+Flossy had recently received invitations to two or three large balls,
+and been referred to in the society columns of the newspapers as the
+fascinating and clever wife of the rising banker Gregory Williams.
+
+The Littletons were promptly given by Flossy the opportunity to make the
+acquaintance of the Parsons family. Mr. Parsons was a ponderous man of
+over sixty, with a solid, rotund, grave face and a chin whisker. He was
+absorbed in financial interests, though he had retired from active
+business, and had come to New York to live chiefly to please his wife
+and daughter. Mrs. Parsons, who was somewhat her husband's junior, was a
+devotee, or more correctly, a debauchee, of hotel life. Since the time
+when they had become exceedingly rich, about ten years before, they had
+made a grand tour of the hotels of this country and Europe. By so doing
+Mrs. Parsons and her daughter felt that they became a part of the social
+life of the cities which they visited. Although they had been used to
+plain, if not slovenly, house-keeping before the money came, both the
+wife and daughter had evolved into connoisseurs of modish and luxurious
+hotel apparatus and garniture. They had learned to revel in many
+courses, radiantly upholstered parlors, and a close acquaintance with
+the hotel register. Society for them, wherever they went, meant finding
+out the names of the other guests and dressing for them, being on easy
+terms with the head waiter and elevator boy, visiting the theatres, and
+keeping up a round of shopping in pursuit of articles of apparel. They
+wore rich garments and considerable jewelry, and plastered
+themselves--especially the daughter--with bunches of violets or roses
+self-bestowed. Mrs. Parsons was partial to perfume, and they both were
+addicted to the free consumption of assorted bonbons. To be sure they
+had made some acquaintances in the course of their peregrinations, but
+one reason for moving to New York was that Mrs. Parsons had come to the
+melancholy conclusion that neither the princes of Europe nor the sons of
+American leading citizens were paying that attention to her daughter
+which the young lady's charms seemed to her to merit. If living lavishly
+in hotels and seeing everybody right and left were not the high-road to
+elegant existence and hence to a brilliant match for Lucretia, Mrs.
+Parsons was ready to try the effect of a house on Fifth Avenue, though
+she preferred the comforts of her present mode of life. Still one
+advantage of a stable home would be that Mr. Parsons could be constantly
+with them, instead of an occasional and intermittent visitor
+communicated with more frequently by electricity than by word of mouth.
+While Mr. Parsons was selecting the land, she and Lucretia had abandoned
+themselves to an orgy of shopping, and with an eye to the new house,
+their rooms at the hotel were already littered with gorgeous fabrics,
+patterns of wall-paper and pieces of pottery.
+
+Selma's facility in the New York manner was practised on Silas Parsons
+with flattering success. He was captivated by her--more so than by
+Flossy, who amused him as a flibbertigibbet, but who seemed to him to
+lack the serious cast of character which he felt that he discerned
+beneath the sprightliness of this new charmer. Mr. Parsons was what he
+called a "stickler" for the dignity of a serious demeanor. He liked to
+laugh at the theatre, but mistrusted a daily point of view which savored
+of buffoonery. He was fond of saying that more than one public man in
+the United States had come to grief politically from being a joker, and
+that the American people could not endure flippancy in their
+representatives. He liked to tell and listen to humorous stories in the
+security of a smoking-room, but in his opinion it behooved a citizen to
+maintain a dignified bearing before the world. Like other self-made men
+who had come to New York--like Selma herself--he had shrunk from and
+deplored at first the lighter tone of casual speech. Still he had grown
+used to it, and had even come to depend on it as an amusement. But he
+felt that in the case of Selma there was a basis of ethical earnestness,
+appropriate to woman, beneath her chatty flow of small talk. That she
+was comparatively a new-comer accounted partially for this impression,
+but it was mainly due to the fact that she still reverted after her
+sallies of pleasantry to a grave method of deportment.
+
+Selma's chief hospitality toward the Parsonses took the form of a
+theatre party, which included a supper at Delmonico's after the play. It
+was an expensive kind of entertainment, which she felt obliged to
+justify to Wilbur by the assertion that the Williamses had been so civil
+she considered it would be only decent to show attention to their
+friends. She was unwilling to disclose her secret, lest the knowledge of
+it might make Wilbur offish and so embarrass her efforts. There were
+eight in the party, and the affair seemed to Selma to go off admirably.
+She was enthralled by the idea of using her own personal magnetism to
+promote her husband's business. She felt that it was just the sort of
+thing she would like and was fitted for, and that here was an
+opportunity for her individuality to display itself. She devoted herself
+with engaging assiduity to Mr. Parsons, pleased during the active
+process of propitiation by the sub-consciousness that her table was one
+of the centres of interest in the large restaurant. She had dressed
+herself with formal care, and nothing in the way of compliment could
+have gratified her more than the remark which Mr. Parsons made, as he
+regarded her appreciatively, when he had finished his supper, that she
+suggested his idea of Columbia. Selma glowed with satisfaction. The
+comparison struck her as apt and appropriate, and she replied with a
+proud erection of her head, which imparted to her features their
+transcendental look, and caused her short curl to joggle tremulously, "I
+suppose I see what you mean, Mr. Parsons."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+One evening, four or five days after this supper party, Wilbur laid down
+the book which he was pretending to read, and said, "Selma, I have come
+to the conclusion that I must give up dabbling in stocks. I am being
+injured by it--not financially, for, as you know, I have made a few
+thousand dollars--but morally."
+
+"I thought you were convinced that it was not immoral," answered Selma,
+in a constrained voice.
+
+"I do not refer to whether speculation is justifiable in itself, but to
+its effect on me as an individual--its distraction to my mind and
+consequent interference with my professional work."
+
+"Oh."
+
+"For a year now, the greater portion of the time, I have had some
+interest in the market, and as a consequence, have felt impelled to look
+in on Williams and VanHorne every day--sometimes oftener. I am unable to
+dismiss my speculations from my thoughts. I find myself wondering what
+has happened to the stocks I am carrying, and I am satisfied that the
+practice is thoroughly demoralizing to my self-respect and to my
+progress. I am going to give it up."
+
+"I suppose you must give it up if it affects you like that," responded
+Selma drily. "I don't see exactly why it should."
+
+"It may seem foolish to you, but I am unable to put my ventures out of
+my mind. The consequences of loss would be so serious to me that I
+suppose my imagination becomes unduly active and apprehensive. Also, I
+find myself eager to secure large gains. I must renounce Aladdin's lamp
+from this day forth, my dear, and trust to my legitimate business for my
+income."
+
+Selma folded her hands and looked grave. "It's disappointing that you
+feel so just when we are beginning to get on, Wilbur."
+
+"I have realized, Selma, that you have enjoyed and--er--been made
+happier by the freedom to spend which this extra money has afforded you.
+But I know, when you reflect, you will understand that I am right, and
+that it would be disastrous to both of us if I were to continue to do
+what I believe demoralizing. It is a mortification to me to ask you to
+retrench, but I said to myself that Selma would be the first to insist
+on our doing so if she knew my feelings, and it makes me happy to be
+sure of your approval."
+
+Littleton spoke with a tender plaintiveness which betrayed that in his
+secret soul he was less confident on this score than his words declared,
+or than he himself supposed. "Of course," he added, earnestly, "I shall
+hope that it will not make much difference. My business is slowly, but
+steadily, improving, and I am doing more this year than last. I am
+bending all my energies on my plans for Wetmore College. If I win in
+that competition, I shall make a reputation and a respectable
+commission."
+
+"You have been on those plans three months."
+
+"Yes, and shall not finish them for another two. I wish to do my best
+work, and I shall be glad not to hear quotations of the ticker in my
+brain. You desire me to be thorough, surely, Selma _mia_?"
+
+"Oh, yes. Only, you know people very often spoil things by pottering
+over them."
+
+"I never potter. I reject because I am dissatisfied rather than offer a
+design which does not please me, but I do not waste my time."
+
+"Call it over-conscientiousness then. I wish you to do your best work,
+of course, but one can't expect to do best work invariably. Everything
+was going so nicely that you must perceive it will be inconvenient to
+have to economize as we did before."
+
+Littleton looked at his wife with a glance of loving distress. "You
+wouldn't really care a button. I know you wouldn't, Selma," he said,
+stoutly.
+
+"Of course not, if it were necessary," she answered. "Only I don't wish
+to do so unless it is necessary. I am not controverting your decision
+about the stocks, though I think your imagination, as you say, is to
+blame. I would rather cut my right hand off than persuade you to act
+contrary to your conscience. But it _is_ inconvenient, Wilbur, you must
+admit, to give up the things we have become accustomed to."
+
+"We shall be able to keep the horse. I am certain of that."
+
+"I wish you to see my side of it. Say that you do," she said, with
+shrill intensity.
+
+"It is because I do see it that I am troubled, Selma. For myself I am no
+happier now than I was when we lived more simply. I can't believe that
+you will really find it a hardship to deny yourself such extravagances
+as our theatre party last week. Being a man," he added, after a pause,
+"I suppose I may not appreciate how important and seductive some of
+these social observances appear to a woman, and heaven knows my chief
+wish in life is to do everything in my power to make you happy. You must
+be aware of that, dearest. I delight to work hard for your sake. But it
+seems almost ludicrous to be talking of social interests to you, of all
+women. Why, at the time we were married, I feared that you would cut
+yourself off from reasonable pleasures on account of your dislike of
+everything frivolous. I remember I encouraged you not to take too
+ascetic a view of such things. So I am bound to believe that your side
+is my side--that we both will find true happiness in not attempting to
+compete with people whose tastes are not our tastes, and whose aims are
+not our aims."
+
+"Then you think I have deteriorated," she said, with a superior smile.
+
+"I think of you as the most conscientious woman I ever met. It was only
+natural that you should be spurred by our neighbors, the Williamses, to
+make a better showing socially before the world. I have been glad to see
+you emulous up to a certain point. You must realize though, that we
+cannot keep pace with them, even if we so desire. Already they are in
+the public eye. He appears to have made considerable money, and his
+views on the stock-market are given prominence by the press. He and his
+wife are beginning to be recognized by people who were ignorant of their
+existence four years ago. You told me last week that Mrs. Williams had
+attended one of the fashionable balls, and I saw in yesterday's
+newspaper a description of her toilette at another. It begins to look as
+if, in a few years more, their ambition might be realized, and the doors
+of the Morton Price mansion open wide to admit this clever country
+cousin to the earthly paradise. It must be evident to you, Selma, that
+very shortly we shall see only the dust of their chariot-wheels in the
+dim social distance. Williams told me to-day that he has bought a house
+near the park."
+
+"He has bought a new house? They are going to move?" exclaimed Selma,
+sitting up straight, and with a fierce light in her eyes.
+
+"Yes. He was going home to tell his wife. It seems that they have been
+talking vaguely of moving for some time. An acquaintance happened to
+offer him a house, and Williams closed the bargain on the spot in his
+customary chain-lightning style. I shall be sorry to have them go on
+some accounts, for they have always been friendly, and you seem fond of
+the wife, but we shall find it easier, perhaps, when they are gone, to
+live according to our own ideas."
+
+"Flossy has not been quite so nice lately," said Selma; "I am afraid she
+is disposed to put on airs."
+
+"Her head may have been turned by her success. She has a kind heart, but
+a giddy brain in spite of its cleverness."
+
+"Flossy has been getting on, of course. But so are we getting on. Why
+should they be recognized, as you call it, any more than we? In time, I
+mean. Not in the same way, perhaps, since you don't approve of the sort
+of things--"
+
+"Since I don't approve? Why, Selma, surely--"
+
+"Since _we_ don't approve, then. I only mean that Gregory Williams has
+shown initiative, has pushed ahead, and is--er--the talk of the town. I
+expect you to be successful, too. Is there any reason on earth why the
+door of the Morton Prices should open wide to her and not to me?"
+
+"I suppose not, if--if you wish it."
+
+She made a gesture of impatience and gazed at him a moment with an
+imperious frown, then suddenly, with the litheness of a cat, she slipped
+from her chair to the floor at his feet, and leaning against his knee,
+looked up into his face.
+
+"You dear boy, I am going to tell you something. You said to me once
+that if ever the time came when I thought you visionary, I was to let
+you know. Of course I understand you are worth a thousand _Gregorys_;
+but don't you think you would get on faster if you were a little more
+aggressive in your work?--if you weren't so afraid of being superficial
+or sensational? You were intimating a few minutes ago," she added,
+speaking rapidly under the stress of the message she burned to deliver,
+"that I seemed changed. I don't believe I am changed. But, if I seem
+different, it is because I feel so strongly that those who wish to
+succeed must assert themselves and seize opportunities. There is where
+it seems to me that Mr. Williams has the advantage over you, Wilbur. One
+of the finest and most significant qualities of our people, you know, is
+their enterprise and aggressiveness. Architecture isn't like the stock
+business, but the same theory of progress must be applicable to both.
+Don't you think I may be right, Wilbur? Don't you see what I mean?"
+
+He stroked her hair and answered gently, "What is it that I am not doing
+which you think I might do?"
+
+Selma snuggled close to him, and put her hand in his. She was vibrating
+with the proud consciousness of the duty vouchsafed to her to guide and
+assist the man she loved. It was a blissful and a precious moment to
+her. "If I were you," she said, solemnly, "I should build something
+striking and original, something which would make everyone who beheld it
+ask, 'what is the architect's name?' I would strike out boldly without
+caring too much what the critics and the people of Europe would say. You
+musn't be too afraid, Wilbur, of producing something American, and you
+mustn't be too afraid of the American ways of doing things. We work more
+quickly here in everything, and--and I still can't help feeling that you
+potter a little. Necessarily I don't know about the details of your
+business, but if I were you, instead of designing small buildings or
+competing for colleges and churches, where more than half the time
+someone else gets the award, I should make friends with the people who
+live in those fine houses on Fifth Avenue, and get an order to design a
+splendid residence for one of them. If you were to make a grand success
+of that, as you surely would, your reputation would be made. You ask me
+why I like to entertain and am willing to know people like that. It is
+to help you to get clients and to come to the front professionally. Now
+isn't that sensible and practical and right, too?"
+
+Her voice rang triumphantly with the righteousness of her plea.
+
+"Selma, dear, if I am not worldly-wise enough, I am glad to listen to
+your suggestions. But art is not to be hurried. I cannot vulgarize my
+art. I could not consent to that."
+
+"Of course not, Wilbur. Not worldly-wise enough is just the phrase, I
+think. You are so absorbed in the theory of fine things that I am sure
+you often let the practical opportunities to get the fine things to do
+slip."
+
+"Perhaps, dear. I will try to guard against it." Wilbur took her hands
+in his and looked down tenderly into her face. His own was a little
+weary. "Above everything else in life I wish, to make you happy," he
+said.
+
+"I am happy, you dear boy."
+
+"Truly?"
+
+"Yes, truly. And if something happens which I am nearly sure will
+happen, I shall be happier still. It's a secret, and I mustn't tell you,
+but if it does happen, you can't help agreeing that your wife has been
+clever and has helped you in your profession."
+
+"Helped me? Ah, Selma," he said, folding her in his arms, "I don't think
+you realize how much you are to me. In this modern world, what with
+self-consciousness, and shyness and contemporary distaste for fulsome
+expression, it is difficult to tell adequately those we love how we feel
+toward them. You are my darling and my inspiration. The sun rises and
+sets with you, and unless you were happy, I could never be. Each man in
+this puzzling world must live according to his own lights, and I,
+according to mine, am trying to make the most of myself, consistent with
+self-respect and avoidance of the low human aims and time-serving
+methods upon which our new civilization is supposed to frown. If I am
+neglecting my lawful opportunities, if I am failing to see wisely and
+correctly, I shall be grateful for counsel. Ah, Selma, for your sake,
+even more than for my own, I grieve that we have no children. A baby's
+hands would, I fancy, be the best of counsellors and enlighteners."
+
+"If children had come at first, it would have been very nice. But
+now--now I think they might stand in the way of my being of help to you.
+And I am so anxious to help you, Wilbur."
+
+As a result of this conversation Littleton devoted himself more
+assiduously than ever to his work. He was eager to increase his earnings
+so that his income should not be curtailed by his decision to avoid
+further ventures in the stock-market. He was troubled in soul, for
+Selma's accusation that he was visionary haunted him. Could it be that
+he was too scrupulous, too uncompromising, and lacked proper enterprise?
+Self-scrutiny failed to convince him that this was so, yet left a
+lurking doubt which was harassing. His clear mind was too modest to
+believe in its own infallibility, for he was psychologist enough to
+understand that no one can be absolutely sure that his perspective of
+life is accurate. Possibly he was sacrificing his wife's legitimate
+aspirations to too rigid canons of behavior, and to an unconscious lack
+of initiative. On the other hand, as a positive character, he believed
+that he saw clearly, and he could not avoid the reflection that, if this
+was the case, he and Selma were drifting apart--the more bitter
+alternative of the two, and a condition which, if perpetuated, would
+involve the destruction of the scheme of matrimonial happiness, the
+ideal communion of two sympathetic souls, in which he was living as a
+proud partner. Apparently he was in one of two predicaments; either he
+was self deceived, which was abhorrent to him as a thoughtful grappler
+with the eternal mysteries, or he had misinterpreted the character of
+the woman whose transcendent quality was a dearer faith to him than the
+integrity of his own manhood.
+
+So it was with a troubled heart that he applied himself to more rigorous
+professional endeavor. Like most architects he had pursued certain lines
+of work because orders had come to him, and the chances of employment
+had ordained that his services should be sought for small churches,
+school-houses and kindred buildings in the surrounding country rather
+than for more elaborate and costly structures. On these undertakings it
+was his habit to expend abundant thought and devotion. The class of work
+was to his taste, for, though the funds at his disposal were not always
+so large as he desired for artistic effects, yet he enjoyed the
+opportunity of showing that simplicity need not be homely and
+disenchanting, but could wear the aspect of grace and poetry. Latterly
+he had been requested to furnish designs for some blocks of houses in
+the outlying wards of the city, where the owners sought to provide
+attractive, modern flats for people with moderate means. Various
+commissions had come to him, also, to design decorative work, which
+interested him and gave scope to his refined and aspiring imagination,
+and he was enthusiastically absorbed in preparing his competitive plans
+for the building of Wetmore College. His time was already well occupied
+by the matters which he had in hand. That is, he had enough to do and
+yet did not feel obliged to deny himself the luxury of deliberate
+thoroughness in connection with each professional undertaking. Save for
+the thought that he must needs earn more in order to please Selma, he
+would have been completely happy in the slow but flattering growth of
+his business, and in feeling his way securely toward greater success.
+Now, however, he began to ask himself if it were not possible to hasten
+this or that piece of work in order to afford himself the necessary
+leisure for new employment. He began also to consider whether he might
+not be able, without loss of dignity, to put himself in the way of
+securing more important clients. To solicit business was not to be
+thought of, but now and again he put the question to himself whether he
+had not been too indifferent as to who was who, and what was what, in
+the development of his business.
+
+While Littleton was thus mulling over existing conditions, and
+subjecting his conduct to the relentless lens of his own conscience and
+theories, Selma announced to him jubilantly, about a fortnight
+subsequent to their conversation, that her secret was a secret no
+longer, and that Mr. Parsons desired to employ him to build an imposing
+private residence on Fifth Avenue near the Park. Mr. Parsons confirmed
+this intelligence on the following day in a personal interview. He
+informed Littleton that he was going to build in order to please his
+wife and daughter, and intimated that expense need not stand in the way
+of the gratification of their wishes. After the business matters were
+disposed of he was obviously ready to intrust all the artistic details
+to his architect. Consequently Littleton enjoyed an agreeable quarter of
+an hour of exaltation. He was pleased at the prospect of building a
+house of this description, and the hope of being able to give free scope
+to his architectural bent without molestation made that prospect
+roseate. He could desire no better opportunity for expressing his ideas
+and proving his capacity. It was an ideal chance, and his soul thrilled
+as he called up the shadowy fabric of scheme after scheme to fill the
+trial canvas of his fantasy. Nor did he fail to award due credit to
+Selma for her share in the transaction; not to the extent, perhaps, of
+confessing incapacity on his own part, but by testifying lovingly to her
+cleverness. She was in too good humor at her success to insist on his
+humiliation in set terms. The two points in which she was most vitally
+interested--the advantage of her own interference and the consequent
+prompt extension of her husband's field of usefulness--had been
+triumphantly proved, and there was no need that the third--Wilbur's lack
+of capacity to battle and discriminate for himself--should be
+emphasized. Selma knew what she thought in her own mind, and she
+entertained the hope that this lesson might be a lamp to his feet for
+future illumination. She was even generous enough to exclaim, placing
+her hands on his shoulders and looking into his face with complacent
+fervor:
+
+"You might have accomplished it just as well yourself, Wilbur."
+
+Littleton shook his head and smiled. "It was a case of witchery and
+fascination. He probably divined how eager you were to help me, and he
+was glad to yield to the agreeable spell of your wifely devotion."
+
+"Oh, no," said Selma. "I am sure he never guessed for one moment of what
+I was thinking. Of course, I did try to make him like me, but that was
+only sensible. To make people like one is the way to get business, I
+believe."
+
+Littleton's quarter of an hour of exaltation was rudely checked by a
+note from Mrs. Parsons, requesting an interview in regard to the plans.
+When he presented himself he found her and her daughter imbued with
+definite ideas on the subject of architects and architecture. In the
+eyes of Mrs. Parsons the architect of her projected house was nothing
+but a young man in the employ of her husband, who was to guide them as
+to measurements, carpentry, party-walls and plumbing, but was otherwise
+to do her bidding for a pecuniary consideration, on the same general
+basis as the waiter at the hotel or the theatre ticket-agent. As to
+architecture, she expected him to draw plans just as she expected
+dealers in carpets or wall-papers to show her patterns in easy
+succession. "I don't care for that; take it away." "That is rather
+pretty, but let me see something else." What she said to Littleton was,
+"We haven't quite decided yet what we want, but, if you'll bring some
+plans the next time you call, we'll let you know which we like best.
+There's a house in Vienna I saw once, which I said at the time to
+Lucretia I would copy if I ever built. I've mislaid the photograph of
+it, but I may be able to tell you when I see your drawings how it
+differed from yours. Lucretia has a fancy for something Moorish or
+Oriental. I guess Mr. Parsons would prefer brown-stone, plain and
+massive, but he has left it all to us, and both daughter and I think
+we'd rather have a house which would speak for itself, and not be mixed
+up with everybody else's. You'd better bring us half a dozen to choose
+from, and between me and you and Lucretia, we'll arrive at something
+elegant and unique."
+
+This was sadly disillusionizing to Littleton, and the second experience
+was no less so. The refined outline sketches proffered by him were
+unenthusiastically surveyed and languidly discarded like so many
+wall-papers. It was evident that both the mother and daughter were
+disappointed, and Littleton presently divined that their chief objection
+was to the plainness of the several designs. This was made unmistakably
+obvious when Mrs. Parsons, after exhibiting a number of photographs of
+foreign public buildings with which she had armed herself, surveyed the
+most ornate, holding it out with her head on one side, and exclaimed
+impressively, "This is more the sort of thing we should like. I think
+Mr. Parsons has already explained to you that he desired our house to be
+as handsome as possible."
+
+"I had endeavored to bear that in mind," Littleton retorted with spirit.
+"I believe that either of these plans would give you a house which would
+be handsome, interesting and in good taste."
+
+"It does not seem to me that there is anything unique about any of
+them," said Mrs. Parsons, with a cold sniff intended to be conclusive.
+Nor did Littleton's efforts to explain that elaboration in a private
+residence was liable to detract from architectural dignity and to
+produce the effect of vulgarity fall upon receptive soil. The rich man's
+wife listened in stony silence, at times raising her lorgnette to
+examine as a curiosity this young man who was telling her--an American
+woman who had travelled around the world and seen everything to be
+seen--how she ought to build her own house. The upshot of this interview
+was that Littleton was sent away with languid instructions to try again.
+He departed, thinking melancholy thoughts and with fire in his soul,
+which, for Selma's sake, he endeavored to keep out of his eyes.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+The departure of the Williamses to a smarter neighborhood was a trial
+for Selma. She nursed the dispiriting reflection that she and Wilbur
+might just as well be moving also; that a little foresight and
+shrewdness on her husband's part would have enabled him to sell at a
+handsome profit the house in which they were living; and that there was
+no reason, except the sheer, happy faculty of making the most of
+opportunities, to account for the social recognition which Flossy and
+her husband were beginning to receive. It had not been easy to bear with
+equanimity during the last year the ingenuous, light-hearted warblings
+in which Flossy had indulged as an outlet to her triumphant spirits, and
+to listen to naïve recitals of new progress, as though she herself were
+a companion or ladies' maid, to whom such developments could never
+happen. She was weary of being merely a recipient of confidences and a
+sympathetic listener, and more weary still of being regarded as such by
+her self-absorbed and successful neighbor. Why should Flossy be so
+dense? Why should she play second fiddle to Flossy? Why should Flossy
+take for granted that she did not intend to keep pace with her? Keep
+pace, indeed, when, if circumstances would only shape themselves a
+little differently, she would be able speedily to outstrip her volatile
+friend in the struggle for social preferment.
+
+Not unnaturally their friendship had been somewhat strained by the
+simmering of these thoughts in Selma's bosom. If a recipient of
+confidences becomes tart or cold, ingenuous prattle is apt to flow less
+spontaneously. Though Flossy was completely self-absorbed, and
+consequently glad to pour out her satisfaction into a sympathetic ear,
+she began to realize that there was something amiss with her friend
+which mere conscientious disapproval of her own frivolities did not
+adequately explain. It troubled her somewhat, for she liked the
+Littletons and was proud of her acquaintance with them. However, she was
+conscious of having acquitted herself toward them with liberality, and,
+especially now that her social vista was widening, she was not disposed
+at first to analyze too deeply the cause of the lack of sympathy between
+them. That is, she was struck by Selma's offish manner and frigid
+silences, but forgot them until they were forced upon her attention the
+next time they met. But as her friend continued to receive her bubbling
+announcements with stiff indifference, Flossy, in her perplexity, began
+to bend her acute mental faculties more searchingly on her idol. A fixed
+point of view will keep a shrine sacred forever, but let a worshipper's
+perspective be altered, and it is astonishing how different the features
+of divinity will appear. Flossy had worshipped with the eyes of faith.
+Now that her adoration was rejected without apparent cause, her
+curiosity was piqued, and she sought an interpretation of the mystery
+from her clever wits. As she observed Selma more dispassionately her
+suspicion was stirred, and she began to wonder if she had been burning
+incense before a false goddess. This doubt was agitating her mind at the
+time when they moved from the street.
+
+Selma was unconscious of the existence of this doubt as she had been
+largely unconscious of her own sour demeanor. She had no wish to lose
+the advantages of intimate association with the Williamses. On the
+contrary, she expected to make progress on her own account by admission
+into their new social circle. She went promptly to call, and saw fit to
+show herself tactfully appreciative of the new establishment and more
+ready to listen to Flossy's volubility. Flossy, who was radiant and
+bubbling over with fresh experiences which she was eager to impart, was
+glad to dismiss her doubt and to give herself up to the delights of
+unbridled speech. She took Selma over her new house, which had been
+purchased just as it stood, completely furnished, from the previous
+owner, who had suffered financial reverses. "Gregory bought it because
+it was really a bargain," she said. "It will do very well for the
+present, but we intend to build before long. I am keeping my eye on your
+husband, and am expecting great things from the Parsons house. Do you
+know, I believe in Mr. Littleton, and feel sure that some day we shall
+wake up and find him famous."
+
+This was amiable, particularly as Flossy was very busily engaged in
+contemplating the brilliant progress of Gregory Williams and his wife.
+But Selma returned home feeling sore and dissatisfied. Flossy had been
+gracious, but still dense and naïvely condescending. Selma chose to
+foresee that her friend would neglect her, and her foresight was
+correct. The call was not returned for many weeks, although Flossy had
+assured her when they separated that distance would make no difference
+in their intimacy. But in the first place, her doubts recurred to Flossy
+after the departure of her visitor, and in the second, the agitations
+incident to her new surroundings, fortified by these doubts, made
+neglect easy. When she did call, Selma happened to be out. A few days
+later an invitation to dine with the Williamses arrived. Selma would
+have preferred to remain at home as a rebuke, but she was miserably
+conscious that Flossy would not perceive the point of the refusal. So
+she went, and was annoyed when she realized that the guests were only
+people whom she knew already--the Parsonses, and some of Gregory
+Williams's former associates, whom she had met at the old house. It was
+a pleasant dinner, apparently, to all except Selma. The entertainment
+was flatteringly lavish, and both the host and hostess with suavity put
+in circulation, under the rose, the sentiment that there are no friends
+like old friends--a graceful insincerity which most of them present
+accepted as true. Indeed, in one sense it was not an insincerity, for
+Gregory and his wife entertained cordial feelings toward them all. But
+on the other hand, Selma's immediate and bitter conclusion was also
+true, that the company had been invited together for the reason that, in
+the opinion of Flossy, they would not have harmonized well with anyone
+else.
+
+Said Wilbur as they drove away from the house--"Barring a few moments of
+agony in the society of my tormentor, Mrs. Parsons, I had a pleasant
+evening. They were obviously potting their old acquaintance in one pie,
+but to my thinking it was preferable to being sandwiched in between some
+of their new friends whom we do not know and who know nothing of us. It
+was a little evident, but on the whole agreeable."
+
+Selma, shrouded in her wraps, made no reply at first. Suddenly she
+exclaimed, with, fierceness, "I consider it rank impertinence. It was as
+much as to say that they do not think us good enough to meet their new
+friends."
+
+Littleton, who still found difficulty in remembering that his wife would
+not always enjoy the humor of an equivocal situation, was sorry that he
+had spoken. "Come, Selma," he said, "there's no use in taking that view
+of the matter. You would not really care to meet the other people."
+
+"Yes, I would, and she knows it. I shall never enter her house again."
+
+"As to that, my dear, the probabilities are that we shall not be asked
+for some time. You know perfectly well that, in the nature of things,
+your intimacy with Mrs. Williams must languish now that she lives at a
+distance and has new surroundings. She may continue to be very fond of
+you, but you can't hope to see very much of her, unless I am greatly
+mistaken in her character."
+
+"She is a shallow little worldling," said Selma, with measured
+intensity.
+
+"But you knew that already. The fact that she invited us to dinner and
+did not ignore our existence altogether shows that she likes us and
+wishes to continue the friendship. I've no doubt she believes that she
+is going to see a great deal of us, and you should blame destiny and the
+force of fashionable circumstances, not Flossy, if you drift apart."
+
+"She invited us because she wished to show off her new house."
+
+"Not altogether. You musn't be too hard on her."
+
+Selma moved her shoulders impatiently, and there was silence for some
+moments broken only by the tapping of her foot. Then she asked, "How
+nearly have you finished the plans for the Parsons house?"
+
+Wilbur's brow clouded under cover of the night. He hesitated an instant
+before replying, "I am sorry to say that Mrs. Parsons and I do not seem
+to get on very well together. Her ideas and mine on the subject of
+architecture are wide apart, as I have intimated to you once or twice. I
+have modified my plans again, and she has made airy suggestions which
+from my point of view are impossible. We are practically at loggerheads,
+and I am trying to make up my mind what I ought to do."
+
+There was a wealth of condensation in the word 'impossible' which
+brought back unpleasantly to Selma Pauline's use of the same word in
+connection with the estimate which had been formed of Miss Bailey.
+"There can be only one thing to do in the end," she said, "if you can't
+agree. Mrs. Parsons, of course, must have her house as she wishes it. It
+is her house, Wilbur."
+
+"It is her house, and she has that right, certainly. The question is
+whether I am willing to allow the world to point to an architectural
+hotch-potch and call it mine."
+
+"Isn't this another case of neglecting the practical side, Wilbur? I am
+sure you exaggerate the importance of the changes she desires. If I were
+building a house, I should expect to have it built to suit me, and I
+should be annoyed if the architect stood on points and were captious."
+Selma under the influence of this more congenial theme had partially
+recovered her equanimity. Her duty was her pleasure, and it was clearly
+her duty to lead her husband in the right path and save him from
+becoming the victim of his own shortcomings.
+
+Wilbur sighed. "I have told her," he said, "that I would submit another
+entirely new sketch. It may be that I can introduce some of her and her
+daughter's splurgy and garish misconceptions without making myself
+hopelessly ridiculous."
+
+He entered the house wearily, and as he stood before the hall table
+under the chandelier, Selma took him by the arm and turning him toward
+her gazed into his face. "I wish to examine you. Pauline said to me
+to-day that she thinks you are looking pale. I don't see that you are;
+no more so than usual. You never were rosy exactly. Do you know I have
+an idea that she thinks I am working you to death."
+
+"Pauline? What reason has she to think anything of the kind? Besides, I
+am perfectly well. It is a delight to work for a woman like you,
+dearest." He took her face between his hands and kissed her tenderly;
+yet gravely, too, as though the riddle of life did not solve itself at
+the touch of her lips. "You will be interested to hear," he added, "that
+I shall finish and send off the Wetmore College plans this week."
+
+"I am glad they are off your hands, for you will have more time for
+other work."
+
+"Yes. I think I may have done something worth while," he said,
+wistfully.
+
+"And I shall try not to be annoyed if someone else gets the award," she
+responded, smoothing down the sheen of her evening dress and regarding
+herself in the mirror.
+
+"Of course someone else may have taken equal pains and done a better
+thing. It is necessary always to be prepared for that."
+
+"That is the trouble. That is why I disapprove of competitions."
+
+"Selma, you are talking nonsense," Littleton exclaimed with sudden
+sternness.
+
+The decision in his tone made her start. The color mounted to her face,
+and she surveyed him for an instant haughtily, as though he had done her
+an injury. Then with an oratorical air and her archangel look, she said,
+"You do not seem to understand, Wilbur, that I am trying to save you
+from yourself."
+
+Littleton was ever susceptible to that look of hers. It suggested
+incarnate conscientiousness, and seemed incompatible with human
+imperfection or unworthy ambitions. He was too wroth to relent
+altogether, but he compressed his lips and returned her look
+searchingly, as though he would scrutinize her soul.
+
+"I'm bound to believe, I do believe, that you are trying to help me,
+Selma. I need your advice and help, even against myself, I dare say. But
+there are some matters of which you cannot judge so well as I. You must
+trust my opinion where the development of my professional life is
+concerned. I shall not forget your caution to be practical, but for the
+sake of expediency I cannot be false to what I believe true. Come, dear,
+let us go to bed."
+
+He put his hand on her arm to lead her upstairs, but she turned from it
+to collect her fan and gloves. Looking, not at him, but at herself in
+the mirror, she answered, "Of course. I trust, though, that this does
+not mean you intend to act foolishly in regard to the Parsons house."
+
+"I have already told you," he said, looking back, "that I am going to
+make another attempt to satisfy that exasperating woman and her
+daughter."
+
+"And you can satisfy them, I'm sure, if you only choose to," said Selma,
+by way of a firm, final observation.
+
+Littleton's prophecy in regard to the waning of friendship between his
+wife and Mrs. Williams proved to be correct. Propinquity had made them
+intimate, and separation by force of circumstances put a summary end to
+frequent and cordial intercourse between them. As he had predicted,
+their first invitation to the new house was still the last at the end of
+three months, and save for a few words on one occasion in the street,
+Selma and Flossy did not meet during that period. But during that same
+three months Selma's attention was constantly attracted to the
+Williamses by prominent newspaper allusions to their prosperity and
+growing fashionable prestige. What they did and where they went were
+chronicled in the then new style journalistic social gossip, and the
+every-day world was made familiar with his financial opinions and his
+equipages and her toilettes. The meeting in the street was an ordeal for
+Selma. Flossy had been shopping and was about to step into her carriage,
+the door of which was held open by an imposing liveried footman, when
+the two women nearly collided.
+
+"I have not seen you for an age," Flossy exclaimed, with the genuine
+ring of regret in her tone, with which busy people partially atone for
+having left undone the things they ought or would like to have done.
+"Which way are you going? Can't I take you somewhere?"
+
+Selma glanced sternly at the snug coupe and stylish horses. "No, we
+don't seem to meet very often," she said drily. "I'm living, though, at
+the same place," she added, with a determination to be sprightly.
+
+"Yes, I know; I owe you a call. It's dreadful of me. I've been intending
+to come, but you can't imagine how busy I've been. Such a number of
+invitations, and new things to be done. I'm looking forward to giving
+you a full account of my experiences."
+
+"I've read about them in the newspapers."
+
+"Oh, yes. Gregory is always civil to reporters. He says that the
+newspapers are one of the great institutions of the country, and that it
+is sensible to keep in touch with them. I will confide to you that I
+think the whole business vulgar, and I intend some day, when we are
+firmly established, to be ugly to them. But at present the publicity is
+rather convenient and amusing," she exclaimed, with a gay shake of her
+head, which set her ringlets bobbing.
+
+"I should think it would be unpleasant to have the details of one's
+appearance described by the press."
+
+Flossy's doubts had returned in full force during the conversation. She
+said to herself, "I wonder if that is true? I wonder if it wouldn't be
+the very thing she would like?" But she answered blithely, "Oh, one gets
+used to it. Then I can't take you anywhere? I'm sorry. Some day I hope
+my round of gayety will cease, so that we can have a quiet evening
+together. I miss your husband. I always find him suggestive and
+interesting."
+
+"'Her round of gayety! A quiet evening together!'" murmured Selma as she
+walked away. "Wilbur is right; purse-proud, frivolous little thing! She
+is determined to destroy our friendship."
+
+Four weeks subsequent to this meeting the newspapers contained a fulsome
+account of a dancing party given by Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Williams--"an
+elegant and recherché entertainment," in the language of the reporter. A
+list of the company followed, which Selma scrutinized with a brow like a
+thunder-cloud. She had acquired a feverish habit of perusing similar
+lists, and she recognized that Flossy's guests--among the first of whom
+were Mr. and Mrs. Morton Price and the Misses Price--were chiefly
+confined to persons whom she had learned to know as members of
+fashionable society. She read, in the further phraseology of the
+reporter, that "it was a small and select affair." At the end of the
+list, as though they had been invited on sufferance as a business
+necessity, were the Parsonses; but these were the only former associates
+of the Williamses. Selma had just finished her second reading of this
+news item when her meditation was interrupted by the voice of her
+husband, who had been silent during dinner, as though he had some matter
+on his mind, and was at the moment sitting close by, on the other side
+of the lamp which lighted the library table.
+
+"I fear you will be disappointed, Selma, but I have informed Mr. Parsons
+definitely this morning, that he must get another architect. The ideas
+of his wife and daughter are hopelessly at variance with mine. He seemed
+to be sorry--indeed, I should think he was a reasonable and sensible
+man--but he said that he was building to please Mrs. Parsons, and we
+both agreed that under the circumstances it was necessary that she
+should make a fresh start. He asked me to send my bill, and we parted on
+the best of terms. So it is all over, and except from the point of view
+of dollars and cents, I am very glad. Only the remembrance that you had
+set your heart on my making this my masterpiece, prevented me from
+throwing over the contract weeks ago. Tell me, Selma _mia_, that you
+approve of what I have done and congratulate me." He pulled forward his
+chair so that he might see her face without interference from the lamp
+and leaned toward her with frank appeal.
+
+"Yes, I had set my heart on it, and you knew it. Yet you preferred to
+give up this fine opportunity to show what you could do and to get
+business worth having rather than sacrifice your own ideas as to how a
+house should be built to the ideas of the women who were to live in it.
+I dare say I should agree with them, and that the things which they
+wished and you objected to were things I would have insisted on having."
+
+Littleton started as though she had struck him in the face. "Selma! My
+wife! Do you realize what you are saying?"
+
+"Perfectly."
+
+"Then--then--. Why, what have I said, what have I done that you should
+talk like this?"
+
+"Done? Everything. For one thing you have thrown away the chance for
+getting ahead in your profession which I procured for you. For another,
+by your visionary, unpractical ways, you have put me in the position
+where I can be insulted. Read that, and judge for yourself." She held
+out to him the newspaper containing the account of the dancing party,
+pointing with her finger to the obnoxious passage.
+
+With nervous hands Littleton drew the page under the light. "What is all
+this about? A party? What has it to do with our affairs?"
+
+"It has this to do with them--if you had been more practical and
+enterprising, our names would have been on that list."
+
+"I am glad they are not there."
+
+"Yes, I know. You would be content to have us remain nobodies all our
+days. You do not care what becomes of my life, provided you can carry
+out your own narrow theory of how we ought to live. And I had such faith
+in you, too! I have refused to believe until now that you were not
+trying to make the most of your opportunities, and to enable me to make
+the most of mine."
+
+"Selma, are you crazy? To think that you, the woman I have loved with
+all my soul, should be capable of saying such things to me! What does it
+mean?"
+
+She was quick to take advantage of his phrase. "Have loved? Yes, I know
+that you do not love me as you did; otherwise you could not have refused
+to build that house, against my wish and advice. It means this, Wilbur
+Littleton, that I am determined not to let you spoil my life. You forget
+that in marrying you I gave up my own ambitions and hopes for your sake;
+because--because I believed that by living together we should be more,
+and accomplish more, than by living apart. You said you needed me, and I
+was fool enough to believe it."
+
+The fierce tragedy in her tone lapsed into self-pity under the influence
+of her last thought, and Littleton, eager in his bewilderment for some
+escape from the horror of the situation, put aside his anger and
+dropping on his knees beside her tried to take her hands.
+
+"You are provoked, my darling. Do not say things which you will be sorry
+for to-morrow. I call God to witness that I have sought above all else
+to make you happy, and if I have failed, I am utterly miserable. I have
+needed you, I do need you. Do not let a single difference of opinion
+spoil the joy of both our lives and divide our hearts."
+
+She pulled her hands away, and shunning his endearment, rose to her
+feet.
+
+"I am provoked, but I know what I am saying. A single difference of
+opinion? Do you not see, Wilbur, that none of our opinions are the same,
+and that we look at everything differently? Even your religion and the
+God you call to witness are not mine. They are stiff and cold; you
+Unitarians permit your consciences to deaden your emotions and belittle
+your outlook on life. When I went with Mr. Parsons the other day to the
+Methodist church, I could not help thinking how different it was. I was
+thrilled and I felt I could do anything and be anything. My mother was a
+Methodist. They sang 'Onward Christian Soldiers,' and it was glorious."
+She paused a moment and, with an exalted look, seemed to be recalling
+the movement of the hymn. "With you, Wilbur, and the people like
+you--Pauline is the same--everything is measured and pondered over, and
+nothing is spontaneous. I like action, and progress and prompt, sensible
+conclusions. That is the American way, and the way in which people who
+succeed get on. But you won't see it--you can't see it. I've tried to
+explain it to you, and now--now it's too late. We're nobodies, and, if
+our hearts are divided, that's fate I suppose. It's a very cruel fate
+for me. But I don't choose to remain a nobody."
+
+Littleton's expression as she talked had changed from astonishment to
+anger, and from anger to a sternness which gave his words of response
+the effect of calm and final decision. "You have said so many things
+with which I do not agree, and which I should have to dispute, that I
+will not attempt to argue with you concerning them. One thing is clear,
+both of us have made a horrible mistake. Each has misunderstood the
+other. You are dissatisfied with me; I realize suddenly that you are
+utterly different from what I supposed. I am overwhelmed, but your words
+make plain many things which have distressed and puzzled me." He paused
+as though in spite of the certainty of his tone, he hoped that she would
+see fit to deny his conclusions. "We have made a mistake and we shall
+both be miserable--that must needs be--but we must consider whether
+there is any method by which we can be less unhappy. What would you like
+to have me do, Selma? We have no children, thank heaven! Would it be
+more agreeable to live apart from me and receive support? A divorce does
+not seem necessary. Besides, our misconception of each other would
+not be a legal cause."
+
+Selma flushed at the reference to divorce. Littleton's sad, simple
+statement wore on the surface no sign of a design to hark back to her
+experience with her first husband, yet she divined that it must be in
+his thoughts and she resented the recurrence. Moreover, separation,
+certainly for the present, went beyond her purpose.
+
+"I have no wish for divorce or separation. I see no reason why we should
+not continue to live as we are," she answered. "To separate would cause
+scandal. It is not necessary that people should know we have made a
+mistake. I shall merely feel more free now to live my own life--and
+there is no telling that you may not some day see things from my point
+of view and sympathize with me more." She uttered the last words with a
+mixture of pathos and bright solicitation.
+
+Littleton shook his head. "I agree with you that to go on as we are is
+our best course. As you say, we ought, if possible, to keep the
+knowledge of our sorrow to ourselves. God knows that I wish I could hope
+that our life could ever be as it was before. Too many things have
+become plain to me in the last half-hour to make that possible. I could
+never learn to accept or sympathize with your point of view. There can
+be no half-love with me, Selma. It is my nature to be frank, and as you
+are fond of saying, that is the American way. I am your husband still,
+and while I live you shall have my money and my protection. But I have
+ceased to be your lover, though my heart is broken."
+
+"Very well," said Selma, after a painful pause. "But you know, Wilbur,"
+she added in a tone of eager protestation, "that I do not admit for a
+moment that I am at fault. I was simply trying to help you. You have
+only yourself to blame for your unhappiness and--and for mine. I hope
+you understand that."
+
+"Yes, I understand that you think so," he said sadly.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+The breach between Littleton and his wife was too serious to be healed,
+for he was confronted by the conviction that Selma was a very different
+being from the woman whom he had supposed that he was marrying. He had
+been slow to harbor distrust, and loath, even in the face of her own
+words, to admit that he had misinterpreted her character; but this last
+conversation left no room for doubt. Selma had declared to him,
+unequivocally, that his ideas and theory of life were repugnant to her,
+and that, henceforth, she intended to act independently of them, so far
+as she could do so, and yet maintain the semblance of the married state.
+It was a cruel shock and disappointment to him. At the time of his
+marriage he would have said that the least likely of possible happenings
+would be self-deception as to the character of the woman he loved. Yet
+this was precisely what had befallen him.
+
+Having realized his mistake, he did not seek to flinch from the bitter
+truth. He saw clearly that their future relations toward each other must
+be largely formal; that tender comradeship and mutual soul alliance were
+at an end. At the same time his simple, direct conscience promptly
+indicated to him that it was his duty to recognize Selma's point of view
+and endeavor to satisfy it as far as he could without sacrifice of his
+own principles. He chose to remember that she, too, had made a mistake,
+and that he was not the kind of husband whom she desired; that his
+tastes were not her tastes, nor his ambitions her's; that she had tastes
+and ambitions of her own which he, as the man to whom she was bound by
+the law, must not disregard. Thus reasoning, he resolved to carry out
+the scheme of life which she appeared to despise, but also to work hard
+to provide her with the means to fulfil her own aims. She craved money
+for social advancement. She should have it from him, for there was no
+other source from which she could obtain it. The poignancy of his own
+sorrow should not cause him to ignore that she had given up her own
+career and pursuits in order to become his wife, and was now
+disappointed and without independent resources. His pride was sorely
+wounded, his ideals shattered and his heart crushed; yet, though he
+could not forbear from judging Selma, and was unconscious of having
+failed in his obligations to her as a husband and a man, he saw what she
+called her side, and he took up the thread of life again under the spur
+of an intention to give her everything but love.
+
+On her part Selma felt aggrieved yet emancipated. She had not looked for
+any such grave result from her vituperation. She had intended to reprove
+his surrender of the Parsons's contract, in direct opposition to her own
+wishes, with the severity it deserved, and to let him understand clearly
+that he was sacrificing her happiness, no less than his own, by his
+hysterical folly. When the conversation developed stubborn resistance on
+his part, and she realized that he was defending and adhering to his
+purpose, a righteous sense of injury became predominant in her mind over
+everything else. All her past wrongs cried for redress, and she rejoiced
+in the opportunity of giving free vent to the pent up grievances which
+had been accumulating for many months. Even then it was startling to her
+that Wilbur should suddenly utter the tragic ultimatum that their
+happiness was at an end, and hint at divorce. She considered that she
+loved him, and it had never occurred to her that he could ever cease to
+love her. Rather than retract a word of her own accusations she would
+have let him leave her, then and there, to live her own life without
+protection or support from him, but his calmer decision that they should
+continue to live together, yet apart, suited her better. In spite of his
+resolute mien she was sceptical of the seriousness of the situation. She
+believed in her heart that after a few days of restraint they would
+resume their former life, and that Wilbur, on reflection, would
+appreciate that he had been absurd.
+
+When it became apparent that he was not to be appeased and that his
+threat had been genuine, Selma accepted the new relation without demur,
+and prepared to play her part in the compact as though she had been
+equally obdurate in her outcry for her freedom. She met reserve with
+reserve, maintaining rigorously the attitude that she had been wronged
+and that he was to blame. Meantime she watched him narrowly, wondering
+what his grave, sad demeanor and solicitous politeness signified. When
+presently it became plain to her that not merely she was to be free to
+follow her own bent, but that he was ready to provide her with the means
+to carry out her schemes, she regarded his liberality as weakness and a
+sign that he knew in his heart that she was in the right. Immediately,
+and with thinly concealed triumph, she planned to utilize the new
+liberty at her disposal, purging any scruples from her conscience by the
+generous reflection that when Wilbur's brow unbent and his lips moved
+freely she would forgive him and proffer him once more her conjugal
+counsel and sympathy. She was firmly of the opinion that, unless he thus
+acknowledged his shortcomings and promised improvement, the present
+arrangement was completely to her liking, and that confidence and
+happiness between them would be utterly impossible. She shed some tears
+over the thought that unkind circumstances had robbed her of the love by
+which she had set such store and which she, on her part, still
+cherished, but she comforted herself with the retort that its loss was
+preferable to sacrificing weakly the development of her own ideas and
+life to its perpetuation.
+
+Her flush of triumph was succeeded, however, by a discontented mood,
+because cogitation constrained her to suspect that her social progress
+might not be so rapid as her first rosy visions had suggested. She
+counted on being able to procure the participation of Wilbur
+sufficiently to preserve the appearance of domestic harmony. This would
+be for practical purposes a scarcely less effective furtherance of her
+plans than if he were heartily in sympathy with them. Were there not
+many instances where busy husbands took part in the social undertakings
+of their wives, merely on the surface, to preserve appearances? The
+attitude of Wilbur seemed reasonably secure. That which harassed her as
+the result of her reflections and efforts to plan was the unpalatable
+consciousness that she did not know exactly what to do, and that no one,
+even now that she was free, appeared eager to extend to her the hand of
+recognition. She was prompt to lay the blame of this on her husband. It
+was he who, by preventing her from taking advantage of the social
+opportunities at their disposal, had consigned her to this eddy where
+she was overlooked. This seemed to her a complete excuse, and yet,
+though she made the most of it, it did not satisfy her. Her helplessness
+angered her, and aroused her old feelings of suspicion and resentment
+against the fashionable crew who appeared to be unaware of her
+existence. She was glad to believe that the reason they ignored her was
+because she was too serious minded and spiritual to suit their frivolous
+and pleasure-loving tastes. Sometimes she reasoned that the sensible
+thing for her to do was to break away from her present life, where
+convention and caste trammelled her efforts, and make a name for herself
+as an independent soul, like Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle and other
+free-born women of the Republic. With satisfaction she pictured herself
+on the lecture platform uttering burning denunciation of the un-American
+social proclivities of this shallow society, and initiating a crusade
+which should sweep it from existence beneath the ban of the moral sense
+of the thoughtful people of the country.
+
+But more frequently she nursed her resentment against Mrs. Williams, to
+whom she ascribed the blame of her isolation, reasoning that if Flossy
+had been a true friend, not even Wilbur's waywardness would have
+prevented her social recognition and success. That, instead, this
+volatile, fickle prattler had used her so long as she needed her, and
+then dropped her heartlessly. The memory of Flossy's ball still rankled
+deeply, and appeared to Selma a more obvious and more exasperating
+insult as the days passed without a sign of explanation on the part of
+her late neighbor, and as her new projects languished for lack of a few
+words of introduction here and there, which, in her opinion, were all
+she needed to ensure her enthusiastic welcome as a social leader. The
+appreciation that without those words of introduction she was helpless
+for the time being focused her resentment, already keen, on the
+successful Flossy, whose gay doings had disappeared from the public
+prints in a blaze of glory with the advent of the Lenten season.
+Refusing to acknowledge her dependence, Selma essayed several spasmodic
+attempts to assert herself, but they proved unsatisfactory. She made the
+most of Mr. Parsons's predilection for her society, which had not been
+checked by Wilbur's termination of the contract. She was thus enabled to
+affiliate with some of their new friends, but she was disagreeably
+conscious that she was not making real progress, and that Mr. and Mrs.
+Parsons and their daughter had, like herself, been dropped by the
+Williamses--dropped skilfully and imperceptibly, yet none the less
+dropped. Two dinner parties, which she gave in the course of a fortnight
+to the most important of these new acquaintances, by way of manifesting
+to Wilbur her intention to enjoy her liberty at his expense, left her
+depressed and sore.
+
+It was just at this time that Flossy took it into her head to call on
+her--one of her first Lenten duties, as she hastened to assure Selma,
+with glib liveliness, as soon as she entered. Flossy was in too exalted
+a frame of mind, too bubbling over with the desire to recite her
+triumphs, to have in mind either her doubts concerning Selma or the need
+of being more than mildly apologetic for her lack of devotion. She felt
+friendly, for she was in good humor, and was naïvely desirous to be
+received in the same spirit, so that she might unbosom herself
+unreservedly. Sweeping into the room, an animated vision of smiling,
+stylish cordiality, she sought, as it were, to carry before her by force
+of her own radiant mood all obstacles to an amiable reception.
+
+"My dear, we haven't met for ages. Thank heaven, Lent has come, and now
+I may see something of you. I said to Gregory only yesterday that I
+should make a bee-line for your house, and here I am. Well, dear, how
+are you? All sorts of things have happened, Selma, since we've had a
+real chat together. Do you remember my telling you--of course you
+do--not long after Gregory and I were married that I never should be
+satisfied until one thing happened? Well, you may congratulate me; it
+has happened. We dined a week ago to-night with my cousins--the Morton
+Prices--a dinner of fourteen, all of them just the people I wished to
+know. Wasn't it lovely? I have waited for it to come, and I haven't
+moved a finger to bring it about, except to ask them to my dancing
+party--I had to do that, for after all they are my relations. They
+accepted and came and I was pleased by it; but they could easily have
+ignored me afterward if they had wished. What really pleased me, Selma,
+was their asking me to one of their select dinners, because--because it
+showed that we are--"
+
+Flossy's hesitation was due partly to the inherent difficulty of
+expressing her thought with proper regard for modesty. With her rise in
+life she had learned that unlimited laudation of self was not altogether
+consistent with "fitness," even in such a confidential interview as the
+present. But she was also disconcerted by the look in Selma's eyes--a
+look which, at first startled into momentary friendliness by the
+suddenness of the onslaught, had become more and more lowering until it
+was unpleasantly suggestive of scornful dislike. While she thus
+faltered, Selma drily rounded out the sentence with the words, "Because
+it showed that you are somebodies now."
+
+Flossy gave an embarrassed little laugh. "Yes, that's what I meant. I
+see you have a good memory, and it sounds nicer on your lips than it
+would on mine."
+
+"You have come here to-day on purpose to tell me this?" said Selma.
+
+"I thought you would be interested to hear that my cousins had
+recognized me at last. I remember, you thought it strange that they
+should take so little notice of me." Flossy's festive manner had
+disappeared before the tart reception of her confidences, and her keen
+wits, baffled in their search for flattery, recalled the suspicions
+which were only slumbering. She realized that Selma was seriously
+offended with her, and though she did not choose to acknowledge to
+herself that she knew the cause, she had already guessed it. An
+encounter at repartee had no terrors for her, if necessary, and the
+occasion seemed to her opportune for probing the accumulating mysteries
+of Selma's hostile demeanor. Yet, without waiting for a response to her
+last remark, she changed the subject, and said, volubly, "I hear that
+your husband has refused to build the new Parsons house because Mrs.
+Parsons insisted on drawing the plans."
+
+Selma's pale, tense face flushed. She thought for a moment that she was
+being taunted.
+
+"That was Mr. Littleton's decision, not mine."
+
+"I admire his independence. He was quite right. What do Mrs. Parsons or
+her daughter know about architecture? Everybody is laughing at them. You
+know I consider your husband a friend of mine, Selma."
+
+"And we were friends, too, I believe?" Selma exclaimed, after a moment
+of stern silence.
+
+"Naturally," responded Flossy, with a slightly sardonic air, prompted by
+the acerbity with which the question was put.
+
+"Then, if we were friends--are friends, why have you ceased to associate
+with us, simply because you live in another street and a finer house?"
+
+Flossy gave a gasp. "Oh," she said to herself, "it's true. She is
+jealous. Why didn't I appreciate it before?"
+
+"Am I not associating with you now by calling on you, Selma?" she said
+aloud. "I don't understand what you mean."
+
+"You are calling on me, and you asked us to dinner to meet--to meet just
+the people we knew already, and didn't care to meet; but you have never
+asked us to meet your new friends, and you left us out when you gave
+your dancing party."
+
+"You do not dance."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I have never associated you with dancing. I assumed that you did not
+dance."
+
+"What grounds had you for such an assumption?"
+
+"Really, Selma, your catechism is most extraordinary. Excuse my smiling.
+And I don't know how to answer your questions--your fierce questions any
+better. I didn't ask you to my party because I supposed that you and
+your husband were not interested in that sort of thing, and would not
+know any of the people. You have often told me that you thought they
+were frivolous."
+
+"I consider them so still."
+
+"Then why do you complain?"
+
+"Because--because you have not acted like a friend. Your idea of
+friendship has been to pour into my ears, day after day, how you had
+been asked to dinner by this person and taken up by that person, until I
+was weary of the sound of your voice, but it seems not to have occurred
+to you, as a friend of mine, and a friend and admirer of my husband, to
+introduce us to people whom you were eager to know, and who might have
+helped him in his profession. And now, after turning the cold shoulder
+on us, and omitting us from your party, because you assumed I didn't
+dance, you have come here this morning, in the name of friendship, to
+tell me that your cousins, at last, have invited you to dinner. And yet
+you think it strange that I'm not interested. That's the only reason you
+came--to let me know that you are a somebody now; and you expected me,
+as a friend and a nobody, to tell you how glad I am."
+
+Flossy's eyes opened wide. Free as she was accustomed to be in her own
+utterances, this flow of bitter speech delivered with seer-like
+intensity was a new experience to her. She did not know whether to be
+angry or amused by the indictment, which caused her to wince
+notwithstanding that she deemed it slander. Moreover the insinuation
+that she had been a bore was humiliating.
+
+"I shall not weary you soon again with my confidences," she answered.
+"So it appears that you were envious of me all the time--that while you
+were preaching to me that fashionable society was hollow and
+un-American, you were secretly unhappy because you couldn't do what I
+was doing--because you weren't invited, too. Oh, I see it all now; it's
+clear as daylight. I've suspected the truth for some time, but I've
+refused to credit it. Now everything is explained. I took you at your
+word; I believed in you and your husband and looked up to you as
+literary people--people who were interested in fine and ennobling
+things. I admired you for the very reason that I thought you didn't
+care, and that you didn't need to care, about society and fashionable
+position. I kept saying to you that I envied you your tastes, and let
+you see that I considered myself your real inferior in my determination
+to attract attention and oblige society to notice us. I was guileless
+and simpleton enough to tell you of my progress--things I would have
+blushed to tell another woman like myself--because I considered you the
+embodiment of high aims and spiritual ideas, as far superior to mine as
+the poetic star is superior to the garish electric light. I thought it
+might amuse you to listen to my vanities. Instead, it seems you were
+masquerading and were eating your heart out with envy of me--poor me.
+You were ambitious to be like me."
+
+"I wouldn't be like you for anything in the world."
+
+"You couldn't if you tried. That's one of the things which this
+extraordinary interview has made plain beyond the shadow of a doubt. You
+are aching to be a social success. You are not fit to be. I have found
+that out for certain to-day."
+
+"It is false," exclaimed Selma, with a tragic intonation. "You do not
+understand. I have no wish to be a social success. I should abhor to
+spend my life after the manner of you and your associates. What I object
+to, what I complain of, is that, in spite of your fine words and
+pretended admiration of me, you have preferred these people, who are
+exclusive without a shadow of right, to me who was your friend, and that
+you have chosen to ignore me for the sake of them, and behaved as if you
+thought I was not their equal or your equal. That is not friendship, it
+is snobbishness--un-American snobbishness."
+
+"It is very amusing. Amusing yet depressing," continued Flossy, without
+heed to this asseveration. "You have proved one of my ideals to be a
+delusion, which is sad." She had arisen and stood gently swaying pendent
+by its crook her gay parasol, with her head on one side, and seeming for
+once to be choosing her words judicially. "When we met first and I
+nearly rushed into your arms, I was fascinated, and I said to myself
+that here was the sort of American woman of whom I had dreamed--the sort
+of woman I had fondly imagined once that I might become. I saw you were
+unsophisticated and different from the conventional women to whom I was
+accustomed, and, even at first, the things you said every now and then
+gave me a creepy feeling, but you were inspiring to look at--though now
+that the scales have fallen from my eyes I wonder at my infatuation--and
+I continued to worship you as a goddess on a pedestal. I used to say to
+Gregory, 'there's a couple who are to the manner born; they never have
+to make believe. They are genuinely free and gentle souls.' Your
+husband? I can't believe that I have been deluded in regard to him,
+also. I just wonder if you appreciate him--if it is possible that he has
+been deluded, also. That's rank impertinence, I know; but after all, we
+are unbosoming our thoughts to each other to-day, and may as well speak
+openly. You said just now that it was his decision not to go on with the
+Parsons house. Did you disapprove of it?"
+
+"Yes, I disapproved of it," answered Selma with flashing eyes. "And what
+if I did?"
+
+She rose and stood confronting her visitor as though to banish her from
+the house.
+
+"I'm going," said Flossy. "It's none of my concern of course, and I'm
+aware that I appear very rude. I'm anxious though not to lose faith in
+your husband, and now that I've begun to understand you, my wits are
+being flooded with light. I was saying that you were not fit to be a
+social success, and I'm going to tell you why. No one else is likely to,
+and I'm just mischievous and frank enough. You're one of those American
+women--I've always been curious to meet one in all her glory--who
+believe that they are born in the complete panoply of flawless
+womanhood; that they are by birthright consummate house-wives, leaders
+of the world's thought and ethics, and peerless society queens. All this
+by instinct, by heritage, and without education. That's what you
+believe, isn't it? And now you are offended because you haven't been
+invited to become a leader of New York society. You don't understand,
+and I don't suppose you ever will understand, that a true lady--a
+genuine society queen--represents modesty and sweetness and
+self-control, and gentle thoughts and feelings; that she is evolved by
+gradual processes from generation to generation, not ready made. Oh, you
+needn't look at me like that. I'm quite aware that if I were the genuine
+article I shouldn't be talking to you in this fashion. But there's hope
+for me because I'm conscious of my shortcomings and am trying to correct
+them; whereas you are satisfied, and fail to see the difference between
+yourself and the well-bred women whom you envy and sneer at. You're
+pretty and smart and superficial and--er--common, and you don't know it.
+I'm rather dreadful, but I'm learning. I don't believe you will ever
+learn. There! Now I'm going."
+
+"Go!" cried Selma with a wave of her arm. "Yes, I am one of those women.
+I am proud to be, and you have insulted by your aspersions, not only me,
+but the spirit of independent and aspiring American womanhood. You don't
+understand us; you have nothing in common with us. You think to keep us
+down by your barriers of caste borrowed from effete European courts, but
+we--I--the American people defy you. The time will come when we shall
+rise in our might and teach you your place. Go! Envy you? I would not
+become one of your frivolous and purposeless set if you were all on your
+bended knees before me."
+
+"Oh, yes you would," exclaimed Flossy, glancing back over her shoulder.
+"And it's because you've not been given the chance that we have
+quarrelled now."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+The morning after her drastic interview with Mrs. Williams, Selma
+studied herself searchingly in her mirror. Of all Flossy's candid
+strictures the intimation that she was not and never would be completely
+a lady was the only one which rankled. The effrontery of it made her
+blood boil; and yet she consulted her glass in the seclusion of her
+chamber in order to reassure herself as to the spiteful falsity of the
+criticism. Wild horses would not have induced her to admit even to
+herself that there was the slightest ground for it; still it rankled,
+thereby suggesting a sub-consciousness of suspicion on the look out for
+just such a calumny.
+
+She gave Littleton her own version of the quarrel. Her explanation was
+that she had charged Flossy with a lack of friendship in failing to
+invite her to her ball, and convicted her of detestable snobbery; that
+she had denounced this conduct in vigorous language, that they had
+parted in anger, and that all intercourse between them was at an end.
+
+"We understand each other now," she added. "I have felt for some time
+that we were no longer sympathetic; and that something of this kind was
+inevitable. I am glad that we had the chance to speak plainly, for I was
+able to show her that I had been waiting for an excuse to cut loose from
+her and her frivolous surroundings. I have wearied my spirit long enough
+with listening to social inanities, and in lowering my standards to hers
+for the sake of appearing friendly and conventional. That is all over
+now, thank heaven."
+
+It did not occur to Selma that there was any inconsistency in these
+observations, or that they might appear a partial vindication of her
+husband's point of view. The most salient effect of her encounter with
+Flossy had been suddenly to fuse and crystallize her mixed and seemingly
+contradictory ambitions into utter hostility to conventional fashionable
+society. Even when her heart had been hungering for an invitation to
+Flossy's ball, she considered that she despised these people, but the
+interview had served to establish her in the glowing faith that they, by
+their inability to appreciate her, had shown themselves unworthy of
+further consideration. The desire which she had experienced of late for
+a renewal of her intimacy with Mrs. Earle and a reassertion of her
+former life of independent feminine activity had returned to her,
+coupled with the crusading intention to enroll herself openly once more
+in the army of new American women, whose impending victorious campaign
+she had prophesied in her retort to Mrs. Williams's maledictions. She
+had, in her own opinion, never ceased to belong to this army, and she
+felt herself now more firmly convinced than ever that the course of life
+of those who had turned a cold shoulder on her was hostile to the spirit
+of American institutions. So far as her husband was concerned,
+imaginative enterprise and the capacity to take advantage of
+opportunities still seemed to her of the essence of fine character.
+Indeed, she was not conscious of any change in her point of view. She
+had resented Flossy's charge that she desired to be a social success,
+and had declared that her wounded feelings were solely due to Flossy's
+betrayal of friendship, not to balked social ambition. Consequently it
+was no strain on her conscientiousness to feel that her real sentiments
+had always been the same.
+
+Nevertheless she scrutinized herself eagerly and long in her mirror, and
+the process left her serious brow still clouded. She saw in the glass
+features which seemed to her suggestive of superior womanhood, a slender
+clear-cut nose, the nostrils of which dilated nervously, delicately
+thin, compressed lips, a pale, transparent complexion, and clear,
+steel-like, greenish-brown eyes looking straight and boldly from an
+anxious forehead surmounted with a coiffure of elaborately and smoothly
+arranged hair. She saw indisputable evidence that she had ceased to be
+the ethically attractive, but modishly unsophisticated and physically
+undeveloped girl, who had come to New York five years before, for her
+figure was compact without being unduly plump, her cheeks becomingly
+oval, and her toilette stylish. There were rings on her fingers, and her
+neck-gear was smart. Altogether the vision was satisfactory, yet she
+recognized as she gazed that her appearance and general effect were not
+precisely those of Flossy, Pauline, or Mrs. Hallett Taylor. She had
+always prided herself on the distinction of her face, and admired
+especially its freedom from gross or unintellectual lines. She did not
+intend to question its superiority now; but Flossy's offensive words
+rang in her ears and caused her to gnaw her lips with annoyance. What
+was the difference between them? Flossy had dared to call her common and
+superficial; had dared to insinuate that she never could be a lady. A
+lady? What was there in her appearance not lady-like? In what way was
+she the inferior of any of them in beauty, intelligence or character?
+Rigorous as was the scrutiny, the face in the mirror seemed to her an
+unanswerable refutation of the slander. What was the difference? Was it
+that her eyes were keener and brighter, her lips thinner and less
+fleshly, her general expression more wide-awake and self-reliant? If so,
+were these not signs of superiority; signs that they, not she, were
+deficient in the attributes of the best modern womanhood in spite of
+their affectation of exclusiveness?
+
+The result of this process of self-examination in her looking-glass,
+which was not limited to a single occasion, established more firmly than
+ever in Selma's opinion the malignant falsity of the imputation, and yet
+she was still haunted by it. She was tortured by the secret thought
+that, though her ambition had been to become just like those other
+women, she was still distinguishable from them; and moreover, that she
+was baffled in her attempt to analyze the distinction. Distinguishable
+even from Flossy--from Flossy, who had slighted and then reviled her!
+Why had she ever faltered in her distrust of these enemies of true
+American society? Yet this lingering sense of torture served to whet her
+new-found purpose to have done with them forever, and to obtain the
+recognition and power to which she was entitled, in spite of their
+impertinence and neglect.
+
+The announcement was made to her by Wilbur at about this time that his
+plans for Wetmore College had been accepted, and that he was to be the
+architect of the new buildings. As he told her his face showed a
+tremulous animation which it had not worn for many weeks, and he
+regarded her for a moment with shy eagerness, as though he half hoped
+that this vindication of his purposes by success might prompt her to
+tender some sort of apology, and thus afford him the chance to persuade
+himself that he had been mistaken after all in his judgment of her.
+
+"You must be very much pleased," she said. "And so am I, of course."
+Then, after a moment of reflective abstraction, she asked with sudden
+eagerness, "How long will it take to build them?"
+
+"Two or three years, I suppose."
+
+"And you would be obliged to go frequently to Benham?"
+
+"In order to oversee the work I should have to make short trips there
+from time to time."
+
+"Yes. Wilbur," she exclaimed, with her exalted expression, "why
+shouldn't we go to Benham to live? I have been thinking a great deal
+lately about what we said to each other that time when you felt so
+badly, and I have come to the conclusion that our living in New York is
+what is really the trouble. I have the feeling, Wilbur, that in some
+other place than this cruel, conventional city we should be happier than
+we are now--indeed, very happy. Has it ever occurred to you? You see,
+New York doesn't understand me; it doesn't understand you, Wilbur. It
+sneers at our aspirations. Benham is a growing, earnest city--a city
+throbbing with the best American spirit and energy. I suggest Benham
+because we both know it so well. The college buildings would give you a
+grand start, and I--we both would be in our proper sphere."
+
+Littleton had started at the suggestion. As a drowning man will grasp at
+a straw, his grieving soul for an instant entertained the plan as a
+panacea for their woes. But his brow grew grave and sad under the
+influence of reflection as she proceeded to set forth her reasons in her
+wrapt fashion. If he had not learned to remain cold under the witchery
+of her intense moods, he no longer hesitated to probe her fervid
+assertions with his self-respecting common-sense.
+
+"I would he willing to go to the ends of the earth, Selma," he answered,
+"if I believed that by so doing you and I could become what we once were
+to each other. But I cannot see why we should hope to be happier in
+Benham than here, nor do I agree with you that this is not our proper
+sphere. I do not share your sentiments in regard to New York; but
+whatever its faults, New York is the place where I have established
+myself and am known, and where the abilities which I possess can be
+utilized and will be appreciated soonest. Benham is twenty-five years
+behind this city in all things which concern art and my professional
+life, as you well know."
+
+Selma flushed. "On the contrary, I have reason to believe that Benham
+has made wonderful progress in the last five years. My friends there
+write that there are many new streets and beautiful buildings, and that
+the spirit of the place is enthusiastic and liberal, not luxurious and
+sneering. You never appreciated Benham at its true worth, Wilbur."
+
+"Perhaps not. But we chose New York."
+
+"Then you insist on remaining here?"
+
+"I see no reason for sacrificing the fruits of the past five years--for
+pulling myself up by the roots and making a fresh start. From a
+professional point of view, I think it would be madness."
+
+"Not even to save our happiness?" Selma's eyes swam and her lips
+trembled as she spoke. She felt very miserable, and she yearned with the
+desire that her husband would clasp her in his arms in a vast embrace,
+and tell her that she was right and that he would go. She felt that if
+he did, the horror of the past would be wiped out and loving harmony be
+restored.
+
+Wilbur's lips trembled, too. He gazed at her for a moment without
+speaking, in conflict with himself; then passing his hand across his
+forehead, as though he would sweep away a misty spell from his eyes,
+said, "Be sensible, Selma. If we could be happy in Benham, we should be
+happy here."
+
+"Then you refuse?"
+
+"For the present, yes."
+
+"And I must remain here to be insulted--and a nobody."
+
+"For God's sake, Selma, let us not renew that discussion. What you ask
+is impossible at present, but I shall remember that it is your wish, and
+when I begin my work at Benham the circumstances and surroundings may be
+such that I shall feel willing to move."
+
+Selma turned to the table and took up a book, dissatisfied, yet buoyed
+by a new hope. She did not observe the tired lines on her husband's
+face--the weariness of a soul disappointed in its most precious
+aspirations.
+
+Within the next month it happened that a terrible and unusual fatality
+was the occasion of the death of both Mrs. Parsons and her daughter.
+They were killed by a fall of the elevator at the hotel in which they
+were living--one of those dire casualties which are liable to happen to
+any one of us in these days of swift and complicated apparatus, but
+which always seem remote from personal experience. This cruel blow of
+fate put an end to all desire on the part of the bereaved husband and
+father to remain in New York, whither he had come to live mainly to
+please his women folk, as he called them. As soon as he recovered from
+the bewilderment of the shock, Mr. Parsons sent for the architect who
+had taken Littleton's place, and who had just begun the subservient task
+of fusing diverse types of architecture in order to satisfy an American
+woman's appetite for startling effect, and told him to arrange to
+dispose of the lot and its immature walls to the highest bidder. His
+precise plans for the future were still uncertain when Selma called on
+him, and found comfort for her own miseries in ministering to his
+solitude, but he expressed an inclination to return to his native
+Western town, as the most congenial spot in which to end his days.
+Selma, whose soul was full of Benham, suggested it as an alternative,
+enlarging with contagious enthusiasm on its civic merits. The crushed
+old man listened with growing attention. Already the germs of a plan for
+the disposition of his large property were sprouting in his mind to
+provide him with a refuge from despondency. He was a reticent man, not
+in the habit of confiding his affairs until ready to act, but he paid
+interested heed to Selma's eulogy of the bustling energy and rapid
+growth of Benham. His preliminary thought had been that it would make
+him happy to endow his native town, which was a small and inconspicuous
+place, with a library building. But, as his visitor referred to the
+attractions and admirable public spirit of the thriving city, which was
+in the same State as his own home, he silently reasoned that residence
+there need not interfere with his original project, and that he might
+find a wide and more important field for his benefactions in a community
+so representative of American ideas and principles.
+
+Selma's visits of condolence to Mr. Parsons were interrupted by the
+illness of her own husband. In reflecting, subsequently, she remembered
+that he had seemed weary and out of sorts for several days, but her
+conscious attention was invoked by his coming home early in the
+afternoon, suffering from a violent chill, and manifestly in a state of
+physical collapse. He went to bed at once; Selma brought blankets and a
+hot-water bottle, and Dr. George Page was sent for. Dr. Page was the one
+of Littleton's friends whom Selma had unsuccessfully yearned to know
+better. She had never been able to understand him exactly, but he
+fascinated her in spite of--perhaps because of--his bantering manner.
+She found difficulty in reconciling it with his reputation for hard work
+and masterly skill in his profession. She was constantly hoping to
+extract from him something worthy of his large, solid face, with its
+firm mouth and general expression of reserve force, but he seemed always
+bent on talking nonsense in her society, and more than once the
+disagreeable thought had occurred to her that he was laughing at her. He
+had come to the house after her marriage now and then, but during the
+past year or two she had scarcely seen him. The last time when they had
+met, Selma had taxed him with his neglect of her.
+
+His reply had been characteristically elusive and unsatisfactory. "I
+will not attempt to frame excuses for my behavior, Mrs. Littleton, for
+no reason which I could offer would be a justification."
+
+But on the present occasion his greeting was grave and eager.
+
+"Wilbur sick? I feared as much. I warned Pauline two months ago that he
+was overworking, and only last week I told him that he would break down
+if he did not go away for a fortnight's rest."
+
+"I wish you had spoken to me."
+
+Selma noted with satisfaction that there was no raillery in his manner
+now. He bent his gaze on her searchingly.
+
+"Have you not noticed that he looked ill and tired?"
+
+She did not flinch. Why indeed should she? "A little. He tired himself,
+I think, over the designs for Wetmore College, which he did in addition
+to his other work. But since the award was made it has seemed to me that
+he was looking better."
+
+She started to lead the way to Wilbur's room, but the doctor paused, and
+regarding her again fixedly, as though he had formed a resolution to
+ferret the secrets of her soul, said laconically:
+
+"Is he happy?"
+
+"Happy?" she echoed.
+
+"Has he anything on his mind, I mean--anything except his work?"
+
+"Nothing--that is," she added, looking up at her inquisitor
+with bright, interested eyes, "nothing except that he is very
+conscientious--over-conscientious I sometimes think." To be bandying
+psychological analyses with this able man was an edifying experience
+despite her concern for Wilbur.
+
+"I see," he answered dryly, and for an instant there was a twinkle in
+his eyes. Yet he added, "To make a correct diagnosis it is important to
+know all the facts of the case."
+
+"Of course," she said solemnly, reassured in her belief that she was
+being consulted and was taking part in the treatment of her husband's
+malady.
+
+She accompanied Dr. Page to Wilbur's bed-side. He conversed in a cheery
+tone with his friend while he took his temperature and made what seemed
+to her a comparatively brief examination. Selma jumped to the conclusion
+that there was nothing serious the matter. The moment they had left the
+room, the doctor's manner changed, and he said with alert concern:
+
+"Your husband is very ill; he has pneumonia. I am going to send for a
+nurse."
+
+"A nurse? I will nurse him myself, Dr. Page."
+
+It seemed to her the obvious thing to do. She spoke proudly, for it
+flashed into her mind that here was the opportunity to redeem the
+situation with Wilbur. She would tend him devotedly and when he had been
+restored to health by her loving skill, perhaps he would appreciate her
+at her worth, and recognize that she had thwarted him only to help him.
+
+The doctor's brow darkened, and he said with an emphasis which was
+almost stern: "Mrs. Littleton, I do not wish to alarm you, but it is
+right that you should know that Wilbur's symptoms are grave. I hope to
+save his life, but it can be saved only by trained skill and attendance.
+Inexperienced assistance, however devoted, would be of no use in a case
+like this."
+
+"But I only wished to nurse him."
+
+"I know it; I understand perfectly. You supposed that anyone could do
+that. At least that you could. I shall return in an hour at the latest
+with a nurse who was trained for three years in a hospital to fit her to
+battle for valuable lives."
+
+Selma flushed with annoyance. She felt that she was being ridiculed and
+treated as though she were an incapable doll. She divined that by his
+raillery he had been making fun of her, and forthwith her predilection
+was turned to resentment. Not nurse her husband? Did this brow-beating
+doctor realize that, as a girl, she had been the constant attendant of
+her invalid father, and that more than once it had occurred to her that
+her true mission in life might be to become a nurse? Training? She would
+prove to him that she needed no further training. These were her
+thoughts, and she felt like crying, because he had humiliated her at a
+time like this. Yet she had let Dr. Page go without a word. She returned
+to Wilbur and established herself beside his bed. He tried to smile at
+her coming.
+
+"I think I shall be better to-morrow. It is only a heavy cold," he said,
+but already he found difficulty in speaking.
+
+"I have come to nurse you. The blankets and hot-water bottle have made
+you warmer, haven't they? Nod; you mustn't talk."
+
+"Yes," he whispered huskily.
+
+She felt his forehead, and it was burning. She took his hand and saying,
+"Sh! You ought not to talk," held it in her own. Then there was silence
+save for Wilbur's uneasy turning. It was plain that he was very
+uncomfortable. She realized that he was growing worse, and though she
+chose to believe that the doctor had exaggerated the seriousness of the
+case in order to affront her, the thought came that he might die. She
+had never considered such a possibility before. What should she do? She
+would be a widow without children and without means, for she knew that
+Wilbur had laid up little if anything. She would have to begin life over
+again--a pathetic prospect, yet interesting. Even this conjecture of
+such a dire result conjured up a variety of possible methods of
+livelihood and occupation which sped through her mind.
+
+The return of Dr. Page with a nurse cut short these painful yet
+engrossing speculations. His offensive manner appeared to have exhausted
+itself, but he proceeded to install his companion in Wilbur's room.
+Selma would have liked to turn her out of the house, but realized that
+she could not run the risk of taking issue with him at a time when her
+husband's life might be in danger. With an injured air yet in silence
+she beheld the deliberate yet swift preparations. Once or twice Dr. Page
+asked her to procure for him some article or appliance likely to be in
+the house, speaking with a crisp, business-like preoccupation which
+virtually ignored her existence, yet was free from offence. His soul
+evidently was absorbed by his patient, whom he observed with alert
+watchfulness, issuing brief directions now and then to his white-capped,
+methodical, and noiseless assistant. Selma sat with her hands before her
+in a corner of the bed-room, practically ignored. The shadows deepened
+and a maid announced dinner. Dr. Page looked at his watch.
+
+"I shall pass the night here," he said.
+
+"Is he worse?"
+
+"The disease is making progress and must run its course. This is only
+the beginning. You should eat your dinner, for you will need your
+strength," he added with simple graciousness.
+
+"But I am doing nothing," she blurted.
+
+"If there is anything you can do I will let you know."
+
+Their eyes met. His were gray and steady, but kind. She felt that he
+chose to treat her like a child, yet that he was trying to be
+considerate. She was galled, but after all, he was the doctor, and
+Wilbur had the utmost confidence in him, so she must submit. She ate her
+dinner, and when she returned preparations were being made for the
+night. The nurse was to use a lounge at the foot of Wilbur's bed. Dr.
+Page asked permission to occupy the dressing-room adjoining, so as to be
+within easy call. He established himself there with a book, returning at
+short intervals to look at his patient. Selma had resumed her seat. It
+was dark save for a night lamp. In the stillness the only sounds were
+the ticking of the clock on the mantel-piece and Wilbur's labored
+breathing. It seemed as though he were struggling for his life. What
+should she do if he died? Why was she debarred from tending him? It was
+cruel. Tears fell on her hand. She stared into the darkness, twisting
+her fingers, until at last, as though to show her independence, she
+stepped to the bed on tip-toe. Wilbur's eyes were open. He put out his
+hand, and, taking hers, touched it to his burning lips.
+
+"Good-night, Selma," he murmured.
+
+She stooped and kissed his brow. "I am here beside you, Wilbur."
+
+A figure stood behind her. She turned, expecting to encounter the
+white-capped sentinel. It was Dr. Page. He touched her gently on the
+arm. "We must let him rest now. You can do no good. Won't you go to
+bed?"
+
+"Oh, no. I shall sit with him all night."
+
+"Very well. But it is important that you should not speak to him," he
+said with another touch of emphasis.
+
+She resumed her seat and sat out the night, wide-awake and conscious of
+each movement on Wilbur's part. He was restless and moaning. Twice the
+nurse summoned the doctor, and two or three times he came to the
+bed-side of his own accord. She felt slighted, and once, when it seemed
+to her that Wilbur was in distress and anxious for something, she
+forestalled the nurse.
+
+"He wishes water," Selma said sternly, and she fetched a glass from the
+table and let him drink.
+
+Dr. Page took breakfast with her. She was conscious that somehow her
+vigil had affected his estimate of her, for his speech was frank and
+direct, as though he considered her now more fit to be treated with
+confidence.
+
+"He is very ill, but he is holding his own. If you will lie down for a
+few hours, I will call you to take Miss Barker's place while she rests."
+
+This was gratifying, and tended to assuage her bitterness. But the
+doctor appeared to her anxious, and spent only a few minutes at table.
+He said as he rose,
+
+"Excuse me, but Pauline--does she know?"
+
+"I will send her word."
+
+Selma would have been glad to dispense with the presence of her
+sister-in-law. Their relations had not been sympathetic since the
+episode of Miss Bailey, and, though Pauline still dined at the house
+once a week, the intercourse between them had become reserved and
+perfunctory. She grudged sharing with her what might be Wilbur's last
+hours. She grudged, too, permitting her to help to nurse him, especially
+now that her own capabilities were in the way of being recognized, for
+she remembered Dr. Page's partiality for her. Still, she appreciated
+that she must let her know.
+
+Pauline arrived speedily, and Selma found herself sobbing in her arms.
+She was pleased by this rush of feeling on her own part, and, confirmed
+in her belief that her sister-in-law was cold because she did not break
+down, and, shrinking from her efforts to comfort her, she quickly
+regained her self-control. Pauline seemed composed and cheerful, but the
+unceasing watchfulness and manifest tension of the doctor were
+disconcerting, and as the afternoon shadows deepened, the two women sat
+grave and silent, appalled by the suspicion that Wilbur's condition was
+eminently critical. Yet Dr. Page volunteered to say to them presently:
+
+"If his heart holds out, I am hopeful that he will pull through."
+
+Dr. Page had given up all his duties for the sake of Wilbur. He never
+left the house, manifestly devoting, as shown by the unflagging,
+absorbed scrutiny with which he noted every symptom and change, the
+fullest measure of his professional skill and a heart-felt purpose to
+save his friend's life if human brain or human concentration could
+avail. And yet he stated to Pauline in Selma's hearing that, beyond
+keeping up the patient's strength by stimulants, science was practically
+helpless, and that all they could do was to wait.
+
+And so they sat, still and unemployed watchers, while day turned into
+darkness. From time to time, by the night-lamp, Selma saw Pauline
+smiling at her as though in defiance of whatever fate might have in
+store. Selma herself felt the inclination neither to smile nor to weep.
+She sat looking before her with her hands clasped, resenting the
+powerlessness of the few remedies used, and impatient of the inactivity
+and relentless silence. Why did not the doctor adopt more stringent
+measures? Surely there was something to be done to enable Wilbur to
+combat the disease. Dr. Page had the reputation of being a skilful
+physician, and, presumably, was doing his best; but was it not possible,
+was it not sensible, to suppose there was a different and better way of
+treating pneumonia--a way which was as superior to the conventional and
+stereotyped method as the true American point of view was superior in
+other matters?
+
+It came over her as a conviction that if she were elsewhere--in Benham,
+for instance--her husband could be readily and brilliantly cured. This
+impassive mode of treatment seemed to her of one piece with the entire
+Littleton surroundings, the culmination of which was Pauline smiling in
+the face of death. She yearned to do something active and decided. Yet,
+how helpless she was! This arbitrary doctor was following his own
+dictates without a word to anyone, and without suspecting the existence
+of wiser expedients.
+
+In a moment of rebellion she rose, and swiftly approaching Wilbur's bed,
+exclaimed, fervently: "Is there not something we can do for you,
+darling? Something you feel will do you good?"
+
+The sufferer faintly smiled and feebly shook his head, and at the same
+moment she was drawn away by a firm hand, and Dr. Page whispered: "He is
+very weak. Entire rest is his only chance. The least exertion is a drain
+on his vitality."
+
+"Surely there must be some medicine--some powerful application which
+will help his breathing," she retorted, and she detected again the
+semblance of laughter in the doctor's eyes.
+
+"Everything which modern science can do is being done, Mrs. Littleton."
+
+What was there but to resume her seat and helpless vigil? Modern
+science? The word grated on her ears. It savored to her of narrow
+medical tyranny, and distrust of aspiring individuality. Wilbur was
+dying, and all modern science saw fit to do was to give him brandy and
+wait. And she, his wife--the one who loved him best in the world, was
+powerless to intervene. Nay, she had intervened, and modern science had
+mocked her.
+
+Selma's eyes, like the glint of two swords, bent themselves on her
+husband's bed. A righteous anger reinforced her grieving heart and made
+her spirit militant, while the creeping hours passed. Over and over she
+pursued the tenor of her protest until her wearied system sought refuge
+in sleep. She was not conscious of slumbering, but she reasoned later
+that she must have slept, for she suddenly became conscious of a touch
+on the shoulder and a vibrant utterance of her name.
+
+"Selma, Selma, you must come at once."
+
+Her returning wits realized that it was Pauline who was arousing her and
+urging her to Wilbur's bed-side. She sprang forward, and saw the light
+of existence fading from her husband's eyes into the mute dulness of
+death. Dr. Page was bending over him in a desperate, but vain, effort to
+force some restorative between his lips. At the foot of the bed stood
+the nurse, with an expression which betrayed what had occurred.
+
+"What is it, Wilbur? What have they done to you? What has happened?"
+Selma cried, looking from one to the other, though she had discerned the
+truth in a flash. As she spoke, Dr. Page desisted from his undertaking,
+and stepped back from the bed, and instantly Selma threw herself on her
+knees and pressed her face upon Littleton's lifeless features. There was
+no response. His spirit had departed.
+
+"His heart could not stand the strain. That is the great peril in
+pneumonia," she heard the doctor murmur.
+
+"He is dead," she cried, in a horrified outburst, and she looked up at
+the pitying group with the gaze of an afflicted lioness. She caught
+sight of Pauline smiling through her tears--that same unprotesting,
+submissive smile--and holding out her hands to her. Selma, rising,
+turned away, and as her sister-in-law sought to put her arm about her,
+evaded the caress.
+
+"No--no," she said. Then facing her, added, with aggrieved conviction:
+
+"I cannot believe that Wilbur's death was necessary. Why was not
+something energetic done?"
+
+Pauline flushed, but, ascribing the calumny to distress, she held her
+peace, and said, simply:
+
+"Sh! dear. You will understand better by and by."
+
+
+
+
+BOOK III.
+
+THE SUCCESS
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+It had never occurred to Selma that she might lose her husband. Even
+with his shortcomings he was so important to her from the point of view
+of support, and her scheme of life was so interwoven with his, she had
+taken for granted that he would live as long as she desired. She felt
+that destiny had a second time been signally cruel to her, and that she
+was drinking deeply of the cup of sorrow. She was convinced that Wilbur,
+had he lived, would have moved presently to Benham, in accordance with
+her desire, and that they would then have been completely happy again.
+Instead he was dead and under the sod, and she was left to face the
+world with no means save $5,000 from his life insurance and the natural
+gifts and soul which God had given her.
+
+She appreciated that she was still a comparatively young woman, and
+that, notwithstanding her love for Wilbur, she had been unable as his
+wife to exhibit herself to the world in her true light. She was free
+once more to lead her own life, and to obtain due recognition for her
+ideas and principles. She deplored with a grief which depleted the curve
+of her oval cheeks the premature end of her husband's artistic
+career--an aspiring soul cut off on the threshold of success--yet,
+though of course she never squarely made the reflection, she was aware
+that the development of her own life was more intrinsically valuable to
+the world than his, and that of the two it was best that he should be
+taken. She was sad, sore against Providence, and uncertain as to the
+future. But she was keenly conscious that she had a future, and she was
+eager to be stirring. Still, for the moment, the outlook was perplexing.
+What was she to do? First, and certainly, she desired to shake the dust
+of New York from her feet at the earliest opportunity. She inclined
+toward Benham as a residence, and to the lecture platform, supplemented
+by literature, and perhaps eventually the stage, as a means of
+livelihood. She believed in her secret soul that she could act. Her
+supposed facility in acquiring the New York manner had helped to
+generate that impression. It seemed to her more than probable that with
+a little instruction as to technical stage business she could gain fame
+and fortune almost at once as an actress of tragedy or melodrama. Comedy
+she despised as unworthy of her. But the stage appealed to her only on
+the ground of income. The life of an actress lacked the ethical
+character which she liked to associate with whatever she did. To be
+sure, a great actress was an inspiring influence. Nevertheless she
+preferred some more obviously improving occupation, provided it would
+afford a suitable support. Yet was it fitting that she should be
+condemned to do hack work for her daily bread instead of something to
+enlighten and uplift the community in which she lived? She considered
+that she had served her apprenticeship by teaching school and writing
+for the newspapers, and she begrudged spending further time in
+subordinate work. Better on the whole a striking success on the stage
+than this, for after she had made a name and money she could retire and
+devote herself to more congenial undertakings. Nevertheless her
+conscience told her that a theatrical career must be regarded as a last
+resort, and she appreciated the importance of not making a hasty
+decision as to what she would do. The lease of her house would not
+expire for six months, and it seemed to her probable that even in New
+York, where she was not understood, someone would realize her value as a
+manager of some intellectual or literary movement and make overtures to
+her. She wrote to Mrs. Earle and received a cordial response declaring
+that Benham would welcome her with open arms, a complimentary though
+somewhat vague certificate. She sent a line also to Mr. Dennison,
+informing him that she hoped soon to submit some short stories for his
+magazine, and received a guarded but polite reply to the effect that he
+would be glad to read her manuscripts.
+
+While she was thus deliberating and winding up her husband's affairs,
+Mr. Parsons, who had been absent from New York at the time of Wilbur's
+decease, called and bluntly made the announcement that he had bought a
+house in Benham, was to move there immediately, and was desirous that
+she should live with him as his companion and housekeeper on liberal
+pecuniary terms.
+
+"I am an old man," he said, "and my health is not what it used to be. I
+need someone to look after me and to keep me company. I like your chatty
+ways, and, if I have someone smart and brisk around like you, I sha'n't
+be thinking so often that I'm all alone in the world. It'll be dull for
+you, I guess; but you'll be keeping quiet for the present wherever you
+are; and when the time comes that you wish to take notice again I won't
+stand in the way of your amusing yourself."
+
+To this homely plea Selma returned a beatific smile. It struck her as an
+ideal arrangement; a golden opportunity for him, and convenient and
+promising for her. In the first place she was accorded the mission of
+cheering and guarding the declining years of this fine old man, whom she
+had come to look on with esteem and liking. And at the same time as his
+companion--the virtual mistress of his house, for she knew perfectly
+well that as a genuine American he was not offering her a position less
+than this--she would be able to shape her life gradually along congenial
+lines, and to wait for the ripe occasion for usefulness to present
+itself. In an instant a great load was lifted from her spirit. She was
+thankful to be spared conscientious qualms concerning the career of an
+actress, and thankful to be freed at one bound from her New York
+associations--especially with Pauline, whose attitude toward her had
+been further strained by her continued conviction that Wilbur's life
+might have been saved. Indeed, so completely alleviating was Mr.
+Parsons's proposition that, stimulated by the thought that he was to be
+a greater gainer from the plan than she, Selma gave rein to her emotions
+by exclaiming with fervor:
+
+"Usually I like to think important plans over before coming to a
+decision; but this arrangement seems to me so sensible and natural and
+mutually advantageous, Mr. Parsons, that I see no reason why I shouldn't
+accept your offer now. God grant that I may be a worthy daughter to
+you--and in some measure take the place of the dear ones you have lost."
+
+"That's what I want," he said. "I took a liking to you the first time we
+met. Then it's settled?"
+
+"Yes. I suppose," she added, after a moment's hesitation--speaking with
+an accent of scorn--"I suppose there may be people--people like those
+who are called fashionable here--who will criticise the arrangement on
+the ground--er--of propriety, because I'm not a relation, and you are
+not very old. But I despise conventions such as that. They may be
+necessary for foreigners; but they are not meant for self-respecting
+American women. I fancy my sister-in-law may not wholly approve of it,
+but I don't know. I shall take pleasure in showing her and the rest that
+it would be wicked as well as foolish to let a flimsy suggestion of evil
+interfere with the happiness of two people situated as we are."
+
+Mr. Parsons seemed puzzled at first, as though he did not understand
+exactly what she meant, but when she concluded he said:
+
+"You come to me, as you have yourself stated, on the footing of a
+daughter. If folk are not content to mind their own business, I guess we
+needn't worry because they don't happen to be suited. There's one or two
+relations of mine would be glad to be in your shoes, but I don't know of
+anything in the Bible or the Constitution of the United States which
+forbids an old man from choosing the face he'll have opposite to him at
+table."
+
+"Or forbids the interchange of true sympathy--that priceless privilege,"
+answered Selma, her liking for a sententious speech rising paramount
+even to the pleasure caused her by the allusion to her personal
+appearance. Nevertheless it was agreeable to be preferred to his female
+cousins on the score of comeliness.
+
+Accordingly, within six months of her husband's death, the transition to
+Benham was accomplished, and Selma was able to encounter the
+metaphorically open arms, referred to by Mrs. Earle, without feeling
+that she was a less important person than when she had been whisked off
+as a bride by Littleton, the rising architect. She was returning as the
+confidential, protecting companion of a successful, self-made old man,
+who was relying on her to make his new establishment a pleasure to
+himself and a credit to the wide-awake city in which he had elected to
+pass his remaining days. She was returning to a house on the River Drive
+(the aristocratic boulevard of Benham, where the river Nye makes a broad
+sweep to the south); a house not far distant from the Flagg mansion at
+which, as Mrs. Lewis Babcock, she had looked askance as a monument
+inimical to democratic simplicity. Wilbur had taught her that it was
+very ugly, and now that she saw it again after a lapse of years she was
+pleased to note that her new residence, though slightly smaller, had a
+more modern and distinguished air.
+
+The new house was of rough-hewn red sandstone, combining solid dignity
+and some artistic merit, for Benham had not stood still architecturally
+speaking. The River Drive was a grotesque, yet on the whole encouraging
+exhibit. Most of the residences had been designed by native talent, but
+under the spur of experiment even the plain, hard-headed builders had
+been constrained to dub themselves "architects," and adopt modern
+methods; and here and there stood evidences that the seed planted by
+Mrs. Hallett Taylor and Littleton had borne fruit, for Benham possessed
+at least half a dozen private houses which could defy criticism.
+
+The one selected by Mr. Parsons was not of these half dozen; but the
+plain, hard-headed builder who had erected it for the original owner was
+shrewd and imitative, and had avoided ambitious deviations from the type
+he wished to copy--the red sandstone, swell front variety, which ten
+years before would have seemed to the moral sense of Benham unduly
+cheerful. Mr. Parsons was so fortunate as to be able to buy it just
+after it had been completed, together with a stable and half an acre of
+ground, from one of the few Benhamites whose financial ventures had
+ended in disaster, and who was obliged to sell. It was a more ambitious
+residence than Mr. Parsons had desired, but it was the most available,
+inasmuch as he could occupy it at once. It had been painted and
+decorated within, but was unfurnished. Mr. Parsons, as a practical
+business man, engaged the builder to select and supply the bedroom and
+solid fittings, but it occurred to him to invite Selma to choose the
+furnishings for what he called the show rooms.
+
+Selma was delighted to visit once more the New York stores, free from
+the bridle of Wilbur's criticism and unrestrained by economy. She found
+to her satisfaction that the internal decoration of the new house was
+not unlike that of the Williamses' first habitation--that is, gay and
+bedizened; and she was resolved in the selection of her draperies and
+ornaments to buy things which suggested by their looks that they were
+handsome, and whose claim to distinction was not mere sober
+unobtrusiveness. She realized that some of her purchases would have made
+Wilbur squirm, but since his death she felt more sure than ever that
+even where art was concerned his taste was subdued, timid, and
+unimaginative. For instance, she believed that he would not have
+approved her choice of light-blue satin for the upholstery of the
+drawing-room, nor of a marble statue--an allegorical figure of Truth,
+duly draped, as its most conspicuous ornament.
+
+Selma was spared the embarrassment of her first husband's presence.
+Divorce is no bar to ordinary feminine curiosity as to the whereabouts
+of a former partner for life, and she had proved no exception to the
+rule. Mrs. Earle had kept her posted as to Babcock's career since their
+separation, and what she learned had tended merely to demonstrate the
+wisdom and justice of her action. As a divorced man he had, after a
+time, resumed the free and easy, coarse companionship to which he had
+been partial before his marriage, and had gradually become a heavy
+drinker. Presently he had neglected his business, a misfortune of which
+a rival concern had been quick to take advantage. The trend of his
+affairs had been steadily downhill, and had come to a crisis three
+months before Littleton's death, when, in order to avoid insolvency, he
+sold out his factory and business to the rival company, and accepted at
+the same hands the position of manager in a branch office in a city
+further west. Consequently, Selma could feel free from molestation or an
+appeal to her sensibilities. She preferred to think of Babcock as
+completely outside her life, as dead to her, and she would have disliked
+the possibility of meeting him in the flesh while shopping on Central
+avenue. It had been the only drawback to her proposed return to Benham.
+
+During the years of Selma's second marriage Benham had waxed rapidly in
+population and importance. People had been attracted thither by the
+varied industries of the city--alike those in search of fortune, and
+those offering themselves for employment in the mills, oil-works, and
+pork factories; and at the date of Littleton's death it boasted over one
+hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. It was already the second city
+of the State in point of population, and was freely acknowledged to be
+the most wide-awake and enterprising. The civic spirit of Benham was
+reputed to be constantly and increasingly alert and progressive,
+notwithstanding the river Nye still ran the color of bean-soup above
+where it was drawn for drinking purposes, and the ability of a plumber,
+who had become an alderman, to provide a statue or lay out a public park
+was still unquestioned by the majority. Even to-day, when trained
+ability has obtained recognition in many quarters, the Benhamites at
+large are apt to resent criticism as aristocratic fault-finding; yet at
+this time that saving minority of souls who refused to regard everything
+which Benham did as perfection, and whose subsequent forlorn hopes and
+desperately won victories have little by little taught the community
+wisdom, if not modesty, was beginning to utter disagreeable strictures.
+
+Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle, when she opened her arms to Selma and folded
+her to her bosom with a hug of welcome, was raging inwardly against this
+minority, and they had not been many minutes together before she gave
+utterance to her grievance.
+
+"You have come just in time to give us your sympathy and support in an
+important matter, my dear. Miss Bailey has been nominated for the School
+Board at the instance of the Executive Committee of the Benham
+Institute. We supposed that she would have plain sailing, for many of
+the voters have begun to recognize the justice of having one or two
+women on the School Board, and by hard work we had succeeded in getting
+her name put on the Democratic ticket. Judge, then, of our feelings when
+we learned that the Reform Club had decided to blacklist and refuse to
+support at the polls three of the six names on the ticket, including our
+Luella Bailey, on the ground of lack of experience in educational
+matters. The Reform Club has nominated three other persons--one of them
+a woman. And who do you suppose is the head and front of this unholy
+crusade?"
+
+"It sounds like Mrs. Hallett Taylor," answered Selma, sternly.
+
+"How did you know? What made you think so? How clever of you, Selma!
+Yes, she is the active spirit."
+
+"It was she who was at the bottom of Miss Bailey's rejection when she
+was my candidate for a position at Everdean College."
+
+"To be sure. I remember. This Reform Club, which was started a year or
+so ago, and which sets itself up as a censor of what we are trying to do
+in Benham, has nominated a Miss Snow, who is said to have travelled
+abroad studying the school systems of Europe."
+
+"As if that would help us in any way."
+
+"Precisely. She has probably come home with her head full of
+queer-fangled notions which would be out of keeping with our
+institutions. Just the reason why she shouldn't be chosen. We are
+greatly troubled as to the result, dear, for though we expect to win,
+the prejudice of some men against voting for a woman under any
+circumstances will operate against our candidate, so that this action of
+the Reform Club may possibly be the means of electing one of the men on
+the Republican ticket instead of Luella. Miss Snow hasn't the ghost of a
+chance. But that isn't all. These Reform Club nominations are
+preliminary to a bill before the Legislature to take away from the
+people the right to elect members of the school committee, and
+substitute an appointive board of specialists to serve during long terms
+of good behavior. As Mr. Lyons says, that's the real issue involved.
+It's quixotic and it isn't necessary. Haven't we always prided ourselves
+on our ability to keep our public schools the best in the world? And is
+there any doubt, Selma, that either you or I would be fully qualified to
+serve on the School Board though we haven't made any special study of
+primers and geographies? Luella Bailey hasn't had any special training,
+but she's smart and progressive, and the poor thing would like the
+recognition. We fixed on her because we thought it would help her to get
+ahead, for she has not been lucky in obtaining suitable employment. As
+Mr. Lyons says, a serious principle is involved. He has come out strong
+against the movement and declares that it is a direct menace to the
+intelligence of the plain people of the United States and a subtle
+invasion of their liberties."
+
+"Mr. Lyons? What Mr. Lyons is that?"
+
+"Yes, dear, it is the same one who managed your affair. Your Mr. Lyons.
+He has become an important man since you left Benham. He speaks
+delightfully, and is likely to receive the next Democratic nomination
+for Congress. He is in accord with all liberal movements, and a foe of
+everything exclusive, unchristian or arbitrary. He has declared his
+intention to oppose the bill when it is introduced, and I shall devote
+myself body and soul to working against it in case Luella Bailey is
+defeated. It is awkward because Mrs. Taylor is a member of the
+Institute, though she doesn't often come, and the club has never been in
+politics. But here when there was a chance to do Luella Bailey a good
+turn, and I'd been able through some of my newspaper friends to get her
+on the ticket, it seems to me positively unchristian--yes, that's the
+word--to try to keep her off the board. There are some things of course,
+Luella couldn't do--and if the position were superintendent of a
+hospital, for instance, I dare say that special training would be
+advantageous, though nursing can be picked up very rapidly by a keen
+intelligence: but to raise such objections in regard to a candidate for
+the School Board seems to me ridiculous as well as cruel. What
+we need there are open, receptive minds, free from fads and
+prejudice--wide-awake, progressive enthusiastic intellects. It worries
+me to see the Institute dragged into politics, but it is my duty to
+resist this undemocratic movement."
+
+"Surely," exclaimed Selma, with fire. "I am thankful I have come in time
+to help you. I understand exactly. I have been passing through just such
+experiences in New York--encountering and being rebuffed by just such
+people as those who belong to this Reform Club. My husband was beginning
+to see through them and to recognize that we were both tied hand and
+foot by their narrowness and lack of enthusiasm when he died. If he had
+lived, we would have moved to Benham shortly in order to escape from
+bondage. And one thing is certain, dear Mrs. Earle," she continued with
+intensity, "we must not permit this carping spirit of hostility to
+original and spontaneous effort to get a foothold in Benham. We must
+crush it, we must stamp it out."
+
+"Amen, my dear. I am delighted to hear you talk like that. I declare you
+would be very effective in public if you were roused."
+
+"Yes, I am roused, and I am willing to speak in public if it becomes
+necessary in order to keep Benham uncontaminated by the insidious canker
+of exclusiveness and the distrust of aspiring souls which a few narrow
+minds choose to term untrained. Am _I_ untrained? Am _I_ superficial and
+common? Do _I_ lack the appearance and behavior of a lady?"
+
+Selma accompanied these interrogatories with successive waves of the
+hand, as though she were branding so many falsehoods.
+
+"Assuredly not, Selma. I consider you"--and here Mrs. Earle gasped in
+the process of choosing her words--"I consider you one of our best
+trained and most independent minds--cultured, a friend of culture, and
+an earnest seeker after truth. If you are not a lady, neither am I,
+neither is anyone in Benham. Why do you ask, dear?" And without waiting
+for an answer, Mrs. Earle added with a touch of material wisdom, "You
+return to Benham under satisfactory, I might say, brilliant auspices.
+You will be the active spirit in this fine house, and be in a position
+to promote worthy intellectual and moral movements."
+
+"Thank heavens, yes. And to combat those which are unworthy and
+dangerous," exclaimed Selma, clasping her fingers, "I can count on the
+support of Mr. Parsons, God bless him! And it would seem at last as if I
+had, a real chance--a real chance at last. Mrs. Earle--Cora--I know you
+can keep a secret. I feel almost as though you were my mother, for there
+is no one else now to whom I can talk like this. I have not been happy
+in New York. I thought I was happy at first, but lately we have been
+miserable. My marriage--er--they drove my husband to the wall, and
+killed him. He was sensitive and noble, but not practical, and he fell a
+victim to the mercenary despotism of our surroundings. When I tried to
+help him they became jealous of me, and shut their doors in our faces."
+
+"You poor, poor child. I have suspected for some time that something was
+wrong."
+
+"It nearly killed me. But now, thank heaven, I breathe freely once more.
+I have lost my dear husband, but I have escaped from that prison-house;
+and with his memory to keep me merciless, I am eager to wage war against
+those influences which are conspiring to fetter the free-born soul and
+stifle spontaneity. Luella Bailey must be elected, and these people be
+taught that foreign ideas may flourish in New York, but cannot obtain
+root in Benham."
+
+Mrs. Earle wiped her eyes, which were running over as the result of this
+combination of confidence and eloquence.
+
+"If you don't mind my saying so, Selma, I never saw anyone so much
+improved as you. You always had ideas, and were well equipped, but now
+you speak as though you could remove mountains if necessary. It's a
+blessing for us as well as you that you're back among us once more."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+When Selma uttered her edict that Luella Bailey must be elected she did
+not know that the election was only three days off. When she was told
+this by Mrs. Earle, she cast about feverishly during a few hours for the
+means to compass certain victory, then promptly and sensibly disclaimed
+responsibility for the result, suggesting even that her first appearance
+as a remover of mountains be deferred to the time when the bill should
+be before the Legislature. As she aptly explained to Mrs. Earle, the
+canvass was virtually at an end, she was unacquainted with the practical
+features of the situation, and was to all intents a stranger in Benham
+after so long an absence. Mrs. Earle was unable to combat the logic of
+these representations, but she obtained from Selma a ready promise to
+accompany the Benham Institute to the final rally on the evening before
+election day and sit in a prominent place on the platform. The Institute
+was to attend as a body by way of promoting the cause of its candidate,
+for though the meeting was called in aid of the entire Democratic
+municipal ticket, Hon. James O. Lyons, the leading orator of the
+occasion, had promised to devote special attention to Miss Bailey, whose
+election, owing to the attitude of the Reform Club, was recognized as in
+doubt. Selma also agreed to accompany Mrs. Earle in a hack on the day
+itself, and career through the city in search of recalcitrant or
+indifferent female voters, for the recently acquired right of Benham
+women to vote for members of the School Board had not as yet been
+exercised by any considerable number of the emancipated sex.
+
+As a part of the programme of the meeting the Benham Institute, or the
+major portion of it (for there were a few who sympathized openly with
+Mrs. Taylor), filed showily on to the platform headed by Mrs. Earle, who
+waved her pocket handkerchief at the audience, which was the occasion
+for renewed hand-clapping and enthusiasm. Selma walked not far behind
+and took her seat among the forty other members, who all wore white silk
+badges stamped in red with the sentiment "A vote for Luella Bailey is a
+vote for the liberty of the people." Her pulses were throbbing with
+interest and pleasure. This was the sort of thing she delighted in, and
+which she had hoped would be a frequent incident of her life in New
+York. It pleased her to think how naturally and easily she had taken her
+place in the ranks of these earnest, enthusiastic workers, and that she
+had merely to express a wish in order to have leadership urged upon her.
+Matters had shaped themselves exactly as she desired. Mr. Parsons not
+only treated her completely as an equal, but consulted her in regard to
+everything. He had already become obviously dependent on her, and had
+begun to develop the tendencies of an invalid.
+
+The exercises were of a partisan cast. The theory that municipal
+government should be independent of party politics had been an adage in
+Benham since its foundation, and been disregarded annually by
+nine-tenths of the population ever since. This was a Democratic
+love-feast. The speakers and the audience alike were in the best of
+spirits, for there was no uncertainty in the minds of the party prophets
+as to the result of the morrow's ballot--excepting with regard to Miss
+Bailey. The rest of the ticket would unquestionably be elected;
+accordingly all hands and voices were free to focus their energies in
+her behalf and thus make the victory a clean sweep. Nevertheless the
+earlier speakers felt obliged to let their eloquence flow over the whole
+range of political misgovernment from the White House and the national
+platform down, although the actual issue was the choice of a mayor,
+twelve aldermen and a school committee, so that only casual reference
+was made to the single weak spot on the ticket until the Hon. James O.
+Lyons rose to address the meeting. The reception accorded him was more
+spontaneous and effusive than that which had been bestowed on either of
+his predecessors, and as he stood waiting with dignified urbanity for
+the applause to subside, some rapturous admirer called for three cheers,
+and the tumult was renewed.
+
+Selma was thrilled. Her acquaintance with Mr. Lyons naturally heightened
+her interest, and she observed him eagerly. Time had added to his
+corporeal weight since he had acted as her counsel, and enhanced the
+sober yet genial decorum of his bearing. His slightly pontifical air
+seemed an assurance against ill-timed levity. His cheeks were still fat
+and smooth shaven, but, like many of the successful men of Benham, he
+now wore a chin beard--a thick tuft of hair which in his case tapered so
+that it bore some resemblance to the beard of a goat, and gave a
+rough-and-ready aspect to his appearance suggestive alike of smart,
+solid worth and an absence of dandified tendencies. Mr. Parsons had a
+thicker beard of the same character, which Selma regarded with favor as
+a badge of serious intentions.
+
+"My friends," he began when the applause had subsided; then paused and
+surveyed his audience in a manner which left them in doubt as to whether
+he was struggling with emotion or busy in silent prayer. "My friends, a
+month ago to-day the citizens of Benham assembled to crown with
+appropriate and beautiful services the monument which they, the
+survivors, have erected with pious hands to perpetuate the memory of
+those who laid down their lives to keep intact our beloved union of
+States and to banish slavery forever from the confines of our aspiring
+civilization. A week ago an equally representative assembly, without
+regard to creed or party, listened to the exercises attending the
+dedication of the new Court House which we have raised to Justice--that
+white-robed goddess, the guardian of the liberties of the people. Each
+was a notable and significant event. On each occasion I had the honor to
+say a few poor words. We celebrated with bowed heads and with garlands
+the deeds of the heroic dead, and now have consecrated ourselves to the
+opportunities and possibilities of peace under the law--to the
+revelation of the temper of our new civilization which, tried in the
+furnace of war, is to be a grand and vital power for the advancement of
+the human race, for the righteous furtherance of the brotherhood of man.
+What is the hope of the world?" he asked. "America--these United States,
+a bulwark against tyranny, an asylum for the aspiring and the
+downtrodden. The eyes of the nations are upon us. In the souls of the
+survivors and of the sons and daughters of the patriots who have died in
+defence of the liberties of our beloved country abide the seed and
+inspiration for new victories of peace. Our privilege be it as the heirs
+of Washington and Franklin and Hamilton and Lincoln and Grant to set the
+nations of the earth an example of what peace under the law may
+accomplish, so that the free-born son of America from the shores of Cape
+Cod to the western limits of the Golden Gate may remain a synonym for
+noble aims and noble deeds, for truth and patriotism and fearlessness of
+soul."
+
+The speaker's words had been uttered slowly at the outset--ponderous,
+sonorous, sentence by sentence, like the big drops before a heavy
+shower. As he warmed to his theme the pauses ceased, and his speech
+flowed with the musical sweep of a master of platform oratory. When he
+spoke of war his voice choked; in speaking of peace he paused for an
+appreciable moment, casting his eyes up as though he could discern the
+angel of national tranquillity hovering overhead. Although this opening
+peroration seemed scarcely germane to the occasion, the audience
+listened in absorbed silence, spell-bound by the magnetism of his
+delivery. They felt sure that he had a point in reserve to which these
+splendid and agreeable truths were a pertinent introduction.
+
+Proceeding, with his address, Mr. Lyons made a panegyric on these United
+States of America, from the special standpoint of their dedication to
+the "God of our fathers," a solemn figure of speech. The sincerity of
+his patriotism was emphasized by the religious fervor of his deduction
+that God was on the side of the nation, and the nation on the side of
+God. Though he abstained from direct strictures, both his manner and his
+matter seemed to serve a caveat, so to speak, on the other nations by
+declaring that for fineness of heart and thought, and deed, the world
+must look to the land "whose wide and well-nigh boundless prairies were
+blossoming with the buds of truth fanned by the breeze of liberty and
+fertilized by the aspirations of a God-fearing and a God-led population.
+What is the hope of the world, I repeat?" he continued. "The plain and
+sovereign people of our beloved country. Whatever menaces their
+liberties, whatever detracts from their, power and infringes on their
+prerogatives is a peril to our institutions and a step backward in the
+science of government. My friends, we are here to-night to protest
+against a purpose to invade those liberties--a deliberately conceived
+design to take away from the sovereign people of this city one of their
+cherished privileges--the right to decide who shall direct the policy of
+our free public-school system, that priceless heritage of every
+American. I beg to remind you that this contest is no mere question of
+healthy rivalry between two great political parties; nor again is it
+only a vigorous competition between two ambitious and intelligent women.
+A ballot in behalf of our candidate will be a vote of confidence in the
+ability of the plain people of this country to adopt the best
+educational methods without the patronizing dictation of aboard of
+specialists nurtured on foreign and uninspiring theories of instruction.
+A ballot against Miss Luella Bailey, the competent and cultivated lady
+whose name adds strength and distinction to our ticket, and who has been
+needlessly and wantonly opposed by those who should be her proud
+friends, will signify a willingness to renounce one of our most precious
+liberties--the free man's right to choose those who are to impart to his
+children mastery of knowledge and love of country. I take my stand
+to-night as the resolute enemy of this aristocratic and un-American
+suggestion, and urge you, on the eve of election, to devote your
+energies to overwhelming beneath the shower of your fearless ballots
+this insult to the intelligence of the voters of Benham, and this menace
+to our free and successful institutions, which, under the guidance of
+the God of our fathers, we purpose to keep perpetually progressive and
+undefiled."
+
+A salvo of enthusiasm greeted Mr. Lyons as he concluded. His speeches
+were apt to cause those whom he addressed to feel that they were no
+common campaign utterances, but eloquent expressions of principle and
+conviction, clothed in memorable language, as, indeed, they were. He was
+fond of giving a moral or patriotic flavor to what he said in public,
+for he entertained both a profound reverence for high moral ideas and an
+abiding faith in the superiority of everything American. He had arrayed
+himself on the threshold of his legal career as a friend and champion of
+the mass of the people--the plain and sovereign people, as he was apt to
+style them in public. His first and considerable successes had been as
+the counsel for plaintiffs before juries in accident cases against large
+corporations, and he had thought of himself with complete sincerity as a
+plain man, contesting for human rights before the bar of justice, by the
+sheer might of his sonorous voice and diligent brain. His political
+development had been on the same side. Latterly the situation had become
+a little puzzling, though to a man of straightforward intentions, like
+himself, not fundamentally embarrassing. That is, the last four or five
+years had altered both the character of his practice and his
+circumstances, so that instead of fighting corporations he was now the
+close adviser of a score of them; not the defender of their accident
+cases, but the confidential attorney who was consulted in regard to
+their vital interests, and who charged them liberal sums for his
+services. He still figured in court from time to time in his capacity of
+the plain man's friend, which he still considered himself to be no less
+than before, but most of his time was devoted to protecting the legal
+interests of the railroad, gas, water, manufacturing, mining and other
+undertakings which, the rapid growth of Benham had forgotten. And as a
+result of this commerce with the leading men of affairs in Benham, and
+knowledge of what was going on, he had been able to invest his large
+fees to the best advantage, and had already reaped a rich harvest from
+the rapid rise in value of the securities of diverse successful
+enterprises. When new projects were under consideration he was in a
+position to have a finger in the pie, and he was able to borrow freely
+from a local bank in which he was a director.
+
+He was puzzled--it might be said distressed--how to make these rewards
+of his professional prominence appear compatible with his real political
+principles, so that the plain and sovereign people would recognize as
+clearly as he that there was no inconsistency in his having taken
+advantage of the opportunities for professional advancement thrown in
+his way. He was ambitious for political preferment, sharing the growing
+impression that he was well qualified for public office, and he desired
+to rise as the champion of popular ideas. Consequently he resented
+bitterly the calumnies which had appeared in one or two irresponsible
+newspapers to the effect that he was becoming a corporation attorney and
+a capitalist. Could a man refuse legitimate business which was thrust
+upon him? How were his convictions and interest in the cause of
+struggling humanity altered or affected by his success at the bar? Hence
+he neglected no occasion to declare his allegiance to progressive
+doctrine, and to give utterance to the patriotism which at all times was
+on tap in his emotional system. He had been married, but his wife had
+been dead a number of years, and he made his home with his aged mother,
+to whom he was apt to refer with pious tremulousness when he desired to
+emphasize some domestic situation before a jury. As a staunch member of
+the Methodist Church, he was on terms of intimate association with his
+pastor, and was known as a liberal contributor to domestic and foreign
+missions.
+
+Selma was genuinely carried away by the character of his oratory. His
+sentiments were so completely in accord with her own ideas that she felt
+he had left nothing unsaid, and had put the case grandly. Here at last
+was a man who shared with her the convictions with which her brain was
+seething--a man who was not afraid to give public expression to his
+views, and who possessed a splendid gift of statement. She had felt sure
+that she would meet sympathy and kindred spirits in Benham, but her
+experience in New York had so far depressed her that she had not allowed
+herself to expect such a thorough-going champion. What a contrast his
+solid, devotional, yet business-like aspect was to the quizzical
+lightness of the men in New York she had been told were clever, like Dr.
+Page and Mr. Dennison! He possessed Wilbur's ardor and reverence, with a
+robustness of physique and a practical air which Wilbur had
+lacked--lacked to his and her detriment. If Wilbur had been as vigorous
+in body as he ought to have been, would he have died? She had read
+somewhere lately that physical delicacy was apt to react on the mind and
+make one's ideas too fine-spun and unsubstantial. Here was the advantage
+which a man like Mr. Lyons had over Wilbur. He was strong and thickset,
+and looked as though he could endure hard work without wincing. So could
+she. It was a great boon, an essential of effective manhood or
+womanhood. These thoughts followed in the wake of the enthusiasm his
+personality had aroused in her at the close of his address. She scarcely
+heard the remarks of the next speaker, the last on the programme. Her
+eyes kept straying wistfully in the direction of Mr. Lyons, and she
+wondered if there would be an opportunity when the meeting was over to
+let him know how much she approved of what he had said, and how
+necessary she felt the promulgation, of such ideas was for the welfare
+of the country.
+
+She was aroused from contemplation by the voice of Mrs. Earle, who, now
+that everybody was standing up preliminary to departure, bent over her
+front bench on the platform to whisper, "Wasn't Mr. Lyons splendid?"
+
+"Yes, indeed," said Selma. "I should like so much to make his
+acquaintance, to compare notes with him and thank him for his brave,
+true words."
+
+"I know he'd be pleased to meet you. I'll try to catch his eye. I wish
+some of those Reform Club people could have heard what he thought of
+them. There! He's looking this way. I'm going to attract his attention."
+Whereupon Mrs. Earle began to nod in his direction energetically. "He
+sees us now, and has noticed you. I shouldn't wonder if he has
+recognized you. Follow me close, Selma, and we'll be able to shake hands
+with him."
+
+By dint of squeezing and stertorous declarations of her desire, Mrs.
+Earle obtained a gradual passage through the crowd. Many from the
+audience had ascended to the platform for the purpose of accosting the
+speakers, and a large share of the interest was being bestowed on Mr.
+Lyons, who was holding an impromptu reception. When at last Mrs. Earle
+had worked her way to within a few feet of him, her wheezing condition
+and bulk announced her approach, and procured her consideration from the
+others in the line, so that she was able to plant herself pervasively
+and firmly in front of her idol and take possession of him by the fervid
+announcement, "You were simply unanswerable. Eloquent, convincing, and
+unanswerable. And I have brought with me an old friend, Mrs. Littleton,
+who sympathizes with your superb utterances, and wishes to tell you so."
+
+As Selma stepped forward in recognition of this introduction she
+vibrated to hear Mr. Lyons say, without a sign of hesitation, "A friend
+whom it is a pleasure to welcome back to Benham, Mrs. Littleton, I am
+pleased to meet you again."
+
+Selma had hoped, and felt it her due, that he would recognize her. Still
+his having done so at once was a compliment which served to enhance the
+favorable opinion which she had already formed regarding him.
+
+"I have been longing for months, Mr. Lyons," she said, "to hear someone
+say what you have said to-night. I am concerned, as we all are of
+course, in Miss Bailey's election, and your advocacy of her cause was
+most brilliant; but what I refer to--what interested, me especially, was
+the splendid protest you uttered against all movements to prevent the
+intelligence of the people from asserting itself. It gave me
+encouragement and made me feel that the outlook for the future is
+bright--that our truths must prevail."
+
+It was a maxim with Lyons that it was desirable to remember everyone he
+met, and he prided himself on his ability to call cordially by name
+clients or chance acquaintances whom he had not seen for years. Nature
+had endowed him with a good memory for names and faces, but he had
+learned to take advantage of all opportunities to brush up his wits
+before they were called into flattering, spontaneous action. When his
+glance, attracted by Mrs. Earle's remote gesticulation, rested on
+Selma's face, he began to ask himself at once where he had seen it
+before. In the interval vouchsafed by her approach he recalled the
+incident of the divorce, that her name had been Babcock, and that she
+had married again, but he was still groping for the name of her husband
+when the necessary clew was supplied by Mrs. Earle, and he was able to
+make his recognition of her exhaustive. He noticed with approval her
+pretty face and compact figure, reflecting that the slight gain in flesh
+was to her advantage, and noticed also her widow's mourning. But her
+eager, fluent address and zealous manner had prevented his attention
+from secretly wandering with business-like foresight to the next persons
+in the line of those anxious to shake his hand, and led him to regard
+her a second time. He was accustomed to compliments, but he was struck
+by the note of discriminating companionship in her congratulation. He
+believed that he had much at heart the very issue which she had touched
+upon, and it gratified him that a woman whose appearance was so
+attractive to him should single out for sympathetic enthusiasm what was
+in his opinion the cardinal principle involved, instead of expatiating
+on the assistance he had rendered Miss Bailey. Lyons said to himself
+that here was a kindred spirit--a woman with whom conversation would be
+a pleasure; with whom it would be possible to discourse on terms of
+mental comradeship. He was partial to comely women, but he did not
+approve of frivolity except on special and guarded occasions.
+
+"I thank you cordially for your appreciation," he answered. "You have
+grasped the vital kernel of my speech and I am grateful for your good
+opinion."
+
+Even in addressing the other sex, Lyons could not forget the
+responsibility of his frock-coat and that it was incumbent upon him to
+be strictly serious in public. Nevertheless his august but glib demeanor
+suited Selma's mood better than more obvious gallantry, especially as
+she got the impression, which he really wished to convey, that he
+admired her. It was out of the question for him to prolong the situation
+in the face of those waiting to grasp his hand, but Lyons heard with
+interest the statement which Mrs. Earle managed to whisper hoarsely in
+his ear just as he turned to welcome the next comer, and they were swept
+along:
+
+"She is one of our brightest minds. The poor child has recently lost her
+husband, and has come to keep Mr. Parsons company in his new house--an
+ideal arrangement."
+
+The identity of Mr. Parsons was well known to Lyons. He had met him
+occasionally in the past in other parts of the State in connection with
+business complications, and regarded him as a practical, intelligent
+citizen whose name would be of value to an aspirant for Congressional
+honors. It occurred to him as he shook hands with those next in line and
+addressed them that it would be eminently suitable if he should pay his
+respects to this new-comer to Benham by a visit. By so doing he world
+kill two birds with one stone, for he had reasoned of late that he owed
+it to himself to see more of the other sex. He had no specific
+matrimonial intentions; that is, he was not on the lookout for a wife;
+but he approved of happy unions as one of the great bulwarks of the
+community, and was well-disposed to encounter a suitable helpmate. He
+should expect physical charms, dignity, capacity and a sympathetic mind;
+a woman, in short, who would be an ornament to his home, a Christian
+influence in society and a companion whose intelligent tact would be
+likely to promote his political fortunes. And so it happened that in the
+course of the next few days he found himself thinking of Mrs. Littleton
+as a fine figure of a woman. This had not happened to him before since
+the death of his wife, and it made him thoughtful to the extent of
+asking "Why not?" For in spite of his long frock-coat and proper
+demeanor, passion was not extinct in the bosom of the Hon. James O.
+Lyons, and he was capable on special and guarded occasions of telling a
+woman that he loved her.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+Miss Luella Bailey was not elected. The unenlightened prejudice of man
+to prefer one of his own sex, combined with the hostility of the Reform
+Club, procured her defeat, notwithstanding that the rest of her ticket
+triumphed at the polls. There was some consolation for her friends in
+the fact that her rival, Miss Snow, had a considerably smaller number of
+votes than she. Selma solaced herself by the reflection that, as she had
+been consulted only at the twelfth hour, she was not responsible for the
+result, but she felt nerved by the defeat to concentrate her energies
+against the proposed bill for an appointed school board.
+
+Her immediate attention and sympathy were suddenly invoked by the
+illness of Mr. Parsons, who had seemed lacking in physical vigor for
+some weeks, and whose symptoms culminated in a slight paralysis, which
+confined him to his bed for a month, and to his house during the
+remainder of the autumn. Selma rejoiced in this opportunity to develop
+her capacities as a nurse, to prove how adequate she would have been to
+take complete charge of her late husband, had Dr. Page chosen to trust
+her. She administered with scrupulous regularity to the invalid such
+medicines as were ordered, and kept him cheerful by reading and
+conversation, so that the physician in charge complimented her on her
+proficiency. Trained nurses were unknown in Benham at this time, and any
+old or unoccupied female was regarded as qualified to watch over the
+sick. Selma appreciated from what she had observed of the conduct of
+Wilbur's nurse that there was a wrong and a right way of doing things,
+but she blamed Dr. Page for his failure to appreciate instinctively that
+she was sure to do things suitably. It seemed to her that he had lacked
+the intuitive gift to discern latent capabilities--a fault of which the
+Benham practitioner proved blameless.
+
+From the large, sunny chamber in which Mr. Parsons slowly recovered some
+portion of his vitality, Selma could discern the distant beginnings of
+Wetmore College, pleasantly situated on an elevation well beyond the
+city limits on the further side of the winding river. An architect had
+been engaged to carry out Wilbur's plans, and she watched the outlines
+of the new building gradually take shape during the convalescence of her
+benefactor. She recognized that the college would be theoretically a
+noble addition to the standing of Benham as a city of intellectual and
+æsthetic interests, but it provoked her to think that its management was
+in the hands of Mrs. Hallett Taylor and her friends, between whom and
+herself she felt that a chasm of irreconcilable differences of opinion
+existed. Mrs. Taylor had not called on her since her return. She
+believed that she was glad of this, and hoped that some of the severely
+indignant criticism which she had uttered in regard to the Reform Club
+movement had reached her ears. Or was Mrs. Taylor envious of her return
+to Benham as the true mistress of this fine establishment on the River
+Drive, so superior to her own? Nevertheless, it would have suited Selma
+to have been one of the trustees of this new college--her husband's
+handiwork in the doing of which he had laid down his promising life--and
+the fact that no one had sought her out and offered her the honor as a
+fitting recognition of her due was secretly mortifying. The Benham
+Institute had been prompt to acknowledge her presence by giving a
+reception in her honor, at which she was able to recite once more, "Oh,
+why should the Spirit of Mortal be proud?" with old-time success, and
+she had been informed by Mrs. Earle that she was likely to be chosen one
+of the Vice-Presidents at the annual meeting. But these Reform Club
+people had not even done her the courtesy to ask her to join them or
+consider their opinions. She would have spurned the invitation with
+contempt, but it piqued her not to know more about them; it distressed
+her to think that there should exist in Benham an exclusive set which
+professed to be ethically and intellectually superior and did not
+include her, for she had come to Benham with the intention of leading
+such a movement, to the detriment of fashion and frivolity. With Mr.
+Parsons's money at her back, she was serenely confident that the houses
+of the magnates of Benham--the people who corresponded in her mind's eye
+to the dwellers on Fifth Avenue--would open to her. Already there had
+been flattering indications that she would be able to command attention
+there. She had expected to find this so; her heart would have been
+broken to find it otherwise. Still, her hope in shaking the dust of New
+York from her feet had been to find in Benham an equally admirable and
+satisfactory atmosphere in regard to mental and moral progress. She had
+come just in time, it is true, to utter her vehement protest against
+this exclusive, aristocratic movement--this arrogant affectation of
+superiority, and to array herself in battle line against it, resolved to
+give herself up with enthusiasm to its annihilation. Yet the sight of
+the college buildings for the higher education of women, rising without
+her furtherance and supervision, and under the direction of these
+people, made her sad and gave her a feeling of disappointment. Why had
+they been permitted to obtain this foothold? Someone had been lacking in
+vigilance and foresight. Thank heaven, with her return and a strong,
+popular spirit like Mr. Lyons in the lead, these unsympathetic,
+so-called reformers would speedily be confounded, and the intellectual
+air of Benham restored to its original purity.
+
+One afternoon while Selma's gaze happened to be directed toward the
+embryo college walls, and she was incubating on the situation, Mr.
+Parsons, who had seemed to be dozing, suddenly said:
+
+"I should like you to write to Mr. Lyons, the lawyer, and ask him to
+come to see me."
+
+"I will write to-night. You know he called while you were ill."
+
+"Yes, I thought him a clever fellow when we met two or three times on
+railroad matters, and I gather from what you told me about his speech at
+the political meeting that he's a rising man hereabouts. I'm going to
+make my will, and I need him to put it into proper shape."
+
+"I'm sure he'd do it correctly."
+
+"There's not much for him to do except to make sure that the language is
+legal, for I've thought it all out while I've been lying here during
+these weeks. Still, it's important to have in a lawyer to fix it so the
+people whom I don't intend to get my money shan't be able to make out
+that I'm not in my right mind. I guess," he added, with a laugh, "that
+the doctor will allow I've my wits sufficiently for that?"
+
+"Surely. You are practically well now."
+
+Mr. Parsons was silent for a moment. He prided himself on being
+close-mouthed about his private affairs until they were ripe for
+utterance. His intention had been to defer until after the interview
+with his lawyer any statement of his purpose, but it suddenly occurred
+to him that it would please him to unbosom his secret to his companion
+because he felt sure in advance that she would sympathize fully with his
+plans. He had meant to tell her when the instrument was signed. Why not
+now?
+
+"Selma," he said, "I've known ever since my wife and daughter died that
+I ought to make a will, but I kept putting it off until it has almost
+happened that everything I've got went to my next of kin--folk I'm fond
+of, too, and mean to remember--but not fond enough for that. If I give
+them fifty thousand dollars apiece--the three of them--I shall rest easy
+in my grave, even if they think they ought to have had a bigger slice.
+It's hard on a man who has worked all his days, and laid up close to a
+million of dollars, not to have a son or a daughter, flesh of my flesh,
+to leave it to; a boy or a girl given at the start the education I
+didn't get, and who, by the help of my money, might make me proud, if I
+could look on, of my name or my blood. It wasn't to be, and I must grin
+and bear it, and do the next best thing. I caught a glimpse of what that
+thing was soon after I lost my wife and daughter, and it was the thought
+of that more than anything which kept me from going crazy with despair.
+I'm a plain man, an uneducated man, but the fortune I've made has been
+made honestly, and I'm going to spend it for the good of the American
+people--to contribute my mite toward helping the cause of truth and good
+citizenship and free and independent ideas which this nation calls for.
+I'm going to give my money for benevolent uses."
+
+"Oh, Mr. Parsons," exclaimed Selma, clasping her hands, "how splendid!
+how glorious! How I envy you. It was what I hoped."
+
+"I knew you would be pleased. I've had half a mind once or twice to let
+the cat out of the bag, because I guessed it would be the sort of thing
+that would take your fancy; but somehow I've kept mum, for fear I might
+be taken before I'd been able to make a will. And then, too, I've been
+of several minds as to the form of my gift. I thought it would suit me
+best of all to found a college, and I was disappointed when I learned
+that neighbor Flagg had got the start of me with his seminary for women
+across the river. I wasn't happy over it until one night, just after the
+doctor had gone, the thought came to me, 'Why, not give a hospital?' And
+that's what it's to be. Five hundred thousand dollars for a free
+hospital in the City of Benham, in memory of my wife and daughter.
+That'll be useful, won't it? That'll help the people as much as a
+college? And, Selma," he added, cutting off the assuring answer which
+trembled on her tongue and blazed from her eyes, "I shan't forget you.
+After I'm gone you are to have twenty thousand dollars. That'll enable
+you, in case you don't marry, to keep a roof over your head without
+working too hard."
+
+"Thank you. You are very generous," she said. The announcement was
+pleasant to her, but at the moment it seemed of secondary importance.
+Her enthusiasm had been aroused by the fact and character of his public
+donation, and already her brain was dancing with the thought of the
+prospect of a rival vital institution in connection with which her views
+and her talents would in all probability be consulted and allowed to
+exercise themselves. Her's, and not Mrs. Taylor's, or any of that
+censorious and restricting set. In that hospital, at least, ambition and
+originality would be allowed to show what they could do unfettered by
+envy or paralyzed by conservatism. "But I can't think of anything now,
+Mr. Parsons, except the grand secret you have confided to me. A
+hospital! It is an ideal gift. It will show the world what noble uses
+our rich, earnest-minded men make of their money, and it will give our
+doctors and our people a chance to demonstrate what a free hospital
+ought to be. Oh, I congratulate you. I will write to Mr. Lyons at once."
+
+A note in prompt response stated the hour when the lawyer would call. On
+his arrival he was shown immediately to Mr. Parsons's apartments, with
+whom he was closeted alone. Selma managed to cross the hall at the
+moment he was descending, and he was easily persuaded to linger and to
+follow her into the library.
+
+"I was anxious to say a few words to you, Mr. Lyons," she said. "I know
+the purpose for which Mr. Parsons sent for you. He has confided to me
+concerning his will--told me everything. It is a noble disposition of
+his property. A free hospital for Benham is an ideal selection, and one
+envies him his opportunity."
+
+"Yes. It is a superb and generous benefaction."
+
+"I lay awake for hours last night thinking about it; thinking
+particularly of the special point I am desirous to consult you in regard
+to. I don't wish to appear officious, or to say anything I shouldn't,
+but knowing from what I heard you state in your speech the other day
+that you feel as I do in regard to such matters, I take the liberty of
+suggesting that it seems to me of very great importance that the
+management of this magnificent gift should be in proper hands. May I ask
+you without impropriety if you will protect Mr. Parsons so that captious
+or unenthusiastic persons, men or women, will be unable to control the
+policy of his hospital? He would wish it so, I am sure. I thought of
+mentioning the matter to him myself, but I was afraid lest it might
+worry him and spoil the satisfaction of his generosity or retard his
+cure. Is what I ask possible? Do I make myself clear?"
+
+"Perfectly--perfectly. A valuable suggestion," he said. "I am glad that
+you have spoken--very glad. Alive as I am to the importance of
+protecting ourselves at all points, I might not have realized this
+particular danger had you not called it to my attention. Perhaps only a
+clever woman would have thought of it."
+
+"Oh, thank you. I felt that I could not keep silence, and run the risk
+of what might happen."
+
+"Precisely. I think I can relieve your mind by telling you--which under
+the circumstances is no breach of professional secrecy, for it is plain
+that the testator desires you to know his purpose--that Mr. Parsons has
+done me the honor to request me to act as the executor of his will. As
+such I shall be in a position to make sure that those to whom the
+management of his hospital is intrusted are people in whom you and I
+would have confidence."
+
+"Ah! That is very satisfactory. It makes everything as it should be, and
+I am immensely relieved."
+
+"Now that you have spoken," he added, meeting her eager gaze with a
+propitiating look of reflective wisdom, "I will consider the
+advisability of taking the further precaution of advising the testator
+to name in his will the persons who shall act as the trustees of his
+charity. That would clinch the matter. The selection of the individuals
+would necessarily lie with Mr. Parsons, but it would seem eminently
+natural and fitting that he should name you to represent your sex on
+such a board. I hope it would be agreeable to you to serve?"
+
+Selma flushed. "It would be a position which I should prize immensely.
+Such a possibility had not occurred to me, though I felt that some
+definite provision should be made. The responsibility would be congenial
+to me and very much in my line."
+
+"Assuredly. If you will permit me to say so, you are just the woman for
+the place. We have met only a few times, Mrs. Littleton, but I am a man
+who forms my conclusions of people rapidly, and it is obvious to me that
+you are thoughtful, energetic, and liberal-minded--qualities which are
+especially requisite for intelligent progress in semi-public work. It is
+essentially desirable to enlist the co-operation of well-equipped women
+to promote the national weal."
+
+Lyons departed with an agreeable impression that he had been talking to
+a woman who combined mental sagacity and enterprise with considerable
+fascination of person. This capable companion of Mr. Parsons was no
+coquettish or simpering beauty, no mere devotee of fashionable manners,
+but a mature, well-poised character endowed with ripe intellectual and
+bodily graces. Their interview suggested that she possessed initiative
+and discretion in directing the course of events, and a strong sense of
+moral responsibility, attributes which attracted his interest. He was
+obliged to make two more visits before the execution of the will, and on
+each occasion he had an opportunity to spend a half-hour alone in the
+society of Selma. He found her gravely and engagingly sympathetic with
+his advocacy of democratic principles; he told her of his ambition to be
+elected to Congress--an ambition which he believed would be realized the
+following autumn. He confided to her, also, that he was engaged in his
+leisure moments in the preparation of a literary volume to be entitled,
+"Watchwords of Patriotism," a study of the requisites of the best
+citizenship, exemplified by pertinent extracts from the public
+utterances of the most distinguished American public servants.
+
+Selma on her part reciprocated by a reference to the course of lectures
+on "Culture and Higher Education," which she had resolved to deliver
+before the Benham Institute during the winter. In these lectures she
+meant to emphasize the importance of unfettered individuality, and to
+comment adversely on the tendencies hostile to this fundamental
+principle of progress which she had observed in New York and from which
+Benham itself did not appear to her to be entirely exempt. After
+delivering these lectures in Benham she intended to repeat them in
+various parts of the State, and in some of the large cities elsewhere,
+under the auspices of the Confederated Sisterhood of Women's Clubs of
+America, the Sorosis which Mrs. Earle had established on a firm basis,
+and of which at present she was second vice-president. As a token of
+sympathy with this undertaking, Mr. Lyons offered to procure her a free
+pass on the railroads over which she would be obliged to travel. This
+pleased Selma greatly, for she had always regarded free passes as a sign
+of mysterious and enviable importance.
+
+Two months later Selma, as secretary of the sub-committee of the
+Institute selected to oppose before the legislature the bill to create
+an appointed school board, had further occasion to confer with Mr.
+Lyons. He agreed to be the active counsel, and approved of the plan that
+a delegation of women should journey to the capital, two hours and a
+half by rail, and add the moral support of their presence at the hearing
+before the legislative committee.
+
+The expedition was another gratification to Selma--who had become
+possessed of her free pass. She felt that in visiting the state-house
+and thus taking an active part in the work of legislation she was
+beginning to fulfil the larger destiny for which she was qualified. Side
+by side with Mrs. Earle at the head of a delegation of twenty Benham
+women she marched augustly into the committee chamber. The contending
+factions sat on opposite sides of the room. Through its middle ran a
+long table occupied by the Committee on Education to which the bill had
+been referred. Among the dozen or fifteen persons who appeared in
+support of the bill Selma perceived Mrs. Hallett Taylor, whom she had
+not seen since her return. She was disappointed to observe that Mrs.
+Taylor's clothes, though unostentatious, were in the latest fashion. She
+had hoped to find her dowdy or unenlightened, and to be able to look
+down on her from the heights of her own New York experience.
+
+The lawyer in charge of the bill presented lucidly and with skill the
+merits of his case, calling to the stand four prominent educators from
+as many different sections of the State, and several citizens of
+well-known character, among them Babcock's former pastor, Rev. Henry
+Glynn. He pointed out that the school committee, as at present
+constituted, was an unwieldy body of twenty-four members, that it was
+regarded as the first round in the ladder of political preferment, and
+that the members which composed it were elected not on the ground of
+their fitness, but because they were ambitious for political
+recognition.
+
+The legislative committee listened politely but coldly to these
+statements and to the testimony of the witnesses. It was evident that
+they regarded the proposed reform with distrust.
+
+"Do you mean us to understand that the public schools of this State are
+not among the best, if not the best, in the world?" asked one member of
+the committee, somewhat sternly.
+
+"I recognize the merits of our school system, but I am not blind to its
+faults," responded the attorney in charge of the bill. He was a man who
+possessed the courage of his convictions, but he was a lawyer of tact,
+and he knew that his answer went to the full limit of what he could
+safely utter by way of qualification without hopelessly imperilling his
+cause.
+
+"Are not our public schools turning out yearly hundreds of boys and
+girls who are a growing credit to the soundness of the institutions of
+the country?" continued the same inquisitor.
+
+Here was a proposition which opened such a vista of circuitous and
+careful speech, were he to attempt to answer it and be true to
+conscience without being false to patriotism, that Mr. Hunter was driven
+to reply, "I am unable to deny the general accuracy of your statement."
+
+"Then why seek to harass those who are doing such good work by
+unfriendly legislation?"
+
+The member plainly felt that he had disposed of the matter by this
+triumphant interrogation, for he listened with scant attention to a
+repetition of the grounds on which, relief was sought.
+
+Mr. Lyons's method of reply was a surprise to Selma. She had looked for
+a fervid vindication of the principle of the people's choice, and an
+eloquent, sarcastic setting forth of the evils of the exclusive and
+aristocratic spirit. He began by complimenting the members of the
+committee on their ability to deal intelligently with the important
+question before them, and then proceeded to refer to the sincere but
+mistaken zeal of the advocates of the bill, whom he described as people
+animated by conscientious motives, but unduly distrustful of the
+capacity of the American people. His manner suggested a desire to be at
+peace with all the world and was agreeably conciliatory, as though he
+deprecated the existence of friction. He said that he would not do the
+members of the committee the injustice to suppose that they could
+seriously favor the passage of a bill which would deprive the
+intelligent average voter of one of his dearest privileges; but that he
+desired to put himself on record as thinking it a fortunate
+circumstance, on the whole, that the well-intentioned promoters of the
+bill had brought this matter to the attention of the legislature, and
+had an opportunity to express their views. He believed that the hearing
+would be productive of benefit to both parties, in that on the one hand
+it would tend to make the voters more careful as to whom they selected
+for the important duties of the school board, and on the other
+would--he, as a lover of democratic institutions, hoped--serve to
+convince the friends of the bill that they had exaggerated the evils of
+the situation, and that they were engaged in a false and hopeless
+undertaking in seeking to confine by hard and fast lines the spontaneous
+yearnings of the American people to control the education of their
+children. "We say to these critics," he continued, "some of whom are
+enrolled under the solemn name of reformers, that we welcome their zeal
+and offer co-operation in a resolute purpose to exercise unswerving
+vigilance in the selection of candidates for the high office of
+guardians of our public schools. So far as they will join hands with us
+in keeping undefiled the traditions of our forefathers, to that extent
+we are heartily in accord with them, but when they seek to override
+those traditions and to fasten upon this community a method which is
+based on a lack of confidence in democratic theories, then I--and
+gentlemen, I feel sure that you--are against them."
+
+Lyons sat down, having given everyone in the room, with the exception of
+a few discerning spirits on the other side, the impression that he had
+intended to be pre-eminently fair, and that he had held out the olive
+branch when he would have been justified in using the scourge. The
+inclination to make friends, to smooth over seamy situations and to
+avoid repellent language in dealing with adversaries, except in
+corporation cases before juries and on special occasions when defending
+his political convictions, had become a growing tendency with him now
+that he was in training for public office. Selma did not quite know what
+to make of it at first. She had expected that he would crush their
+opponents beneath an avalanche of righteous invective. Instead he took
+his seat with an expression of countenance which was no less benignant
+than dignified. When the hearing was declared closed, a few minutes
+later, he looked in her direction, and in the course of his passage to
+where she was sitting stopped to exchange affable greetings with
+assemblymen and others who came in his way. At his approach Mrs. Earle
+uttered congratulations so comprehensive that Selma felt able to refrain
+for the moment from committing herself. "I am glad that you were
+pleased," he said. "I think I covered the ground, and no one's feelings
+have been hurt." As though he divined what was passing through Selma's
+mind, he added in an aside intended only for their ears, "It was not
+necessary to use all our powder, for I could tell from the way the
+committee acted that they were with us."
+
+"I felt sure they would be," exclaimed Mrs. Earle. "And, as you say, it
+is a pleasure that no one's feelings were hurt, and that we can all part
+friends."
+
+"Which reminds me," said Lyons, "that I should be glad of an
+introduction to Mrs. Taylor as she passes us on her way out. I wish to
+assure her personally of my willingness to further her efforts to
+improve the quality of the school board."
+
+"That would be nice of you," said Mrs. Earle, "and ought to please and
+encourage her, for she will be disappointed, poor thing, and after all I
+suppose she means well. There she is now, and I will keep my eye on
+her."
+
+"But surely, Mr. Lyons," said Selma, dazed yet interested by this
+doctrine of brotherly love, "don't you think our school committee
+admirable as it is?"
+
+"A highly efficient body," he answered. "But I should be glad to have
+our opponents--mistaken as we believe them to be--appreciate that we no
+less than they are zealous to preserve the present high standard. We
+must make them recognize that we are reformers and in sympathy with
+reform."
+
+"I see," said Selma. "For, of course, we are the real reformers. Convert
+them you mean? Be civil to them at least? I understand. Yes, I suppose
+there is no use in making enemies of them." She was thinking aloud.
+Though ever on her guard to resent false doctrine, she was so sure of
+the loyalty of both her companions that she could allow herself to be
+interested by this new point of view--a vast improvement on the New York
+manner because of its ethical suggestion. She realized that if Mr. Lyons
+was certain of the committee, it was right, and at the same time
+sensible, not to hurt anyone's feelings unnecessarily--although she felt
+a little suspicious because he had asked to be introduced to Mrs.
+Taylor. Indeed, the more she thought of this attitude, on the assumption
+that the victory was assured, the more it appealed to her conscience and
+intelligence; so much so that when Mrs. Earle darted forward to detain
+Mrs. Taylor, Selma was reflecting with admiration on his magnanimity.
+
+She observed intently the meeting between Mr. Lyons and Mrs. Taylor. He
+was deferential, complimentary, and genial, and he made a suave,
+impressive offer of his personal services, in response to which Mrs.
+Taylor regarded him with smiling incredulity--a smile which Selma
+considered impertinent. How dared she treat his courtly advances with
+flippant distrust!
+
+"Are you aware, Mr. Lyons," Mrs. Taylor was saying, "that one of the
+present members of the school board is a milkman, and another a
+carpenter--both of them persons of very ordinary efficiency from an
+educational standpoint? Will you co-operate with us, when their terms
+expire next year and they seek re-election, to nominate more suitable
+candidates in their stead?"
+
+"I shall be very glad when the time comes to investigate carefully their
+qualifications, and if they are proved to be unworthy of the confidence
+of the people, to use my influence against them. You may rely on
+this--rely on my cordial support, and the support of these ladies," he
+added, indicating Mrs. Earle and Selma, with a wave of his hand, "who,
+if you will permit me to say so, are no less interested than you in
+promoting good government."
+
+"Oh, yes, indeed. We thought we were making an ideal choice in Miss
+Luella Bailey," said Mrs. Earle with effusion. "If Mrs. Taylor had seen
+more of her, I feel sure she would have admired her, and then our
+Institute would not have been dragged into politics."
+
+Mrs. Taylor did not attempt to answer this appeal. Instead she greeted
+Selma civilly, and said, "I was sorry to hear that you were against us,
+Mrs. Littleton. We were allies once in a good cause, and in spite of Mr.
+Lyons's protestations to the contrary, I assure you that this is another
+genuine opportunity to improve the existing order of things. At least,"
+she added, gayly but firmly, "you must not let Mr. Lyons's predilection
+to see everything through rose-colored spectacles prevent you from
+looking into the matter on your own account."
+
+"I have done so already," answered Selma, affronted at the suggestion
+that she was uninformed, yet restrained from displaying her annoyance by
+the sudden inspiration that here was an admirable opportunity to
+practise the proselytizing forbearance suggested by Mr. Lyons. The idea
+of patronizing Mrs. Taylor from the vantage-ground of infallibility,
+tinctured by magnanimous condescension, appealed to her. "I have made a
+thorough study of the question, and I never could look at it as you do,
+Mrs. Taylor. I sided with you before because I thought you were
+right--because you were in favor of giving everyone a chance of
+expression. But now I'm on the other side for the same reason--because
+you and your friends are disposed to deprive people of that very thing,
+and to regard their aspirations and their efforts contemptuously, if I
+may say so. That's the mistake we think you make--we who, as Mr. Lyons
+has stated, are no less eager than you to maintain the present high
+character of everything which concerns our school system. But if you
+only would see things in a little different light, both Mrs. Earle and I
+would be glad to welcome you as an ally and to co-operate with you."
+
+Selma had not expected to make such a lengthy speech, but as she
+proceeded she was spurred by the desire to teach Mrs. Taylor her proper
+place, and at the same time to proclaim her own allegiance to the
+attitude of optimistic forbearance.
+
+"I knew that was the way they felt," said Lyons, ingratiatingly. "It
+would be a genuine pleasure to us all to see this unfortunate difference
+of opinion between earnest people obviated."
+
+Mrs. Taylor, as Selma was pleased to note, flushed at her concluding
+offer, and she answered, drily, "I fear that we are too far apart in our
+ideas to talk of co-operation. If our bill is defeated this year, we
+shall have to persevere and trust to the gradual enlightenment of public
+sentiment. Good afternoon."
+
+Selma left the State-house in an elated frame of mind. She felt that she
+had taken a righteous and patriotic stand, and it pleased her to think
+that she was taking an active part in defending the institutions of the
+country. She chatted eagerly as she walked through the corridors with
+Mr. Lyons, who, portly and imposing, acted as escort to her and Mrs.
+Earle, and invited them to luncheon at a hotel restaurant. Excitement
+had given her more color than usual, to which her mourning acted as a
+foil, and she looked her best. Lyons was proud of being in the company
+of such a presentable and spirited appearing woman, and made a point of
+stopping two or three members of the legislature and introducing them to
+her. When they reached the restaurant he established them at a table
+where they could see everybody and be seen, and he ordered scolloped
+oysters, chicken-salad, ice-cream, coffee, and some bottles of
+sarsaparilla. Both women were in high spirits, and Selma was agreeably
+conscious that people were observing them. Before the repast was over a
+messenger brought a note to Mr. Lyons, which announced that the
+legislative committee had given the petitioners leave to withdraw their
+bill, which, in Selma's eyes, justified the management of the affair,
+and set the seal of complete success on an already absorbing and
+delightful occasion.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+Her mourning and the slow convalescence of Mr. Parsons deprived Selma of
+convincing evidence in regard to her social reception in Benham, for
+those socially prominent were thus barred from inviting her to their
+houses, and her own activities were correspondingly fettered. Indeed,
+her circumstances supplied her with an obvious salve for her proper
+dignity had she been disposed to let suspicion lie fallow. As it was a
+number of people had left cards and sent invitations notwithstanding
+they could not be accepted, and she might readily have believed, had she
+chosen--and as she professed openly to Mr. Parsons--that everyone had
+been uncommonly civil and appreciative.
+
+She found herself, however, in spite of her declared devotion to her
+serious duties, noting that the recognition accorded to Mr. Parsons and
+herself was not precisely of the character she craved. The
+visiting-cards and invitations were from people residing on the River
+Drive and in that neighborhood, indeed--but from people like the Flaggs,
+for instance, who, having acquired large wealth and erected lordly
+dwellings, were eager to dispense good-natured, lavish hospitality
+without social experience. Her sensitive ordeal in New York had
+quickened her social perceptions, so that whereas at the time of her
+departure from Benham as Mrs. Littleton she regarded her present
+neighborhood as an integral class, she was now prompt to separate the
+sheep from the goats, and to remark that only the goats seemed conscious
+of her existence. With the exception of Mrs. Taylor, who had called when
+she was out, not one of a certain set, the outward manifestations of
+whose stately being were constantly passing her windows, appeared to
+take the slightest interest in her. Strictly speaking, Mrs. Taylor was
+of this set, yet apart from it. Hers was the exclusive intellectual and
+æsthetic set, this the exclusive fashionable set--both alike execrable
+and foreign to the traditions of Benham. As Selma had discovered the one
+and declared war against it, so she promised herself to confound the
+other when the period of her mourning was over, and she was free to
+appear again in society. Once more she congratulated herself that she
+had come in time to nip in the bud this other off-shoot of aristocratic
+tendencies. As yet either set was small in number, and she foresaw that
+it would be an easy task to unite in a solid phalanx of
+offensive-defensive influence the friendly souls whom these people
+treated as outsiders, and purge the society atmosphere of the miasma of
+exclusiveness. In connection with the means to this end, when the winter
+slipped away and left her feeling that she had been ignored, and that
+she was eager to assume a commanding position, she began to take more
+than passing thought of the attentions of Mr. Lyons. That he was
+interested by her there could be no doubt, for he plainly went out of
+his way to seek her society, calling at the house from time to time, and
+exercising a useful, nattering superintendence over her lecture course
+in the other cities of the State, in each of which he appeared to have
+friends on the newspaper press who put agreeable notices in print
+concerning her performance. She had returned to Benham believing that
+her married life was over; that her heart was in the grave with Wilbur,
+and that she would never again part with her independence. The notice
+which Mr. Lyons had taken of her from the outset had gratified her, but
+though she contrasted his physical energy with Wilbur's lack of vigor,
+it had not occurred to her to consider him in the light of a possible
+husband. Now that a year had passed since Wilbur's death, she felt
+conscious once more, as had happened after her divorce, of the need of a
+closer and more individual sympathy than any at her command. Her
+relations with Mr. Parsons, to be sure, approximated those of father and
+daughter, but his perceptions were much less acute than before his
+seizure; he talked little and ceased to take a vital interest in current
+affairs. She felt the lack of companionship and, also, of personal
+devotion, such personal devotion as was afforded by the strenuous,
+ardent allegiance of a man. On the other hand she was firmly resolved
+never to allow the current of her own life to be turned away again by
+the subordination of her purposes to those of any other person, and she
+had believed that this resolution would keep her indifferent to
+marriage, in spite of any sensations of loneliness or craving for
+masculine idolatry. But as a widow of a year's standing she was now
+suddenly interested by the thought that this solid, ambitious,
+smooth-talking man might possibly satisfy her natural preference for a
+mate without violating her individuality. She began to ask herself if he
+were not truly congenial in a sense which no man had ever been to her
+before; also, to ask if their aspirations and aims were not so nearly
+identical that he would be certain as her husband to be proud of
+everything she did and said, and to allow her to work hand in hand with
+him for the furtherance of their common purpose. She did not put these
+questions to herself until his conduct suggested that he was seeking her
+society as a suitor; but having put them, she was pleased to find her
+heart throb with the hope of a stimulating and dear discovery.
+
+Certain causes contributed to convince her that this hope rested on a
+sure foundation--causes associated with her present life and point of
+view. She felt confident first of all of the godliness of Mr. Lyons as
+indicated not only by his sober, successful life, and his enthusiastic,
+benignant patriotism, but by his active, reverent interest in the
+affairs of his church--the Methodist Church--to which Mr. Parsons
+belonged, and which Selma had begun to attend since her return to
+Benham. It had been her mother's faith, and she had felt a certain
+filial glow in approaching it, which had been fanned into pious flame by
+the effect of the ministration. The fervent hymns and the opportunities
+for bearing testimony at some of the services appealed to her needs and
+gave her a sense of oneness with eternal truth, which had hitherto been
+lacking from her religious experience. In judging Wilbur she was
+disposed to ascribe the defects of his character largely to the coldness
+and analyzing sobriety of his creed. She had accompanied him to church
+listlessly, and had been bored by the unemotional appeals to conscience
+and quiet subjective designations of duty. She preferred to thrill with
+the intensity of words which now roundly rated sin, now passionately
+called to mind the ransom of the Saviour, and ever kept prominent the
+stirring mission of evangelizing ignorant foreign people. It appeared
+probable to Selma that, as the wife of one of the leading
+church-members, who was the chairman of the local committee charged with
+spreading the gospel abroad, her capacity for doing good would be
+strengthened, and the spiritual availability of them both be enhanced.
+
+Then, too, Mr. Lyons's political prospects were flattering. The thought
+that a marriage with him would put her in a position to control the
+social tendencies of Benham was alluring. As the wife of Hon. James O.
+Lyons, Member of Congress, she believed that she would be able to look
+down on and confound those who had given her the cold shoulder. What
+would Flossy say when she heard it? What would Pauline? This was a form
+of distinction which would put her beyond the reach of conspiracy and
+exclusiveness; for, as the wife of a representative, selected by the
+people to guard their interests and make their laws, would not her
+social position be unassailable? And apart from these considerations, a
+political future seemed to her peculiarly attractive. Was not this the
+real opportunity for which she had been waiting? Would she be justified
+in giving it up? In what better way could her talents be spent than as
+the helpmate and intellectual companion of a public man--a statesman
+devoted to the protection and development of American ideas? Her own
+individuality need not, would not be repressed. She had seen enough of
+Mr. Lyons to feel sure that their views on the great questions of life
+were thoroughly in harmony. They held the same religious opinions. Who
+could foretell the limit of their joint progress? He was still a young
+man--strong, dignified, and patriotic--endowed with qualities which
+fitted him for public service. It might well be that a brilliant future
+was before him--before them, if she were his wife. If he were to become
+prominent in the councils of the nation--Speaker of the
+House--Governor--even President, within the bounds of possibility, what
+a splendid congenial scope his honors would afford her own versatility!
+As day by day she dwelt on these points of recommendation, Selma became
+more and more disposed to smile on the aspirations of Mr. Lyons in
+regard to herself, and to feel that her life would develop to the best
+advantage by a union with him. Until the words asking her to be his wife
+were definitely spoken she could not be positive of his intentions, but
+his conduct left little room for doubt, and moreover, was marked by a
+deferential soberness of purpose which indicated to her that his views
+regarding marriage were on a higher plane than those of any man she had
+known. He referred frequently to the home as the foundation on which
+American civilization rested, and from which its inspiration was largely
+derived, and spoke feelingly of the value to a public man of a
+stimulating and dignifying fireside. It became his habit to join her
+after morning service and to accompany her home, carrying her
+hymn-books, and he sent her from time to time, through the post,
+quotations which had especially struck his fancy from the speeches he
+was collecting for his "Watchwords of Patriotism."
+
+Another six months passed, and at its close Lyons received the expected
+nomination for Congress. The election promised to be close and exciting.
+Both parties were confident of victory, and were preparing vigorously to
+keep their adherents at fever pitch by rallies and torch-light
+processions. Although the result of the caucus was not doubtful, it was
+understood between Lyons and Selma that he would call at the house that
+evening to let her know that he had been successful. She was waiting to
+receive him in the library. Mr. Parsons had gone to bed. His condition
+was not promising. He had recently suffered another slight attack of
+paralysis, which seemed to indicate that he was liable at any time to a
+fatal seizure.
+
+Lyons entered smilingly. "So far so good," he exclaimed.
+
+"Then you have won?"
+
+"Oh, yes. As I told you, it was a foregone conclusion. Now the fight
+begins."
+
+Selma, who had provided a slight refection, handed him a cup of tea. "I
+feel sure that you will be chosen," she said. "See if I am not right.
+When is the election?"
+
+"In six weeks. Six weeks from to-morrow."
+
+"Then you will go to Washington to live?"
+
+"Not until the fourth of March."
+
+"I envy you. If I were a man I should prefer success in politics to
+anything else."
+
+He was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Will you help me to achieve
+success? Will you go with me to Washington as my wife?"
+
+His courtship had been formal and elaborate, but his declaration was
+signally simple and to the point. Selma noticed that the cup in his hand
+trembled. While she kept her eyes lowered, as women are supposed to do
+at such moments, she was wondering whether she loved him as much as she
+had loved Wilbur? Not so ardently, but more worthily, she concluded, for
+he seemed to her to fulfil her maturer ideal of strong and effective
+manhood, and to satisfy alike her self-respect and her physical fancy. A
+man of his type would not split hairs, but proceed straight toward the
+goal of his ambition without fainting or wavering. Why should she not
+satisfy her renewed craving to be yoked to a kindred spirit and
+companion who appreciated her true worth?
+
+"I cannot believe," he was saying, "that my words are a surprise to you.
+You can scarcely have failed to understand that I admired you extremely.
+I have delayed to utter my desire to make you my wife because I did not
+dare to cherish too fondly the hope that the love inspired in me could
+be reciprocated, and that you would consent to unite your life to mine
+and trust your happiness to my keeping. If I may say so, we are no boy
+and girl. We understand the solemn significance of marriage; what it
+imports and what it demands. Of late I have ventured to dream that the
+sympathy in ideas and identity of purpose which exist between us might
+be the trustworthy sign of a spiritual bond which we could not afford to
+ignore. I feel that without you the joy and power of my life will be
+incomplete. With you at my side I shall aspire to great things. You are
+to me the embodiment of what is charming and serviceable in woman."
+
+Selma looked up. "I like you very much, Mr. Lyons. You, in your turn,
+must have realized that, I think. As you say, we are no boy and girl.
+You meant by that, too, that we both have been married before. I have
+had two husbands, and I did not believe that I could ever think of
+marriage again. I don't wish you to suppose that my last marriage was
+not happy. Mr. Littleton was an earnest, talented man, and devoted to
+me. Yet I cannot deny that in spite of mutual love our married life was
+not a success--a success as a contribution to accomplishment. That
+nearly broke my heart, and he--he died from lack of the physical and
+mental vigor which would have made so much difference. I am telling you
+this because I wish you to realize that if I should consent to comply
+with your wishes, it would be because I was convinced that true
+accomplishment--the highest accomplishment--would result from the union
+of our lives as the result of our riper experience. If I did not
+believe, Mr. Lyons, that man and woman as we are--no longer boy and
+girl--a more perfect scheme of happiness, a grander conception of the
+meaning of life than either of us had entertained was before us, I would
+not consider your offer for one moment."
+
+"Yes, yes, I understand," Lyons exclaimed eagerly. "I share your belief
+implicitly. It was what I would have said only--"
+
+Despite his facility as an orator, Lyons left this sentence incomplete
+in face of the ticklish difficulty of explaining that he had refrained
+from suggesting such a hope to a widow who had lost her husband only two
+years before. Yet he hastened to bridge over this ellipsis by saying,
+"Without such a faith a union between us must fall short of its sweetest
+and grandest opportunities."
+
+"It would be a mockery; there would be no excuse for its existence,"
+cried Selma impetuously. "I am an idealist, Mr. Lyons," she said
+clasping her hands. "I believe devotedly in the mission and power of
+love. But I believe that our conception of love changes as we grow. I
+welcomed love formerly as an intoxicating, delirious potion, and as such
+it was very sweet. You have just told me of your own feelings toward me,
+so it is your right to know that lately I have begun to realize that my
+association with you has brought peace into my life--peace and religious
+faith--essentials of happiness of which I have not known the blessings
+since I was a child. You have dedicated yourself to a lofty work; you
+have chosen the noble career of a statesman--a statesman zealous to
+promote principles in which we both believe. And you ask me to share
+with you the labors and the privileges which will result from this
+dedication. If I accept your offer, it must be because I know that I
+love you--love you in a sense I have not loved before--may the dead
+pardon me! If I accept you it will be because I wish to perpetuate that
+faith and peace, and because I believe that our joint lives will realize
+worthy accomplishment." Selma looked into space with her wrapt gaze,
+apparently engaged in an intense mental struggle.
+
+"And you will accept? You do feel that you can return my love? I cannot
+tell you how greatly I am stirred and stimulated by what you have said.
+It makes me feel that I could never be happy without you." Lyons put
+into this speech all his solemnity and all his emotional beneficence of
+temperament. He was genuinely moved. His first marriage had been a love
+match. His wife--a mere girl--had died within a year; so soon that the
+memory of her was a tender but hazy sentiment rather than a formulated
+impression of character. By virtue of this memory he had approached
+marriage again as one seeking a companion for his fireside, and a
+comely, sensible woman to preside over his establishment and promote his
+social status, rather than one expecting to be possessed by or to
+inspire a dominant passion. Yet he, too, regarded himself distinctly as
+an idealist, and he had lent a greedy ear to Selma's suggestion that
+mature mutual sympathy and comradeship in establishing convictions and
+religious aims were the source of a nobler type of love than that
+associated with early matrimony. It increased his admiration for her,
+and gave to his courtship, the touch of idealism which--partly owing to
+his own modesty as a man no longer in the flush of youth--it had lacked.
+He nervously stroked his beard with his thick hand, and gave himself up
+to the spell of this vision of blessedness while he eagerly watched
+Selma's face and waited for her answer. To combine moral purpose and
+love in a pervasive alliance appealed to him magnetically as a religious
+man.
+
+Selma, as she faced Lyons, was conscious necessarily of the contrast
+between him and her late husband. But she was attuned to regard his
+coarser physical fibre as masculine vigor and a protest against
+aristocratic delicacy, and to derive comfort and exaltation from it.
+
+"Mr. Lyons," she said, "I will tell you frankly that the circumstances
+of married life have hitherto hampered the expression of that which is
+in me, and confined the scope of my individuality within narrow and
+uncongenial limits. I am not complaining; I have no intention to rake up
+the past; but it is proper you should know that I believe myself capable
+of larger undertakings than have yet been afforded me, and worthy of
+ampler recognition than I have yet received. If I accept you as a
+husband, it will be because I feel confident that you will give my life
+the opportunity to expand, and that you sympathize with my desire to
+express myself adequately and to labor hand in hand, side by side, with
+you in the important work of the world."
+
+"That is what I would have you do, Selma. Because you are worthy of it,
+and because it is your right."
+
+"On that understanding it seems that we might be very happy."
+
+"I am certain of it. You fill my soul with gladness," he cried, and
+seizing her hand he pressed it to his lips and covered it with kisses,
+but she withdrew it, saying, "Not yet--not yet. This step represents so
+much to me. It means that if I am mistaken in you, my whole life will be
+ruined, for the next years should be my best. We must not be too hasty.
+There are many things to be thought of. I must consider Mr. Parsons. I
+cannot leave him immediately, if at all, for he is very dependent on
+me."
+
+"I had thought of that. While Mr. Parsons lives, I realize that your
+first duty must be to him."
+
+The reverential gravity of his tone was in excess of the needs of the
+occasion, and Selma understood that he intended to imply that Mr.
+Parsons would not long need her care. The same thought was in her own
+mind, and it had occurred to her in the course of her previous
+cogitations in regard to Lyons, that in the event of his death it would
+suit her admirably to continue to occupy the house as its real mistress.
+She looked grave for a moment in her turn, then with a sudden access of
+coyness she murmured, "I do not believe that I am mistaken in you."
+
+"Ah," he cried, and would have folded her in his arms, but she evaded
+his onset and said with her dramatic intonation, "The knights of old won
+their lady-loves by brilliant deeds. If you are elected a member of
+Congress, you may come to claim me."
+
+Reflection served only to convince Selma of the wisdom of her decision
+to try matrimony once more. She argued, that though a third marriage
+might theoretically seem repugnant if stated as a bald fact, the actual
+circumstances in her case not merely exonerated her from a lack of
+delicacy, but afforded an exhibition of progress--a gradual evolution in
+character. She felt light-hearted and triumphant at the thought of her
+impending new importance as the wife of a public man, and she interested
+herself exuberantly in the progress of the political campaign. She was
+pleased to think that her stipulation had given her lover a new spur to
+his ambition, and she was prepared to believe that his victory would be
+due to the exhaustive efforts to win which the cruel possibility of
+losing her obliged him to make.
+
+This was a campaign era of torch-light processions. The rival factions
+expressed their confidence and enthusiasm by parading at night in a
+series of battalions armed with torches--some resplendently flaring,
+some glittering gayly through colored glass--and bearing transparencies
+inscribed with trenchant sentiments. The houses of their adherents along
+the route were illuminated from attic to cellar with rows of candles,
+and the atmosphere wore a dusky glow of red and green fire. To Selma all
+this was entrancing. She revelled in it as an introduction to the more
+conspicuous life which she was about to lead. She showed herself a
+zealous and enthusiastic partisan, shrouding the house in the darkness
+of Erebus on the occasion when the rival procession passed the door, and
+imparting to every window the effect of a blaze of light on the
+following evening--the night before election--when the Democratic party
+made its final appeal to the voters. Standing on a balcony in evening
+dress, in company with Mrs. Earle and Miss Luella Bailey, whom she had
+invited to view the procession from the River Drive, Selma looked down
+on the parade in an ecstatic mood. The torches, the music, the fireworks
+and the enthusiasm set her pulses astir and brought her heart into her
+mouth in melting appreciation of the sanctity of her party cause and her
+own enviable destiny as the wife of an American Congressman. She held in
+one hand a flag which she waved from time to time at the conspicuous
+features of the procession, and she stationed herself so that the Bengal
+lights and other fireworks set off by Mr. Parsons's hired man should
+throw her figure into conspicuous relief. The culminating interest of
+the, occasion for her was reached when the James O. Lyons Cadets, the
+special body of youthful torch-bearers devoted to advertising the merits
+of her lover, for whose uniforms and accoutrements he had paid, came in
+sight.
+
+They proved to be the most flourishing looking organization in line.
+They were preceded by a large, nattily attired drum corps; their ranks
+were full, their torches lustrous, and they bore a number of
+transparencies setting forth the predominant qualifications of the
+candidate for Congress from the second district, the largest of which
+presented his portrait superscribed with the sentiment, "A vote for
+James O. Lyons is a vote in support of the liberties of the plain
+people." On the opposite end of the canvas was the picture of the king
+of beasts, with open jaws and bristling mane, with the motto, "Our
+Lyons's might will keep our institutions sacred." In the midst of this
+glittering escort the candidate himself rode in an open barouche on his
+way to the hall where he was to deliver a final speech. He was bowing to
+right and left, and constant cheers marked his progress along the
+avenue. Selma leaned forward from the balcony to obtain the earliest
+sight of her hero. The rolling applause was a new, intoxicating music in
+her ears, and filled her soul with transport. She clapped her hands
+vehemently; seized a roman-candle, and amid a blaze of fiery sparks
+exploded its colored stars in the direction of the approaching carriage.
+Then with the flag slanted across her bosom, she stood waiting for his
+recognition. It was made solemnly, but with the unequivocal
+demonstration of a cavalier or knight of old, for Lyons stood up, and
+doffing his hat toward her, made a conspicuous salute. A salvo of
+applause suggested to Selma that the multitude had understood that he
+was according to her the homage due a lady-love, and that their cheers
+were partly meant for her. She put her hand to her bosom with the
+gesture of a queen of melodrama, and culling one from a bunch of roses
+Lyons had sent her that afternoon threw it from the balcony at the
+carriage. The flower fell almost into the lap of her lover, who clutched
+it, pressed it to his lips, and doffed his hat again. The episode had
+been visible to many, and a hoarse murmur of interested approval crowned
+the performance. The glance of the crowds on the sidewalk was turned
+upward, and someone proposed three cheers for the lady in the balcony.
+They were given. Selma bowed to either side in delighted acknowledgment,
+while the torches of the cadets waved tumultuously, and there was a
+fresh outburst of colored fires.
+
+"I can't keep the secret any longer," she exclaimed, turning to her two
+companions. "I'm engaged to be married to Mr. Lyons."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+Lyons was chosen to Congress by a liberal margin. The Congressional
+delegation from his State was almost evenly divided between the two
+parties as the result of the election, and the majorities in every case
+were small. Consequently the more complete victory of Lyons was a
+feather in his cap, and materially enhanced his political standing.
+
+The sudden death of Mr. Parsons within a week of the election saved
+Selma's conscience from the strain of arranging a harmonious and
+equitable separation from him. She had felt that the enlargement of her
+sphere of life and the opportunity to serve her country which this
+marriage offered were paramount to any other considerations, but she was
+duly conscious that Mr. Parsons would miss her sorely, and she was
+considering the feasibility of substituting Miss Bailey as his companion
+in her place, when fate supplied a different solution. Selma had pledged
+her friends to secrecy, so that Mr. Parsons need know nothing until the
+plans for his happiness had been perfected, and he died in ignorance of
+the interesting matrimonial alliance which had been fostered under his
+roof. By the terms of his will Selma was bequeathed the twenty thousand
+dollars he had promised her. She and Mr. Lyons, with a third person, to
+be selected by them, were appointed trustees of the Free Hospital with
+which he had endowed Benham, and Mr. Lyons was nominated as the sole
+executor under the will.
+
+Selma's conception that her third betrothal was coincident with
+spiritual development, and that she had fought her way through hampering
+circumstances to a higher plane of experience, had taken firm hold of
+her imagination. She presently confessed to Lyons that she had not
+hitherto appreciated the full meaning of the dogma that marriage was a
+sacrament. She evinced a disposition to show herself with him at church
+gatherings, and to cultivate the acquaintance of his pastor. She felt
+that she had finally secured the opportunity to live the sober, simple
+life appropriate to those who believed in maintaining American
+principles, and in eschewing luxurious and effete foreign innovations;
+the sort of life she had always meant to live, and from which she had
+been debarred. She had now not only opportunity, but a responsibility.
+As the bride of a Congressman, it behooved her both to pursue virtue for
+its own sake and for the sake of example. It was incumbent on her to
+preserve and promote democratic conditions in signal opposition to
+so-called fashionable society, and at the same time to assert her own
+proper dignity and the dignity of her constituents by a suitable outward
+show.
+
+This last subtlety of reflection convinced Selma that they ought to
+occupy the house on the River Drive. Lyons himself expressed some doubts
+as to the advisability of this. He admitted that he could afford the
+expense, and that it was just such a residence as he desired, but he
+suggested that their motives might not be understood, and he questioned
+whether it were wise, with the State so close, to give his political
+enemies the chance to make unjust accusations.
+
+"Of course you ought to understand about this matter better than I," she
+said; "but I have the feeling, James, that your constituents will be
+disappointed if we don't show ourselves appreciative of the dignity of
+your position. We both agree that we should make Benham our home, and
+that it will be preferable if I visit Washington a month or two at a
+time during the session rather than for us to set up housekeeping there,
+and I can't help believing that the people will be better pleased if
+you, as their representative, make that home all which a beautiful home
+should be. They will be proud of it, and if they are, you needn't mind
+what a few fault-finders say. I have been thinking it over, and it seems
+to me that we shall make a mistake to let this house go. It just suits
+us. I feel sure that in their hearts the American people like to have
+their public men live comfortably. This house is small compared to many
+in New York, and I flatter myself that we shall be able to satisfy
+everyone that we are rootedly opposed to unseemly extravagance of
+living."
+
+Lyons yielded readily to this argument. He had been accustomed to simple
+surroundings, but travel and the growth of Benham itself had
+demonstrated to him that the ways of the nation in respect to material
+possessions and comforts had undergone a marked change since his youth.
+He had been brought in contact with this new development in his capacity
+of adviser to the magnates of Benham, and he had fallen under the spell
+of improved creature comforts. Still, though he cast sheep's eyes at
+these flesh pots, he had felt chary, both as a worker for righteousness
+and an ardent champion of popular principles, of countenancing them
+openly. Yet his original impulse toward marriage had been a desire to
+secure an establishment, and now that this result was at hand he found
+himself ambitious to put his household on a braver footing, provided
+this would do injury neither to his moral scruples nor to his political
+sincerity. The problem was but another phase of that presented to him by
+his evolution from a jury lawyer, whose hand and voice were against
+corporations, to the status of a richly paid chamber adviser to
+railroads and banking houses. He was exactly in the frame of mind to
+grasp at the euphemism offered by Selma. He was not one to be convinced
+without a reason, but his mind eagerly welcomed a suggestion which
+justified on a moral ground the proceeding to which they were both
+inclined. The idea that the people would prefer to see him as their
+representative living in a style consistent with the changes in manners
+and customs introduced by national prosperity, affording thereby an
+example of correct and elevating stewardship of reasonable wealth, by
+way of contrast to vapid society doings, came to him as an illumination
+which dissipated his doubts.
+
+The wedding took place about three months after the death of Mr.
+Parsons. In her renovated outlook regarding matrimony, Selma included
+formal preparations for and some pomp of circumstances at the ceremony.
+It suited her pious mood that she was not required again to be married
+off-hand, and that she could plight her troth in a decorous fashion,
+suitably attired and amid conventional surroundings. Her dress was a
+subject of considerable contemplation. She guided her lover's generosity
+until it centred on a diamond spray for her hair and two rings set with
+handsome precious stones. She did not discourage Miss Luella Bailey from
+heralding the approaching nuptials in the press. She became Mrs. Lyons
+in a conspicuous and solemn fashion before the gaze of everybody in
+Benham whom there was any excuse for asking to the church. After a
+collation at the Parsons house, the happy pair started on their
+honeymoon in a special car put at their service by one of the railroads
+for which the bridegroom was counsel. This feature delighted Selma.
+Indeed, everything, from the complimentary embrace of her husband's
+pastor to the details of her dress and wedding presents, described with
+elaborate good will in the evening newspapers, appeared to her
+gratifying and appropriate.
+
+They were absent six weeks, during which the Parsons house was to be
+redecorated and embellished within and without according to instructions
+given by Selma before her departure. Their trip extended to California
+by way of the Yosemite. Selma had never seen the wonders of the far
+western scenery, and this appropriate background for their sentiment
+also afforded Lyons the opportunity to inspect certain railroad lines in
+which he was financially interested. The atmosphere of the gorgeous
+snow-clad peaks and impressive chasms served to heighten still further
+the intensity of Selma's frame of mind. She managed adroitly on several
+occasions to let people know who they were, and it pleased her to
+observe the conductor indicating to passengers in the common cars that
+they were Congressman Lyons and his wife on their honeymoon. She was
+looking forward to Washington, and as she stood in the presence of the
+inspiring beauties of nature she was prone to draw herself up in
+rehearsal of the dignity which she expected to wear. What were these
+mountains and canyons but physical counterparts of the human soul? What
+but correlative representatives of grand ideas, of noble lives devoted
+to the cause of human liberty? She felt that she was very happy, and she
+bore testimony to this by walking arm in arm with her husband, leaning
+against his firm, stalwart shoulder. It seemed to her desirable that the
+public should know that they were a happy couple and defenders of the
+purity of the home. On their way back the train was delayed on
+Washington's birthday for several hours by a wash-out, and presently a
+deputation made up of passengers and townspeople waited on Lyons and
+invited him to deliver an open-air address. He and Selma, when the
+committee arrived, were just about to explore the neighborhood, and
+Lyons, though ordinarily he would have been glad of such an opportunity,
+looked at his wife with an expression which suggested that he would
+prefer a walk with her. The eyes of the committee followed his,
+appreciating that he had thrown the responsibility of a decision on his
+bride. Selma was equal to the occasion. "Of course he will address you,"
+she exclaimed. "What more suitable place could there be for offering
+homage to the father of our country than this majestic prairie?" She
+added, proudly, "And I am glad you should have the opportunity to hear
+my husband speak."
+
+Some letters requiring attention were forwarded to Lyons at one of the
+cities where they stopped. As they lay on his dressing-table Selma
+caught sight of the return address, Williams & Van Horne, printed on the
+uppermost envelope. The reminder aroused a host of associations. Flossy
+had not been much in her thoughts lately, yet she had not failed to
+plume herself occasionally with the reflection that she could afford now
+to snap her fingers at her. She had wondered more than once what Flossy
+would think when she heard that she was the wife of a Representative.
+
+"Do you know these people personally?" she inquired, holding up the
+envelope.
+
+"Yes. They are my--er--financial representatives in New York. I have
+considerable dealings with them."
+
+Selma had not up to this time concerned herself as to the details of her
+husband's affairs. He had made clear to her that his income from his
+profession was large, and she knew that he was interested in a variety
+of enterprises. That he should have connections with a firm of New York
+brokers was one more proof to her of his common sense and capacity to
+take advantage of opportunities.
+
+"Mr. Littleton used to buy stocks through Williams and Van Horne--only a
+few. He was not very clever at it, and failed to make the most of the
+chances given him to succeed in that way. We knew the Williamses at one
+time very well. They lived in the same block with us for several years
+after we were married."
+
+"Williams is a capable, driving sort of fellow. Bold, but on the whole
+sagacious, I think," answered Lyons, with demure urbanity. It was rather
+a shock to him that his wife should learn that he had dealings in the
+stock market. He feared lest it might seem to her inconsistent with his
+other propensities--his religious convictions and his abhorrence of
+corporate rapacity. He preferred to keep such transactions private for
+fear they should be misunderstood. At heart he did not altogether
+approve of them himself. They were a part of his evolution, and had
+developed by degrees until they had become now so interwoven with his
+whole financial outlook that he could not escape from them at the moment
+if he would. Indeed some of them were giving him anxiety. He had
+supposed that the letter in question contained a request for a
+remittance to cover depreciation in his account. Instead he had read
+with some annoyance a confidential request from Williams that he would
+work for a certain bill which, in his capacity as a foe of monopoly, he
+had hoped to be able to oppose. It offended his conscience to think that
+he might be obliged secretly to befriend a measure against which his
+vote must be cast. As has been intimated, he would have preferred that
+his business affairs should remain concealed from his wife. Yet her
+remarks were unexpectedly and agreeably reassuring. They served to
+furnish a fresh indication on her part of intelligent sympathy with the
+perplexities which beset the path of an ambitious public man. They
+suggested a subtle appreciation of the reasonableness of his behavior,
+notwithstanding its apparent failure to tally with his outward
+professions.
+
+Selma's reply interrupted this rhapsody.
+
+"I ought to tell you, I suppose, that I quarrelled with Mrs. Williams
+before I left New York. Or, rather, she quarrelled with me. She insulted
+me in my own house, and I was obliged to order her to leave it."
+
+"Quarrelled? That is a pity. An open break? Open breaks in friendship
+are always unfortunate." Lyons looked grieved, and fingered his beard
+meditatively.
+
+"I appreciate," said Selma, frankly, "that our falling out will be an
+inconvenience in case we should meet in Washington or elsewhere, since
+you and Mr. Williams have business interests in common. Of course,
+James, I wish to help you in every way I can. I might as well tell you
+about it. I think she was jealous of me and fancied I was trying to cut
+her out socially. At all events, she insinuated that I was not a lady,
+because I would not lower my standards to hers, and adopt the frivolous
+habits of her little set. But I have not forgotten, James, your
+suggestion that people in public life can accomplish more if they avoid
+showing resentment and strive for harmony. I shall be ready to forget
+the past if Mrs. Williams will, for my position as your wife puts me
+beyond the reach of her criticism. She's a lively little thing in her
+way, and her husband seems to understand about investments and how to
+get ahead."
+
+They went direct to Washington without stopping at Benham. It was
+understood that the new session of Congress was to be very short, and
+they were glad of an opportunity to present themselves in an official
+capacity at the capital as a conclusion to their honeymoon, before
+settling down at home. Selma found a letter from Miss Bailey, containing
+the news that Pauline Littleton had accepted the presidency of Wetmore
+College, the buildings of which were now practically completed. Selma
+gasped as she read this. She had long ago decided that her
+sister-in-law's studies were unpractical, and that Pauline was doomed to
+teach small classes all her days, a task for which she was doubtless
+well fitted. She resented the selection, for, in her opinion, Pauline
+lacked the imaginative talent of Wilbur, and yet shared his subjective,
+unenthusiastic ways. More than once it had occurred to her that the
+presidency of Wetmore was the place of all others for which she herself
+was fitted. Indeed, until Lyons had offered himself she had cherished in
+her inner consciousness the hope that the course of events might
+demonstrate that she was the proper person to direct the energies of
+this new medium for the higher education of women. It irritated her to
+think that an institution founded by Benham philanthropy, and which
+would be a vital influence in the development of Benham womanhood,
+should be under the control of one who was hostile to American theories
+and methods. Selma felt so strongly on the subject that she thought of
+airing her objections in a letter to Mr. Flagg, the donor, but she
+concluded to suspend her strictures until her return to Benham. She
+sent, however, to Miss Bailey, who was now regularly attached to one of
+the Benham newspapers, notes for an article which should deplore the
+choice by the trustees of one who was unfamiliar and presumably out of
+sympathy with Benham thought and impulse.
+
+Selma's emotions on her arrival in Washington were very different from
+those which she had experienced in New York as the bride of Littleton.
+Then she had been unprepared for, dazed, and offended by what she saw.
+Now, though she mentally assumed that the capital was the parade ground
+of American ideas and principles, she felt not merely no surprise at the
+august appearance of the wide avenues, but she was eagerly on the
+lookout, as they drove from the station to the hotel, for signs of
+social development. The aphorism which she had supplied to her husband,
+that the American people prefer to have their representatives live
+comfortably, dwelt in her thoughts and was a solace to her. Despite her
+New York experience, she had the impression that the doors of every
+house in Washington would fly open at her approach as the wife of a
+Congressman. She did not formulate her anticipations as to her
+reception, but she entertained a general expectation that their presence
+would be acknowledged as public officials in a notable way. She dressed
+herself on the morning after their arrival at the hotel with some
+showiness, so as to be prepared for flattering emergencies. She had said
+little to her husband on the subject, for she had already discovered
+that, though he was ambitious that they should appear well, he was
+disposed to leave the management of social concerns to her. His
+information had been limited to bidding her come prepared for the
+reception to be given at the White House at the reassembling of
+Congress. Selma had brought her wedding-dress for this, and was looking
+forward to it as a gala occasion.
+
+The hotel was very crowded, and Selma became aware that many of the
+guests were the wives and daughters of other Congressmen, who seemed to
+be in the same predicament as herself--that is, without anyone to speak
+to and waiting in their best clothes for something to happen. Lyons knew
+a few of them, and was making acquaintances in the corridors, with some
+of whom he exchanged an introduction of wives. As she successively met
+these other women, Selma perceived that no one of them was better
+dressed than herself, and she reflected with pleasure that they would
+doubtless be available allies in her crusade against frivolity and
+exclusiveness.
+
+Presently she set out with her husband to survey the sights of the city.
+Naturally their first visit was to the Capitol, in the presence of which
+Selma clutched his arm in the pride of her patriotism and of her
+pleasure that he was to be one of the makers of history within its
+splendid precincts. The sight of the stately houses of Congress,
+superbly dominated by their imposing dome, made them both walk proudly,
+lost, save for occasional vivid phrases of admiration, in the
+contemplation of their own possible future. What greater earthly prize
+for man than political distinction among a people capable of monuments
+like this? What grander arena for a woman eager to demonstrate truth and
+promote righteousness? There was, of course, too much to see for any one
+visit. They went up to the gallery of the House of Representatives and
+looked down on the theatre of Lyons's impending activities. He was to
+take his seat on the day after the morrow as one of the minority party,
+but a strong, vigorous minority. Selma pictured him standing in the
+aisle and uttering ringing words of denunciation against corporate
+monopolies and the money power.
+
+"I shall come up here and listen to you often. I shall be able to tell
+if you speak loud enough--so that the public can hear you," she said,
+glancing at the line of galleries which she saw in her mind's eye
+crowded with spectators. "You must make a long speech very soon."
+
+"That is very unlikely indeed. They tell me a new member rarely gets a
+chance to be heard," answered Lyons.
+
+"But they will hear you. You have something to say."
+
+Lyons squeezed her hand. Her words nourished the same hope in his own
+breast. "I shall take advantage of every opportunity to obtain
+recognition, and to give utterance to my opinions."
+
+"Oh yes, I shall expect you to speak. I am counting on that."
+
+On their way down they scanned with interest the statues and portraits
+of distinguished statesmen and heroes, and the representations of famous
+episodes in American history with which the walls of the landings and
+the rotunda are lined.
+
+"Some day you will be here," said Selma. "I wonder who will paint you or
+make your bust. I have often thought," she added, wistfully, "that, if I
+had given my mind to it, I could have modelled well in clay. Some day
+I'll try. It would be interesting, wouldn't it, to have you here in
+marble with the inscription underneath, 'Bust of the Honorable James O.
+Lyons, sculptured by his wife?'"
+
+Lyons laughed, but he was pleased. "You are making rapid strides, my
+dear. I am sure of one thing--if my bust or portrait ever is here, I
+shall owe my success largely to your devotion and good sense. I felt
+certain of it before, but our honeymoon has proved to me that we were
+meant for one another."
+
+"Yes, I think we were. And I like to hear you say I have good sense.
+That is what I pride myself on as a wife."
+
+On their return to the hotel Selma was annoyed to find that no one but a
+member of her husband's Congressional delegation had called. She had
+hoped to find that their presence in Washington was known and
+appreciated. It seemed to her, moreover, that they were not treated at
+the hotel with the deference she had supposed would be accorded to them.
+To be sure, equality was of the essence of American doctrine;
+nevertheless she had anticipated that the official representatives of
+the people would be made much of, and distinguished from the rest of the
+world, if not by direct attention, by being pointed out and looked at
+admiringly. Still, as Lyons showed no signs of disappointment, she
+forbore to express her own perplexity, which was temporarily relieved by
+an invitation from him to drive. The atmosphere was mild enough for an
+open carriage, and Selma's appetite for processional effect derived some
+crumbs of comfort from the process of showing herself in a barouche by
+the side of her husband. They proceeded in an opposite direction from
+the Capitol, and after surveying the outside of the White House, drove
+along the avenues and circles occupied by private residences. Selma
+noticed that these houses, though attractive, were less magnificent and
+conspicuous than many of those in New York--more like her own in Benham;
+and she pictured as their occupants the families of the public men of
+the country--a society of their wives and daughters living worthily,
+energetically, and with becoming stateliness, yet at the same time
+rebuking by their example frivolity and rampant luxury. She observed
+with satisfaction the passage of a number of private carriages, and that
+their occupants were stylishly clad. She reflected that, as, the wife of
+a Congressman, her place was among them, and she was glad that they
+recognized the claims of social development so far as to dress well and
+live in comfort. Before starting she had herself fastened a bunch of red
+roses at her waist as a contribution to her picturesqueness as a public
+woman.
+
+While she was thus absorbed in speculation, not altogether free from
+worrying suspicions, in spite of her mental vision as to the occupants
+of these private residences, she uttered an ejaculation of surprise as a
+jaunty victoria passed by them, and she turned her head in an eager
+attempt to ascertain if her surprise and annoyance were well-founded.
+The other vehicle was moving rapidly, but a similar curiosity impelled
+one of its occupants to look hack also, and the eyes of the two women
+met.
+
+"It's she; I thought it was."
+
+"Who, my dear?" said Lyons.
+
+"Flossy Williams--Mrs. Gregory Williams. I wonder," she added, in a
+severe tone, "what she is doing here, and how she happens to be
+associating with these people. That was a private carriage."
+
+"Williams has a number of friends in Washington, I imagine. I thought it
+likely that he would be here. That was another proof of your good sense,
+Selma--deciding to let bygones be bygones and to ignore your
+disagreement with his wife."
+
+"Yes, I know. I shall treat her civilly. But my heart will be broken,
+James, if I find that Washington is like New York."
+
+"In what respect?"
+
+"If I find that the people in these houses lead exclusive, un-American,
+godless lives. It would tempt me almost to despair of our country," she
+exclaimed, with tragic emphasis.
+
+"I don't understand about social matters, Selma. I must leave those to
+you. But," he added, showing that he shrewdly realized the cause of her
+anguish better than she did herself, "as soon as we get better
+acquainted, I'm sure you will find that we shall get ahead, and that you
+will be able to hold your own with anybody, however exclusive."
+
+Selma colored at the unflattering simplicity of his deduction. "I don't
+desire to hold my own with people of that sort. I despise them."
+
+"I know. Hold your own, I mean, among people of the right sort by force
+of sound ideas and principles. The men and women of to-day," he
+continued, with melodious asseveration, "are the grand-children of those
+who built the splendid halls we visited this morning as a monument to
+our nation's love of truth and righteousness. A few frivolous, worldly
+minded spirits are not the people of the United States to whom we look
+for our encouragement and support."
+
+"Assuredly," answered Selma, with eagerness. "It is difficult, though,
+not to get discouraged at times by the behavior of those who ought to
+aid instead of hinder our progress as a nation."
+
+For a moment she was silent in wrapt meditation, then she asked:
+
+"Didn't you expect that more notice would be taken of our arrival?"
+
+"In what way?"
+
+"In some way befitting a member of Congress."
+
+Lyons laughed. "My dear Selma, I am one new Congressman among several
+hundred. What did you expect? That the President and his wife would come
+and take us to drive?"
+
+"Of course not." She paused a moment, then she said: "I suppose that, as
+you are not on the side of the administration, we cannot expect much
+notice to be taken of us until you speak in the House. I will try not to
+be too ambitious for you, James; but it would be easier to be patient,"
+she concluded, with her far-away look, "if I were not beginning to fear
+that this city also may be contaminated just as New York is."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+The incidents of the next two days previous to her attendance at the
+evening reception at the White House restored Selma's equanimity. She
+had the satisfaction of being present at the opening ceremonies of the
+House of Representatives, and of beholding her husband take the oath of
+office. She was proud of Lyons as she looked down on him from the
+gallery standing in the aisle by his allotted seat. He was holding an
+improvised reception, for a number of his colleagues showed themselves
+desirous to make his acquaintance. She noticed that he appeared already
+on familiar terms with some of his fellow-members; that he drew men or
+was drawn aside for whispered confidences; that he joked knowingly with
+others; and that always as he chatted his large, round, smooth face,
+relieved by its chin beard, wore an aspect of bland dignity and shrewd
+reserve wisdom. It pleased her to be assisting at the dedication of a
+fresh page of national history--a page yet unwritten, but on which she
+hoped that her own name would be inscribed sooner or later by those who
+should seek to trace the complete causes of her husband's usefulness and
+genius.
+
+Another source of satisfaction was the visit paid them the day before at
+the hotel by one of the United States Senators from their own State--Mr.
+Calkins. The two political parties in their own State were so evenly
+divided that one of the Senators in office happened to be a Republican
+and his colleague a Democrat. Mr. Calkins belonged to her husband's
+party, yet he suggested that they might enjoy a private audience with
+the President, with whom, notwithstanding political differences of
+opinion, Mr. Calkins was on friendly terms. This was the sort of thing
+which Selma aspired to, and the experience did much to lighten her
+heart. She enjoyed the distinction of seeing guarded doors open at their
+approach, and of finding herself shaking hands with the chief magistrate
+of the nation at a special interview. The President was very affable,
+and was manifestly aware of Lyons's triumph at the expense of his own
+party, and of his consequent political importance. He treated the matter
+banteringly, and Selma was pleased at her ability to enter into the
+spirit of his persiflage and to reciprocate. In her opinion solemnity
+would have been more consistent with his position as the official
+representative of the people of the United States, and his jocose
+manifestations at a time when serious conversation seemed to be in order
+was a disappointment, and tended to confirm her previous distrust of him
+as the leader of the opposite party. She had hoped he would broach some
+vital topics of political interest, and that she would have the
+opportunity to give expression to her own views in regard to public
+questions. Nevertheless, as the President saw fit to be humorous, she
+was glad that she understood how to meet and answer his bantering
+sallies. She felt sure that Lyons, were he ever to occupy this dignified
+office, would refrain from ill-timed levity, but she bore in mind also
+the policy of conciliation which she had learned from her husband, and
+concealed her true impressions. She noticed that both Lyons and Mr.
+Calkins forebore to show dissatisfaction, and she reflected that, though
+the President's tone was light, there was nothing else in his appearance
+or bearing to convict him of sympathy with lack of enthusiasm and with
+cynicism. It would have destroyed all the enjoyment of her interview had
+she been forced to conclude that a man who did not take himself and his
+duties seriously could be elected President of the United States. She
+was not willing to believe this; but her suspicions were so far aroused
+that she congratulated herself that her political opponents were
+responsible for his election. Nevertheless she was delighted by the
+distinction of the private audience, and by the episode at its close,
+which gave her opportunity to show her individuality. Said the President
+gallantly as she was taking leave:
+
+"Will you permit me to congratulate Congressman Lyons on his good
+fortune in the affairs of the heart as well as in politics?"
+
+"If you say things like that, Mr. President," interjected Lyons, "you
+will turn her head; she will become a Republican, and then where should
+I be?"
+
+While she perceived that the President was still inclined to levity, the
+compliment pleased Selma. Yet, though she appreciated that her husband
+was merely humoring him by his reply, she did not like the suggestion
+that any flattery could affect her principles. She shook her head
+coquettishly and said:
+
+"James, I'm sure the President thinks too well of American women to
+believe that any admiration, however gratifying, would make me lukewarm
+in devotion to my party."
+
+This speech appeared to her apposite and called for, and she departed in
+high spirits, which were illuminated by the thought that the
+administration was not wholly to be trusted.
+
+On the following evening Selma went to the reception at the White House.
+The process of arrival was trying to her patience, for they were obliged
+to await their turn in the long file of carriages. She could not but
+approve of the democratic character of the entertainment, which anyone
+who desired to behold and shake hands with the Chief Magistrate was free
+to attend. Still, it again crossed her mind that, as an official's wife,
+she ought to have been given precedence. Their turn to alight came at
+last, and they took their places in the procession of visitors on its
+way through the East room to the spot where the President and his wife,
+assisted by some of the ladies of the Cabinet, were submitting to the
+ordeal of receiving the nation. There was a veritable crush, in which
+there was every variety of evening toilette, a display essentially in
+keeping with the doctrines which Selma felt that she stood for. She took
+occasion to rejoice in Lyons's ear at the realization of her
+anticipations in this respect. At the same time she was agreeably
+stimulated by the belief that her wedding dress was sumptuous and
+stylish, and her appearance striking. Her hair had been dressed as
+elaborately as possible; she wore all her jewelry; and she carried a
+bouquet of costly roses. Her wish was to regard the function as the
+height of social demonstration, and she had spared no pains to make
+herself effective. She had esteemed it her duty to do so both as a
+Congressman's wife and as a champion of moral and democratic ideas.
+
+The crowd was oppressive, and three times the train of her dress was
+stepped on to her discomfiture. Amid the sea of faces she recognized a
+few of the people she had seen at the hotel. It struck her that no one
+of the women was dressed so elegantly as herself, an observation which
+cheered her and yet was not without its thorn. But the music, the
+lights, and the variegated movement of the scene kept her senses
+absorbed and interfered with introspection, until at last they were
+close to the receiving party. Selma fixed her eyes on the President,
+expecting recognition. Like her husband, the President possessed a gift
+of faces and the faculty of rallying all his energies to the important
+task of remembering who people were. An usher asked and announced the
+names, but the Chief Magistrate's perceptions were kept hard at work.
+His "How do you do, Congressman Lyons? I am very glad to see you here,
+Mrs. Lyons," were uttered with a smiling spontaneity, which to his own
+soul meant a momentary agreeable relaxation of the nerves of memory,
+resembling the easy flourish with which a gymnast engaged in lifting
+heavy weights encounters a wooden dumb-bell. But though his eyes and
+voice were flattering, Selma had barely completed the little bob of a
+courtesy which accompanied her act of shaking hands when she discovered
+that the machinery of the national custom was not to halt on their
+account, and that she must proceed without being able to renew the half
+flirtatious interview of the previous day. She proceeded to courtesy to
+the President's wife and to the row of wives of members of the Cabinet
+who were assisting. Before she could adequately observe them, she found
+herself beyond and a part once more of a heterogeneous crush, the
+current of which she aimlessly followed on her husband's arm. She was
+suspicious of the device of courtesying. Why had not the President's
+wife and the Cabinet ladies shaken hands with her and given her an
+opportunity to make their acquaintance? Could it be that the
+administration was aping foreign manners and adopting effete and
+aristocratic usages?
+
+"What do we do now?" she asked of Lyons as they drifted along.
+
+"I'd like to find Horace Elton and introduce him to you. I caught a
+glimpse of him further on just before we reached the President. Horace
+knows all the ropes and can tell us who everybody is."
+
+Selma had heard her husband refer to Horace Elton on several occasions
+in terms of respectful and somewhat mysterious consideration. She had
+gathered in a general way that he was a far reaching and formidable
+power in matters political and financial, besides being the president
+and active organizer of the energetic corporation known as the
+Consumers' Gas Light Company of their own state. As they proceeded she
+kept her eyes on the alert for a man described by Lyons as short,
+heavily built, and neat looking, with small side whiskers and a
+close-mouthed expression. When they were not far from the door of exit
+from the East room, some one on the edge of the procession accosted her
+husband, who drew her after him in that direction. Selma found herself
+in a sort of eddy occupied by half a dozen people engaged in observing
+the passing show, and in the presence of Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Williams.
+It was Mr. Williams who had diverted them. He now renewed his
+acquaintance with her, exclaiming--"My wife insisted that she had met
+you driving with some one she believed to be your husband. I had heard
+that Congressman Lyons was on his bridal tour, and now everything is
+clear. Flossy, you were right as usual, and it seems that our hearty
+congratulations are in order to two old friends."
+
+Williams spoke with his customary contagious confidence. Selma noted
+that he was stouter and that his hair was becomingly streaked with gray.
+Had not her attention been on the lookout for his wife she might have
+noticed that his eye wore a restless, strained expression despite his
+august banker's manner and showy gallantry. She did observe that the
+moment he had made way for Flossy he turned to Lyons and began to talk
+to him in a subdued tone under the guise of watching the procession.
+
+The two women confronted each other with spontaneous forgetfulness of
+the past. There was a shade of haughtiness in Selma's greeting. She was
+prepared to respect her husband's policy and to ignore the circumstances
+under which they had parted, but she wished Flossy to understand that
+this was an act of condescension on her part as a Congressman's wife,
+whose important social status was beyond question. She was so thoroughly
+imbued with this sense of her indisputable superiority that she readily
+mistook Flossy's affability for fawning; whereas that young woman's
+ingenuous friendliness was the result of a warning sentence from Gregory
+when Selma and her husband were seen approaching--"Keep a check on your
+tongue, Floss. This statesman with a beard like a goat is likely to have
+a political future."
+
+"I felt sure it was you the other day," Flossy said with smiling
+sprightliness, "but I had not heard of your marriage to Mr. Lyons."
+
+"We were married at Benham six weeks ago. We are to live in Benham. We
+have bought the house there which belonged to Mr. Parsons. We have just
+returned from visiting the superb scenery of the Yosemite and the Rocky
+Mountains, and it made me prouder than ever of my country. If
+Congressman Lyons had not been obliged to be present at the opening of
+Congress, we should have spent our honeymoon in Europe."
+
+"Gregory and I passed last summer abroad yachting. We crossed on a
+steamer and had our yacht meet us there. Isn't it a jam to-night?"
+
+"There seem to be a great many people. I suppose you came on from New
+York on purpose for this reception?"
+
+"Mercy, no. We are staying with friends, and we hadn't intended to come
+to-night. But we had been dining out and were dressed, so we thought
+we'd drop in and show our patriotism. It's destruction to clothes, and
+I'm glad I haven't worn my best."
+
+Selma perceived Flossy's eye making a note of her own elaborate costume,
+and the disagreeable suspicion that she was overdressed reasserted
+itself. She had already observed that Mrs. Williams's toilette, though
+stylish, was comparatively simple. How could one be overdressed on such
+an occasion? What more suitable time for an American woman to wear her
+choicest apparel than when paying her respects to the President of the
+United States? She noticed that Flossy seemed unduly at her ease as
+though the importance of the ceremony was lost on her, and that they
+group of people with whom Flossy had been talking and who stood a little
+apart were obviously indulging in quiet mirth at the expense of some of
+those in the procession.
+
+"Are the friends with whom you are staying connected with the
+Government?" Selma asked airily.
+
+"Official people? Goodness, no. But I can point out to you who everybody
+is, for we have been in Washington frequently during the last three
+sessions. Gregory has to run over here on business every now and then,
+and I almost always come with him. To-night is the opportunity to see
+the queer people in all their glory--the woolly curiosities, as Gregory
+calls them. And a sprinkling of the real celebrities too," she added.
+
+Selma's inquiry had been put with a view to satisfy herself that
+Flossy's friends were mere civilians. But she was glad of an opportunity
+to be enlightened as to the names of her fellow-officials, though she
+resented Flossy's flippant tone regarding the character of the
+entertainment. While she listened to the breezy, running commentary by
+which Flossy proceeded to identify for her benefit the conspicuous
+figures in the procession she nursed her offended sensibilities.
+
+"I should suppose," she said, taking advantage of a pause, "that on such
+an occasion as this everybody worth knowing would be present."
+
+Flossy gave Selma one of her quick glances. She had not forgotten the
+past, nor her discovery of the late Mrs. Littleton's real grievance
+against her and the world. Nor did she consider that her husband's
+caveat debarred her from the amusement of worrying the wife of the Hon.
+James O. Lyons, provided it could be done by means of the truth
+ingenuously uttered. She said with a confidential smile--
+
+"The important and the interesting political people have other
+opportunities to meet one another--at dinner parties and less
+promiscuous entertainments than this, and the Washington people have
+other opportunities to meet them. Of course the President is a dear, and
+everyone makes a point of attending a public reception once in a while,
+but this sort of thing isn't exactly an edifying society event. For
+instance, notice the woman in the pomegranate velvet with two diamond
+sprays in her hair. That's the wife of Senator Colman--his child wife,
+so they call her. She came to Washington six years ago as the wife of a
+member of the House from one of the wild and woolly States, and was
+notorious then in the hotel corridors on account of her ringletty raven
+hair and the profusion of rings she wore. She used to make eyes at the
+hotel guests and romp with her husband's friends in the hotel parlors,
+which was the theatre of her social activities. Her husband died, and a
+year ago she married old Senator Colman, old enough to be her
+grandfather, and one of the very rich and influential men in the Senate.
+Now she has developed social ambition and is anxious to entertain. They
+have hired a large house for the winter and are building a larger one.
+As Mrs. Polsen--that was her first husband's name--she was invited
+nowhere except to wholesale official functions like this. The wife of a
+United States Senator with plenty of money can generally attract a
+following; she is somebody. And it happens that people are amused by
+Mrs. Cohnan's eccentricities. She still overdresses, and makes eyes, and
+she nudges those who sit next her at table, but she is good-natured,
+says whatever comes into her head, and has a strong sense of humor. So
+she is getting on."
+
+"Getting on among society people?" said Selma drily.
+
+Flossy's eyes twinkled. "Society people is the generic name used for
+them in the newspapers. I mean that she is making friends among the
+women who live in the quarter where I passed you the other day."
+
+Selma frowned. "It is not necessary, I imagine, to make friends of that
+class in order to have influence in Washington,--the best kind of
+influence. I can readily believe that people of that sort would interest
+most of our public women very little."
+
+"Very likely. I don't think you quite understand me, Mrs. Lyons, or we
+are talking at cross purposes. What I was trying to make clear is that
+political and social prominence in Washington are by no means
+synonimous. Of course everyone connected with the government who
+desires to frequent Washington society and is socially available is
+received with open arms; but, if people are not socially available, it
+by no means follows that they are able to command social recognition
+merely because they hold political office,--except perhaps in the case
+of wives of the Cabinet, of the Justices of the Supreme Court, or of
+rich and influential Senators, where a woman is absolutely bent on
+success and takes pains. I refer particularly to the wives, because a
+single man, if he is reasonably presentable and ambitious, can go about
+more or less, even if he is a little rough, for men are apt to be
+scarce. But the line is drawn on the women unless they are--er--really
+important and have to be tolerated for official reasons. Now every woman
+who is not _persona grata_, as the diplomats say, anywhere else, is apt
+to attend the President's reception in all her finery, and that's why I
+suggested that this sort of thing isn't exactly an edifying social
+event. It's amusing to come here now and then, just as it's amusing to
+go to a menagerie. You see what I mean, don't you?" Flossy asked, plying
+her feathery fan with blithe nonchalance and looking into her
+companion's face with an innocent air.
+
+"I understand perfectly. And who are these people who draw the line?"
+
+"It sometimes happens," continued Flossy abstractedly, without appearing
+to hear this inquiry, "that they improve after they've been in
+Washington a few years. Take Mrs. Baker, the Secretary of the Interior's
+wife, receiving to-night. When her husband came to Washington three
+years ago she had the social adaptability of a solemn horse. But she
+persevered and learned, and now as a Cabinet lady she unbends, and is no
+longer afraid of compromising her dignity by wearing becoming clothes
+and smiling occasionally. But you were asking who the people are who
+draw the line. The nice people here just as everywhere else; the people
+who have been well educated and have fine sensibilities, and who believe
+in modesty, and unselfishness and thorough ways of doing things. You
+must know the sort of people I mean. Some of them make too much of mere
+manners, but as a class they are able to draw the line because they draw
+it in favor of distinction of character as opposed to--what shall I call
+it?--haphazard custom-made ethics and social deportment."
+
+Flossy spoke with the artless prattle of one seeking to make herself
+agreeable to a new-comer by explaining the existing order of things, but
+she had chosen her words as she proceeded with special reference to her
+listener's case. There was nothing in her manner to suggest that she was
+trifling with the feelings of the wife of Hon. James O. Lyons, but to
+Selma's sensitive ear there was no doubt that the impertinent and
+unpatriotic tirade had been deliberately aimed at her. The closing words
+had a disagreeably familiar sound. Save that they fell from seemingly
+friendly lips they recalled the ban which Flossy had hurled at her at
+the close of their last meeting--the ban which had decided her to
+declare unwavering hostility against social exclusiveness. Its veiled
+reiteration now made her nerves tingle, but the personal affront stirred
+her less than the conclusion, which the whole of Flossy's commentary
+suggested, that Washington--Washington the hearth-stone of American
+ideals, was contaminated also. Flossy had given her to understand that
+the houses which she had assumed to be occupied by members of the
+Government were chiefly the residences of people resembling in character
+those whom she had disapproved of in New York. Flossy had intimated that
+unless a woman were hand in glove with these people and ready to lower
+herself to their standards, she must be the wife of a rich Senator to be
+tolerated. Flossy had virtually told her that a Congressman's wife was
+nobody. Could this be true? The bitterest part of all was that it was
+evident Flossy spoke with the assurance of one uttering familiar truths.
+Selma felt affronted and bitterly disappointed, but she chose to meet
+Mrs. Williams's innocent affability with composure; to let her see that
+she disagreed with her, but not to reveal her personal irritation. She
+must consider Lyons, whose swift political promotion was necessary for
+her plans. It was important that he should become rich, and if his
+relations with the firm of Williams & Van Horne tended to that end, no
+personal grievance of her own should disturb them. Even Flossy had
+conceded that the wives of the highest officials could not be ignored.
+
+"I fear that we look at these matters from too different a standpoint to
+discuss them further," she responded, with an effort at smiling ease.
+"Evidently you do not appreciate that to the majority of the strong
+women of the country whose husbands have been sent to Washington as
+members of the Government social interests seem trivial compared with
+the great public questions they are required to consider. These women
+doubtless feel little inclination for fashionable and--or--frivolous
+festivities, and find an occasion like this better suited to their
+conception of social dignity."
+
+A reply by Flossy to this speech was prevented by the interruption of
+Lyons, who brought up Mr. Horace Elton for introduction to his wife.
+Selma knew him at once from his likeness to the description which her
+husband had given. He was portly and thick-set, with a large neck, a
+strong, unemotional, high-colored face, and closely-shaven, small side
+whiskers. He made her a low bow and, after a few moments of
+conversation, in the course of which he let fall a complimentary
+allusion to her husband's oratorical abilities and gave her to
+understand that he considered Lyons's marriage as a wise and enviable
+proceeding, he invited her to promenade the room on his arm. Mr. Elton
+had a low but clear and dispassionate voice, and a concise utterance.
+His remarks gave the impression that he could impart more on any subject
+if he chose, and that what he said proceeded from a reserve fund of
+special, secret knowledge, a little of which he was willing to confide
+to his listener. He enlightened Selma in a few words as to a variety of
+the people present, accompanying his identification with a phrase or two
+of comprehensive personal detail, which had the savor of being unknown
+to the world at large.
+
+"The lady we just passed, Mrs. Lyons, is the wife of the junior Senator
+from Nevada. Her husband fell in love with her on the stage of a mining
+town theatrical troupe. That tall man, with the profuse wavy hair and
+prominent nose, is Congressman Ross of Colorado, the owner of one of the
+largest cattle ranches in the Far West. It is said that he has never
+smoked, never tasted a glass of liquor, and never gambled in his life."
+
+In the course of these remarks Mr. Elton simply stated his interesting
+facts without comment. He avoided censorious or satirical allusions to
+the people to whom he called Selma's attention. On the contrary, his
+observations suggested sympathetically that he desired to point out to
+her the interesting personalities of the capital, and that he regarded
+the entertainment as an occasion to behold the strong men and women of
+the country in their lustre and dignity. As they passed the lady in
+pomegranate velvet, Selma said, in her turn, "That is Mrs. Colman, I
+believe. Senator Colman's child wife." She added what was in her
+thoughts, "I understand that the society people here have taken her up."
+
+"Yes. She has become a conspicuous figure in Washington. I remember her,
+Mrs. Lyons, when she was Addie Farr--before she married Congressman
+Polsen of Kentucky. She was a dashing looking girl in those days, with
+her black eyes and black ringlets. I remember she had a coltish way of
+tossing her head. The story is that when she accepted Polsen another
+Kentuckian--a young planter--who was in love with her, drank laudanum.
+Now, as you say, she is being taken up socially, and her husband, the
+Senator, is very proud of her success. After all, if a woman is
+ambitious and has tact, what can she ask better than to be the wife of a
+United States Senator?" He paused a moment, then, with a gallant
+sidelong glance at his companion, resumed in a concise whisper, which
+had the effect of a disclosure, "Prophecies, especially political
+prophecies, are dangerous affairs, but it seems to me not improbable
+that before many years have passed the wife of Senator Lyons will be
+equally prominent--be as conspicuous socially as the wife of Senator
+Colman."
+
+Selma blushed, but not wholly with pleasure. Socially conspicuous before
+many years? The splendid prophecy, which went beyond the limit of Horace
+Elton's usual caution--for he combined the faculty of habitual
+discretion with his chatty proclivities--was dimmed for Selma by the
+rasping intimation that she was not conspicuous yet. Worse still, his
+statement shattered the hope, which Flossy's fluent assertions had
+already disturbed, that she was to find in Washington a company of
+congenial spirits who would appreciate her at her full value forthwith,
+and would join with her and under her leadership in resisting the
+encroachments of women of the stamp of Mrs. Williams.
+
+"I am very ambitious for my husband, Mr. Elton, and of course I have
+hoped--do hope that some day he will be a Senator. What you said just
+now as to the power of his voice to arouse the moral enthusiasm of the
+people seemed to be impressively true. I should be glad to be a
+Senator's wife, for--for I wish to help him. I wish to demonstrate the
+truth of the principles to which both our lives are dedicated. But I
+hoped that I might help him now--that my mission might be clear at once.
+It seems according to you that a Congressman's wife is not of much
+importance; that her hands are tied."
+
+"Practically so, unless--unless she has unusual social facility, and the
+right sort of acquaintances. Beauty, wealth and ambition are valuable
+aids, but I always am sorry for women who come here without friends,
+and--er--the right sort of introduction. At any rate, to answer your
+question frankly, a Congressman's wife has her spurs to win just as he
+has. If you were to set up house-keeping, here, Mrs. Lyons, I've no
+doubt that a woman of your attractions and capabilities would soon make
+a niche for herself. You have had social experience, which Addie Farr,
+for instance, was without."
+
+"I lived in New York for some years with my husband, Mr. Littleton, so I
+have a number of Eastern acquaintances."
+
+"I remember you were talking with Mrs. Gregory Williams when I was
+introduced to you. The people with whom she is staying are among the
+most fashionable in Washington. What I said had reference to the wife of
+the every-day Congressman who comes to Washington expecting recognition.
+Not to Mrs. James O. Lyons."
+
+Selma bit her lip. She recognized the death-knell of her cherished
+expectations. She was not prepared to acknowledge formally her
+discomfiture and her disappointment. But she believed that Mr. Elton,
+though a plain man, had comprehensive experience and that he spoke with
+shrewd knowledge of the situation. She felt sure that he was not trying
+to deceive or humiliate her. It was clear that Washington was
+contaminated also.
+
+"I dare say I should get on here well enough after a time, though I
+should find difficulty in considering that it was right to give so much
+time to merely social matters. But Mr. Lyons and I have already decided
+that I can be more use to him at present in Benham. There I feel at
+home. I am known, and have my friends, and there I have important
+work--literary lectures and the establishment of a large public hospital
+under way. If the time comes, as you kindly predict, that my husband is
+chosen a United States Senator, I shall be glad to return here and
+accept the responsibilities of our position. But I warn you, Mr.
+Elton,--I warn the people of Washington," she added with a wave of her
+fan, while her eyes sparkled with a stern light "that when I am one of
+their leaders, I shall do away with some of the--er--false customs of
+the present administration. I shall insist on preserving our American
+social traditions inviolate."
+
+Here was the grain of consolation in the case, which she clutched at and
+held up before her mind's eye as a new stimulus to her patriotism and
+her conscience. Both Mr. Elton and Flossy had indicated that there was a
+point at which exclusiveness was compelled to stop in its haughty
+disregard of democratic ideals. There were certain women whom the people
+who worshipped lack of enthusiasm and made an idol of cynicism were
+obliged to heed and recognize. They might be able to ignore the
+intelligence and social originality of a Congressman's wife, but they
+dared not turn a cold shoulder on the wife of a United States Senator.
+And if a woman--if she were to occupy this proud position, what a
+satisfaction it would be to assert the power which belonged to it;
+assert it in behalf of the cause for which she had suffered so much! Her
+disappointment tasted bitterly in her mouth, and she was conscious of
+stern revolt; but the new hope had already taken possession of her
+fancy, and she hastened to prove it by the ethical standard without
+which all hopes were valueless to her. Even now had anyone told her that
+the ruling passion of her life was to be wooed and made much of by the
+very people she professed to despise, she would have spurned the accuser
+as a malicious slanderer. Nor indeed would it have been wholly true.
+Mrs. Williams had practically told her this at their last meeting in New
+York, and its utterance had convinced her on the contrary of repugnance
+to them, and of her desire to be the leader of a social protest against
+them. Now here, in Washington of all places, she was confronted by the
+bitter suggestion that she was without allies, and that her enemies were
+the keepers of the door which led to leadership and power. Despondency
+stared her in the face, but a splendid possibility--aye probability was
+left. She would not forsake her principles. She would not lower her
+flag. She would return to Benham. Washington refused her homage now, but
+it should listen to her and bow before her some day as the wife of one
+of the real leaders of the State, whom Society did not dare to ignore.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+At the close of the fortnight of her stay in Washington subsequent to
+the reception at the White House, Selma found herself in the same frame
+of mind as when she parted from Mr. Elton. During this fortnight her
+time was spent either in sight seeing or at the hotel. The exercises at
+the Capitol were purely formal, preliminary to a speedy adjournment of
+Congress. Consequently her husband had no opportunity to distinguish
+himself by addressing the house. Of Flossy she saw nothing, though the
+two men had several meetings. Apparently both Lyons and Williams were
+content with a surface reconciliation between their wives which did not
+bar family intercourse. At least her husband made no suggestion that she
+should call on Mrs. Williams, and Flossy's cards did not appear. Beyond
+making the acquaintance of a few more wives and daughters in the hotel,
+who seemed as solitary as herself, Selma received no overtures from her
+own sex. She knew no one, and no one sought her out or paid her
+attention. She still saw fit to believe that if she were to establish
+herself in Washington and devote her energies to rallying these wives
+and daughters about her, she might be able to prove that Flossy and Mr.
+Elton were mistaken. But she realized that the task would be less simple
+than she had anticipated. Besides she yearned to return to Benham, and
+take up again the thread of active life there. Benham would vindicate
+her, and some day Benham would send her back to Washington to claim
+recognition and her rightful place.
+
+Lyons himself was in a cheerful mood and found congenial occupation in
+visiting with his wife the many historical objects of interest, and in
+chatting in various hotel corridors with the public men of the country,
+his associates in Congress. His solicitude in regard to the account
+which Williams was carrying for him had been relieved temporarily by an
+upward turn in the stock market, and the impending prompt adjournment of
+Congress had saved him from the necessity of taking action in regard to
+the railroad bill which Williams had solicited him to support. Moreover
+Selma had repeated to him Horace Elton's prophecy that it was not
+unlikely that some day he would become Senator. To be sure he recognized
+that a remark like this uttered to a pretty woman by an astute man of
+affairs such as Elton was not to be taken too seriously. There was no
+vacancy in the office of Senator from his state, and none was likely to
+occur. At the present time, if one should occur, his party in the state
+legislature was in a minority. Hence prophecy was obviously a random
+proceeding. Nevertheless he was greatly pleased, for, after all, Elton
+would scarcely have made the speech had he not been genuinely well
+disposed. A senatorship was one of the great prizes of political life,
+and one of the noblest positions in the world. It would afford him a
+golden opportunity to leave the impress of his convictions on national
+legislation, and defend the liberties of the people by force of the
+oratorical gifts which he possessed. Elton had referred to these gifts
+in complimentary terms. Was it not reasonable to infer that Elton would
+be inclined to promote his political fortunes? Such an ally would be
+invaluable, for Elton was a growing power in the industrial development
+of the section of the country where they both lived. He had continued to
+find him friendly in spite of his own antagonism on the public platform
+to corporate power. A favorite and conscientious hope in his political
+outlook was that he might be able to make capital as well as labor
+believe him to be a friend without alienating either; that he might
+obtain support at the polls from both factions, and thus be left free
+after election to work out for their mutual advantage appropriate
+legislation. He had avowed himself unmistakably the champion of popular
+principles in order to win the confidence of the common people, but his
+policy of reasonable conciliation led him to cast sheep's eyes at vested
+interests when he could do so without exposing himself to the charge of
+inconsistency. Many of his friends were wealthy men, and his private
+ambition was to amass a handsome fortune. That had been the cause of his
+speculative ventures in local enterprises which promised large returns,
+and in the stock market. Horace Elton was a friend of but three years'
+standing; one of the men who had consulted him occasionally in regard to
+legal matters since he had become a corporation attorney. He admired
+Elton's strong, far-reaching grasp of business affairs, his capacity to
+formulate and incubate on plans of magnitude without betraying a sign of
+his intentions, and his power to act with lightning despatch and
+overwhelming vigor when the moment for the consummation of his purposes
+arrived. He also found agreeable Elton's genial, easy-going ways outside
+of business hours, which frequently took the form of social
+entertainment at which expense seemed to be no consideration and
+gastronomic novelties were apt to be presented. Lyons attended one of
+these private banquets while in Washington--a dinner party served to a
+carefully chosen company of public men, to which newspaper scribes were
+unable to penetrate. This same genial, easy-going tendency of Elton's to
+make himself acceptable to those with whom he came in contact took the
+form of a gift to Mrs. Lyons of a handsome cameo pin which he presented
+to her a day or two after their dialogue at the President's reception,
+and for which, as he confidentially informed Selma, he had been seeking
+a suitable wearer ever since he had picked it up in an out-of-the-way
+store in Brussels the previous summer.
+
+On the day of their departure Selma, as she took a last look from the
+car window at the Capitol and the Washington Monument, said to her
+husband: "This is a beautiful city--worthy in many respects of the
+genius of the American people--but I never wish to return to Washington
+until you are United States Senator."
+
+"Would you not be satisfied with Justice of the Supreme Court?" asked
+Lyons, gayly.
+
+"I should prefer Senator. If you were Senator, you could probably be
+appointed to the Supreme Court in case you preferred that place. I am
+relying on you, James, to bring me back here some day."
+
+She whispered this in his ear, as they sat with heads close together
+looking back at the swiftly receding city. Selma's hands were clasped in
+her lap, and she seemed to her lover to have a dreamy air--an air
+suggesting poetry and high ethical resolve such as he liked to associate
+with her and their scheme of wedded life. It pleased him that his wife
+should feel so confident that the future had in store for him this great
+prize, and he allowed himself to yield to the pathos of the moment and
+whisper in reply:
+
+"I will say this, Selma. My business affairs look more favorable, and,
+if nothing unforeseen happens, I do not see why we shouldn't get on
+reasonably fast. Nowadays, in order to be a United States Senator
+comfortably, it is desirable in the first place to have abundant means."
+
+"Yes."
+
+"We must be patient and God-fearing, and with your help, dear, and your
+sympathy, we may live to see what you desire come to pass. Of course, my
+ambition is to be Senator, and--and to take you back to Washington as a
+Senator's wife."
+
+Selma had not chosen to confide to Lyons in set terms her social
+grievance against the capital of her country. But she was glad to
+perceive from his last words that he understood she was not satisfied
+with the treatment accorded her, and that he also was looking forward to
+giving her a position which would enable her to rebuke the ungodly and
+presumptuous.
+
+"Thank you, James," she answered. "When that time comes we shall be able
+to teach them a number of things. For the present though, I feel that I
+can be of best service to you and to the truths which we are living for
+by interesting myself in whatever concerns Benham. We believe in Benham,
+and Benham seems inclined to believe in us and our ideas."
+
+The ensuing year passed uneventfully. Lyons was able to be at home from
+the first of April to the reassembling of Congress in the following
+December. He was glad to give himself up to the enjoyment of his
+handsome establishment. He resumed the tenor of his professional
+practice, feeling that as a sober-minded, married citizen he had become
+of more importance to the community, and he was eager to bear witness to
+his sense of responsibility. He took a more active part in soliciting
+contributions for evangelizing benighted countries, and he consented on
+several occasions to deliver an address on "Success in Life" to
+struggling young men of Benham and the surrounding towns. His easy flow
+of words, his dignity and his sober but friendly mien made him a
+favorite with audiences, and constantly broadened his circle of
+acquaintance.
+
+Selma, on her side, took up the organization of the Free Hospital
+provided by Mr. Parsons. Her husband left the decision of all but legal
+and financial questions to her and Miss Luella Bailey, who, at Selma's
+request, was made the third member of the board of trustees. She decided
+to call in a committee of prominent physicians to formulate a programme
+of procedure in matters purely medical; but she reserved a right of
+rejection of their conclusions, and she insisted on the recognition of
+certain cardinal principles, as she called them. She specified that no
+one school of medicine should dictate the policy of the hospital as
+regards the treatment of patients. To the young physician whom she
+selected to assist her in forming this administrative board she stated,
+with stern emotion: "I do not intend that it shall be possible in this
+hospital for men and women to be sacrificed simply because doctors are
+unwilling to avail themselves of the latest resources of brilliant
+individual discernment. I know what it means to see a beloved one die,
+who might have been saved had the physician in charge been willing to
+try new expedients. The doors of this hospital must be ever open to
+rising unconventional talent. There shall be no creeds nor caste of
+medicine here."
+
+She also specified that the matron in charge of the hospital should be
+Mrs. Earle, whose lack of trained experience was more than
+counterbalanced by her maternal, humanitarian spirit, as Selma expressed
+it. She felt confident that Mrs. Earle would choose as her assistants
+competent and skilful persons, and at the same time that her broad point
+of view and sympathetic instincts would not allow her to turn a deaf ear
+to aspiring but technically ignorant ability. This selection of Mrs.
+Earle was a keen pleasure to Selma. It seemed to her an ideal selection.
+Mrs. Earle was no longer young, and was beginning to find the constant
+labor of lecture and newspaper work exhausting. This dignified and
+important post would provide her with a permanent income, and would
+afford her an attractive field for her progressive capabilities.
+
+Selma's choice of young Dr. Ashmun as the head of the medical board was
+due to a statement which came to her ears, that he was reviled by some
+of the physicians of Benham because he had patented certain discoveries
+of his own instead of giving his fellow-practitioners the benefit of his
+knowledge. Selma was prompt to detect in this hostility an envious
+disposition on the part of the regular physicians to appropriate the
+fruits of individual cleverness and to repress youthful revolt against
+conventional methods. Dr. Ashmun regarded his selection as the
+professional chief of this new institution as a most auspicious
+occurrence from the standpoint of his personal fortunes. He was
+ambitious, ardent, and keen to attract attention, with an abundant fund
+of energy and a nervous, driving manner. He was, besides, good looking
+and fluent, and he quickly perceived the drift of Selma's intentions in
+regard to the hospital, and accommodated himself to them with
+enthusiasm. They afforded him the very opportunity which he most
+desired--the chance to assert himself against his critics, and to obtain
+public notice. The watchword of liberty and distrust of professional
+canons suited his purposes and his mood, and he threw himself eagerly
+into the work of carrying out Selma's projects.
+
+As a result of the selection of Dr. Ashmun and of the other members of
+the administrative board, who were chosen with a view to their
+availability as sympathetic colleagues, letters of protest from several
+physicians appeared in the newspapers complaining that the new hospital
+was being conducted on unscientific and shallow principles, disapproved
+of by the leading men of the profession. Selma was indignant yet
+thrilled. She promptly took steps to refute the charge, and explained
+that the hostility of these correspondents proceeded from envy and
+hide-bound reluctance to adopt new and revolutionizing expedients.
+Through the aid of Mrs. Earle and Miss Luella Bailey a double-leaded
+column in the Benham _Sentinel_ set forth the merits of the new
+departure in medicine, which was cleverly described as the revolt of the
+talented young men of the profession from the tyranny of their
+conservative elders. Benham became divided in opinion as to the merits
+of this controversy, and Selma received a number of anonymous letters
+through the post approving her stand in behalf of advanced, independent
+thought. Among the physicians who were opposed to her administration of
+the hospital she recognized with satisfaction the name of a Dr. Paget,
+who, as she happened to know, was Mrs. Hallett Taylor's medical adviser.
+
+Another matter in which Selma became interested was the case of Mrs.
+Hamilton. She was a woman who had been born in the neighborhood of
+Benham, but had lived for twenty years in England, and had been tried in
+England by due process of law for the murder of her husband and
+sentenced to imprisonment for life. Some of the people of the state who
+had followed the testimony as reported in the American newspapers had
+decided that she ought not to have been convicted. Accordingly a
+petition setting forth the opinion of her former neighbors that she was
+innocent of the charge, and should as an American citizen be released
+from custody, was circulated for signature. A public meeting was held
+and largely attended, at which it was resolved to send a monster
+petition to the British authorities with a request for Mrs. Hamilton's
+pardon, and also to ask the government at Washington to intercede on
+behalf of the unfortunate sufferer. The statement of the case appealed
+vividly to Selma, and at the public meeting, which was attended chiefly
+by women, she spoke, and offered the services of her husband to lay the
+matter before the President. It was further resolved to obtain the names
+of influential persons all over the country in order that the petition
+might show that the sentiment that injustice had been done was national
+as well as local.
+
+Selma espoused the case with ardor, and busied herself in obtaining
+signatures. She called on Miss Flagg and induced her to sign by the
+assurance that the verdict was entirely contrary to the evidence. She
+then had recourse to her former sister-in-law, conceiving that the
+signature of the President of Wetmore College would impress the English.
+She and Pauline had already exchanged visits, and Pauline had shown no
+umbrage at her marriage. The possibility of being rebuffed on this
+occasion did not occur to Selma. She took for granted that Pauline would
+be only too glad to give her support to so deserving a petition, and she
+considered that she was paying her a compliment in soliciting her name
+for insertion among the prominent signers. Pauline listened to her
+attentively, then replied:
+
+"I am sorry for the woman, if she is innocent: and if she has been
+falsely accused, of course she ought to be released. But what makes you
+think she is innocent, Selma?"
+
+"The testimony did not justify her conviction. Every one is of that
+opinion."
+
+"Have you read the testimony yourself, Selma?"
+
+"No, Pauline."
+
+"Or your husband?"
+
+"My husband is satisfied from what others have told him, just as I am,
+that this poor American woman is languishing in prison as the result of
+a cruel miscarriage of justice, and that she never committed the crime
+of which she has been found guilty. My husband has had considerable
+legal experience."
+
+Pauline's questions were nettling, and Selma intended by her response to
+suggest the presumptuousness of her sister-in-law's doubts in the face
+of competent authority.
+
+"I realize that your husband ought to understand about such matters, but
+may one suppose that the English authorities would deliberately allow an
+innocent woman to remain in prison? They must know that the friends of
+Mrs. Hamilton believe her innocent. Why should we on this side of the
+water meddle simply because she was born an American?"
+
+"Why?" Selma drew herself up proudly. "In the first place I believe--we
+believe--that the English are capable of keeping her in prison on a
+technicality merely because she is there already. They are worshippers
+of legal form and red tape, my husband says. And as to meddling, why is
+it not our duty as an earnest and Christian people to remonstrate
+against the continued incarceration of a woman born under our flag and
+accustomed to American ideas of justice? Meddling? In my opinion, we
+should be cowards and derelict in our duty if we did not protest."
+
+Pauline shook her head. "I cannot see it so. It seems to me an
+interference which may make us seem ridiculous in the eyes of the
+English, as well as offensive to them. I am sorry, Selma, not to be able
+to do as you wish."
+
+Selma rose with burning cheeks, but a stately air. "If that is your
+decision, I must do without your name. Already we have many signatures,
+and shall obtain hundreds more without difficulty. We look at things
+differently, Pauline. Our point of view has never been the same.
+Ridiculous? I should be proud of the ridicule of people too selfish or
+too unenlightened to heed the outcry of aspiring humanity. If we had to
+depend on your little set to strike the note of progress, I fear we
+should sit with folded hands most of the time."
+
+"I do not know what you mean by my little set," said Pauline with a
+smile. "I am too busy with my college duties to belong to any set. I see
+my friends occasionally just as you see yours; and as to progress--well,
+I fear that you are right in your statement that we shall never look at
+things alike. To me progress presupposes in the individual or the
+community attaining it a prelude of slow struggle, disheartening doubts,
+and modest reverence for previous results--for the accumulated wisdom of
+the past."
+
+"I mean by your set the people who think as you do. I understand your
+point of view. I should have liked," she added, "to ask you to share
+with me the responsibility of directing the policy of the Benham Free
+Hospital, had I not known that you would listen to the voice of
+conservative authority in preference to that of fearless innovation."
+
+"I certainly should have hesitated long before I overruled the
+experience of those who have devoted their lives to conscientious effort
+to discover truth."
+
+"That illustrates admirably the difference between us, Pauline. No one
+is more eager to aid the discovery of truth than I, but I believe that
+truth often is concealed from those who go on, day after day, following
+hum-drum routine, however conscientious. I recognized that Dr. Ashmun
+was a live man and had fresh ideas, so I chose him as our chief of
+staff, notwithstanding the doctors were unfriendly to him. As a result,
+my hospital has individuality, and is already a success. That's the sort
+of thing I mean. Good-by," she said, putting out her hand. "I don't
+expect to convert you, Pauline, to look at things my way, but you must
+realize by this time that it is the Benham way."
+
+"Yet the leading physicians of Benham disapprove of your plans for the
+management of the hospital," said Pauline firmly.
+
+"But the people of Benham approve of them. I prefer their sanction to
+that of a coterie of cautious, unenthusiastic autocrats."
+
+Selma, true to her intentions, did not return to Washington with her
+husband when Congress reassembled in December. While she was absorbed
+with her philanthropic plans in Benham, Lyons was performing his public
+duties; seeking to do the country good service, and at the right moment
+to attract attention to himself. The opportunity to make a speech along
+the line of his public professions in behalf of labor against corporate
+monopoly did not offer itself until late in the session. He improved the
+few minutes allowed him to such advantage that he was listened to with
+close attention, and was at once recognized as one of the persuasive and
+eloquent speakers of the minority. Before Congress adjourned he obtained
+another chance to take part in debate, by which he produced an equally
+favorable impression. The newspapers of the country referred approvingly
+to his cogent gift of statement and dignified style of delivery. Both
+the bills against which he spoke were passed by the Republican majority,
+but echoes of his words came back from some of their constituents, and
+Lyons was referred to as certain to be one of the strong men of the
+House if he returned to Congress. He went home at the close of the
+session in a contented frame of mind so far as his political prospects
+were concerned, but he was not free to enjoy the congratulations
+accorded him for the reason that his business ventures were beginning to
+give him serious solicitude. The trend of the stock market was again
+downward. In expectation of a rise from the previous depression, he had
+added to the line of shares which Williams & Van Horne were carrying for
+him. A slight rise had come, sufficient to afford him a chance to escape
+from the toils of Wall street without loss. But he needed a profit to
+rehabilitate his ventures in other directions--his investments in the
+enterprises of his own state, which had now for some months appeared
+quiescent, if not languishing, from a speculative point of view.
+Everything pointed, it was said, to a further advance as soon as
+Congress adjourned. So he had waited, and now, although the session was
+over, the stock market and financial undertakings of every sort appeared
+suddenly to be tottering. He had not been at home a month before prices
+of all securities began to shrink inordinately and the business horizon
+to grow murky with the clouds of impending disaster. To add to his
+worry, Lyons was conscious that he had pursued a fast and loose mental
+coarse in regard to the railroad bill in which his broker, Williams, was
+interested. He had given Williams to understand that he would try to see
+his way to support it; yet in view of his late prominence in Washington,
+as a foe of legislation in behalf of moneyed interests, he was more than
+ever averse to casting a vote in its favor. The bill had not been
+reached before adjournment, a result to which he had secretly
+contributed, but it was certain to be called up shortly after Congress
+reassembled. It disturbed him to feel that his affairs in New York were
+in such shape that Williams could embarrass him financially if he chose.
+It disturbed him still more that he appeared to himself to be guilty of
+bad faith. His conscience was troubled, and his favorite palliative of
+conciliation did not seem applicable to the case.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+Until this time the course of financial events in Benham since its
+evolution from a sleepy country town began had been steadily prosperous.
+There had been temporary recessions in prices, transient haltings in the
+tendency of new local undertakings to double and quadruple in value. A
+few rash individuals, indeed, had been forced to suspend payments and
+compound with their creditors. But there had been no real set back to
+commercial enthusiasm and speculative gusto. Those who desired to borrow
+money for progressive enterprises had found the banks accommodating and
+unsuspicious, and to Benham initiative it yet appeared that the
+development of the resources of the neighborhood by the unwearying,
+masterful energy of the citizens was still in its infancy.
+
+But now, after a few months of inactivity, which holders of speculative
+securities had spoken of as another healthy breathing spell, the
+tendency of prices had changed. Had not merely halted, but showed a
+radical tendency to shrink; even to tumble feverishly. Buyers were
+scarce, and the once accommodating banks displayed a heartless
+disposition to scrutinize collateral and to ask embarrassing questions
+in regard to commercial paper. Rates of interest on loans were
+ruthlessly advanced, and additional security demanded. A pall of
+dejection hung over Benham. Evil days had come; days the fruit of a long
+period of inflation. A dozen leading firms failed and carried down with
+them diverse small people. Amid the general distrust and anxiety all
+eyes were fixed on Wall street, the so-called money centre of the
+country, the Gehenna where this cyclone had first manifested itself. The
+newspapers, voicing Benham public opinion, cast vituperation at the
+bankers and brokers of Wall street, whose unholy jugglings with fortune
+had brought this commercial blight on the community. Wall street had
+locked up money; consequently funds were tight in Benham, and the plans
+of its honest burghers to promote enterprise and develop the lawful
+industries of the country were interrupted. So spoke public opinion,
+and, at the same time, hundreds of private letters were being despatched
+through the Benham Post Office in response to requests for more margins
+on stocks held for the honest burghers by the fraternity of Wall street
+gamblers. There was private wailing and gnashing of teeth also, for in
+the panic a few of these bankers and brokers had been submerged, and the
+collateral of Benham's leading citizens had been swept away.
+
+The panic itself was brief as panics always are, but it left behind it
+everywhere a paralyzed community. So far as Benham was concerned, only a
+few actually failed, but, in a host of instances, possessors of property
+who had thought themselves wealthy a year before found that they were
+face to face with the knotty problem of nursing their dwarfed resources
+so as to avoid eventual insolvency. Everything had shrunk fifty--often
+one hundred--per cent., for the basis of Benham's semi-fabulous
+development had been borrowed money. Many of Benham's leading citizens
+were down to hard pan, so to speak. Their inchoate enterprises were
+being carried by the banks on the smallest margins consistent with the
+solvency of those institutions, and clear-headed men knew that months of
+recuperation must elapse before speculative properties would show life
+again. Benham was consequently gloomy for once in despite of its native
+buoyancy. It would have arisen from the ashes of a fire as strenuous as
+a young lion. But, with everybody's stocks and merchandise pledged to
+the money lenders, enterprise was gripped by the throat. In the pride of
+its prosperity Benham had dreamed that it was a law unto itself, and
+that even Wall street could not affect its rosy commercial destinies. It
+appeared to pious owners of securities almost as though God had deserted
+his chosen city of a chosen country.
+
+Lyons was among those upon whom the harrow of this fall in prices and
+subsequent hand-to-mouth struggle with the banks pressed with unpleasant
+rigor. In business phraseology he was too much extended. Consequently,
+as the margins of value of the securities on which he had borrowed
+dropped away, he was kept on tenter-hooks as to the future. In case the
+process of shrinkage went much further, he would be required to supply
+more collateral; and, if the rate of money did not fall, the banks would
+refuse to renew his notes as they became due, unless he could furnish
+clear evidence of his solvency. He was owing over one hundred and fifty
+thousand dollars on paper secured only by the stock and bonds of
+brand-new enterprises, which had no market negotiability. From the money
+which he had borrowed he had sent, from time to time, to Williams and
+Van Horne an aggregate of forty thousand dollars to protect some two
+thousand shares of railroad stocks. Williams had especially commended
+the shares of the coal-carrying roads to his attention, and the drop in
+prices had been uniformly severe in these properties. Instead of being
+the possessor of a stable quarter of a million, which he considered to
+be the value of his property at the time of his election to Congress,
+Lyons suddenly realized that he was on the brink of a serious financial
+collapse through which he might lose everything before he could
+discharge his liabilities. It seemed cruel to him, for he believed that
+all his ventures were sound, and that if he were not forced to sacrifice
+his possessions, their future value would attest his sagacity. But at
+present the securities of speculative enterprises were practically
+worthless as procurers of ready money. The extreme circumstances had
+come upon him with startling rapidity, so that he found himself in the
+unpleasant predicament of having used for temporary relief some of the
+bonds belonging to the Parsons estate which he held as executor. He had
+forwarded these to Williams merely as a matter of convenience before he
+had become anxious, expecting to be able to replace them with funds
+coming to him within thirty days from a piece of real estate for which
+he had received an offer. He had held off in the hope of obtaining a
+higher price. The following week, when signs of danger were multiplying,
+he had found the would-be purchaser unwilling to buy at any price.
+Realizing the compromising position in which he had placed himself by
+his action, he had cast about feverishly for the means to redeem the
+hypothecated securities, but all his resources were taxed of a sudden by
+the advent of the panic. It occurred to him to ask Selma to allow
+substitution of the twenty thousand dollars, which had been apportioned,
+to her as her legacy, for the bonds, but at first he had shrunk from the
+mortification of disclosing his condition to her, and now that the
+situation had developed, he feared that he might be obliged to borrow
+this money from her for the protection of his other interests. It gave
+him sore concern that he, a champion of moral ideas, a leading church
+member, and a Representative of the Federal Government should be put in
+such an equivocal position. Here again there was no opportunity for
+conciliation, and dignified urbanity was of no avail. If the condition
+of drooping prices and general distrust, a sort of commercial dry-rot,
+which had succeeded the panic, continued much longer he would be driven
+to the wall unless relief were forthcoming. Nor was it much consolation
+that many others were on the verge of failure. Financial insolvency for
+him would mean the probable loss of his seat in Congress, and the
+serious interruption of his political career. From what source could he
+hope for relief? The preparations for the autumn campaign were already
+being considered, and there was likelihood of another close contest
+between the two political parties. But for the worry occasioned by his
+plight, he would have resumed the contest with hopeful ardor,
+appreciating that the pecuniary distress of the community would be
+likely to work to his advantage. His own nomination was assured; his
+re-election appeared probable. But after it what could he expect but the
+deluge?
+
+One source of the effectiveness of Horace Elton was that he was wont to
+exercise foresight, and make his plans in advance while other men were
+slumbering. He had been prepared for the panic because he had been
+expecting it for more than a year, and the ship of his financial
+fortunes was close reefed to meet the fury of the overdue gale. Also he
+was quick to recognize that the wide-spread depreciation of values would
+inevitably be followed by a period of business inactivity which would
+throw out of employment a large number of wage earners whose ballots as
+a consequence would be cast against the political party in power. As far
+back as the time when he made the acquaintance of Selma at Washington
+and selected her as the wearer of his cameo pin, he had been incubating
+on a scheme for the consolidation of the gas companies in the cities and
+towns of the state into one large corporation. For this corporation he
+required a liberal charter, which the next legislature would be invited
+to grant. He expected to be able to procure this franchise from the
+legislature, but he judged that the majority in favor of the bill would
+not be large enough to pass it over the Governor's veto. Accordingly it
+was of the first importance that the Governor should be friendly to the
+measure.
+
+This was the year of the Presidential election. Both political parties
+were seeking to nominate their strongest candidates for the various
+federal and state offices. A promoter of large business schemes was at a
+disadvantage in a campaign where party feelings ran high and national
+issues were involved, and Elton knew it. He commonly chose an off year
+in politics for the consummation of his business deals. But he had
+chosen to push his bill this year for the reason that he wished to be in
+a position to buy out the sub-companies cheaply. The community was
+pressed for ready money, and many men who would be slow in prosperous
+times to extract gas shares from their tin boxes and stockings would be
+glad to avail themselves of a reasonable cash offer. Elton was a
+Republican on national issues. His experience had been that the
+Republican Party was fundamentally friendly to corporations, in spite of
+occasional pious ejaculations in party platforms to the contrary. He had
+a Republican candidate for Governor in mind who would be faithful to his
+interests; but this candidate was put aside in the convention in
+deference to the sentiment that only a man of first-rate mental and
+moral calibre could command the allegiance of independent voters, whose
+co-operation seemed essential to party success. The Republican state
+convention was held three weeks prior to the date fixed for that of
+their opponents. Within twenty-four hours subsequent to the nomination
+of Hon. John Patterson as the Republican candidate for Governor, while
+the party organs were congratulating the public on his selection, and
+the leaders of the party were endeavoring to suppress the murmurs of the
+disappointed lower order of politicians who, in metaphorical phrase,
+felt that they were sewed up in a sack for another two years by the
+choice of this strong citizen, one of the most widely circulated
+democratic newspapers announced in large type on its front page that
+Hon. James O. Lyons was the only Democrat who could defeat him in the
+gubernatorial contest. Behind the ledger sheet of this newspaper--which
+was no other than the Benham _Sentinel_--lurked the keen intelligence of
+Horace Elton. He knew that the candidate of his own party would never
+consent to indicate in advance what his action on the gas bill would be,
+and that he would only prejudice his chances of obtaining favorable
+action when the time arrived by any attempt to forestall a decision.
+This did not suit Horace Elton. He was accustomed to be able to obtain
+an inkling before election that legislation in which he was interested
+would not encounter a veto. His measures were never dishonest. That is,
+he never sought to foist bogus or fraudulent undertakings upon the
+community. He was seeking, to be sure, eventual emolument for himself,
+but he believed that the franchise which he was anxious to obtain would
+result in more progressive and more effectual public service. He had
+never before felt obliged to refrain from asking direct or indirect
+assurance that his plans would be respected by the Governor. Yet he had
+foreseen the possibility of just such an occurrence. The one chance in a
+hundred had happened and he was ready for it. He intended to contribute
+to the Republican national campaign fund, but he did not feel that the
+interests of his State would suffer if he used all the influences at his
+command to secure a Governor who would be friendly to his scheme, and
+Congressman Lyons appeared to him the most available man for his
+purpose.
+
+It had already occurred to Lyons that his nomination as Governor was a
+possibility, for the leaders of the party were ostensibly looking about
+for a desirable Democrat with whom to confront Patterson, and had shown
+an intention to turn a cold shoulder on the ambition of several
+aspirants for this honor who might have been encouraged in an ordinary
+year as probable victors. He knew that his name was under consideration,
+and he had made up his mind that he would accept the nomination if it
+were offered to him. He would regret the interruption of his
+Congressional career, but he felt that his election as Governor in a
+presidential year after a close contest would make him the leader of the
+party in the State, and, in case the candidate of his party were chosen
+President, would entitle him to important recognition from the new
+administration. Moreover, if he became Governor, his financial status
+would be strengthened. The banks would be more likely to accommodate one
+in such a powerful position, and he might be able to keep his head above
+water until better times brought about a return of public confidence and
+a recovery in prices. Yet he felt by no means sure that even as Governor
+he could escape betraying his financial embarrassment, and his mind was
+so oppressed by the predicament in which he found himself that he made
+no effort on his own part to cause the party leaders to fix their choice
+on him. Nor did he mention the possibility of his selection to Selma.
+Mortification and self-reproach had made him for the moment inert as to
+his political future, and reluctant to confide his troubles to her.
+
+The clarion declaration of the Benham _Sentinel_ in favor of Lyons
+evoked sympathetic echoes over the State, which promptly convinced the
+political chieftains that he was the strongest candidate to pit against
+Patterson. The enthusiasm caused by the suggestion of his name spread
+rapidly, and at the end of a week his nomination at the convention was
+regarded as certain.
+
+The championship of the _Sentinel_ was a complete surprise to Selma. She
+had assumed that her husband would return to Washington, and that
+political promotion for the present was out of the question. When she
+saw her husband's features looking out at her from a large cut on the
+front page of the morning newspaper, and read the conspicuous heading
+which accompanied it--"The _Sentinel_ nominates as Governor the Hon.
+James O. Lyons of Benham, the most eloquent orator and most
+public-spirited citizen of the State"--her heart gave a bound, and she
+eagerly asked herself, "Why not?" That was just what they needed, what
+she needed to secure her hold on the social evolution of Benham. As the
+wife of the Governor of the State she would be able to ignore the people
+who held aloof from her, and introduce the reforms in social behavior on
+which her heart was set.
+
+"James, have you seen this?" she asked, eagerly.
+
+Lyons was watching her from across the breakfast table. He had seen it,
+and had laid the newspaper within her reach.
+
+"Yes, dear. It is very complimentary, isn't it?"
+
+"But what does it mean? Are you to be Governor? Did you know of it,
+James?"
+
+"I knew that my name, with others, had been mentioned by those who were
+looking for a candidate whom we can elect. But this nomination of the
+_Sentinel_ comes from a clear sky. Would you like to have me Governor,
+Selma?"
+
+"Yes, indeed. If the chance is offered you, James, you will surely
+accept it. It would please me immensely to see you Governor. We should
+not be separated then part of the year, and--and I should be able here
+in Benham to help you as your wife ought to help you. I know," she
+added, "that you have been looking forward to the next session of
+Congress, in the hope of distinguishing yourself, but isn't this a finer
+opportunity? Doesn't it open the door to splendid possibilities?"
+
+Lyons nodded. His wife's eager presentation of the case confirmed his
+own conclusions. "It is an important decision to make," he said, with
+gravity. "If I am not elected, I shall have lost my place in the
+Congressional line, and may find difficulty in recovering it later. But
+if the party needs me, if the State needs me, I must not think of that.
+I cannot help being gratified, encouraged by the suggestion that my
+fellow-citizens of my political faith are turning to me as their
+standard-bearer at this time when great public issues are involved. If I
+can serve God and my country in this way, and at the same time please
+you, my wife, what can I ask better?"
+
+He spoke with genuine feeling and reverence, for it was in keeping with
+his religious tendencies to recognize in advance the solemn
+responsibilities of high office, and to picture himself as the agent of
+the heavenly powers. This attitude of mind always found Selma
+sympathetic and harmonious. Her eyes kindled with enthusiasm, and she
+replied:
+
+"You view the matter as I would have you view it, James. If this trust
+is committed to us by Providence, it is our duty to accept it as lovers
+of our country and promoters of true progress."
+
+"It would seem so. And in some ways," he said, as though he felt the
+impulse to be reasonably frank toward Providence in his acceptance of
+the trust, "my election as Governor would be advantageous to my
+political and business interests. I have not sought the office," he
+added with dignified unction, "but my knowledge of local conditions
+leads me to believe that this action of the _Sentinel_ signifies that
+certain powerful influences are working in my favor. I shall be able to
+tell you more accurately in regard to this before long."
+
+Lyons happened to know that the Benham _Sentinel_ had enlarged its plant
+two years previous, and that Horace Elton was still the holder of its
+notes for borrowed money. The transaction had passed through his bank,
+and in the course of his mental search for reasons to account for the
+sudden flat-footed stand of the newspaper, the thought came into his
+mind and dwelt there that Elton was at the bottom of it. If so, what was
+Elton's reason? Why should Elton, a Republican, desire his nomination?
+Surely not to compass his defeat.
+
+In this connection Elton's friendship and the prophecy made to Selma as
+to his political future occurred to him and forbade an invidious
+supposition. "Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and thou shalt be what thou
+art promised!" Lyons left Selma with the conviction that he would find
+Elton to be mainly responsible for what had taken place. Shortly after
+reaching his office he received a note from him asking for an
+appointment. Punctually at twelve o'clock Elton arrived and was shown
+into Lyons's private room. Lyons gave orders that he was not to be
+disturbed, for he believed that the results of the interview were likely
+to have a serious bearing on his career as a statesman.
+
+Both men were of heavy physique, but as they sat facing each other an
+observer would have remarked that Elton's visage possessed a clean-cut
+compactness of expression despite its rotund contour. His closely
+trimmed whiskers, his small, clear, penetrating eyes, and the effect of
+neatness conveyed by his personal appearance were so many external
+indications of his mental lucidity and precision.
+
+In contrast Lyons's moon-shaped face, emphasized by its smooth-shaven
+mobile mouth, below which his almost white chin beard hung pendent,
+expressed a curious interplay of emotional sanctity, urbane shrewdness,
+and solemn self-importance.
+
+"Governor Lyons, at your service," said Elton, regarding him steadily.
+
+"Do you think so?"
+
+"I know so, if you desire it."
+
+"The nomination, you mean?"
+
+"The election by a comfortable majority."
+
+Lyons breathed hard with satisfaction. "If the people of the State
+choose to confide their interests to my custody, I shall not refuse to
+serve them."
+
+"So I supposed. You may be wondering, Lyons, why I, a Republican, should
+be talking like this. I will tell you. Observation has led me to believe
+that the people of this State will elect a Democratic Governor this
+year. The hard times will hurt the administration. Consequently, as your
+friend and my own friend, I have taken the liberty to indicate to the
+managers of your party their strongest man. I am responsible for what
+you saw on the front page of the _Sentinel_ this morning. There need not
+be much difficulty," he added, significantly, "in securing emphatic
+endorsement throughout the State of the _Sentinel's_ preference."
+
+Lyons looked grave. "You must be aware that our views on public
+questions--especially those which concern the relations of capital and
+labor--are not the same."
+
+"Certainly. I tell you frankly that while, from a humanitarian point of
+view, I respect your desire to relieve the inequalities of modern
+civilization, as a business man and a man of some property I do not
+regard the remedies presented by your party platform as just or
+adequate. I recognize that your opinions are hostile to corporate
+interests, but I have gathered also that you are disposed to be
+reasonable and conciliatory; that you are not inclined to regard all men
+and all measures as dangerous, merely because they have means or are
+introduced in the name of capital."
+
+"It has always seemed to me that a conciliatory spirit secures the most
+definite results for the public," assented Lyons.
+
+"Precisely. See here, Lyons," Elton said, leaning forward across the
+table at which they were sitting, "I wish to be entirely frank with you.
+You know me well enough to understand that I have not offered you my
+support in any philanthropic spirit. I could not have deceived you as to
+this had I tried. I am a practical man, and have an axe to grind. I am
+urging your election as Governor because I believe you to possess
+intelligent capacity to discriminate between what is harmful to the
+community and what is due to healthy, individual enterprise--the energy
+which is the sap of American citizenship. We capitalists have no fear of
+an honest man, provided he has the desire and the ability to protect
+legitimate business acumen against the slander of mere demagogues. I
+have a bill here," he added, drawing a printed document from his pocket,
+"which I am desirous to see passed by the next legislature. It embodies
+a charter authorizing the acquisition and merger in one corporation of
+all the gas companies of this State, and an extension of corporate
+powers so as to cover all forms of municipal lighting. Were your hands
+not tied by your prospective election, I should be glad to offer you an
+opportunity to become one of the incorporators, for I believe that the
+undertaking will be lucrative. That, of course, is out of the question.
+Now then, this is a perfectly honest bill. On its face, to be sure, it
+secures a valuable franchise for the petitioners, and consequently may
+encounter some opposition. But, on the other hand, no one who considers
+the matter candidly and closely can fail to recognize that the great
+public will secure cheaper gas and more efficient service as the result
+of the consolidation. And there is where I felt that I could count on
+your intelligence. You would not allow the plea that capitalists were
+interested in obtaining a profitable franchise to obscure the more vital
+consideration that the community will be the true gainers."
+
+Lyons bowed graciously, and stroked his beard. "What is it you wish me
+to do?" he asked.
+
+"To read the bill in the first place; to convince yourself that what I
+have told you is true; to satisfy yourself that the measure is
+essentially harmless. The bill is not long. Read it now and let me hear
+your objections. I have some papers here to look over which will occupy
+me a quarter of an hour, if you can spare me the time."
+
+Lyons acquiesced, and proceeded to peruse slowly the document. When he
+had finished it he folded it solemnly and returned it to Elton. "It is a
+bill framed in the interest of capital, but I cannot say that the public
+will be prejudiced by it. On the contrary, I should judge that the price
+of gas in our cities and towns would be lowered as a consequence of the
+reduction in running expenses caused by the projected consolidation.
+What is it that you wish me to do?"
+
+"Agree to sign the bill as it now stands if it passes the legislature."
+
+Lyons rested his head on his hand and his mouth moved tremulously. "If I
+am elected governor," he said, "I wish to serve the people honestly and
+fearlessly."
+
+"I am sure of it. I ask you to point out to me in what manner this bill
+trenches upon the rights of the people. You yourself have noted the
+crucial consequence: It will lower the price of gas. If at the same time
+I am benefited financially, why should I not reap the reasonable reward
+of my foresight?"
+
+"I will sign the bill, Elton, if it comes to me for signature. I may be
+criticised at first, but the improved public service and reduction of
+the gas bills will be my justification, and show that I have not been
+unmindful of the interests of the great public whose burdens my party is
+seeking to lighten."
+
+"I shall count on you, then," said Elton, after a pause. "The failure of
+the bill at the last stage when I was expecting its passage might affect
+my affairs seriously."
+
+"If the legislature does its part, I will do mine," responded Lyons,
+augustly. "I will sign the bill if it comes to me in the present form."
+
+"I thank you, Governor."
+
+Lyons looked confused but happy at the appellation.
+
+"By the way," said Elton, after he had returned the papers to his
+pocket, "these are trying times for men with financial obligations. It
+is my custom to be frank and not to mince matters where important
+interests are concerned. A candidate for office in this campaign will
+need the use of all his faculties if he is to be successful. I should be
+very sorry for the sake of my bill to allow your mind to be distracted
+by solicitude in regard to your private affairs. Some of the best and
+most prudent of our business men are pressed to-day for ready money. I
+am in a position to give you temporary assistance if you require it. In
+justice to my interests you must not let delicacy stand in the way of
+your accepting my offer."
+
+Lyons's bosom swelled with the tide of returning happiness. He had
+scarcely been able to believe his ears. Yet here was a definite,
+spontaneous proposition to remove the incubus which weighed upon his
+soul. Here was an opportunity to redeem the bonds of the Parsons estate
+and to repair his damaged self-respect. It seemed to him as though the
+clouds of adversity which had encompassed him had suddenly been swept
+away, and that Providence was smiling down at him as her approved and
+favorite son. His emotion choked his speech. His lip trembled and his
+eyes looked as though they would fill with tears. After a brief pause he
+articulated that he was somewhat pressed for ready money. Some
+explanation of his affairs followed, the upshot of which was that Elton
+agreed to indorse Lyons's promissory notes held by the banks to the
+amount of $60,000, and to accept as collateral for a personal loan of
+$40,000 certain securities of new local enterprises which had no present
+marketable value. By this arrangement his property was amply protected
+from sacrifice; he would be able to adjust his speculative account in
+New York; and he could await with a tranquil soul the return of
+commercial confidence. Lyons's heart was overflowing with satisfaction.
+He pressed Elton's hand and endeavored to express his gratitude with
+appropriate grandiloquence. But Elton disclaimed the obligation,
+asserting that he had acted merely from self-interest to make the
+election of his candidate more certain.
+
+The loan of $40,000 was completed within forty-eight hours, and before
+the end of another week Lyons had rescued the bonds of the Parsons
+estate from pawn, and disposed of his line of stocks carried by Williams
+& Van Horne. They were sold at a considerable loss, but he made up his
+mind to free his soul for the time being from the toils and torment of
+speculation and to nurse his dwarfed resources behind the bulwark of
+Elton's relief fund until the financial situation cleared. He felt as
+though he had grown ten years younger, and without confiding to Selma
+the details of these transactions he informed her ecstatically that,
+owing to certain important developments, due partly to the friendliness
+of Horace Elton, the outlook for their future advancement had never been
+so bright. When a month later he was nominated as Governor he threw
+himself into the contest with the convincing ardor of sincere,
+untrammelled faith in the reforms he was advocating. His speeches
+reflected complete concentration of his powers on the issues of the
+campaign and evoked enthusiasm throughout the State by their eloquent
+arraignment of corporate rapacity at the expense of the sovereign
+people. In several of his most telling addresses he accused the national
+administration of pandering to the un-American gamblers who bought and
+sold stocks in Wall street.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+Lyons was chosen Governor by a large majority, as Elton had predicted.
+The Republican Party was worsted at the polls and driven out of power
+both at Washington and in the State. Lyons ran ahead of his ticket,
+receiving more votes than the presidential electors. The campaign was
+full of incidents grateful to Selma's self esteem. Chief among these was
+the conspicuous allusions accorded her by the newspapers. The campaign
+itself was a fervid repetition of the stirring scenes of two years
+previous. Once more torch-light processions in vociferous serried
+columns attested the intensity of party spirit. Selma felt herself an
+adept through her former experience, and she lost no opportunity to show
+herself in public and bear witness to her devotion to her husband's
+cause. It pleased her to think that the people recognized her when she
+appeared on the balcony or reviewing stand, and that her presence evoked
+an increase of enthusiasm.
+
+But the newspaper publicity was even more satisfying, for it centred
+attention unequivocally on her. Columns of descriptive matter relative
+to her husband's personality began to appear as soon as it became
+obvious that he was to be Governor. These articles aimed to be
+exhaustive in their character, covering the entire scope of his past
+life, disclosing pitiless details in regard to his habits, tastes, and
+private concerns. Nothing which could be discovered or ferreted out was
+omitted; and most of these biographies were illuminated by a variety of
+more or less hideous cuts showing, for example, his excellency as he
+looked as a school boy, his excellency as a fledgling attorney, the
+humble home where his excellency was born, and his excellency's present
+stately but hospitable residence on Benham's River Drive. Almost every
+newspaper in the State took its turn at contributing something which it
+conceived to be edifying to this reportorial budget. And after the
+Governor, came the turn of the Governor's lady, as she was called.
+
+Selma liked best the articles devoted exclusively to herself; where she
+appeared as the special feature of the newspaper issue, not merely as an
+adjunct to her husband. But she liked them all, and she was most
+benignant in her reception of the several newspaper scribes, principally
+of her own sex, who sought an interview for the sake of copy. She
+withheld nothing in regard to her person, talents, household, or tastes
+which would in her opinion be effective in print. She had a photograph
+of herself taken in simple, domestic matronly garb to supplement those
+which she already possessed, one of which revealed the magnificence of
+the attire she wore at the President's Reception; another portrayed
+Littleton's earnest bride, and still a fourth disclosed her as the
+wistful, aspiring school-mistress on the threshold of womanhood. These,
+and the facts appropriate to them, she meted out to her biographers from
+time to time, lubricating her amiable confidences with the assertion
+that both she and her husband felt that the people were entitled to be
+made familiar with the lives of their public representatives. As the
+result of her gracious behavior, her willingness to supply interesting
+details concerning herself, and her flattering tendency to become
+intimate on the spot with the reporters who visited her, the newspaper
+articles in most cases were in keeping with Selma's prepossessions.
+Those which pleased her most emphasized in the first place her
+intellectual gifts and literary talents, intimating delicately that she
+had refused brilliant offers for usefulness with her pen and on the
+lecture platform in order to become the wife of Congressman Lyons, to
+whom her counsel and high ideals of public service were a constant
+stimulus. Emphasized in the second place her husband's and her own pious
+tastes, and strong religious convictions, to which their constant church
+attendance and the simple sanctity of their American home bore
+testimony. Emphasized in the third place--reproducing ordinarily a
+sketch and cut of her drawing-room--her great social gifts and graces,
+which had made her a leader of society in the best sense of the word
+both in Benham and in New York. A few of the articles stated in
+judicious terms that she had been twice a widow. Only one of them set
+this forth in conspicuous and opprobrious terms: "Her Third Husband! Our
+Chief Magistrate's Wife's Many Marriages!" Such was the unsympathetic,
+alliterative heading of the malicious statement which appeared in an
+opposition organ. It did no more than recall the fact that she had
+obtained a divorce from her first husband, who had in his despair taken
+to drink, and intimate that her second husband had not been altogether
+happy. Selma wept when she read the article. She felt that it was cruel
+and uncalled for; that it told only half the truth and traduced her
+before the American people. She chose to conceive that it had been
+inspired by Pauline and Mrs. Hallett Taylor, neither of whom had sent
+her a word of congratulation on her promotion to be the Governor's wife.
+Who but Pauline knew that her marriage with Littleton had not been
+completely harmonious? Who but Mrs. Taylor or one of her set would have
+the malice to insinuate that she had been merciless to Babcock? This was
+one libel in a long series of complimentary productions. The
+representation of the family group was made complete by occasional
+references to the Governor elect's mother--"Mother Lyons, the venerable
+parent of our chief magistrate." Altogether Selma felt that the picture
+presented to the public was a truthful and inspiring record of pious and
+enterprising American life, which showed to the community that its
+choice of a Governor had been wise and was merited.
+
+Close upon the election and these eulogistic biographies came the
+inauguration, with Lyons's eloquent address. Selma, of course, had
+special privileges--a reserved gallery in the State House, to which she
+issued cards of admission to friends of her own selection. Occupying in
+festal attire the centre of this conspicuous group, she felt that she
+was the cynosure of every eye. She perceived that she was constantly
+pointed out as the second personage of the occasion. To the few
+legislators on the floor whom she already knew she took pains to bow
+from her seat with gracious cordiality, intending from the outset to aid
+her husband by captivating his friends and conciliating the leaders of
+the opposition party. On her way to and from the gallery she was joined
+by several members, to each of whom she tried to convey subtly the
+impression that she purposed to take an earnest interest in legislative
+affairs, and that her husband would be apt to consult her in regard to
+close questions. On the morning after the inauguration she had the
+satisfaction of seeing her own portrait side by side with that of her
+husband on the front page of two newspapers, a flattering indication, as
+she believed, that the press already recognized her value both as a
+helpmate to him and an ornament to the State. She took up her life as
+the Governor's lady feeling that her talents and eagerness to do good
+had finally prevailed and that true happiness at last was in store for
+her. She was satisfied with her husband and recognized his righteous
+purpose and capacity as a statesman, but she believed secretly that his
+rapid success was due in a large measure to her genius. Her prompting
+had inspired him to make a notable speech in his first Congress. Her
+charms and clever conversation had magnetized Mr. Elton so that he had
+seen fit to nominate him for Governor. A fresh impulse to her
+self-congratulation that virtue and ability were reaping their reward
+was given a few weeks later by the announcement which Lyons read from
+the morning newspaper that the firm of Williams & Van Horne had failed
+disastrously. The circumstances attending their down-fall were
+sensational. It appeared that Van Horne, the office partner, who managed
+the finances, had shot himself as the culmination of a series of
+fraudulent hypothecations of securities and misrepresentations to which
+it was claimed that Williams was not a party. The firm had been
+hopelessly insolvent for months, and had been forced to the wall at last
+by a futile effort on the part of Van Horne to redeem the situation by a
+final speculation on a large scale. It had failed owing to the
+continuation of the state of dry rot in the stock market, and utter ruin
+followed.
+
+The regret which Lyons entertained as he read aloud the tragic story was
+overshadowed in his mind by his own thankfulness that he had redeemed
+the bonds and settled his account with them before the crash came. He
+was so absorbed by his own emotions that he failed to note the
+triumphant tone of his wife's ejaculation of amazement. "Failed!
+Williams & Van Horne failed! Oh, how did it happen? I always felt sure
+that they would fail sooner or later."
+
+Selma sat with tightly folded hands listening to the exciting narrative,
+which Lyons read for her edification with the urbanely mournful emphasis
+of one who has had a narrow escape. He stopped in the course of it to
+relieve any solicitude which she might be feeling in regard to his
+dealings with the firm, by the assertion that he had only two months
+previous closed out his account owing to the conviction that prudent
+investors were getting under cover. This assurance gave the episode a
+still more providential aspect in Selma's eyes. In the first flush of
+her gratitude that Flossy had been superbly rebuked for her frivolous
+existence, she had forgotten that they were her husband's brokers.
+Moreover the lack of perturbation in his manner was not calculated to
+inspire alarm. But the news that Lyons had been shrewd enough to escape
+at the twelfth hour without a dollar's loss heightened the justice of
+the situation. She listened with throbbing pulses to the particulars.
+She could scarcely credit her senses that her irrepressible and
+light-hearted enemy had been confounded at last--confronted with
+bankruptcy and probable disgrace. She interrupted the reading to express
+her scepticism regarding the claim that Williams had no knowledge of the
+frauds.
+
+"How could he be ignorant? He must have known. He must have bribed the
+reporters to put that in so as to arouse the sympathy of some of their
+fashionable friends. Van Horne is dead, and the lips of the dead are
+sealed."
+
+Selma spoke with the confidence born of bitterness. She was pleased with
+her acumen in discerning the true inwardness of the case. Her husband
+nodded with mournful acquiescence. "It would seem," he said, "as if he
+must have had an inkling, at least, of what was going on."
+
+"Of course he had. Gregory Williams, with all his faults, was a
+wide-awake man. I always said that."
+
+Lyons completed the reading and murmured with a sigh, which was half
+pity, half grateful acknowledgment of his own good fortune--"It's a bad
+piece of business. I'm glad I had the sense to act promptly."
+
+Selma was ruminating. Her steel bright eyes shone with exultation. Her
+sense of righteousness was gratified and temporarily appeased. "They'll
+have to sell their house, of course, and give up their horses and
+steam-yacht? I don't see why it doesn't mean that Flossy and her husband
+must come down off their pedestal and begin over again? It follows,
+doesn't it, that the heartless set into which they have wormed their way
+will drop them like hot coals?"
+
+All these remarks were put by Selma in the slightly interrogative form,
+as though she were courting any argument to the contrary which could be
+adduced in order to knock it in the head. But Lyons saw no reason to
+differ from her verdict. "It means necessarily great mortification for
+them and a curtailment of their present mode of life," he said. "I am
+sorry for them."
+
+"Sorry? Of course, James, it is distressing to hear that misfortune has
+befallen any person of one's acquaintance, and so far as Gregory
+Williams himself is concerned I have no wish to see him punished simply
+because he has been worldly and vainglorious. You thought him able in a
+business way, and liked to meet him. But as for her, Flossy, his wife,"
+Selma continued, with a gasp, "it would be sheer hypocrisy for me to
+assert that I am sorry for her. I should deem myself unworthy of being
+considered an earnest-minded American woman if I did not maintain that
+this disgrace which has befallen them is the logical and legitimate
+consequence of their godless lives--especially of her frivolity and
+presumptuous indifference to spiritual influences. That woman, James, is
+utterly hostile to the things of the spirit. You have no conception--I
+have never told you, because he was your friend, and I was willing to
+let bygones be bygones on the surface on your account--you have no
+conception of the cross her behavior became to me in New York. From
+almost the first moment we met I saw that we were far apart as the poles
+in our views of the responsibilities of life. She sneered at everything
+which you and I reverence, and she set her face against true progress
+and the spread of American principles. She claimed to be my friend, and
+to sympathize with my zeal for social truth, yet all the time she was
+toadying secretly the people whose luxurious exclusiveness made me
+tremble sometimes for the future of our country. She and her husband
+were prosperous, and everything he touched seemed to turn to gold. It
+may sound irreverent, James, but there was a time during my life in New
+York when I was discouraged; when it seemed as though heaven were
+mocking me and my husband in our homely struggle against the forces of
+evil, and bestowing all its favors on a woman whose example was a menace
+to American womanhood! Sorry? Why should I be sorry to see justice
+triumph and shallow iniquity rebuked? I would give Florence Williams
+money if she is in want, but I am thankful, very thankful, that her
+heartless vanity has found its proper reward."
+
+Lyons fingered his beard. "I didn't know she was as bad as that, Selma.
+Now that they have come to grief, we are not likely to be brought in
+contact with them, and in all probability they will pass out of our
+lives. Williams was smart and entertaining, but I never liked his taking
+advantage of the circumstances of my having an account in his office to
+urge me to support a measure at variance with my political convictions."
+
+"Precisely. The trouble with them both, James, is that they have no
+conscience; and it is eminently just they should be made to realize that
+people who lack conscience cannot prosper in this country in the long
+run. 'They have loosed the awful lightnings of his terrible swift
+sword.'"
+
+"I say 'amen' to that assuredly, Selma," Lyons answered. His
+predilection to palliate equivocal circumstances was never proof against
+clear, evidence of moral delinquency. When his religious scruples were
+finally offended, he was grave and unrelenting.
+
+The downfall of the Williamses continued to be a sweet solace and source
+of encouragement to Selma. It made her, when taken in conjunction with
+her own recent progress, feel that the whirligig of time was working in
+her behalf after all; and that if she persevered, not merely Flossy, but
+all those who worshipped mammon, and consequently failed to recognize
+her talents, would be made to bite the dust. At the moment these enemies
+seemed to have infested Benham. Numerically speaking, they were
+unimportant, but they had established an irritating, irregular skirmish
+line, one end of which occupied Wetmore College, another held secret
+midnight meetings at Mrs. Hallett Taylor's. Rumors of various
+undertakings, educational, semi-political, artistic, or philanthropic,
+agitated or directed by this fringe of society, came to her ears from
+time to time, but she heard them as an outsider. When she became the
+Governor's wife she had said to herself that now these aristocrats would
+be compelled to admit her to their counsels. But she found, to her
+annoyance, that the election made no difference. Neither Pauline nor
+Mrs. Taylor nor any of the coterie had asked her to join them, and she
+was unpleasantly conscious that there were people on the River Drive who
+showed no more desire to make her acquaintance than when she had been
+Mrs. Lewis Babcock. What did this mean? It meant simply--she began to
+argue--that she must hold fast to her faith and bide her time. That if
+she and her friends kept a bold front and resisted the encroachments of
+this pernicious spirit, Providence would interfere presently and
+confound these enemies of social truth no less obviously than it had
+already overwhelmed Mrs. Gregory Williams. As the wife of the Governor,
+she was clearly in a position to maintain this bold front effectively.
+Every mail brought to her requests for her support, and the sanction of
+her signature to social or charitable enterprises. Her hospital was
+flourishing along the lines of the policy which she had indicated, and
+was feeling the advantage of her political prosperity. She was able to
+give the petition in behalf of Mrs. Hamilton, which contained now
+twenty-five thousand signatures, fresh value and solemnity by means of
+an autograph letter from the Governor's wife, countersigned by the
+Governor. This, with the bulky list of petitioners, she addressed and
+despatched directly to Queen Victoria. Her presence was in constant
+demand at all sorts of functions, at many of which she had the
+opportunity to make a few remarks; to express the welcome of the State,
+or to utter words of sympathy and encouragement to those assembled. In
+the second month of her husband's administration, she had the
+satisfaction of greeting, in her double capacity as newly-elected
+President of the Benham Institute and wife of the Governor, the
+Federation of Women's Clubs of the United States, on the occasion of its
+annual meeting at Benham. This federation was the incorporated fruit of
+the Congress of Women's Clubs, which Selma had attended as a delegate
+just previous to her divorce from Babcock, and she could not refrain
+from some exultation at the progress she had made since then as she sat
+wielding the gavel over the body of women delegates from every State in
+the Union. The meeting lasted three days. Literary exercises alternated
+with excursions to points of interest in the neighborhood, at all of
+which she was in authority, and the celebration was brought to a
+brilliant close by a banquet, to which men were invited. At this Selma
+acted as toastmaster, introducing the speakers of the occasion, which
+included her own husband. Lyons made a graceful allusion to her
+stimulating influence as a helpmate and her executive capacity, which
+elicited loud applause. Succeeding this meeting of the Federation of
+Women's Clubs came a series of semi-public festivities under the
+patronage of women--philanthropic, literary or social in character--for
+the fever to perpetuate in club form every congregation, of free-born
+citizens, except on election day, had seized Benham in common with the
+other cities of the country in its grasp, to each of which the
+Governor's wife was invited as the principal guest of honor. Selma thus
+found a dozen opportunities to exhibit herself to a large audience and
+testify to her faith in democratic institutions.
+
+On the 22d of February, Washington's birthday, she held a reception at
+their house on River Drive, for which cards had been issued a fortnight
+previous. She pathetically explained to the reporters that, had the
+dimensions and resources of her establishment permitted, she and the
+Governor would simply have announced themselves at home to the community
+at large; that they would have preferred this, but of course it would
+never do. The people would not be pleased to see a rabble confound the
+hospitality of the chief magistrate and his wife. The people demanded
+proper dignity from their representatives in office. The list of
+invitations which Selma sent out was, however, comprehensive. She aimed
+to invite everyone of social, public, commercial or political
+importance. A full band was in attendance, and a liberal collation was
+served. Selma confided to some of her guests, who, she thought, might
+criticise the absence of wine, that she had felt obliged, out of
+consideration for her husband's political prospects, to avoid wounding
+the feelings of total abstainers. The entertainment lasted from four to
+seven, and the three hours of hand-shaking provided a delicious
+experience to the hostess. She gloried in the consciousness that this
+crush of citizens, representing the leaders of the community in the
+widest sense, had been assembled by her social gift, and that they had
+come to offer their admiring homage to the clever wife of their
+Governor. It gratified her to think that Pauline and Mrs. Taylor and the
+people of that class, to all of whom she had sent cards, should behold
+her as the first lady of the State, and mistress of a beautiful home,
+dispensing hospitality on broad, democratic lines to an admiring
+constituency. When Mr. Horace Elton approached, Selma perpetrated a
+little device which she had planned. As they were in the act of shaking
+hands a very handsome rose fell--seemingly by chance--from the bouquet
+which she carried. He picked it up and tendered it to her, but Selma
+made him keep it, adding in a lower tone, "It is your due for the
+gallant friendship you have shown me and my husband." She felt as though
+she were a queen bestowing a guerdon on a favorite minister, and yet a
+woman rewarding in a woman's way an admirer's devotion. She meant Elton
+to appreciate that she understood that his interest in Lyons was largely
+due to his partiality for her. It seemed to her that she could recognize
+to this extent his chivalrous conduct without smirching her blameless
+record as an American housewife.
+
+Meantime the Governor was performing his public duties with becoming
+dignity and without much mental friction. The legislature was engaged in
+digesting the batch of miscellaneous business presented for its
+consideration, among which was Elton's gas consolidation bill. Already
+the measure had encountered some opposition in committee, but Lyons was
+led to believe that the bill would be passed by a large majority, and
+that its opponents would be conciliated before his signature was
+required. Lyons's reputation as an orator had been extended by his term
+in the House of Representatives and his recent active campaign, and he
+was in receipt of a number of invitations from various parts of the
+country to address august bodies in other States. All of these were
+declined, but when, in the month of April, opportunity was afforded him
+to deliver a speech on patriotic issues on the anniversary of the battle
+of Lexington, he decided, with Selma's approval, to accept the
+invitation. He reasoned that a short respite from the cares of office
+would be agreeable; she was attracted by the glamour of revisiting New
+York as a woman of note. New York had refused to recognize her
+superiority and to do her homage, and New York should realize her
+present status, and what a mistake had been made. The speech was a
+success, and the programme provided for the entertainment of the orator
+and his wife included the hospitality of several private houses. Selma
+felt that she could afford to hold her head high and not to thaw too
+readily for the benefit of a society which had failed to appreciate her
+worth when it had the chance. She was the wife now of one of the leading
+public men of the nation, and in a position to set fashions, not to ask
+favors. Nevertheless she chose on the evening before their return to
+Benham to show herself at dinner at Delmonico's, just to let the world
+of so-called fashion perceive her and ask who she was. There would
+doubtless be people there who knew her by sight, and who, when they were
+told that she was now the wife of Governor Lyons, would regret if not be
+ashamed of their short-sightedness and snobbery. She wore a striking
+dress; she encouraged her husband's willingness to order an elaborate
+dinner, including champagne (for they were in a champagne country), and
+she exhibited a sprightly mood, looking about her with a knowing air in
+observation of the other occupants of the dining-room.
+
+While she was thus engaged the entrance of a party of six, whom the head
+waiter conducted with a show of attention to a table which had evidently
+been reserved for them, fettered Selma's attention. She stared unable to
+believe her eyes, then flushed and looked indignant. Her attention
+remained rivetted on this party while they laid aside their wraps and
+seated themselves. Struck by the annoyed intensity of his wife's
+expression, Lyons turned to follow the direction of her gaze.
+
+"What is the matter?" he said.
+
+For a few moments Selma sat silent with compressed lips, intent on her
+scrutiny.
+
+"It's an outrage on decency," she murmured, at last. "How dare she show
+herself here and entertain those people?"
+
+"Of whom are you talking, Selma?"
+
+"The Williamses. Flossy Williams and her husband. The two couples with
+them live on Fifth Avenue, and used to be among her exclusive friends.
+Her husband has just ordered the dinner. I saw him give the directions
+to the waiter. It is monstrous that they, who only a few months ago
+failed disgracefully and were supposed to have lost everything, should
+be going on exactly as if nothing had happened."
+
+"People in New York have the faculty of getting on their feet again
+quickly after financial reverses," said Lyons, mildly. "Like as not some
+of Williams's friends have enabled him to make a fresh start."
+
+"So it seems," Selma answered, sternly. She sat back in her chair with a
+discouraged air and neglected her truffled chicken. "It isn't right; it
+isn't decent."
+
+Lyons was puzzled by her demeanor. "Why should you care what they do?"
+he asked. "We can easily avoid them for the future."
+
+"Because--because, James Lyons, I can't bear to see godless people
+triumph. Because it offends me to see a man and woman, who are
+practically penniless through their own evil courses, and should be
+discredited everywhere, able to resume their life of vanity and
+extravagance without protest."
+
+While she was speaking Selma suddenly became aware that her eyes had met
+those of Dr. George Page, who was passing their table on his way out.
+Recognition on both sides came at the same moment, and Selma turned in
+her chair to greet him, cutting off any hope which he may have had of
+passing unobserved. She was glad of the opportunity to show the company
+that she was on familiar terms with a man so well known, and she had on
+her tongue what she regarded as a piece of banter quite in keeping with
+his usual vein.
+
+"How d'y do, Dr. Page? We haven't met for a long time. You do not know
+my husband, Governor Lyons, I think. Dr. Page used to be our family
+physician when I lived in New York, James. Everyone here knows that he
+has a very large practice."
+
+Selma was disposed to be gracious and sprightly, for she felt that Dr.
+Page must surely be impressed by her appearance of prosperity.
+
+"I had heard of your marriage, and of your husband's election. I
+congratulate you. You are living in Benham, I believe, far from this
+hurly-burly?"
+
+"Yes, a little bird told me the other day that a no less distinguished
+person than Dr. Page had been seen in Benham twice during the last three
+months. Of course a Governor's wife is supposed to know everything which
+goes on, and for certain reasons I was very much interested to hear this
+bit of news. I am a very discreet woman, doctor. It shall go no
+further."
+
+The physician's broad brow contracted slightly, but his habitual
+self-control concealed completely the inclination to strangle his
+bright-eyed, over-dressed inquisitor. He was the last man to shirk the
+vicissitudes of playful speech, and he preferred this mood of Selma's to
+her solemn style, although his privacy was invaded.
+
+"I should have remembered," he said, "that there is nothing in the world
+which Mrs. Lyons does not know by intuition."
+
+"Including the management of a hospital, Dr. Page. Perhaps you don't
+know that I am the managing trustee of a large hospital?"
+
+"Yes, I was informed of that in Benham. I should scarcely venture to
+tell you what my little bird said. It was an old fogy of a bird, with a
+partiality for thorough investigation and scientific methods, and a
+thorough distrust of the results of off-hand inspiration in the
+treatment of disease."
+
+"I dare say. But we are succeeding splendidly. The next time you come to
+Benham you must come to see me, and I will take you over our hospital. I
+don't despair yet of converting you to our side, just as you evidently
+don't despair of inducing a certain lady some day to change her mind. I,
+for one, think that she is more fitted by nature to be a wife than a
+college president, so I shall await with interest more news from my
+little bird." Selma felt that she was talking to greater advantage than
+almost ever before. Her last remark banished every trace of a smile from
+her adversary's face, and he stood regarding her with a preternatural
+gravity, which should have been appalling, but which she welcomed as a
+sign of serious feeling on his part. She felt, too, that at last she had
+got the better of the ironical doctor in repartee, and that he was
+taking his leave tongue-tied. In truth, he was so angry that he did not
+trust himself to speak. He simply glared and departed.
+
+"Poor fellow," she said, by way of explanation to Lyons, "I suppose his
+emotion got the better of him, because he has loved her so long. That
+was the Dr. Page who has been crazy for years to marry Pauline
+Littleton. When he was young he married a woman of doubtful character,
+who ran away from him. I used to think that Pauline was right in
+refusing to sacrifice her life for his sake. But he has been very
+constant, and I doubt if she has originality enough to keep her position
+as president of Wetmore long. He belongs to the old school of medicine.
+It was he who took care of Wilbur when he died. I fancy that case may
+have taught him not to mistrust truth merely because it isn't labelled.
+But I bear him no malice, because I know he meant to do his best. They
+are just suited for each other, and I shall be on his side after this."
+
+The interest of this episode served to restore somewhat Selma's
+serenity, but she kept her attention fixed on the table where the
+Williamses were sitting, observing with a sense of injury their gay
+behavior. To all appearances, Flossy was as light-hearted and volatile
+as ever. Her attire was in the height of fashion. Had adversity taught
+her nothing? Had the buffet of Providence failed utterly to sober her
+frivolous spirit? It seemed to Selma that there could be no other
+conclusion, and though she and Lyons had finished dinner, she was unable
+to take her eyes off the culprits, or to cease to wonder how it was
+possible for people with nothing to continue to live as though they had
+everything. Her moral nature was stirred to resentment, and she sat
+spell-bound, seeking in vain for a point of consolation.
+
+Meantime Lyons, like a good American, had sent for an evening paper, and
+was deep in its perusal. A startled ejaculation from him aroused Selma
+from her nightmare. Her husband was saying to her across the table:
+
+"My dear, Senator Calkins is dead." He spoke in a solemn, excited
+whisper.
+
+"Our Senator Calkins?"
+
+"Yes. This is the despatch from Washington: 'United States Senator
+Calkins dropped dead suddenly in the lobby of the Senate chamber, at ten
+o'clock this morning, while talking with friends. His age was 52. The
+cause of his death was heart-failure. His decease has cast a gloom over
+the Capital, and the Senate adjourned promptly out of respect to the
+memory of the departed statesman.'"
+
+"What a dreadful thing!" Selma murmured.
+
+"The ways of Providence are inscrutable," said Lyons. "No one could have
+foreseen this public calamity." He poured out a glass of ice-water and
+drank it feverishly.
+
+"It's fortunate we have everything arranged to return to-morrow, for of
+course you will be needed at home."
+
+"Yes. Waiter, bring me a telegram."
+
+"What are you going to do?"
+
+"Communicate to Mrs. Calkins our sympathy on account of the death of her
+distinguished husband."
+
+"That will be nice," said Selma. She sat for some moments in silence
+observing her husband, and spell-bound by the splendid possibility which
+presented itself. She knew that Lyons's gravity and agitation were not
+wholly due to the shock of the catastrophe. He, like herself, must be
+conscious that he might become the dead Senator's successor. He poured
+out and drained another goblet of ice-water. Twice he drew himself up
+slightly and looked around the room, with the expression habitual to him
+when about to deliver a public address. Selma's veins were tingling with
+excitement. Providence had interfered in her behalf again. As the wife
+of a United States Senator, everything would be within her grasp.
+
+"James," she said, "we are the last persons in the world to fail in
+respect to the illustrious dead, but--of course you ought to have
+Senator Calkins's place."
+
+Lyons looked at his wife, and his large lips trembled. "If the people of
+my State, Selma, feel that I am the most suitable man for the vacant
+senatorship, I shall be proud to serve them."
+
+Selma nodded appreciatively. She was glad that her husband should
+approach the situation with a solemn sense of responsibility.
+
+"They are sure to feel that," she said. "It seems to me that you are
+practically certain of the party nomination, and your party has a clear
+majority of both branches of the Legislature."
+
+Lyons glanced furtively about him before he spoke. "I don't see at the
+moment, Selma, how they can defeat me."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+The body of Senator Calkins was laid to rest with appropriate ceremonies
+in the soil of his native State, and his virtues as a statesman and
+citizen were celebrated in the pulpit and in the public prints. On the
+day following the funeral the contest for his place began in dead
+earnest. There had been some quiet canvassing by the several candidates
+while the remains were being transported from Washington, but public
+utterance was stayed until the last rites were over. Then it transpired
+that there were four candidates in the field; a Congressman, an
+ex-Governor, a silver-tongued orator named Stringer, who was a member of
+the upper branch of the State Legislature and who claimed to be a true
+defender of popular rights, and Hon. James O. Lyons. Newspaper comment
+concerning the candidacy of these aspirants early promulgated the
+doctrine that Governor Lyons was entitled to the place if he desired it.
+More than one party organ claimed that his brilliant services had given
+him a reputation beyond the limit of mere political prestige, and that
+he had become a veritable favorite son of the State. By the end of a
+fortnight the ex-Governor had withdrawn in favor of Lyons; while the
+following of the Congressman was recognized to be inconsiderable, and
+that he was holding out in order to obtain terms. Only the
+silver-tongued orator, Stringer, remained. On him the opposition within
+the party had decided to unite their forces. To all appearances they
+were in a decided minority. There was no hope that the Republican
+members of the Legislature would join them, for it seemed scarcely good
+politics to rally to the support of a citizen whose statesmanship had
+not been tested in preference to the Governor of the State. It was
+conceded by all but the immediate followers of Stringer that Lyons would
+receive the majority vote of either house, and be triumphantly elected
+on the first joint ballot.
+
+And yet the opposition to the Governor, though numerically small, was
+genuine. Stringer was, as he described himself, a man of the plain
+people. That is he was a lawyer with a denunciating voice, a keen mind,
+and a comprehensive grasp on language, who was still an attorney for
+plaintiffs, and whose ability had not yet been recognized by
+corporations or conservative souls. He was where Lyons had been ten
+years before, but he had neither the urbanity, conciliatory tendencies,
+nor dignified, solid physical properties of the Governor. He was pleased
+to refer to himself as a tribune of the people, and his thin, nervous
+figure, clad in a long frock-coat, with a yawning collar and black whisp
+tie, his fiery utterance and relentless zeal, bore out the character. He
+looked hungry, and his words suggested that he was in earnest, carrying
+conviction to some of his colleagues in the Legislature. The election at
+which Lyons had been chosen chief magistrate had brought into this State
+government a sprinkling of socialistic spirits, as they were called, who
+applauded vigorously the thinly veiled allusions which Stringer made in
+debate to the lukewarm democracy of some of the party leaders. When he
+spoke with stern contempt of those who played fast and loose with sacred
+principles--who were staunch friends of the humblest citizens on the
+public platform, and behind their backs grew slyly rich on the revenues
+of wealthy corporations, everyone knew that he was baiting the Governor.
+These diatribes were stigmatized as in wretched taste, but the
+politicians of both parties could not help being amused. They admitted
+behind their hands that the taunt was not altogether groundless, and
+that Lyons certainly was on extremely pleasant terms with prosperity for
+an out and out champion of popular rights. Nevertheless the leading
+party newspapers termed Stringer a demagogue, and accused him of
+endeavoring to foment discord in the ranks of the Democracy by
+questioning the loyalty of a man who had led them to notable victory
+twice in the last three years. He was invited to step down, and to
+season his aspirations until he could present a more significant public
+record. What had he done that entitled him to the senatorship? He had
+gifts undeniably, but he was young and could wait. This was a taking
+argument with the legislators, many of whom had grown gray in the party
+service, and Lyons's managers felt confident that the support accorded
+to this tribune of the people would dwindle to very small proportions
+when the time came to count noses.
+
+Suddenly there loomed into sight on the political horizon, and came
+bearing down on Lyons under full sail, Elton's bill for the
+consolidation of the gas companies. The Benham _Sentinel_ had not been
+one of the promoters of Lyons's senatorial canvass, but it had not
+espoused the cause of any of his competitors, and latterly had referred
+in acquiescent terms to his election as a foregone conclusion. He had
+not happened to run across Elton during these intervening weeks, and
+preferred not to encounter him. He cherished an ostrich-like hope that
+Elton was in no haste regarding the bill, and that consequently it might
+not pass the legislature until after his election as Senator. If he were
+to come in contact with Elton, the meeting might jog the busy magnate's
+memory. It was a barren hope. Immediately after the _Sentinel_ announced
+that Governor Lyons was practically sure to be the next United States
+Senator, the gas bill was reported favorably by the committee which had
+it in charge, and was advanced rapidly in the House. Debate on its
+provisions developed that it was not to have entirely plain sailing,
+though the majority recorded in its favor on the first and second
+readings was large. It was not at first regarded as a party measure. Its
+supporters included most of the Republicans and more than half of the
+Democrats. Yet the opposition to it proceeded from the wing of the
+Democracy with which Stringer was affiliated. Elton's interest in the
+bill was well understood, and the work of pledging members in advance,
+irrespective of party, had been so thoroughly done, that but for the
+exigencies of the senatorial contest it would probably have slipped
+through without notice as a harmless measure. As it was, the opposition
+to it in the lower branch was brief and seemed unimportant. The bill
+passed the House of Representatives by a nearly two-thirds vote and went
+promptly to the Senate calendar. Then suddenly it became obvious to
+Lyons not merely that Elton was bent on securing its passage while the
+present Governor was in office, but that his rival, Stringer, had
+conceived the cruel scheme of putting him in the position, by a hue and
+cry against monopoly and corporate interests, where his election to the
+senatorship would be imperilled if he did not veto the measure. By a
+caustic speech in the Senate Stringer drew public attention to the
+skilfully concealed iniquities of the proposed franchise, and public
+attention thus aroused began to bristle. Newspapers here and there
+throughout the state put forth edicts that this Legislature had been
+chosen to protect popular principles, and that here was an opportunity
+for the Democratic party to fulfil its pledges and serve the people.
+Stringer and his associates were uttering in the Senate burning words
+against the audacious menace of what they termed the franchise octopus.
+Did the people realize that this bill to combine gas companies, which
+looked so innocent on its face, was a gigantic scheme to wheedle them
+out of a valuable franchise for nothing? Did they understand that they
+were deliberately putting their necks in the grip of a monster whose
+tentacles would squeeze and suck their life-blood for its own
+enrichment? Stringer hammered away with fierce and reiterated invective.
+He had no hope of defeating the bill, but he confidently believed that
+he was putting his adversary, the Governor, in a hole. It had been
+noised about the lobbies by the friends of the measure earlier in the
+session that the Governor was all right and could be counted on.
+Stringer reasoned that Lyons was committed to the bill; that, if he
+signed it, his opponents might prevent his election as Senator on the
+plea that he had catered to corporate interests; that if he vetoed it,
+he would lose the support of powerful friends who might seek to revenge
+themselves by uniting on his opponent. Stringer recognized that he was
+playing a desperate game, but it was his only chance. One thing was
+evident already: As a result of the exposure in the Senate, considerable
+public hostility to the bill was manifesting itself. Petitions for its
+defeat were in circulation, and several Senators who had been supposed
+to be friendly to its passage veered round in deference to the views of
+their constituents. Its defeat had almost become a party measure. A
+majority of the Democrats in the Senate were claimed to be against it.
+Nevertheless there was no delay on the part of those in charge in
+pushing it to final action. They had counted noses, and their margin of
+support had been so liberal they could afford to lose a few deserters.
+After a fierce debate the bill was passed to be engrossed by a majority
+of eleven. The Democrats in the Senate were just evenly divided on the
+ballot.
+
+What would the Governor do? This was the question on everyone's lips.
+Would he sign or veto the bill? Public opinion as represented by the
+newspapers was prompt to point out his duty. The verdict of a leading
+party organ was that, in view of all the circumstances, Governor Lyons
+could scarcely do otherwise than refuse to give his official sanction to
+a measure which threatened to increase the burdens of the plain people.
+The words "in view of all the circumstances" appeared to be an euphemism
+for "in view of his ambition to become United States Senator." Several
+journals declared unequivocally that it would become the duty of the
+party to withdraw its support from Governor Lyons in case he allowed
+this undemocratic measure to become law. On the other hand, certain
+party organs questioned the justice of the outcry against the bill,
+arguing that the merits of the case had been carefully examined in the
+Legislature and that there was no occasion for the Governor to disturb
+the result of its action. On the day after the bill was sent to the
+chief magistrate, an editorial appeared in the Benham _Sentinel_
+presenting an exhaustive analysis of its provisions, and pointing out
+that, though the petitioners might under certain contingencies reap a
+reasonable profit, the public could not fail in that event to secure a
+lower price for gas and more effective service. This article was quoted
+extensively throughout the State, and was ridiculed or extolled
+according to the sympathies of the critics. Lyons received a marked copy
+of the _Sentinel_ on the morning when it appeared. He recognized the
+argument as that which he had accepted at the time he promised to sign
+the bill if he were elected Governor. In the course of the same day a
+letter sent by messenger was handed to him in the executive chamber. It
+contained simply two lines in pencil in Elton's handwriting--"It
+continues to be of vital importance to my affairs that the pending bill
+should receive your signature." That was obviously a polite reminder of
+their agreement; an intimation that the circumstances had not altered,
+and that it was incumbent on him to perform his part of their compact.
+Obviously, too, Horace Elton took for granted that a reminder was
+enough, and that he would keep his word. He had promised to sign the
+bill. He had given his word of honor to do so, and Elton was relying on
+his good faith.
+
+The situation had become suddenly oppressive and disheartening. Just
+when his prospects seemed assured this unfortunate obstacle had appeared
+in his path, and threatened to confound his political career. He must
+sign the bill. And if he signed it, in all probability he would lose the
+senatorship. His enemies would claim that the party could not afford to
+stultify itself by the choice of a candidate who favored monopolies. He
+had given his promise, the word of a man of honor, and a business man.
+What escape was there from the predicament? If he vetoed the bill, would
+he not be a liar and a poltroon? If he signed it, the senatorship would
+slip through his fingers. The thought occurred to him to send for Elton
+and throw himself on his mercy, but he shrank from such an interview.
+Elton was a business man, and a promise was a promise. He had enjoyed
+the consideration for his promise; his notes were secure and the
+hypothecated bonds had been redeemed. He was on his feet and Governor,
+thanks to Elton's interposition, and now he was called on to do his
+part--to pay the fiddler. He must sign the bill.
+
+Lyons had five days in which to consider the matter. At the end of that
+time if he neither signed nor vetoed the bill, it would become law
+without his signature. He was at bay, and the time for deliberation was
+short. An incubus of disappointment weighed upon his soul and clouded
+his brow. His round, smooth face looked grieved. It seemed cruel to him
+that such an untoward piece of fortune should confront him just at the
+moment when this great reward for his political services was within his
+grasp and his opportunities for eminent public usefulness assured. He
+brooded over his quandary in silence for twenty-four hours. On the
+second day he concluded to speak of the matter to Selma. He knew that
+she kept a general run of public affairs. Not infrequently she had asked
+him questions concerning measures before the Legislature, and he was
+pleasantly aware that she was ambitious to be regarded as a politician.
+But up to this time there had been no room for question as to what his
+action as Governor should be in respect to any measure. It had happened,
+despite his attitude of mental comradeship with his wife, that he had
+hitherto concealed from her his most secret transactions. He had left
+her in the dark in regard to his true dealings with Williams & Van
+Horne; he had told her nothing as to his straitened circumstances, the
+compact by which he had been made Governor, and his relief at the hands
+of Elton from threatened financial ruin. Reluctance, born of the theory
+in his soul that these were accidents in his life, not typical
+happenings, had sealed his lips. He was going to confide in her now not
+because he expected that Selma's view of this emergency would differ
+from his own, but in order that she might learn before he acted that he
+was under an imperative obligation to sign the bill. While he was
+sitting at home in the evening with the topic trembling on his tongue,
+Selma made his confession easy by saying, "I have taken for granted that
+you will veto the gas bill."
+
+Selma had indeed so assumed. In the early stages of the bill she had
+been ignorant of its existence. During the last fortnight, since the
+controversy had reached an acute phase and public sentiment had been
+aroused against its passage, she had been hoping that it would pass so
+that Lyons might have the glory of returning it to the Legislature
+without his signature. She had reasoned that he would be certain to veto
+the measure, for the bill was clearly in the interest of monopoly, and
+though her nerves were all on edge with excitement over the impending
+election of a Senator, she had not interfered because she took for
+granted that it was unnecessary. Even when Lyons, after reading the
+article in the _Sentinel_, had dropped the remark that the measure was
+really harmless and the outcry against it unwarranted, she had supposed
+that he was merely seeking to be magnanimous. She had forgotten this
+speech until it was recalled by Lyons's obvious state of worry during
+the last few days. She had noticed this at first without special
+concern, believing it due to the malicious insinuations of Stringer. Now
+that the bill was before him for signature there could be no question as
+to his action. Nevertheless her heart had suddenly been assailed by a
+horrible doubt, and straightway her sense of duty as a wife and of duty
+to herself had sought assurance in a crucial inquiry.
+
+"I was going to speak to you about that this evening. I wish to tell you
+the reasons which oblige me to sign the bill," he answered. Lyons's
+manner was subdued and limp. Even his phraseology had been stripped of
+its stateliness.
+
+"Sign the bill?" gasped Selma. "If you sign it, you will lose the
+senatorship." She spoke like a prophetess, and her steely eyes snapped.
+
+"That is liable to be the consequence I know. I will explain to you,
+Selma. You will see that I am bound in honor and cannot help myself."
+
+"In honor? You are bound in honor to your party--bound in honor to me to
+veto it."
+
+"Wait a minute, Selma. You must hear my reasons. Before I was nominated
+for Governor I gave Horace Elton my word, man to man, that I would sign
+this gas bill. It is his bill. I promised, if I were elected Governor,
+not to veto it. At the time, I--I was financially embarrassed. I did not
+tell you because I was unwilling to distress you, but--er--my affairs in
+New York were in disorder, and I had notes here coming due. Nothing was
+said about money matters between Elton and me until he had agreed to
+support me as Governor. Then he offered to help me, and I accepted his
+aid. Don't you see that I cannot help myself? That I must sign the
+bill?"
+
+Selma had listened in amazement. "It's a trap," she murmured. "Horace
+Elton has led you into a trap." The thought that Elton's politeness to
+her was a blind, and that she had been made sport of, took precedence in
+her resentment even of the annoyance caused her by her husband's deceit.
+
+"Why did you conceal all this from me?" she asked, tragically.
+
+"I should not have done so, perhaps."
+
+"If you had told me, this difficulty never would have arisen. Pshaw! It
+is not a real difficulty. Surely you must throw Elton over. Surely you
+must veto the bill."
+
+"Throw him over," stammered Lyons. "You don't understand, Selma. I gave
+my word as a business man. I am under great obligations to him." He told
+briefly the details of the transaction; even the hypothecation of the
+Parsons bonds. For once in his life he made a clean breast of his
+bosom's perilous stuff. He was ready to bear the consequences of his
+plight rather than be false to his man's standard of honor, and yet his
+wife's opposition had fascinated as well as startled him. He set forth
+his case--the case which meant his political checkmate, then waited.
+Selma had risen and stood with folded arms gazing into distance with the
+far away look by which she was wont to subdue mountains.
+
+"Have you finished?" she asked. "What you are proposing to do is to
+sacrifice your life--and my life, James Lyons, for the sake of
+a--er--fetish. Horace Elton, under the pretence of friendship for us,
+has taken advantage of your necessities to extract from you a promise to
+support an evil scheme--a bill to defraud the plain American people of
+their rights--the people whose interests you swore to protect when you
+took the oath as Governor. Is a promise between man and man, as you call
+it, more sacred than everlasting truth itself? More binding than the tie
+of principle and political good faith? Will you refuse to veto a bill
+which you know is a blow at liberty in order to keep a technical
+business compact with an over-reaching capitalist, who has no sympathy
+with our ideas? I am disappointed in you, James. I thought you could see
+clearer than that."
+
+Lyons sighed. "I examined the bill at the time with some care, and did
+not think it inimical to the best public interest; but had I foreseen
+the objections which would be raised against it, I admit that I never
+would have agreed to sign it."
+
+"Precisely. You were taken in." She meant in her heart that they had
+both been taken in. "This is not a case of commercial give and take--of
+purchase and sale of stocks or merchandise. The eternal verities are
+concerned. You owe it to your country to break your word. The triumph of
+American principles is paramount to your obligation to Elton. Whom will
+this gas bill benefit but the promoters? Your view, James, is the
+old-fashioned view. Just as I said to you the other day that Dr. Page is
+old-fashioned in his views of medicine, so it seems to me, if you will
+forgive my saying so, you are, in this instance, behind the times. And
+you are not usually behind the times. It has been one of the joyous
+features of my marriage with you that you have not lacked American
+initiative and independence of conventions. I wish you had confided in
+me. You were forced to give that promise by your financial distress.
+Will you let an old-fashioned theory of private honor make you a traitor
+to our party cause and to the sovereign people of our country?"
+
+Lyons bowed his head between his hands. "You make me see that there are
+two sides to the question, Selma. It is true that I was not myself when
+Elton got my promise to sign the bill. My mind had been on the rack for
+weeks, and I was unfit to form a correct estimate of a complicated
+public measure. But a promise is a promise."
+
+"What can he do if you break it? He will not kill you."
+
+"He will not kill me, no; but he will despise me." Lyons reflected, as
+he spoke, that Elton would be unable to injure him financially. He
+would, be able to pay his notes when they became due, thanks to the
+improvement in business affairs which had set in since the beginning of
+the year.
+
+"And your party--the American people will despise you if you sign the
+bill. Whose contempt do you fear the most?"
+
+"I see--I see," he murmured. "I cannot deny there is much force in your
+argument, dear. I fear there can be no doubt that if I let the bill
+become law, public clamor will oblige the party to throw me over and
+take up Stringer or some dark horse. That means a serious setback to my
+political progress; means perhaps my political ruin."
+
+"Your political suicide, James. And there is another side to it,"
+continued Selma, pathetically. "My side. I wish you to think of that. I
+wish you to realize that, if you yield to this false notion of honor,
+you will interfere with the development of my life no less than your
+own. As you know, I think, I became your wife because I felt that as a
+public woman working, at your side in behalf of the high purposes in
+which we had a common sympathy, I should be a greater power for good
+than if I pursued alone my career as a writer and on the lecture
+platform. Until to-day I have felt sure that I had made no mistake--that
+we had made no mistake. Without disrespect to the dead, I may say that
+for the first time in my life marriage has meant to me what it should
+mean, and has tended to bring out the best which is in me. I have grown;
+I have developed; I have been recognized. We have both made progress.
+Only a few days ago I was rejoicing to think that when you became a
+United States Senator, there would be a noble field for my abilities as
+well as yours. We are called to high office, called to battle for great
+principles and to lead the nation to worthy things. And now, in a moment
+of mental blindness, you are threatening to spoil all. For my sake, if
+not for your own, James, be convinced that you do not see clearly. Do
+not snatch the cup of happiness from my lips just as at last it is full.
+Give me the chance to live my own life as I wish to live it."
+
+There was a brief silence. Lyons rose and let fall his hand on the table
+with impressive emphasis. His mobile face was working with emotion; his
+eyes were filled with tears. "I will veto the bill," he said,
+grandiloquently. "The claims of private honor must give way to the
+general welfare, and the demands of civilization. You have convinced me,
+Selma--my wife. My point of view was old-fashioned. Superior ethics
+permit no other solution of the problem. Superior ethics," he repeated,
+as though the phrase gave him comfort, "would not justify a statesman in
+sacrificing his party and his own powers--aye, and his political
+conscience--in order to keep a private compact. I shall veto the bill."
+
+"Thank God for that," she murmured.
+
+Lyons stepped forward and put his arm around her. "You shall live your
+own life as you desire, Selma. No act of mine shall spoil it."
+
+"Superior ethics taught you by your wife! Your poor, wise wife in whom
+you would not confide!" She tapped him playfully on his fat cheek.
+"Naughty boy!"
+
+"There are moments when a man sees through a glass, darkly," he
+answered, kissing her again. "This is a solemn decision for us, Selma.
+Heaven has willed that you should save me from my own errors, and my own
+blindness."
+
+"We shall be very happy, James. You will be chosen Senator, and all will
+be as it should be. The clouds on my horizon are one by one passing
+away, and justice is prevailing at last. What do you suppose I heard
+to-day? Pauline Littleton is to marry Dr. Page. Mrs. Earle told me so.
+Pauline has written to the trustees that after the first of next January
+she will cease to serve as president of Wetmore; that by that time the
+college will be running smoothly, so that a successor can take up the
+work. There is a chance now that the trustees will choose a genuine
+educator for the place--some woman of spontaneous impulses and a large
+outlook on life. Pauline's place is by the domestic hearth. She could
+never have much influence on progress."
+
+"I do not know her very well," said Lyons. "But I know this, Selma, you
+would be just the woman for the place if you were not my wife. You would
+make an ideal president of a college for progressive women."
+
+"I am suited for the work, and I think I am progressive," she admitted.
+"But that, of course, is out of the question for me as a married woman
+and the wife of a United States Senator. But I am glad, James, to have
+you appreciate my strong points."
+
+On the following day Lyons vetoed the gas bill. His message to the
+Legislature described it as a measure which disposed of a valuable
+franchise for nothing, and which would create a monopoly detrimental to
+the rights of the public. This action met with much public approval. One
+newspaper expressed well the feeling of the community by declaring that
+the Governor had faced the issue squarely and shown the courage of his
+well-known convictions. The Benham _Sentinel_ was practically mute. It
+stated merely in a short editorial that it was disappointed in Governor
+Lyons, and that he had played into the hands of the demagogues and the
+sentimentalists. It suggested to the Legislature to show commendable
+independence by passing the bill over his veto. But this was obviously a
+vain hope.
+
+The vote in the House against the veto not merely fell short of the
+requisite two-thirds, but was less than a plurality, showing that the
+action of the chief magistrate had reversed the sentiment of the
+Legislature. The force of Stringer's opposition was practically killed
+by the Governor's course. He had staked everything on the chance that
+Lyons would see fit to sign the bill. When the party caucus for the
+choice of a candidate for Senator was held a few days later, his
+followers recognized the hopelessness of his ambition and prevailed on
+him to withdraw his name from consideration. Lyons was elected Senator
+of the United States by a party vote by the two branches of the
+Legislature assembled in solemn conclave. Apparently Elton had realized
+that opposition was useless, and that he must bide his time for revenge.
+Booming cannon celebrated the result of the proceedings, and Selma,
+waiting at home on the River Drive, received a telegram from the capital
+announcing the glad news. Her husband was United States Senator, and the
+future stretched before her big with promise. She had battled with life,
+she had suffered, she had held fast to her principles, and at last she
+was rewarded.
+
+Lyons returned to Benham by the afternoon train, and a salute of one
+hundred guns greeted him on his arrival. He walked from the station like
+any private citizen. Frequent cheers attended his progress to his house.
+In the evening the shops and public buildings were illuminated, and the
+James O. Lyons Cadets, who considered themselves partly responsible for
+his rapid promotion, led a congratulatory crowd to the River Drive. The
+Senator-elect, in response to the music of a serenade, stepped out on
+the balcony. Selma waited behind the window curtain until the enthusiasm
+had subsided; then she glided forth and showed herself at his elbow. A
+fresh round of cheers for the Senator's wife followed. It was a glorious
+night. The moon shone brightly. The street was thronged by the populace,
+and glittered with the torches of the cadets. Lyons stood bareheaded.
+His large, round, smooth face glistened, and the moonbeams, bathing his
+chin beard, gave him the effect of a patriarch, or of one inspired. He
+raised his hand to induce silence, then stood for a moment, as was his
+habit before speaking, with an expression as though he were struggling
+with emotion or busy in silent prayer.
+
+"Fellow citizens of Benham," he began, slowly, "compatriots of the
+sovereign State which has done me to-day so great an honor, I thank you
+for this precious greeting. You are my constituents and my brothers. I
+accept from your hands this great trust of office, knowing that I am but
+your representative, knowing that my mission is to bear constant witness
+to the love of liberty, the love of progress, the love of truth which
+are enshrined in the hearts of the great American people. Your past has
+been ever glorious; your future looms big with destiny. Still leaning on
+the God of our fathers, to whom our patriot sires have ever turned, and
+whose favors to our beloved country are seen in your broad prairies tall
+with fruitful grain, and your mighty engines of commerce, I take up the
+work which you have given me to do, pledged to remain a democrat of the
+democrats, an American of the Americans."
+
+Selma heard the words of this peroration with a sense of ecstasy. She
+felt that he was speaking for them both, and that he was expressing the
+yearning intention of her soul to attempt and perform great things. She
+stood gazing straight before her with her far away, seraph look, as
+though she were penetrating the future even into Paradise.
+
+
+
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+<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, Unleavened Bread, by Robert Grant</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at <a href = "https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: Unleavened Bread</p>
+<p>Author: Robert Grant</p>
+<p>Release Date: January 10, 2005  [eBook #14645]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNLEAVENED BREAD***</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h3>E-text prepared by Audrey Longhurst, Amy Cunningham,<br />
+    and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br />
+    <br/>
+    HTML version prepared by Charlie Kirschner</h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h1>UNLEAVENED</h1>
+<h1>BREAD</h1>
+<h2>By Robert Grant</h2>
+<div class="center">Author of <i>The Bachelor's Christmas</i>,
+etc.</div>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h6>Charles Scribner's Sons<br />
+New York</h6>
+<h4>1900</h4>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+<div class="center"><a href="#BOOK_I"><i>BOOK I</i><br />
+THE EMANCIPATION</a><br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<a href="#BOOK_II"><i>BOOK II</i><br />
+THE STRUGGLE</a><br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<a href="#BOOK_III"><i>BOOK III</i><br />
+THE SUCCESS</a></div>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>UNLEAVENED BREAD</h2>
+<h2><a name="BOOK_I" id="BOOK_I"></a><i>BOOK I.</i></h2>
+<h2>THE EMANCIPATION</h2>
+<h3>CHAPTER I.</h3>
+<p>Babcock and Selma White were among the last of the wedding
+guests to take their departure. It was a brilliant September night
+with a touch of autumn vigor in the atmosphere, which had not been
+without its effect on the company, who had driven off in gay
+spirits, most of them in hay-carts or other vehicles capable of
+carrying a party. Their songs and laughter floated back along the
+winding country road. Selma, comfortable in her wraps and well
+tucked about with a rug, leaned back contentedly in the chaise,
+after the goodbyes had been said, to enjoy the glamour of the full
+moon. They were seven miles from home and she was in no hurry to
+get there. Neither festivities nor the undisguised devotion of a
+city young man were common in her life. Consideration she had been
+used to from a child, and she knew herself to be tacitly
+acknowledged the smartest girl in Westfield, but perhaps for that
+very reason she had held aloof from manhood until now. At least no
+youth in her neighborhood had ever impressed her as her equal.
+Neither did Babcock so impress her; but he was different from the
+rest. He was not shy and unexpressive; he was buoyant and
+self-reliant, and yet he seemed to appreciate her quality none the
+less.</p>
+<p>They had met about a dozen times, and on the last six of these
+occasions he had come from Benham, ten miles to her uncle's farm,
+obviously to visit her. The last two times her Aunt Farley had made
+him spend the night, and it had been arranged that he would drive
+her in the Farley chaise to Clara Morse's wedding. A seven-mile
+drive is apt to promote or kill the germs of intimacy, and on the
+way over she had been conscious of enjoying herself. Scrutiny of
+Clara's choice had been to the advantage of her own cavalier. The
+bridegroom had seemed to her what her Aunt Farley would call a
+mouse-in-the-cheese young man. Whereas Babcock had been the life of
+the affair.</p>
+<p>She had been teaching now in Wilton for more than a year. When,
+shortly after her father's death, she had obtained the position of
+school teacher, it seemed to her that at last the opportunity had
+come to display her capabilities, and at the same time to fulfil
+her aspirations. But the task of grounding a class of small
+children in the rudiments of simple knowledge had already begun to
+pall and to seem unsatisfying. Was she to spend her life in this?
+And if not, the next step, unless it were marriage, was not
+obvious. Not that she mistrusted her ability to shine in any
+educational capacity, but neither Wilton nor the neighboring
+Westfield offered better, and she was conscious of a lack of
+influential friends in the greater world, which was embodied for
+her in Benham. Benham was a western city of these United States,
+with an eastern exposure; a growing, bustling city according to
+rumor, with an eager population restless with new ideas and
+stimulating ambitions. So at least Selma thought of it, and though
+Boston and New York and a few other places were accepted by her as
+authoritative, she accepted them, as she accepted Shakespeare, as a
+matter of course and so far removed from her immediate outlook as
+almost not to count. But Benham with its seventy-five thousand
+inhabitants and independent ways was a fascinating possibility.
+Once established there the world seemed within her grasp, including
+Boston. Might it not be that Benham, in that it was newer, was
+nearer to truth and more truly American than that famous city? She
+was not prepared to believe this an absurdity.</p>
+<p>At least the mental atmosphere of Westfield and even of the
+somewhat less solemn Wilton suggested this apotheosis of the
+adjacent city to be reasonable. Westfield had stood for Selma as a
+society of serious though simple souls since she could first
+remember and had been one of them. Not that she arrogated to her
+small native town any unusual qualities of soul or mind in
+distinction from most other American communities, but she regarded
+it as inferior in point of view to none, and typical of the best
+national characteristics. She had probably never put into words the
+reasons of her confidence, but her daily consciousness was
+permeated with them. To be an American meant to be more keenly
+alive to the responsibility of life than any other citizen of
+civilization, and to be an American woman meant to be something
+finer, cleverer, stronger, and purer than any other daughter of
+Eve. Under the agreeable but sobering influence of this faith she
+had grown to womanhood, and the heroic deeds of the civil war had
+served to intensify a belief, the truth of which she had never
+heard questioned. Her mission in life had promptly been recognized
+by her as the development of her soul along individual lines, but
+until the necessity for a choice had arisen she had been content to
+contemplate a little longer. Now the world was before her, for she
+was twenty-three and singularly free from ties. Her mother had died
+when she was a child. Her father, the physician of the surrounding
+country, a man of engaging energy with an empirical education and a
+speculative habit of mind, had been the companion of her girlhood.
+During the last few years since his return from the war an invalid
+from a wound, her care for him had left her time for little
+else.</p>
+<p>No more was Babcock in haste to reach home; and after the
+preliminary dash from the door into the glorious night he suffered
+the farm-horse to pursue its favorite gait, a deliberate jog. He
+knew the creature to be docile, and that he could bestow his
+attention on his companion without peril to her. His own pulses
+were bounding. He was conscious of having made the whirligig of
+time pass merrily for the company by his spirits and jolly quips,
+and that in her presence, and he was groping for an appropriate
+introduction to the avowal he had determined to make. He would
+never have a better opportunity than this, and it had been his
+preconceived intention to take advantage of it if all went well.
+All had gone well and he was going to try. She had been kind coming
+over; and had seemed to listen with interest as he told her about
+himself: and somehow he had felt less distant from her. He was not
+sure what she would say, for he realized that she was above him.
+That was one reason why he admired her so. She symbolized for him
+refinement, poetry, art, the things of the spirit&mdash;things from
+which in the same whirligig of time he had hitherto been cut off by
+the vicissitudes of the varnish business; but the value of which he
+was not blind to. How proud he would be of such a wife! How he
+would strive and labor for her! His heart was in his mouth and
+trembled on his lip as he thought of the possibility. What a joy to
+be sitting side by side with her under this splendid moon! He would
+speak and know his fate.</p>
+<p>"Isn't it a lovely night?" murmured Selma appreciatively. "There
+they go," she added, indicating the disappearance over the brow of
+a hill of the last of the line of vehicles of the rest of the
+party, whose songs had come back fainter and fainter.</p>
+<p>"I don't care. Do you?" He snuggled toward her a very
+little.</p>
+<p>"I guess they won't think I'm lost," she said, with a low
+laugh.</p>
+<p>"What d'you suppose your folks would say if you <i>were</i>
+lost? I mean if I were to run away with you and didn't bring you
+back?" There was a nervous ring in the guffaw which concluded his
+question.</p>
+<p>"My friends wouldn't miss me much; at least they'd soon get over
+the shock; but I might miss myself, Mr. Babcock."</p>
+<p>Selma was wondering why it was that she rather liked being alone
+with this man, big enough, indeed, to play the monster, yet half
+school-boy, but a man who had done well in his calling. He must be
+capable; he could give her a home in Benham; and it was plain that
+he loved her.</p>
+<p>"I'll tell you something," he said, eagerly, ignoring her
+suggestion. "I'd like to run away with you and be married to-night,
+Selma. That's what I'd like, and I guess you won't. But it's the
+burning wish of my heart that you'd marry me some time. I want you
+to be my wife. I'm a rough fellow along-side of you, Selma, but I'd
+do well by you; I would. I'm able to look after you, and you shall
+have all you want. There's a nice little house building now in
+Benham. Say the word and I'll buy it for us to-morrow. I'm crazy
+after you, Selma."</p>
+<p>The rein was dangling, and Babcock reached his left arm around
+the waist of his lady-love. He had now and again made the same
+demonstration with others jauntily, but this was a different
+matter. She was not to be treated like other women. She was a
+goddess to him, even in his ardor, and he reached gingerly. Selma
+did not wholly withdraw from the spread of his trembling arm,
+though this was the first man who had ever ventured to lay a finger
+on her.</p>
+<p>"I'd have to give up my school," she said.</p>
+<p>"They could get another teacher."</p>
+<p>"<i>Could</i> they?"</p>
+<p>"Not one like you. You see I'm clumsy, but I'm crazy for you,
+Selma." Emboldened by the obvious feebleness of her opposition, he
+broadened his clutch and drew her toward him. "Say you will,
+sweetheart."</p>
+<p>This time she pulled herself free and sat up in the chaise.
+"Would you let me do things?" she asked after a moment.</p>
+<p>"Do things," faltered Babcock. What could she mean? She had told
+him on the way over that her mother had chosen her name from a
+theatrical playbill, and it passed through his unsophisticated
+brain that she might be thinking of the stage.</p>
+<p>"Yes, do something worth while. Be somebody. I've had the idea I
+could, if I ever got the chance." Her hands were folded in her lap;
+there was a wrapt expression on her thin, nervous face, and a
+glitter in her keen eyes, which were looking straight at the moon,
+as though they would outstare it in brilliancy.</p>
+<p>"You shall be anything you like, if you'll only marry me. What
+is it you're wishing to be?"</p>
+<p>"I don't know exactly. It isn't anything especial yet. It's the
+whole thing. I thought I might find it in my school, but the
+experience so far hasn't been&mdash;satisfying."</p>
+<p>"Troublesome little brats!"</p>
+<p>"No, I dare say the fault's in me. If I went to Benham to live
+it would be different. Benham must be
+interesting&mdash;inspiring."</p>
+<p>"There's plenty of go there. You'd like it, and people would
+think lots of you."</p>
+<p>"I'd try to make them." She turned and looked at him judicially,
+but with a softened expression. Her profile in her exalted mood had
+suggested a beautiful, but worried archangel; her full face seemed
+less this and wore much of the seductive embarrassment of sex. To
+Babcock she seemed the most entrancing being he had ever seen.
+"Would you really like to have me come?"</p>
+<p>He gave a hoarse ejaculation, and encircling her eagerly with
+his strong grasp pressed his lips upon her cheek. "Selma! darling!
+angel! I'm the happiest man alive."</p>
+<p>"You mustn't do that&mdash;yet," she said protestingly.</p>
+<p>"Yes, I must; I'm yours, and you're mine,&mdash;mine. Aren't
+you, sweetheart? There's no harm in a kiss."</p>
+<p>She had to admit to herself that it was not very unpleasant
+after all to be held in the embrace of a sturdy lover, though she
+had never intended that their relations should reach this stage of
+familiarity so promptly. She had known, of course, that girls were
+to look for endearments from those whom they promised to marry, but
+her person had hitherto been so sacred to man and to herself that
+it was difficult not to shrink a little from what was taking place.
+This then was love, and love was, of course, the sweetest thing in
+the world. That was one of the truths which she had accepted as she
+had accepted the beauty of Shakespeare, as something not to be
+disputed, yet remote. He was a big, affectionate fellow, and she
+must make up her mind to kiss him. So she turned her face toward
+him and their lips met eagerly, forestalling the little peck which
+she had intended. She let her head fall back at his pressure on to
+his shoulder, and gazed up at the moon.</p>
+<p>"Are you happy, Selma?" he asked, giving her a fond, firm
+squeeze.</p>
+<p>"Yes, Lewis."</p>
+<p>She could feel his frame throb with joy at the situation as she
+uttered his name.</p>
+<p>"We'll be married right away. That's if you're willing. My
+business is going first-rate and, if it keeps growing for the next
+year as it has for the past two, you'll be rich presently. When
+shall it be, Selma?"</p>
+<p>"You're in dreadful haste. Well, I'll promise to give the
+selectmen notice to-morrow that they must find another
+teacher."</p>
+<p>"Because the one they have now is going to become Mrs. Lewis J.
+Babcock. I'm the luckiest fellow, hooray! in creation. See here,"
+he added, taking her hand, "I guess a ring wouldn't look badly
+there&mdash;a real diamond, too. Pretty little fingers."</p>
+<p>She sighed gently, by way of response. It was comfortable
+nestling in the hollow of his shoulder, and a new delightful
+experience to be hectored with sweetness in this way. How round and
+bountiful the moon looked. She was tired of her present life. What
+was coming would be better. Her opportunity was at hand to show the
+world what she was made of.</p>
+<p>"A real diamond, and large at that," he repeated, gazing down at
+her, and then, as though the far away expression in her eyes
+suggested kinship with the unseen and the eternal, he said,
+admiringly but humbly, "It must be grand to be clever like you,
+Selma. I'm no good at that. But if loving you will make up for it,
+I'll go far, little woman."</p>
+<p>"What I know of that I like, and&mdash;and if some day, I can
+make you proud of me, so much the better," said Selma.</p>
+<p>"Proud of you? You are an angel, and you know it."</p>
+<p>She closed her eyes and sighed again. Even the bright avenues of
+fame, which her keen eyes had traversed through the golden moon,
+paled before this tribute from the lips of real flesh and blood.
+What woman can withstand the fascination of a lover's faith that
+she is an angel? If a man is fool enough to believe it, why
+undeceive him? And if he is so sure of it, may it even not be so?
+Selma was content to have it so, especially as the assertion did
+not jar with her own prepossessions; and thus they rode home in the
+summer night in the mutual contentment of a betrothal.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3>
+<p>The match was thoroughly agreeable to Mrs. Farley, Selma's aunt
+and nearest relation, who with her husband presided over a
+flourishing poultry farm in Wilton. She was an easy-going, friendly
+spirit, with a sharp but not wide vision, who did not believe that
+a likelier fellow than Lewis Babcock would come wooing were her
+niece to wait a lifetime. He was hearty, comical, and generous, and
+was said to be making money fast in the varnish business. In short,
+he seemed to her an admirable young man, with a stock of
+common-sense and high spirits eminently serviceable for a domestic
+venture. How full of fun he was, to be sure! It did her good to
+behold the tribute his appetite paid to the buckwheat cakes with
+cream and other tempting viands she set before him&mdash;a pleasing
+contrast to Selma's starveling diet&mdash;and the hearty smack with
+which he enforced his demands upon her own cheeks as his
+mother-in-law apparent, argued an affectionate disposition. Burly,
+rosy-cheeked, good-natured, was he not the very man to dispel her
+niece's vagaries and turn the girl's morbid cleverness into healthy
+channels?</p>
+<p>Selma, therefore, found nothing but encouragement in her choice
+at home; so by the end of another three months they were made man
+and wife, and had moved into that little house in Benham which had
+attracted Babcock's eye. Benham, as has been indicated, was in the
+throes of bustle and self-improvement. Before the war it had been
+essentially unimportant. But the building of a railroad through the
+town and the discovery of oil wells in its neighborhood had
+transformed it in a twinkling into an active and spirited centre.
+Selma's new house was on the edge of the city, in the van of real
+estate progress, one of a row of small but ambitious-looking
+dwellings, over the dark yellow clapboards of which the architect
+had let his imagination run rampant in scrolls and flourishes.
+There was fancy colored glass in a sort of rose-window over the
+front door, and lozenges of fancy glass here and there in the
+facade. Each house had a little grass-plot, which Babcock in his
+case had made appurtenant to a metal stag, which seemed to him the
+finishing touch to a cosey and ornamental home. He had done his
+best and with all his heart, and the future was before them.</p>
+<p>Babcock found himself radiant over the first experiences of
+married life. It was just what he had hoped, only better. His
+imagination in entertaining an angel had not been unduly literal,
+and it was a constant delight and source of congratulation to him
+to reflect over his pipe on the lounge after supper that the
+charming piece of flesh and blood sewing or reading demurely close
+by was the divinity of his domestic hearth. There she was to smile
+at him when he came home at night and enable him to forget the
+cares and dross of the varnish business. Her presence across the
+table added a new zest to every meal and improved his appetite. In
+marrying he had expected to cut loose from his bachelor habits, and
+he asked for nothing better than to spend every evening alone with
+Selma, varied by an occasional evening at the theatre, and a drive
+out to the Farleys' now and then for supper. This, with the regular
+Sunday service at Rev. Henry Glynn's church, rounded out the weeks
+to his perfect satisfaction. He was conscious of feeling that the
+situation did not admit of improvement, for though, when he
+measured himself with Selma, Babcock was humble-minded, a cheerful
+and uncritical optimism was the ruling characteristic of his
+temperament. With health, business fortune, and love all on his
+side, it was natural to him to regard his lot with complacency.
+Especially as to all appearances, this was the sort of thing Selma
+liked, also. Presently, perhaps, there would be a baby, and then
+their cup of domestic happiness would be overflowing. Babcock's
+long ungratified yearning for the things of the spirit were fully
+met by these cosey evenings, which he would have been glad to
+continue to the crack of doom. To smoke and sprawl and read a
+little, and exchange chit-chat, was poetry enough for him. So
+contented was he that his joy was apt to find an outlet in ditties
+and whistling&mdash;he possessed a slightly tuneful, rollicking
+knack at both&mdash;a proceeding which commonly culminated in his
+causing Selma to sit beside him on the sofa and be made much of, to
+the detriment of her toilette.</p>
+<p>As for the bride, so dazing were the circumstances incident to
+the double change of matrimony and adaptation to city life, that
+her judgment was in suspension. Yet though she smiled and sewed
+demurely, she was thinking. The yellow clapboarded house and metal
+stag, and a maid-of-all-work at her beck and call, were gratifying
+at the outset and made demands upon her energies. Selma's position
+in her father's house had been chiefly ornamental and social. She
+had been his companion and nurse, had read to him and argued with
+him, but the mere household work had been performed by an elderly
+female relative who recognized that her mind was bent on higher
+things. Nevertheless, she had never doubted that when the time
+arrived to show her capacity as a housewife, she would be more than
+equal to the emergency. Assuredly she would, for one of the
+distinguishing traits of American womanhood was the ability to
+perform admirably with one's own hand many menial duties and yet be
+prepared to shine socially with the best. Still the experience was
+not quite so easy as she expected; even harassing and mortifying.
+Fortunately, Lewis was more particular about quantity than quality
+where the table was concerned; and, after all, food and domestic
+details were secondary considerations in a noble outlook. It would
+have suited her never to be obliged to eat, and to be able to leave
+the care of the house to the hired girl; but that being out of the
+question, it became incumbent on her to make those obligations as
+simple as possible. However, the possession of a new house and gay
+fittings was an agreeable realization. At home everything had been
+upholstered in black horse-hair, and regard for material
+appearances had been obscured for her by the tension of her
+introspective tendencies. Lewis was very kind, and she had no
+reason to reproach herself as yet for her choice. He had insisted
+that she should provide herself with an ample and more stylish
+wardrobe, and though the invitation had interested her but mildly,
+the effect of shrewdly-made and neatly fitting garments on her
+figure had been a revelation. Like the touch of a man's hand, fine
+raiment had seemed to her hitherto almost repellant, but it was
+obvious now that anything which enhanced her effectiveness could
+not be dismissed as valueless. To arrive at definite conclusions in
+regard to her social surroundings was less easy for Selma. Benham,
+in its rapid growth, had got beyond the level simplicity of
+Westfield and Wilton, and was already confronted by the stern
+realities which baffle the original ideal in every American city.
+We like as a nation to cherish the illusion that extremes of social
+condition do not exist even in our large communities, and that the
+plutocrat and the saleslady, the learned professions and the
+proletariat associate on a common basis of equal virtue,
+intelligence, and culture. And yet, although Benham was a
+comparatively young and an essentially American city, there were
+very marked differences in all these respects in its community.</p>
+<p>Topographically speaking the starting point of Benham was its
+water-course. Twenty years before the war Benham was merely a
+cluster of frame houses in the valley of the limpid, peaceful river
+Nye. At that time the inhabitants drank of the Nye taken at a point
+below the town, for there was a high fall which would have made the
+drawing of water above less convenient. This they were doing when
+Selma came to Benham, although every man's hand had been raised
+against the Nye, which was the nearest, and hence for a community
+in hot haste, the most natural receptacle for dyestuffs, ashes and
+all the outflow from woollen mills, pork factories and oil yards,
+and it ran the color of glistening bean soup. From time to time, as
+the city grew, the drawing point had been made a little lower where
+the stream had regained a portion of its limpidity, and no one but
+wiseacres and busybodies questioned its wholesomeness. Benham at
+that time was too preoccupied and too proud of its increasing
+greatness to mistrust its own judgment in matters hygienic,
+artistic, and educational. There came a day later when the river
+rose against the city, and an epidemic of typhoid fever convinced a
+reluctant community that there were some things which free-born
+Americans did not know intuitively. Then there were public meetings
+and a general indignation movement, and presently, under the
+guidance of competent experts, Lake Mohunk, seven miles to the
+north, was secured as a reservoir. Just to show how the temper of
+the times has changed, and how sophisticated in regard to hygienic
+matters some of the good citizens of Benham in these latter days
+have become, it is worthy of mention that, though competent
+chemists declare Lake Mohunk to be free from contamination, there
+are those now who use so-called mineral spring-waters in
+preference; notably Miss Flagg, the daughter of old Joel Flagg,
+once the miller and, at the date when the Babcocks set up their
+household gods, one of the oil magnates of Benham. He drank the
+bean colored Nye to the day of his death and died at eighty; but
+she carries a carboy of spring-water with her personal baggage
+wherever she travels, and is perpetually solicitous in regard to
+the presence of arsenic in wall-papers into the bargain.</p>
+<p>Verily, the world has wagged apace in Benham since Selma first
+looked out at her metal stag and the surrounding landscape. Ten
+years later the Benham Home Beautifying Society took in hand the
+Nye and those who drained into it, and by means of garbage
+consumers, disinfectants, and filters and judiciously arranged
+shrubbery converted its channel and banks into quite a respectable
+citizens' paradise. But even at that time the industries on either
+bank of the Nye, which flowed from east to west, were forcing the
+retail shops and the residences further and further away. To
+illustrate again from the Flagg family, just before the war Joel
+Flagg built a modest house less than a quarter of a mile from the
+southerly bank of the river, expecting to end his days there, and
+was accused by contemporary censors of an intention to seclude
+himself in magnificent isolation. About this time he had yielded to
+the plea of his family, that every other building in the street had
+been given over to trade, and that they were stranded in a social
+Sahara of factories. So like the easy going yet soaring soul that
+he was, he had moved out two miles to what was known as the River
+Drive, where the Nye accomplishes a broad sweep to the south. There
+an ambitious imported architect, glad of such an opportunity to
+speculate in artistic effects, had built for him a conglomeration
+of a feudal castle and an old colonial mansion in all the grisly
+bulk of signal failure.</p>
+<p>Considering our ideals, it is a wonder that no one has provided
+a law forbidding the erection of all the architecturally
+attractive, or sumptuous houses in one neighborhood. It ought not
+to be possible in a republic for such a state of affairs to exist
+as existed in Benham. That is to say all the wealth and fashion of
+the city lay to the west of Central Avenue, which was so literally
+the dividing line that if a Benhamite were referred to as living on
+that street the conventional inquiry would be "On which side?" And
+if the answer were "On the east," the inquirer would be apt to say
+"Oh!" with a cold inflection which suggested a ban. No Benhamite
+has ever been able to explain precisely why it should be more
+creditable to live on one side of the same street than on the
+other, but I have been told by clever women, who were good
+Americans besides, that this is one of the subtle truths which
+baffle the Gods and democracies alike. Central Avenue has long ago
+been appropriated by the leading retail dry-goods shops, huge
+establishments where everything from a set of drawing-room
+furniture to a hair-pin can be bought under a single roof; but at
+that time it was the social artery. Everything to the west was new
+and assertive; then came the shops and the business centre; and to
+the east were Tom, Dick, and Harry, Michael, Isaac and Pietro, the
+army of citizens who worked in the mills, oil yards, and pork
+factories. And to the north, across the river, on the further side
+of more manufacturing establishments, was Poland, so-called&mdash;a
+settlement of the Poles&mdash;to reach whom now there are seven
+bridges of iron. There were but two bridges then, one of wood, and
+journeys across them had not yet been revealed to philanthropic
+young women eager to do good.</p>
+<p>Selma's house lay well to the south-west of Central Avenue, far
+enough removed from the River Drive and the Flagg mansion to be
+humble and yet near enough to be called looking up. Their row was
+complete and mainly occupied, but the locality was a-building, and
+in the process of making acquaintance. So many strangers had come
+to Benham that even Babcock knew but few of their neighbors.
+Without formulating definitely how it was to happen, Selma had
+expected to be received with open arms into a society eager to
+recognize her salient qualities. But apparently, at first glance,
+everybody's interest was absorbed by the butcher and grocer, the
+dressmaker and the domestic hearth. That is, the other people in
+their row seemed to be content to do as they were doing. The
+husbands went to town every day&mdash;town which lay in the murky
+distance&mdash;and their wives were friendly enough, but did not
+seem to be conscious either of voids in their own existence or of
+the privilege of her society. To be sure, they dressed well and
+were suggestive in that, but they looked blank at some of her
+inquiries, and appeared to feel their days complete if, after the
+housework had been done and the battle fought with the hired girl,
+they were able to visit the shopping district and pore over
+fabrics, in case they could not buy them. Some were evidently
+looking forward to the day when they might be so fortunate as to
+possess one of the larger houses of the district a mile away, and
+figure among what they termed "society people." There were others
+who, in their satisfaction with this course of life, referred with
+a touch of self-righteousness to the dwellers on the River Drive as
+deserving reprobation on account of a lack of serious purpose. This
+criticism appealed to Selma, and consoled her in a measure for the
+half mortification with which she had begun to realize that she was
+not of so much account as she had expected; at least, that there
+were people not very far distant from her block who were different
+somehow from her neighbors, and who took part in social proceedings
+in which she and her husband were not invited to participate.
+Manifestly they were unworthy and un-American. It was a comfort to
+come to this conclusion, even though her immediate surroundings,
+including the society of those who had put the taunt into her
+thoughts, left her unsatisfied.</p>
+<p>Some relief was provided at last by her church. Babcock was by
+birth an Episcopalian, though he had been lax in his interest
+during early manhood. This was one of the matters which he had
+expected marriage to correct, and he had taken up again, not merely
+with resignation but complacency, the custom of attending service
+regularly. Dr. White had been a controversial Methodist, but since
+his wife's death, and especially since the war, he had abstained
+from religious observances, and had argued himself somewhat far
+afield from the fold of orthodox belief. Consequently Selma, though
+she attended church at Westfield when her father's ailments did not
+require her presence at home, had been brought up to exercise her
+faculties freely on problems of faith and to feel herself a little
+more enlightened than the conventional worshipper. Still she was
+not averse to following her husband to the Rev. Henry Glynn's
+church. The experience was another revelation to her, for service
+at Westfield had been eminently severe and unadorned. Mr. Glynn was
+an Englishman; a short, stout, strenuous member of the Church of
+England with a broad accent and a predilection for ritual, but
+enthusiastic and earnest. He had been tempted to cross the ocean by
+the opportunities for preaching the gospel to the heathen, and he
+had fixed on Benham as a vineyard where he could labor to
+advantage. His advent had been a success. He had awakened interest
+by his fervor and by his methods. The pew taken by Babcock was one
+of the last remaining, and there was already talk of building a
+larger church to replace the chapel where he ministered. Choir
+boys, elaborate vestments, and genuflections, were novelties in the
+Protestant worship of Benham, and attracted the attention of many
+almost weary of plainer forms of worship, especially as these
+manifestations of color were effectively supplemented by evident
+sincerity of spirit on the part of their pastor. Nor were his
+energy and zeal confined to purely spiritual functions. The scope
+of his church work was practical and social. He had organized from
+the congregation societies of various sorts to relieve the poor;
+Bible classes and evening reunions which the members of the parish
+were urged to attend in order to become acquainted. Mr. Glynn's
+manner was both hearty and pompous. To him there was no Church in
+the world but the Church of England, and it was obvious that as one
+of the clergy of that Church he considered himself to be no mean
+man; but apart from this serious intellectual foible with respect
+to his own relative importance, he was a stimulating Christian and
+citizen within his lights. His active, crusading, and emotional
+temperament just suited the seething propensities of Benham.</p>
+<p>His flock comprised a few of the residents of the River Drive
+district, among them the Flaggs, but was a fairly representative
+mixture of all grades of society, including the poorest. These last
+were specimens under spiritual duress rather than free worshippers,
+and it was a constant puzzle to the reverend gentleman why, in the
+matter of attendance, they, metaphorically speaking, sickened and
+died. It had never been so in England. "Bonnets!" responded one day
+Mrs. Hallett Taylor, who had become Mr. Glynn's leading ally in
+parish matters, and was noted for her executive ability. She was an
+engaging but clear-headed soul who went straight to the point.</p>
+<p>"I do not fathom your meaning," said the pastor, a little
+loftily, for the suggestion sounded flippant.</p>
+<p>"It hurts their feelings to go to a church where their clothes
+are shabby compared with those of the rest of the
+congregation."</p>
+<p>"Yes, but in God's chapel, dear lady, all such distinctions
+should be forgotten."</p>
+<p>"They can't forget, and I don't blame them much, poor things, do
+you? It's the free-born American spirit. There now, Mr. Glynn, you
+were asking me yesterday to suggest some one for junior warden. Why
+not Mr. Babcock? They're new comers and seem available people."</p>
+<p>Mr. Glynn's distress at her first question was merged in the
+interest inspired by her second, for his glance had followed hers
+until it rested on the Babcocks, who had just entered the vestry to
+attend the social reunion. Selma's face wore its worried archangel
+aspect. She was on her good behavior and proudly on her guard
+against social impertinence. But she looked very pretty, and her
+compact, slight figure indicated a busy way.</p>
+<p>"I will interrogate him," he answered. "I have observed them
+before, and&mdash;and I can't quite make out the wife. It is almost
+a spiritual face, and yet&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"Just a little hard and keen," broke in Mrs. Taylor, upon his
+hesitation. "She is pretty, and she looks clever. I think we can
+get some work out of her."</p>
+<p>Thereupon she sailed gracefully in the direction of Selma. Mrs.
+Taylor was from Maryland. Her husband, a physician, had come to
+Benham at the close of the war to build up a practice, and his wife
+had aided him by her energy and graciousness to make friends.
+Unlike some Southerners, she was not indolent, and yet she
+possessed all the ingratiating, spontaneous charm of well-bred
+women from that section of the country. Her tastes were
+&aelig;sthetic and ethical rather than intellectual, and her
+special interest at the moment was the welfare of the church. She
+thought it desirable that all the elements of which the
+congregation was composed should be represented on the committees,
+and Selma seemed to her the most obviously available person from
+the class to which the Babcocks belonged.</p>
+<p>"I want you to help us," she said. "I think you have ideas. We
+need a woman with sense and ideas on our committee to build the new
+church."</p>
+<p>Selma was not used to easy grace and sprightly spontaneity. It
+affected her at first much as the touch of man; but just as in that
+instance the experience was agreeable. Life was too serious a thing
+in her regard to lend itself casually to lightness, and yet she
+felt instinctively attracted by this lack of self-consciousness and
+self-restraint. Besides here was an opportunity such as she had
+been yearning for. She had met Mrs. Taylor before, and knew her to
+be the presiding genius of the congregation; and it was evident
+that Mrs. Taylor had discovered her value.</p>
+<p>"Thank you," she said, gravely, but cordially. "That is what I
+should like. I wish to be of use. I shall be pleased to serve on
+the committee."</p>
+<p>"It will be interesting, I think. I have never helped build
+anything before. Perhaps you have?"</p>
+<p>"No," said Selma slowly. Her tone conveyed the impression that,
+though her abilities had never been put to that precise test, the
+employment seemed easily within her capacity.</p>
+<p>"Ah! I am sure you will be suggestive" said Mrs. Taylor. "I am
+right anxious that it shall be a credit in an architectural way,
+you know."</p>
+<p>Mr. Glynn, who had followed with more measured tread, now
+mingled his hearty bass voice in the conversation. His mental
+attitude was friendly, but inquisitorial; as seemed to him to befit
+one charged with the cure of souls. He proceeded to ask questions,
+beginning with inquiries conventional and domestic, but verging
+presently on points of faith. Babcock, to whom they were directly
+addressed, stood the ordeal well, revealing himself as flattered,
+contrite, and zealous to avail himself of the blessings of the
+church. He admitted that lately he had been lax in his spiritual
+duties.</p>
+<p>"We come every Sunday now," he said buoyantly, with a glance at
+Selma as though to indicate that she deserved the credit of his
+reformation.</p>
+<p>"The holy sacrament of marriage has led many souls from darkness
+into light, from the flesh-pots of Egypt to the table of the Lord"
+Mr. Glynn answered. "And you, my daughter," he added, meaningly,
+"guard well your advantage."</p>
+<p>It was agreeable to Selma that the clergymen seemed to
+appreciate her superiority to her embarrassed husband, especially
+as she thought she knew that in England women were not expected to
+have opinions of their own. She wished to say something to impress
+him more distinctly with her cleverness, for though she was
+secretly contemptuous of his ceremonials, there was something
+impressive in his mandatory zeal. She came near asking whether he
+held to the belief that it was wrong for a man to marry his
+deceased wife's sister, which was the only proposition in relation
+to the married state which occurred to her at the moment as likely
+to show her independence, but she contented herself instead with
+saying, with so much of Mrs. Taylor's spontaneity as she could
+reproduce without practice, "We expect to be very happy in your
+church."</p>
+<p>Selma, however, supplemented her words with her tense spiritual
+look. She felt happier than she had for weeks, inasmuch as life
+seemed to be opening before her. For a few moments she listened to
+Mr. Glynn unfold his hopes in regard to the new church, trying to
+make him feel that she was no common woman. She considered it a
+tribute to her when he took Lewis aside later and asked him to
+become a junior warden.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER III.</h3>
+<p>At this time the necessity for special knowledge as to artistic
+or educational matters was recognized grudgingly in Benham. Any
+reputable citizen was considered capable to pass judgment on
+statues and pictures, design a house or public building, and
+prescribe courses of study for school-children. Since then the
+free-born Benhamite, little by little, through wise legislation or
+public opinion, born of bitter experience, has been robbed of these
+prerogatives until, not long ago, the un-American and undemocratic
+proposition to take away the laying out of the new city park from
+the easy going but ignorant mercies of the so-called city forester,
+who had been first a plumber and later an alderman, prevailed. An
+enlightened civic spirit triumphed and special knowledge was
+invoked.</p>
+<p>That was twenty-five years later. Mrs. Hallett Taylor had found
+herself almost single-handed at the outset in her purpose to build
+the new church on artistic lines. Or rather the case should be
+stated thus: Everyone agreed that it was to be the most beautiful
+church in the country, consistent with the money, and no one
+doubted that it would be, especially as everyone except Mrs. Taylor
+felt that in confiding the matter to the leading architect in
+Benham the committee would be exercising a wise and intelligent
+discretion. Mr. Pierce, the individual suggested, had never, until
+recently, employed the word architect in speaking of himself, and
+he pronounced it, as did some of the committee, "arshitect," shying
+a little at the word, as though it were caviare and anything but
+American. He was a builder, practised by a brief but rushing career
+in erecting houses, banks, schools, and warehouses speedily and
+boldly. He had been on the spot when the new growth of Benham
+began, and his handiwork was writ large all over the city. The city
+was proud of him, and had, as it were, sniffed when Joel Flagg went
+elsewhere for a man to build his new house. Surely, if it were
+necessary to pay extra for that sort of thing, was not home talent
+good enough? Yet it must be confessed that the ugly splendor of the
+Flagg medi&aelig;val castle had so far dazed the eye of Benham that
+its "arshitect" had felt constrained, in order to keep up with the
+times, to try fancy flights of his own. He had silenced any
+doubting Thomases by his latest effort, a new school-house, rich in
+rampant angles and scrolls, on the brown-stone front of which the
+name <i>Flagg School</i> appeared in ambitious, distorted
+hieroglyphics.</p>
+<p>Think what a wealth of imagery in the tossing of the second O on
+top of the L. If artistic novelty and genius were sought for the
+new church, here it was ready to be invoked. Besides, Mr. Pierce
+was a brother-in-law of one of the members of the committee, and,
+though the committee had the fear of God in their hearts in the
+erection of his sanctuary, it was not easy to protest against the
+near relative of a fellow member, especially one so competent.</p>
+<p>The committee numbered seven. Selma had been chosen to fill a
+vacancy caused by death, but at the time of her selection the
+matter was still in embryo, and the question of an architect had
+not been mooted. At the next meeting discussion arose as to whether
+Mr. Pierce should be given the job, under the eagle eyes of a
+sub-committee, or Mrs. Taylor's project of inviting competitive
+designs should be adopted. It was known that Mr. Glynn, without
+meaning disrespect to Mr. Pierce, favored the latter plan as more
+progressive, a word always attractive to Benham ears when they had
+time to listen. Its potency, coupled with veneration, for the
+pastor's opinion, had secured the vote of Mr. Clyme, a banker.
+Another member of the committee, a lawyer, favored Mrs. Taylor's
+idea because of a grudge against Mr. Pierce. The chairman and
+brother-in-law, and a hard-headed stove dealer, were opposed to the
+competitive plan as highfalutin and unnecessary. Thus the deciding
+vote lay with Selma.</p>
+<p>Now that they were on the same committee, Mrs. Taylor could not
+altogether make her out. She remembered that Mr. Glynn had said the
+same thing. Mrs. Taylor was accustomed to conquests. Without actual
+premeditation, she was agreeably conscious of being able to convert
+and sweep most opponents off their feet by the force of her
+pleasant personality. In this case the effect was not so obvious.
+She was conscious that Selma's eyes were constantly fixed upon her,
+but as to what she was thinking Mrs. Taylor felt less certain.
+Clearly she was mesmerized, but was the tribute admiration or
+hostility? Mrs. Taylor was piqued, and put upon her metal. Besides
+she needed Selma's vote. Not being skilled in psychological
+analyses, she had to resort to practical methods, and invited her
+to afternoon tea.</p>
+<p>Selma had never been present at afternoon tea as a domestic
+function in her life. Nor had she seen a home like Mrs. Taylor's.
+The house was no larger than her own, and had cost less. Medicine
+had not been so lucrative as the manufacture of varnish. Externally
+the house displayed stern lines of unadorned brick&mdash;the
+custom-made style of Benham in the first throes of expansion before
+Mr. Pierce's imagination had been stirred. Mr. Taylor had bought it
+as it stood, and his wife had made no attempt to alter the outside,
+which was, after all, inoffensively homely. But the interior was
+bewildering to Selma's gaze in its suggestion of cosey comfort.
+Pretty, tasteful things, many of them inexpensive knick-knacks of
+foreign origin&mdash;a small picture, a bit of china, a
+medi&aelig;val relic&mdash;were cleverly placed as a relief to the
+conventional furniture. Selma had been used to formalism in
+household garniture&mdash;to a best room little used and precise
+with the rigor of wax flowers and black horse-hair, and to a living
+room where the effect sought was purely utilitarian. Her new home,
+in spite of its colored glass and iron stag, was arranged in much
+this fashion, as were the houses of her neighbors which she had
+entered.</p>
+<p>Selma managed to seat herself on the one straight-backed chair
+in the room. From this she was promptly driven by Mrs. Taylor and
+established in one corner of a lounge with a soft silk cushion
+behind her, and further propitiated by the proffer of a cup of tea
+in a dainty cup and saucer. All this, including Mrs. Taylor's
+musical voice, easy speech, and ingratiating friendliness,
+alternately thrilled and irritated her. She would have liked to
+discard her hostess from her thought as a light creature unworthy
+of intellectual seriousness, but she found herself fascinated and
+even thawed in spite of herself.</p>
+<p>"I'm glad to have the opportunity really to talk to you," said
+Mrs. Taylor. "At the church reunions one is so liable to
+interruptions. If I'm not mistaken, you taught school before you
+were married?"</p>
+<p>"For a short time."</p>
+<p>"That must have been interesting. It is so practical and
+definite. My life," she added deprecatingly, "has been a thing of
+threads and patches&mdash;a bit here and a bit there."</p>
+<p>She paused, but without forcing a response, proceeded blithely
+to touch on her past by way of illustration. The war had come just
+when she was grown up, and her kin in Maryland were divided on the
+issue. Her father had taken his family abroad, but her heart was in
+the keeping of a young officer on the Northern side&mdash;now her
+husband. Loss of property and bitterness of spirit had kept her
+parents expatriated, and she, with them, had journeyed from place
+to place in Europe. She had seen many beautiful places and
+beautiful things. At last Major Taylor had come for her and carried
+her off as his bride to take up again her life as an American.</p>
+<p>"I am interested in Benham," she continued, "and I count on you,
+Mrs. Babcock, to help make the new church what it ought to be
+artistically&mdash;worthy of all the energy and independence there
+is in this place."</p>
+<p>Selma's eye kindled. The allusion to foreign lands had aroused
+her distrust, but this patriotic avowal warmed her pulses.</p>
+<p>"Every one is so busy with private affairs here, owing to the
+rapid growth of the city," pursued Mrs. Taylor, "that there is
+danger of our doing inconsiderately things which cannot easily be
+set right hereafter. An ugly or tawdry-looking building may be an
+eyesore for a generation. I know that we have honest and skilful
+mechanics in Benham, but as trustees of the church funds, shouldn't
+we at least make the effort to get the best talent there is? If we
+have the cleverest architect here, so much the better. An open
+competition will enable us to find out. After all Benham is only
+one city among many, and a very new city. Why shouldn't we take
+advantage of the ideas of the rest of the country&mdash;the older
+portion of the country?"</p>
+<p>"Mr. Pierce built our house, and we think it very satisfactory
+and pretty."</p>
+<p>Selma's tone was firm, but she eyed her hostess narrowly. She
+had begun of late to distrust the &aelig;sthetic worth of the
+colored glass and metal stag, and, though she was on her guard
+against effrontery, she wished to know the truth. She knew that Mr.
+Pierce, with fine business instinct, had already conveyed to her
+husband the promise that he should furnish the varnish for the new
+church in case of his own selection, which, as Babcock had
+remarked, would be a nice thing all round.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Taylor underwent the scrutiny without flinching. "I have
+nothing to say against Mr. Pierce. He is capable within his lights.
+Indeed I think it quite possible that we shall get nothing more
+satisfactory elsewhere. Mr. Flagg's grim pile is anything but
+encouraging. That may sound like an argument against my plan, but
+in the case of the Flagg house there was no competition; merely
+unenlightened choice on the one side and ignorant experimenting on
+the other."</p>
+<p>"You don't seem to think very highly of the appearance of
+Benham," said Selma. The remark was slightly interrogative, but was
+combative withal. She wished to know if everything, from the Flagg
+mansion down, was open to criticism, but she would fain question
+the authority of the censor&mdash;this glib, graceful woman whose
+white, starched cuffs seemed to make light of her own sober,
+unadorned wrists.</p>
+<p>This time Mrs. Taylor flushed faintly. She realized that their
+relations had reached a critical point, and that the next step
+might be fatal. She put down her teacup, and leaning forward, said
+with smiling confidential eagerness, "I don't. I wouldn't admit it
+to anyone else. But what's the use of mincing matters with an
+intelligent woman like you? I might put you off now, and declare
+that Benham is well enough. But you would soon divine what I really
+think, and that would be the end of confidence between us. I like
+honesty and frankness, and I can see that you do. My opinion of
+Benham architecture is that it is slip-shod and mongrel. There! You
+see I put myself in your hands, but I do so because I feel sure you
+nearly agree with me already. You know it's so, but you hate to
+acknowledge it."</p>
+<p>Selma's eyes were bright with interest. She felt flattered by
+the appeal, and there was a righteous assurance in Mrs. Taylor's
+manner which was convincing. She opened her mouth to say
+something&mdash;what she did not quite know&mdash;but Mrs. Taylor
+raised her hand by way of interdiction.</p>
+<p>"Don't answer yet. Let me show you what I mean. I'm as proud of
+Benham as anyone. I am absorbed by the place, I look to see it
+fifty years hence&mdash;perhaps less&mdash;a great city, and a
+beautiful city too. Just at present everything is commercial
+and&mdash;and ethical; yes, ethical. We wish to do and dare, but we
+haven't time to adorn as we construct. That is, most of us haven't.
+But if a few determined spirits&mdash;women though they
+be&mdash;cry 'halt,' art may get a chance here and there to assert
+herself. Look at this," she said, gliding across the room and
+holding up a small vase of exquisite shape and coloring, "I picked
+it up on the other side and it stands almost for a lost art. The
+hands and taste which wrought it represent the transmitted patience
+and skill of hundreds of years. We like to rush things through in a
+few weeks on a design hastily conceived by a Mr. Pierce because we
+are so earnest. Now, we won't do it this time, will we?"</p>
+<p>"No, we won't," said Selma. "I see what you mean. I was afraid
+at first that you didn't give us credit for the
+earnestness&mdash;for the ethical part. That's the first thing, the
+great thing according to my idea, and it's what distinguishes us
+from foreigners,&mdash;the foreigners who made that vase, for
+instance. But I agree with you that there's such a thing as going
+too fast, and very likely some of the buildings here aren't all
+they might be. We don't need to model them on foreign patterns, but
+we must have them pretty and right."</p>
+<p>"Certainly, certainly, my dear. What we should strive for is
+originality&mdash;American originality; but soberly, slowly. Art is
+evolved painfully, little by little; it can't be bought ready-made
+at shops for the asking like tea and sugar. If we invite designs
+for the new church, we shall give the youths of the country who
+have ideas seething in their heads a chance to express themselves.
+Who knows but we may unearth a genius?"</p>
+<p>"Who knows?" echoed Selma, with her spiritual look. "Yes, you
+are right, Mrs. Taylor. I will help you. As you say, there must be
+hundreds of young men who would like to do just that sort of thing.
+I know myself what it is to have lived in a small place without the
+opportunity to show what one could do; to feel the capacity, but to
+be without the means and occasion to reveal what is in one. And now
+that I understand we really look at things the same way, I'm glad
+to join with you in making Benham beautiful. As you say, we women
+can do much if we only will. I've the greatest faith in woman's
+mission in this new, interesting nation of ours. Haven't you, Mrs.
+Taylor? Don't you believe that she, in her new sphere of
+usefulness, is one of the great moving forces of the Republic?"
+Selma was talking rapidly, and had lost every trace of suspicious
+restraint. She spoke as one transfigured.</p>
+<p>"Yes, indeed," answered Mrs. Taylor, checking any disposition
+she may have felt to interpose qualifications. She could acquiesce
+generally without violence to her convictions, and she could not
+afford to imperil the safety of the immediate issue&mdash;her
+church. "I felt sure you would feel so if you only had time to
+reflect," she added. "If you vote with us, you will have the
+pleasant consciousness of knowing that you have advanced woman's
+cause just so much."</p>
+<p>"You may count on my vote."</p>
+<p>Selma stopped on her way home, although it was late, to purchase
+some white cuffs. As she approached, her husband stood on the
+grass-plot in his shirt sleeves with a garden-hose. He was
+whistling, and when he saw her he kissed his hand at her
+jubilantly,</p>
+<p>"Well, sweetheart, where you been?"</p>
+<p>"Visiting. Taking tea with Mrs. Taylor. I've promised her to
+vote to invite bids for the church plans."</p>
+<p>Babcock looked surprised. "That'll throw Pierce out, won't
+it?"</p>
+<p>"Not unless some one else submits a better design than he."</p>
+<p>Lewis scratched his head. "I considered that order for varnish
+as good as booked."</p>
+<p>"I'm not sure Mr. Pierce knows as much as he thinks he does,"
+said Selma oracularly. "We shall get plans from New York and
+Boston. If we don't like them we needn't take them. But that's the
+way to get an artistic thing. And we're going to have the most
+artistic church in Benham. I'm sorry about the varnish, but a
+principle is involved."</p>
+<p>Babcock was puzzled but content. He cared far more for the
+disappointment to Pierce than for the loss of the order. But apart
+from the business side of the question, he never doubted that his
+wife must be right, nor did he feel obliged to inquire what
+principle was involved. He was pleased to have her associate with
+Mrs. Taylor, and was satisfied that she would be a credit to him in
+any situation where occult questions of art or learning were
+mooted. He dropped his hose and pulled her down beside him on the
+porch settee. There was a beautiful sunset, and the atmosphere was
+soft and refreshing. Selma felt satisfied with herself. As Mrs.
+Taylor had said, it was her vote which would turn the scale on
+behalf of progress. Other things, too, were in her mind. She was
+not ready to admit that she had been instructed, but she was
+already planning changes in her own domestic interior, suggested by
+what she had seen.</p>
+<p>She let her husband squeeze her hand, but her thoughts were
+wandering from his blandishments. Presently she said: "Lewis, I've
+begun lately to doubt if that stag is really pretty."</p>
+<p>"The stag? Well, now, I've always thought it tasty&mdash;one of
+the features of our little place."</p>
+<p>"No one would mistake it for a real deer. It looks to me almost
+comical."</p>
+<p>Babcock turned to regard judicially the object of her
+criticism.</p>
+<p>"I like it," he said somewhat mournfully, as though he were
+puzzled. "But if you don't, we'll change the stag for something
+else. I wish you to be pleased first of all. Instead we might have
+a fountain; two children under an umbrella I saw the other day. It
+was cute. How does that strike you?"</p>
+<p>"I can't tell without seeing it. And, Lewis, promise me that you
+won't select anything new of that sort until I have looked at
+it."</p>
+<p>"Very well," Babcock answered submissively. But he continued to
+look puzzled. In his estimate of his wife's superiority to himself
+in the subtleties of life, it had never occurred to him to include
+the choice of every-day objects of art. He had eyes and could judge
+for himself like any other American citizen. Still, he was only too
+glad to humor Selma in such an unimportant matter, especially as he
+was eager for her happiness.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER IV.</h3>
+<p>Seven designs for the new church were submitted, including three
+from Benham architects. The leaven of influence exercised by
+spirits like Mrs. Taylor was only just beginning to work, and the
+now common custom of competing outside one's own bailiwick was
+still in embryo. Mr. Pierce's design was bold and sumptuous. His
+brother-in-law stated oracularly not long before the day when the
+plans were to be opened: "Pierce is not a man to be frightened out
+of a job by frills. Mark my words; he will give us an elegant
+thing." Mr. Pierce had conceived the happy thought of combining a
+Moorish mosque and New England meeting-house in a conservative and
+equitable medley, evidently hoping thereby to be both picturesque
+and traditional. The result, even on paper, was too bold for some
+of his admirers. The chairman was heard to remark: "I shouldn't
+feel as though I was in church. That dome set among spires is close
+to making a theatre of the house of God."</p>
+<p>The discomfiture of the first architect of Benham cleared the
+way for the triumph of Mrs. Taylor's taste. The design submitted by
+Wilbur Littleton of New York, seemed to her decidedly the most
+meritorious. It was graceful, appropriate, and artistic; entirely
+in harmony with religious associations, yet agreeably different
+from every day sanctuaries. The choice lay between his and that
+presented by Mr. Cass, a Benham builder&mdash;a matter-of-fact,
+serviceable, but very conventional edifice. The hard-headed stove
+dealer on the committee declared in favor of the native design, as
+simpler and more solid.</p>
+<p>"It'll be a massive structure" he said, "and when it's finished
+no one will have to ask what it is. It'll speak for itself. Mr.
+Cass is a solid business man, and we know what we'll get. The other
+plan is what I call dandified."</p>
+<p>It was evident to the committee that the stove dealer's final
+criticism comprehended the architect as well as his design. Several
+competitors&mdash;Littleton among them&mdash;had come in person to
+explain the merits of their respective drawings, and by the side of
+solid, red-bearded, undecorative Mr. Cass, Littleton may well have
+seemed a dandy. He was a slim young man with a delicate, sensitive
+face and intelligent brown eyes. He looked eager and interesting.
+In his case the almost gaunt American physiognomy was softened by a
+suggestion of poetic impulses. Yet the heritage of nervous energy
+was apparent. His appearance conveyed the impression of quiet
+trigness and gentility. His figure lent itself to his clothes,
+which were utterly inconspicuous, judged by metropolitan standards,
+but flawless in the face of hard-headed theories of life, and
+aroused suspicion. He spoke in a gentle but earnest manner,
+pointing out clearly, yet modestly, the merits of his
+composition.</p>
+<p>Selma had never seen a man just like him before, and she noticed
+that from the outset his eyes seemed to be fastened on her as
+though his words were intended for her special benefit. She had
+never read the lines&mdash;indeed they had not been
+written&mdash;</p>
+<p>"I think I could be happy with a gentleman like you."</p>
+<p>Nor did the precise sentiment contained in them shape itself in
+her thought. Yet she was suddenly conscious that she had been
+starving for lack of intellectual companionship, and that he was
+the sort of man she had hoped to meet&mdash;the sort of man who
+could appreciate her and whom she could appreciate.</p>
+<p>It did not become necessary for Selma to act as Mr. Littleton's
+champion, for the stove dealer's criticism found only one
+supporter. The New Yorker's design for the church was so obviously
+pretty and suitable that a majority of the Committee promptly
+declared in its favor. The successful competitor, who had remained
+a day to learn the result, was solemnly informed of the decision,
+and then elaborately introduced to the members. In shaking hands
+with him, Selma experienced a shade of embarrassment. It was plain
+that his words to her, spoken with a low bow&mdash;"I am very much
+gratified that my work pleases you" conveyed a more spiritual
+significance than was contained in his thanks to the others. Still
+he seemed more at his ease with Mrs. Taylor, who promptly broke the
+ice of the situation by fixing him as a close relative of friends
+in Baltimore. Straightway he became sprightly and voluble, speaking
+of things and people beyond Selma's experience. This social jargon
+irritated Selma. It seemed to her a profanation of a noble
+character, yet she was annoyed because she could not
+understand.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Taylor, having discovered in Mr. Littleton one who should
+have been a friend long before, succeeded in carrying him off to
+dinner. Yet, before taking his leave, he came back to Selma for a
+few words. She had overheard Mrs. Taylor's invitation, and she
+asked herself why she too might not become better acquainted with
+this young man whose attitude toward her was that of respectful
+admiration. To have a strange young man to dine off-hand struck her
+as novel. She had a general conviction that it would seem to Lewis
+closely allied to light conduct, and that only foreigners or
+frivolous people let down to this extent the bars of family life.
+Now that Mrs. Taylor had set her the example, she was less certain
+of the moral turpitude of such an act, but she concluded also that
+her husband would be in the way at table. What she desired was an
+opportunity for a long, interesting chat about high things.</p>
+<p>While she reflected, he was saying to her, "I understand that
+your committee is to supervise my work until the new church is
+completed, so I shall hope to have the opportunity to meet you
+occasionally. It will be necessary for me to make trips here from
+time to time to see that everything is being done correctly by the
+mechanics."</p>
+<p>"Do you go away immediately?"</p>
+<p>"It may be that I shall be detained by the arrangements which I
+must make here until day after to-morrow."</p>
+<p>"If you would really like to see me, I live at 25 Onslow
+Avenue."</p>
+<p>"Thank you very much." Littleton took out a small memorandum
+book and carefully noted the address. "Mrs. Babcock, 25 Onslow
+Avenue. I shall make a point of calling to-morrow afternoon if I
+stay&mdash;and probably I shall."</p>
+<p>He bowed and left Selma pleasantly stirred by the interview. His
+voice was low and his enunciation sympathetically fluent. She said
+to herself that she would give him afternoon tea and they would
+compare ideas together. She felt sure that his must be
+interesting.</p>
+<p>Later in the evening at Mrs. Taylor's, when there was a pause in
+their sympathetic interchange of social and &aelig;sthetic
+convictions, Littleton said abruptly:</p>
+<p>"Tell me something, please, about Mrs. Babcock. She has a
+suggestive as well as a beautiful face, and it is easy to perceive
+that she is genuinely American&mdash;not one of the women of whom
+we were speaking, who seem to be ashamed of their own institutions,
+and who ape foreign manners and customs. I fancy she would
+illustrate what I was saying just now as to the vital importance of
+our clinging to our heritage of independent thought&mdash;of
+accepting the truth of the ancient order of things without allowing
+its lies and demerits to enslave us."</p>
+<p>"I suppose so," said Mrs. Taylor. "She certainly does not belong
+to the dangerous class of whom you were speaking. I was flattering
+myself that neither did I, for I was agreeing with all you said as
+to the need of cherishing our native originality. Yet I must
+confess that now that you compare me with her (the actual
+comparison is my own, but you instigated it), I begin to feel more
+doubts about myself&mdash;that is if she is the true species, and
+I'm inclined to think she is. Pray excuse this indirect method of
+answering your inquiry; it is in the nature of a soliloquy; it is
+an airing of thoughts and doubts which have been harassing me for a
+fortnight&mdash;ever since I knew Mrs. Babcock. Really, Mr.
+Littleton, I can tell you very little about her. She is a new-comer
+on the horizon of Benham; she has been married very recently; I
+believe she has taught school and that she was brought up not far
+from here. She is as proud as Lucifer and sometimes as beautiful;
+she is profoundly serious and&mdash;and apparently very ignorant. I
+fancy she is clever and capable in her way, but I admit she is an
+enigma to me and that I have not solved it. I can see she does not
+approve of me altogether. She regards me with suspicion, and yet
+she threw the casting vote in favor of my proposal to open the
+competition for the church to architects from other places. I am
+trying to like her, for I wish to believe in everything genuinely
+American if I can. There, I have told you all I know, and to a man
+she may seem altogether attractive and inspiring."</p>
+<p>"Thank you. I had no conception that I was broaching such a
+complex subject. She sounds interesting, and my curiosity is
+whetted. You have not mentioned the husband."</p>
+<p>"To be sure. A burly, easy-going manufacturer of varnish,
+without much education, I should judge. He is manifestly her
+inferior in half a dozen ways, but I understand that he is making
+money, and he looks kind."</p>
+<p>Wilbur Littleton's life since he had come to man's estate had
+been a struggle, and he was only just beginning to make headway. He
+had never had time to commiserate himself, for necessity on the one
+hand and youthful ambition on the other had kept his energies tense
+and his thoughts sane and hopeful. He and his sister Pauline, a
+year his senior, had been left orphans while both were students by
+the death of their father on the battlefield. To persevere in their
+respective tastes and work out their educations had been a labor of
+love, but an undertaking which demanded rigorous self-denial on the
+part of each. Wilbur had determined to become an architect.
+Pauline, early interested in the dogma that woman must no longer be
+barred from intellectual companionship with man, had sought to
+cultivate herself intelligently without sacrificing her brother's
+domestic comfort. She had succeeded. Their home in New York,
+despite its small dimensions and frugal hospitality, was already a
+favorite resort of a little group of professional people with busy
+brains and light purses. Wilbur was in the throes of early
+progress. He had no relatives or influential friends to give him
+business, and employment came slowly. He had been an architect on
+his own account for two years, but was still obliged to supplement
+his professional orders by work as a draughtsman for others. Yet
+his enthusiasm kept him buoyant. In respect to his own work he was
+scrupulous; indeed, a stern critic. He abhorred claptrap and
+specious effects, and aimed at high standards of artistic
+expression. This gave him position among his brother architects,
+but was incompatible with meteoric progress. His design for the
+church at Benham represented much thought and hope, and he felt
+happy at his success.</p>
+<p>Littleton's familiarity with women, apart from his sister, had
+been slight, but his thoughts regarding them were in keeping with a
+poetic and aspiring nature. He hoped to marry some day, and he was
+fond of picturing to himself in moments of reverie the sort of
+woman to whom his heart would be given. In the shrine of his secret
+fancy she appeared primarily as an object of reverence, a
+white-souled angel of light clad in the graceful outlines of flesh,
+an Amazon and yet a winsome, tender spirit, and above all a being
+imbued with the stimulating intellectual independence he had been
+taught to associate with American womanhood. She would be the
+loving wife of his bosom and the intelligent sharer of his thoughts
+and aspirations&mdash;often their guide. So pure and exacting was
+his ideal that while alive to the value of coyness and coquetry as
+elements of feminine attraction for others, Wilbur had chosen to
+regard the maiden of his faith as too serious a spirit to
+condescend to such vanities; and from a similar vein of
+appreciation he was prone to think of her as unadorned, or rather
+untarnished, by the gewgaws of fashionable dressmaking and
+millinery. His first sight of Selma had made him conscious that
+here was a face not unlike what he had hoped to encounter some day,
+and he had instinctively felt her to be sympathetic. He was even
+conscious of disappointment when he heard her addressed as Mrs.
+Babcock. Evidently she was a free-born soul, unhampered by the
+social weaknesses of a large city, and illumined by the spiritual
+grace of native womanliness. So he thought of her, and Mrs.
+Taylor's diagnosis rather confirmed than impaired his impression,
+for in Mrs. Taylor Wilbur felt he discerned a trace of antagonism
+born of cosmopolitan prejudice&mdash;an inability to value at its
+true worth a nature not moulded on conventional lines. Rigorous as
+he was in his judgments, and eager to disown what was cheap or
+shallow, mere conventionalism, whether in art or daily life, was no
+less abhorrent to him. Here, he said to himself, was an original
+soul, ignorant and unenlightened perhaps, but endowed with swift
+perception and capable of noble development.</p>
+<p>The appearance of Selma's scroll and glass bedizened house did
+not affect this impression. Wilbur was first of all appreciatively
+an American. That is he recognized that native energy had hitherto
+been expended on the things of the spirit to the neglect of things
+material. As an artist he was supremely interested in awakening and
+guiding the national taste in respect to art, but at the same time
+he was thoroughly aware that the peculiar vigor and independence of
+character which he knew as Americanism was often utterly
+indifferent to, or ignorant of, the value of &aelig;sthetics. After
+all, art was a secondary consideration, whereas the inward vision
+which absorbed the attention of the thoughtful among his countrymen
+and countrywomen was an absolute essential without which the soul
+must lose its fineness. He himself was seeking to show that beauty,
+in external material expression, was not merely consistent with
+strong ideals but requisite to their fit presentment. He recognized
+too that the various and variegated departures from the monotonous
+homely pattern of the every-day American house, which were evident
+in each live town, were but so many indicators that the nation was
+beginning to realize the truth of this. His battle was with the
+designers and builders who were guiding falsely and flamboyantly,
+not with the deceived victims, nor with those who were still
+satisfied merely to look inwardly, and ignored form and color.
+Hence he would have been able to behold the Babcocks' iron stag
+without rancor had the animal still occupied the grass-plot. Selma,
+when she saw the figure of her visitor in the door-way,
+congratulated herself that it had been removed. It would have
+pleased her to know that Mr. Littleton had already placed her in a
+niche above the level of mere grass-plot considerations. That was
+where she belonged of course; but she was fearful on the score of
+suspected shortcomings. So it was gratifying to be able to receive
+him in a smarter gown, to be wearing white cuffs, and to offer him
+tea with a touch of Mrs. Taylor's tormenting urbanity. Not so
+unreservedly as she. That would never do. It was and never would be
+in keeping with her own ideas of serious self-respect. Still a
+touch of it was grateful to herself. She felt that it was a grace
+and enhanced her effectiveness.</p>
+<p>A few moments later Selma realized that for the first time since
+she had lived in Benham she was being understood and appreciated.
+She felt too that for the first time she was talking to a kindred
+spirit&mdash;to be sure, to one different, and more technically
+proficient in concrete knowledge, possibly more able, too, to
+express his thoughts in words, but eminently a comrade and
+sympathizer. She was not obliged to say much. Nor were, indeed, his
+actual words the source of her realization. The revelation came
+from what was left unsaid&mdash;from the silent recognition by him
+that she was worthy to share his best thoughts and was herself a
+serious worker in the struggle of life. No graceful but galling
+attitude of superiority, no polite indifference to her soul-hunger,
+no disposition to criticise. And yet he was no less voluble,
+clever, and spirited than Mrs. Taylor. She listened with wrapt
+interest to his easy talk, which was ever grave in tone, despite
+his pleasant sallies. He spoke of Benham with quick appreciation of
+its bustling energy, and let her see that he divined its capacity
+for greatness. This led him to refer with kindling eyes to the keen
+impulse toward education and culture which was animating the
+younger men and women of the country; to the new beginnings of art,
+literature, and scientific investigation. At scarcely a hint from
+her he told briefly of his past life and his hopes, and fondly
+mentioned his sister and her present absorption in some history
+courses for women.</p>
+<p>"And you?" he said. "You are a student, too. Mrs. Taylor has
+told me, but I should have guessed it. Duties even more interesting
+claim you now, but it is easy to perceive that you have known that
+other happiness, 'To scorn delights and live laborious days.'"</p>
+<p>His words sounded musical, though the quotation from Lycidas was
+unfamiliar to her ears. Her brain was thrilling with the import of
+all he had told her&mdash;with his allusions to the intellectual
+and ethical movements of Boston and New York, in which she felt
+herself by right and with his recognition a partner and peer.</p>
+<p>"You were teaching school when you married, I believe?" he
+added.</p>
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+<p>"And before that, if I may ask?"</p>
+<p>"I lived at Westfield with my father. It is a small country
+town, but we tried to be in earnest."</p>
+<p>"I understand&mdash;I understand. You grew up among the trees,
+and the breezes and the brooks, those wonderful wordless teachers.
+I envy you, for they give one time to think&mdash;to expand. I have
+known only city life myself. It is stimulating, but one is so
+easily turned aside from one's direct purpose. Do you write at
+all?"</p>
+<p>"Not yet. But I have wished to. Some day I shall. Just now I
+have too many domestic concerns to&mdash;"</p>
+<p>She did not finish, for Babcock's heavy tread and whistle
+resounded in the hall and at the next moment he was calling
+"Selma!"</p>
+<p>She felt annoyed at being interrupted, but she divined that it
+would never do to show it.</p>
+<p>"My husband," she said, and she raised her voice to utter with a
+sugared dignity which would have done credit to Mrs. Taylor,</p>
+<p>"I am in the parlor, Lewis."</p>
+<p>"Enter your chief domestic concern," said Littleton blithely. "A
+happy home is preferable to all the poems and novels in the
+world."</p>
+<p>Babcock, pushing open the door, which stood ajar, stopped short
+in his melody.</p>
+<p>"This is Mr. Littleton, Lewis. The architect of our new
+church."</p>
+<p>"Pleased to make your acquaintance." And by way of accounting
+for the sudden softening of his brow, Babcock added, "I set you
+down at first as one of those lightning-rod agents. There was one
+here last week who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."</p>
+<p>"He has an advantage over me," answered Littleton with a laugh.
+"In my business a man can't solicit orders. He has to sit and wait
+for them to come to him."</p>
+<p>"I want to know. My wife thinks a lot of your drawings for the
+new church."</p>
+<p>"I hope to make it a credit to your city. I've just been saying
+to your wife, Mr. Babcock, that Benham has a fine future before it.
+The very atmosphere seems charged with progress."</p>
+<p>Babcock beamed approvingly. "It's a driving place, sir. The man
+in Benham who stops by the way-side to scratch his head gets left
+behind. When we moved into this house a year ago looking through
+that window we were at the jumping-off place; now you see houses
+cropping up in every direction. It's going to be a big city.
+Pleased to have you stop to supper with us," he added with burly
+suavity as their visitor rose.</p>
+<p>Littleton excused himself and took his leave. Babcock escorted
+him to the front door and full of his subject delayed him on the
+porch to touch once more on the greatness of Benham. There was a
+clumsy method too in this optimistic garrulity, for at the close he
+referred with some pride to his own business career, and made a
+tender of his business card, "Lewis Babcock &amp; Company,
+Varnishes," with a flourish. "If you do anything in my line,
+pleased to accommodate you."</p>
+<p>Littleton departing, tickled by a pleasant sense of humor,
+caught through the parlor window a last glimpse of Selma's inspired
+face bowing gravely, yet wistfully, in acknowledgment of his lifted
+hat, and he strode away under the spell of a brain picture which he
+transmuted into words: "There's the sort of case where the cynical
+foreigner fails to appreciate the true import of our American life.
+That couple typifies the elements of greatness in our every-day
+people. At first blush the husband's rough and material, but he's
+shrewd and enterprising and vigorous&mdash;the bread winner. He's
+enormously proud of her, and he has reason to be, for she is a
+constant stimulus to higher things. Little by little, and without
+his knowing it, perhaps, she will smoothe and elevate him, and they
+will develop together, growing in intelligence and cultivation as
+they wax in worldly goods. After all, woman is our most marvellous
+native product&mdash;that sort of woman. Heigho!" Having given vent
+to this sigh, Littleton proceeded to recognize the hopelessness of
+the personal situation by murmuring with a slightly forced access
+of sprightliness</p>
+<p>"If she be not fair for me,<br />
+What care I how fair she be?"</p>
+<p>Still he intended to see more of Mrs. Babcock, and that without
+infringing the tenth or any other commandment. To flirt with a
+married woman savored to him of things un-American and unworthy,
+and Littleton had much too healthy an imagination to rhapsodize
+from such a stand-point. Yet he foresaw that they might be mutually
+respecting friends.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER V.</h3>
+<p>Selma knew intuitively that an American woman was able to cook a
+smooth custard, write a poem and control real society with one and
+the same brain and hand, and she was looking forward to the
+realization of the apotheosis; but, though she was aware that
+children are the natural increment of wedlock, she had put the idea
+from her ever since her marriage as impersonal and vaguely
+disgusting. Consequently her confinement came as an unwelcome
+interruption of her occupations and plans.</p>
+<p>Her connection with the committee for the new church had proved
+an introduction to other interests, charitable and social. One day
+she was taken by Mrs. Taylor to a meeting of the Benham Woman's
+Institute, a literary club recently established by Mrs. Margaret
+Rodney Earle, a Western newspaper woman who had made her home in
+Benham. Selma came in upon some twenty of her own sex in a hotel
+private parlor hired weekly for the uses of the Institute. Mrs.
+Earle, the president, a large florid woman of fifty, with gray hair
+rising from the brow, fluent of speech, endowed with a public
+manner, a commanding bust and a vigorous, ingratiating smile,
+wielded a gavel at a little table and directed the exercises. A
+paper on Shakespeare's heroines was read and discussed. Selections
+on the piano followed. A thin woman in eye-glasses, the literary
+editor of the <i>Benham Sentinel</i>, recited "Curfew must not ring
+to-night," and a visitor from Wisconsin gave an exhibition in
+melodious whistling. In the intervals, tea, chocolate with whipped
+cream and little cakes were dispensed.</p>
+<p>Selma was absorbed and thrilled. What could be more to her taste
+than this? At the close of the whistling exercise, Mrs. Earle came
+over and spoke to her. They took a strong fancy to each other on
+the spot. Selma preferred a person who would tell you everything
+about herself and to whom you could tell everything about yourself
+without preliminaries. People like Mrs. Taylor repressed her, but
+the motherly loquacity and comprehension of Mrs. Earle drew her out
+and thawed at once and forever the ice of acquaintanceship. Before
+she quite realized the extent of this fascination she had promised
+to recite something, and as in a dream, but with flushing cheeks,
+she heard the President rap the table and announce "You will be
+gratified to hear that a talented friend who is with us has kindly
+consented to favor us with a recital. I have the honor to introduce
+Mrs. Lewis Babcock."</p>
+<p>After the first flush of nervousness, Selma's grave dignity came
+to her support, and justified her completely in her own eyes. Her
+father had been fond of verse, especially of verse imbued with
+moral melancholy, and at his suggestion she had learned and had
+been wont to repeat many of the occasional pieces which he cut from
+the newspapers and collected in a scrap-book. Her own preference
+among these was the poem, "O why should the spirit of mortal be
+proud?" which she had been told was a great favorite of Abraham
+Lincoln. It was this piece which came into her mind when Mrs. Earle
+broached the subject, and this she proceeded to deliver with august
+precision. She spoke clearly and solemnly without the trace of the
+giggling protestation which is so often incident to feminine
+diffidence. She treated the opportunity with the seriousness
+expected, for though the Institute was not proof against light and
+diverting contributions, as the whistling performance indicated,
+levity of spirit would have been out of place.</p>
+<p>"'Tis a twink of the eye, 'tis a draught of the breath<br />
+From the blossom of health to the paleness of death;<br />
+From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud,<br />
+O why should the spirit of mortal be proud?"</p>
+<p>Selma enjoyed the harmony between the long, slow cadence of the
+metre and the important gravity of the theme. She rolled out the
+verses with the intensity of a seer, and she looked a beautiful
+seer as well. Liberal applause greeted her as she sat down, though
+the clapping woman is apt to be a feeble instrument at best. Selma
+knew that she had produced an impression and she was moved by her
+own effectiveness. She was compelled to swallow once or twice to
+conceal the tears in her voice while listening to the
+congratulations of Mrs. Earle. The words which she had just recited
+were ringing through her brain and seemed to her to express the
+pitch at which her life was keyed.</p>
+<p>Selma was chosen a member of the Institute at the next meeting,
+and forthwith she became intimate with the president. Mrs. Margaret
+Rodney Earle was, as she herself phrased it, a live woman. She
+supported herself by writing for the newspapers articles of a
+morally utilitarian character&mdash;for instance a winter's series,
+published every Saturday, "Hints on Health and Culture," or again,
+"Receipts for the Parlor and the Kitchen." She also contributed
+poetry of a pensive cast, and chatty special correspondence
+flavored with personal allusion. She was one of the pioneers in
+modern society journalism, which at this time, however, was
+comparatively veiled and delicate in its methods. Besides, she was
+a woman of tireless energy, with theories on many subjects and an
+ardor for organization. She advocated prohibition, the free
+suffrage of woman, the renunciation of corsets, and was interested
+in reforms relating to labor, the pauper classes and the public
+schools. In behalf of any of these causes she was ready from time
+to time to dash off an article at short notice or address an
+audience. But her dearest concern was the promotion of woman's
+culture and the enlargement of woman's sphere of usefulness through
+the club. The idea of the woman's club, which was taking root over
+the country, had put in the shade for the time being all her other
+plans, including the scheme of a society for making the golden-rod
+the national flower. As the founder and president of the Benham
+Institute, she felt that she had found an avocation peculiarly
+adapted to her capacities, and she was already actively in
+correspondence with clubs of a similar character in other cities,
+in the hope of forming a national organization for mutual
+enlightenment and support.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Earle received Selma by invitation at her lodgings the
+following day, and so quickly did their friendship ripen that at
+the end of two hours each had told the other everything. Selma was
+prone instinctively to regard as aristocratic and un-American any
+limitations to confidence. The evident disposition on the part of
+Mrs. Earle to expose promptly and without reserve the facts of her
+past and her plans for the future seemed to Selma typical of an
+interesting character, and she was thankful to make a clean breast
+in her turn as far as was possible. Mrs. Earle's domestic
+experience had been thorny.</p>
+<p>"I had a home once, too," she said, "a happy home, I thought. My
+husband said he loved me. But almost from the first we had trouble.
+It went on so from month to month, and finally we agreed to part.
+He objected, my dear, to my living my own life. He didn't like me
+to take an interest in things outside the house&mdash;public
+matters. I was elected on the school-board&mdash;the only
+woman&mdash;and he ought to have been proud. He said he was, at
+first, but he was too fond of declaring that a woman's place is in
+her kitchen. One day I said to him, 'Ellery, this can't go on. If
+we can't agree we'd better separate. A cat-and-dog life is no life
+at all.' He answered back, 'I'm not asking you to leave me, but if
+you're set on it don't let me hinder you, Margaret. You don't need
+a man to support you. You're as good as a man yourself.' He meant
+that to be sarcastic, I suppose. 'Yes,' said I, 'thank God, I think
+I can take care of myself, even though I am a woman.' That was the
+end of it. There was no use for either of us to get excited. I
+packed my things, and a few mornings later I said to him, 'Good-by,
+Ellery Earle: I wish you well, and I suppose you're my husband
+still, but I'm going to live my own life without let or hindrance
+from any man. There's your ring.' My holding out the ring was
+startling to him, for he said, 'Aren't you going to be sorry for
+this, Margaret?' 'No,' said I, 'I've thought it all out, and it's
+best for both of us. There's your ring.' He wouldn't take it, so I
+dropped it on the table and went out. Some people miss it, and
+misbelieve I was ever married. That was close on to twenty years
+ago, and I've never seen him since. When the war broke out I heard
+he enlisted, but what's become of him I don't know. Maybe he got a
+divorce. I've kept right on and lived my own life in my own way,
+and never lacked food or raiment. I'm forty-five years old, but I
+feel a young woman still."</p>
+<p>Notwithstanding Mrs. Earle's business-like directness and the
+protuberance of her bust in conclusion, by way of reasserting her
+satisfaction with the results of her action, there was a touch of
+plaintiveness in her confession which suggested the womanly author
+of "Hints on Culture and Hygiene," rather than the man-hater. This
+was lost on Selma, who was fain to sympathize purely from the
+stand-point of righteousness.</p>
+<p>"It was splendid," she said. "He had no right to prevent you
+living your own life. No husband has that right."</p>
+<p>Mrs. Earle brushed her eyes with her handkerchief. "You musn't
+think, my dear, that I'm not a believer in the home because mine
+has been unhappy&mdash;because my husband didn't or couldn't
+understand. The true home is the inspirer and nourisher of all that
+is best in life&mdash;in our American life; but men must learn the
+new lesson. There are many homes&mdash;yours, I'm sure&mdash;where
+the free-born American woman has encouragement and the opportunity
+to expand."</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes. My husband lets me do as I wish. I made him promise
+before I accepted him that he wouldn't thwart me; that he'd let me
+live my own life."</p>
+<p>Selma was so appreciative of Mrs. Earle, and so energetic and
+suggestive in regard to the scope of the Institute, that she was
+presently chosen a member of the council, which was the body
+charged with the supervision of the fortnightly entertainments. It
+occurred to her as a brilliant conception to have Littleton address
+the club on "Art," and she broached the subject to him when he next
+returned to Benham and appeared before the church committee. He
+declared that he was too busy to prepare a suitable lecture, but he
+yielded finally to her plea that he owed it to himself to let the
+women of Benham hear his views and opinions.</p>
+<p>"They are wives and they are mothers," said Selma sententiously.
+"It was a woman's vote, you remember, which elected you to build
+our church. You owe it to Art; don't you think so?"</p>
+<p>A logical appeal to his conscience was never lost on Littleton.
+Besides he was glad to oblige Mrs. Babcock, who seemed so earnest
+in her desire to improve the &aelig;sthetic taste of Benham.
+Accordingly, he yielded. The lecture was delivered a few weeks
+later and was a marked success, for Littleton's earnestness of
+theme and manner was relieved by a graceful, sympathetic delivery.
+Selma, whose social aplomb was increasing every day, glided about
+the rooms with a contented mien receiving felicitations and passing
+chocolate. She enjoyed the distinction of being the God behind the
+curtain.</p>
+<p>A few days later the knowledge that she herself was to become a
+mother was forced upon her attention, and was a little irksome. Of
+necessity her new interests would be interrupted. Though she did
+not question that she would perform maternal duties fitly and
+fully, they seemed to her less peculiarly adapted to her than
+concerns of the intellect and the spirit. However, the possession
+of a little daughter was more precious to her than she had
+expected, and the consciousness that the tiny doll which lay upon
+her breast, was flesh of her flesh and bone of her bone affected
+her agreeably and stirred her imagination. It should be reared,
+from the start, in the creed of soul independence and expansion,
+and she herself would find a new and sacred duty in catering to the
+needs of this budding intelligence. So she reflected as she lay in
+bed, but the outlook was a little marred by the thought that the
+baby was the living image of its father&mdash;broad-featured and
+burly&mdash;not altogether desirable cast of countenance for a
+girl. What a pity, when it might just as well have looked like
+her.</p>
+<p>Babcock, on his part, was transported by paternity. He was
+bubbling over with appreciation of the new baby, and fondly
+believed it to be a human wonder. He was solicitous on the score of
+its infantile ailments, and loaded it with gifts and toys beyond
+the scope of its enjoyment. He went about the house whistling more
+exuberantly than ever. There was no speck on his horizon; no fly in
+his pot of ointment. It was he who urged that the child should be
+christened promptly, though Dr. Glynn was not disposed to dwell on
+the clerical barbarism as to the destiny of unbaptized infants.
+Babcock was cultivating a conservative method: He realized that
+there was no object in taking chances. Illogical as was the theory
+that a healthy dog which had bitten him should be killed at once,
+lest it subsequently go mad and he contract hydrophobia, he was too
+happy and complacent to run the risk of letting it live. So it was
+with regard to baby. But Selma chose the name. Babcock preferred in
+this order another Selma, Sophia, after his mother, or a compliment
+to the wife of the President of the United States. But Selma, as
+the result of grave thought, selected Muriel Grace. Without knowing
+exactly why, she asked Mrs. Taylor to be godmother. The ceremony
+was solemn and inspiring to her. She knew from the glass in her
+room that she was looking very pretty. But she was weak and
+emotional. The baby behaved admirably, even when Lewis, trembling
+with pride, held it out to Mr. Glynn for baptism and held it so
+that the blood rushed to its head. "I baptize thee in the name of
+the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." She was happy and the
+tears were in her eyes. The divine blessing was upon her and her
+house, and, after all, baby was a darling and her husband a kind,
+manly soul. With the help of heaven she would prove herself their
+good angel.</p>
+<p>When they returned home there was a whistle of old silver of
+light, graceful design, a present from Mrs. Taylor to Muriel. Her
+aunt, Mrs. Farley, compared this to its disparagement with one
+already purchased by Lewis, on the gaudily embossed stem of which
+perched a squirrel with a nut in its mouth. But Selma shook her
+head. "Both of you are wrong," she said with authority. "This is a
+beauty."</p>
+<p>"It doesn't look new to my eyes," protested Mrs. Parley.</p>
+<p>"Of course it isn't new. I shouldn't wonder if she bought it
+while travelling abroad in Europe. It's artistic, and&mdash;and I
+shan't let baby destroy it."</p>
+<p>Babcock glanced from one gift to the other quizzically. Then by
+way of disposing of the subject he seized his daughter in his arms
+and dandling her toward the ceiling cried, "If it's artistic things
+we must have, this is the most artistic thing which I know of in
+the wide world. Aren't you, little sugar-plum?"</p>
+<p>Mrs. Farley, with motherly distrust of man, apprehensively
+followed with her eyes and arms the gyrations of rise and fall; but
+Selma, though she saw, pursued the current of her own thought which
+prompted her to examine her wedding-ring. She was thinking that,
+compared with Mrs. Taylor's, it was a cart wheel&mdash;a clumsy,
+conspicuous band of metal, instead of a delicate hoop. She wondered
+if Lewis would object to exchange it for another.</p>
+<p>With the return of her strength, Selma took up again eagerly the
+tenor of her former life, aiding and abetting Mrs. Earle in the
+development of the Institute. The president was absorbed in
+enlarging its scope by the enrollment of more members, and the
+establishment of classes in a variety of topics&mdash;such as
+literature, science, philosophy, current events, history, art, and
+political economy. She aimed to construct a club which should be
+social and educational in the broadest sense by mutual co-operation
+and energy. Selma, in her eagerness to make the most of the
+opportunities for culture offered, committed herself to two of the
+new topic classes&mdash;"Italian and Grecian Art," and "The
+Governments of Civilization," and as a consequence found some
+difficulty in accommodating her baby's nursing hours to these
+engagements. It was indeed a relief to her when the doctor
+presently pronounced the supply of her breast-milk inadequate. She
+was able to assuage Lewis' regret that Muriel should be brought up
+by hand with the information that a large percentage of Benham and
+American mothers were similarly barren and that bottle babies were
+exceedingly healthy. She had gleaned the first fact from the
+physician, the second from Mrs. Earle, and her own conclusion on
+the subject was that a lack of milk was an indication of feminine
+evolution from the status of the brute creation, a sign of
+spiritual as opposed to animal quality. Selma found Mrs. Earle
+sympathetic on this point, and also practical in her suggestions as
+to the rearing of infants by artificial means, recommendations
+concerning which were contained in one of her series of papers
+entitled "Mother Lore."</p>
+<p>The theory of the new classes was co-operation. That is, the
+members successively, turn by turn, lectured on the topic, and all
+were expected to study in the interim so as to be able to ask
+questions and discuss the views of the lecturer. Concerning both
+Italian and Grecian Art and the Governments of Civilization, Selma
+knew that she had convictions in the abstract, but when she found
+herself face to face with a specific lecture on each subject, it
+occurred to her as wise to supplement her ideas by a little
+preparation. The nucleus of a public library had been recently
+established by Joel Flagg and placed at the disposal of Benham.
+Here, by means of an encyclop&aelig;dia and two hand-books, Selma
+was able in three forenoons to compile a paper satisfactory to her
+self-esteem on the dynasties of Europe and their inferiority to the
+United States, but her other task was illumined for her by a happy
+incident, the promise of Littleton to lend her books. Indeed he
+seemed delightfully interested in both of her classes, which was
+especially gratifying in view of the fact that Mrs. Taylor, who was
+a member of the Institute, had combated the new programme on the
+plea that they were attempting too much and that it would encourage
+superficiality. But Littleton seemed appreciative of the value of
+the undertaking, and he made his promise good forthwith by
+forwarding to her a package of books on art, among them two volumes
+of Ruskin. Selma, who had read quotations from Ruskin on one or two
+occasions and believed herself an admirer of, and tolerably
+familiar with, his writings, was thrilled. She promptly immersed
+herself in "Stones of Venice" and "Seven Lamps of Architecture,"
+sitting up late at night to finish them. When she had read these
+and the article in the encyclop&aelig;dia under the head of Art,
+she felt bursting with her subject and eager to air her knowledge
+before the class. Her lecture was acknowledged to be the most
+stirring and thorough of the course.</p>
+<p>Reports of its success came back to her from Littleton, who
+offered to assist his pupil further by practical demonstration of
+the eternal architectural fitness and unfitness of
+things&mdash;especially the latter&mdash;in walks through the
+streets of Benham. But six times in as many months, however. There
+was no suggestion of coquetry on either side in these excursions,
+yet each enjoyed them. Littleton's own work was beginning to assume
+definite form, and his visits to Benham became of necessity more
+frequent; flying trips, but he generally managed to obtain a few
+words with Selma. He continued to lend her books, and he invited
+her criticism on the slowly growing church edifice. The
+responsibility of critic was an absorbing sensation to her, but the
+stark glibness of tongue which stood her in good stead before the
+classes of the Institute failed her in his presence&mdash;the
+presence of real knowledge. She wished to praise, but to praise
+discriminatingly, with the cant of &aelig;sthetic appreciation, so
+that he should believe that she knew. As for the church itself, she
+was interested in it; it was fine, of course, but that was a
+secondary consideration compared with her emotions. His
+predilection in her favor, however, readily made him deaf in regard
+to her utterances. He scarcely heeded her halting, solemn,
+counterfeit transcendentalisms; or rather they passed muster as
+subtle and genuine, so spell bound was he by the Delphic beauty of
+her criticising expression. It was enough for him to watch her as
+she stood with her head on one side and the worried archangel look
+transfiguring her profile. What she said was lost in his reverie as
+to what she was&mdash;what she represented in his contemplation. As
+she looked upon his handiwork he was able to view it with different
+eyes, to discern its weaknesses and to gain fresh inspiration from
+her presence. He felt that it was growing on his hands and that he
+should be proud of it, and though, perhaps, he was conscious in his
+inner soul that she was more to him than another man's wife should
+be, he knew too, that no word or look of his had offended against
+the absent husband.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VI.</h3>
+<p>By the end of another six months Littleton's work was
+practically completed. Only the finishing touches to the interior
+decoration remained to be done. The members of Rev. Mr. Glynn's
+congregation, including Mrs. Hallett Taylor, were thoroughly
+satisfied with the appearance of the new church. It was attractive
+in its lines, yet it was simple and, consequently, in keeping with
+the resources of the treasury. There was no large bill for extras
+to be audited, as possibly would have been the case had a
+hard-headed designer like Mr. Pierce been employed. The committee
+felt itself entitled to the congratulations of the community. Nor
+was the community on the whole disposed to grumble, for home talent
+had been employed by the architect; under rigorous supervision, to
+be sure, so that poor material and slap-dash workmanship were out
+of the question. Still, payments had been prompt, and Benham was
+able to admire competent virtue. The church was a monument of
+suggestion in various ways, artistic and ethical, and it shone
+neatly with Babcock varnish.</p>
+<p>One morning Selma set forth by agreement with Littleton, in
+order to inspect some fresco work. Muriel Grace was ailing
+slightly, but as she would be home by mid-day, she bade the hired
+girl be watchful of baby, and kept her appointment. The child had
+grown dear to her, for Muriel was a charming little dot, and Selma
+had already begun to enjoy the maternal delight of human doll
+dressing, an extravagance in which she was lavishly encouraged by
+her husband. Babcock was glad of any excuse to spend money on his
+daughter, who seemed to him, from day to day, a greater marvel of
+precocity&mdash;such a child as became Selma's beauty and
+cleverness and his own practical common-sense.</p>
+<p>Selma was in a pensive frame of mind this morning. Two days
+before she had read a paper at the Institute on "Motherhood," which
+had been enthusiastically received. Mrs. Earle had printed a
+flattering item concerning it in the <i>Benham Sentinel</i>. It was
+agreeable to her to be going to meet Littleton, for he was the most
+interesting masculine figure in her life. She was sure of Lewis. He
+was her husband and she knew herself to be the apple of his eye;
+but she knew exactly what he was going to say before he said it,
+and much of what he said grated on her. She was almost equally sure
+of Littleton; that is of his admiration. His companionship was a
+constant pleasure to her. As a married woman, and as a Christian
+and American woman, she desired no more than this. But on the other
+hand, she would fain have this admiring companionship continue; and
+yet it could not. Littleton had told her the day before that he was
+going back to New York and that it was doubtful if he would return.
+She would miss him. She would have the Institute and Mrs. Earle
+still, but her life would be less full.</p>
+<p>Littleton was waiting for her at the church entrance. She
+followed him down the nave to the chancel where she listened
+dreamily to his presentation of the merits of the new decoration.
+He seemed inclined to talk, and from this presently branched off to
+describe with enthusiasm the plates of a French book on interior
+architecture, which he had recently bought as a long-resisted but
+triumphant piece of extravagance. Mechanically, they turned from
+the chancel and slowly made the round of the aisles. A short
+silence succeeded his professional ardor. His current of thought,
+in its reversion to home matters, had reminded him afresh of what
+was perpetually this morning uppermost in his
+consciousness&mdash;his coming departure.</p>
+<p>"Now," he said, abruptly, "is the most favorable opportunity I
+shall have, Mrs. Babcock, to tell you how much I am your debtor. I
+shan't despair of our meeting again, for the world is small, and
+good friends are sure to meet sooner or later. But the past is
+secure to me at any rate. If this church is in some measure what I
+have dreamed and wished it to be, if my work with all its faults is
+a satisfaction to myself, I wish you to know how much you have
+contributed to make it what it is."</p>
+<p>The words were as a melody in Selma's ears, and she listened
+greedily. Littleton paused, as one seriously moved will pause
+before giving the details of an important announcement. She,
+thinking he had finished, interjected with a touch of modesty, "I'm
+so glad. But my suggestions and criticisms have not been what I
+meant them to be. It was all new to me, you know."</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes. It hasn't been so much what you have said in words
+which has helped me, though that has been always intelligent and
+uplifting. I did not look for technical knowledge. You do not
+possess that, of course. There are women in New York who would be
+able to confuse you with their familiarity with these things. And
+yet it is by way of contrast with those very women&mdash;fine
+women, too, in their way&mdash;that you have been my good angel.
+There is no harm in saying that. I should be an ingrate, surely, if
+I would not let you know that your sane, simple outlook upon life,
+your independent vision, has kept my brain clear and my soul free.
+I am a better artist and a better man for the experience. Good-by,
+and may all happiness attend you. If once in a while you should
+find time to write to a struggling architect named Littleton, he
+will be charmed to do your bidding&mdash;to send you books and to
+place his professional knowledge at your service. Good-by."</p>
+<p>He held out his hand with frank effusion. He was obviously happy
+at having given utterance to his sense of obligation. Selma was
+tingling from head to foot and a womanly blush was on her cheek,
+though the serious seraph spoke in her words and eyes. She felt
+moved to a wave of unreserved speech.</p>
+<p>"What you have said is very interesting to me. I wish to tell
+you how much I, too, have enjoyed our friendship. The first time we
+met I felt sure we should be sympathetic, and we have been, haven't
+we? One of the fine things about friendships between men and women
+in this country is that they can really get to know each other
+without&mdash;er&mdash;harm to either. Isn't it? It's such a
+pleasure to know people really, and I feel as if I had known you,
+as if we had known each other really. I've never known any man
+exactly in that way, and I have always wanted to. Except, of
+course, my husband. And he's extremely different&mdash;that is, his
+tastes are not like yours. It's a happiness to me to feel that I
+have been of assistance to you in your work, and you have been
+equally helpful to me in mine. As you say, I have never had the
+opportunity to learn the technical parts of art, and your books
+have instructed me as to that. I have never been in New York, but I
+understand what you meant about your friends, those other women. I
+suppose society people must be constantly diverted from serious
+work&mdash;from the intellectual and spiritual life. Oh yes, we
+ought to write. Our friendship mustn't languish. We must let each
+other know what we are thinking and doing. Good-by."</p>
+<p>As Selma walked along the street her heart was in her mouth. She
+felt pity for herself. To just the right person she would have
+confessed the discovery that she had made a mistake and tied
+herself for life to the wrong man. It was not so much that she
+fancied Littleton which distressed her, for, indeed, she was but
+mildly conscious of infatuation. What disturbed her was the
+contrast between him and Babcock, which definite separation now
+forced upon her attention. An indefinable impression that Littleton
+might think less of her if she were to state this soul truth had
+restrained her at the last moment from disclosing the secret. Not
+for an instant did she entertain the idea of being false to Lewis.
+Her confession would have been but a dissertation on the inexorable
+irony of fate, calling only for sympathy, and in no way derogating
+from her dignity and self-respect as a wife. Still, she had
+restrained herself, and stopped just short of the confidence. He
+was gone, and she would probably not see him again for years. That
+was endurable. Indeed, a recognition of the contrary would not have
+seemed to her consistent with wifely virtue. What brought the tears
+to her eyes was the vision of continued wedlock, until death
+intervened, with a husband who could not understand. Could she bear
+this? Must she endure it? There was but one answer: She must. At
+the thought she bit her lip with the intensity and sternness of a
+martyr. She would be faithful to her marriage vows, but she would
+not let Lewis's low aims interfere with the free development of her
+own life.</p>
+<p>It was after noon when she reached home. She was met at the door
+by the hired girl with the worried ejaculation that baby was
+choking. The doctor was hastily summoned. He at once pronounced
+that Muriel Grace had membranous croup, and was desperately ill.
+Remedies of various sorts were tried, and a consulting physician
+called, but when Babcock returned from his office her condition was
+evidently hopeless. The child died in the early night. Selma was
+relieved to hear the doctor tell her husband that it was a
+malignant case from the first, and that nothing could have averted
+the result. In response to questions from Lewis, however, she was
+obliged to admit that she had not been at home when the acute
+symptoms appeared. This afforded Babcock an outlet for his
+suffering. He spoke to her roughly for the first time in his life,
+bitterly suggesting neglect on her part.</p>
+<p>"You knew she wasn't all right this morning, yet you had to go
+fiddle-faddling with that architect instead of staying at home
+where you belonged. And now she's dead. My little girl, my little
+girl!" And the big man burst out sobbing.</p>
+<p>Selma grew deadly pale. No one had ever spoken to her like that
+before in her life. To the horror of her grief was added the
+consciousness that she was being unjustly dealt with. Lewis had
+heard the doctor's statement, and yet he dared address her in such
+terms. As if the loss of the child did not fall equally on her.</p>
+<p>"If it were to be done over again, I should do just the same,"
+she answered, with righteous quietness. "To all appearances she had
+nothing but a little cold. You have no right to lay the blame on
+me, her mother." At the last word she looked ready to cry, too.</p>
+<p>Babcock regarded her like a miserable tame bull. "I didn't mean
+to," he blubbered. "She's taken away from me, and I'm so wretched
+that I don't know what I'm saying. I'm sorry, Selma."</p>
+<p>He held out his arms to her. She was ready to go to them, for
+the angel of death had entered her home and pierced her heart,
+where it should be most tender. She loved her baby. Yet, when she
+had time to think, she was not sure that she wished to have
+another. When the bitterness of his grief had passed away, that was
+the hope which Lewis ventured to express, at first in a whisper,
+and later with reiterated boldness. Selma acquiesced externally,
+but she had her own opinions. Certain things which were not
+included in "Mother Lore," had been confided by Mrs. Margaret
+Rodney Earle by word of mouth in the fulness of their mutual
+soul-scourings, and had remained pigeon-holed for future reference
+in Selma's inner consciousness. Another baby just at this time
+meant interference with everything elevating. There was time
+enough. In a year or two, when she had established herself more
+securely in the social sphere of Benham, she would present her
+husband with a second child. It was best for them both to wait, for
+her success was his success; but it would be useless to try to make
+that clear to him in his present mood.</p>
+<p>So she put away her baby things, dropping tears over the little
+socks and other reminders of her sorrow, and took up her life
+again, keeping her own counsel. The sympathy offered her was an
+interesting experience. Mrs. Earle came to her at once, and took
+her to her bosom; Mrs. Taylor sent her flowers with a kind note,
+which set Selma thinking whether she ought not to buy mourning
+note-paper; and within a week she received a visit of condolence
+from Mr. Glynn, rather a ghastly visit. Ghastly, because Lewis sat
+through it all with red eyes, very much as though he were listening
+to a touching exhortation in church. To be sure, he gripped the
+pastor's hand like a vice, at the end, and thanked him for coming,
+but his silent, afflicted presence had interfered with the free
+interchange of thought which would have been possible had she been
+alone with the clergyman. The subject of death, and the whole train
+of reflections incident to it, were uppermost in her mind, and she
+would have been glad to probe the mysteries of the subject by
+controversial argument, instead of listening to hearty, sonorous
+platitudes. She listened rather contemptuously, for she recognized
+that Mr. Glynn was saying the stereotyped thing in the stereotyped
+way, without realizing that it was nothing but sacerdotal pap,
+little adapted to an intelligent soul. What was suited to Lewis was
+not fit for her. And yet her baby's death had served to dissipate
+somewhat the immediate discontent which she felt with her husband.
+His strong grief had touched her in spite of herself, and, though
+she blamed him still for his inconsiderate accusation, she was fond
+of him as she might have been fond of some loving Newfoundland,
+which, splendid in awkward bulk, caressed her and licked her hand.
+It was pleasant enough to be in his arms, for the touch of
+man&mdash;even the wrong man&mdash;was, at times, a comfort.</p>
+<p>She took up again with determined interest her relations to the
+Institute, joining additional classes and pursuing a variety of
+topics of study, in regard to some of which she consulted
+Littleton. She missed his presence less than she had expected,
+especially after they had begun to correspond and were able to keep
+in touch by letter. His letters were delightful. They served her in
+her lecture courses, for they so clearly and concisely expressed
+her views that she was able to use long extracts from them word for
+word. And every now and then they contained a respectful allusion
+which showed that he still retained a personal interest in her. So
+the weeks slipped away and she was reasonably happy. She was
+absorbed and there was nothing new to mar the tenor of her life,
+though she was vaguely conscious that the loss of their little girl
+had widened the breach between her and her husband&mdash;widened it
+for the reason that now, for the first time, he perceived how
+lonely he was. The baby had furnished him with constant delight and
+preoccupation. He had looked forward all day to seeing it at night,
+and questions relating to it had supplied a never-ceasing small
+change of conversation between him and her. He had let her go her
+way with a smile on his face. Selma did not choose to dwell on the
+situation, but it was obvious that Lewis continued to look glum,
+and that there were apt to be long silences between them at meals.
+Now and again he would show some impatience at the continuous
+recurrence of the Institute classes as a bar to some project of
+domesticity or recreation, as though she had not been an active
+member of the Institute before baby was born.</p>
+<p>One of the plans in which Mrs. Earle was most interested was a
+Congress of Women's Clubs, and in the early summer of the same
+year&mdash;some four months subsequent to the death of Muriel
+Grace&mdash;a small beginning toward this end was arranged to take
+place in Chicago. There were to be six delegates from each club,
+and Selma was unanimously selected as one of the delegation from
+the Benham Women's Institute. The opinion was generally expressed
+that a change would do her good, and there was no question that she
+was admirably fitted to represent the club. Selma, who had not
+travelled a hundred miles beyond Benham in her life, was elated at
+the prospect of the expedition; so much so that she proudly
+recounted to Lewis the same evening the news of her appointment. It
+never occurred to her that he would wish to accompany her, and when
+he presently informed her that he had been wishing to go to Chicago
+on business for some time, and that the date proposed would suit
+him admirably, she was dumfounded. Half of the interest of the
+expedition would consist in travelling as an independent
+delegation. A husband would be in the way and spoil the savor of
+the occasion. It would never do, and so Selma proceeded to explain.
+She wished to go alone.</p>
+<p>"A pack of six women travel by themselves?" blurted Lewis.
+"Suppose there were an accident?" he added, after searching his
+brain for a less feeble argument.</p>
+<p>"We should either be killed or we shouldn't be," said Selma
+firmly. "We are perfectly well able to take care of ourselves.
+Women travel alone everywhere every-day&mdash;that is, intelligent
+American women."</p>
+<p>Lewis looked a little sad. "I thought, perhaps, it would seem
+nice for you to go with me, Selma. We haven't been off since we
+were married, and I can get away now just as well as not."</p>
+<p>"So it would have been if I weren't one of the delegation. I
+should think you would see, Lewis, that your coming is out of the
+question."</p>
+<p>So it proved. Selma set forth for Chicago on the appointed day,
+made many new acquaintances among the delegates, and was pleased to
+be introduced and referred to publicly as Mrs. Selma
+Babcock&mdash;a form of address to which she was unaccustomed at
+Benham. On the night before her departure, being in pleasant
+spirits, she told Lewis that her absence would do him good, and
+that he would appreciate her all the more on her return.</p>
+<p>She was to be gone a week. The first twenty-four hours passed
+gloomily for Babcock. Then he began to take notice. He noticed that
+the county fair was fixed for the following days. He had hoped to
+carry Selma there, but, as she was not to be had, it seemed to him
+sensible to get what enjoyment from it he could alone. Then it
+happened that a former companion of his bachelor days and his
+bachelor habits, a commercial traveller, whom he had not seen since
+his marriage, appeared on the scene.</p>
+<p>"The very man for me!" he ejaculated, jubilantly.</p>
+<p>The obscurity of this remark was presently made clear to his
+friend, who had hoped perhaps to enjoy a snug evening at Babcock's
+domestic hearth, but who was not averse to playing a different
+part&mdash;that of cheering up a father who had lost his baby, and
+whose wife had left him in the lurch. He assured Babcock that a
+regular old time outing&mdash;a shaking up&mdash;would do him good,
+and Babcock was ready to agree with him, intending thereby a
+free-handed two days at the fair. As has been intimated, his manner
+of life before marriage had not been irreproachable, but he had
+been glad of an opportunity to put an end to the mildly riotous and
+coarse bouts which disfigured his otherwise commonplace existence.
+He had no intention now of misbehaving himself, but he felt the
+need of being enlivened. His companion was a man who delighted in
+what he called a lark, and whose only method of insuring a lark was
+by starting in with whiskey and keeping it up. That had been also
+Babcock's former conception of a good time, and though he had dimly
+in mind that he was now a husband and church-member, he strove to
+conduct himself in such a manner as to maintain his self-respect
+without becoming a spoil sport.</p>
+<p>During the first day at the fair Babcock managed to preserve
+this nice distinction. On the second, he lost account of his
+conduct, and by the late afternoon was sauntering with his friend
+among the booths in the company of two suspicions looking women.
+With these same women the pair of revellers drove off in top
+buggies just before dusk, and vanished in the direction of the open
+country.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VII.</h3>
+<p>Babcock returned to his home twenty-four hours later like a
+whipped cur. He was disgusted with himself. It seemed to him
+incredible that he should have fallen so low. He had sinned against
+his wife and his own self-respect without excuse; for it was no
+excuse that he had let himself be led to drink too much. His heart
+ached and his cheek burned at the recollection of his two days of
+debauchery. What was to be done? If only he were able to cut this
+ugly sore in his soul out with a knife and have done with it
+forever! But that was impossible. It stared him in the face, a
+haunting reality. In his distress he asked himself whether he would
+not go to Mr. Glynn and make a clean breast of it; but his
+practical instincts answered him that he would none the less have
+made a beast of himself. He held his head between his hands, and
+stared dejectedly at his desk. Some relief came to him at last only
+from the reflection that it was a single fault, and that it need
+never&mdash;it should never be repeated. Selma need not know, and
+he would henceforth avoid all such temptations. Terrible as it was,
+it was a slip, not a deliberate fault, and his love for his wife
+was not in question.</p>
+<p>Thus reasoning, he managed by the third day after his return to
+reach a less despondent frame of mind. While busy writing in his
+office a lady was announced, and looking up he encountered the
+meretricious smile of the courtesan with whom he had forgotten
+himself. She had taken a fancy to her victim, and having learned
+that he was well to do, she had come in order to establish, if
+possible, on a more permanent basis, her relations with him. She
+was a young woman, who had been drifting from place to place, and
+whose professional inclination for a protector was heightened by
+the liking which she had conceived for him. Babcock recalled in her
+smile merely his shame, and regarded her reappearance as
+effrontery. He was blind to her prettiness and her sentimental
+mood. He asked her roughly what she wanted, and rising from his
+chair, he bade her be gone before she had time to answer. Nine out
+of ten women of her class would have taken their dismissal lightly.
+Some might have answered back in tones loud enough to enlighten the
+clerks, and thus have accomplished a pretty revenge in the course
+of retreat. This particular Lesbian was in no humor to be harshly
+treated. She was a little desperate and Babcock had pleased her. It
+piqued her to be treated in such a fashion; accordingly, she held
+her ground and sat down. She tried upon him, alternately, irony and
+pathos. He was angry but confused under the first, he became savage
+and merciless under the second, throwing back in her teeth the
+suggestion of her fondness, and stigmatizing her coarsely. Then she
+became angry in her turn&mdash;angry as a woman whose proffered
+love is spurned. The method for revenge was obvious, and she told
+him plainly what she intended. His wife should know at once how her
+husband passed his time during her absence. She had posted herself,
+and she saw that her shaft hurt. Babcock winced, but mad and
+incredulous, he threatened her with arrest and drove her from the
+room. She went out smiling, but with an ominous look in her eyes,
+the remembrance of which made him ask himself now and again if she
+could be vicious enough, or fool enough, to keep her promise. He
+dismissed the idea as improbable; still the bare chance worried
+him. Selma was to arrive early the next morning, and he had
+reconciled himself to the conclusion that she need never know, and
+that he would henceforth be a faithful husband. Had he not given an
+earnest of his good faith in his reception of his visitor? Surely,
+no such untoward and unnatural accident would dash the cup of
+returning happiness from his lips. A more clever man would have
+gone straight to police headquarters, instead of trusting to
+chance.</p>
+<p>A night's rest reassured him as to the idleness of the threat,
+so that he was able to welcome Selma at the railroad station with a
+comparatively light heart. She was in high spirits over the success
+of her expedition, and yet graciously ready to admit that she was
+glad to return home&mdash;meaning thereby, to her own bed and
+bathing facilities; but the general term seemed to poor Lewis a
+declaration of wifely devotion. He went to his business with the
+mien of a man who had passed through an ordeal and is beginning
+life again; but when he returned at night, as soon as he beheld
+Selma, he suspected what had happened.</p>
+<p>She was awaiting him in the parlor. Though he saw at a glance
+that she looked grave, he went forward to kiss her, but she rose
+and, stepping behind the table, put out her hand forbiddingly.</p>
+<p>"What is the matter?" he faltered.</p>
+<p>"That woman has been here," was her slow, scornful response.</p>
+<p>"Selma, I&mdash;" A confusing sense of hopelessness as to what
+to say choked Babcock's attempt to articulate. There was a brief
+silence, while he looked at her imploringly and miserably.</p>
+<p>"Is it true what she says? Have you been false to your marriage
+vows? Have you committed adultery?"</p>
+<p>"My God! Selma, you don't understand."</p>
+<p>"It is an easy question to answer, yes or no?"</p>
+<p>"I forgot myself, Selma. I was drunk and crazy. I ask your
+pardon."</p>
+<p>She shook her head coldly. "I shall have nothing more to do with
+you. I cannot live with you any longer."</p>
+<p>"Not live with me?"</p>
+<p>"Would you live with me if it were I who had forgotten
+myself?"</p>
+<p>"I think I would, Selma. You don't understand. I was a brute. I
+have been wretched ever since. But it was a slip&mdash;an accident.
+I drank too much, and it happened. I love you, Selma, with all my
+heart. I have never been false to you in my affection."</p>
+<p>"It is a strange time to talk of affection. I went away for a
+week, and in my absence you insulted me by debauchery with a
+creature like that. Love? You have no conception of the meaning of
+the word. Oh no, I shall never live with you again."</p>
+<p>Babcock clinched his palms in his distress and walked up and
+down. She stood pale and determined looking into space. Presently
+he turned to her and asked with quiet but intense solicitude, "You
+don't mean that you're going to leave me for one fault, we being
+husband and wife and the little girl in her grave? I said you don't
+understand and you don't. A man's a man, and there are times when
+he's been drinking when he's liable to yield to temptation, and
+that though he's so fond of his wife that life without her would be
+misery. This sounds strange to a woman, and it's a poor excuse. But
+it ought to count, Selma, when it comes to a question of our
+separating. There would be happy years before us yet if you give me
+another chance."</p>
+<p>"Not happy years for me," she replied concisely. "The American
+woman does not choose to live with the sort of man you describe.
+She demands from her husband what he demands from her, faithfulness
+to the marriage tie. We could never be happy again. Our ideal of
+life is different. I have made excuses for you in other things, but
+my soul revolts at this."</p>
+<p>Babcock looked at her for a moment in silence, then he said, a
+little sternly, "You shouldn't have gone away and left me. I'm not
+blaming you, but you shouldn't have gone." He walked to the window
+but he saw nothing. His heart was racked. He had been eager to
+humiliate himself before her to prove his deep contrition, but he
+had come to the end of his resources, and yet she was adamant. Her
+charge that she had been making excuses for him hitherto reminded
+him that they had not been really sympathetic for some time past.
+With his back turned to her he heard her answer:</p>
+<p>"It was understood before I agreed to marry you that I was to be
+free to follow my tastes and interests. It is a paltry excuse that,
+because I left you alone for a week in pursuit of them, I am
+accessory to your sin."</p>
+<p>Babcock faced her sadly. "The sin's all mine," he said. "I can't
+deny that. But, Selma, I guess I've been pretty lonely ever since
+the baby died."</p>
+<p>"Lonely?" she echoed. "Then my leaving you will not matter so
+much. Here," she said, slipping off her wedding-ring, "this belongs
+to you." She remembered Mrs. Earle's proceeding, and though she had
+not yet decided what course to pursue in order to maintain her
+liberty, she regarded this as the significant and definite act. She
+held out the ring, but Babcock shook his head.</p>
+<p>"The law doesn't work as quick as that, nor the church either.
+You can get a divorce if you're set on it, Selma. But we're husband
+and wife yet."</p>
+<p>"Only the husk of our marriage is left. The spirit is dead," she
+said sententiously. "I am going away. I cannot pass another night
+in this house. If you will not take this ring, I shall leave it
+here."</p>
+<p>Babcock turned to hide the tears which blinded his eyes. Selma
+regarded him a moment gravely, then she laid her wedding-ring on
+the table and went from the room.</p>
+<p>She put her immediate belongings into a bag and left the house.
+She had decided to go to Mrs. Earle's lodgings where she would be
+certain to find shelter and sympathy. Were she to go to her aunt's
+she would be exposed to importunity on her husband's behalf from
+Mrs. Farley, who was partial to Lewis. Her mind was entirely made
+up that there could be no question of reconciliation. Her duty was
+plain; and she would be doing herself an injustice were she to
+continue to live with one so weak and regardless of the honor which
+she had a right to demand of the man to whom she had given her
+society and her body. His gross conduct had entitled her to her
+liberty, and to neglect to seize it would be to condemn herself to
+continuous unhappiness, for this overt act of his was merely a
+definite proof of the lack of sympathy between them, of which she
+had for some time been well aware at heart. As she walked along the
+street she was conscious that it was a relief to her to be
+sloughing off the garment of an uncongenial relationship and to be
+starting life afresh. There was nothing in her immediate
+surroundings from which she was not glad to escape. Their house was
+full of blemishes from the stand-point of her later knowledge, and
+she yearned to dissociate herself, once and for all, from the
+trammels of her pitiful mistake. She barely entertained the thought
+that she was without means. She would have to support herself, of
+course, but it never occurred to her to doubt her ability to do so,
+and the necessity added a zest to her decision. It would be plain
+sailing, for Mrs. Earle had more than once invited her to send copy
+to the <i>Benham Sentinel</i>, and there was no form of occupation
+which would be more to her liking than newspaper work. It was
+almost with the mien of a prisoner escaped from jail that she
+walked in upon her friend and said:</p>
+<p>"I have left my husband. He has been unfaithful to me."</p>
+<p>In Mrs. Earle, conventional feminine instincts were apt, before
+she had time to think, to get the upper hand of her set theories.
+"You, poor, poor child," she cried extending her arms.</p>
+<p>Selma had not intended to weep. Still the opportunity was
+convenient, and her nerves were on edge. She found herself sobbing
+with her head on Mrs. Earle's, bosom, and telling her sad
+story.</p>
+<p>"He was never good enough for you. I have always said so," Mrs.
+Earle murmured stroking her hair.</p>
+<p>"I ought to have known from the first that it was impossible for
+us to be happy. Why did I ever marry him? He said he loved me, and
+I let myself be badgered into it," Selma answered through her
+tears. "Well, it's all over now," she added, sitting up and drying
+her eyes. "He has given me back my liberty. I am a free woman."</p>
+<p>"Yes, dear, if you are perfectly sure of yourself, there is only
+one course to pursue. Only you should consider the matter solemnly.
+Perhaps in a few days, after he has apologized and shown proper
+contrition, you might feel willing to give him another chance."</p>
+<p>Selma was unprepared for Mrs. Earle's sentimentality. "Surely,"
+she exclaimed with tragic earnestness, "you wouldn't have me live
+with him after what occurred? Contrition? He said everything he
+could think of to get me to stay, but I made my decision then and
+there."</p>
+<p>Mrs. Earle put her own handkerchief to her eyes. "Women have
+forgiven such things; but I respect you all the more for not being
+weak. I know how you feel. It is hard to do, but if I had it to do
+over again, I would act just the same&mdash;just the same. It's a
+serious responsibility to encourage any one to desert a home, but
+under the circumstances I would not live with him another minute,
+my child&mdash;not another minute." Thereupon Mrs. Earle protruded
+her bosom to celebrate the triumph of justice in her own mental
+processes over conventional and maudlin scruples. "You will apply
+for a divorce, I suppose?"</p>
+<p>"I have not considered that. All I care for is never to see him
+again."</p>
+<p>"Oh yes, you must get a divorce. It is much better, you know. In
+my case I couldn't, for he did nothing public. A divorce settles
+matters, and puts you back where you were before. You might wish
+some day to marry again."</p>
+<p>"I have had enough of marriage."</p>
+<p>"It isn't any harm to be a free woman&mdash;free in the eye of
+the law as well as of conscience. I know an excellent
+lawyer&mdash;a Mr. Lyons, a sympathetic and able man. Besides your
+husband is bound to support you. You must get alimony."</p>
+<p>"I wouldn't touch a dollar of his money," Selma answered with
+scorn. "I intend to support myself. I shall write&mdash;work."</p>
+<p>"Of course you will, dear; and it will be a boon and a blessing
+to me to have you in our ranks&mdash;one of the new army of
+self-supporting, self-respecting women. I suppose you are right. I
+have never had a sixpence. But your husband deserves to be
+punished. Perhaps it is punishment enough to lose you."</p>
+<p>"He will get over that. It is enough for me," she exclaimed,
+ardently, after a dreamy pause, "that I am separated from him
+forever&mdash;that I am free&mdash;free&mdash;free."</p>
+<p>A night's sleep served to intensify Selma's determination, and
+she awoke clearly of the opinion that a divorce was desirable. Why
+remain fettered by a bare legal tie to one who was a husband only
+in name? Accordingly, in company with Mrs. Earle, she visited the
+office of James O. Lyons, and took the initiatory steps to dissolve
+the marriage.</p>
+<p>Mr. Lyons was a large, full-bodied man of thirty-five, with a
+fat, cleanly-shaven, cherubic countenance, an aspect of candor, and
+keen, solemn eyes. His manner was impressive and slightly
+pontificial; his voice resonant and engaging. He knew when to joke
+and when to be grave as an owl. He wore in every-day life a shiny,
+black frock-coat, a standing collar, which yawned at the throat,
+and a narrow, black tie. His general effect was that of a cross
+between a parson and a shrewd Yankee&mdash;a happy suggestion of
+righteous, plain, serious-mindedness, protected against the wiles
+of human society&mdash;and able to protect others&mdash;by a canny
+intelligence. For a young man he had already a considerable
+clientage. A certain class of people, notably the hard-headed,
+God-fearing, felt themselves safe in his hands. His magnetic yet
+grave manner of conducting business pleased Benham, attracting also
+both the distressed and the bilious portions of the community, and
+the farmers from the surrounding country. As Mrs. Earle informed
+Selma, he was in sympathy with all progressive and stimulating
+ideas, and he already figured in the newspapers politically, and
+before the courts as a friend of the masses, and a fluent advocate
+of social reforms. His method of handling Selma's case was smooth.
+To begin with, he was sympathetic within proper limits, giving her
+tacitly to understand that, though as a man and brother, he
+deplored the necessity of extreme measures, he recognized that she
+had made up her mind, and that compromise was out of the question.
+To put it concisely, his manner was grieved, but practical. He told
+her that he would represent to Babcock the futility of contesting a
+cause, which, on the evidence, must be hopeless, and that, in all
+probability, the matter could be disposed of easily and without
+publicity. He seemed to Selma a very sensible and capable man, and
+it was agreeable to her to feel that he appreciated that, though
+divorce in the abstract was deplorable, her experience justified
+and called for the protection of the law.</p>
+<p>In the meantime Babcock was very unhappy, and was casting about
+for a method to induce his wife to return. He wrote to her a
+pitiful letter, setting forth once more the sorry facts in the best
+light which he could bring to bear on them, and implored her
+forgiveness. He applied to her aunt, Mrs. Farley, and got her to
+supplement his plea with her good-natured intervention. "There are
+lots of men like that," she confided to Selma, "and he's a kind,
+devoted creature." When this failed, he sought Rev. Mr. Glynn as a
+last resort, and, after he had listened to a stern and fervid
+rating from the clergyman on the lust of the flesh, he found his
+pastor on his side. Mr. Glynn was opposed to divorce on general
+ecclesiastical principles; moreover, he had been educated under the
+law of England, by which a woman cannot obtain a divorce from her
+husband for the cause of adultery unless it be coupled with
+cruelty&mdash;a clever distinction between the sexes, which was
+doubtless intended as a cloak for occasional lapses on the part of
+man. It was plain to him, as a Christian and as a hearty soul, that
+there had been an untoward accident&mdash;a bestial fault, a
+soul-debasing carnal sin, but still an accident, and hence to be
+forgiven by God and woman. It was his duty to interfere; and so,
+having disciplined the husband, he essayed the more delicate matter
+of propitiating the wife. And he essayed it without a thought of
+failure.</p>
+<p>"I'm afraid she's determined to leave me, and that there's not
+much hope," said Babcock, despondently, as he gripped the
+clergyman's hand in token of his gratitude.</p>
+<p>"Nonsense, my man," asserted Mr. Glynn briskly. "All she needs
+is an exhortation from me, and she will take you back."</p>
+<p>Selma was opposed to divorce in theory. That is, she had
+accepted on trust the traditional prejudice against it as she had
+accepted Shakespeare and Boston. But theory stood for nothing in
+her regard before the crying needs of her own experience. She had
+not the least intention of living with her husband again. No one
+could oblige her to do that. In addition, the law offered her a
+formal escape from his control and name. Why not avail herself of
+it? She recollected, besides, that her husband's church recognized
+infidelity as a lawful ground of release from the so-called
+sacrament of marriage. This had come into her mind as an additional
+sanction to her own decision. But it had not contributed to that
+decision. Consequently, when she was confronted in Mrs. Earle's
+lodgings by the errand of Mr. Glynn, she felt that his coming was
+superfluous. Still, she was glad of the opportunity to measure
+ideas with him in a thorough interview free from interruption.</p>
+<p>Mr. Glynn's confidence was based on his intention to appeal to
+the ever womanly quality of pity. He expected to encounter some
+resistance, for indisputably here was a woman whose sensibilities
+had been justly and severely shocked&mdash;a woman of finer tissue
+than her husband, as he had noted in other American couples. She
+was entitled to her day in court&mdash;to a stubborn, righteous
+respite of indignation. But he expected to carry the day in the
+end, amid a rush of tears, with which his own might be mingled. He
+trusted to what he regarded as the innate reluctance of the wife to
+abandon the man she loved, and to the leaven of feminine Christian
+charity.</p>
+<p>As a conscientious hater of sin, he did not attempt to minimize
+Babcock's act or the insult put upon her. That done, he was free to
+intercede fervently for him and to extol the virtue and the
+advisability of forgiveness. This plea, however cogent, was narrow,
+and once stated admitted merely of duplication in the same form. It
+was indeed no argument, merely an appeal, and, in proportion as it
+failed to move the listener, became feeble. Selma listened to him
+with a tense face, her hands clasped before her in the guise of an
+interested and self-scrutinizing spirit. But she betrayed no sign
+of yielding, or symptom of doubt. She shook her head once or twice
+as he proceeded, and, when he paused, asked why she should return
+to a man who had broken faith with her; asked it in such a genuine
+tone of conviction that Dr. Glynn realized the weakness of his own
+case, and became slightly nettled at the same time.</p>
+<p>"True," he said, rather sternly, "your husband has committed a
+hideous, carnal sin, but he is genuinely repentant. Do you wish to
+ruin his life forever?"</p>
+<p>"His life?" said Selma. "It would ruin my life to return to him.
+I have other plans&mdash;plans which will bring me happiness. I
+could never be happy with him."</p>
+<p>The clergyman was baffled. Other plans! The words offended him,
+and yet he could not dispute her right to do as she chose. Still he
+saw fit to murmur: "He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he
+that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."</p>
+<p>Selma flushed. To be accused of acting contrary to Christian
+precepts was painful and surprising to her. "Mr. Glynn," she said,
+"I see you don't understand. My husband and I ought never to have
+married. It has all been a dreadful mistake. We have not the same
+tastes and interests. I am sorry for him, but I can never consent
+to return to him. To do so would condemn us both to a life of
+unhappiness. We were not intended for husband and wife, and it is
+best&mdash;yes, more Christian&mdash;for us to separate. We
+American women do not feel justified in letting a mistake ruin our
+lives when there is a chance to escape."</p>
+<p>Mr. Glynn regarded her in silence for a moment. He was
+accustomed to convince, and he had not succeeded, which to a
+clergyman is more annoying than to most men. Still what she said
+made his plea seem doubtful wisdom.</p>
+<p>"Then you do not love your husband?" he said.</p>
+<p>"No," said Selma quietly, "I do not love him. It is best to be
+frank with one's self&mdash;with you, in such a matter, isn't it?
+So you see that what you ask is out of the question."</p>
+<p>Mr. Glynn rose. Clearly his mission had failed, and there was
+nothing more to be said. Being a just man, he hesitated to pass an
+unkind judgment on this bright-faced, pensive woman. She was within
+her moral rights, and he must be careful to keep within his. But he
+went away bewildered and discomfited. Selma would have liked to
+dismiss the subject and keep him longer. She would have been glad
+to branch off on to other ethical topics and discuss them. She was
+satisfied with the result of the interview, for she had vindicated
+her position and spiked Lewis's last gun.</p>
+<p>So, indeed, it proved. Mr. Glynn sent for Babcock and told him
+the naked truth, that his wife's love for him was dead and
+reconciliation impossible. He properly refrained from expressing
+the doubt lurking in his own mind as to whether Selma had ever
+loved her husband. Thus convinced of the hopelessness of his
+predicament, Babcock agreed to Mr. Lyons's suggestion not to
+contest the legal proceedings. The lawyer had been diligent, and
+the necessary evidence&mdash;the testimony of the woman&mdash;was
+secure. She was ready to carry her revenge to the end, hoping,
+perhaps, that the victim of it would return to her when he had lost
+his wife. Accordingly, a few weeks later, Selma was granted a
+divorce nisi and the right to resume her maiden name. She had
+decided, however, to retain the badge of marriage as a decorous
+social prefix, and to call herself Mrs. Selma White.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VIII.</h3>
+<p>The consciousness that she was dependent for the means of
+support solely on her own exertions was a genuine pleasure to
+Selma, and she applied herself with confidence and enthusiasm to
+the problem of earning her livelihood. She had remained steadfast
+to her decision to accept nothing from her husband except the legal
+costs of the proceedings, though Mr. Lyons explained to her that
+alimony was a natural and moral increment of divorce. Still, after
+her refusal, he informed her as a man and a friend that he
+respected and admired the independence of her action, which was an
+agreeable tribute. She had fixed definitely on newspaper work as
+the most inviting and congenial form of occupation. She believed
+herself to be well fitted for it. It would afford her an immediate
+income, and it would give her the opportunity which she craved for
+giving public expression to her ideas and fixing attention on
+herself. There was room for more than one Mrs. Earle in Benham, for
+Benham was growing and wide-awake and on the alert for originality
+of any kind&mdash;especially in the way of reportorial and
+journalistic cleverness. Selma had no intention of becoming a
+second Mrs. Earle. That is, she promised herself to follow, but not
+to follow blindly; to imitate judiciously, but to improve on a
+gradually diverging line of progress. This was mere generalization
+as yet. It was an agreeable seething brain consciousness for future
+development. For the moment, however, she counted on Mrs. Earle to
+obtain for her a start by personal influence at the office of the
+<i>Benham Sentinel</i>. This was provided forthwith in the form of
+an invitation to prepare a weekly column under the caption of "What
+Women Wear;" a summary of passing usages in clothes. The woman
+reporter in charge of it had just died. Selma's first impulse was
+to decline the work as unworthy of her abilities, yet she was in
+immediate need of employment to avoid running in debt and she was
+assured by Mrs. Earle that she would be very foolish to reject such
+an offer. Reflection caused her to think more highly of the work
+itself. It would afford her a chance to explain to the women of
+Benham, and indirectly to the country at large, that taste in dress
+was not necessarily inconsistent with virtue and serious
+intentions&mdash;a truth of which she herself had become possessed
+since her marriage and which it seemed to her might be utilized
+delightfully in her department. She would endeavor to treat dress
+from the standpoint of ethical responsibility to society, and to
+show that both extravagance and dowdy homeliness were to be
+avoided. Clothes in themselves had grown to be a satisfaction to
+her, and any association of vanity would be eliminated by the
+introduction of a serious artistic purpose into a weekly commentary
+concerning them. Accordingly she accepted the position and entered
+upon its duties with grave zeal.</p>
+<p>For each of these contributions Selma was to receive eight
+dollars&mdash;four hundred a year, which she hoped to expand to a
+thousand by creative literary production&mdash;preferably essays
+and poetry. She hired a room in the same neighborhood as Mrs.
+Earle, in the boarding-house district appurtenant to Central
+Avenue&mdash;that is to say, on the ragged edge of Benham's social
+artery, and set up her new household gods. The interest of
+preparing the first paper absorbed her to the exclusion of
+everything else. She visited all the dress-making and dry-goods
+establishments in town, examined, at a hint from Mrs. Earle, the
+fashion departments of the New York papers, and then, pen in hand,
+gave herself up to her subject. The result seemed to her a happy
+blending of timely philosophy and suggestions as to toilette, and
+she took it in person to the editor. He saw fit to read it on the
+spot. His brow wrinkled at first and he looked dubious. He re-read
+it and said with some gusto, "It's a novelty, but I guess they'll
+like it. Our women readers have been used to fashion notes which
+are crisp and to the point, and the big houses expect to have
+attention called to the goods they wish to sell. If you'll run over
+this again and set your cold facts in little paragraphs by
+themselves every now and then, I shouldn't wonder if the rest were
+a sort of lecture course which will catch them. It's a good idea.
+Next time you could work in a pathetic story&mdash;some references
+to a dead baby&mdash;verses&mdash;anecdotes&mdash;a little variety.
+You perceive the idea?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes," said Selma, appropriately sober at the allusion yet
+ecstatic. "That's just what I should like to do. It would give me
+more scope. I wish my articles to be of real use&mdash;to help
+people to live better, and to dress better."</p>
+<p>"That's right, that's right; and if they make the paper sell,
+we'll know that folks like them," responded the editor with Delphic
+urbanity.</p>
+<p>The first article was a success. That is, Selma's method was not
+interfered with, and she had the satisfaction of reading in the
+<i>Sentinel</i> during the week an item calling gratified attention
+to the change in its "What Women Wear" column, and indicating that
+it would contain new features from week to week. It gave her a
+pleasant thrill to see her name, "Selma White," signed at the end
+of the printed column, and she set to work eagerly to carry out the
+editor's suggestions. At the same time she tried her hand at a
+short story&mdash;the story of an American girl who went to Paris
+to study art, refused to alter her mode of life to suit foreign
+ideas of female propriety, displayed exceptional talent as an
+artist, and finally married a fine-spirited young American, to the
+utter discomfiture of a French member of the nobility, who had
+begun by insulting her and ended with making her an offer of
+marriage. This she sent to the <i>Eagle</i>, the other Benham
+newspaper, for its Sunday edition.</p>
+<p>It took her a month to compose this story, and after a week she
+received it back with a memorandum to the effect that it was
+one-half too long, but intimating that in a revised form it would
+be acceptable. This was a little depressing, especially as it
+arrived at a time when the novelty of her occupation had worn off
+and she was realizing the limitations of her present life. She had
+begun to miss the advantages of a free purse and the importance of
+a domestic establishment. She possessed her liberty, and was
+fulfilling her mission as a social force, but her life had been
+deprived of some of its savor, and, though she was thankful to be
+rid of Babcock, she felt the lack of an element of personal
+devotion to herself, an element which was not to be supplied by
+mere admiration on the part of Mrs. Earle and the other members of
+the Institute. It did not suit her not to be able to gratify her
+growing taste in clothes and in other lines of expenditure, and
+there were moments when she experienced the need of being petted
+and made much of by a man. She was conscious of loneliness, and in
+this mood she pitied herself as a victim of untoward circumstances,
+one who had wasted the freshness of her young life, and missed the
+happiness which the American wife is apt to find waiting for her.
+Under the spell of this nostalgia she wrote a poem entitled "The
+Bitter Sweets of Solitude," and disposed of it for five dollars to
+the <i>Sentinel</i>. The price shocked her, for the verses seemed
+flesh of her flesh. Still, five dollars was better than nothing,
+and she discerned from the manner of the newspaper editor that he
+cared little whether she left them or not. It was on that evening
+that she received a letter from Littleton, stating that he was on
+the eve of leaving New York for Benham. He was coming to consult
+concerning certain further interior decorations which the committee
+had decided to add to the church.</p>
+<p>Selma's nerves vibrated blissfully as she read the news. For
+some reason, which she had never seen fit definitely to define, she
+had chosen not to acquaint Littleton with the fact of her divorce.
+Their letters had been infrequent during the last six months, for
+this visit had been impending, having been put off from time to
+time because the committee had been dilatory and he otherwise
+engaged. Perhaps her secret motive had been to surprise him, to let
+him find himself confronted with an accomplished fact, which would
+obviate argument and reveal her established in her new career, a
+happy, independent citizen, without ties. At any rate she smiled
+now at the address on the envelope&mdash;Mrs. Lewis Babcock.
+Obviously he was still in the dark as to the truth, and it would be
+her privilege to enlighten him. She began to wonder what would be
+the upshot of his coming, and tears came to her eyes, tears of
+self-congratulation that the narrow tenor of her daily life was to
+be irradiated by a sympathetic spirit.</p>
+<p>When Littleton duly appeared at the committee meeting on the
+following day, Selma saw at a glance that he was unaware of what
+had happened. He looked slightly puzzled when one of the members
+addressed her as Mrs. White, but evidently he regarded this as a
+slip of the tongue. Selma looked, as she felt, contented and
+vivacious. She had dressed herself simply, but with effective
+trigness. To those who knew her experience, her appearance
+indicated courage and becoming self-respect. Public opinion, even
+as embodied in the church committee, while deploring the necessity,
+was not disposed to question the propriety of her action. That is,
+all except Mrs. Taylor. In her, Selma thought she had detected
+signs of coldness, a sort of suspicious reservation of judgment,
+which contrasted itself unpleasantly with the sympathetic attitude
+of the others, who were fain to refer to her, in not altogether
+muffled whispers, as a plucky, independent, little woman. Hence,
+she was glad that Mrs. Taylor happened to be detained at home by
+illness on this afternoon, and that, accordingly, she was free to
+enjoy unreservedly the dramatic nature of the situation. Her heart
+beat a little faster as the chairman, turning to her to ask a
+question, addressed her unmistakably as Mrs. White. She could not
+refrain from casting half-amused, half-pathetic sheep's eyes at
+Littleton. He started visibly, regarded her for, a moment in
+obvious amazement, then flushed to the roots of his hair. She felt
+the blood rising to her own cheeks, and a sensation of mild
+triumph. The meeting was over and the members were merely lingering
+to tie up the loose threads of the matter arranged for. In a few
+moments Selma found herself with the architect sufficiently apart
+from the others for him to ask:</p>
+<p>"Two persons have addressed you this afternoon as Mrs. White. I
+do not understand."</p>
+<p>She cast down her eyes, as a woman will when a question of
+modesty is involved, then she raised them and said: "You did not
+know, then, that I had left my husband?"</p>
+<p>"Left him?"</p>
+<p>"Yes. I have obtained a divorce. He was unfaithful to me."</p>
+<p>"I see"&mdash;said Littleton with a sort of gasp&mdash;"I see. I
+did not know. You never wrote to me."</p>
+<p>"I did not feel like writing to any body. There was nothing to
+be done but that."</p>
+<p>Littleton regarded her with a perturbed, restless air.</p>
+<p>"Then you live no longer at 25 Onslow Avenue?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, no. I left there more than six months ago. I live in
+lodgings. I am supporting myself by literary work. I am Mrs. Selma
+White now, and my divorce has been absolute more than a month."</p>
+<p>She spoke gravely and quietly, with less than her usual
+assurance, for she felt the spell of his keen, eager scrutiny and
+was not averse to yield at the moment to the propensity of her sex.
+She wondered what he was thinking about. Did he blame her? Did he
+sympathize with her?</p>
+<p>"Where are you going when you leave here?" he asked.</p>
+<p>"Home&mdash;to my new home. Will you walk along with me?"</p>
+<p>"That is what I should like. I am astonished by what you have
+told me, and am anxious to hear more about it, if to speak of it
+would not wound you. Divorced! How you must have suffered! And I
+did not have the chance to offer you my help&mdash;my
+sympathy."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I have suffered. But that is all over now. I am a free
+woman. I am beginning my life over again."</p>
+<p>It was a beautiful afternoon, and by mutual consent, which
+neither put into words, they diverged from the exact route to
+Selma's lodging house and turned their steps to the open country
+beyond the city limits&mdash;the picturesque dell which has since
+become the site of Benham's public park. There they seated
+themselves where they would not be interrupted. Selma told him on
+the way the few vital facts in her painful story, to which he
+listened in a tense silence, broken chiefly by an occasional
+ejaculation expressive of his contempt for the man who had brought
+such unhappiness upon her. She let him understand, too, that her
+married life, from the first, had been far less happy than he had
+imagined&mdash;wretched makeshift for the true relation of husband
+and wife. She spoke of her future buoyantly, yet with a touch of
+sadness, as though to indicate that she was aware that the triumphs
+of intelligence and individuality could not entirely be a
+substitute for a happy home.</p>
+<p>"And what do you expect to do?" he inquired in a bewildered
+fashion, as though her delineation of her hopes had been lost on
+him.</p>
+<p>"Do? Support myself by my own exertions, as I have told you. By
+writing I expect. I am doing very well already. Do you question my
+ability to continue?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, no; not that. Only&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"Only what? Surely you are not one of the men who grudge women
+the chance to prove what is in them&mdash;who would treat us like
+china dolls and circumscribe us by conventions? I know you are not,
+because I have heard you inveigh against that very sort of narrow
+mindedness. Only what?"</p>
+<p>"I can't make up my mind to it. And I suppose the reason is that
+it means so much to me&mdash;that you mean so much to me. What is
+the use of my dodging the truth, Selma&mdash;seeking to conceal it
+because such a short time has elapsed since you ceased to be a
+wife? Forgive me if I hurt you, if it seem indelicate to speak of
+love at the very moment when you are happy in your liberty. I can't
+help it; it's my nature to speak openly. And there's no bar now.
+The fact that you are free makes clear to me what I have not dared
+to countenance before, that you are the one woman in the world for
+me&mdash;the woman I have dreamed of&mdash;and longed to
+meet&mdash;the woman whose influence has blessed me already, and
+without whom I shall lack the greatest happiness which life can
+give. Selma, I love you&mdash;I adore you."</p>
+<p>Selma listened with greedy ears, which she could scarcely
+believe. It seemed to her that she was in dream-land, so
+unexpected, yet entrancing, was his avowal. She had been vaguely
+aware that he admired her more than he had allowed himself to
+disclose, and conscious, too, that his presence was agreeable to
+her; but in an instant now she recognized that this was
+love&mdash;the love she had sought, the love she had yearned to
+inspire and to feel. Compared with it, Babcock's clumsy ecstasy and
+her own sufferance of it had been a sham and a delusion. Of so much
+she was conscious in a twinkling, and yet what she deemed proper
+self-respect restrained her from casting herself into his arms. It
+was, indeed, soon, and she had been happy in her liberty. At least,
+she had supposed herself so; and she owed it to her own plans and
+hopes not to act hastily, though she knew what she intended to do.
+She had been lonely, yes starving, for lack of true companionship,
+and here was the soul which would be a true mate to hers.</p>
+<p>They were sitting on a grassy bank. He was bending toward her
+with clasped hands, a picture of fervor. She could see him out of
+the corner of her glance, though she looked into space with her
+gaze of seraphic worry. Yet her lips were ready to lend themselves
+to a smile of blissful satisfaction and her eyes to fill with the
+melting mood of the thought that at last happiness had come to
+her.</p>
+<p>The silence was very brief, but Littleton, as would have seemed
+fitting to her, feared lest she were shocked.</p>
+<p>"I distress you," he said. "Forgive me. Listen&mdash;will you
+listen?" Selma was glad to listen. The words of love, such love as
+this, were delicious, and she felt she owed it to herself not to be
+won too easily. "I am listening," she answered softly with the
+voice of one face to face with an array of doubts.</p>
+<p>"Before I met you, Selma, woman but was a name to me. My life
+brought me little into contact with them, except my dear sister,
+and I had no temptation to regret that I could not support a wife.
+Yet I dreamed of woman and of love and of a joy which might some
+day come to me if I could meet one who fulfilled my ideal of what a
+true woman should be. So I dreamed until I met you. The first time
+I saw you, Selma, I knew in my heart that you were a woman whom I
+could love. Perhaps I should have recognized more clearly as time
+went on that you were more to me even then than I had a right to
+allow; yet I call heaven to witness that I did not, by word or
+sign, do a wrong to him who has done such a cruel wrong to
+you."</p>
+<p>"Never by word or sign," echoed Selma solemnly. The bare
+suggestion that Babcock had cause to complain of either of them
+seemed to her preposterous. Yet she was saying to herself that it
+was easy to perceive that he had loved her from the first.</p>
+<p>"And since I love you with all my soul must I&mdash;should I in
+justice to myself&mdash;to my own hopes of happiness, refrain from
+speaking merely because you have so recently been divorced? I must
+speak&mdash;I am speaking. It is too soon, I dare say, for you to
+be willing to think of marriage again&mdash;but I offer you the
+love and protection of a husband. My means are small, but I am able
+now to support a wife in decent comfort. Selma, give me some hope.
+Tell me, that in time you may be willing to trust yourself to my
+love. You wish to work&mdash;to distinguish yourself. Would I be a
+hindrance to that? Indeed, you must know that I would do every
+thing in my power to promote your desire to be of service to the
+world."</p>
+<p>The time for her smile and her tears had come. He had argued his
+case and her own, and it was clear to her mind that delay would be
+futile. Since happiness was at hand, why not grasp it? As for her
+work, he need not interfere with that. And, after all, now that she
+had tried it, was she so sure that newspaper work&mdash;hack work,
+such as she was pursuing, was what she wished? As a wife,
+re-established in the security of a home, she could pick and choose
+her method of expression. Perhaps, indeed, it would not be writing,
+except occasionally. Was not New York a wide, fruitful field, for a
+reforming social influence? She saw herself in her mind's eye a
+leader of movements and of progress. And that with a man she
+loved&mdash;yes, adored even as he adored her.</p>
+<p>So she turned to Littleton with her smile and in tears&mdash;the
+image of bewitching but pathetic self-justification and surrender.
+Her mind was made up; hence why procrastinate and coyly postpone
+the desirable, and the inevitable? That was what she had the
+shrewdness to formulate in the ecstasy of her transport; and so
+eloquent was the mute revelation of her love that Littleton,
+diffident reverencer of the modesty of woman as he was, without a
+word from her clasped her to his breast, a victor in a breath. As,
+regardless of the possible invasion of interlopers, he took her in
+his embrace, she felt with satisfaction once more the grasp of
+masculine arms. She let her head fall on his shoulder in delighted
+contentment. While he murmured in succession inarticulate terms of
+endearment, she revelled in the thrill of her nerves and approved
+her own sagacious and commendable behavior.</p>
+<p>"Dearest," she whispered, "you are right. We are right. Since we
+love each other, why should we not say so? I love you&mdash;I love
+you. The ugly hateful past shall not keep us apart longer. You say
+you loved me from the first; so did I love you, though I did not
+know it then. We were meant for each other&mdash;God meant
+us&mdash;did he not? It is right, and we shall be so happy,
+Wilbur."</p>
+<p>"Yes, Selma." Words seemed to him an inadequate means for
+expressing his emotions. He pressed his lips upon hers with the
+adoring respect of a worshipper touching his god, yet with the
+energy of a man. She sighed and compared him in her thought with
+Babcock. How gentle this new lover! How refined and sensitive and
+appreciative! How intelligent and gentlemanly!</p>
+<p>"If I had my wish, darling," he said, "we should be married
+to-night and I would carry you away from here forever."</p>
+<p>She remembered that Babcock had uttered the same wish on the
+occasion when he had offered himself. To grant it then had been out
+of the question. To do so now would be convenient&mdash;a prompt
+and satisfactory blotting out of her past and present life&mdash;a
+happy method of solving many minor problems of ways and means
+connected with waiting to be married. Besides it would be romantic,
+and a delicious, fitting crowning of her present blissful mood.</p>
+<p>He mistook her silence for womanly scruples, and he recounted
+with a little laugh the predicament in which he should find himself
+on his own account were they to be so precipitate. "What would my
+sister think if she were to get a telegram&mdash;'Married to-night.
+Expect us to-morrow?' She would think I had lost my senses. So I
+have, darling; and you are the cause. She knows about you. I have
+talked to her about you."</p>
+<p>"But she thinks I am Mrs. Babcock."</p>
+<p>"Oh yes. Ha! ha! It would never do to state to whom I was
+married, unless I sent a telegram as long as my arm. Dear Pauline!
+She will be radiant. It is all arranged that she is to stay where
+she is in the old quarters, and I am to take you to a new house.
+We've decided on that, time and again, when we've chanced to talk
+of what might happen&mdash;of 'the fair, the chaste and
+unexpressive she'&mdash;my she. Dearest, I wondered if I should
+ever find her. Pauline has always said that she would never run the
+risk of spoiling everything by living with us."</p>
+<p>"It would be very nice&mdash;and very simple," responded Selma,
+slowly. "You wouldn't think any the worse of me, Wilbur, if I were
+to marry you to-night?"</p>
+<p>"The worse of you? It is what I would like of all things. Whom
+does it concern but us? Why should we wait in order to make a
+public spectacle of ourselves?"</p>
+<p>"I shouldn't wish that. I should insist on being married very
+quietly. Under all the circumstances there is really no
+reason&mdash;it seems to me it would be easier if we were to be
+married as soon as possible. It would avoid explanations and talk,
+wouldn't it? That is, if you are perfectly sure."</p>
+<p>"Sure? That I love you? Oh Selma!"</p>
+<p>She shut her eyes under the thrill which his kiss gave her.
+"Then we will be married whenever you wish," she said.</p>
+<p>It was already late in the afternoon, so that the prospects of
+obtaining a license did not seem favorable. Still it happened that
+Littleton knew a clergyman of his own
+faith&mdash;Unitarian&mdash;in Benham, a college classmate, whom he
+suggested as soon as he understood that Selma preferred not to be
+married by Mr. Glynn. They found him at home, and by diligent
+personal effort on his part the necessary legal forms were complied
+with and they were made husband and wife three hours before the
+departure of the evening train for New York. After the ceremony
+they stepped buoyantly, arm in arm in the dusk, along the street to
+send the telegram to Miss Littleton, and to snatch a hasty meal
+before Selma went to her lodgings to pack. There were others in the
+restaurant, so having discovered that they were not hungry, they
+bought sandwiches and bananas, and resumed their travels. The
+suddenness and surprise of it all made Selma feel as if on wings.
+It seemed to her to be of the essence of new and exquisite romance
+to be walking at the side of her fond, clever lover in the
+democratic simplicity of two paper bags of provender and an open,
+yet almost headlong marriage. She felt that at last she was yoked
+to a spirit who comprehended her and who would stimulate instead of
+repress the fire of originality within her. She had found love and
+she was happy. Meanwhile she had decided to leave Benham without a
+word to anyone, even Mrs. Earle. She would write and explain what
+had happened.</p>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="BOOK_II" id="BOOK_II"></a><i>BOOK II.</i></h2>
+<h2>THE STRUGGLE</h2>
+<h3>CHAPTER I.</h3>
+<p>Littleton had not expected that Selma would accede to his
+request to be married at once, but he was delighted at her
+decision. He had uttered his wish in sincerity, for there was
+really no reason for waiting, and by an immediate marriage they
+would escape the tedium of an engagement during which they could
+hope to see each other but rarely. He was able to support a wife
+provided they were to live simply and economically. He felt sure
+that Selma understood his circumstances and was no less ready than
+he to forego luxuries in order that they might be all in all to
+each other spiritually as husband and wife. Besides he had hopes
+that his clientage would continue to grow so that he would be able
+to provide all reasonable comforts for his new home. Consequently
+he drove up from the station in New York with a light heart, fondly
+pointing out to his wife this and that building and other objects
+of interest. He mistook her pensive silence for diffidence at the
+idea of descending suddenly on another woman's home&mdash;a matter
+which in this instance gave him no concern, for he had unlimited
+confidence in Pauline's executive ability and her tendency not to
+get ruffled. She had been his good angel, domestically speaking,
+and, indeed, in every way, since they had first begun to keep house
+together, and it had rather amused him to let fall such a bombshell
+as the contents of his telegram upon the regularity of her daily
+life.</p>
+<p>"Don't be nervous, darling," he said gayly. "You will find
+Pauline bubbling over with joy at our coming, and everything
+arranged as though we were expected to live there all our
+lives."</p>
+<p>Selma looked at him blankly and then remembered. She was not
+feeling nervous, and Pauline was not in her thoughts. She had been
+lost in her own reflections&mdash;lost in the happy consciousness
+of the contrast between her new and her old husband, and in the
+increasing satisfaction that she was actually in New York. How
+bright and busy the streets looked! The throng of eager passers and
+jostling vehicles against the background of brilliant shop-windows
+bewildered and stimulated her. She was saying to herself that here
+was the place where she was suited to live, and mutely
+acknowledging its superiority to Benham as a centre of life. This
+was a rash, swift conclusion, but Selma prided herself on her
+capacity to arrive at wise judgments by rapid mental processes. So
+absorbed was she in the glittering, stirring panorama that Wilbur's
+efforts at enlightenment were practically wasted. She was in no
+humor for details; she was glorying in the exalted impression which
+the whole vivid scene produced upon her.</p>
+<p>His remark caused her to realize that they must be near their
+destination. She had no misgivings on the score of her own
+reception, but she was interested and curious to see Pauline, this
+wonderful sister of whom Wilbur was so fond and so proud. Then her
+husband cried, "Here we are!" and in another moment she found
+herself in the hearty embrace of a large, comely woman who met her
+at the door. This of course must be Pauline. Selma was just a
+little shocked by the fervor of the greeting; for though she
+delighted in rapid intimacies, unexpected liberties with her person
+were contrary to her conceptions of propriety. Still it was
+delightful to be welcomed so heartily. She returned the embrace
+warmly but with dignity, and allowed herself to be convoyed into
+the house arm in arm with her new relation who seemed, indeed, to
+be bubbling over with joy. It was not until they were in the same
+room that Selma could get a good look at her.</p>
+<p>Pauline Littleton was fine looking rather than pretty. She was
+tall and substantial, with an agreeable face, an intelligent brow,
+a firm yet sweet mouth, and steady, honest eyes which now sparkled
+with pleasure. Her physique was very different from her brother's.
+Selma noticed that she was taller than herself and only a little
+shorter than Wilbur. She had Wilbur's smile too, suggesting a
+disposition to take things humorously; but her expression lacked
+the poetic cast which made him so attractive and congenial to
+herself and excused the existence of the lighter vein. Selma did
+not admire women who were inclined to be stout. She associated
+spareness of person with high thinking, and an abundance of flesh
+as an indication of material or commonplace aims. She reflected
+that Pauline was presumably business-like and a good house-keeper,
+and, very likely, an industrious teacher in her classes, but she
+set her down in her mind as deficient in the finer sensibilities of
+the spirit belonging to herself and Wilbur. It was instinctive with
+Selma to form a prompt estimate of every one she met, and it was a
+relief to her to come to the agreeable conclusion that there was
+nothing in her sister-in-law's appearance to make her discontented
+with herself. This warmed her heart at once toward Pauline. To be
+sure Pauline manifested the same sort of social grace which
+distinguished Mrs. Hallett Taylor, but Selma, though she still
+regarded this with suspicion, for the reason that she had not yet
+become mistress of it, was secretly content to know that she had
+married into a family which possessed it. Altogether she was
+agreeably impressed by her scrutiny of her new sister, who, in her
+opinion, would not be an irritating rival either in looks or
+character, and yet who was a pleasing and sufficiently
+serious-minded person&mdash;in short just the sort of sister-in-law
+which she yearned to have.</p>
+<p>Pauline, on her part, was duly fascinated by the delicate and
+inspiring beauty of her brother's wife. She understood at once why
+Wilbur had chosen her in preference to any one of his own circle.
+Selma obviously symbolized by her grave, tense, thin face the
+serious ideals of living and womanhood, which had been dear to his
+meditation as a youth and a part of his heritage from his New
+England ancestors. It made her joyous to feel that he had found a
+wife who would be a constant source of inspiration to him, for she
+knew that Wilbur would not be happy with any one who fell short of
+his ideal as to what a woman should be. She knew her brother well,
+and she understood how deeply in earnest he was to make the most of
+his life, and what an exalted vision he entertained as to the
+possibilities for mutual sympathy and help between husband and
+wife.</p>
+<p>Partly as a consequence of their limited means, partly owing to
+absorption in their respective studies and interests, the
+Littletons, though of gentle stock, lived simple lives according to
+New York standards. They were aware of the growth of luxury
+resulting from the accumulation of big fortunes since the war. As
+an architect, Wilbur saw larger and more elaborate public and
+private buildings being erected on every side. As a house-keeper
+and a woman with social interests, Pauline knew that the power of
+money was revolutionizing the public taste in the matter of
+household expenditure; that in the details of domestic life there
+was more color and more circumstance, and that people who were
+well-to-do, and many who were not, were requiring as daily comforts
+all sorts of things to which they had been unaccustomed. But though
+they both thus knew vaguely that the temper of society had changed,
+and that sober citizens and their wives, who, twenty years before,
+would have prated solemnly against a host of gay, enlivening or
+pretty customs as incompatible with American virtue, were now
+adopting these as rapidly as money could procure them&mdash;the
+brother and sister had remained comparatively unaffected by the
+consequences of the transformation scene. Certainly their home had.
+It was old-fashioned in its garniture and its gentility. It spoke
+of a day, not so many years before, when high thinking had led to
+blinking where domestic decoration was concerned, and people had
+bought ugly wooden and worsted things to live with because only the
+things of the spirit seemed of real importance. Still time, with
+its marvellous touch, has often the gift of making furniture and
+upholstery, which were hideous when bought, look interesting and
+cosey when they have become old-fashioned. In this way Pauline
+Wilbur's parlor was a delightful relic of a day gone by. There was
+scarcely a pretty thing in it, as Wilbur himself well knew, yet, as
+a whole, it had an atmosphere&mdash;an atmosphere of simple
+unaffected refinement. Their domestic belongings had come to them
+from their parents, and they had never had the means to replenish
+them. When, in due time, they had realized their artistic
+worthlessness, they had held to them through affection, humorously
+conscious of the incongruity that two such modern individuals as
+themselves should be living in a domestic museum. Then, presto!
+friends had begun to congratulate them on the uniqueness of their
+establishment, and to express affection for it. It had become a
+favorite resort for many modern spirits&mdash;artists, literary
+men, musicians, self-supporting women&mdash;and Pauline's oyster
+suppers, cooked in her grandmother's blazer, were still a stimulus
+to high thinking.</p>
+<p>So matters stood when Selma entered it as a bride. Her coming
+signified the breaking up of the household and the establishment.
+Pauline had thought that out in her clear brain over night since
+receiving Wilbur's telegram. Wilbur must move into a modern house,
+and she into a modern flat. She would keep the very old things,
+such as the blazer and some andirons and a pair of candlesticks,
+for they were ancient enough to be really artistic, but the
+furniture of the immediate past, her father and mother's
+generation, should be sold at auction. Wilbur and she must, if only
+for Selma's sake, become modern in material matters as well as in
+their mental interests.</p>
+<p>Pauline proceeded to unfold this at the dinner-table that
+evening. She had heard in the meanwhile from her brother, the story
+of Selma's divorce and the explanation of his sudden marriage; and
+in consequence, she felt the more solicitous that her
+sister-in-law's new venture should begin propitiously. It was
+agreed that Wilbur should make inquiries at once about houses
+further uptown, and that his present lease from year to year should
+not be renewed. She said to Selma:</p>
+<p>"You have saved us from becoming an old-fashioned bachelor and
+maid. Our friends began to leave this neighborhood five years ago,
+and there is no one left. We are surrounded by boarding-houses and
+shops. We were comfortable, and we were too busy to care. But it
+would never do for a young married couple to begin house-keeping
+here. You must have a brand new house uptown, Selma. You must
+insist on that. Don't be alarmed, Wilbur. I know it will have to be
+small, but I noticed the other day several blocks of new houses
+going up on the side streets west of the Park, which looked
+attractive and cheap."</p>
+<p>"I will look at them," said Wilbur. "Since you seem determined
+not to live with us, and we are obliged to move, we will follow the
+procession. But Selma and I could be happy anywhere." He turned
+from his sister to her as he spoke with a proud, happy look.</p>
+<p>Selma said nothing to mar his confidence. She had no intention
+of living either with Pauline or in their present house, and she
+felt that her sister-in-law had shown good sense in recognizing
+that neither was possible. She necessarily had vague ideas as to
+New York houses and locations, but she had seen enough in her drive
+from the station to understand that it was a wonderful and
+decorative place. Although her experience of Benham had taught her
+that some old things&mdash;such as Mrs. Hallett Taylor's gleanings
+from Europe&mdash;were desirable, she associated new things with
+progress&mdash;especially American progress. Consequently the
+Littleton household possessions had puzzled her, for though she
+thought them ugly, she was resolved not to commit herself too
+hastily. But now that Pauline had sounded a note of warning, the
+situation was clear. They had suffered themselves to fall behind
+the times, and she was to be her husband's good angel by helping
+him to catch up with them. And it was evident that Pauline would be
+her ally. Selma for the first time asked herself whether it might
+be that Wilbur was a little visionary.</p>
+<p>Meanwhile he was saying: "Pauline is right, Selma. I had already
+asked myself if it would not be fairer to you to move uptown where
+we should be in the van and in touch with what is going on. Pauline
+is gently hinting to you that you must not humor me as she has
+done, and let me eat bread and milk out of a bowl in this old
+curiosity shop, instead of following in the wake of fashion. She
+has spoiled me and now she deserts me at the critical moment of my
+life. Selma, you shall have the most charming modern house in New
+York within my means. It must be love in a cottage, but the cottage
+shall have the latest improvements&mdash;hot and cold water, tiles,
+hygienic plumbing and dados."</p>
+<p>"Bravo!" said Pauline. "He says I have spoiled him, Selma.
+Perhaps I have. It will be your turn now. You will fail to convert
+him as I have failed, and the world will be the better for it.
+There are too few men who think noble thoughts and practice them,
+who are true to themselves and the light which is in them through
+thick and thin. But you see, he admits himself that he needs to mix
+with the world a little more. Otherwise he is perfect. You know
+that perhaps, already, Selma. But I wish to tell it to you before
+him. Take care of him, dear, won't you?"</p>
+<p>"It was because I felt that his thoughts were nobler than most
+men's that I wished to marry him," Selma replied, seraphically.
+"But I can see that it is sensible to live where your friends live.
+I shall try not to spoil him, Pauline." She was already conscious
+of a mission which appealed to her. She had been content until now
+in the ardor of her love to regard Wilbur as flawless&mdash;as in
+some respects superior to herself; but it was a gratification to
+her to detect this failing, and to perceive her opportunity for
+usefulness. Surely it was important for her husband to be
+progressive and not merely a dreamer.</p>
+<p>Littleton looked from one to the other fondly. "Not many men are
+blessed with the love of two such women," he said. "I put myself in
+your hands. I bow my neck to the yoke."</p>
+<p>In New York in the early seventies the fashionable quarter lay
+between Eighth and Fortieth Streets, bounded on either side by
+Fourth and Sixth Avenues. Central Park was completed, but the
+region west of it was, from the social stand-point, still a
+wilderness, and Fifth Avenue in the neighborhood of Twenty-third
+Street was the centre of elegant social life. Selma took her first
+view of this brilliant street on the following day on her way to
+hunt for houses in the outlying district. The roar and bustle of
+the city, which thrilled yet dazed her, seemed here softened by the
+rows of tall, imposing residences in brown stone. Along the sunny
+sidewalks passed with jaunty tread an ever-hurrying procession of
+stylishly clad men and women; and along the roadbed sped an array
+of private carriages conducted by coachmen in livery. It was a
+brilliant day, and New Yorkers were making the most of it.</p>
+<p>Selma had never seen such a sight before. Benham faded into
+insignificance in comparison. She was excited, and she gazed
+eagerly at the spectacle. Yet her look, though absorbed, was stern.
+This sort of thing was unlike anything American within her personal
+experience. This avenue of grand houses and this procession of fine
+individuals and fine vehicles made her think of that small section
+of Benham into which she had never been invited, and the thought
+affected her disagreeably.</p>
+<p>"Who are the people who live in these houses?" she asked,
+presently.</p>
+<p>Littleton had already told her that it was the most fashionable
+street in the city.</p>
+<p>"Oh, the rich and prosperous."</p>
+<p>"Those who gamble in stocks, I suppose." Selma wished to be
+assured that this was so.</p>
+<p>"Some of them," said Littleton, with a laugh. "They belong to
+people who have made money in various ways or have inherited
+it&mdash;our well-to-do class, among them the first families in New
+York, and many of them our best citizens."</p>
+<p>"Are they friends of yours?"</p>
+<p>Littleton laughed again. "A few&mdash;not many. Society here is
+divided into sets, and they are not in my set. I prefer mine, and
+fortunately, for I can't afford to belong to theirs."</p>
+<p>"Oh!"</p>
+<p>The frigidity and dryness of the exclamation Littleton ascribed
+to Selma's intuitive enmity to the vanities of life.</p>
+<p>"You mustn't pass judgment on them too hastily," he said. "New
+York is a wonderful place, and it's likely to shock you before you
+learn to appreciate what is interesting and fine here. I will tell
+you a secret, Selma. Every one likes to make money. Even clergymen
+feel it their duty to accept a call from the congregation which
+offers the best salary, and probing men of science do not hesitate
+to reap the harvest from a wonderful invention. Yet it is the
+fashion with most of the people in this country who possess little
+to prate about the wickedness of money-getters and to think evil of
+the rich. That proceeds chiefly from envy, and it is sheer cant.
+The people of the United States are engaged in an eager struggle to
+advance themselves&mdash;to gain individual distinction, comfort,
+success, and in New York to a greater extent than in any other
+place can the capable man or woman sell his or her wares to the
+best advantage&mdash;be they what they may, stocks, merchandise,
+law, medicine, pictures. The world pays well for the things it
+wants&mdash;and the world is pretty just in the long run. If it
+doesn't like my designs, that will be because they're not worth
+buying. The great thing&mdash;the difficult thing to guard against
+in the whirl of this great city, where we are all striving to get
+ahead&mdash;is not to sell one's self for money, not to sacrifice
+the thing worth doing for mere pecuniary advantage. It's the great
+temptation to some to do so, for only money can buy fine houses,
+and carriages and jewels&mdash;yes, and in a certain sense, social
+preferment. The problem is presented in a different form to every
+man. Some can grow rich honestly, and some have to remain poor in
+order to be true to themselves. We may have to remain poor, Selma
+mia." He spoke gayly, as though that prospect did not disturb him
+in the least.</p>
+<p>"And we shall be just as good as the people who own these
+houses." She said it gravely, as if it were a declaration of
+principles, and at the same moment her gaze was caught and
+disturbed by a pair of blithe, fashionably dressed young women
+gliding by her with the quiet, unconscious grace of good-breeding.
+She was inwardly aware, though she would never acknowledge it by
+word or sign, that such people troubled her. More even than Mrs.
+Taylor had troubled her. They were different from her and they
+tantalized her.</p>
+<p>At the same moment her husband was saying in reply, "Just as
+good, but not necessarily any better. No&mdash;other things being
+equal&mdash;not so good. We mustn't deceive ourselves with that
+piece of cant. Some of them are frivolous enough, and dishonest
+enough, heaven knows, but so there are frivolous and dishonest
+people in every class. But there are many more who endeavor to be
+good citizens&mdash;are good citizens, our best citizens. The
+possession of money gives them the opportunity to become arbiters
+of morals and taste, and to seek culture under the best advantages.
+After all, an accumulation of money represents brains and energy in
+some one. Look at this swell," he continued, indicating an
+attractive looking young man who was passing. "His grandfather was
+one of the ablest men in the city&mdash;an intelligent,
+self-respecting, shrewd, industrious, public-spirited citizen who
+made a large fortune. The son has had advantages which I have never
+had, and I happen to know that he is a fine fellow and a very able
+one. If it came to comparisons, I should be obliged to admit that
+he's a more ornamental member of society than Jones, Brown, or
+Robinson, and certainly no less useful. Do I shock you&mdash;you
+sweet, unswerving little democrat of the democrats?"</p>
+<p>It always pleased Selma to be called endearing names, and it
+suited her in her present frame of mind to be dubbed a democrat,
+for it did not suit her to be painfully realizing that she was
+unable, at one brilliant swoop, to take her place as a leader in
+social influence. Somehow she had expected to do this, despite her
+first difficulties at Benham, for she had thought of New York as a
+place where, as the wife of Littleton, the architect, she would at
+once be a figure of importance. She shook her head and said, "It's
+hard to believe that these people are really in earnest; that they
+are serious in purpose and spirit." Meanwhile she was being haunted
+by the irritating reflection that her clothes and her bearing were
+inferior to those of the women she was passing. Secretly she was
+making a resolve to imitate them, though she believed that she
+despised them. She put her hand through her husband's arm and
+added, almost fiercely, as she pressed closer to him, "We needn't
+trouble our heads about them, Wilbur. We can get along without
+being rich and fashionable, you and I. In spite of what you say, I
+don't consider this sort of thing American."</p>
+<p>"Get along? Darling, I was merely trying to be just to them; to
+let you see that they are not so black as they're painted. We will
+forget them forever. We have nothing in common with them. Get
+along? I feel that my life will be a paradise living with you and
+trying to make some impression on the life of this big, striving
+city. But as to its not being American to live like these
+people&mdash;well you know they are Americans and that New York is
+the Mecca of the hard-fisted sons of toil from all over the country
+who have made money. But you're right, Selma. Those who go in for
+show and extravagance are not the best Americans&mdash;the
+Americans whom you and I believe in. Sometimes I get discouraged
+when I stop to think, and now I shall have you to keep me steadfast
+to our faith."</p>
+<p>"Yes, Wilbur. And how far from here are we to live?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, a mile or more. On some side street where the land is cheap
+and the rent low. What do we care for that, Selma mia?"</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3>
+<p>Shortly before Selma Littleton took up her abode in New York,
+Miss Florence, or, as she was familiarly known, Miss Flossy Price,
+was an inhabitant of a New Jersey city. Her father was a second
+cousin of Morton Price, whose family at that time was socially
+conspicuous in fashionable New York society. Not aggressively
+conspicuous, as ultra fashionable people are to-day, by dint of
+frequent newspaper advertisement, but in consequence of elegant,
+conservative respectability, fortified by and cushioned on a huge
+income. In the early seventies to know the Morton Prices was a
+social passport, and by no means every one socially ambitious knew
+them. Morton Price's great-grandfather had been a peddler, his
+grandfather a tea merchant, his father a tea merchant and bank
+organizer, and he himself did nothing mercantile, but was a
+director in diverse institutions, representing trusts or
+philantrophy, and was regarded by many, including himself, as the
+embodiment of ornamental and admirable citizenship. He could talk
+by the hour on the degeneracy of state and city politics and the
+evil deeds of Congress, and was, generally speaking, a
+conservative, fastidious, well-dressed, well-fed man, who had a
+winning way with women and a happy faculty of looking wise and
+saying nothing rash in the presence of men. Some of the younger
+generation were apt, with the lack of reverence belonging to youth,
+to speak of him covertly as "a stuffed club," but no echo of this
+epithet had ever reached the ear of his cousin, David Price, in New
+Jersey. For him, as for most of the world within a radius of two
+hundred miles, he was above criticism and a monument of social
+power.</p>
+<p>David Price, Miss Flossy's father, was the president of a small
+and unprogressive but eminently solid bank. Respectable routine was
+his motto, and he lived up to it, and, as a consequence, no more
+sound institution of the kind existed in his neighborhood. He and
+his directors were slow to adopt innovations of any kind; they put
+stumbling blocks in the path of business convenience whenever they
+could; in short, David Price in his humble way was a righteous,
+narrow, hide-bound retarder of progress and worshipper of
+established local custom. Therefore it was a constant source of
+surprise and worry to him that he should have a progressive
+daughter. There were four other children, patterns of quiet,
+plodding conservatism, but&mdash;such is the irony of
+fate&mdash;the youngest, prettiest, and his favorite, was an
+independent, opinionated young woman, who seemed to turn a deaf ear
+to paternal and maternal advice of safest New Jersey type. In her
+father's words, she had no reverence for any thing or any body,
+which was approximately true, for she did not hesitate to speak
+disrespectfully even of the head of the house in New York.</p>
+<p>"Poppa," she said one day, "Cousin Morton doesn't care for any
+of us a little bit. I know what you're going to say," she added;
+"that he sends you two turkeys every Thanksgiving. The last were
+terribly tough. I'm sure he thinks that we never see turkeys here
+in New Jersey, and that he considers us poor relations and that we
+live in a hole. If one of us should call on him, I know it would
+distress him awfully. He's right in thinking that this is a hole.
+Nothing ever happens here, and when I marry I intend to live in New
+York."</p>
+<p>This was when she was seventeen. Her father was greatly shocked,
+especially as he suspected in his secret soul that the tirade was
+true in substance. He had been the recipient of Thanksgiving
+turkeys for nearly twenty years on the plea that they had been
+grown on the donor's farm in Westchester county, and he had seen
+fit to invite his fellow-directors annually to dine off one of them
+as a modest notice that he was on friendly terms with his
+aristocratic New York cousin. But in all these twenty years turkeys
+had been the only medium of intercourse between them. David Price,
+on the few occasions when he had visited New York, had not found it
+convenient to call. Once he had walked by on the other side of
+Fifth avenue and looked at the house, but shyness and the thought
+that he had no evening clothes in his valise had restrained him
+from ringing the doorbell.</p>
+<p>"You do your cousin Morton great injustice&mdash;great
+injustice, Florence," he answered. "He never forgets to send the
+turkeys, and as to the rest of your speech, I have only to say that
+it is very disrespectful and very foolish. The next time I go to
+New York I will take you to call on your cousins."</p>
+<p>"And what would I say to them? No thank you, poppa." The young
+woman shook her head decisively, and then she added, "I'm not going
+to call on them, until I'm fit to. There!"</p>
+<p>The ambiguity of this remark gave Mr. Price the opportunity to
+say that, in view of her immediate shortcomings, it was a wise
+conclusion, but he knew what she really meant and was distressed.
+His feeling toward his cousin, though mildly envious, did not
+extend to self-depreciation, nor had it served to undermine his
+faith in the innate dignity and worth of New Jersey family life. He
+could not only with a straight face, but with a kindling eye
+inveigh against the perils of New York fashionable life, and
+express gratification that no son or daughter of his had wandered
+so far from the fold. It distressed him to think that Florence
+should be casting sheep's eyes at the flesh-pots of Gotham, and so
+failing to appreciate the blessings and safety of a quiet American
+home.</p>
+<p>Miss Flossy continued to entertain and to express opinions of
+her own, and as a result became socially interesting. At eighteen,
+by her beauty, her engaging frankness and lack of
+self-consciousness, she spread havoc among the young men of her
+native city, several of whom offered her marriage. But marriage was
+far from her thoughts. Life seemed too interesting and she wished
+to see the world. She was erect and alert looking, with a compact
+figure of medium height, large brown eyes and rich red hair, and a
+laughing mouth; also an innocent demeanor, which served to give
+her, by moonlight, the effect of an angel. She succeeded in
+visiting Bar Harbor, where she promptly became a bright particular
+star among the galaxy of young women who at that period were
+establishing the reputation of the summer girl. She continued to be
+a summer girl for four seasons without injury to her own peace of
+mind. At the end of the fourth summer she appeared on close
+scrutiny to be a little worn, and her innocent air seemed a trifle
+deliberate. She returned to her home in New Jersey in not quite her
+usual spirits. In fact she became pensive. She had seen the world,
+and lo! she found it stuffed with sawdust. She was ready to settle
+down, but the only man with whom she would have been willing to
+settle had never asked her. He was the brother of one of the girls
+who had been forbidden by her mother to stay out in canoes with
+young men after nine at night. The rumor had reached Flossy that
+this same mother had referred to her in "the fish pond" at Rodick's
+as "that dreadful girl." It would have pleased her after that to
+have wrung an offer of marriage from the son and heir, who knew her
+cousins, the Morton Prices, and to whom she would have been willing
+to engage herself temporarily at all events. He was very devoted;
+they stayed out in his canoe until past midnight; he wrote verses
+to her and told her his innermost thoughts; but he stopped there.
+He went away without committing himself, and she was left to chew
+the cud of reflection. It was bitter, not because she was in love
+with him, for she was not. In her heart she knew he bored her a
+little. But she was piqued. Evidently he had been afraid to marry
+"that dreadful girl." She was piqued and she was sad. She
+recognized that it was another case of not being fit. When would
+she be fit? What was she to do in order to become fit&mdash;fit
+like the girl who was not allowed to stay on the water after nine
+o'clock? She had ceased to think of the young man, but the image of
+his sister haunted her. How stylish she was, yet how simple and
+quiet! "I wonder," thought Flossy to herself, "if I could ever
+become like her." The reflection threw her into a brown study in
+which she remained for weeks, and during which she refused the hand
+of a staid and respectable townsman, who, in her father's words,
+was ready to take her with all her follies. David Price was
+disappointed. He loved this independent daughter, and he had hopes
+that her demure and reticent deportment signified that the
+effervescence of youth had evaporated. But it was only an effort on
+Flossy's part to imitate the young man's sister.</p>
+<p>At this juncture and just when she was bored and dispirited by
+the process, Gregory Williams appeared on the scene. Flossy met him
+at a dancing party. He had a very tall collar, a very friendly,
+confident, and (toward her) devoted manner, and good looks. It was
+whispered among the girls that he was a banker from New York. He
+was obviously not over thirty, which was young for a banker, but so
+he presently described himself to Flossy with hints of impending
+prosperity. He spoke glibly and picturesquely. He had a convincing
+eloquence of gesture&mdash;a wave of the hand which suggested
+energy and compelled confidence. He had picked her out at once to
+be introduced to, and sympathy between them was speedily
+established. Her wearing, as a red-headed girl, a white horse in
+the form of a pin, in order to prevent the attention of the men to
+whom she talked from wandering, delighted him. He said to himself
+that here was a girl after his own heart. He had admired her looks
+at the outset, but he gazed at her now more critically. He danced
+every dance with her, and they sat together at supper, apart from
+everybody else. Flossy's resolutions were swept away. That is, she
+had become in an instant indifferent to the fact that the New York
+girl she had yearned to imitate would not have made herself so
+conspicuous. Her excuse was that she could not help herself. It was
+a case of genuine, violent attraction, which she made no effort to
+straggle against.</p>
+<p>The attraction was violent on both sides. Gregory Williams was
+not seeking to be married. He had been, until within six months, a
+broker's clerk, and had become a banker on the strength of ten
+thousand dollars bequeathed to him by a grandmother. He and a clerk
+from another broker's office, J. Willett VanHorne, had recently
+formed a partnership as Williams &amp; VanHorne, Bankers and
+Dealers in Stocks and Bonds. He was not seeking to be married, but
+he intended to be married some day, and it was no part of his
+scheme of life to deny himself anything he wished. Support a wife?
+Of course he could; and support her in the same grandiose fashion
+which he had adopted for himself since he had begun business on his
+own account. He had chosen as a philosophy of life the smart
+paradox, which he enjoyed uttering, that he spent what he needed
+first and supplied the means later; and at the same time he let it
+be understood that the system worked wonderfully. He possessed
+unlimited confidence in himself, and though he was dimly aware that
+a very small turn of the wheel of fortune in the wrong direction
+would ruin him financially, he chose to close his eyes to the
+possibilities of disaster and to assume a bold and important
+bearing before the world. He had implicit faith in his own special
+line of ability, and he appreciated the worth of his partner,
+VanHorne. He had joined forces with VanHorne because he knew that
+he was the opposite of himself&mdash;that he was a delving,
+thorough, shrewd, keen office man&mdash;and able too. How genuinely
+able Williams did not yet know. He himself was to be the showy
+partner, the originator of schemes and procurer of business, the
+brilliant man before the world. So there was some method in his
+madness. And with it all went a cheery, incisive, humorous point of
+view which was congenial and diverting to Flossy.</p>
+<p>He went away, but he came back once&mdash;twice&mdash;thrice in
+quick succession. On business, so he said casually to Mr. and Mrs.
+Price, but his language to their daughter was a declaration of
+personal devotion. It remained for her to say whether she would
+marry him or no. Of one thing she was sure without need of
+reflection, that she loved him ardently. As a consequence she
+surrendered at once, though, curiously enough, she was conscious
+when she permitted him to kiss her with effusion that he was not
+the sort of man she had intended to marry&mdash;that he was not fit
+in her sense of the word. Yet she was determined to marry him, and
+from the moment their troth was plighted she found herself his
+eager and faithful ally, dreaming and scheming on their joint
+account. She would help him to succeed; they would conquer the
+world together; she would never doubt his ability to conquer it.
+And in time&mdash;yes, in time they would make even the Morton
+Prices notice them.</p>
+<p>And so after some bewildered opposition on the part of Mr.
+Price, who was alternately appalled and fascinated by the
+magniloquent language of his would-be son-in-law, they were
+married. Flossy gave but a single sign to her husband that she
+understood him and recognized what they really represented. It was
+one evening a few months after they had set up housekeeping while
+they were walking home from the theatre. They had previously dined
+at Delmonico's, and the cost of the evening's entertainment,
+including a bottle of champagne at dinner, their tickets and a
+corsage bouquet of violets for Flossy, had been fifteen dollars.
+Flossy wore a resplendent theatre hat and fashionable
+cape&mdash;one of the several stylish costumes with which her
+husband had hastened to present her, and Gregory was convoying her
+along the Avenue with the air of a man not averse to have the world
+recognize that they were a well set up and prosperous couple.
+Flossy had put her arm well inside his and was doing her best to
+help him produce the effect which he desired, when she suddenly
+said:</p>
+<p>"I wonder, Gregory, how long it will be before we're really
+anybody. Now, of course, we're only make believe swell."</p>
+<p>Gregory gave an amused laugh. "What a clever little woman!
+That's just what we are. We'll keep it a secret, though, and won't
+advertise it to the world."</p>
+<p>"Mum's the word," she replied, giving his arm a squeeze. "I only
+wished you to know that I was not being fooled; that I
+understood."</p>
+<p>Fate ordained that the Williamses and the Littletons should take
+houses side by side in the same block. It was a new block, and at
+first they were the sole occupants. Williams bought his house,
+giving a mortgage back to the seller for all the man would accept,
+and obtaining a second mortgage from a money lender in
+consideration of a higher rate of interest, for practically the
+remaining value. He furnished his house ornately from top to bottom
+in the latest fashion, incurring bills for a portion of the
+effects, and arranging to pay on the instalment plan where he could
+not obtain full credit. His reasoning was convincing to himself and
+did not alarm Flossy, who was glad to feel that they were the
+owners of the house and attractive furniture. It was that the land
+was sure to improve in value before the mortgage became due, and as
+for the carpets and curtains and other outlays, a few points in the
+stock market would pay for them at any time.</p>
+<p>Wilbur Littleton did not possess the ready money to buy;
+consequently he took a lease of his new house for three years, and
+paid promptly for the furniture he bought, the selection of which
+was gradual. Gregory Williams had a marvellous way of entering a
+shop and buying everything which pleased his eye at one fell swoop,
+but Wilbur, who desired to accomplish the best &aelig;sthetic
+effects possible consistent with his limited means, trotted Selma
+from one shop to another before choosing. This process of selecting
+slowly the things with which they were to pass their lives was a
+pleasure to him, and, as he supposed, to Selma. She did enjoy
+keenly at first beholding the enticing contents of the various
+stores which they entered in the process of procuring wall-papers,
+carpets, and the other essentials for house-keeping. It was a
+revelation to her that such beautiful things existed, and her
+inclination was to purchase the most showy and the most costly
+articles. In the adornment of her former home Babcock had given her
+a free hand. That is, his disposition had been to buy the finest
+things which the shopkeepers of Benham called to his attention. She
+understood now that his taste and the taste of Benham, and even
+her's, had been at fault, but she found herself hampered now by a
+new and annoying limitation, the smallness of their means. Almost
+every thing was very expensive, and she was obliged to pass by the
+patterns and materials she desired to possess, and accept articles
+of a more sober and less engaging character. Many of these, to be
+sure, were declared by Wilbur to be artistically charming and more
+suitable than many which she preferred, but it would have suited
+her better to fix on the rich upholstery and solid furniture, which
+were evidently the latest fashion in household decoration, rather
+than go mousing from place to place, only at last to pick up in the
+back corner of some store this or that object which was both
+reasonably pretty and reasonably cheap. When it was all over Selma
+was pleased with the effect of her establishment, but she had eaten
+of the tree of knowledge. She had visited the New York shops.
+These, in her capacity of a God-fearing American, she would have
+been ready to anathematize in a speech or in a newspaper article,
+but the memory of them haunted her imagination and left her
+domestic yearnings not wholly satisfied.</p>
+<p>Wilbur Littleton's scheme of domestic life was essentially
+spiritual, and in the development of it he felt that he was
+consulting his wife's tastes and theories no less than his own. He
+knew that she understood that he was ambitious to make a name for
+himself as an architect; but to make it only by virtue of work of a
+high order; that he was unwilling to become a time-server or to
+lower his professional standards merely to make temporary progress,
+which in the end would mar a success worth having. He had no doubt
+that he had made this clear to her and that she sympathized with
+him. As a married man it was his desire and intention not to allow
+his interest in this ambition to interfere with the enjoyment of
+the new great happiness which had come into his life. He would be a
+professional recluse no longer. He would cast off his work when he
+left his office, and devote his evenings to the &aelig;sthetic
+delights of Selma's society. They would read aloud; he would tell
+her his plans and ask her advice; they would go now and then to the
+theatre; and, in justice to her, they would occasionally entertain
+their friends and accept invitations from them. With this outlook
+in mind he had made such an outlay as would render his home
+attractive and cosey&mdash;simple as became a couple just beginning
+life, yet the abode of a gentleman and a lover of inspiring and
+pretty things.</p>
+<p>As has been mentioned, Littleton was a Unitarian, and one effect
+of his faith had been to make his point of view broad and
+straightforward. He detested hypocrisy and cant, subterfuge and
+self-delusion. He was content to let other people live according to
+their own lights without too much distress on their account, but he
+was too honest and too clear-headed to be able to deceive himself
+as to his own motives and his own conduct. He had no intention to
+be morbid, but he saw clearly that it was his privilege and his
+duty to be true to both his loves, his wife and his profession, and
+that if he neglected either, he would be so far false to his best
+needs and aspirations. Yet he felt that for the moment it was
+incumbent on him to err on the side of devotion to his wife until
+she should become accustomed to her new surroundings.</p>
+<p>The problem of the proper arrangement and subdivision of life in
+a large city and in these seething, modern times is perplexing to
+all of us. There are so many things we would like to do which we
+cannot; so many things which we do against our wills. We are
+perpetually squinting at happiness, but just as we get a delightful
+vision before our eyes we are whisked off by duty or ambition or
+the force of social momentum to try a different view. Consequently
+our perennial regret is apt to be that we have seen our real
+interests and our real friends as in a panorama, for a fleeting
+moment, and then no more until the next time. For Littleton this
+was less true than for most. His life was deep and stable rather
+than many-sided. To be sure his brain experienced, now and then,
+the dazing effects of trying to confront all the problems of the
+universe and adapt his architectural endeavors to his
+interpretation of them; and he knew well the bewildering
+difficulties of the process of adjusting professional theories to
+the sterile conditions which workaday practice often presented. But
+this crowding of his mental canvas was all in the line of his life
+purpose. The days were too short, and sometimes left him perplexed
+and harassed by their rush; yet he was still pursuing the tenor of
+his way. The interest of marriage was not, therefore, in his case a
+fresh burden on a soul already laden with a variety of side
+pursuits. He was neither socially nor philanthropically active; he
+was not a club man, nor an athletic enthusiast; he was on no
+committees; he voted on election days, but he did not take an
+active part in politics. For Selma's sake all this must be changed;
+and he was glad to acknowledge that he owed it to himself as well
+as to her to widen his sympathies.</p>
+<p>As a first step in reform he began to leave his office daily at
+five instead of six, and, on Saturdays, as soon after two as
+possible. For a few months these brands of time snatched from the
+furnace of his professional ardor were devoted to the shopping
+relative to house-furnishing. When that was over, to walking with
+Selma; sometimes as a sheer round of exercise in company, sometimes
+to visit a print-shop, exhibition of pictures, book-store, or other
+attraction of the hour. But the evening was for him the ideal
+portion of the day; when, after dinner was done, they made
+themselves comfortable in the new library, their living room, and
+it became his privilege to read aloud to her or to compare ideas
+with her regarding books and pictures and what was going on in the
+world. It had been a dream of Littleton's that some day he would
+re-read consecutively the British poets, and as soon as the
+furniture was all in place and the questions of choice of rugs and
+chairs and pictures had been settled by purchase, he proposed it as
+a definite occupation whenever they had nothing else in view. It
+delighted him that Selma received this suggestion with enthusiasm.
+Accordingly, they devoted their spare evenings to the undertaking,
+reading aloud in turn. Littleton's enunciation was clear and
+intelligent, and as a happy lover he was in a mood to fit poetic
+thoughts to his own experience, and to utter them ardently. While
+he read, Selma knew that she was ever the heroine of his
+imagination, which was agreeable, and she recognized besides that
+his performance in itself was &aelig;sthetically attractive. Yet in
+spite of the personal tribute, Selma preferred the evenings when
+she herself was the elocutionist. She enjoyed the sound of her own
+voice, and she enjoyed the emotions which her utterance of the
+rhythmic stanzas set coursing through her brain. It was obvious to
+her that Wilbur was captivated by her reading, and she delighted in
+giving herself up to the spirit of the text with the reservations
+appropriate to an enlightened but virtuous soul. For instance, in
+the case of Shelley, she gloried in his soaring, but did not let
+herself forget that fire-worship was not practical; in the case of
+Byron, though she yielded her senses to the spell of his passionate
+imagery, she reflected approvingly that she was a married
+woman.</p>
+<p>But Littleton appreciated also that his wife should have the
+society of others beside himself. Pauline introduced her promptly
+to her own small but intelligent feminine circle, and pending
+Pauline's removal to a flat, the Saturday evening suppers were
+maintained at the old establishment. Here Selma made the
+acquaintance of her husband's and his sister's friends, both men
+and women, who dropped in often after the play and without ceremony
+for a weekly interchange of thought and comradeship. Selma looked
+forward to the first of these occasions with an eager curiosity.
+She expected a renewal of the Benham Institute, only in a more
+impressive form, as befitted a great literary centre; that papers
+would be read, original compositions recited, and many interesting
+people of both sexes perform according to their specialties. She
+confidently hoped to have the opportunity to declaim, "Oh, why
+should the spirit of mortal be proud?" "Curfew must not ring
+to-night," or some other of her literary pieces.</p>
+<p>Therefore, it was almost a shock to her that the affair was so
+informal, and that the company seemed chiefly occupied in behaving
+gayly&mdash;in making sallies at each other's expense, which were
+greeted with merriment. They seemed to her like a lot of children
+let loose from school. There were no exercises, and no allusion was
+made to the attainments of the various guests beyond an occasional
+word of introduction by Pauline or Wilbur; and this word was apt to
+be of serio-comic import. Selma realized that among the fifteen
+people present there were representatives of various interesting
+crafts&mdash;writers, artists, a magazine editor, two critics of
+the stage, a prominent musician, and a college professor&mdash;but
+none of them seemed to her to act a part or to have their
+accomplishments in evidence, as she would have liked. Every one was
+very cordial to her, and appeared desirous to recognize her as a
+permanent member of their circle, but she could not help feeling
+disappointed at the absence of ceremony and formal events. There
+was no president or secretary, and presently the party went into
+the dining-room and sat around a table, at either end of which
+Pauline and Wilbur presided over a blazer. Interest centred on the
+preparation of a rabbit and creamed oysters, and pleasant badinage
+flew from tongue to tongue. Selma found herself between the
+magazine editor and a large, powerfully built man with a broad,
+rotund, strong face, who was introduced to her as Dr. Page, and who
+was called George by every one else. He had arrived late, just as
+they were going in to supper, and his appearance had been greeted
+with a murmur of satisfaction. He had placed himself between
+Pauline and her, and he showed himself, to Selma's thinking, one of
+the least dignified of the company.</p>
+<p>"My dear Mrs. Littleton," he said, with a counterfeit of great
+gravity, "you are now witnessing an impressive example of the
+politeness of true friendship. There are cynics who assert that the
+American people are lacking in courtesy, and cast in our teeth the
+superiority of Japanese manners. I wish they were here to-night.
+There is not a single individual present, male or female, married
+or single, who does not secretly cherish the amiable belief that he
+or she can cook things on a blazer better than any one else. And
+yet we abstain from criticism; we offer no suggestions; we accept,
+without a murmur, the proportions of cheese and beer and butter
+inflicted upon us by our hostess and her brother, and are silent.
+We shall even become complimentary later. Can the Japanese vie with
+this?"</p>
+<p>The contrast between his eager, grave gaze, and the levity of
+his words, puzzled Selma. He looked interesting, but his speech
+seemed to her trivial and unworthy of the occasion. Still she
+appreciated that she must not be a spoil-sport, and that it was
+incumbent on her to resign herself to the situation, so she smiled
+gayly, and said: "I am the only one then not suffering from
+self-restraint. I never made a Welsh rabbit, nor cooked on a
+blazer." Then, in her desire for more serious conversation, she
+added: "Do you really think that we, as a people, are less polite
+than the Japanese?"</p>
+<p>The doctor regarded her with solemn interest for an instant, as
+though he were pondering the question. As a matter of fact, he was
+thinking that she was remarkably pretty. Then he put his finger on
+his lips, and in a hoarse whisper, said, "Sh! Be careful. If the
+editorial ear should catch your proposition the editorial man would
+appropriate it. There!" he added, as her left-hand neighbor bent
+toward them in response to the summons, "he has heard, and your
+opportunity to sell an idea to the magazine is lost. It is all very
+fine for him to protest that he has heard nothing. That is a trick
+of his trade. Let us see now if he will agree to buy. If he
+refuses, it will be a clear case that he has heard and purloined
+it. Come, Dennison, here's a chance for a ten thousand-word
+symposium debate, 'Are we, as a nation, less polite than the
+Japanese?' We offer it for a hundred and fifty cash, and cheap at
+the price."</p>
+<p>Mr. Dennison, who was a keen-eyed, quiet man, with a brown,
+closely-cut beard, had paused in his occupation of buttering hot
+toast for the impending rabbit, and was smiling quizzically. "If
+you have literary secrets to dispose of, Mrs. Littleton, let me
+warn you against making a confidant of Dr. Page. Had you spoken to
+me first, there is no knowing what I might have&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"What did I tell you?" broke in the doctor. "A one hundred and
+fifty-dollar idea ruthlessly appropriated. These editors, these
+editors!"</p>
+<p>It was tantalizing to Selma to be skirting the edge of themes
+she would have enjoyed to hear treated seriously. She hoped that
+Mr. Dennison would inquire if she really wrote, and at least he
+would tell her something about his magazine and literary life in
+New York. But he took up again his task of buttering toast, and
+sought to interest her in that. Presently she was unable to resist
+the temptation of remarking that the editorship of a magazine must
+be one of the most interesting of all occupations; but he looked at
+her with his quizzical smile, and answered:</p>
+<p>"Between you and me, Mrs. Littleton, I will confide to you that
+a considerable portion of the time it is a confounded bore. To tell
+the truth, I much prefer to sit next to you and butter toast."</p>
+<p>This was depressing and puzzling to Selma; but after the
+consumption of the rabbit and the oysters there was some
+improvement in the general tone of the conversation. Yet, not so
+far as she was concerned. Mr. Dennison neglected to confide to her
+the secrets of his prison house, and Dr. Page ruthlessly refused to
+discuss medicine, philosophy, or the Japanese. But here and there
+allusion was made by one or another of the company to something
+which had been done in the world of letters, or art, or music,
+which possessed merit or deserved discouragement. What was said was
+uttered simply, often trenchantly and lightly, but never as a
+dogma, or with the solemnity which Mrs. Earle had been wont to
+impart to her opinions. Just as the party was about to break up,
+Dr. Page approached Selma and offered her his hand. "It is a great
+pleasure to me to have met you," he said, looking into her face
+with his honest eyes. "A good wife was just what Wilbur needed to
+insure him happiness and a fine career. His friends have great
+confidence in his ability, and we intrust him to you in the belief
+that the world will hear from him&mdash;and I, for one, shall be
+very grateful to you."</p>
+<p>He spoke now with evident feeling, and his manner suggested the
+desire to be her friend. Selma admired his large physique and felt
+the attraction of his searching gaze.</p>
+<p>"Perhaps he did need a wife," she answered with an attempt at
+the sprightliness which he had laid aside. "I shall try not to let
+him be too indifferent to practical considerations."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER III.</h3>
+<p>"Who is Dr. Page?" asked Selma of her husband when they left the
+house.</p>
+<p>"One of our best friends, and one of the leading physicians in
+the city. The energy of that man is tireless. He is absorbed in his
+profession. The only respite he allows himself are these Saturday
+evenings, and his devotion to his little son who has hip disease.
+He told me to-night that he had finished his day's work only just
+before he came in. What did you think of him? He likes to
+tease."</p>
+<p>"Then he is married?"</p>
+<p>"He is a widower."</p>
+<p>"He seems interested in you. He was good enough to say that he
+thought you needed a wife."</p>
+<p>"Then he must have admired you, Selma. Poor fellow! I wish he
+might have that happiness himself. I'll tell you a secret: He has
+desired to marry Pauline for years. They are devoted
+friends&mdash;but until now that is all. His wife was an
+actress&mdash;a handsome creature. Two years after they were
+married she ran away with another man and left him. Left him with
+one little boy, a cripple, on whom he lavishes all the love of his
+big nature."</p>
+<p>"How dreadful!"</p>
+<p>"Yes, it is a sad story. That was ten years ago. He was very
+young and the woman was very beautiful. It has been the making of
+him, though, in one way. He had the pride and confidence of
+ability, but he lacked sympathy. His experience and the appealing
+presence of his son have developed his nature and given him
+tenderness. He has not been imbittered; he has simply become
+gentle. And how he works! He is already famous in his
+profession."</p>
+<p>"Does Pauline care for him?"</p>
+<p>"I don't know her feelings. I am sure she is fond of him, and
+admires him. I fancy, though, that she hesitates to renounce her
+own ambitions. As you are aware, she is greatly interested in her
+classes, and in matters pertaining to the higher education of
+women. George Page knew her at the time of his marriage. I do not
+mean that he paid her serious attention then, but he had the
+opportunity to ask her instead of the other. Now, when she has
+become absorbed in her life-work, she would naturally decline to
+give it up unless she felt sure that she could not be happy without
+him."</p>
+<p>"I would not marry him if I were she," said Selma. "He has given
+his best to the other woman. He is the one at fault, not Pauline.
+Why should she sacrifice her own career in order to console
+him?"</p>
+<p>"She might love him sufficiently to be willing to do so, Selma.
+Love makes women blind to faults. But poor George was scarcely at
+fault. It was a misfortune."</p>
+<p>"He made his choice and was deceived. It would be weak of her to
+give up her own life merely because he is lonely. We modern women
+have too much self-respect for that. Love is love, and it is not to
+be trifled with."</p>
+<p>"Yes, love is love," murmured Littleton, "and I am happy in
+mine."</p>
+<p>"That is because neither of us has loved before, you foolish
+boy. But as to this evening, it wasn't at all what I expected. Are
+your friends always like that?"</p>
+<p>Littleton laughed. "Did they seem to you frivolous and
+undignified, then?"</p>
+<p>"Almost. They certainly said nothing serious."</p>
+<p>"It is their holiday&mdash;their evening out. They have to be
+serious during the rest of the week&mdash;busy with problems and
+cares, for they are a set of hard workers. The stress of life is so
+rigorous and constant here in New York that we have learned not to
+take our pleasure sadly. When you become accustomed to their way
+you will realize that they are no less serious at heart because
+they frolic now and then."</p>
+<p>Selma was silent a moment; then she said, "That reminds me; have
+you found out about our next-door neighbors yet?"</p>
+<p>"He is a banker named Williams, I believe."</p>
+<p>"I saw his wife pass the window this morning. She was
+beautifully dressed. They must be rich."</p>
+<p>"I dare say."</p>
+<p>"But they live in the same style of house as ours."</p>
+<p>"Bankers have mysterious ways of making money. We cannot compete
+with those."</p>
+<p>"I suppose not. I was thinking that she had the same manner as
+some of your friends this evening, only more pronounced. She
+stopped to speak to some one just in front of the house, so I could
+observe her. I should think she was frivolous, but fascinating.
+That must be the New York manner, and, consequently, she may be
+very much in earnest."</p>
+<p>"It isn't given to every woman to be attractive all the time
+just because she looks in earnest, as it is to you, dearest. But
+you musn't be too severe on the others."</p>
+<p>"On the contrary, I think I shall like Mrs. Williams. She may
+teach us to be practical. You know that is what your friends would
+like to have me help you to be, Wilbur."</p>
+<p>"Then they did talk a word or two of sense?"</p>
+<p>"They said that. Do you think it is true that you are
+visionary?"</p>
+<p>"It is your duty to tell me so, Selma, when you think it, just
+as I have told you that we can afford to laugh now and then. Come,
+begin."</p>
+<p>"I haven't been your wife long enough yet. I shall know better
+by the end of another six months."</p>
+<p>A fortnight elapsed before Selma made the acquaintance of Mrs.
+Gregory Williams. It was not a chance meeting. Flossy rang the bell
+deliberately one afternoon and was ushered in, thereby bridging
+over summarily the yawning chasm which may continue to exist for an
+indefinite period between families in the same block who are
+waiting to be introduced.</p>
+<p>"I said to my husband last night, Mrs. Littleton, that it was
+ridiculous for us to be living side by side without knowing one
+another, and that I was going to call. We moved in three weeks
+before you, so I'm the one who ought to break the ice. Otherwise we
+might have stared at each other blankly for three months, looked at
+each other sheepishly out of the corner of our eyes for another
+three, half bowed for six months, and finally, perhaps, reached the
+stage where we are now. Neighbors should be neighborly, don't you
+think so?"</p>
+<p>"Indeed I do. Of course I knew you by sight; and I felt I should
+like to make your acquaintance." Selma spoke with enthusiasm. Here
+was some one whose social deftness was no less marked than Mrs.
+Hallett Taylor's, and, to her mind, more brilliant, yet whom she
+felt at once to be congenial. Though she perceived that her
+neighbor's clothes made her own apparel seem dull, and was
+accordingly disposed to be on her guard, she realized instinctively
+that she was attracted by the visitor.</p>
+<p>"That is very nice of you," said Flossy. "I told my
+husband&mdash;Gregory&mdash;the other day that I was sure you were
+something literary&mdash;I mean Mr. Littleton, of course&mdash;and
+when he found out that he was I said we must certainly cultivate
+you as an antidote to the banking business. Gregory's a banker. It
+must be delightful to plan houses. This room is so pretty and
+tasteful."</p>
+<p>"It isn't wholly furnished yet. We are buying things by degrees,
+as we find pieces which we like."</p>
+<p>"We bought all our things in two days at one fell swoop," said
+Flossy with a gay laugh. "Gregory gave the dealers carte blanche.
+That's his way," she added with a touch of pride. "I dare say the
+house would have been prettier if we could have taken more time.
+However, it is all paid for now. Some of it was bought on the
+instalment plan, but Gregory bought or sold something in stocks the
+next week which covered the furniture and paid for a present for me
+of this besides," she said, indicating her seal-skin cape. "Wasn't
+he a dear?"</p>
+<p>Selma did not know precisely what the instalment plan was, but
+she understood that Mr. Williams had been distinctly clever in his
+wife's estimation. She perceived that Mrs. Williams had the same
+light, half jocular manner displayed by Wilbur's friends, and that
+she spoke with bubbling, jaunty assurance, which was suggestive of
+frivolity. Still Wilbur had intimated that this might be the New
+York manner, and clearly her neighbor had come in a friendly spirit
+and was duly appreciative of the distinction of being literary.
+Besides, her ready disposition to talk about herself and her
+affairs seemed to Selma the sign of a willingness to be truly
+friendly. The seal-skin cape she wore was very handsome, and she
+was more conspicuously attired from head to foot than any woman
+with whom Selma had ever conversed. She was pretty, too&mdash;a
+type of beauty less spiritual than her own&mdash;with piquant,
+eager features, laughing, restless gray eyes, and light hair which
+escaped from her coquettish bonnet in airy ringlets. If they had
+met three years earlier Selma would certainly have regarded her as
+an incarnation of volatility and servility to foreign fashions.
+Now, though she classed her promptly as a frivolous person, she
+regarded her with a keen curiosity not unmixed with self-distress,
+and the reflection came to her that a little of the New York manner
+might perhaps be desirable when in New York.</p>
+<p>"Yes, it's beautiful," she replied, referring to the cape.</p>
+<p>"Gregory is always making me presents like that. He gave me this
+bracelet yesterday. He saw it in the shop-window and went in and
+bought it. Speaking of husbands, you won't mind my saying that I
+think Mr. Littleton is very distinguished looking? I often see him
+pass the window in the morning."</p>
+<p>"Of course <i>I</i> think so," said Selma. "I suppose it would
+seem flat if I were to say that I admired Mr. Williams's appearance
+also."</p>
+<p>"The truth is no harm. Wouldn't it be nice if we should happen
+to become friends? We are the pioneers in this block, but I hear
+three other houses have been sold. I suppose you own your
+house?"</p>
+<p>"I believe not. We have a lease of it."</p>
+<p>"That's a pity, because Gregory bought ours on a mortgage,
+thinking the land is sure to become more valuable. He hopes to be
+able to sell some day for a great deal more than he paid for it.
+May I ask where you lived before you were married?"</p>
+<p>Selma told her briefly.</p>
+<p>"Then you are almost Western. I felt sure you weren't a New
+Yorker, and I didn't think you were from Boston. You have the
+Boston earnest expression, but somehow you're different. You don't
+mind my analyzing you, do you? That's a Boston habit by the way.
+But I'm not from Boston. I've lived all my life in New Jersey. So
+we are both strangers in New York. That is, I'm the same as a
+stranger, though my father is a cousin of the Morton Prices. We
+sent them wedding cards and they called one day when I was out. I
+shall return the call and find them out, and that will be the last
+move on either side until Gregory does something remarkable. I'm
+rather glad I wasn't at home, because it would have been awkward.
+They wouldn't have known what to say to me, and they might have
+felt that they ought to ask me to dinner, and I don't care to have
+them ask me until they're obliged to. Do I shock you running on so
+about my own affairs?" Flossy asked, noticing Selma draw herself up
+sternly.</p>
+<p>"Oh no, I like that. I was only thinking that it was very
+strange of your cousins. You are as good as they, aren't you?"</p>
+<p>"Mercy, no. We both know it, and that's what makes the situation
+so awkward. As Christians, they had to call on me, but I really
+think they are justified in stopping there. Socially I'm
+nobody."</p>
+<p>"In this country we are all free and equal."</p>
+<p>"You're a dear&mdash;a delicious dear," retorted Flossy, with a
+caressing laugh. "There's something of the sort in the Declaration
+of Independence, but, as Gregory says, that was put in as a bluff
+to console salesladies. Was everybody equal in Benham, Mrs.
+Littleton?"</p>
+<p>"Practically so," said Selma, with an air of haughtiness, which
+was evoked by her recollection of the group of houses on Benham's
+River Drive into which she had never been invited. "There were some
+people who were richer than others, but that didn't make them
+better than any one else."</p>
+<p>"Well, in New York it's different. Of course, every body has the
+same right to vote or to be elected President of the United States,
+but equality ends there. People here are either in society or out
+of it, and society itself is divided into sets. There's the
+conservative aristocratic set, the smart rapid set, the set which
+hasn't much money, but has Knickerbocker or other highly
+respectable ancestors, the new millionaire set, the literary set,
+the intellectual philanthropic set, and so on, according to one's
+means or tastes. Each has its little circle which shades away into
+the others, and every now and then there is a big entertainment to
+which they all go."</p>
+<p>"I see," said Selma, coldly.</p>
+<p>"Now, to make it plain, I will confide to you in strictest
+confidence that Gregory and I aren't yet really in any set. We are
+trying to get a footing and are holding on by our teeth to the
+fringe of the social merry-go-round. I wouldn't admit it to any one
+but you; but as you are a stranger like myself and in the same
+block, I am glad to initiate you into the customs of this part of
+the country," Flossy gave a merry toss to her head which set her
+ringlets bobbing, and rose to go.</p>
+<p>"And in what set are your cousins?" asked Selma.</p>
+<p>"If you wish to hear about them, I shall have to sit down again.
+The Morton-Prices belong to the ultra-conservative, solid, stupid,
+aristocratic set&mdash;the most dignified and august of all. They
+are almost as sacred as Hindoo gods, and some people would walk
+over red-hot coals to gain admission to their house. And really,
+it's quite just in one way that incense should be burnt before
+them. You mustn't look so disgusted, because there's some sense in
+it all. As Gregory says, it's best to look things squarely in the
+face. Most of the people in these different sets are somebodies
+because either their grandfathers or they have done something
+well&mdash;better than other people, and made money as a
+consequence. And when a family has made money or won distinction by
+its brains and then has brushed its teeth twice a day religiously
+for two generations, the members of it, even though dull, are
+entitled to respect, don't you think so?"</p>
+<p>Selma, who brushed her teeth but once a day, looked a little
+sharp at Flossy.</p>
+<p>"It makes money of too much importance and it establishes class
+distinctions. I don't approve of such a condition of affairs at
+all."</p>
+<p>Flossy shrugged her shoulders. "I have never thought whether I
+approve of it or not. I am only telling you what exists. I don't
+deny that money counts for a great deal, for, as Gregory says,
+money is the measure of success. But money isn't everything. Brains
+count and refinement, and nice honorable ways of looking at things.
+Of course, I'm only telling you what my ambition is. People have
+different kinds of bees in their bonnets. Some men have the
+presidential bee; I have the social bee. I should like to be
+recognized as a prominent member of the charmed circle on my own
+merits and show my cousins that I am really worthy of their
+attention. There are a few who are able to be superior to that sort
+of thing, who go on living their own lives attractively and finely,
+without thinking of society, and who suddenly wake up some day to
+find themselves socially famous&mdash;to find that they have been
+taken up. That's the best way, but one requires to be the right
+sort of person and to have a lot of moral courage. I can imagine it
+happening to you and your husband. But it would never happen to
+Gregory and me. We shall have to make money and cut a dash in order
+to attract attention, and by-and-by, if we are persistent and
+clever enough, we may be recognized as somebodies, provided there
+is something original or interesting about us. There! I have told
+you my secret and shocked you into the bargain. I really must be
+going. But I'll tell you another secret first: It'll be a pleasure
+to me to see you, if I may, because you look at things differently
+and haven't a social bee. I wish I were like that&mdash;really like
+it. But then, as Gregory would say, I shouldn't be myself, and not
+to be one's self is worse than anything else after all, isn't it?
+You and your husband must come and dine with us soon."</p>
+<p>After Mrs. Williams had gone, Selma fell into a brown study. She
+had listened to sentiments of which she thoroughly disapproved, and
+which were at variance with all her theories and conceptions. What
+her friendly, frivolous visitor had told her with engaging
+frankness offended her conscience and patriotism. She did not
+choose to admit the existence of these class-distinctions, and she
+knew that even if they did exist, they could not possibly concern
+Wilbur and herself. Even Mrs. Williams had appreciated that Wilbur
+and her literary superiority put them above and beyond the
+application of any snobbish, artificial, social measuring-tape. And
+yet Selma's brow was clouded. Her thought reverted to the row of
+stately houses on either side of Fifth Avenue, into none of which
+she had the right of free access, in spite of the fact that she was
+leading her life attractively and finely, without regard to
+society. She thought instinctively of Sodom and Gomorrah, and she
+saw righteously with her mind's eye for a moment an angel with a
+flaming sword consigning to destruction these offending mansions
+and their owners as symbols of mammon and contraband to God.</p>
+<p>That evening she told Wilbur of Mrs. Williams's visit. "She's a
+bright, amusing person, and quite pretty. We took a fancy to each
+other. But what do you suppose she said? She intimated that we
+haven't any social position."</p>
+<p>"Very kind of her, I'm sure. She must be a woman of
+discrimination&mdash;likewise something of a character."</p>
+<p>"She's smart. So you think it's true?"</p>
+<p>"What? About our social position? Ours is as good as theirs, I
+fancy."</p>
+<p>"Oh yes, Wilbur. She acknowledges that herself. She admires us
+both and she thinks it fine that we don't care for that sort of
+thing. What she said was chiefly in connection with herself, but
+she intimated that neither they, nor we, are
+the&mdash;er&mdash;equals of the people who live on Fifth Avenue
+and thereabouts. She's a cousin of the Morton Prices, whoever they
+may be, and she declared perfectly frankly that they were better
+than she. Wasn't it funny?"</p>
+<p>"You seem to have made considerable progress for one visit."</p>
+<p>"I like that, you know, Wilbur. I prefer people who are willing
+to tell me their real feelings at once."</p>
+<p>"Morton Price is one of the big bugs. His great grandfather was
+among the wise, shrewd pioneers in the commercial progress of the
+city. The present generation are eminently respectable, very
+dignified, mildly philanthropic, somewhat self-indulgent,
+reasonably harmless, decidedly ornamental and rather dull."</p>
+<p>"But Mrs. Williams says that she will never be happy until her
+relations and the people of that set are obliged to take notice of
+her, and that she and her husband are going to cut a dash to
+attract attention. It's her secret."</p>
+<p>"The cat which she let out of the bag is a familiar one. She
+must be amusing, provided she is not vulgar."</p>
+<p>"I don't think she's vulgar, Wilbur. She wears gorgeous clothes,
+but they're extremely pretty. She said that she called on me
+because she thought that we were literary, and that she desired an
+antidote to the banker's business, which shows she isn't altogether
+worldly. She wishes us to dine with them soon."</p>
+<p>"That's neighborly."</p>
+<p>"Why was it, Wilbur, that you didn't buy our house instead of
+hiring it?"</p>
+<p>"Because I hadn't money enough to pay for it."</p>
+<p>"The Williamses bought theirs. But I don't believe they paid for
+it altogether. She says her husband thinks the land will increase
+in value, and they hope some day to make money by the rise. I
+imagine Mr. Williams must be shrewd."</p>
+<p>"He's a business man. Probably he bought, and gave a mortgage
+back. I might have done that, but we weren't sure we should like
+the location, and it isn't certain yet that fashion will move in
+just this direction. I have very little, and I preferred not to tie
+up everything in a house we might not wish to keep."</p>
+<p>"I see. She appreciates that people may take us up any time. She
+thinks you are distinguished looking."</p>
+<p>"If she isn't careful, I shall make you jealous, Selma. Was
+there anything you didn't discuss?"</p>
+<p>"I regard you as the peer of any Morton Price alive. Why aren't
+you?"</p>
+<p>"Far be it from me to discourage such a wifely conclusion.
+Provided you think so, I don't care for any one else's
+opinion."</p>
+<p>"But you agree with her. That is, you consider because people of
+that sort don't invite us to their houses, they are better than
+we."</p>
+<p>"Nothing of the kind. But there's no use denying the existence
+of social classes in this city, and that, though I flatter myself
+you and I are trying to make the most of our lives in accordance
+with the talents and means at our disposal, we are not and are not
+likely to become, for the present at any rate, socially prominent.
+That's what you have in mind, I think. I don't know those people;
+they don't know me. Consequently they do not ask me to their
+beautiful and costly entertainments. Some day, perhaps, if I am
+very successful as an architect, we may come more in contact with
+them, and they will have a chance to discover what a charming wife
+I have. But from the point of view of society, your neighbor Mrs.
+Williams is right. She evidently has a clear head on her shoulders
+and knows what she desires. You and I believe that we can get more
+happiness out of life by pursuing the even tenor of our way in the
+position in which we happen to find ourselves."</p>
+<p>"I don't understand it," said Selma, shaking her head and
+looking into space with her spiritual expression. "It troubles me.
+It isn't American. I didn't think such distinctions existed in this
+country. Is it all a question of money, then? Do intelligence
+and&mdash;er&mdash;purpose count for nothing?"</p>
+<p>"My dear girl, it simply means that the people who are on
+top&mdash;the people who, by force of success, or ability, or
+money, are most prominent in the community, associate together, and
+the world gives a certain prominence to their doings. Here, where
+fortunes have been made so rapidly, and we have no formal
+aristocracy, money undoubtedly plays a conspicuous part in giving
+access to what is known as society. But it is only an entering
+wedge. Money supplies the means to cultivate manners and the right
+way of looking at things, and good society represents the best
+manners and, on the whole, the best way of looking at things."</p>
+<p>"Yes. But you say that we don't belong to it."</p>
+<p>"We do in the broad, but not in the narrow sense. We have
+neither the means nor the time to take part in fashionable society.
+Surely, Selma, you have no such ambition?"</p>
+<p>"I? You know I disapprove of everything of the sort. It is like
+Europe. There's nothing American in it."</p>
+<p>"I don't know about that. The people concerned in it are
+Americans. If a man has made money there is no reason why he
+shouldn't build a handsome house, maintain a fine establishment,
+give his children the best educational advantages, and choose his
+own friends. So the next generation becomes more civilized. It
+isn't the best Americanism to waste one's time in pursuing
+frivolities and excessive luxury, as some of these people do; but
+there's nothing un-American in making the most of one's
+opportunities. As I've said to you before, Selma, it's the way in
+which one rises that's the important thing in the individual
+equation, and every man must choose for himself what that shall be.
+My ambition is to excel in my profession, and to mould my life to
+that end without neglecting my duties as a citizen or a husband.
+If, in the end, I win fame and fortune, so much the better. But
+there's no use in worrying because other people are more
+fashionable than we."</p>
+<p>"Of course. You speak as if you thought I was envious of them,
+Wilbur. What I don't understand is why such people should be
+allowed to exist in this country."</p>
+<p>"We're a free people, Selma. I'm a good democrat, but you must
+agree that the day-laborer in his muddy garb would not find himself
+at ease in a Fifth Avenue drawing-room. On that account shall we
+abolish the drawing-room?"</p>
+<p>"We are not day-laborers."</p>
+<p>"Not precisely; but we have our spurs to win. And, unlike some
+people in our respectable, but humble station, we have each other's
+love to give us courage to fight the battle of life bravely. I had
+a fresh order to-day&mdash;and I have bought tickets for to-night
+at the theatre."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER IV.</h3>
+<p>Almost the first persons at the theatre on whom Selma's eyes
+rested were the Gregory Williamses. They were in a box with two
+other people, and both Flossy and her husband were talking with the
+festive air peculiar to those who are willing to be noticed and
+conscious that their wish is being gratified. Flossy wore a gay
+bonnet and a stylish frock, supplemented by a huge bunch of
+violets, and her husband's evening dress betrayed a slight
+exaggeration of the prevailing fashion in respect to his standing
+collar and necktie. Selma had never had a thorough look at him
+before, and she reflected that he was decidedly impressive and
+handsome. His face was full and pleasant, his mustache large and
+gracefully curved, and his figure manly. His most distinguishing
+characteristic was a dignity of bearing uncommon in so young a man,
+suggesting that he carried, if not the destiny of republics on his
+shoulders, at least, important financial secrets in his brain. The
+man and woman with them were almost elderly and gave the effect of
+being strangers to the city. They were Mr. and Mrs. Silas S.
+Parsons. Mr. Parsons was a prosperous Western business man, who now
+and then visited New York, and who had recently become a customer
+of Williams's. He had dealt in the office where Williams was a
+clerk, and, having taken a fancy to him, was disposed to help the
+new firm. Gregory had invited them to dinner and to the theatre, by
+way of being attentive, and had taken a box instead of stalls, in
+order to make his civility as magnificent as the occasion would
+permit. A box, besides being a delicate testimonial to his guest,
+would cause the audience to notice him and his wife and to ask who
+they were.</p>
+<p>In the gradual development of the social appetite in this
+country a certain class has been evolved whose drawing-room is the
+floor of the leading theatres. Society consists for them chiefly in
+being present often at theatrical performances in sumptuous dress,
+not merely to witness the play, but to be participants in a social
+function which enhances their self-esteem. To be looked at and to
+look on these occasions takes the place with them of balls and
+dinner parties. They are not theatregoers in the proper sense, but
+social aspirants, and the boxes and stalls are for them an arena in
+which for a price they can show themselves in their finery and
+attractions, for lack of other opportunities.</p>
+<p>Our theatres are now in the full blaze of this harmless
+appropriation for quasi-ballroom uses. At the time when Selma was a
+New York bride the movement was in its infancy. The people who went
+to the theatre for spectacular purposes no less than to see the
+actors on the stage were comparatively few in number. Still the
+device was practised, and from the very fact that it was not freely
+employed, was apt to dazzle the eyes of the uninitiated public more
+unreservedly than to-day. The sight of Mrs. Williams in a box, in
+the glory of her becoming frock and her violets, caused even so
+stern a patriot and admirer of simplicity as Selma to seize her
+husband's arm and whisper:</p>
+<p>"Look." What is more she caught herself a moment later blushing
+with satisfaction on account of the friendly bow which was bestowed
+on her.</p>
+<p>Wilbur Littleton's ambitions were so definite and congenial that
+the sight of his neighbors' splendor neither offended nor irritated
+him. He did not feel obliged to pass judgment on them while
+deriving amusement from their display, nor did he experience any
+qualms of regret that he was not able to imitate them. He regarded
+Flossy and her husband with the tolerant gaze of one content to
+allow other people to work out their salvation, without officious
+criticism, provided he were allowed the same privilege, and ready
+to enjoy any features of the situation which appealed to his sense
+of humor or to his human sympathy. Flossy's frank, open nod and
+ingenuous face won his favor at once, especially as he appreciated
+that she and Selma had found each other attractive, and though he
+tabooed luxury and fashionable paraphernalia where he was
+immediately concerned, it occurred to him that this evidently
+wide-awake, vivacious-looking couple might, as friends, introduce
+just the right element of variety into their lives. He had no wish
+to be a banker himself, nor to hire boxes at the theatre, but he
+was disposed to meet half-way these entertaining and gorgeous
+neighbors.</p>
+<p>Selma, in spite of her wish to watch the play, found her glance
+returning again and again to the occupants of the box, though she
+endeavored to dispose of the matter by remarking presently that she
+could not understand why people should care to make themselves so
+conspicuous, particularly as the seats in the boxes were less
+desirable for seeing the stage than their own.</p>
+<p>"We wouldn't care for it, but probably it's just what they
+like," said Wilbur. "Some society reporter may notice them; in
+which case we shall see in the Sunday newspaper that Mr. Gregory
+Williams and party occupied a private box at the Empire Theatre
+last Tuesday evening, which will be another straw toward helping
+them to carry out their project of attracting attention. I like the
+face of your new friend, my dear. I mean to say that she looks
+unaffected and honest, and as if she had a sense of humor. With
+those three virtues a woman can afford to have some faults. I
+suppose she has hers."</p>
+<p>Littleton felt that Selma was disposed to fancy her neighbor,
+but was restrained by conscientious scruples due to her dislike for
+society concerns. He had fallen in love with and married his wife
+because he believed her to be free from and superior to the petty
+weaknesses of the feminine social creed; but though extremely proud
+of her uncompromising standards, he had begun to fear lest she
+might indulge her point of view so far as to be unjust. Her
+scornful references from time to time to those who had made money
+and occupied fine houses had wounded his own sense of justice. He
+had endeavored to explain that virtue was not the exclusive
+prerogative of the noble-minded poor, and now he welcomed an
+opportunity of letting her realize from personal experience that
+society was not so bad as it was painted.</p>
+<p>Selma returned Mrs. Williams's call during the week, but did not
+find her at home. A few days later arrived a note stamped with a
+purple and gold monogram inviting them to dinner. When the evening
+arrived they found only a party of four. A third couple had given
+out at the last minute, so they were alone with their hosts. The
+Williams house in its decoration and upholstery was very different
+from their own. The drawing-room was bright with color. The
+furniture was covered with light blue plush; there were blue and
+yellow curtains, gay cushions, and a profusion of gilt
+ornamentation. A bear-skin, a show picture on an easel, and a
+variety of florid bric-&agrave;-brac completed the brilliant aspect
+of the apartment. Selma reflected at once that that this was the
+sort of drawing-room which would have pleased her had she been
+given her head and a full purse. It suggested her home at Benham
+refurnished by the light of her later experience undimmed by the
+shadow of economy. On the way down to dinner she noticed in the
+corner of the hall a suit of old armor, and she was able to
+perceive that the little room on one side of the front door, which
+they learned subsequently was Mr. Williams's den, contained
+Japanese curiosities. The dinner-table shone with glass and silver
+ware, and was lighted by four candles screened by small pink
+shades. By the side of Flossy's plate and her own was a small bunch
+of violets, and there was a rosebud for each of the men. The
+dinner, which was elaborate, was served by two trig maids. There
+were champagne and frozen pudding. Selma felt almost as if she were
+in fairy-land. She had never experienced anything just like this
+before; but her exacting conscience was kept at bay by the
+reflection that this must be a further manifestation of the New
+York manner, and her self-respect was propitiated by the cordiality
+of her entertainers. The conversation was bubbling and
+light-hearted on the part of both Mr. and Mrs. Williams. They kept
+up a running prattle on the current fads of the day, the theatre,
+the doings of well-known social personages, and their own household
+possessions, which they na&iuml;vely called to the attention of
+their guests, that they might be admired. But Selma enjoyed more
+than the general conversation her talk with the master of the
+house, who possessed all the friendly suavity of his wife and also
+the valuable masculine trait of seeming to be utterly absorbed in
+any woman to whom he was talking. Gregory had a great deal of
+manner and a confidential fluency of style, which gave distinction
+even to commonplace remarks. His method did not condescend to
+nudging when he wished to note a point, but it fell only so far
+short of it as he thought social elegance required. His
+conversation presently drifted, or more properly speaking, flowed
+into a graphic and frank account of his own progress as a banker.
+He referred to past successful undertakings, descanted on his
+present roseate responsibilities, and hinted sagely at impending
+operations which would eclipse in importance any in which he had
+hitherto been engaged. In answer to Selma's questions he discoursed
+alluringly concerning the methods of the Stock Exchange, and gave
+her to understand that for an intelligent and enterprising man
+speculation was the high road to fortune. No doubt for fools and
+for people of mediocre or torpid abilities it was a dangerous
+trade; but for keen and bold intellects what pursuit offered such
+dazzling opportunities?</p>
+<p>Selma listened, abhorrent yet fascinated. It worried her to be
+told that what she had been accustomed to regard as gambling should
+be so quickly and richly rewarded. Yet the fairy scene around her
+manifestly confirmed the prosperous language of her host and left
+no room for doubt that her neighbors were making brilliant
+progress. Apparently, too, this business of speculation and of vast
+combinations of railroad and other capital, the details of which
+were very vague to her, was, in his opinion, the most desirable and
+profitable of callings.</p>
+<p>"Do you know," she said, "that I have been taught to believe
+that to speculate in stocks is rather dreadful, and that the people
+of the country don't approve of it." She spoke smilingly, for the
+leaven of the New York manner was working, but she could not
+refrain from testifying on behalf of righteousness.</p>
+<p>"The people of the country!" exclaimed Gregory, with a smile of
+complacent amusement. "My dear Mrs. Littleton, you must not let
+yourself be deceived by the Sunday school, Fourth of July,
+legislative or other public utterances of the American people. It
+isn't necessary to shout it on the house-tops, but I will confide
+to you that, whatever they may declaim or publish to the contrary,
+the American people are at heart a nation of gamblers. They don't
+play little horses and other games in public for francs, like the
+French, for the law forbids it, but I don't believe that any one,
+except we bankers and brokers, realizes how widely exists the habit
+of playing the stock-market. Thousands of people, big and little,
+sanctimonious and highly respectable, put up their margins and reap
+their profits or their losses. Oh no, the country doesn't approve
+of it, especially those who lose. I assure you that the letters
+which pass through the post-office from the godly, freeborn voters
+in the rural districts would tell an eloquent story concerning the
+wishes of the people of the country in regard to speculation."</p>
+<p>Flossy was rising from table as he finished, so he accompanied
+the close of his statement with a sweeping bow which comported with
+his jaunty dignity.</p>
+<p>"I am afraid you are a wicked man. You ought not to slander the
+American people like that," Selma answered, pleased as she spoke at
+the light touch which she was able to impart to her speech.</p>
+<p>"It's true. Every word of it is true," he said as she passed
+him. He added in a low tone&mdash;"I would almost even venture to
+wager a pair of gloves that at some time or other your husband has
+had a finger in the pie."</p>
+<p>"Never," retorted Selma.</p>
+<p>"What is that Gregory is saying?" interrupted Flossy, putting
+her arm inside Selma's. "I can see by his look that he has been
+plaguing you."</p>
+<p>"Yes, he has been trying to shatter my ideals, and now he is
+trying to induce me to make an odious bet with him."</p>
+<p>"Don't, for you would be certain to lose. Gregory is in great
+luck nowadays."</p>
+<p>"That is evident, for he has had the good fortune to make the
+acquaintance of Mrs. Littleton," said Williams gallantly.</p>
+<p>The two men were left alone with their cigars. After these were
+lighted, as if he were carrying out his previous train of thought,
+Gregory remarked, oracularly, at the end of a puff: "Louisville and
+Nashville is certain to sell higher."</p>
+<p>Littleton looked blank for a moment. He knew so little of stocks
+that at first he did not understand what was meant. Then he said,
+politely: "Indeed!"</p>
+<p>"It is good for a ten-point rise in my opinion," Williams
+continued after another puff. He was of a liberal nature, and was
+making a present of this tip to his guest in the same spirit of
+hospitality as he had proffered the dinner and the champagne. He
+was willing to take for granted that Littleton, as a gentleman,
+would give him the order in case he decided to buy, which would add
+another customer to his list. But his suggestion was chiefly
+disinterested.</p>
+<p>"I'm afraid I know very little about such matters," Littleton
+responded with a smile. "I never owned but ten shares of stock in
+my life." Then, by way, perhaps, of showing that he was not
+indifferent to all the good things which the occasion afforded, he
+said, indicating a picture on the opposite wall: "That is a fine
+piece of color."</p>
+<p>Williams, having discharged his obligations as a host, was
+willing to exchange the stock-market as a topic for his own
+capacity as a lightning appreciator and purchaser of objects of
+art.</p>
+<p>"Yes," he said, urbanely, "that is a good thing. I saw it in the
+shop-window, asked the price and bought it. I bought two other
+pictures at the same time. 'I'll take that, and that, and that,' I
+said, pointing with my cane. The dealer looked astonished. He was
+used, I suppose, to having people come in and look at a picture
+every day for a fortnight before deciding. When I like a thing I
+know it. The three cost me eighteen hundred dollars, and I paid for
+them within a week by a turn in the market."</p>
+<p>"You were very fortunate," said Littleton, who wished to seem
+sympathetic.</p>
+<p>Meanwhile the two wives had returned to the drawing-room arm in
+arm, and established themselves on one of those small sofas for
+two, constructed so that the sitters are face to face. They had
+taken a strong fancy to each other, especially Flossy to Selma, and
+in the half hour which followed they made rapid progress toward
+intimacy. Before they parted each had agreed to call the other by
+her Christian name, and Selma had confided the story of her
+divorce. Flossy listened with absorbed interest and murmured at the
+close:</p>
+<p>"Who would have thought it? You look so pure and gentle and
+refined that a man must have been a brute to treat you like that.
+But you are happy now, thank goodness. You have a husband worthy of
+you."</p>
+<p>Each had a host of things still unsaid when Littleton and
+Williams joined them.</p>
+<p>"Well, my dear," said Wilbur as they left the house, "that was a
+sort of Arabian Nights entertainment for us, wasn't it? A little
+barbaric, but handsome and well intentioned. I hope it didn't shock
+you too much."</p>
+<p>"It struck me as very pleasant, Wilbur. I think I am beginning
+to understand New York a little better. Every thing costs so much
+here that it seems necessary to make money, doesn't it? I don't see
+exactly how poor people get along. Do you know, Mr. Williams wished
+to bet me a pair of gloves that you buy stocks sometimes."</p>
+<p>"He would have lost his bet."</p>
+<p>"So I told him at once. But he didn't seem to believe me. I was
+sure you never did. He appears to be very successful; but I let him
+see that I knew it was gambling. You consider it gambling, don't
+you?"</p>
+<p>"Not quite so bad as that. Some stock-brokers are gamblers; but
+the occupation of buying and selling stocks for a commission is a
+well recognized and fashionable business."</p>
+<p>"Mr. Williams thinks that a great many Americans make money in
+stocks&mdash;that we are gamblers as a nation."</p>
+<p>"I am, in my heart, of the same opinion."</p>
+<p>"Oh, Wilbur. I find you are not so good a patriot as I
+supposed."</p>
+<p>"I hate bunkum."</p>
+<p>"What is that?"</p>
+<p>"Saying things for effect, and professing virtue which we do not
+possess."</p>
+<p>Selma was silent a moment. "What does champagne cost a
+bottle?"</p>
+<p>"About three dollars and a half."</p>
+<p>"Do you really think their house barbaric?"</p>
+<p>"It certainly suggests to me heterogeneous barbaric splendor.
+They bought their upholstery as they did their pictures, with
+free-handed self-confidence. Occasionally they made a brilliant
+shot, but oftener they never hit the target at all."</p>
+<p>"I think I like brighter colors than you do, Wilbur," mused
+Selma. "I used to consider things like that as wrong; but I suppose
+that was because our fathers wished Europe to understand that we
+disapproved of the luxury of courts and the empty lives of the
+nobility. But if people here with purpose have money, it would seem
+sensible to furnish their houses prettily."</p>
+<p>"Subject always to the crucifying canons of art," laughed
+Littleton. "I'm glad you're coming round to my view, Selma. Only I
+deny the ability of the free-born American, with the overflowing
+purse, to indulge his newly acquired taste for gorgeous effects
+without professional assistance."</p>
+<p>"I suppose so. I can see that their house is crude, though I do
+think that they have some handsome things. It must be interesting
+to walk through shops and say: 'I'll take that,' just because it
+pleases you."</p>
+<p>During her first marriage Selma had found the problem of dollars
+and cents a simple one. The income of Lewis Babcock was always
+larger than the demands made upon it, and though she kept house and
+was familiar with the domestic disbursements, questions of
+expenditure solved themselves readily. She had never been obliged
+to ask herself whether they could afford this or that outlay. Her
+husband had been only too eager to give her anything she desired.
+Consideration of the cost of things had seemed to her beneath her
+notice, and as the concern of the providing man rather than the
+thoughtful American wife and mother. After she had been divorced
+the difficulty in supplying herself readily with money had been a
+dismaying incident of her single life. Dismaying because it had
+seemed to her a limitation unworthy of her aspirations and
+abilities. She had married Littleton because she believed him her
+ideal of what a man should be, but she had been glad that he would
+be able to support her and exempt her from the necessity of asking
+what things cost.</p>
+<p>By the end of their first year and a half of marriage, Selma
+realized that this necessity still stood, almost like a wolf at the
+door, between her and the free development of her desires and
+aspirations. New York prices were appalling; the demands of life in
+New York still more so. They had started house-keeping on a more
+elaborate scale than she had been used to in Benham. As Mrs.
+Babcock she had kept one hired girl; but in her new kitchen there
+were two servants, in deference to the desire of Littleton, who did
+not wish her to perform the manual work of the establishment. Men
+rarely appreciate in advance to the full extent the extra cost of
+married life, and Littleton, though intending to be prudent, found
+his bills larger than he had expected. He was able to pay them
+promptly and without worry, but he was obliged to make evident to
+Selma that the margin over and above their carefully considered
+expenses was very small. The task of watching the butcher's book
+and the provision list, and thinking twice before making any new
+outlay, was something she had not bargained for. All through her
+early life as a girl, the question of money had been kept in the
+background by the simplicity of her surroundings. In her country
+town at home they had kept no servants. A woman relative had done
+the work, and she had been free to pursue her mental interests and
+devote herself to her father. She had thought then that the
+existence of domestic servants was an act of treason against the
+institutions of the country by those who kept them. Yet she had
+accepted, with glee, the hired-girl whom Babcock had provided,
+satisfying her own democratic scruples by dubbing her "help," and
+by occasionally offering her a book to read or catechising her as
+to her moral needs. There is probably no one in the civilized world
+more proud of the possession of a domestic servant than the
+American woman who has never had one, and no one more prompt to
+consign her to the obscurity of the kitchen after a feeble pretence
+at making her feel at home. Selma was delighted to have two instead
+of one, and, after beholding Mrs. Williams's trig maids, was eager
+to see her own arrayed in white caps and black alpaca dresses. Yet,
+though she had become keen to cultivate the New York manner, and
+had succeeded in reconciling her conscience to the possession of
+beautiful things by people with a purpose, it irked her to feel
+that she was hampered in living up to her new-found faith by the
+bugbear of a lean purse. She had expected, as Wilbur's wife, to
+figure quickly and gracefully in the van of New York intellectual
+and social progress. Instead, she was one among thousands, living
+in a new and undeveloped locality, unrecognized by the people of
+whom she read in the newspapers, and without opportunities for
+displaying her own individuality and talents. It depressed her to
+see the long lines of houses, street after street, and to think
+that she was merely a unit, unknown by name, in this great sea of
+humanity&mdash;she, Selma Littleton, free-born American, conscious
+of virtue and power. This must not be; and she divined clearer and
+clearer every day that it need not be if she had more money.</p>
+<p>It began to be annoying to her that Wilbur's professional
+progress was not more rapid. To be sure he had warned her that he
+could not hope to reach the front rank at once; that recognition
+must be gradual; and that he must needs work slowly in order to do
+himself justice. She had accepted this chiefly as a manifestation
+of modesty, not doubting that many orders would be forthcoming,
+especially now that he had the new stimulus of her love and
+inspiration. Instead there had been no marked increase in the
+number of his commissions; moreover he had been unsuccessful in two
+out of three competitions for minor public buildings for which he
+had submitted designs. From both the pecuniary and professional
+point of view these failures had been a disappointment. He was in
+good spirits and obviously happy, and declared that he was doing as
+well as he could reasonably expect; yet on his discouraged days he
+admitted that the cost of retaining his draughtsmen was a drain on
+the profit side of his ledger.</p>
+<p>In contrast with this the prosperity of her neighbors the
+Williamses was a little hard to bear. The sudden friendship
+developed into neighborly intimacy, and she and Flossy saw much of
+each other, dropping in familiarly, and often walking and shopping
+together. The two men were on sufficiently cordial terms, each
+being tolerant of the other's limitations, and seeking to recognize
+his good points for the sake of the bond between their wives. The
+return dinner was duly given, and Selma, hopeless of imitating the
+barbaric splendor, sought refuge in the reflection that the
+&aelig;sthetic and intellectual atmosphere of her table would atone
+for the lack of material magnificence, and limited her efforts to a
+few minor details such as providing candles with colored shades and
+some bonbon dishes. It was plain that Flossy admired her because
+she recognized her to be a fine and superior soul, and the
+appreciation of this served to make it more easy not to repine at
+the difference between their entertainments. Still the constant
+acquisition of pretty things by her frank and engaging friend was
+an ordeal which only a soul endowed with high, stern democratic
+faith and purpose could hope to endure with equanimity. Flossy
+bought new adornments for her house and her person with an amiable
+lavishness which required no confession to demonstrate that her
+husband was making money. She made the confession, though, from
+time to time with a bubbling pride, never suspecting that it could
+harass or tempt her spiritual looking friend. She prattled
+artlessly of theatre parties followed by a supper at one of the
+fashionable restaurants, and of new acquaintances whom she
+entertained, and through whom her social circle was enlarged,
+without divining that the sprightly narration was a thorn in the
+flesh of her hearer. Selma was capricious in her reception of these
+reports of progress. At times she listened to them with grave, cold
+eyes, which Flossy took for signals of noble disdain and sought to
+deprecate by wooing promises to be less worldly. At others she
+asked questions with a feverish, searching curiosity, which
+stimulated Mrs. Williams's free and independent style into running
+commentaries on the current course of social events and the doings
+and idiosyncracies of contemporary leaders of fashion whom she had
+viewed from afar. One afternoon Selma saw from her window Flossy
+and her husband drive jubilantly away in a high cart with yellow
+wheels drawn by a sleek cob, and at the same moment she became
+definitely aware that her draught from the cup of life had a bitter
+taste. Why should these people drive in their own vehicle rather
+than she? It seemed clear to her that Wilbur could not be making
+the best use of his talents, and that she had both a grievance
+against him and a sacred duty to perform in his and her own behalf.
+Justice and self-respect demanded that their mutual light should no
+longer be hid under a bushel.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER V.</h3>
+<p>Pauline Littleton was now established in her new lodgings.
+Having been freed by her brother's marriage from the
+responsibilities of a housewife, she was able to concentrate her
+attention on the work in which she was interested. Her classes
+absorbed a large portion of her time. The remainder was devoted to
+writing to girls in other cities who sought her advice in regard to
+courses of study, and to correspondence, consultation, and
+committee meetings with a group of women in New York and elsewhere,
+who like herself were engrossed in educational matters. She was
+glad to have the additional time thus afforded her for pursuing her
+own tastes, and the days seemed too short for what she wished to
+accomplish. She occupied two pleasant rooms within easy walking
+distance of her brother's house. Her classes took her from home
+four days in the week, and two mornings in every seven were spent
+at her desk with her books and papers, in the agreeable labor of
+planning and correspondence.</p>
+<p>Naturally one of her chief desires was to be on loving terms
+with her brother's wife, and to do everything in her power to add
+to Selma's happiness. She summoned her women friends to meet her
+sister-in-law at afternoon tea. All of these called on the bride,
+and some of them invited her to their houses. They were busy women
+like Pauline herself, intent in their several ways on their
+vocations or avocations. They were disposed to extend the right
+hand of fellowship to Mrs. Littleton, whom they without exception
+regarded as interesting in appearance, but they had no leisure for
+immediate intimacy with her. Having been introduced to her and
+having scheduled her in their minds as a new and desirable
+acquaintance, they went their ways, trusting chiefly to time to
+renew the meeting and to supply the evidence as to the stranger's
+social value. Busy people in a large city are obliged to argue that
+new-comers should win their spurs, and that great minds, valuable
+opinions, and moving social graces are never crushed by inhumanity,
+but are certain sooner or later to gain recognition. Therefore
+after being very cordial and expressing the hope of seeing more of
+her in the future, every one departed and left Selma to her duties
+and her opportunities as Littleton's wife, without having the
+courtesy to indicate that they considered her a superior woman.</p>
+<p>Pauline regarded this behavior on the part of her friends as
+normal, and having done her social duty in the afternoon tea line,
+without a suspicion that Selma was disappointed by the experience,
+she gave herself up to the congenial undertaking of becoming
+intimate with her sister-in-law. She ascribed Selma's reserve, and
+cold, serious manner partly to shyness due to her new surroundings,
+and partly to the spiritual rigor of the puritan conscience and
+point of view. She had often been told that individuals of this
+temperament possessed more depth of character than more emotional
+and socially facile people, and she was prepared to woo. In
+comparison with Wilbur, Pauline was accustomed to regard herself as
+a practical and easy-going soul, but she was essentially a woman of
+fine and vigorous moral and mental purpose. Like many of her
+associates in active life, however, she had become too occupied
+with concrete possibilities to be able to give much thought to her
+own soul anatomy, and she was glad to look up to her brother's wife
+as a spiritual superior and to recognize that the burden lay on
+herself to demonstrate her own worthiness to be admitted to close
+intimacy on equal terms. Wilbur was to her a creature of light, and
+she had no doubt that his wife was of the same ethereal
+composition.</p>
+<p>Pauline was glad, too, of the opportunity really to know a
+countrywoman of a type so different from her own friends. She, like
+Wilbur, had heard all her life of these interesting and inspiring
+beings; intense, marvellously capable, peerless, free-born
+creatures panoplied in chastity and endowed with congenital mental
+power and bodily charms, who were able to cook, educate children,
+control society and write literature in the course of the day's
+employment. The newspapers and popular opinion had given her to
+understand that these were the true Americans, and caused her to
+ask herself whether the circle to which she herself belonged was
+not retrograde from a nobler ideal. In what way she did not
+precisely understand, except that she and her friends did not
+altogether disdain nice social usages and conventional womanly
+ways. But, nevertheless, the impression had remained in her mind
+that she must be at fault somehow, and it interested her that she
+would now be able to understand wherein she was inferior.</p>
+<p>She went to see Selma as often as she could, and encouraged her
+to call at her lodgings on the mornings when she was at home,
+expecting that it might please her sister-in-law to become familiar
+with the budding educational enterprises, and that thus a fresh
+bond of sympathy would be established between them. Selma presented
+herself three or four times in the course of the next three months,
+and on the first occasion expressed gratifying appreciation of the
+cosiness of the new lodgings.</p>
+<p>"I almost envy you," she said, "your freedom to live your own
+life and do just what you like. It must be delightful away up here
+where you can see over the tops of the houses and almost touch the
+sky, and there is no one to disturb the current of your thoughts.
+It must be a glorious place to work and write. I shall ask you to
+let me come up here sometimes when I wish to be alone with my own
+ideas."</p>
+<p>"As often as you like. You shall have a pass key."</p>
+<p>"I should think," said Selma, continuing to gaze, with her far
+away look, over the vista of roofs which the top story of the
+apartment house commanded, "that you would be a great deal happier
+than if you had married him."</p>
+<p>The pause which ensued caused her to look round, and add
+jauntily, "I have heard, you know, about Dr. Page."</p>
+<p>A wave of crimson spread over Pauline's face&mdash;the crimson
+of wounded surprise, which froze Selma's genial intentions to the
+core.</p>
+<p>"I didn't think you'd mind talking about it," she said
+stiffly.</p>
+<p>"There's nothing to talk about. Since you have mentioned it, Dr.
+Page is a dear friend of mine, and will always continue to be, I
+hope."</p>
+<p>"Oh, I knew you were nothing but friends now," Selma answered.
+She felt wounded in her turn. She had come with the wish to be
+gracious and companionable, and it had seemed to her a happy
+thought to congratulate Pauline on the wisdom of her decision. She
+did not like people who were not ready to be communicative and
+discuss their intimate concerns.</p>
+<p>The episode impaired the success of the first morning visit. At
+the next, which occurred a fortnight later, Pauline announced that
+she had a piece of interesting news.</p>
+<p>"Do you know a Mr. Joel Flagg in Benham?"</p>
+<p>"I know who he is," said Selma. "I have met his daughter."</p>
+<p>"It seems he has made a fortune in oil and real estate, and is
+desirous to build a college for women in memory of his mother,
+Sarah Wetmore. One of my friends has just received a letter from a
+Mrs. Hallett Taylor, to whom Mr. Flagg appears to have applied for
+counsel, and who wishes some of us who are interested in
+educational matters to serve as an advisory committee. Probably you
+know Mrs. Taylor too?"</p>
+<p>"Oh yes. I have been at her house, and I served with her on the
+committee which awarded Wilbur the church."</p>
+<p>"Why, then you are the very person to tell us all about her. I
+think I remember now having heard Wilbur mention her name."</p>
+<p>"Wilbur fancied her, I believe."</p>
+<p>"Your tone rather implies that you did not. You must tell me
+everything you know. My friend has corresponded with her before in
+regard to some artistic matters, but she has never met her. Her
+letter suggests a lady."</p>
+<p>"I dare say you would like Mrs. Taylor," said Selma, gravely.
+"She is attractive, I suppose, and seemed to know more or less
+about European art and pictures, but we in Benham didn't consider
+her exactly an American. If you really wish to know my opinion, I
+think that she was too exclusive a person to have fine ideas."</p>
+<p>"That's a pity."</p>
+<p>"If she lived in New York she would like to be one of those
+society ladies who live on Fifth Avenue; only she hasn't really any
+conception of what true elegance is. Her house there, except for
+the ornaments she had bought abroad, was not so well furnished as
+the one I lived in. I wonder what she would think if she could look
+into the drawing-room of my friend Mrs. Williams."</p>
+<p>"I see," said Pauline, though in truth she was puzzled. "I am
+sorry if she is a fine lady, but people like that, when they become
+interested, are often excellent workers. It is a noble gift of Mr.
+Flagg's&mdash;$500,000 as a foundation fund. He's a good American
+at all events. Wilbur must certainly compete for the buildings, and
+his having first met you there ought to be an inspiration to him to
+do fine work."</p>
+<p>Selma had been glad of the opportunity to criticise Mrs. Hallett
+Taylor, whom she had learned, by the light of her superior social
+knowledge, to regard as an unimportant person. Yet she had been
+conscious of a righteous impulse in saying what she thought of her.
+She knew that she had never liked Mrs. Taylor, and she was not
+pleased to hear that Mr. Flagg had selected her from among the
+women of Benham to superintend the administration of his splendid
+gift. Benham had come to seem to her remote and primitive, yet she
+preferred, and was in the mood, to think that it represented the
+principles which were dear to her, and that she had been
+appreciated there far better than in her present sphere. She was
+still tied to Benham by correspondence with Mrs. Earle. Selma had
+written at once to explain her sudden departure, and letters passed
+between them at intervals of a few weeks&mdash;letters on Selma's
+part fluent with dazzled metropolitan condescension, yet containing
+every now and then a stern charge against her new fellow-citizens
+on the score of levity and worldliness.</p>
+<p>The donation for the establishment of Wetmore College was made
+shortly after another institution for the education of women in
+which Pauline was interested&mdash;Everdean College&mdash;had been
+opened to students. The number of applicants for admission to
+Everdean had been larger than the authorities had anticipated, and
+Pauline, who had been one of the promoters and most active workers
+in raising funds for and supervising the construction of this labor
+of love, was jubilant over the outlook, and busy in regard to a
+variety of new matters presented for solution by the suddenly
+evolved needs of the situation. Among these was the acquisition of
+two or three new women instructors; and it occurred to Pauline at
+once that Selma might know of some desirable candidate. Selma
+appeared to manifest but little interest in this inquiry at the
+time, but a few months subsequent to their conversation in regard
+to Mrs. Taylor she presented herself at Pauline's rooms one morning
+with the announcement that she had found some one. Pauline, who was
+busy at her desk, asked permission to finish a letter before
+listening; so there was silence for a few minutes, and Selma, who
+wore a new costume of a more fashionable guise than her last,
+reflected while she waited that the details of such work as
+occupied her sister-in-law must be tedious. Indeed, she had begun
+to entertain of late a sort of contempt for the deliberate, delving
+processes of the Littletons. She was inclined to ask herself if
+Wilbur and Pauline were not both plodders. Her own idea of doing
+things was to do them quickly and brilliantly, arriving at
+conclusions, as became an American, with prompt energy and
+despatch. It seemed to her that Wilbur, in his work, was slow and
+elaborate, disposed to hesitate and refine instead of producing
+boldly and immediately. And his sister, with her studies and
+letter-writing, suggested the same wearisome tendency. Why should
+not Wilbur, in his line, act with the confident enterprise and
+capacity to produce immediate, ostensible results which their
+neighbor, Gregory Williams, displayed? As for Pauline, of course
+she had not Wilbur's talent and could not, perhaps, be expected to
+shine conspicuously, but surely she might make more of herself if
+only she would cease to spend so much time in details and
+cogitation, with nothing tangible to show for her labor. Selma
+remembered her own experience as a small school teacher, and her
+thankfulness at her escape from a petty task unworthy of her
+capabilities, and she smiled scornfully to herself, as she sat
+waiting, at what she regarded Pauline's willingness to spend her
+energies in such inconspicuous, self-effacing work. Indeed, when
+Pauline had finished her letter and announced that she was now
+entirely at leisure, Selma felt impelled to remark:</p>
+<p>"I should think, Pauline, that you would give a course of
+lectures on education. We should be glad to have them at our house,
+and your friends ought to be able to dispose of a great many
+tickets." Such a thing had never occurred to Selma until this
+moment, but it seemed to her, as she heard her own words, a
+brilliant suggestion, both as a step forward for Pauline and a
+social opportunity for herself.</p>
+<p>"On education? My dear Selma, you have no idea of the depths of
+my ignorance. Education is an enormous subject, and I am just
+beginning to realize how little I know concerning it. People have
+talked and written about education enough. What we need and what
+some of us are trying to do is to study statistics and observe
+results. I am very much obliged to you, but I should only make
+myself a laughing-stock."</p>
+<p>"I don't think you would. You have spent a great deal of time in
+learning about education, and you must have interesting things to
+say. You are too modest and&mdash;don't you think it may be that
+you are not quite enterprising enough? A course of lectures would
+call public attention to you, and you would get ahead faster,
+perhaps. I think that you and Wilbur are both inclined to hide your
+light under a bushel. It seems to me that one can be conscientious
+and live up to one's ideals without neglecting one's
+opportunities."</p>
+<p>"The difficulty is," said Pauline, with a laugh, "that I
+shouldn't regard it as an opportunity, and I am sure it wouldn't
+help me to get ahead, as you call it, with the people I desire to
+impress, to give afternoon tea or women-club lectures. I don't know
+enough to lecture effectively. As to enterprise, I am busy from
+morning until night. What more can a woman do? You mustn't hurry
+Wilbur, Selma. All he needs is time to let the world see his
+light."</p>
+<p>"Very likely. Of course, if you don't consider that you know
+enough there is nothing to be said. I thought of it because I used
+to lecture in Benham, at the Benham Institute, and I am sure it
+helped me to get ahead. I used to think a great deal about
+educational matters, and perhaps I will set you the example by
+giving some lectures myself."</p>
+<p>"That would be very interesting. If a person has new ideas and
+has confidence in them, it is natural to wish to let the world hear
+them."</p>
+<p>Pauline spoke amiably, but she was disposed to regard her sister
+with more critical eyes. She felt no annoyance at the patronizing
+tone toward herself, but the reference to Wilbur made her blood
+rebel. Still she could not bear to harbor distrust against that
+grave face with its delicate beauty and spiritualized air, which
+was becomingly accommodated to metropolitan conditions by a more
+festive bonnet than any which she herself owned. Yet she noticed
+that the thin lips had an expression of discontent, and she
+wondered why.</p>
+<p>Recurring to the errand on which she had come, Selma explained
+that she had just received a letter from Benham&mdash;from her
+friend, Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle, an authoress and a promulgator
+of advanced and original ideas in respect to the cause of
+womanhood, asking if she happened to know of an opening for a
+gifted young lady in any branch of intellectual work.</p>
+<p>"I thought at once of Everdean," said Selma, "and have come to
+give you the opportunity of securing her."</p>
+<p>Pauline expressed her thanks cordially, and inquired if Mrs.
+Earle had referred to the candidate's experience or special fitness
+for the duties of the position.</p>
+<p>"She writes that she is very clever and gifted. I did not bring
+the letter with me, but I think Mrs. Earle's language was that Miss
+Bailey will perform brilliantly any duties which may be intrusted
+to her."</p>
+<p>"That is rather general," said Pauline. "I am sorry that she
+didn't specify what Miss Bailey's education has been, and whether
+she has taught elsewhere."</p>
+<p>"Mrs. Earle wouldn't have recommended her if she hadn't felt
+sure that she was well educated. I remember seeing her at the
+Benham Institute on one of the last occasions when I was present.
+She delivered a whistling solo which every one thought clever and
+melodious."</p>
+<p>"I dare say she is just the person we are looking for," said
+Pauline, leniently. "It happens that Mrs. Grainger&mdash;my friend
+to whom Mrs. Taylor wrote concerning Mr. Flagg's gift&mdash;is to
+make Mrs. Taylor a visit at Benham next week, in order to consider
+the steps to be taken in regard to Wetmore College. She and Miss
+Bailey can arrange to meet, and that will save Miss Bailey the
+expense of a journey to New York, at the possible risk of
+disappointment."</p>
+<p>"I thought," said Selma, "that you would consider yourselves
+fortunate to secure her services."</p>
+<p>"I dare say we shall be very fortunate, Selma. But we cannot
+engage her without seeing her and testing her qualifications."</p>
+<p>Selma made no further demur at the delay, but she was obviously
+surprised and piqued that her offer should be treated in this
+elaborate fashion. She was obliged to acknowledge to herself that
+she could not reasonably expect Pauline to make a definite decision
+without further inquiry, but she had expected to be able to report
+to Mrs. Earle that the matter was as good as settled&mdash;that, if
+Miss Bailey would give a few particulars as to her accomplishments,
+the position would be hers. Surely she and Mrs. Earle were
+qualified to choose a school-teacher. Here was another instance of
+the Littleton tendency to waste time on unimportant details. She
+reasoned that a woman with more wide-awake perceptions would have
+recognized the opportunity as unusual, and would have snapped up
+Miss Bailey on the spot.</p>
+<p>The sequel was more serious. Neither Selma nor Pauline spoke of
+the matter for a month. Then it was broached by Pauline, who wrote
+a few lines to the effect that she was sorry to report that the
+authorities of Everdean, after investigation, had concluded not to
+engage the services of Miss Bailey as instructor. When Selma read
+the note her cheeks burned with resentment. She regarded the
+decision as an affront. Pauline dined with them on the evening of
+that day, and at table Selma was cold and formal. When the two
+women were alone, Selma said at once, with an attempt at
+calmness:</p>
+<p>"What fault do you find with my candidate?"</p>
+<p>"I think it possible that she might have been satisfactory from
+the mere point of scholarship," judicially answered Pauline, who
+did not realize in the least that her sister-in-law was offended,
+"though Mrs. Grainger stopped short of close inquiry on that score,
+for the reason that Miss Bailey failed to satisfy our requirements
+in another respect. I don't wish to imply by what I am going to say
+anything against her character, or her capacity for usefulness as a
+teacher under certain conditions, but I confide to you frankly,
+Selma, that we make it an absolute condition in the choice of
+instructors for our students that they should be first of all
+lady-like in thought and speech, and here it was that she fell
+short. Of course I have never seen Miss Bailey, but Mrs. Grainger
+reported that she was&mdash;er&mdash;impossible."</p>
+<p>"You mean that your friend does not consider her a lady? She
+isn't a society lady, but I did not suppose an American girl would
+be refused a position as a teacher for such a reason as that."</p>
+<p>"A lady is a lady, whether she is what you term a society lady
+or not. Mrs. Grainger told us that Miss Bailey's appearance and
+manners did not suggest the womanly refinement which we deem
+indispensable in those who are to teach our college students. Five
+years ago only scholarship and cleverness were demanded, but
+experience has taught the educators of women that this was a
+mistake."</p>
+<p>"I presume," said Selma, with dramatic scorn, "that Mrs. Hallett
+Taylor disapproved of her. I thought there would be some such
+outcome when I heard that she was to be consulted."</p>
+<p>"Mrs. Taylor's name was not mentioned," answered Pauline, in
+astonishment. "I had no idea, Selma, that you regarded this as a
+personal matter. You told me that you had seen Miss Bailey but
+once."</p>
+<p>"I am interested in her because&mdash;because I do not like to
+see a cruel wrong done. You do not understand her. You allow a
+prejudice, a class-prejudice, to interfere with her career and the
+opportunity to display her abilities. You should have trusted Mrs.
+Earle, Pauline, She is my friend, and she recommended Miss Bailey
+because she believed in her. It is a reflection on me and my
+friends to intimate that she is not a lady."</p>
+<p>She bent forward from the sofa with her hands clasped and her
+lips tightly compressed. For a moment she gazed angrily at the
+bewildered Pauline, then, as though she had suddenly bethought her
+of her New York manner, she drew herself up and said with a forced
+laugh&mdash;"If the reason you give were not so ridiculous, I
+should be seriously offended."</p>
+<p>"Offended! Offended with Pauline," exclaimed Littleton, who
+entered the room at the moment. "It cannot be that my two guardian
+angels have had a falling out." He looked from one to the other
+brightly as if it were really a joke.</p>
+<p>"It is nothing," said Selma.</p>
+<p>"It seems," said Pauline with fervor, "that I have
+unintentionally hurt Selma's feelings. It is the last thing in the
+world I wish to do, and I trust that when she thinks the matter
+over she will realize that I am innocent. I am very, very
+sorry."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VI.</h3>
+<p>"Why don't you follow the advice of Mr. Williams and buy some
+shares of stock?" asked Selma lightly, yet coaxingly, of her
+husband one day in the third year of their marriage. The Williamses
+were dining with them at the time, and a statement by Gregory, not
+altogether without motive, as to the profits made by several people
+who had taken his advice, called forth the question. He and his
+wife were amiably inclined toward the Littletons, and were proud of
+the acquaintance. Among their other friends they boasted of the
+delightful excursions into the literary circle which the intimacy
+afforded them. They both would have been pleased to see their
+neighbors more amply provided with money, and Gregory, partly at
+the instance of Flossy, partly from sheer good-humor in order to
+give a deserving but impractical fellow a chance to better himself,
+threw out tips from time to time&mdash;crumbs from the rich man's
+table, but bestowed in a friendly spirit. Whenever they were let
+fall, Selma would look at Wilbur hoping for a sign of interest, but
+hitherto they had evoked merely a smile of refusal or had been
+utterly ignored.</p>
+<p>Her own question had been put on several occasions, both in the
+company of the tempter and in the privacy of the domestic hearth,
+and both in the gayly suggestive and the pensively argumentative
+key. Why might they not, by means of a clever purchase in the stock
+market, occasionally procure some of the agreeable extra pleasures
+of life&mdash;provide the ready money for theatres, a larger
+wardrobe, trips from home, or a modest equipage? Why not take
+advantage of the friendly advice given? Mr. Williams had made clear
+that the purchase of stocks on a sufficient margin was no more
+reprehensible as a moral proposition than the purchase of cargoes
+of sugar, cotton, coffee or tea against which merchants borrowed
+money at the bank. In neither instance did the purchaser own
+outright what he sought to sell at an advance; merely in one case
+it was shares, in the other merchandise. Of course it was foolish
+for inexperienced country folk with small means to dabble in stocks
+and bonds, but why should not city people who were clever and had
+clever friends in the business eke out the cost of living by shrewd
+investments? In an old-fashioned sense it might be considered
+gambling; but, if it were true, as Wilbur and Mr. Williams both
+maintained, that the American people were addicted to speculation,
+was not the existence of the habit strong evidence that the
+prejudice against it must be ill-founded? The logical and the
+patriotic conclusion must needs be that business methods had
+changed, and that the American nation had been clever enough to
+substitute dealings in shares of stock, and in contracts relating
+to cereals and merchandise for the methods of their grandfathers
+who delivered the properties in bulk.</p>
+<p>To this condensation of Gregory's glib sophistries on the lips
+of his wife, Wilbur had seemed to turn a deaf ear. It did not occur
+to him, at first, that Selma was seriously in earnest. He regarded
+her suggestions of neglected opportunities, which were often
+whimsically uttered, as more than half playful&mdash;a sort of
+make-believe envy of the meteoric progress in magnificence of their
+friendly neighbors. He was even glad that she should show herself
+appreciative of the merits of civilized comfort, for he had been
+afraid lest her ascetic scruples would lead her judgments too far
+in the opposite direction. He welcomed them and encouraged her
+small schemes to make the establishment more festive and stylish in
+appearance, in modest imitation of the splendor next door. But
+constant and more sombre reference to the growing fortunes of the
+Williamses presently attracted his attention and made him more
+observant. His income sufficed to pay the ordinary expenses of
+quiet domestic life, and to leave a small margin for carefully,
+considered amusements, but he reflected that if Selma were yearning
+for greater luxury, he could not afford at present to increase
+materially her allowance. It grieved him as a proud man to think
+that the woman he loved should lack any thing she desired, and
+without a thought of distrust he applied himself more strenuously
+to his work, hoping that the sum of his commissions would enable
+him presently to gratify some of her hankerings&mdash;such, for
+instance, as the possession of a horse and vehicle. Selma had
+several times alluded with a sigh to the satisfaction there must be
+in driving in the new park. Babcock had kept a horse, and the
+Williamses now drove past the windows daily in a phaeton drawn by
+two iron gray, champing steeds. He said to himself that he could
+scarcely blame Selma if she coveted now and then Flossy's fine
+possessions, and the thought that she was not altogether happy in
+consequence of his failure to earn more kept recurring to his mind
+and worried him. No children had been born to them, and he pictured
+with growing concern his wife lonely at home on this account, yet
+without extra income to make purchases which might enable her to
+forget at times that there was no baby in the house. Flossy had two
+children, a boy and a girl, two gorgeously bedizened little beings
+who were trundled along the sidewalk in a black, highly varnished
+baby-wagon which was reputed by the dealer who sold it to Gregory
+to have belonged to an English nobleman. Wilbur more than once
+detected Selma looking at the babies with a wistful glance. She was
+really admiring their clothes, yet the thought of how prettily she
+would have been able to dress a baby of her own was at times so
+pathetic as to bring tears to her eyes, and cause her to deplore
+her own lack of children as a misfortune.</p>
+<p>As the weeks slipped away and Wilbur realized that, though he
+was gaining ground in his profession, more liberal expenditures
+were still out of the question, he reached a frame of mind which
+made him yearn for a means of relief. So it happened that, when
+Selma asked him once more why he did not follow the advice
+proffered and buy some stocks, he replied by smiling at Gregory and
+inquiring what he should buy. During the dinner, which had been
+pleasant, Wilbur's eye had been attracted by the brilliancy of some
+new jewels which Mrs. Williams wore, and he had been conscious of
+the wish that he were able to make a present like that to his own
+wife.</p>
+<p>"You take my breath away. Wonders will never cease," responded
+Gregory, while both the women clapped their hands. "But you musn't
+buy anything; you must sell," he continued. "VanHorne and I both
+came to the conclusion to-day that it is time for a turn on the
+short side of the market. When the public are crazy and will buy
+any thing, then is the time to let them have all they wish."</p>
+<p>"What, then, am I to sell?" asked Wilbur "I am a complete lamb,
+you know." He was already sorry that he had consented, but Selma's
+manifest interest restrained him from turning the matter into a
+joke.</p>
+<p>"Leave it all to me," said Williams with a magnificent
+gesture.</p>
+<p>"But you will need some money from me."</p>
+<p>"Not at all. If you would feel better, you may send me a check
+or a bond for a thousand dollars. But it isn't necessary in your
+case."</p>
+<p>"I will bring you in a bond to-morrow&mdash;one of the very few
+I own."</p>
+<p>Wilbur having delivered his security the first thing in the
+morning, heard nothing further from Williams for a fortnight. One
+day he received a formal account of certain transactions executed
+by Williams and VanHorne for Wilbur Littleton, Esq., and a check
+for two thousand dollars. The flush which rose to his cheeks was
+induced partly by pleasure, partly by shame. His inclination, as he
+reflected, was to return the check, but he recognized presently
+that this was a foolish idea, and that the only thing to be done
+was to deposit it. He wrote a grateful note of acknowledgment to
+Williams, and then gave himself up to the agreeable occupation of
+thinking what he should buy for Selma with the money. He decided
+not to tell her of his good fortune, but to treat her to a
+surprise. His first fancy was in favor of jewelry&mdash;some
+necklace or lustrous ornament for the hair, which would charm the
+feminine eye and might make Selma even more beautiful than she
+already appeared in evening dress. His choice settled on a horse
+and buggy as more genuinely useful. To be sure there was the feed
+of the animal to be considered; but he would be able to reserve
+sufficient money to cover this cost for some months, and by the end
+of that time he would perhaps be able to afford the outlay from his
+income. Horse-flesh and vehicles were not in his line, but he
+succeeded by investigation in procuring a modest equipment for
+seven hundred dollars, which left him three hundred for fodder, and
+the other thousand. This he had decided to hand over to Selma as
+pin money. It was for her sake that he had consented to speculate,
+and it seemed meet that she should have the satisfaction of
+spending it.</p>
+<p>He carried out his surprise by appearing one afternoon before
+the door and inviting her to drive. Selma became radiant at the
+news that the horse and buggy were hers, though, when the
+particulars of the purchase were disclosed she said to herself that
+she wished Wilbur had allowed her to choose the vehicle. She would
+have preferred one more stylish and less domestic looking. She
+flung her arms about his neck and gave him a kiss on their return
+to show her satisfaction.</p>
+<p>"You see how easy it is, Wilbur," she said as she surveyed the
+check which he had handed her.</p>
+<p>"It was not I, it was Williams."</p>
+<p>"No, but you could, if you would only think so. I have the
+greatest confidence in you, dear," she added, looking eagerly into
+his face; "but don't you sometimes go out of your way to avoid what
+is enterprising and&mdash;er&mdash;modern, just because it is
+modern?"</p>
+<p>"Gambling is as old as the hills, Selma."</p>
+<p>"Yes. And if this were gambling&mdash;the sort of gambling you
+mean, do you think I would allow you to do it? Do you think the
+American people would tolerate it for a minute?" she asked
+triumphantly.</p>
+<p>"It seems to me that your admiration for the American people
+sometimes makes you a little weak in your logic," he answered with
+good-humor. He was so pleased by Selma's gratification that he was
+disposed to exorcise his scruples.</p>
+<p>"I have always told you that I was more of a patriot than you,
+Wilbur."</p>
+<p>The bond had not been returned by Williams at the time he sent
+the money, and some fortnight later&mdash;only a few days in fact
+after this drive, Littleton received another cheque for $500 and a
+request that he call at the office.</p>
+<p>"I thought you would like to see the instruments of torture at
+work&mdash;the process of lamb-shearing in active operation,"
+Williams explained as he shook hands and waved him into his private
+room. After a few easy remarks on the methods of doing business the
+broker continued, "I flatter myself that for so small an investment
+and so short a time, I have done tolerably well for you."</p>
+<p>"I scarcely know how to express my thanks and my admiration for
+your skill. Indeed I feel rather awkwardly about&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"That's all right, my dear fellow. It's my business; I get my
+commission. Still I admit friendly regard&mdash;and this is why I
+suggested your dropping in&mdash;by introducing the personal
+equation, makes one nervous. If instead of closing out your
+account, I had in each instance held on, you would have made more
+money. I was glad to take this responsibility at first because you
+were a neophyte at the business, but I think it will be more
+satisfactory both for you and for me that in future transactions
+you should give me the word when to reap the profit. Of course you
+shall have all the information which I possess and my advice will
+be at your command, but where a man's money is concerned his own
+head is apt to be the wisest counsellor. Now I took the liberty
+yesterday of selling for you two hundred shares of Reading
+railroad. You can cover to-day at a profit of one point&mdash;about
+$200. I do not urge it. On the contrary I believe that the market,
+barring occasional rallies, is still on the downward track. I wish,
+however, to put you in a position where you can, if you desire,
+take advantage of the full opportunities of the financial situation
+and save myself from feeling that I have robbed you by my friendly
+caution."</p>
+<p>"In other words you don't wish to speculate with my money," said
+Littleton. "You wish me to paddle my own canoe."</p>
+<p>Williams' real desire was to escape the bother of personally
+superintending an insignificant account. His circumlocution was a
+suave way of stating that he had done all that could be expected of
+a neighbor and benevolent friend, and that the ordinary relation of
+broker and customer ought now be established. As for Littleton, he
+perceived that he was not free to retire from the market on the
+profits of friendly regard unless he was prepared to fly in the
+face of advice and buy in his two hundred Reading railroad. To do
+so would be pusillanimous; moreover to retire and abstain from
+further dealings would make Williams' two cheques more obviously a
+charitable donation, and the thought of them was becoming galling.
+Above all there were Selma's feelings to be considered. The
+possession of the means to afford her happiness was already a sweet
+argument in favor of further experiments.</p>
+<p>And so it happened that during the next nine months Littleton
+became a frequenter of the office of Williams &amp; VanHorne. He
+was not among those who hung over the tape and were to be seen
+there daily; but he found himself attracted as the needle by the
+magnet to look in once or twice a week to ascertain the state of
+the market. His ventures continued to be small, and were conducted
+under the ken of Williams, and though the occasional rallies
+referred to by the broker harassed Wilbur's spirit when they
+occurred, the policy of selling short proved reasonably
+remunerative in the course of half a dozen separate speculations.
+In round figures he added another $2,500 to that which Williams had
+made for him. The process kept him on pins and needles, and led him
+to scan the list of stock quotations before reading anything else
+in the newspaper. Selma was delighted at his success, and though he
+chose not to tell her the details of his dealings, she watched him
+furtively, followed the general tendency of the market, and when
+she perceived that he was in good spirits, satisfied sufficiently
+her curiosity by questions.</p>
+<p>On the strength of this addition to their pecuniary resources,
+Selma branched out into sundry mild extravagances. She augmented
+her wardrobe, engaged an additional house-maid and a more expensive
+cook, and entertained with greater freedom and elaboration. She was
+fond of going to the theatre and supping afterward at some
+fashionable restaurant where she could show her new plumage and be
+a part of the gay, chattering rout at the tables consuming
+soft-shelled crabs and champagne. She was gradually increasing her
+acquaintance, chiefly among the friends of the Williamses, people
+who were fond of display and luxury and who seemed to have plenty
+of money. In this connection she was glad to avail herself of the
+reputation of belonging to the literary circle, and she conceived
+the plan of mingling these new associates with Wilbur's former
+set&mdash;to her thinking a delightful scheme, which she
+inaugurated by means of a dinner party. She included among the
+guests Pauline and Dr. Page, and considered that she had acted
+gracefully in putting them side by side at table, thus sacrificing
+the theory of her entertainment to her feminine interest in
+romance. In her opinion it was more than Pauline deserved, and she
+was proud of her generosity. There were fourteen in the company,
+and after dinner they were regaled by a young woman who had brought
+a letter of introduction to Selma from Mrs. Earle, who read from
+her own poems. The dinner was given for her, and her seat was
+between Wilbur and Mr. Dennison, the magazine editor. Selma had
+attended a dinner-party at the Williamses a fortnight earlier where
+there had been music in the drawing-room by a ballad-singer at a
+cost of $100 (so Flossy had told her in confidence). A poetess
+reading from her own works, a guest and not invited in after dinner
+on a business footing, appealed to Selma as more American, and less
+expensive. She, in her secret soul, would have liked to recite
+herself, but she feared to run the gauntlet of the New York manner.
+The verses were intense in character and were delivered by the
+young woman with a hollow-eyed fervor which, as one of the
+non-literary wing of the company stated, made one creep and weep
+alternately. There was no doubt that the entertainment was novel
+and acceptable to the commercial element, and to Selma it seemed a
+delightful reminder of the Benham Institute. She was curious to
+know what Mr. Dennison thought, though she said to herself that she
+did not really care. She felt that anything free and earnest in the
+literary line was likely to be frowned on by the coterie to which
+her husband's people belonged. Nevertheless she seized an
+opportunity to ask the editor if he did not think the verses
+remarkable.</p>
+<p>"They are certainly remarkable," answered Mr. Dennison. After a
+brief pause he added, "Being a strictly truthful person, Mrs.
+Littleton, I do not wish to seek shelter behind the rampart which
+your word 'remarkable' affords. A dinner may be
+remarkable&mdash;remarkably good, like the one I have just eaten,
+or remarkably bad. Some editors would have replied to you as I have
+done, and yet been capable of a mental reservation unflattering to
+the ambitious young woman to whom we have been listening. But
+without wishing to express an opinion, let me remind you that
+poetry, like point-lace, needs close scrutiny before its merits can
+be defined. I thought I recognized some ancient and well-worn
+flowers of speech, but my editorial ear and eye may have been
+deceived. She has beautiful hair at all events."</p>
+<p>"'Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">And beauty draws us by a single
+hair.'</span></p>
+<p>"You cynical personage! I only hope she may prove a genius and
+that you will realize when too late that you might have discovered
+her," said Selma, looking into his face brightly with a knowing
+smile and tapping her fan against her hand. She was in a gay humor
+at the success of the entertainment, despite the non-committal
+attitude of this censor, and pleased at the appositeness of her
+quotation. Her figure had filled out since her marriage. She was
+almost plump and she wore a single short fat curl pendent behind
+her ear.</p>
+<p>A few months subsequent to this dinner party Flossy announced
+one day that Mr. Silas S. Parsons, whom Selma had seen with the
+Williamses at the theatre nearly three years before, had come to
+live in New York with his wife and daughter. Flossy referred to him
+eagerly as one of her husband's most valuable customers, a shrewd,
+sensible, Western business man, who had made money in patent
+machinery and was superbly rich. He had gone temporarily to a
+hotel, but he was intending to build a large house on Fifth Avenue
+near the park. Selma heard this announcement with keen interest,
+asking herself at once why Wilbur should not be the architect. Why
+not, indeed? She promptly reasoned that here was her chance to aid
+her husband; that he, if left to his own devices, would do nothing
+to attract the magnate's attention, and that it behooved her, as an
+American wife and a wide-awake, modern woman, to let Mr. Parsons
+know his qualifications, and to prepossess him in Wilbur's favor by
+her own attractions. The idea appealed to her exceedingly. She had
+been hoping that some opportunity to take an active part in the
+furtherance of Wilbur's career would present itself, for she felt
+instinctively that with her co-operation he would make more rapid
+progress. Here was exactly the occasion longed for. She saw in her
+mind's eye Mr. Parsons's completed mansion, stately and beautiful,
+the admired precursor of a host of important edifices&mdash;a
+revolutionizing monument in contemporary architecture. Wilbur would
+become the fashion, and his professional success be assured, thanks
+to the prompt ability of his wife to take advantage of
+circumstances. So she would prove herself a veritable helpmate, and
+the bond of marital sympathy would be strengthened and
+refreshed.</p>
+<p>To begin with, Selma hinted to Mrs. Williams that Mr. Parsons
+might do worse than employ Wilbur to design his house. Flossy
+accepted the suggestion with enthusiasm and promised her support,
+adding that Mr. Parsons was a person of sudden and strong fancies,
+and that if he were to take a fancy to Wilbur, the desired result
+would be apt to follow. Selma quickly decided that Mr. Parsons must
+be made to like her, for she feared lest Wilbur's quiet,
+undemonstrative manner would fail to attract him. Evidently he
+admired the self-confidence and manly assertion of Gregory
+Williams, and would be liable to regard Wilbur as lacking in force
+and enterprise. The reflection that she would thus be
+working&mdash;as necessarily she would&mdash;for the eternal
+progress of truth, added a pleasant savor to the undertaking, for
+it was clear that her husband was an ideal architect for the
+purpose, and she would be doing a true service to Mr. Parsons in
+convincing him that this was so. Altogether her soul was in an
+agreeable flutter, notwithstanding that her neighbor Flossy had
+recently received invitations to two or three large balls, and been
+referred to in the society columns of the newspapers as the
+fascinating and clever wife of the rising banker Gregory
+Williams.</p>
+<p>The Littletons were promptly given by Flossy the opportunity to
+make the acquaintance of the Parsons family. Mr. Parsons was a
+ponderous man of over sixty, with a solid, rotund, grave face and a
+chin whisker. He was absorbed in financial interests, though he had
+retired from active business, and had come to New York to live
+chiefly to please his wife and daughter. Mrs. Parsons, who was
+somewhat her husband's junior, was a devotee, or more correctly, a
+debauchee, of hotel life. Since the time when they had become
+exceedingly rich, about ten years before, they had made a grand
+tour of the hotels of this country and Europe. By so doing Mrs.
+Parsons and her daughter felt that they became a part of the social
+life of the cities which they visited. Although they had been used
+to plain, if not slovenly, house-keeping before the money came,
+both the wife and daughter had evolved into connoisseurs of modish
+and luxurious hotel apparatus and garniture. They had learned to
+revel in many courses, radiantly upholstered parlors, and a close
+acquaintance with the hotel register. Society for them, wherever
+they went, meant finding out the names of the other guests and
+dressing for them, being on easy terms with the head waiter and
+elevator boy, visiting the theatres, and keeping up a round of
+shopping in pursuit of articles of apparel. They wore rich garments
+and considerable jewelry, and plastered themselves&mdash;especially
+the daughter&mdash;with bunches of violets or roses self-bestowed.
+Mrs. Parsons was partial to perfume, and they both were addicted to
+the free consumption of assorted bonbons. To be sure they had made
+some acquaintances in the course of their peregrinations, but one
+reason for moving to New York was that Mrs. Parsons had come to the
+melancholy conclusion that neither the princes of Europe nor the
+sons of American leading citizens were paying that attention to her
+daughter which the young lady's charms seemed to her to merit. If
+living lavishly in hotels and seeing everybody right and left were
+not the high-road to elegant existence and hence to a brilliant
+match for Lucretia, Mrs. Parsons was ready to try the effect of a
+house on Fifth Avenue, though she preferred the comforts of her
+present mode of life. Still one advantage of a stable home would be
+that Mr. Parsons could be constantly with them, instead of an
+occasional and intermittent visitor communicated with more
+frequently by electricity than by word of mouth. While Mr. Parsons
+was selecting the land, she and Lucretia had abandoned themselves
+to an orgy of shopping, and with an eye to the new house, their
+rooms at the hotel were already littered with gorgeous fabrics,
+patterns of wall-paper and pieces of pottery.</p>
+<p>Selma's facility in the New York manner was practised on Silas
+Parsons with flattering success. He was captivated by
+her&mdash;more so than by Flossy, who amused him as a
+flibbertigibbet, but who seemed to him to lack the serious cast of
+character which he felt that he discerned beneath the sprightliness
+of this new charmer. Mr. Parsons was what he called a "stickler"
+for the dignity of a serious demeanor. He liked to laugh at the
+theatre, but mistrusted a daily point of view which savored of
+buffoonery. He was fond of saying that more than one public man in
+the United States had come to grief politically from being a joker,
+and that the American people could not endure flippancy in their
+representatives. He liked to tell and listen to humorous stories in
+the security of a smoking-room, but in his opinion it behooved a
+citizen to maintain a dignified bearing before the world. Like
+other self-made men who had come to New York&mdash;like Selma
+herself&mdash;he had shrunk from and deplored at first the lighter
+tone of casual speech. Still he had grown used to it, and had even
+come to depend on it as an amusement. But he felt that in the case
+of Selma there was a basis of ethical earnestness, appropriate to
+woman, beneath her chatty flow of small talk. That she was
+comparatively a new-comer accounted partially for this impression,
+but it was mainly due to the fact that she still reverted after her
+sallies of pleasantry to a grave method of deportment.</p>
+<p>Selma's chief hospitality toward the Parsonses took the form of
+a theatre party, which included a supper at Delmonico's after the
+play. It was an expensive kind of entertainment, which she felt
+obliged to justify to Wilbur by the assertion that the Williamses
+had been so civil she considered it would be only decent to show
+attention to their friends. She was unwilling to disclose her
+secret, lest the knowledge of it might make Wilbur offish and so
+embarrass her efforts. There were eight in the party, and the
+affair seemed to Selma to go off admirably. She was enthralled by
+the idea of using her own personal magnetism to promote her
+husband's business. She felt that it was just the sort of thing she
+would like and was fitted for, and that here was an opportunity for
+her individuality to display itself. She devoted herself with
+engaging assiduity to Mr. Parsons, pleased during the active
+process of propitiation by the sub-consciousness that her table was
+one of the centres of interest in the large restaurant. She had
+dressed herself with formal care, and nothing in the way of
+compliment could have gratified her more than the remark which Mr.
+Parsons made, as he regarded her appreciatively, when he had
+finished his supper, that she suggested his idea of Columbia. Selma
+glowed with satisfaction. The comparison struck her as apt and
+appropriate, and she replied with a proud erection of her head,
+which imparted to her features their transcendental look, and
+caused her short curl to joggle tremulously, "I suppose I see what
+you mean, Mr. Parsons."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VII.</h3>
+<p>One evening, four or five days after this supper party, Wilbur
+laid down the book which he was pretending to read, and said,
+"Selma, I have come to the conclusion that I must give up dabbling
+in stocks. I am being injured by it&mdash;not financially, for, as
+you know, I have made a few thousand dollars&mdash;but
+morally."</p>
+<p>"I thought you were convinced that it was not immoral," answered
+Selma, in a constrained voice.</p>
+<p>"I do not refer to whether speculation is justifiable in itself,
+but to its effect on me as an individual&mdash;its distraction to
+my mind and consequent interference with my professional work."</p>
+<p>"Oh."</p>
+<p>"For a year now, the greater portion of the time, I have had
+some interest in the market, and as a consequence, have felt
+impelled to look in on Williams and VanHorne every
+day&mdash;sometimes oftener. I am unable to dismiss my speculations
+from my thoughts. I find myself wondering what has happened to the
+stocks I am carrying, and I am satisfied that the practice is
+thoroughly demoralizing to my self-respect and to my progress. I am
+going to give it up."</p>
+<p>"I suppose you must give it up if it affects you like that,"
+responded Selma drily. "I don't see exactly why it should."</p>
+<p>"It may seem foolish to you, but I am unable to put my ventures
+out of my mind. The consequences of loss would be so serious to me
+that I suppose my imagination becomes unduly active and
+apprehensive. Also, I find myself eager to secure large gains. I
+must renounce Aladdin's lamp from this day forth, my dear, and
+trust to my legitimate business for my income."</p>
+<p>Selma folded her hands and looked grave. "It's disappointing
+that you feel so just when we are beginning to get on, Wilbur."</p>
+<p>"I have realized, Selma, that you have enjoyed
+and&mdash;er&mdash;been made happier by the freedom to spend which
+this extra money has afforded you. But I know, when you reflect,
+you will understand that I am right, and that it would be
+disastrous to both of us if I were to continue to do what I believe
+demoralizing. It is a mortification to me to ask you to retrench,
+but I said to myself that Selma would be the first to insist on our
+doing so if she knew my feelings, and it makes me happy to be sure
+of your approval."</p>
+<p>Littleton spoke with a tender plaintiveness which betrayed that
+in his secret soul he was less confident on this score than his
+words declared, or than he himself supposed. "Of course," he added,
+earnestly, "I shall hope that it will not make much difference. My
+business is slowly, but steadily, improving, and I am doing more
+this year than last. I am bending all my energies on my plans for
+Wetmore College. If I win in that competition, I shall make a
+reputation and a respectable commission."</p>
+<p>"You have been on those plans three months."</p>
+<p>"Yes, and shall not finish them for another two. I wish to do my
+best work, and I shall be glad not to hear quotations of the ticker
+in my brain. You desire me to be thorough, surely, Selma
+<i>mia</i>?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes. Only, you know people very often spoil things by
+pottering over them."</p>
+<p>"I never potter. I reject because I am dissatisfied rather than
+offer a design which does not please me, but I do not waste my
+time."</p>
+<p>"Call it over-conscientiousness then. I wish you to do your best
+work, of course, but one can't expect to do best work invariably.
+Everything was going so nicely that you must perceive it will be
+inconvenient to have to economize as we did before."</p>
+<p>Littleton looked at his wife with a glance of loving distress.
+"You wouldn't really care a button. I know you wouldn't, Selma," he
+said, stoutly.</p>
+<p>"Of course not, if it were necessary," she answered. "Only I
+don't wish to do so unless it is necessary. I am not controverting
+your decision about the stocks, though I think your imagination, as
+you say, is to blame. I would rather cut my right hand off than
+persuade you to act contrary to your conscience. But it <i>is</i>
+inconvenient, Wilbur, you must admit, to give up the things we have
+become accustomed to."</p>
+<p>"We shall be able to keep the horse. I am certain of that."</p>
+<p>"I wish you to see my side of it. Say that you do," she said,
+with shrill intensity.</p>
+<p>"It is because I do see it that I am troubled, Selma. For myself
+I am no happier now than I was when we lived more simply. I can't
+believe that you will really find it a hardship to deny yourself
+such extravagances as our theatre party last week. Being a man," he
+added, after a pause, "I suppose I may not appreciate how important
+and seductive some of these social observances appear to a woman,
+and heaven knows my chief wish in life is to do everything in my
+power to make you happy. You must be aware of that, dearest. I
+delight to work hard for your sake. But it seems almost ludicrous
+to be talking of social interests to you, of all women. Why, at the
+time we were married, I feared that you would cut yourself off from
+reasonable pleasures on account of your dislike of everything
+frivolous. I remember I encouraged you not to take too ascetic a
+view of such things. So I am bound to believe that your side is my
+side&mdash;that we both will find true happiness in not attempting
+to compete with people whose tastes are not our tastes, and whose
+aims are not our aims."</p>
+<p>"Then you think I have deteriorated," she said, with a superior
+smile.</p>
+<p>"I think of you as the most conscientious woman I ever met. It
+was only natural that you should be spurred by our neighbors, the
+Williamses, to make a better showing socially before the world. I
+have been glad to see you emulous up to a certain point. You must
+realize though, that we cannot keep pace with them, even if we so
+desire. Already they are in the public eye. He appears to have made
+considerable money, and his views on the stock-market are given
+prominence by the press. He and his wife are beginning to be
+recognized by people who were ignorant of their existence four
+years ago. You told me last week that Mrs. Williams had attended
+one of the fashionable balls, and I saw in yesterday's newspaper a
+description of her toilette at another. It begins to look as if, in
+a few years more, their ambition might be realized, and the doors
+of the Morton Price mansion open wide to admit this clever country
+cousin to the earthly paradise. It must be evident to you, Selma,
+that very shortly we shall see only the dust of their
+chariot-wheels in the dim social distance. Williams told me to-day
+that he has bought a house near the park."</p>
+<p>"He has bought a new house? They are going to move?" exclaimed
+Selma, sitting up straight, and with a fierce light in her
+eyes.</p>
+<p>"Yes. He was going home to tell his wife. It seems that they
+have been talking vaguely of moving for some time. An acquaintance
+happened to offer him a house, and Williams closed the bargain on
+the spot in his customary chain-lightning style. I shall be sorry
+to have them go on some accounts, for they have always been
+friendly, and you seem fond of the wife, but we shall find it
+easier, perhaps, when they are gone, to live according to our own
+ideas."</p>
+<p>"Flossy has not been quite so nice lately," said Selma; "I am
+afraid she is disposed to put on airs."</p>
+<p>"Her head may have been turned by her success. She has a kind
+heart, but a giddy brain in spite of its cleverness."</p>
+<p>"Flossy has been getting on, of course. But so are we getting
+on. Why should they be recognized, as you call it, any more than
+we? In time, I mean. Not in the same way, perhaps, since you don't
+approve of the sort of things&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"Since I don't approve? Why, Selma, surely&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"Since <i>we</i> don't approve, then. I only mean that Gregory
+Williams has shown initiative, has pushed ahead, and
+is&mdash;er&mdash;the talk of the town. I expect you to be
+successful, too. Is there any reason on earth why the door of the
+Morton Prices should open wide to her and not to me?"</p>
+<p>"I suppose not, if&mdash;if you wish it."</p>
+<p>She made a gesture of impatience and gazed at him a moment with
+an imperious frown, then suddenly, with the litheness of a cat, she
+slipped from her chair to the floor at his feet, and leaning
+against his knee, looked up into his face.</p>
+<p>"You dear boy, I am going to tell you something. You said to me
+once that if ever the time came when I thought you visionary, I was
+to let you know. Of course I understand you are worth a thousand
+<i>Gregorys</i>; but don't you think you would get on faster if you
+were a little more aggressive in your work?&mdash;if you weren't so
+afraid of being superficial or sensational? You were intimating a
+few minutes ago," she added, speaking rapidly under the stress of
+the message she burned to deliver, "that I seemed changed. I don't
+believe I am changed. But, if I seem different, it is because I
+feel so strongly that those who wish to succeed must assert
+themselves and seize opportunities. There is where it seems to me
+that Mr. Williams has the advantage over you, Wilbur. One of the
+finest and most significant qualities of our people, you know, is
+their enterprise and aggressiveness. Architecture isn't like the
+stock business, but the same theory of progress must be applicable
+to both. Don't you think I may be right, Wilbur? Don't you see what
+I mean?"</p>
+<p>He stroked her hair and answered gently, "What is it that I am
+not doing which you think I might do?"</p>
+<p>Selma snuggled close to him, and put her hand in his. She was
+vibrating with the proud consciousness of the duty vouchsafed to
+her to guide and assist the man she loved. It was a blissful and a
+precious moment to her. "If I were you," she said, solemnly, "I
+should build something striking and original, something which would
+make everyone who beheld it ask, 'what is the architect's name?' I
+would strike out boldly without caring too much what the critics
+and the people of Europe would say. You musn't be too afraid,
+Wilbur, of producing something American, and you mustn't be too
+afraid of the American ways of doing things. We work more quickly
+here in everything, and&mdash;and I still can't help feeling that
+you potter a little. Necessarily I don't know about the details of
+your business, but if I were you, instead of designing small
+buildings or competing for colleges and churches, where more than
+half the time someone else gets the award, I should make friends
+with the people who live in those fine houses on Fifth Avenue, and
+get an order to design a splendid residence for one of them. If you
+were to make a grand success of that, as you surely would, your
+reputation would be made. You ask me why I like to entertain and am
+willing to know people like that. It is to help you to get clients
+and to come to the front professionally. Now isn't that sensible
+and practical and right, too?"</p>
+<p>Her voice rang triumphantly with the righteousness of her
+plea.</p>
+<p>"Selma, dear, if I am not worldly-wise enough, I am glad to
+listen to your suggestions. But art is not to be hurried. I cannot
+vulgarize my art. I could not consent to that."</p>
+<p>"Of course not, Wilbur. Not worldly-wise enough is just the
+phrase, I think. You are so absorbed in the theory of fine things
+that I am sure you often let the practical opportunities to get the
+fine things to do slip."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps, dear. I will try to guard against it." Wilbur took her
+hands in his and looked down tenderly into her face. His own was a
+little weary. "Above everything else in life I wish, to make you
+happy," he said.</p>
+<p>"I am happy, you dear boy."</p>
+<p>"Truly?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, truly. And if something happens which I am nearly sure
+will happen, I shall be happier still. It's a secret, and I mustn't
+tell you, but if it does happen, you can't help agreeing that your
+wife has been clever and has helped you in your profession."</p>
+<p>"Helped me? Ah, Selma," he said, folding her in his arms, "I
+don't think you realize how much you are to me. In this modern
+world, what with self-consciousness, and shyness and contemporary
+distaste for fulsome expression, it is difficult to tell adequately
+those we love how we feel toward them. You are my darling and my
+inspiration. The sun rises and sets with you, and unless you were
+happy, I could never be. Each man in this puzzling world must live
+according to his own lights, and I, according to mine, am trying to
+make the most of myself, consistent with self-respect and avoidance
+of the low human aims and time-serving methods upon which our new
+civilization is supposed to frown. If I am neglecting my lawful
+opportunities, if I am failing to see wisely and correctly, I shall
+be grateful for counsel. Ah, Selma, for your sake, even more than
+for my own, I grieve that we have no children. A baby's hands
+would, I fancy, be the best of counsellors and enlighteners."</p>
+<p>"If children had come at first, it would have been very nice.
+But now&mdash;now I think they might stand in the way of my being
+of help to you. And I am so anxious to help you, Wilbur."</p>
+<p>As a result of this conversation Littleton devoted himself more
+assiduously than ever to his work. He was eager to increase his
+earnings so that his income should not be curtailed by his decision
+to avoid further ventures in the stock-market. He was troubled in
+soul, for Selma's accusation that he was visionary haunted him.
+Could it be that he was too scrupulous, too uncompromising, and
+lacked proper enterprise? Self-scrutiny failed to convince him that
+this was so, yet left a lurking doubt which was harassing. His
+clear mind was too modest to believe in its own infallibility, for
+he was psychologist enough to understand that no one can be
+absolutely sure that his perspective of life is accurate. Possibly
+he was sacrificing his wife's legitimate aspirations to too rigid
+canons of behavior, and to an unconscious lack of initiative. On
+the other hand, as a positive character, he believed that he saw
+clearly, and he could not avoid the reflection that, if this was
+the case, he and Selma were drifting apart&mdash;the more bitter
+alternative of the two, and a condition which, if perpetuated,
+would involve the destruction of the scheme of matrimonial
+happiness, the ideal communion of two sympathetic souls, in which
+he was living as a proud partner. Apparently he was in one of two
+predicaments; either he was self deceived, which was abhorrent to
+him as a thoughtful grappler with the eternal mysteries, or he had
+misinterpreted the character of the woman whose transcendent
+quality was a dearer faith to him than the integrity of his own
+manhood.</p>
+<p>So it was with a troubled heart that he applied himself to more
+rigorous professional endeavor. Like most architects he had pursued
+certain lines of work because orders had come to him, and the
+chances of employment had ordained that his services should be
+sought for small churches, school-houses and kindred buildings in
+the surrounding country rather than for more elaborate and costly
+structures. On these undertakings it was his habit to expend
+abundant thought and devotion. The class of work was to his taste,
+for, though the funds at his disposal were not always so large as
+he desired for artistic effects, yet he enjoyed the opportunity of
+showing that simplicity need not be homely and disenchanting, but
+could wear the aspect of grace and poetry. Latterly he had been
+requested to furnish designs for some blocks of houses in the
+outlying wards of the city, where the owners sought to provide
+attractive, modern flats for people with moderate means. Various
+commissions had come to him, also, to design decorative work, which
+interested him and gave scope to his refined and aspiring
+imagination, and he was enthusiastically absorbed in preparing his
+competitive plans for the building of Wetmore College. His time was
+already well occupied by the matters which he had in hand. That is,
+he had enough to do and yet did not feel obliged to deny himself
+the luxury of deliberate thoroughness in connection with each
+professional undertaking. Save for the thought that he must needs
+earn more in order to please Selma, he would have been completely
+happy in the slow but flattering growth of his business, and in
+feeling his way securely toward greater success. Now, however, he
+began to ask himself if it were not possible to hasten this or that
+piece of work in order to afford himself the necessary leisure for
+new employment. He began also to consider whether he might not be
+able, without loss of dignity, to put himself in the way of
+securing more important clients. To solicit business was not to be
+thought of, but now and again he put the question to himself
+whether he had not been too indifferent as to who was who, and what
+was what, in the development of his business.</p>
+<p>While Littleton was thus mulling over existing conditions, and
+subjecting his conduct to the relentless lens of his own conscience
+and theories, Selma announced to him jubilantly, about a fortnight
+subsequent to their conversation, that her secret was a secret no
+longer, and that Mr. Parsons desired to employ him to build an
+imposing private residence on Fifth Avenue near the Park. Mr.
+Parsons confirmed this intelligence on the following day in a
+personal interview. He informed Littleton that he was going to
+build in order to please his wife and daughter, and intimated that
+expense need not stand in the way of the gratification of their
+wishes. After the business matters were disposed of he was
+obviously ready to intrust all the artistic details to his
+architect. Consequently Littleton enjoyed an agreeable quarter of
+an hour of exaltation. He was pleased at the prospect of building a
+house of this description, and the hope of being able to give free
+scope to his architectural bent without molestation made that
+prospect roseate. He could desire no better opportunity for
+expressing his ideas and proving his capacity. It was an ideal
+chance, and his soul thrilled as he called up the shadowy fabric of
+scheme after scheme to fill the trial canvas of his fantasy. Nor
+did he fail to award due credit to Selma for her share in the
+transaction; not to the extent, perhaps, of confessing incapacity
+on his own part, but by testifying lovingly to her cleverness. She
+was in too good humor at her success to insist on his humiliation
+in set terms. The two points in which she was most vitally
+interested&mdash;the advantage of her own interference and the
+consequent prompt extension of her husband's field of
+usefulness&mdash;had been triumphantly proved, and there was no
+need that the third&mdash;Wilbur's lack of capacity to battle and
+discriminate for himself&mdash;should be emphasized. Selma knew
+what she thought in her own mind, and she entertained the hope that
+this lesson might be a lamp to his feet for future illumination.
+She was even generous enough to exclaim, placing her hands on his
+shoulders and looking into his face with complacent fervor:</p>
+<p>"You might have accomplished it just as well yourself,
+Wilbur."</p>
+<p>Littleton shook his head and smiled. "It was a case of witchery
+and fascination. He probably divined how eager you were to help me,
+and he was glad to yield to the agreeable spell of your wifely
+devotion."</p>
+<p>"Oh, no," said Selma. "I am sure he never guessed for one moment
+of what I was thinking. Of course, I did try to make him like me,
+but that was only sensible. To make people like one is the way to
+get business, I believe."</p>
+<p>Littleton's quarter of an hour of exaltation was rudely checked
+by a note from Mrs. Parsons, requesting an interview in regard to
+the plans. When he presented himself he found her and her daughter
+imbued with definite ideas on the subject of architects and
+architecture. In the eyes of Mrs. Parsons the architect of her
+projected house was nothing but a young man in the employ of her
+husband, who was to guide them as to measurements, carpentry,
+party-walls and plumbing, but was otherwise to do her bidding for a
+pecuniary consideration, on the same general basis as the waiter at
+the hotel or the theatre ticket-agent. As to architecture, she
+expected him to draw plans just as she expected dealers in carpets
+or wall-papers to show her patterns in easy succession. "I don't
+care for that; take it away." "That is rather pretty, but let me
+see something else." What she said to Littleton was, "We haven't
+quite decided yet what we want, but, if you'll bring some plans the
+next time you call, we'll let you know which we like best. There's
+a house in Vienna I saw once, which I said at the time to Lucretia
+I would copy if I ever built. I've mislaid the photograph of it,
+but I may be able to tell you when I see your drawings how it
+differed from yours. Lucretia has a fancy for something Moorish or
+Oriental. I guess Mr. Parsons would prefer brown-stone, plain and
+massive, but he has left it all to us, and both daughter and I
+think we'd rather have a house which would speak for itself, and
+not be mixed up with everybody else's. You'd better bring us half a
+dozen to choose from, and between me and you and Lucretia, we'll
+arrive at something elegant and unique."</p>
+<p>This was sadly disillusionizing to Littleton, and the second
+experience was no less so. The refined outline sketches proffered
+by him were unenthusiastically surveyed and languidly discarded
+like so many wall-papers. It was evident that both the mother and
+daughter were disappointed, and Littleton presently divined that
+their chief objection was to the plainness of the several designs.
+This was made unmistakably obvious when Mrs. Parsons, after
+exhibiting a number of photographs of foreign public buildings with
+which she had armed herself, surveyed the most ornate, holding it
+out with her head on one side, and exclaimed impressively, "This is
+more the sort of thing we should like. I think Mr. Parsons has
+already explained to you that he desired our house to be as
+handsome as possible."</p>
+<p>"I had endeavored to bear that in mind," Littleton retorted with
+spirit. "I believe that either of these plans would give you a
+house which would be handsome, interesting and in good taste."</p>
+<p>"It does not seem to me that there is anything unique about any
+of them," said Mrs. Parsons, with a cold sniff intended to be
+conclusive. Nor did Littleton's efforts to explain that elaboration
+in a private residence was liable to detract from architectural
+dignity and to produce the effect of vulgarity fall upon receptive
+soil. The rich man's wife listened in stony silence, at times
+raising her lorgnette to examine as a curiosity this young man who
+was telling her&mdash;an American woman who had travelled around
+the world and seen everything to be seen&mdash;how she ought to
+build her own house. The upshot of this interview was that
+Littleton was sent away with languid instructions to try again. He
+departed, thinking melancholy thoughts and with fire in his soul,
+which, for Selma's sake, he endeavored to keep out of his eyes.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VIII.</h3>
+<p>The departure of the Williamses to a smarter neighborhood was a
+trial for Selma. She nursed the dispiriting reflection that she and
+Wilbur might just as well be moving also; that a little foresight
+and shrewdness on her husband's part would have enabled him to sell
+at a handsome profit the house in which they were living; and that
+there was no reason, except the sheer, happy faculty of making the
+most of opportunities, to account for the social recognition which
+Flossy and her husband were beginning to receive. It had not been
+easy to bear with equanimity during the last year the ingenuous,
+light-hearted warblings in which Flossy had indulged as an outlet
+to her triumphant spirits, and to listen to na&iuml;ve recitals of
+new progress, as though she herself were a companion or ladies'
+maid, to whom such developments could never happen. She was weary
+of being merely a recipient of confidences and a sympathetic
+listener, and more weary still of being regarded as such by her
+self-absorbed and successful neighbor. Why should Flossy be so
+dense? Why should she play second fiddle to Flossy? Why should
+Flossy take for granted that she did not intend to keep pace with
+her? Keep pace, indeed, when, if circumstances would only shape
+themselves a little differently, she would be able speedily to
+outstrip her volatile friend in the struggle for social
+preferment.</p>
+<p>Not unnaturally their friendship had been somewhat strained by
+the simmering of these thoughts in Selma's bosom. If a recipient of
+confidences becomes tart or cold, ingenuous prattle is apt to flow
+less spontaneously. Though Flossy was completely self-absorbed, and
+consequently glad to pour out her satisfaction into a sympathetic
+ear, she began to realize that there was something amiss with her
+friend which mere conscientious disapproval of her own frivolities
+did not adequately explain. It troubled her somewhat, for she liked
+the Littletons and was proud of her acquaintance with them.
+However, she was conscious of having acquitted herself toward them
+with liberality, and, especially now that her social vista was
+widening, she was not disposed at first to analyze too deeply the
+cause of the lack of sympathy between them. That is, she was struck
+by Selma's offish manner and frigid silences, but forgot them until
+they were forced upon her attention the next time they met. But as
+her friend continued to receive her bubbling announcements with
+stiff indifference, Flossy, in her perplexity, began to bend her
+acute mental faculties more searchingly on her idol. A fixed point
+of view will keep a shrine sacred forever, but let a worshipper's
+perspective be altered, and it is astonishing how different the
+features of divinity will appear. Flossy had worshipped with the
+eyes of faith. Now that her adoration was rejected without apparent
+cause, her curiosity was piqued, and she sought an interpretation
+of the mystery from her clever wits. As she observed Selma more
+dispassionately her suspicion was stirred, and she began to wonder
+if she had been burning incense before a false goddess. This doubt
+was agitating her mind at the time when they moved from the
+street.</p>
+<p>Selma was unconscious of the existence of this doubt as she had
+been largely unconscious of her own sour demeanor. She had no wish
+to lose the advantages of intimate association with the Williamses.
+On the contrary, she expected to make progress on her own account
+by admission into their new social circle. She went promptly to
+call, and saw fit to show herself tactfully appreciative of the new
+establishment and more ready to listen to Flossy's volubility.
+Flossy, who was radiant and bubbling over with fresh experiences
+which she was eager to impart, was glad to dismiss her doubt and to
+give herself up to the delights of unbridled speech. She took Selma
+over her new house, which had been purchased just as it stood,
+completely furnished, from the previous owner, who had suffered
+financial reverses. "Gregory bought it because it was really a
+bargain," she said. "It will do very well for the present, but we
+intend to build before long. I am keeping my eye on your husband,
+and am expecting great things from the Parsons house. Do you know,
+I believe in Mr. Littleton, and feel sure that some day we shall
+wake up and find him famous."</p>
+<p>This was amiable, particularly as Flossy was very busily engaged
+in contemplating the brilliant progress of Gregory Williams and his
+wife. But Selma returned home feeling sore and dissatisfied. Flossy
+had been gracious, but still dense and na&iuml;vely condescending.
+Selma chose to foresee that her friend would neglect her, and her
+foresight was correct. The call was not returned for many weeks,
+although Flossy had assured her when they separated that distance
+would make no difference in their intimacy. But in the first place,
+her doubts recurred to Flossy after the departure of her visitor,
+and in the second, the agitations incident to her new surroundings,
+fortified by these doubts, made neglect easy. When she did call,
+Selma happened to be out. A few days later an invitation to dine
+with the Williamses arrived. Selma would have preferred to remain
+at home as a rebuke, but she was miserably conscious that Flossy
+would not perceive the point of the refusal. So she went, and was
+annoyed when she realized that the guests were only people whom she
+knew already&mdash;the Parsonses, and some of Gregory Williams's
+former associates, whom she had met at the old house. It was a
+pleasant dinner, apparently, to all except Selma. The entertainment
+was flatteringly lavish, and both the host and hostess with suavity
+put in circulation, under the rose, the sentiment that there are no
+friends like old friends&mdash;a graceful insincerity which most of
+them present accepted as true. Indeed, in one sense it was not an
+insincerity, for Gregory and his wife entertained cordial feelings
+toward them all. But on the other hand, Selma's immediate and
+bitter conclusion was also true, that the company had been invited
+together for the reason that, in the opinion of Flossy, they would
+not have harmonized well with anyone else.</p>
+<p>Said Wilbur as they drove away from the house&mdash;"Barring a
+few moments of agony in the society of my tormentor, Mrs. Parsons,
+I had a pleasant evening. They were obviously potting their old
+acquaintance in one pie, but to my thinking it was preferable to
+being sandwiched in between some of their new friends whom we do
+not know and who know nothing of us. It was a little evident, but
+on the whole agreeable."</p>
+<p>Selma, shrouded in her wraps, made no reply at first. Suddenly
+she exclaimed, with, fierceness, "I consider it rank impertinence.
+It was as much as to say that they do not think us good enough to
+meet their new friends."</p>
+<p>Littleton, who still found difficulty in remembering that his
+wife would not always enjoy the humor of an equivocal situation,
+was sorry that he had spoken. "Come, Selma," he said, "there's no
+use in taking that view of the matter. You would not really care to
+meet the other people."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I would, and she knows it. I shall never enter her house
+again."</p>
+<p>"As to that, my dear, the probabilities are that we shall not be
+asked for some time. You know perfectly well that, in the nature of
+things, your intimacy with Mrs. Williams must languish now that she
+lives at a distance and has new surroundings. She may continue to
+be very fond of you, but you can't hope to see very much of her,
+unless I am greatly mistaken in her character."</p>
+<p>"She is a shallow little worldling," said Selma, with measured
+intensity.</p>
+<p>"But you knew that already. The fact that she invited us to
+dinner and did not ignore our existence altogether shows that she
+likes us and wishes to continue the friendship. I've no doubt she
+believes that she is going to see a great deal of us, and you
+should blame destiny and the force of fashionable circumstances,
+not Flossy, if you drift apart."</p>
+<p>"She invited us because she wished to show off her new
+house."</p>
+<p>"Not altogether. You musn't be too hard on her."</p>
+<p>Selma moved her shoulders impatiently, and there was silence for
+some moments broken only by the tapping of her foot. Then she
+asked, "How nearly have you finished the plans for the Parsons
+house?"</p>
+<p>Wilbur's brow clouded under cover of the night. He hesitated an
+instant before replying, "I am sorry to say that Mrs. Parsons and I
+do not seem to get on very well together. Her ideas and mine on the
+subject of architecture are wide apart, as I have intimated to you
+once or twice. I have modified my plans again, and she has made
+airy suggestions which from my point of view are impossible. We are
+practically at loggerheads, and I am trying to make up my mind what
+I ought to do."</p>
+<p>There was a wealth of condensation in the word 'impossible'
+which brought back unpleasantly to Selma Pauline's use of the same
+word in connection with the estimate which had been formed of Miss
+Bailey. "There can be only one thing to do in the end," she said,
+"if you can't agree. Mrs. Parsons, of course, must have her house
+as she wishes it. It is her house, Wilbur."</p>
+<p>"It is her house, and she has that right, certainly. The
+question is whether I am willing to allow the world to point to an
+architectural hotch-potch and call it mine."</p>
+<p>"Isn't this another case of neglecting the practical side,
+Wilbur? I am sure you exaggerate the importance of the changes she
+desires. If I were building a house, I should expect to have it
+built to suit me, and I should be annoyed if the architect stood on
+points and were captious." Selma under the influence of this more
+congenial theme had partially recovered her equanimity. Her duty
+was her pleasure, and it was clearly her duty to lead her husband
+in the right path and save him from becoming the victim of his own
+shortcomings.</p>
+<p>Wilbur sighed. "I have told her," he said, "that I would submit
+another entirely new sketch. It may be that I can introduce some of
+her and her daughter's splurgy and garish misconceptions without
+making myself hopelessly ridiculous."</p>
+<p>He entered the house wearily, and as he stood before the hall
+table under the chandelier, Selma took him by the arm and turning
+him toward her gazed into his face. "I wish to examine you. Pauline
+said to me to-day that she thinks you are looking pale. I don't see
+that you are; no more so than usual. You never were rosy exactly.
+Do you know I have an idea that she thinks I am working you to
+death."</p>
+<p>"Pauline? What reason has she to think anything of the kind?
+Besides, I am perfectly well. It is a delight to work for a woman
+like you, dearest." He took her face between his hands and kissed
+her tenderly; yet gravely, too, as though the riddle of life did
+not solve itself at the touch of her lips. "You will be interested
+to hear," he added, "that I shall finish and send off the Wetmore
+College plans this week."</p>
+<p>"I am glad they are off your hands, for you will have more time
+for other work."</p>
+<p>"Yes. I think I may have done something worth while," he said,
+wistfully.</p>
+<p>"And I shall try not to be annoyed if someone else gets the
+award," she responded, smoothing down the sheen of her evening
+dress and regarding herself in the mirror.</p>
+<p>"Of course someone else may have taken equal pains and done a
+better thing. It is necessary always to be prepared for that."</p>
+<p>"That is the trouble. That is why I disapprove of
+competitions."</p>
+<p>"Selma, you are talking nonsense," Littleton exclaimed with
+sudden sternness.</p>
+<p>The decision in his tone made her start. The color mounted to
+her face, and she surveyed him for an instant haughtily, as though
+he had done her an injury. Then with an oratorical air and her
+archangel look, she said, "You do not seem to understand, Wilbur,
+that I am trying to save you from yourself."</p>
+<p>Littleton was ever susceptible to that look of hers. It
+suggested incarnate conscientiousness, and seemed incompatible with
+human imperfection or unworthy ambitions. He was too wroth to
+relent altogether, but he compressed his lips and returned her look
+searchingly, as though he would scrutinize her soul.</p>
+<p>"I'm bound to believe, I do believe, that you are trying to help
+me, Selma. I need your advice and help, even against myself, I dare
+say. But there are some matters of which you cannot judge so well
+as I. You must trust my opinion where the development of my
+professional life is concerned. I shall not forget your caution to
+be practical, but for the sake of expediency I cannot be false to
+what I believe true. Come, dear, let us go to bed."</p>
+<p>He put his hand on her arm to lead her upstairs, but she turned
+from it to collect her fan and gloves. Looking, not at him, but at
+herself in the mirror, she answered, "Of course. I trust, though,
+that this does not mean you intend to act foolishly in regard to
+the Parsons house."</p>
+<p>"I have already told you," he said, looking back, "that I am
+going to make another attempt to satisfy that exasperating woman
+and her daughter."</p>
+<p>"And you can satisfy them, I'm sure, if you only choose to,"
+said Selma, by way of a firm, final observation.</p>
+<p>Littleton's prophecy in regard to the waning of friendship
+between his wife and Mrs. Williams proved to be correct.
+Propinquity had made them intimate, and separation by force of
+circumstances put a summary end to frequent and cordial intercourse
+between them. As he had predicted, their first invitation to the
+new house was still the last at the end of three months, and save
+for a few words on one occasion in the street, Selma and Flossy did
+not meet during that period. But during that same three months
+Selma's attention was constantly attracted to the Williamses by
+prominent newspaper allusions to their prosperity and growing
+fashionable prestige. What they did and where they went were
+chronicled in the then new style journalistic social gossip, and
+the every-day world was made familiar with his financial opinions
+and his equipages and her toilettes. The meeting in the street was
+an ordeal for Selma. Flossy had been shopping and was about to step
+into her carriage, the door of which was held open by an imposing
+liveried footman, when the two women nearly collided.</p>
+<p>"I have not seen you for an age," Flossy exclaimed, with the
+genuine ring of regret in her tone, with which busy people
+partially atone for having left undone the things they ought or
+would like to have done. "Which way are you going? Can't I take you
+somewhere?"</p>
+<p>Selma glanced sternly at the snug coupe and stylish horses. "No,
+we don't seem to meet very often," she said drily. "I'm living,
+though, at the same place," she added, with a determination to be
+sprightly.</p>
+<p>"Yes, I know; I owe you a call. It's dreadful of me. I've been
+intending to come, but you can't imagine how busy I've been. Such a
+number of invitations, and new things to be done. I'm looking
+forward to giving you a full account of my experiences."</p>
+<p>"I've read about them in the newspapers."</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes. Gregory is always civil to reporters. He says that the
+newspapers are one of the great institutions of the country, and
+that it is sensible to keep in touch with them. I will confide to
+you that I think the whole business vulgar, and I intend some day,
+when we are firmly established, to be ugly to them. But at present
+the publicity is rather convenient and amusing," she exclaimed,
+with a gay shake of her head, which set her ringlets bobbing.</p>
+<p>"I should think it would be unpleasant to have the details of
+one's appearance described by the press."</p>
+<p>Flossy's doubts had returned in full force during the
+conversation. She said to herself, "I wonder if that is true? I
+wonder if it wouldn't be the very thing she would like?" But she
+answered blithely, "Oh, one gets used to it. Then I can't take you
+anywhere? I'm sorry. Some day I hope my round of gayety will cease,
+so that we can have a quiet evening together. I miss your husband.
+I always find him suggestive and interesting."</p>
+<p>"'Her round of gayety! A quiet evening together!'" murmured
+Selma as she walked away. "Wilbur is right; purse-proud, frivolous
+little thing! She is determined to destroy our friendship."</p>
+<p>Four weeks subsequent to this meeting the newspapers contained a
+fulsome account of a dancing party given by Mr. and Mrs. Gregory
+Williams&mdash;"an elegant and recherch&eacute; entertainment," in
+the language of the reporter. A list of the company followed, which
+Selma scrutinized with a brow like a thunder-cloud. She had
+acquired a feverish habit of perusing similar lists, and she
+recognized that Flossy's guests&mdash;among the first of whom were
+Mr. and Mrs. Morton Price and the Misses Price&mdash;were chiefly
+confined to persons whom she had learned to know as members of
+fashionable society. She read, in the further phraseology of the
+reporter, that "it was a small and select affair." At the end of
+the list, as though they had been invited on sufferance as a
+business necessity, were the Parsonses; but these were the only
+former associates of the Williamses. Selma had just finished her
+second reading of this news item when her meditation was
+interrupted by the voice of her husband, who had been silent during
+dinner, as though he had some matter on his mind, and was at the
+moment sitting close by, on the other side of the lamp which
+lighted the library table.</p>
+<p>"I fear you will be disappointed, Selma, but I have informed Mr.
+Parsons definitely this morning, that he must get another
+architect. The ideas of his wife and daughter are hopelessly at
+variance with mine. He seemed to be sorry&mdash;indeed, I should
+think he was a reasonable and sensible man&mdash;but he said that
+he was building to please Mrs. Parsons, and we both agreed that
+under the circumstances it was necessary that she should make a
+fresh start. He asked me to send my bill, and we parted on the best
+of terms. So it is all over, and except from the point of view of
+dollars and cents, I am very glad. Only the remembrance that you
+had set your heart on my making this my masterpiece, prevented me
+from throwing over the contract weeks ago. Tell me, Selma
+<i>mia</i>, that you approve of what I have done and congratulate
+me." He pulled forward his chair so that he might see her face
+without interference from the lamp and leaned toward her with frank
+appeal.</p>
+<p>"Yes, I had set my heart on it, and you knew it. Yet you
+preferred to give up this fine opportunity to show what you could
+do and to get business worth having rather than sacrifice your own
+ideas as to how a house should be built to the ideas of the women
+who were to live in it. I dare say I should agree with them, and
+that the things which they wished and you objected to were things I
+would have insisted on having."</p>
+<p>Littleton started as though she had struck him in the face.
+"Selma! My wife! Do you realize what you are saying?"</p>
+<p>"Perfectly."</p>
+<p>"Then&mdash;then&mdash;. Why, what have I said, what have I done
+that you should talk like this?"</p>
+<p>"Done? Everything. For one thing you have thrown away the chance
+for getting ahead in your profession which I procured for you. For
+another, by your visionary, unpractical ways, you have put me in
+the position where I can be insulted. Read that, and judge for
+yourself." She held out to him the newspaper containing the account
+of the dancing party, pointing with her finger to the obnoxious
+passage.</p>
+<p>With nervous hands Littleton drew the page under the light.
+"What is all this about? A party? What has it to do with our
+affairs?"</p>
+<p>"It has this to do with them&mdash;if you had been more
+practical and enterprising, our names would have been on that
+list."</p>
+<p>"I am glad they are not there."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I know. You would be content to have us remain nobodies
+all our days. You do not care what becomes of my life, provided you
+can carry out your own narrow theory of how we ought to live. And I
+had such faith in you, too! I have refused to believe until now
+that you were not trying to make the most of your opportunities,
+and to enable me to make the most of mine."</p>
+<p>"Selma, are you crazy? To think that you, the woman I have loved
+with all my soul, should be capable of saying such things to me!
+What does it mean?"</p>
+<p>She was quick to take advantage of his phrase. "Have loved? Yes,
+I know that you do not love me as you did; otherwise you could not
+have refused to build that house, against my wish and advice. It
+means this, Wilbur Littleton, that I am determined not to let you
+spoil my life. You forget that in marrying you I gave up my own
+ambitions and hopes for your sake; because&mdash;because I believed
+that by living together we should be more, and accomplish more,
+than by living apart. You said you needed me, and I was fool enough
+to believe it."</p>
+<p>The fierce tragedy in her tone lapsed into self-pity under the
+influence of her last thought, and Littleton, eager in his
+bewilderment for some escape from the horror of the situation, put
+aside his anger and dropping on his knees beside her tried to take
+her hands.</p>
+<p>"You are provoked, my darling. Do not say things which you will
+be sorry for to-morrow. I call God to witness that I have sought
+above all else to make you happy, and if I have failed, I am
+utterly miserable. I have needed you, I do need you. Do not let a
+single difference of opinion spoil the joy of both our lives and
+divide our hearts."</p>
+<p>She pulled her hands away, and shunning his endearment, rose to
+her feet.</p>
+<p>"I am provoked, but I know what I am saying. A single difference
+of opinion? Do you not see, Wilbur, that none of our opinions are
+the same, and that we look at everything differently? Even your
+religion and the God you call to witness are not mine. They are
+stiff and cold; you Unitarians permit your consciences to deaden
+your emotions and belittle your outlook on life. When I went with
+Mr. Parsons the other day to the Methodist church, I could not help
+thinking how different it was. I was thrilled and I felt I could do
+anything and be anything. My mother was a Methodist. They sang
+'Onward Christian Soldiers,' and it was glorious." She paused a
+moment and, with an exalted look, seemed to be recalling the
+movement of the hymn. "With you, Wilbur, and the people like
+you&mdash;Pauline is the same&mdash;everything is measured and
+pondered over, and nothing is spontaneous. I like action, and
+progress and prompt, sensible conclusions. That is the American
+way, and the way in which people who succeed get on. But you won't
+see it&mdash;you can't see it. I've tried to explain it to you, and
+now&mdash;now it's too late. We're nobodies, and, if our hearts are
+divided, that's fate I suppose. It's a very cruel fate for me. But
+I don't choose to remain a nobody."</p>
+<p>Littleton's expression as she talked had changed from
+astonishment to anger, and from anger to a sternness which gave his
+words of response the effect of calm and final decision. "You have
+said so many things with which I do not agree, and which I should
+have to dispute, that I will not attempt to argue with you
+concerning them. One thing is clear, both of us have made a
+horrible mistake. Each has misunderstood the other. You are
+dissatisfied with me; I realize suddenly that you are utterly
+different from what I supposed. I am overwhelmed, but your words
+make plain many things which have distressed and puzzled me." He
+paused as though in spite of the certainty of his tone, he hoped
+that she would see fit to deny his conclusions. "We have made a
+mistake and we shall both be miserable&mdash;that must needs
+be&mdash;but we must consider whether there is any method by which
+we can be less unhappy. What would you like to have me do, Selma?
+We have no children, thank heaven! Would it be more agreeable to
+live apart from me and receive support? A divorce does not seem
+necessary. Besides, our misconception of each other would not be a
+legal cause."</p>
+<p>Selma flushed at the reference to divorce. Littleton's sad,
+simple statement wore on the surface no sign of a design to hark
+back to her experience with her first husband, yet she divined that
+it must be in his thoughts and she resented the recurrence.
+Moreover, separation, certainly for the present, went beyond her
+purpose.</p>
+<p>"I have no wish for divorce or separation. I see no reason why
+we should not continue to live as we are," she answered. "To
+separate would cause scandal. It is not necessary that people
+should know we have made a mistake. I shall merely feel more free
+now to live my own life&mdash;and there is no telling that you may
+not some day see things from my point of view and sympathize with
+me more." She uttered the last words with a mixture of pathos and
+bright solicitation.</p>
+<p>Littleton shook his head. "I agree with you that to go on as we
+are is our best course. As you say, we ought, if possible, to keep
+the knowledge of our sorrow to ourselves. God knows that I wish I
+could hope that our life could ever be as it was before. Too many
+things have become plain to me in the last half-hour to make that
+possible. I could never learn to accept or sympathize with your
+point of view. There can be no half-love with me, Selma. It is my
+nature to be frank, and as you are fond of saying, that is the
+American way. I am your husband still, and while I live you shall
+have my money and my protection. But I have ceased to be your
+lover, though my heart is broken."</p>
+<p>"Very well," said Selma, after a painful pause. "But you know,
+Wilbur," she added in a tone of eager protestation, "that I do not
+admit for a moment that I am at fault. I was simply trying to help
+you. You have only yourself to blame for your unhappiness
+and&mdash;and for mine. I hope you understand that."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I understand that you think so," he said sadly.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER IX.</h3>
+<p>The breach between Littleton and his wife was too serious to be
+healed, for he was confronted by the conviction that Selma was a
+very different being from the woman whom he had supposed that he
+was marrying. He had been slow to harbor distrust, and loath, even
+in the face of her own words, to admit that he had misinterpreted
+her character; but this last conversation left no room for doubt.
+Selma had declared to him, unequivocally, that his ideas and theory
+of life were repugnant to her, and that, henceforth, she intended
+to act independently of them, so far as she could do so, and yet
+maintain the semblance of the married state. It was a cruel shock
+and disappointment to him. At the time of his marriage he would
+have said that the least likely of possible happenings would be
+self-deception as to the character of the woman he loved. Yet this
+was precisely what had befallen him.</p>
+<p>Having realized his mistake, he did not seek to flinch from the
+bitter truth. He saw clearly that their future relations toward
+each other must be largely formal; that tender comradeship and
+mutual soul alliance were at an end. At the same time his simple,
+direct conscience promptly indicated to him that it was his duty to
+recognize Selma's point of view and endeavor to satisfy it as far
+as he could without sacrifice of his own principles. He chose to
+remember that she, too, had made a mistake, and that he was not the
+kind of husband whom she desired; that his tastes were not her
+tastes, nor his ambitions her's; that she had tastes and ambitions
+of her own which he, as the man to whom she was bound by the law,
+must not disregard. Thus reasoning, he resolved to carry out the
+scheme of life which she appeared to despise, but also to work hard
+to provide her with the means to fulfil her own aims. She craved
+money for social advancement. She should have it from him, for
+there was no other source from which she could obtain it. The
+poignancy of his own sorrow should not cause him to ignore that she
+had given up her own career and pursuits in order to become his
+wife, and was now disappointed and without independent resources.
+His pride was sorely wounded, his ideals shattered and his heart
+crushed; yet, though he could not forbear from judging Selma, and
+was unconscious of having failed in his obligations to her as a
+husband and a man, he saw what she called her side, and he took up
+the thread of life again under the spur of an intention to give her
+everything but love.</p>
+<p>On her part Selma felt aggrieved yet emancipated. She had not
+looked for any such grave result from her vituperation. She had
+intended to reprove his surrender of the Parsons's contract, in
+direct opposition to her own wishes, with the severity it deserved,
+and to let him understand clearly that he was sacrificing her
+happiness, no less than his own, by his hysterical folly. When the
+conversation developed stubborn resistance on his part, and she
+realized that he was defending and adhering to his purpose, a
+righteous sense of injury became predominant in her mind over
+everything else. All her past wrongs cried for redress, and she
+rejoiced in the opportunity of giving free vent to the pent up
+grievances which had been accumulating for many months. Even then
+it was startling to her that Wilbur should suddenly utter the
+tragic ultimatum that their happiness was at an end, and hint at
+divorce. She considered that she loved him, and it had never
+occurred to her that he could ever cease to love her. Rather than
+retract a word of her own accusations she would have let him leave
+her, then and there, to live her own life without protection or
+support from him, but his calmer decision that they should continue
+to live together, yet apart, suited her better. In spite of his
+resolute mien she was sceptical of the seriousness of the
+situation. She believed in her heart that after a few days of
+restraint they would resume their former life, and that Wilbur, on
+reflection, would appreciate that he had been absurd.</p>
+<p>When it became apparent that he was not to be appeased and that
+his threat had been genuine, Selma accepted the new relation
+without demur, and prepared to play her part in the compact as
+though she had been equally obdurate in her outcry for her freedom.
+She met reserve with reserve, maintaining rigorously the attitude
+that she had been wronged and that he was to blame. Meantime she
+watched him narrowly, wondering what his grave, sad demeanor and
+solicitous politeness signified. When presently it became plain to
+her that not merely she was to be free to follow her own bent, but
+that he was ready to provide her with the means to carry out her
+schemes, she regarded his liberality as weakness and a sign that he
+knew in his heart that she was in the right. Immediately, and with
+thinly concealed triumph, she planned to utilize the new liberty at
+her disposal, purging any scruples from her conscience by the
+generous reflection that when Wilbur's brow unbent and his lips
+moved freely she would forgive him and proffer him once more her
+conjugal counsel and sympathy. She was firmly of the opinion that,
+unless he thus acknowledged his shortcomings and promised
+improvement, the present arrangement was completely to her liking,
+and that confidence and happiness between them would be utterly
+impossible. She shed some tears over the thought that unkind
+circumstances had robbed her of the love by which she had set such
+store and which she, on her part, still cherished, but she
+comforted herself with the retort that its loss was preferable to
+sacrificing weakly the development of her own ideas and life to its
+perpetuation.</p>
+<p>Her flush of triumph was succeeded, however, by a discontented
+mood, because cogitation constrained her to suspect that her social
+progress might not be so rapid as her first rosy visions had
+suggested. She counted on being able to procure the participation
+of Wilbur sufficiently to preserve the appearance of domestic
+harmony. This would be for practical purposes a scarcely less
+effective furtherance of her plans than if he were heartily in
+sympathy with them. Were there not many instances where busy
+husbands took part in the social undertakings of their wives,
+merely on the surface, to preserve appearances? The attitude of
+Wilbur seemed reasonably secure. That which harassed her as the
+result of her reflections and efforts to plan was the unpalatable
+consciousness that she did not know exactly what to do, and that no
+one, even now that she was free, appeared eager to extend to her
+the hand of recognition. She was prompt to lay the blame of this on
+her husband. It was he who, by preventing her from taking advantage
+of the social opportunities at their disposal, had consigned her to
+this eddy where she was overlooked. This seemed to her a complete
+excuse, and yet, though she made the most of it, it did not satisfy
+her. Her helplessness angered her, and aroused her old feelings of
+suspicion and resentment against the fashionable crew who appeared
+to be unaware of her existence. She was glad to believe that the
+reason they ignored her was because she was too serious minded and
+spiritual to suit their frivolous and pleasure-loving tastes.
+Sometimes she reasoned that the sensible thing for her to do was to
+break away from her present life, where convention and caste
+trammelled her efforts, and make a name for herself as an
+independent soul, like Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle and other
+free-born women of the Republic. With satisfaction she pictured
+herself on the lecture platform uttering burning denunciation of
+the un-American social proclivities of this shallow society, and
+initiating a crusade which should sweep it from existence beneath
+the ban of the moral sense of the thoughtful people of the
+country.</p>
+<p>But more frequently she nursed her resentment against Mrs.
+Williams, to whom she ascribed the blame of her isolation,
+reasoning that if Flossy had been a true friend, not even Wilbur's
+waywardness would have prevented her social recognition and
+success. That, instead, this volatile, fickle prattler had used her
+so long as she needed her, and then dropped her heartlessly. The
+memory of Flossy's ball still rankled deeply, and appeared to Selma
+a more obvious and more exasperating insult as the days passed
+without a sign of explanation on the part of her late neighbor, and
+as her new projects languished for lack of a few words of
+introduction here and there, which, in her opinion, were all she
+needed to ensure her enthusiastic welcome as a social leader. The
+appreciation that without those words of introduction she was
+helpless for the time being focused her resentment, already keen,
+on the successful Flossy, whose gay doings had disappeared from the
+public prints in a blaze of glory with the advent of the Lenten
+season. Refusing to acknowledge her dependence, Selma essayed
+several spasmodic attempts to assert herself, but they proved
+unsatisfactory. She made the most of Mr. Parsons's predilection for
+her society, which had not been checked by Wilbur's termination of
+the contract. She was thus enabled to affiliate with some of their
+new friends, but she was disagreeably conscious that she was not
+making real progress, and that Mr. and Mrs. Parsons and their
+daughter had, like herself, been dropped by the
+Williamses&mdash;dropped skilfully and imperceptibly, yet none the
+less dropped. Two dinner parties, which she gave in the course of a
+fortnight to the most important of these new acquaintances, by way
+of manifesting to Wilbur her intention to enjoy her liberty at his
+expense, left her depressed and sore.</p>
+<p>It was just at this time that Flossy took it into her head to
+call on her&mdash;one of her first Lenten duties, as she hastened
+to assure Selma, with glib liveliness, as soon as she entered.
+Flossy was in too exalted a frame of mind, too bubbling over with
+the desire to recite her triumphs, to have in mind either her
+doubts concerning Selma or the need of being more than mildly
+apologetic for her lack of devotion. She felt friendly, for she was
+in good humor, and was na&iuml;vely desirous to be received in the
+same spirit, so that she might unbosom herself unreservedly.
+Sweeping into the room, an animated vision of smiling, stylish
+cordiality, she sought, as it were, to carry before her by force of
+her own radiant mood all obstacles to an amiable reception.</p>
+<p>"My dear, we haven't met for ages. Thank heaven, Lent has come,
+and now I may see something of you. I said to Gregory only
+yesterday that I should make a bee-line for your house, and here I
+am. Well, dear, how are you? All sorts of things have happened,
+Selma, since we've had a real chat together. Do you remember my
+telling you&mdash;of course you do&mdash;not long after Gregory and
+I were married that I never should be satisfied until one thing
+happened? Well, you may congratulate me; it has happened. We dined
+a week ago to-night with my cousins&mdash;the Morton Prices&mdash;a
+dinner of fourteen, all of them just the people I wished to know.
+Wasn't it lovely? I have waited for it to come, and I haven't moved
+a finger to bring it about, except to ask them to my dancing
+party&mdash;I had to do that, for after all they are my relations.
+They accepted and came and I was pleased by it; but they could
+easily have ignored me afterward if they had wished. What really
+pleased me, Selma, was their asking me to one of their select
+dinners, because&mdash;because it showed that we are&mdash;"</p>
+<p>Flossy's hesitation was due partly to the inherent difficulty of
+expressing her thought with proper regard for modesty. With her
+rise in life she had learned that unlimited laudation of self was
+not altogether consistent with "fitness," even in such a
+confidential interview as the present. But she was also
+disconcerted by the look in Selma's eyes&mdash;a look which, at
+first startled into momentary friendliness by the suddenness of the
+onslaught, had become more and more lowering until it was
+unpleasantly suggestive of scornful dislike. While she thus
+faltered, Selma drily rounded out the sentence with the words,
+"Because it showed that you are somebodies now."</p>
+<p>Flossy gave an embarrassed little laugh. "Yes, that's what I
+meant. I see you have a good memory, and it sounds nicer on your
+lips than it would on mine."</p>
+<p>"You have come here to-day on purpose to tell me this?" said
+Selma.</p>
+<p>"I thought you would be interested to hear that my cousins had
+recognized me at last. I remember, you thought it strange that they
+should take so little notice of me." Flossy's festive manner had
+disappeared before the tart reception of her confidences, and her
+keen wits, baffled in their search for flattery, recalled the
+suspicions which were only slumbering. She realized that Selma was
+seriously offended with her, and though she did not choose to
+acknowledge to herself that she knew the cause, she had already
+guessed it. An encounter at repartee had no terrors for her, if
+necessary, and the occasion seemed to her opportune for probing the
+accumulating mysteries of Selma's hostile demeanor. Yet, without
+waiting for a response to her last remark, she changed the subject,
+and said, volubly, "I hear that your husband has refused to build
+the new Parsons house because Mrs. Parsons insisted on drawing the
+plans."</p>
+<p>Selma's pale, tense face flushed. She thought for a moment that
+she was being taunted.</p>
+<p>"That was Mr. Littleton's decision, not mine."</p>
+<p>"I admire his independence. He was quite right. What do Mrs.
+Parsons or her daughter know about architecture? Everybody is
+laughing at them. You know I consider your husband a friend of
+mine, Selma."</p>
+<p>"And we were friends, too, I believe?" Selma exclaimed, after a
+moment of stern silence.</p>
+<p>"Naturally," responded Flossy, with a slightly sardonic air,
+prompted by the acerbity with which the question was put.</p>
+<p>"Then, if we were friends&mdash;are friends, why have you ceased
+to associate with us, simply because you live in another street and
+a finer house?"</p>
+<p>Flossy gave a gasp. "Oh," she said to herself, "it's true. She
+is jealous. Why didn't I appreciate it before?"</p>
+<p>"Am I not associating with you now by calling on you, Selma?"
+she said aloud. "I don't understand what you mean."</p>
+<p>"You are calling on me, and you asked us to dinner to
+meet&mdash;to meet just the people we knew already, and didn't care
+to meet; but you have never asked us to meet your new friends, and
+you left us out when you gave your dancing party."</p>
+<p>"You do not dance."</p>
+<p>"How do you know?"</p>
+<p>"I have never associated you with dancing. I assumed that you
+did not dance."</p>
+<p>"What grounds had you for such an assumption?"</p>
+<p>"Really, Selma, your catechism is most extraordinary. Excuse my
+smiling. And I don't know how to answer your questions&mdash;your
+fierce questions any better. I didn't ask you to my party because I
+supposed that you and your husband were not interested in that sort
+of thing, and would not know any of the people. You have often told
+me that you thought they were frivolous."</p>
+<p>"I consider them so still."</p>
+<p>"Then why do you complain?"</p>
+<p>"Because&mdash;because you have not acted like a friend. Your
+idea of friendship has been to pour into my ears, day after day,
+how you had been asked to dinner by this person and taken up by
+that person, until I was weary of the sound of your voice, but it
+seems not to have occurred to you, as a friend of mine, and a
+friend and admirer of my husband, to introduce us to people whom
+you were eager to know, and who might have helped him in his
+profession. And now, after turning the cold shoulder on us, and
+omitting us from your party, because you assumed I didn't dance,
+you have come here this morning, in the name of friendship, to tell
+me that your cousins, at last, have invited you to dinner. And yet
+you think it strange that I'm not interested. That's the only
+reason you came&mdash;to let me know that you are a somebody now;
+and you expected me, as a friend and a nobody, to tell you how glad
+I am."</p>
+<p>Flossy's eyes opened wide. Free as she was accustomed to be in
+her own utterances, this flow of bitter speech delivered with
+seer-like intensity was a new experience to her. She did not know
+whether to be angry or amused by the indictment, which caused her
+to wince notwithstanding that she deemed it slander. Moreover the
+insinuation that she had been a bore was humiliating.</p>
+<p>"I shall not weary you soon again with my confidences," she
+answered. "So it appears that you were envious of me all the
+time&mdash;that while you were preaching to me that fashionable
+society was hollow and un-American, you were secretly unhappy
+because you couldn't do what I was doing&mdash;because you weren't
+invited, too. Oh, I see it all now; it's clear as daylight. I've
+suspected the truth for some time, but I've refused to credit it.
+Now everything is explained. I took you at your word; I believed in
+you and your husband and looked up to you as literary
+people&mdash;people who were interested in fine and ennobling
+things. I admired you for the very reason that I thought you didn't
+care, and that you didn't need to care, about society and
+fashionable position. I kept saying to you that I envied you your
+tastes, and let you see that I considered myself your real inferior
+in my determination to attract attention and oblige society to
+notice us. I was guileless and simpleton enough to tell you of my
+progress&mdash;things I would have blushed to tell another woman
+like myself&mdash;because I considered you the embodiment of high
+aims and spiritual ideas, as far superior to mine as the poetic
+star is superior to the garish electric light. I thought it might
+amuse you to listen to my vanities. Instead, it seems you were
+masquerading and were eating your heart out with envy of
+me&mdash;poor me. You were ambitious to be like me."</p>
+<p>"I wouldn't be like you for anything in the world."</p>
+<p>"You couldn't if you tried. That's one of the things which this
+extraordinary interview has made plain beyond the shadow of a
+doubt. You are aching to be a social success. You are not fit to
+be. I have found that out for certain to-day."</p>
+<p>"It is false," exclaimed Selma, with a tragic intonation. "You
+do not understand. I have no wish to be a social success. I should
+abhor to spend my life after the manner of you and your associates.
+What I object to, what I complain of, is that, in spite of your
+fine words and pretended admiration of me, you have preferred these
+people, who are exclusive without a shadow of right, to me who was
+your friend, and that you have chosen to ignore me for the sake of
+them, and behaved as if you thought I was not their equal or your
+equal. That is not friendship, it is snobbishness&mdash;un-American
+snobbishness."</p>
+<p>"It is very amusing. Amusing yet depressing," continued Flossy,
+without heed to this asseveration. "You have proved one of my
+ideals to be a delusion, which is sad." She had arisen and stood
+gently swaying pendent by its crook her gay parasol, with her head
+on one side, and seeming for once to be choosing her words
+judicially. "When we met first and I nearly rushed into your arms,
+I was fascinated, and I said to myself that here was the sort of
+American woman of whom I had dreamed&mdash;the sort of woman I had
+fondly imagined once that I might become. I saw you were
+unsophisticated and different from the conventional women to whom I
+was accustomed, and, even at first, the things you said every now
+and then gave me a creepy feeling, but you were inspiring to look
+at&mdash;though now that the scales have fallen from my eyes I
+wonder at my infatuation&mdash;and I continued to worship you as a
+goddess on a pedestal. I used to say to Gregory, 'there's a couple
+who are to the manner born; they never have to make believe. They
+are genuinely free and gentle souls.' Your husband? I can't believe
+that I have been deluded in regard to him, also. I just wonder if
+you appreciate him&mdash;if it is possible that he has been
+deluded, also. That's rank impertinence, I know; but after all, we
+are unbosoming our thoughts to each other to-day, and may as well
+speak openly. You said just now that it was his decision not to go
+on with the Parsons house. Did you disapprove of it?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, I disapproved of it," answered Selma with flashing eyes.
+"And what if I did?"</p>
+<p>She rose and stood confronting her visitor as though to banish
+her from the house.</p>
+<p>"I'm going," said Flossy. "It's none of my concern of course,
+and I'm aware that I appear very rude. I'm anxious though not to
+lose faith in your husband, and now that I've begun to understand
+you, my wits are being flooded with light. I was saying that you
+were not fit to be a social success, and I'm going to tell you why.
+No one else is likely to, and I'm just mischievous and frank
+enough. You're one of those American women&mdash;I've always been
+curious to meet one in all her glory&mdash;who believe that they
+are born in the complete panoply of flawless womanhood; that they
+are by birthright consummate house-wives, leaders of the world's
+thought and ethics, and peerless society queens. All this by
+instinct, by heritage, and without education. That's what you
+believe, isn't it? And now you are offended because you haven't
+been invited to become a leader of New York society. You don't
+understand, and I don't suppose you ever will understand, that a
+true lady&mdash;a genuine society queen&mdash;represents modesty
+and sweetness and self-control, and gentle thoughts and feelings;
+that she is evolved by gradual processes from generation to
+generation, not ready made. Oh, you needn't look at me like that.
+I'm quite aware that if I were the genuine article I shouldn't be
+talking to you in this fashion. But there's hope for me because I'm
+conscious of my shortcomings and am trying to correct them; whereas
+you are satisfied, and fail to see the difference between yourself
+and the well-bred women whom you envy and sneer at. You're pretty
+and smart and superficial and&mdash;er&mdash;common, and you don't
+know it. I'm rather dreadful, but I'm learning. I don't believe you
+will ever learn. There! Now I'm going."</p>
+<p>"Go!" cried Selma with a wave of her arm. "Yes, I am one of
+those women. I am proud to be, and you have insulted by your
+aspersions, not only me, but the spirit of independent and aspiring
+American womanhood. You don't understand us; you have nothing in
+common with us. You think to keep us down by your barriers of caste
+borrowed from effete European courts, but we&mdash;I&mdash;the
+American people defy you. The time will come when we shall rise in
+our might and teach you your place. Go! Envy you? I would not
+become one of your frivolous and purposeless set if you were all on
+your bended knees before me."</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes you would," exclaimed Flossy, glancing back over her
+shoulder. "And it's because you've not been given the chance that
+we have quarrelled now."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER X.</h3>
+<p>The morning after her drastic interview with Mrs. Williams,
+Selma studied herself searchingly in her mirror. Of all Flossy's
+candid strictures the intimation that she was not and never would
+be completely a lady was the only one which rankled. The effrontery
+of it made her blood boil; and yet she consulted her glass in the
+seclusion of her chamber in order to reassure herself as to the
+spiteful falsity of the criticism. Wild horses would not have
+induced her to admit even to herself that there was the slightest
+ground for it; still it rankled, thereby suggesting a
+sub-consciousness of suspicion on the look out for just such a
+calumny.</p>
+<p>She gave Littleton her own version of the quarrel. Her
+explanation was that she had charged Flossy with a lack of
+friendship in failing to invite her to her ball, and convicted her
+of detestable snobbery; that she had denounced this conduct in
+vigorous language, that they had parted in anger, and that all
+intercourse between them was at an end.</p>
+<p>"We understand each other now," she added. "I have felt for some
+time that we were no longer sympathetic; and that something of this
+kind was inevitable. I am glad that we had the chance to speak
+plainly, for I was able to show her that I had been waiting for an
+excuse to cut loose from her and her frivolous surroundings. I have
+wearied my spirit long enough with listening to social inanities,
+and in lowering my standards to hers for the sake of appearing
+friendly and conventional. That is all over now, thank heaven."</p>
+<p>It did not occur to Selma that there was any inconsistency in
+these observations, or that they might appear a partial vindication
+of her husband's point of view. The most salient effect of her
+encounter with Flossy had been suddenly to fuse and crystallize her
+mixed and seemingly contradictory ambitions into utter hostility to
+conventional fashionable society. Even when her heart had been
+hungering for an invitation to Flossy's ball, she considered that
+she despised these people, but the interview had served to
+establish her in the glowing faith that they, by their inability to
+appreciate her, had shown themselves unworthy of further
+consideration. The desire which she had experienced of late for a
+renewal of her intimacy with Mrs. Earle and a reassertion of her
+former life of independent feminine activity had returned to her,
+coupled with the crusading intention to enroll herself openly once
+more in the army of new American women, whose impending victorious
+campaign she had prophesied in her retort to Mrs. Williams's
+maledictions. She had, in her own opinion, never ceased to belong
+to this army, and she felt herself now more firmly convinced than
+ever that the course of life of those who had turned a cold
+shoulder on her was hostile to the spirit of American institutions.
+So far as her husband was concerned, imaginative enterprise and the
+capacity to take advantage of opportunities still seemed to her of
+the essence of fine character. Indeed, she was not conscious of any
+change in her point of view. She had resented Flossy's charge that
+she desired to be a social success, and had declared that her
+wounded feelings were solely due to Flossy's betrayal of
+friendship, not to balked social ambition. Consequently it was no
+strain on her conscientiousness to feel that her real sentiments
+had always been the same.</p>
+<p>Nevertheless she scrutinized herself eagerly and long in her
+mirror, and the process left her serious brow still clouded. She
+saw in the glass features which seemed to her suggestive of
+superior womanhood, a slender clear-cut nose, the nostrils of which
+dilated nervously, delicately thin, compressed lips, a pale,
+transparent complexion, and clear, steel-like, greenish-brown eyes
+looking straight and boldly from an anxious forehead surmounted
+with a coiffure of elaborately and smoothly arranged hair. She saw
+indisputable evidence that she had ceased to be the ethically
+attractive, but modishly unsophisticated and physically undeveloped
+girl, who had come to New York five years before, for her figure
+was compact without being unduly plump, her cheeks becomingly oval,
+and her toilette stylish. There were rings on her fingers, and her
+neck-gear was smart. Altogether the vision was satisfactory, yet
+she recognized as she gazed that her appearance and general effect
+were not precisely those of Flossy, Pauline, or Mrs. Hallett
+Taylor. She had always prided herself on the distinction of her
+face, and admired especially its freedom from gross or
+unintellectual lines. She did not intend to question its
+superiority now; but Flossy's offensive words rang in her ears and
+caused her to gnaw her lips with annoyance. What was the difference
+between them? Flossy had dared to call her common and superficial;
+had dared to insinuate that she never could be a lady. A lady? What
+was there in her appearance not lady-like? In what way was she the
+inferior of any of them in beauty, intelligence or character?
+Rigorous as was the scrutiny, the face in the mirror seemed to her
+an unanswerable refutation of the slander. What was the difference?
+Was it that her eyes were keener and brighter, her lips thinner and
+less fleshly, her general expression more wide-awake and
+self-reliant? If so, were these not signs of superiority; signs
+that they, not she, were deficient in the attributes of the best
+modern womanhood in spite of their affectation of
+exclusiveness?</p>
+<p>The result of this process of self-examination in her
+looking-glass, which was not limited to a single occasion,
+established more firmly than ever in Selma's opinion the malignant
+falsity of the imputation, and yet she was still haunted by it. She
+was tortured by the secret thought that, though her ambition had
+been to become just like those other women, she was still
+distinguishable from them; and moreover, that she was baffled in
+her attempt to analyze the distinction. Distinguishable even from
+Flossy&mdash;from Flossy, who had slighted and then reviled her!
+Why had she ever faltered in her distrust of these enemies of true
+American society? Yet this lingering sense of torture served to
+whet her new-found purpose to have done with them forever, and to
+obtain the recognition and power to which she was entitled, in
+spite of their impertinence and neglect.</p>
+<p>The announcement was made to her by Wilbur at about this time
+that his plans for Wetmore College had been accepted, and that he
+was to be the architect of the new buildings. As he told her his
+face showed a tremulous animation which it had not worn for many
+weeks, and he regarded her for a moment with shy eagerness, as
+though he half hoped that this vindication of his purposes by
+success might prompt her to tender some sort of apology, and thus
+afford him the chance to persuade himself that he had been mistaken
+after all in his judgment of her.</p>
+<p>"You must be very much pleased," she said. "And so am I, of
+course." Then, after a moment of reflective abstraction, she asked
+with sudden eagerness, "How long will it take to build them?"</p>
+<p>"Two or three years, I suppose."</p>
+<p>"And you would be obliged to go frequently to Benham?"</p>
+<p>"In order to oversee the work I should have to make short trips
+there from time to time."</p>
+<p>"Yes. Wilbur," she exclaimed, with her exalted expression, "why
+shouldn't we go to Benham to live? I have been thinking a great
+deal lately about what we said to each other that time when you
+felt so badly, and I have come to the conclusion that our living in
+New York is what is really the trouble. I have the feeling, Wilbur,
+that in some other place than this cruel, conventional city we
+should be happier than we are now&mdash;indeed, very happy. Has it
+ever occurred to you? You see, New York doesn't understand me; it
+doesn't understand you, Wilbur. It sneers at our aspirations.
+Benham is a growing, earnest city&mdash;a city throbbing with the
+best American spirit and energy. I suggest Benham because we both
+know it so well. The college buildings would give you a grand
+start, and I&mdash;we both would be in our proper sphere."</p>
+<p>Littleton had started at the suggestion. As a drowning man will
+grasp at a straw, his grieving soul for an instant entertained the
+plan as a panacea for their woes. But his brow grew grave and sad
+under the influence of reflection as she proceeded to set forth her
+reasons in her wrapt fashion. If he had not learned to remain cold
+under the witchery of her intense moods, he no longer hesitated to
+probe her fervid assertions with his self-respecting
+common-sense.</p>
+<p>"I would he willing to go to the ends of the earth, Selma," he
+answered, "if I believed that by so doing you and I could become
+what we once were to each other. But I cannot see why we should
+hope to be happier in Benham than here, nor do I agree with you
+that this is not our proper sphere. I do not share your sentiments
+in regard to New York; but whatever its faults, New York is the
+place where I have established myself and am known, and where the
+abilities which I possess can be utilized and will be appreciated
+soonest. Benham is twenty-five years behind this city in all things
+which concern art and my professional life, as you well know."</p>
+<p>Selma flushed. "On the contrary, I have reason to believe that
+Benham has made wonderful progress in the last five years. My
+friends there write that there are many new streets and beautiful
+buildings, and that the spirit of the place is enthusiastic and
+liberal, not luxurious and sneering. You never appreciated Benham
+at its true worth, Wilbur."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps not. But we chose New York."</p>
+<p>"Then you insist on remaining here?"</p>
+<p>"I see no reason for sacrificing the fruits of the past five
+years&mdash;for pulling myself up by the roots and making a fresh
+start. From a professional point of view, I think it would be
+madness."</p>
+<p>"Not even to save our happiness?" Selma's eyes swam and her lips
+trembled as she spoke. She felt very miserable, and she yearned
+with the desire that her husband would clasp her in his arms in a
+vast embrace, and tell her that she was right and that he would go.
+She felt that if he did, the horror of the past would be wiped out
+and loving harmony be restored.</p>
+<p>Wilbur's lips trembled, too. He gazed at her for a moment
+without speaking, in conflict with himself; then passing his hand
+across his forehead, as though he would sweep away a misty spell
+from his eyes, said, "Be sensible, Selma. If we could be happy in
+Benham, we should be happy here."</p>
+<p>"Then you refuse?"</p>
+<p>"For the present, yes."</p>
+<p>"And I must remain here to be insulted&mdash;and a nobody."</p>
+<p>"For God's sake, Selma, let us not renew that discussion. What
+you ask is impossible at present, but I shall remember that it is
+your wish, and when I begin my work at Benham the circumstances and
+surroundings may be such that I shall feel willing to move."</p>
+<p>Selma turned to the table and took up a book, dissatisfied, yet
+buoyed by a new hope. She did not observe the tired lines on her
+husband's face&mdash;the weariness of a soul disappointed in its
+most precious aspirations.</p>
+<p>Within the next month it happened that a terrible and unusual
+fatality was the occasion of the death of both Mrs. Parsons and her
+daughter. They were killed by a fall of the elevator at the hotel
+in which they were living&mdash;one of those dire casualties which
+are liable to happen to any one of us in these days of swift and
+complicated apparatus, but which always seem remote from personal
+experience. This cruel blow of fate put an end to all desire on the
+part of the bereaved husband and father to remain in New York,
+whither he had come to live mainly to please his women folk, as he
+called them. As soon as he recovered from the bewilderment of the
+shock, Mr. Parsons sent for the architect who had taken Littleton's
+place, and who had just begun the subservient task of fusing
+diverse types of architecture in order to satisfy an American
+woman's appetite for startling effect, and told him to arrange to
+dispose of the lot and its immature walls to the highest bidder.
+His precise plans for the future were still uncertain when Selma
+called on him, and found comfort for her own miseries in
+ministering to his solitude, but he expressed an inclination to
+return to his native Western town, as the most congenial spot in
+which to end his days. Selma, whose soul was full of Benham,
+suggested it as an alternative, enlarging with contagious
+enthusiasm on its civic merits. The crushed old man listened with
+growing attention. Already the germs of a plan for the disposition
+of his large property were sprouting in his mind to provide him
+with a refuge from despondency. He was a reticent man, not in the
+habit of confiding his affairs until ready to act, but he paid
+interested heed to Selma's eulogy of the bustling energy and rapid
+growth of Benham. His preliminary thought had been that it would
+make him happy to endow his native town, which was a small and
+inconspicuous place, with a library building. But, as his visitor
+referred to the attractions and admirable public spirit of the
+thriving city, which was in the same State as his own home, he
+silently reasoned that residence there need not interfere with his
+original project, and that he might find a wide and more important
+field for his benefactions in a community so representative of
+American ideas and principles.</p>
+<p>Selma's visits of condolence to Mr. Parsons were interrupted by
+the illness of her own husband. In reflecting, subsequently, she
+remembered that he had seemed weary and out of sorts for several
+days, but her conscious attention was invoked by his coming home
+early in the afternoon, suffering from a violent chill, and
+manifestly in a state of physical collapse. He went to bed at once;
+Selma brought blankets and a hot-water bottle, and Dr. George Page
+was sent for. Dr. Page was the one of Littleton's friends whom
+Selma had unsuccessfully yearned to know better. She had never been
+able to understand him exactly, but he fascinated her in spite
+of&mdash;perhaps because of&mdash;his bantering manner. She found
+difficulty in reconciling it with his reputation for hard work and
+masterly skill in his profession. She was constantly hoping to
+extract from him something worthy of his large, solid face, with
+its firm mouth and general expression of reserve force, but he
+seemed always bent on talking nonsense in her society, and more
+than once the disagreeable thought had occurred to her that he was
+laughing at her. He had come to the house after her marriage now
+and then, but during the past year or two she had scarcely seen
+him. The last time when they had met, Selma had taxed him with his
+neglect of her.</p>
+<p>His reply had been characteristically elusive and
+unsatisfactory. "I will not attempt to frame excuses for my
+behavior, Mrs. Littleton, for no reason which I could offer would
+be a justification."</p>
+<p>But on the present occasion his greeting was grave and
+eager.</p>
+<p>"Wilbur sick? I feared as much. I warned Pauline two months ago
+that he was overworking, and only last week I told him that he
+would break down if he did not go away for a fortnight's rest."</p>
+<p>"I wish you had spoken to me."</p>
+<p>Selma noted with satisfaction that there was no raillery in his
+manner now. He bent his gaze on her searchingly.</p>
+<p>"Have you not noticed that he looked ill and tired?"</p>
+<p>She did not flinch. Why indeed should she? "A little. He tired
+himself, I think, over the designs for Wetmore College, which he
+did in addition to his other work. But since the award was made it
+has seemed to me that he was looking better."</p>
+<p>She started to lead the way to Wilbur's room, but the doctor
+paused, and regarding her again fixedly, as though he had formed a
+resolution to ferret the secrets of her soul, said laconically:</p>
+<p>"Is he happy?"</p>
+<p>"Happy?" she echoed.</p>
+<p>"Has he anything on his mind, I mean&mdash;anything except his
+work?"</p>
+<p>"Nothing&mdash;that is," she added, looking up at her inquisitor
+with bright, interested eyes, "nothing except that he is very
+conscientious&mdash;over-conscientious I sometimes think." To be
+bandying psychological analyses with this able man was an edifying
+experience despite her concern for Wilbur.</p>
+<p>"I see," he answered dryly, and for an instant there was a
+twinkle in his eyes. Yet he added, "To make a correct diagnosis it
+is important to know all the facts of the case."</p>
+<p>"Of course," she said solemnly, reassured in her belief that she
+was being consulted and was taking part in the treatment of her
+husband's malady.</p>
+<p>She accompanied Dr. Page to Wilbur's bed-side. He conversed in a
+cheery tone with his friend while he took his temperature and made
+what seemed to her a comparatively brief examination. Selma jumped
+to the conclusion that there was nothing serious the matter. The
+moment they had left the room, the doctor's manner changed, and he
+said with alert concern:</p>
+<p>"Your husband is very ill; he has pneumonia. I am going to send
+for a nurse."</p>
+<p>"A nurse? I will nurse him myself, Dr. Page."</p>
+<p>It seemed to her the obvious thing to do. She spoke proudly, for
+it flashed into her mind that here was the opportunity to redeem
+the situation with Wilbur. She would tend him devotedly and when he
+had been restored to health by her loving skill, perhaps he would
+appreciate her at her worth, and recognize that she had thwarted
+him only to help him.</p>
+<p>The doctor's brow darkened, and he said with an emphasis which
+was almost stern: "Mrs. Littleton, I do not wish to alarm you, but
+it is right that you should know that Wilbur's symptoms are grave.
+I hope to save his life, but it can be saved only by trained skill
+and attendance. Inexperienced assistance, however devoted, would be
+of no use in a case like this."</p>
+<p>"But I only wished to nurse him."</p>
+<p>"I know it; I understand perfectly. You supposed that anyone
+could do that. At least that you could. I shall return in an hour
+at the latest with a nurse who was trained for three years in a
+hospital to fit her to battle for valuable lives."</p>
+<p>Selma flushed with annoyance. She felt that she was being
+ridiculed and treated as though she were an incapable doll. She
+divined that by his raillery he had been making fun of her, and
+forthwith her predilection was turned to resentment. Not nurse her
+husband? Did this brow-beating doctor realize that, as a girl, she
+had been the constant attendant of her invalid father, and that
+more than once it had occurred to her that her true mission in life
+might be to become a nurse? Training? She would prove to him that
+she needed no further training. These were her thoughts, and she
+felt like crying, because he had humiliated her at a time like
+this. Yet she had let Dr. Page go without a word. She returned to
+Wilbur and established herself beside his bed. He tried to smile at
+her coming.</p>
+<p>"I think I shall be better to-morrow. It is only a heavy cold,"
+he said, but already he found difficulty in speaking.</p>
+<p>"I have come to nurse you. The blankets and hot-water bottle
+have made you warmer, haven't they? Nod; you mustn't talk."</p>
+<p>"Yes," he whispered huskily.</p>
+<p>She felt his forehead, and it was burning. She took his hand and
+saying, "Sh! You ought not to talk," held it in her own. Then there
+was silence save for Wilbur's uneasy turning. It was plain that he
+was very uncomfortable. She realized that he was growing worse, and
+though she chose to believe that the doctor had exaggerated the
+seriousness of the case in order to affront her, the thought came
+that he might die. She had never considered such a possibility
+before. What should she do? She would be a widow without children
+and without means, for she knew that Wilbur had laid up little if
+anything. She would have to begin life over again&mdash;a pathetic
+prospect, yet interesting. Even this conjecture of such a dire
+result conjured up a variety of possible methods of livelihood and
+occupation which sped through her mind.</p>
+<p>The return of Dr. Page with a nurse cut short these painful yet
+engrossing speculations. His offensive manner appeared to have
+exhausted itself, but he proceeded to install his companion in
+Wilbur's room. Selma would have liked to turn her out of the house,
+but realized that she could not run the risk of taking issue with
+him at a time when her husband's life might be in danger. With an
+injured air yet in silence she beheld the deliberate yet swift
+preparations. Once or twice Dr. Page asked her to procure for him
+some article or appliance likely to be in the house, speaking with
+a crisp, business-like preoccupation which virtually ignored her
+existence, yet was free from offence. His soul evidently was
+absorbed by his patient, whom he observed with alert watchfulness,
+issuing brief directions now and then to his white-capped,
+methodical, and noiseless assistant. Selma sat with her hands
+before her in a corner of the bed-room, practically ignored. The
+shadows deepened and a maid announced dinner. Dr. Page looked at
+his watch.</p>
+<p>"I shall pass the night here," he said.</p>
+<p>"Is he worse?"</p>
+<p>"The disease is making progress and must run its course. This is
+only the beginning. You should eat your dinner, for you will need
+your strength," he added with simple graciousness.</p>
+<p>"But I am doing nothing," she blurted.</p>
+<p>"If there is anything you can do I will let you know."</p>
+<p>Their eyes met. His were gray and steady, but kind. She felt
+that he chose to treat her like a child, yet that he was trying to
+be considerate. She was galled, but after all, he was the doctor,
+and Wilbur had the utmost confidence in him, so she must submit.
+She ate her dinner, and when she returned preparations were being
+made for the night. The nurse was to use a lounge at the foot of
+Wilbur's bed. Dr. Page asked permission to occupy the dressing-room
+adjoining, so as to be within easy call. He established himself
+there with a book, returning at short intervals to look at his
+patient. Selma had resumed her seat. It was dark save for a night
+lamp. In the stillness the only sounds were the ticking of the
+clock on the mantel-piece and Wilbur's labored breathing. It seemed
+as though he were struggling for his life. What should she do if he
+died? Why was she debarred from tending him? It was cruel. Tears
+fell on her hand. She stared into the darkness, twisting her
+fingers, until at last, as though to show her independence, she
+stepped to the bed on tip-toe. Wilbur's eyes were open. He put out
+his hand, and, taking hers, touched it to his burning lips.</p>
+<p>"Good-night, Selma," he murmured.</p>
+<p>She stooped and kissed his brow. "I am here beside you,
+Wilbur."</p>
+<p>A figure stood behind her. She turned, expecting to encounter
+the white-capped sentinel. It was Dr. Page. He touched her gently
+on the arm. "We must let him rest now. You can do no good. Won't
+you go to bed?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, no. I shall sit with him all night."</p>
+<p>"Very well. But it is important that you should not speak to
+him," he said with another touch of emphasis.</p>
+<p>She resumed her seat and sat out the night, wide-awake and
+conscious of each movement on Wilbur's part. He was restless and
+moaning. Twice the nurse summoned the doctor, and two or three
+times he came to the bed-side of his own accord. She felt slighted,
+and once, when it seemed to her that Wilbur was in distress and
+anxious for something, she forestalled the nurse.</p>
+<p>"He wishes water," Selma said sternly, and she fetched a glass
+from the table and let him drink.</p>
+<p>Dr. Page took breakfast with her. She was conscious that somehow
+her vigil had affected his estimate of her, for his speech was
+frank and direct, as though he considered her now more fit to be
+treated with confidence.</p>
+<p>"He is very ill, but he is holding his own. If you will lie down
+for a few hours, I will call you to take Miss Barker's place while
+she rests."</p>
+<p>This was gratifying, and tended to assuage her bitterness. But
+the doctor appeared to her anxious, and spent only a few minutes at
+table. He said as he rose,</p>
+<p>"Excuse me, but Pauline&mdash;does she know?"</p>
+<p>"I will send her word."</p>
+<p>Selma would have been glad to dispense with the presence of her
+sister-in-law. Their relations had not been sympathetic since the
+episode of Miss Bailey, and, though Pauline still dined at the
+house once a week, the intercourse between them had become reserved
+and perfunctory. She grudged sharing with her what might be
+Wilbur's last hours. She grudged, too, permitting her to help to
+nurse him, especially now that her own capabilities were in the way
+of being recognized, for she remembered Dr. Page's partiality for
+her. Still, she appreciated that she must let her know.</p>
+<p>Pauline arrived speedily, and Selma found herself sobbing in her
+arms. She was pleased by this rush of feeling on her own part, and,
+confirmed in her belief that her sister-in-law was cold because she
+did not break down, and, shrinking from her efforts to comfort her,
+she quickly regained her self-control. Pauline seemed composed and
+cheerful, but the unceasing watchfulness and manifest tension of
+the doctor were disconcerting, and as the afternoon shadows
+deepened, the two women sat grave and silent, appalled by the
+suspicion that Wilbur's condition was eminently critical. Yet Dr.
+Page volunteered to say to them presently:</p>
+<p>"If his heart holds out, I am hopeful that he will pull
+through."</p>
+<p>Dr. Page had given up all his duties for the sake of Wilbur. He
+never left the house, manifestly devoting, as shown by the
+unflagging, absorbed scrutiny with which he noted every symptom and
+change, the fullest measure of his professional skill and a
+heart-felt purpose to save his friend's life if human brain or
+human concentration could avail. And yet he stated to Pauline in
+Selma's hearing that, beyond keeping up the patient's strength by
+stimulants, science was practically helpless, and that all they
+could do was to wait.</p>
+<p>And so they sat, still and unemployed watchers, while day turned
+into darkness. From time to time, by the night-lamp, Selma saw
+Pauline smiling at her as though in defiance of whatever fate might
+have in store. Selma herself felt the inclination neither to smile
+nor to weep. She sat looking before her with her hands clasped,
+resenting the powerlessness of the few remedies used, and impatient
+of the inactivity and relentless silence. Why did not the doctor
+adopt more stringent measures? Surely there was something to be
+done to enable Wilbur to combat the disease. Dr. Page had the
+reputation of being a skilful physician, and, presumably, was doing
+his best; but was it not possible, was it not sensible, to suppose
+there was a different and better way of treating pneumonia&mdash;a
+way which was as superior to the conventional and stereotyped
+method as the true American point of view was superior in other
+matters?</p>
+<p>It came over her as a conviction that if she were
+elsewhere&mdash;in Benham, for instance&mdash;her husband could be
+readily and brilliantly cured. This impassive mode of treatment
+seemed to her of one piece with the entire Littleton surroundings,
+the culmination of which was Pauline smiling in the face of death.
+She yearned to do something active and decided. Yet, how helpless
+she was! This arbitrary doctor was following his own dictates
+without a word to anyone, and without suspecting the existence of
+wiser expedients.</p>
+<p>In a moment of rebellion she rose, and swiftly approaching
+Wilbur's bed, exclaimed, fervently: "Is there not something we can
+do for you, darling? Something you feel will do you good?"</p>
+<p>The sufferer faintly smiled and feebly shook his head, and at
+the same moment she was drawn away by a firm hand, and Dr. Page
+whispered: "He is very weak. Entire rest is his only chance. The
+least exertion is a drain on his vitality."</p>
+<p>"Surely there must be some medicine&mdash;some powerful
+application which will help his breathing," she retorted, and she
+detected again the semblance of laughter in the doctor's eyes.</p>
+<p>"Everything which modern science can do is being done, Mrs.
+Littleton."</p>
+<p>What was there but to resume her seat and helpless vigil? Modern
+science? The word grated on her ears. It savored to her of narrow
+medical tyranny, and distrust of aspiring individuality. Wilbur was
+dying, and all modern science saw fit to do was to give him brandy
+and wait. And she, his wife&mdash;the one who loved him best in the
+world, was powerless to intervene. Nay, she had intervened, and
+modern science had mocked her.</p>
+<p>Selma's eyes, like the glint of two swords, bent themselves on
+her husband's bed. A righteous anger reinforced her grieving heart
+and made her spirit militant, while the creeping hours passed. Over
+and over she pursued the tenor of her protest until her wearied
+system sought refuge in sleep. She was not conscious of slumbering,
+but she reasoned later that she must have slept, for she suddenly
+became conscious of a touch on the shoulder and a vibrant utterance
+of her name.</p>
+<p>"Selma, Selma, you must come at once."</p>
+<p>Her returning wits realized that it was Pauline who was arousing
+her and urging her to Wilbur's bed-side. She sprang forward, and
+saw the light of existence fading from her husband's eyes into the
+mute dulness of death. Dr. Page was bending over him in a
+desperate, but vain, effort to force some restorative between his
+lips. At the foot of the bed stood the nurse, with an expression
+which betrayed what had occurred.</p>
+<p>"What is it, Wilbur? What have they done to you? What has
+happened?" Selma cried, looking from one to the other, though she
+had discerned the truth in a flash. As she spoke, Dr. Page desisted
+from his undertaking, and stepped back from the bed, and instantly
+Selma threw herself on her knees and pressed her face upon
+Littleton's lifeless features. There was no response. His spirit
+had departed.</p>
+<p>"His heart could not stand the strain. That is the great peril
+in pneumonia," she heard the doctor murmur.</p>
+<p>"He is dead," she cried, in a horrified outburst, and she looked
+up at the pitying group with the gaze of an afflicted lioness. She
+caught sight of Pauline smiling through her tears&mdash;that same
+unprotesting, submissive smile&mdash;and holding out her hands to
+her. Selma, rising, turned away, and as her sister-in-law sought to
+put her arm about her, evaded the caress.</p>
+<p>"No&mdash;no," she said. Then facing her, added, with aggrieved
+conviction:</p>
+<p>"I cannot believe that Wilbur's death was necessary. Why was not
+something energetic done?"</p>
+<p>Pauline flushed, but, ascribing the calumny to distress, she
+held her peace, and said, simply:</p>
+<p>"Sh! dear. You will understand better by and by."</p>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="BOOK_III" id="BOOK_III"></a><i>BOOK III.</i></h2>
+<h2>THE SUCCESS</h2>
+<h3>CHAPTER I.</h3>
+<p>It had never occurred to Selma that she might lose her husband.
+Even with his shortcomings he was so important to her from the
+point of view of support, and her scheme of life was so interwoven
+with his, she had taken for granted that he would live as long as
+she desired. She felt that destiny had a second time been signally
+cruel to her, and that she was drinking deeply of the cup of
+sorrow. She was convinced that Wilbur, had he lived, would have
+moved presently to Benham, in accordance with her desire, and that
+they would then have been completely happy again. Instead he was
+dead and under the sod, and she was left to face the world with no
+means save $5,000 from his life insurance and the natural gifts and
+soul which God had given her.</p>
+<p>She appreciated that she was still a comparatively young woman,
+and that, notwithstanding her love for Wilbur, she had been unable
+as his wife to exhibit herself to the world in her true light. She
+was free once more to lead her own life, and to obtain due
+recognition for her ideas and principles. She deplored with a grief
+which depleted the curve of her oval cheeks the premature end of
+her husband's artistic career&mdash;an aspiring soul cut off on the
+threshold of success&mdash;yet, though of course she never squarely
+made the reflection, she was aware that the development of her own
+life was more intrinsically valuable to the world than his, and
+that of the two it was best that he should be taken. She was sad,
+sore against Providence, and uncertain as to the future. But she
+was keenly conscious that she had a future, and she was eager to be
+stirring. Still, for the moment, the outlook was perplexing. What
+was she to do? First, and certainly, she desired to shake the dust
+of New York from her feet at the earliest opportunity. She inclined
+toward Benham as a residence, and to the lecture platform,
+supplemented by literature, and perhaps eventually the stage, as a
+means of livelihood. She believed in her secret soul that she could
+act. Her supposed facility in acquiring the New York manner had
+helped to generate that impression. It seemed to her more than
+probable that with a little instruction as to technical stage
+business she could gain fame and fortune almost at once as an
+actress of tragedy or melodrama. Comedy she despised as unworthy of
+her. But the stage appealed to her only on the ground of income.
+The life of an actress lacked the ethical character which she liked
+to associate with whatever she did. To be sure, a great actress was
+an inspiring influence. Nevertheless she preferred some more
+obviously improving occupation, provided it would afford a suitable
+support. Yet was it fitting that she should be condemned to do hack
+work for her daily bread instead of something to enlighten and
+uplift the community in which she lived? She considered that she
+had served her apprenticeship by teaching school and writing for
+the newspapers, and she begrudged spending further time in
+subordinate work. Better on the whole a striking success on the
+stage than this, for after she had made a name and money she could
+retire and devote herself to more congenial undertakings.
+Nevertheless her conscience told her that a theatrical career must
+be regarded as a last resort, and she appreciated the importance of
+not making a hasty decision as to what she would do. The lease of
+her house would not expire for six months, and it seemed to her
+probable that even in New York, where she was not understood,
+someone would realize her value as a manager of some intellectual
+or literary movement and make overtures to her. She wrote to Mrs.
+Earle and received a cordial response declaring that Benham would
+welcome her with open arms, a complimentary though somewhat vague
+certificate. She sent a line also to Mr. Dennison, informing him
+that she hoped soon to submit some short stories for his magazine,
+and received a guarded but polite reply to the effect that he would
+be glad to read her manuscripts.</p>
+<p>While she was thus deliberating and winding up her husband's
+affairs, Mr. Parsons, who had been absent from New York at the time
+of Wilbur's decease, called and bluntly made the announcement that
+he had bought a house in Benham, was to move there immediately, and
+was desirous that she should live with him as his companion and
+housekeeper on liberal pecuniary terms.</p>
+<p>"I am an old man," he said, "and my health is not what it used
+to be. I need someone to look after me and to keep me company. I
+like your chatty ways, and, if I have someone smart and brisk
+around like you, I sha'n't be thinking so often that I'm all alone
+in the world. It'll be dull for you, I guess; but you'll be keeping
+quiet for the present wherever you are; and when the time comes
+that you wish to take notice again I won't stand in the way of your
+amusing yourself."</p>
+<p>To this homely plea Selma returned a beatific smile. It struck
+her as an ideal arrangement; a golden opportunity for him, and
+convenient and promising for her. In the first place she was
+accorded the mission of cheering and guarding the declining years
+of this fine old man, whom she had come to look on with esteem and
+liking. And at the same time as his companion&mdash;the virtual
+mistress of his house, for she knew perfectly well that as a
+genuine American he was not offering her a position less than
+this&mdash;she would be able to shape her life gradually along
+congenial lines, and to wait for the ripe occasion for usefulness
+to present itself. In an instant a great load was lifted from her
+spirit. She was thankful to be spared conscientious qualms
+concerning the career of an actress, and thankful to be freed at
+one bound from her New York associations&mdash;especially with
+Pauline, whose attitude toward her had been further strained by her
+continued conviction that Wilbur's life might have been saved.
+Indeed, so completely alleviating was Mr. Parsons's proposition
+that, stimulated by the thought that he was to be a greater gainer
+from the plan than she, Selma gave rein to her emotions by
+exclaiming with fervor:</p>
+<p>"Usually I like to think important plans over before coming to a
+decision; but this arrangement seems to me so sensible and natural
+and mutually advantageous, Mr. Parsons, that I see no reason why I
+shouldn't accept your offer now. God grant that I may be a worthy
+daughter to you&mdash;and in some measure take the place of the
+dear ones you have lost."</p>
+<p>"That's what I want," he said. "I took a liking to you the first
+time we met. Then it's settled?"</p>
+<p>"Yes. I suppose," she added, after a moment's
+hesitation&mdash;speaking with an accent of scorn&mdash;"I suppose
+there may be people&mdash;people like those who are called
+fashionable here&mdash;who will criticise the arrangement on the
+ground&mdash;er&mdash;of propriety, because I'm not a relation, and
+you are not very old. But I despise conventions such as that. They
+may be necessary for foreigners; but they are not meant for
+self-respecting American women. I fancy my sister-in-law may not
+wholly approve of it, but I don't know. I shall take pleasure in
+showing her and the rest that it would be wicked as well as foolish
+to let a flimsy suggestion of evil interfere with the happiness of
+two people situated as we are."</p>
+<p>Mr. Parsons seemed puzzled at first, as though he did not
+understand exactly what she meant, but when she concluded he
+said:</p>
+<p>"You come to me, as you have yourself stated, on the footing of
+a daughter. If folk are not content to mind their own business, I
+guess we needn't worry because they don't happen to be suited.
+There's one or two relations of mine would be glad to be in your
+shoes, but I don't know of anything in the Bible or the
+Constitution of the United States which forbids an old man from
+choosing the face he'll have opposite to him at table."</p>
+<p>"Or forbids the interchange of true sympathy&mdash;that
+priceless privilege," answered Selma, her liking for a sententious
+speech rising paramount even to the pleasure caused her by the
+allusion to her personal appearance. Nevertheless it was agreeable
+to be preferred to his female cousins on the score of
+comeliness.</p>
+<p>Accordingly, within six months of her husband's death, the
+transition to Benham was accomplished, and Selma was able to
+encounter the metaphorically open arms, referred to by Mrs. Earle,
+without feeling that she was a less important person than when she
+had been whisked off as a bride by Littleton, the rising architect.
+She was returning as the confidential, protecting companion of a
+successful, self-made old man, who was relying on her to make his
+new establishment a pleasure to himself and a credit to the
+wide-awake city in which he had elected to pass his remaining days.
+She was returning to a house on the River Drive (the aristocratic
+boulevard of Benham, where the river Nye makes a broad sweep to the
+south); a house not far distant from the Flagg mansion at which, as
+Mrs. Lewis Babcock, she had looked askance as a monument inimical
+to democratic simplicity. Wilbur had taught her that it was very
+ugly, and now that she saw it again after a lapse of years she was
+pleased to note that her new residence, though slightly smaller,
+had a more modern and distinguished air.</p>
+<p>The new house was of rough-hewn red sandstone, combining solid
+dignity and some artistic merit, for Benham had not stood still
+architecturally speaking. The River Drive was a grotesque, yet on
+the whole encouraging exhibit. Most of the residences had been
+designed by native talent, but under the spur of experiment even
+the plain, hard-headed builders had been constrained to dub
+themselves "architects," and adopt modern methods; and here and
+there stood evidences that the seed planted by Mrs. Hallett Taylor
+and Littleton had borne fruit, for Benham possessed at least half a
+dozen private houses which could defy criticism.</p>
+<p>The one selected by Mr. Parsons was not of these half dozen; but
+the plain, hard-headed builder who had erected it for the original
+owner was shrewd and imitative, and had avoided ambitious
+deviations from the type he wished to copy&mdash;the red sandstone,
+swell front variety, which ten years before would have seemed to
+the moral sense of Benham unduly cheerful. Mr. Parsons was so
+fortunate as to be able to buy it just after it had been completed,
+together with a stable and half an acre of ground, from one of the
+few Benhamites whose financial ventures had ended in disaster, and
+who was obliged to sell. It was a more ambitious residence than Mr.
+Parsons had desired, but it was the most available, inasmuch as he
+could occupy it at once. It had been painted and decorated within,
+but was unfurnished. Mr. Parsons, as a practical business man,
+engaged the builder to select and supply the bedroom and solid
+fittings, but it occurred to him to invite Selma to choose the
+furnishings for what he called the show rooms.</p>
+<p>Selma was delighted to visit once more the New York stores, free
+from the bridle of Wilbur's criticism and unrestrained by economy.
+She found to her satisfaction that the internal decoration of the
+new house was not unlike that of the Williamses' first
+habitation&mdash;that is, gay and bedizened; and she was resolved
+in the selection of her draperies and ornaments to buy things which
+suggested by their looks that they were handsome, and whose claim
+to distinction was not mere sober unobtrusiveness. She realized
+that some of her purchases would have made Wilbur squirm, but since
+his death she felt more sure than ever that even where art was
+concerned his taste was subdued, timid, and unimaginative. For
+instance, she believed that he would not have approved her choice
+of light-blue satin for the upholstery of the drawing-room, nor of
+a marble statue&mdash;an allegorical figure of Truth, duly draped,
+as its most conspicuous ornament.</p>
+<p>Selma was spared the embarrassment of her first husband's
+presence. Divorce is no bar to ordinary feminine curiosity as to
+the whereabouts of a former partner for life, and she had proved no
+exception to the rule. Mrs. Earle had kept her posted as to
+Babcock's career since their separation, and what she learned had
+tended merely to demonstrate the wisdom and justice of her action.
+As a divorced man he had, after a time, resumed the free and easy,
+coarse companionship to which he had been partial before his
+marriage, and had gradually become a heavy drinker. Presently he
+had neglected his business, a misfortune of which a rival concern
+had been quick to take advantage. The trend of his affairs had been
+steadily downhill, and had come to a crisis three months before
+Littleton's death, when, in order to avoid insolvency, he sold out
+his factory and business to the rival company, and accepted at the
+same hands the position of manager in a branch office in a city
+further west. Consequently, Selma could feel free from molestation
+or an appeal to her sensibilities. She preferred to think of
+Babcock as completely outside her life, as dead to her, and she
+would have disliked the possibility of meeting him in the flesh
+while shopping on Central avenue. It had been the only drawback to
+her proposed return to Benham.</p>
+<p>During the years of Selma's second marriage Benham had waxed
+rapidly in population and importance. People had been attracted
+thither by the varied industries of the city&mdash;alike those in
+search of fortune, and those offering themselves for employment in
+the mills, oil-works, and pork factories; and at the date of
+Littleton's death it boasted over one hundred and fifty thousand
+inhabitants. It was already the second city of the State in point
+of population, and was freely acknowledged to be the most
+wide-awake and enterprising. The civic spirit of Benham was reputed
+to be constantly and increasingly alert and progressive,
+notwithstanding the river Nye still ran the color of bean-soup
+above where it was drawn for drinking purposes, and the ability of
+a plumber, who had become an alderman, to provide a statue or lay
+out a public park was still unquestioned by the majority. Even
+to-day, when trained ability has obtained recognition in many
+quarters, the Benhamites at large are apt to resent criticism as
+aristocratic fault-finding; yet at this time that saving minority
+of souls who refused to regard everything which Benham did as
+perfection, and whose subsequent forlorn hopes and desperately won
+victories have little by little taught the community wisdom, if not
+modesty, was beginning to utter disagreeable strictures.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle, when she opened her arms to Selma
+and folded her to her bosom with a hug of welcome, was raging
+inwardly against this minority, and they had not been many minutes
+together before she gave utterance to her grievance.</p>
+<p>"You have come just in time to give us your sympathy and support
+in an important matter, my dear. Miss Bailey has been nominated for
+the School Board at the instance of the Executive Committee of the
+Benham Institute. We supposed that she would have plain sailing,
+for many of the voters have begun to recognize the justice of
+having one or two women on the School Board, and by hard work we
+had succeeded in getting her name put on the Democratic ticket.
+Judge, then, of our feelings when we learned that the Reform Club
+had decided to blacklist and refuse to support at the polls three
+of the six names on the ticket, including our Luella Bailey, on the
+ground of lack of experience in educational matters. The Reform
+Club has nominated three other persons&mdash;one of them a woman.
+And who do you suppose is the head and front of this unholy
+crusade?"</p>
+<p>"It sounds like Mrs. Hallett Taylor," answered Selma,
+sternly.</p>
+<p>"How did you know? What made you think so? How clever of you,
+Selma! Yes, she is the active spirit."</p>
+<p>"It was she who was at the bottom of Miss Bailey's rejection
+when she was my candidate for a position at Everdean College."</p>
+<p>"To be sure. I remember. This Reform Club, which was started a
+year or so ago, and which sets itself up as a censor of what we are
+trying to do in Benham, has nominated a Miss Snow, who is said to
+have travelled abroad studying the school systems of Europe."</p>
+<p>"As if that would help us in any way."</p>
+<p>"Precisely. She has probably come home with her head full of
+queer-fangled notions which would be out of keeping with our
+institutions. Just the reason why she shouldn't be chosen. We are
+greatly troubled as to the result, dear, for though we expect to
+win, the prejudice of some men against voting for a woman under any
+circumstances will operate against our candidate, so that this
+action of the Reform Club may possibly be the means of electing one
+of the men on the Republican ticket instead of Luella. Miss Snow
+hasn't the ghost of a chance. But that isn't all. These Reform Club
+nominations are preliminary to a bill before the Legislature to
+take away from the people the right to elect members of the school
+committee, and substitute an appointive board of specialists to
+serve during long terms of good behavior. As Mr. Lyons says, that's
+the real issue involved. It's quixotic and it isn't necessary.
+Haven't we always prided ourselves on our ability to keep our
+public schools the best in the world? And is there any doubt,
+Selma, that either you or I would be fully qualified to serve on
+the School Board though we haven't made any special study of
+primers and geographies? Luella Bailey hasn't had any special
+training, but she's smart and progressive, and the poor thing would
+like the recognition. We fixed on her because we thought it would
+help her to get ahead, for she has not been lucky in obtaining
+suitable employment. As Mr. Lyons says, a serious principle is
+involved. He has come out strong against the movement and declares
+that it is a direct menace to the intelligence of the plain people
+of the United States and a subtle invasion of their liberties."</p>
+<p>"Mr. Lyons? What Mr. Lyons is that?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, dear, it is the same one who managed your affair. Your Mr.
+Lyons. He has become an important man since you left Benham. He
+speaks delightfully, and is likely to receive the next Democratic
+nomination for Congress. He is in accord with all liberal
+movements, and a foe of everything exclusive, unchristian or
+arbitrary. He has declared his intention to oppose the bill when it
+is introduced, and I shall devote myself body and soul to working
+against it in case Luella Bailey is defeated. It is awkward because
+Mrs. Taylor is a member of the Institute, though she doesn't often
+come, and the club has never been in politics. But here when there
+was a chance to do Luella Bailey a good turn, and I'd been able
+through some of my newspaper friends to get her on the ticket, it
+seems to me positively unchristian&mdash;yes, that's the
+word&mdash;to try to keep her off the board. There are some things
+of course, Luella couldn't do&mdash;and if the position were
+superintendent of a hospital, for instance, I dare say that special
+training would be advantageous, though nursing can be picked up
+very rapidly by a keen intelligence: but to raise such objections
+in regard to a candidate for the School Board seems to me
+ridiculous as well as cruel. What we need there are open, receptive
+minds, free from fads and prejudice&mdash;wide-awake, progressive
+enthusiastic intellects. It worries me to see the Institute dragged
+into politics, but it is my duty to resist this undemocratic
+movement."</p>
+<p>"Surely," exclaimed Selma, with fire. "I am thankful I have come
+in time to help you. I understand exactly. I have been passing
+through just such experiences in New York&mdash;encountering and
+being rebuffed by just such people as those who belong to this
+Reform Club. My husband was beginning to see through them and to
+recognize that we were both tied hand and foot by their narrowness
+and lack of enthusiasm when he died. If he had lived, we would have
+moved to Benham shortly in order to escape from bondage. And one
+thing is certain, dear Mrs. Earle," she continued with intensity,
+"we must not permit this carping spirit of hostility to original
+and spontaneous effort to get a foothold in Benham. We must crush
+it, we must stamp it out."</p>
+<p>"Amen, my dear. I am delighted to hear you talk like that. I
+declare you would be very effective in public if you were
+roused."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I am roused, and I am willing to speak in public if it
+becomes necessary in order to keep Benham uncontaminated by the
+insidious canker of exclusiveness and the distrust of aspiring
+souls which a few narrow minds choose to term untrained. Am
+<i>I</i> untrained? Am <i>I</i> superficial and common? Do <i>I</i>
+lack the appearance and behavior of a lady?"</p>
+<p>Selma accompanied these interrogatories with successive waves of
+the hand, as though she were branding so many falsehoods.</p>
+<p>"Assuredly not, Selma. I consider you"&mdash;and here Mrs. Earle
+gasped in the process of choosing her words&mdash;"I consider you
+one of our best trained and most independent minds&mdash;cultured,
+a friend of culture, and an earnest seeker after truth. If you are
+not a lady, neither am I, neither is anyone in Benham. Why do you
+ask, dear?" And without waiting for an answer, Mrs. Earle added
+with a touch of material wisdom, "You return to Benham under
+satisfactory, I might say, brilliant auspices. You will be the
+active spirit in this fine house, and be in a position to promote
+worthy intellectual and moral movements."</p>
+<p>"Thank heavens, yes. And to combat those which are unworthy and
+dangerous," exclaimed Selma, clasping her fingers, "I can count on
+the support of Mr. Parsons, God bless him! And it would seem at
+last as if I had, a real chance&mdash;a real chance at last. Mrs.
+Earle&mdash;Cora&mdash;I know you can keep a secret. I feel almost
+as though you were my mother, for there is no one else now to whom
+I can talk like this. I have not been happy in New York. I thought
+I was happy at first, but lately we have been miserable. My
+marriage&mdash;er&mdash;they drove my husband to the wall, and
+killed him. He was sensitive and noble, but not practical, and he
+fell a victim to the mercenary despotism of our surroundings. When
+I tried to help him they became jealous of me, and shut their doors
+in our faces."</p>
+<p>"You poor, poor child. I have suspected for some time that
+something was wrong."</p>
+<p>"It nearly killed me. But now, thank heaven, I breathe freely
+once more. I have lost my dear husband, but I have escaped from
+that prison-house; and with his memory to keep me merciless, I am
+eager to wage war against those influences which are conspiring to
+fetter the free-born soul and stifle spontaneity. Luella Bailey
+must be elected, and these people be taught that foreign ideas may
+flourish in New York, but cannot obtain root in Benham."</p>
+<p>Mrs. Earle wiped her eyes, which were running over as the result
+of this combination of confidence and eloquence.</p>
+<p>"If you don't mind my saying so, Selma, I never saw anyone so
+much improved as you. You always had ideas, and were well equipped,
+but now you speak as though you could remove mountains if
+necessary. It's a blessing for us as well as you that you're back
+among us once more."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3>
+<p>When Selma uttered her edict that Luella Bailey must be elected
+she did not know that the election was only three days off. When
+she was told this by Mrs. Earle, she cast about feverishly during a
+few hours for the means to compass certain victory, then promptly
+and sensibly disclaimed responsibility for the result, suggesting
+even that her first appearance as a remover of mountains be
+deferred to the time when the bill should be before the
+Legislature. As she aptly explained to Mrs. Earle, the canvass was
+virtually at an end, she was unacquainted with the practical
+features of the situation, and was to all intents a stranger in
+Benham after so long an absence. Mrs. Earle was unable to combat
+the logic of these representations, but she obtained from Selma a
+ready promise to accompany the Benham Institute to the final rally
+on the evening before election day and sit in a prominent place on
+the platform. The Institute was to attend as a body by way of
+promoting the cause of its candidate, for though the meeting was
+called in aid of the entire Democratic municipal ticket, Hon. James
+O. Lyons, the leading orator of the occasion, had promised to
+devote special attention to Miss Bailey, whose election, owing to
+the attitude of the Reform Club, was recognized as in doubt. Selma
+also agreed to accompany Mrs. Earle in a hack on the day itself,
+and career through the city in search of recalcitrant or
+indifferent female voters, for the recently acquired right of
+Benham women to vote for members of the School Board had not as yet
+been exercised by any considerable number of the emancipated
+sex.</p>
+<p>As a part of the programme of the meeting the Benham Institute,
+or the major portion of it (for there were a few who sympathized
+openly with Mrs. Taylor), filed showily on to the platform headed
+by Mrs. Earle, who waved her pocket handkerchief at the audience,
+which was the occasion for renewed hand-clapping and enthusiasm.
+Selma walked not far behind and took her seat among the forty other
+members, who all wore white silk badges stamped in red with the
+sentiment "A vote for Luella Bailey is a vote for the liberty of
+the people." Her pulses were throbbing with interest and pleasure.
+This was the sort of thing she delighted in, and which she had
+hoped would be a frequent incident of her life in New York. It
+pleased her to think how naturally and easily she had taken her
+place in the ranks of these earnest, enthusiastic workers, and that
+she had merely to express a wish in order to have leadership urged
+upon her. Matters had shaped themselves exactly as she desired. Mr.
+Parsons not only treated her completely as an equal, but consulted
+her in regard to everything. He had already become obviously
+dependent on her, and had begun to develop the tendencies of an
+invalid.</p>
+<p>The exercises were of a partisan cast. The theory that municipal
+government should be independent of party politics had been an
+adage in Benham since its foundation, and been disregarded annually
+by nine-tenths of the population ever since. This was a Democratic
+love-feast. The speakers and the audience alike were in the best of
+spirits, for there was no uncertainty in the minds of the party
+prophets as to the result of the morrow's ballot&mdash;excepting
+with regard to Miss Bailey. The rest of the ticket would
+unquestionably be elected; accordingly all hands and voices were
+free to focus their energies in her behalf and thus make the
+victory a clean sweep. Nevertheless the earlier speakers felt
+obliged to let their eloquence flow over the whole range of
+political misgovernment from the White House and the national
+platform down, although the actual issue was the choice of a mayor,
+twelve aldermen and a school committee, so that only casual
+reference was made to the single weak spot on the ticket until the
+Hon. James O. Lyons rose to address the meeting. The reception
+accorded him was more spontaneous and effusive than that which had
+been bestowed on either of his predecessors, and as he stood
+waiting with dignified urbanity for the applause to subside, some
+rapturous admirer called for three cheers, and the tumult was
+renewed.</p>
+<p>Selma was thrilled. Her acquaintance with Mr. Lyons naturally
+heightened her interest, and she observed him eagerly. Time had
+added to his corporeal weight since he had acted as her counsel,
+and enhanced the sober yet genial decorum of his bearing. His
+slightly pontifical air seemed an assurance against ill-timed
+levity. His cheeks were still fat and smooth shaven, but, like many
+of the successful men of Benham, he now wore a chin beard&mdash;a
+thick tuft of hair which in his case tapered so that it bore some
+resemblance to the beard of a goat, and gave a rough-and-ready
+aspect to his appearance suggestive alike of smart, solid worth and
+an absence of dandified tendencies. Mr. Parsons had a thicker beard
+of the same character, which Selma regarded with favor as a badge
+of serious intentions.</p>
+<p>"My friends," he began when the applause had subsided; then
+paused and surveyed his audience in a manner which left them in
+doubt as to whether he was struggling with emotion or busy in
+silent prayer. "My friends, a month ago to-day the citizens of
+Benham assembled to crown with appropriate and beautiful services
+the monument which they, the survivors, have erected with pious
+hands to perpetuate the memory of those who laid down their lives
+to keep intact our beloved union of States and to banish slavery
+forever from the confines of our aspiring civilization. A week ago
+an equally representative assembly, without regard to creed or
+party, listened to the exercises attending the dedication of the
+new Court House which we have raised to Justice&mdash;that
+white-robed goddess, the guardian of the liberties of the people.
+Each was a notable and significant event. On each occasion I had
+the honor to say a few poor words. We celebrated with bowed heads
+and with garlands the deeds of the heroic dead, and now have
+consecrated ourselves to the opportunities and possibilities of
+peace under the law&mdash;to the revelation of the temper of our
+new civilization which, tried in the furnace of war, is to be a
+grand and vital power for the advancement of the human race, for
+the righteous furtherance of the brotherhood of man. What is the
+hope of the world?" he asked. "America&mdash;these United States, a
+bulwark against tyranny, an asylum for the aspiring and the
+downtrodden. The eyes of the nations are upon us. In the souls of
+the survivors and of the sons and daughters of the patriots who
+have died in defence of the liberties of our beloved country abide
+the seed and inspiration for new victories of peace. Our privilege
+be it as the heirs of Washington and Franklin and Hamilton and
+Lincoln and Grant to set the nations of the earth an example of
+what peace under the law may accomplish, so that the free-born son
+of America from the shores of Cape Cod to the western limits of the
+Golden Gate may remain a synonym for noble aims and noble deeds,
+for truth and patriotism and fearlessness of soul."</p>
+<p>The speaker's words had been uttered slowly at the
+outset&mdash;ponderous, sonorous, sentence by sentence, like the
+big drops before a heavy shower. As he warmed to his theme the
+pauses ceased, and his speech flowed with the musical sweep of a
+master of platform oratory. When he spoke of war his voice choked;
+in speaking of peace he paused for an appreciable moment, casting
+his eyes up as though he could discern the angel of national
+tranquillity hovering overhead. Although this opening peroration
+seemed scarcely germane to the occasion, the audience listened in
+absorbed silence, spell-bound by the magnetism of his delivery.
+They felt sure that he had a point in reserve to which these
+splendid and agreeable truths were a pertinent introduction.</p>
+<p>Proceeding, with his address, Mr. Lyons made a panegyric on
+these United States of America, from the special standpoint of
+their dedication to the "God of our fathers," a solemn figure of
+speech. The sincerity of his patriotism was emphasized by the
+religious fervor of his deduction that God was on the side of the
+nation, and the nation on the side of God. Though he abstained from
+direct strictures, both his manner and his matter seemed to serve a
+caveat, so to speak, on the other nations by declaring that for
+fineness of heart and thought, and deed, the world must look to the
+land "whose wide and well-nigh boundless prairies were blossoming
+with the buds of truth fanned by the breeze of liberty and
+fertilized by the aspirations of a God-fearing and a God-led
+population. What is the hope of the world, I repeat?" he continued.
+"The plain and sovereign people of our beloved country. Whatever
+menaces their liberties, whatever detracts from their, power and
+infringes on their prerogatives is a peril to our institutions and
+a step backward in the science of government. My friends, we are
+here to-night to protest against a purpose to invade those
+liberties&mdash;a deliberately conceived design to take away from
+the sovereign people of this city one of their cherished
+privileges&mdash;the right to decide who shall direct the policy of
+our free public-school system, that priceless heritage of every
+American. I beg to remind you that this contest is no mere question
+of healthy rivalry between two great political parties; nor again
+is it only a vigorous competition between two ambitious and
+intelligent women. A ballot in behalf of our candidate will be a
+vote of confidence in the ability of the plain people of this
+country to adopt the best educational methods without the
+patronizing dictation of aboard of specialists nurtured on foreign
+and uninspiring theories of instruction. A ballot against Miss
+Luella Bailey, the competent and cultivated lady whose name adds
+strength and distinction to our ticket, and who has been needlessly
+and wantonly opposed by those who should be her proud friends, will
+signify a willingness to renounce one of our most precious
+liberties&mdash;the free man's right to choose those who are to
+impart to his children mastery of knowledge and love of country. I
+take my stand to-night as the resolute enemy of this aristocratic
+and un-American suggestion, and urge you, on the eve of election,
+to devote your energies to overwhelming beneath the shower of your
+fearless ballots this insult to the intelligence of the voters of
+Benham, and this menace to our free and successful institutions,
+which, under the guidance of the God of our fathers, we purpose to
+keep perpetually progressive and undefiled."</p>
+<p>A salvo of enthusiasm greeted Mr. Lyons as he concluded. His
+speeches were apt to cause those whom he addressed to feel that
+they were no common campaign utterances, but eloquent expressions
+of principle and conviction, clothed in memorable language, as,
+indeed, they were. He was fond of giving a moral or patriotic
+flavor to what he said in public, for he entertained both a
+profound reverence for high moral ideas and an abiding faith in the
+superiority of everything American. He had arrayed himself on the
+threshold of his legal career as a friend and champion of the mass
+of the people&mdash;the plain and sovereign people, as he was apt
+to style them in public. His first and considerable successes had
+been as the counsel for plaintiffs before juries in accident cases
+against large corporations, and he had thought of himself with
+complete sincerity as a plain man, contesting for human rights
+before the bar of justice, by the sheer might of his sonorous voice
+and diligent brain. His political development had been on the same
+side. Latterly the situation had become a little puzzling, though
+to a man of straightforward intentions, like himself, not
+fundamentally embarrassing. That is, the last four or five years
+had altered both the character of his practice and his
+circumstances, so that instead of fighting corporations he was now
+the close adviser of a score of them; not the defender of their
+accident cases, but the confidential attorney who was consulted in
+regard to their vital interests, and who charged them liberal sums
+for his services. He still figured in court from time to time in
+his capacity of the plain man's friend, which he still considered
+himself to be no less than before, but most of his time was devoted
+to protecting the legal interests of the railroad, gas, water,
+manufacturing, mining and other undertakings which, the rapid
+growth of Benham had forgotten. And as a result of this commerce
+with the leading men of affairs in Benham, and knowledge of what
+was going on, he had been able to invest his large fees to the best
+advantage, and had already reaped a rich harvest from the rapid
+rise in value of the securities of diverse successful enterprises.
+When new projects were under consideration he was in a position to
+have a finger in the pie, and he was able to borrow freely from a
+local bank in which he was a director.</p>
+<p>He was puzzled&mdash;it might be said distressed&mdash;how to
+make these rewards of his professional prominence appear compatible
+with his real political principles, so that the plain and sovereign
+people would recognize as clearly as he that there was no
+inconsistency in his having taken advantage of the opportunities
+for professional advancement thrown in his way. He was ambitious
+for political preferment, sharing the growing impression that he
+was well qualified for public office, and he desired to rise as the
+champion of popular ideas. Consequently he resented bitterly the
+calumnies which had appeared in one or two irresponsible newspapers
+to the effect that he was becoming a corporation attorney and a
+capitalist. Could a man refuse legitimate business which was thrust
+upon him? How were his convictions and interest in the cause of
+struggling humanity altered or affected by his success at the bar?
+Hence he neglected no occasion to declare his allegiance to
+progressive doctrine, and to give utterance to the patriotism which
+at all times was on tap in his emotional system. He had been
+married, but his wife had been dead a number of years, and he made
+his home with his aged mother, to whom he was apt to refer with
+pious tremulousness when he desired to emphasize some domestic
+situation before a jury. As a staunch member of the Methodist
+Church, he was on terms of intimate association with his pastor,
+and was known as a liberal contributor to domestic and foreign
+missions.</p>
+<p>Selma was genuinely carried away by the character of his
+oratory. His sentiments were so completely in accord with her own
+ideas that she felt he had left nothing unsaid, and had put the
+case grandly. Here at last was a man who shared with her the
+convictions with which her brain was seething&mdash;a man who was
+not afraid to give public expression to his views, and who
+possessed a splendid gift of statement. She had felt sure that she
+would meet sympathy and kindred spirits in Benham, but her
+experience in New York had so far depressed her that she had not
+allowed herself to expect such a thorough-going champion. What a
+contrast his solid, devotional, yet business-like aspect was to the
+quizzical lightness of the men in New York she had been told were
+clever, like Dr. Page and Mr. Dennison! He possessed Wilbur's ardor
+and reverence, with a robustness of physique and a practical air
+which Wilbur had lacked&mdash;lacked to his and her detriment. If
+Wilbur had been as vigorous in body as he ought to have been, would
+he have died? She had read somewhere lately that physical delicacy
+was apt to react on the mind and make one's ideas too fine-spun and
+unsubstantial. Here was the advantage which a man like Mr. Lyons
+had over Wilbur. He was strong and thickset, and looked as though
+he could endure hard work without wincing. So could she. It was a
+great boon, an essential of effective manhood or womanhood. These
+thoughts followed in the wake of the enthusiasm his personality had
+aroused in her at the close of his address. She scarcely heard the
+remarks of the next speaker, the last on the programme. Her eyes
+kept straying wistfully in the direction of Mr. Lyons, and she
+wondered if there would be an opportunity when the meeting was over
+to let him know how much she approved of what he had said, and how
+necessary she felt the promulgation, of such ideas was for the
+welfare of the country.</p>
+<p>She was aroused from contemplation by the voice of Mrs. Earle,
+who, now that everybody was standing up preliminary to departure,
+bent over her front bench on the platform to whisper, "Wasn't Mr.
+Lyons splendid?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, indeed," said Selma. "I should like so much to make his
+acquaintance, to compare notes with him and thank him for his
+brave, true words."</p>
+<p>"I know he'd be pleased to meet you. I'll try to catch his eye.
+I wish some of those Reform Club people could have heard what he
+thought of them. There! He's looking this way. I'm going to attract
+his attention." Whereupon Mrs. Earle began to nod in his direction
+energetically. "He sees us now, and has noticed you. I shouldn't
+wonder if he has recognized you. Follow me close, Selma, and we'll
+be able to shake hands with him."</p>
+<p>By dint of squeezing and stertorous declarations of her desire,
+Mrs. Earle obtained a gradual passage through the crowd. Many from
+the audience had ascended to the platform for the purpose of
+accosting the speakers, and a large share of the interest was being
+bestowed on Mr. Lyons, who was holding an impromptu reception. When
+at last Mrs. Earle had worked her way to within a few feet of him,
+her wheezing condition and bulk announced her approach, and
+procured her consideration from the others in the line, so that she
+was able to plant herself pervasively and firmly in front of her
+idol and take possession of him by the fervid announcement, "You
+were simply unanswerable. Eloquent, convincing, and unanswerable.
+And I have brought with me an old friend, Mrs. Littleton, who
+sympathizes with your superb utterances, and wishes to tell you
+so."</p>
+<p>As Selma stepped forward in recognition of this introduction she
+vibrated to hear Mr. Lyons say, without a sign of hesitation, "A
+friend whom it is a pleasure to welcome back to Benham, Mrs.
+Littleton, I am pleased to meet you again."</p>
+<p>Selma had hoped, and felt it her due, that he would recognize
+her. Still his having done so at once was a compliment which served
+to enhance the favorable opinion which she had already formed
+regarding him.</p>
+<p>"I have been longing for months, Mr. Lyons," she said, "to hear
+someone say what you have said to-night. I am concerned, as we all
+are of course, in Miss Bailey's election, and your advocacy of her
+cause was most brilliant; but what I refer to&mdash;what
+interested, me especially, was the splendid protest you uttered
+against all movements to prevent the intelligence of the people
+from asserting itself. It gave me encouragement and made me feel
+that the outlook for the future is bright&mdash;that our truths
+must prevail."</p>
+<p>It was a maxim with Lyons that it was desirable to remember
+everyone he met, and he prided himself on his ability to call
+cordially by name clients or chance acquaintances whom he had not
+seen for years. Nature had endowed him with a good memory for names
+and faces, but he had learned to take advantage of all
+opportunities to brush up his wits before they were called into
+flattering, spontaneous action. When his glance, attracted by Mrs.
+Earle's remote gesticulation, rested on Selma's face, he began to
+ask himself at once where he had seen it before. In the interval
+vouchsafed by her approach he recalled the incident of the divorce,
+that her name had been Babcock, and that she had married again, but
+he was still groping for the name of her husband when the necessary
+clew was supplied by Mrs. Earle, and he was able to make his
+recognition of her exhaustive. He noticed with approval her pretty
+face and compact figure, reflecting that the slight gain in flesh
+was to her advantage, and noticed also her widow's mourning. But
+her eager, fluent address and zealous manner had prevented his
+attention from secretly wandering with business-like foresight to
+the next persons in the line of those anxious to shake his hand,
+and led him to regard her a second time. He was accustomed to
+compliments, but he was struck by the note of discriminating
+companionship in her congratulation. He believed that he had much
+at heart the very issue which she had touched upon, and it
+gratified him that a woman whose appearance was so attractive to
+him should single out for sympathetic enthusiasm what was in his
+opinion the cardinal principle involved, instead of expatiating on
+the assistance he had rendered Miss Bailey. Lyons said to himself
+that here was a kindred spirit&mdash;a woman with whom conversation
+would be a pleasure; with whom it would be possible to discourse on
+terms of mental comradeship. He was partial to comely women, but he
+did not approve of frivolity except on special and guarded
+occasions.</p>
+<p>"I thank you cordially for your appreciation," he answered. "You
+have grasped the vital kernel of my speech and I am grateful for
+your good opinion."</p>
+<p>Even in addressing the other sex, Lyons could not forget the
+responsibility of his frock-coat and that it was incumbent upon him
+to be strictly serious in public. Nevertheless his august but glib
+demeanor suited Selma's mood better than more obvious gallantry,
+especially as she got the impression, which he really wished to
+convey, that he admired her. It was out of the question for him to
+prolong the situation in the face of those waiting to grasp his
+hand, but Lyons heard with interest the statement which Mrs. Earle
+managed to whisper hoarsely in his ear just as he turned to welcome
+the next comer, and they were swept along:</p>
+<p>"She is one of our brightest minds. The poor child has recently
+lost her husband, and has come to keep Mr. Parsons company in his
+new house&mdash;an ideal arrangement."</p>
+<p>The identity of Mr. Parsons was well known to Lyons. He had met
+him occasionally in the past in other parts of the State in
+connection with business complications, and regarded him as a
+practical, intelligent citizen whose name would be of value to an
+aspirant for Congressional honors. It occurred to him as he shook
+hands with those next in line and addressed them that it would be
+eminently suitable if he should pay his respects to this new-comer
+to Benham by a visit. By so doing he world kill two birds with one
+stone, for he had reasoned of late that he owed it to himself to
+see more of the other sex. He had no specific matrimonial
+intentions; that is, he was not on the lookout for a wife; but he
+approved of happy unions as one of the great bulwarks of the
+community, and was well-disposed to encounter a suitable helpmate.
+He should expect physical charms, dignity, capacity and a
+sympathetic mind; a woman, in short, who would be an ornament to
+his home, a Christian influence in society and a companion whose
+intelligent tact would be likely to promote his political fortunes.
+And so it happened that in the course of the next few days he found
+himself thinking of Mrs. Littleton as a fine figure of a woman.
+This had not happened to him before since the death of his wife,
+and it made him thoughtful to the extent of asking "Why not?" For
+in spite of his long frock-coat and proper demeanor, passion was
+not extinct in the bosom of the Hon. James O. Lyons, and he was
+capable on special and guarded occasions of telling a woman that he
+loved her.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER III.</h3>
+<p>Miss Luella Bailey was not elected. The unenlightened prejudice
+of man to prefer one of his own sex, combined with the hostility of
+the Reform Club, procured her defeat, notwithstanding that the rest
+of her ticket triumphed at the polls. There was some consolation
+for her friends in the fact that her rival, Miss Snow, had a
+considerably smaller number of votes than she. Selma solaced
+herself by the reflection that, as she had been consulted only at
+the twelfth hour, she was not responsible for the result, but she
+felt nerved by the defeat to concentrate her energies against the
+proposed bill for an appointed school board.</p>
+<p>Her immediate attention and sympathy were suddenly invoked by
+the illness of Mr. Parsons, who had seemed lacking in physical
+vigor for some weeks, and whose symptoms culminated in a slight
+paralysis, which confined him to his bed for a month, and to his
+house during the remainder of the autumn. Selma rejoiced in this
+opportunity to develop her capacities as a nurse, to prove how
+adequate she would have been to take complete charge of her late
+husband, had Dr. Page chosen to trust her. She administered with
+scrupulous regularity to the invalid such medicines as were
+ordered, and kept him cheerful by reading and conversation, so that
+the physician in charge complimented her on her proficiency.
+Trained nurses were unknown in Benham at this time, and any old or
+unoccupied female was regarded as qualified to watch over the sick.
+Selma appreciated from what she had observed of the conduct of
+Wilbur's nurse that there was a wrong and a right way of doing
+things, but she blamed Dr. Page for his failure to appreciate
+instinctively that she was sure to do things suitably. It seemed to
+her that he had lacked the intuitive gift to discern latent
+capabilities&mdash;a fault of which the Benham practitioner proved
+blameless.</p>
+<p>From the large, sunny chamber in which Mr. Parsons slowly
+recovered some portion of his vitality, Selma could discern the
+distant beginnings of Wetmore College, pleasantly situated on an
+elevation well beyond the city limits on the further side of the
+winding river. An architect had been engaged to carry out Wilbur's
+plans, and she watched the outlines of the new building gradually
+take shape during the convalescence of her benefactor. She
+recognized that the college would be theoretically a noble addition
+to the standing of Benham as a city of intellectual and
+&aelig;sthetic interests, but it provoked her to think that its
+management was in the hands of Mrs. Hallett Taylor and her friends,
+between whom and herself she felt that a chasm of irreconcilable
+differences of opinion existed. Mrs. Taylor had not called on her
+since her return. She believed that she was glad of this, and hoped
+that some of the severely indignant criticism which she had uttered
+in regard to the Reform Club movement had reached her ears. Or was
+Mrs. Taylor envious of her return to Benham as the true mistress of
+this fine establishment on the River Drive, so superior to her own?
+Nevertheless, it would have suited Selma to have been one of the
+trustees of this new college&mdash;her husband's handiwork in the
+doing of which he had laid down his promising life&mdash;and the
+fact that no one had sought her out and offered her the honor as a
+fitting recognition of her due was secretly mortifying. The Benham
+Institute had been prompt to acknowledge her presence by giving a
+reception in her honor, at which she was able to recite once more,
+"Oh, why should the Spirit of Mortal be proud?" with old-time
+success, and she had been informed by Mrs. Earle that she was
+likely to be chosen one of the Vice-Presidents at the annual
+meeting. But these Reform Club people had not even done her the
+courtesy to ask her to join them or consider their opinions. She
+would have spurned the invitation with contempt, but it piqued her
+not to know more about them; it distressed her to think that there
+should exist in Benham an exclusive set which professed to be
+ethically and intellectually superior and did not include her, for
+she had come to Benham with the intention of leading such a
+movement, to the detriment of fashion and frivolity. With Mr.
+Parsons's money at her back, she was serenely confident that the
+houses of the magnates of Benham&mdash;the people who corresponded
+in her mind's eye to the dwellers on Fifth Avenue&mdash;would open
+to her. Already there had been flattering indications that she
+would be able to command attention there. She had expected to find
+this so; her heart would have been broken to find it otherwise.
+Still, her hope in shaking the dust of New York from her feet had
+been to find in Benham an equally admirable and satisfactory
+atmosphere in regard to mental and moral progress. She had come
+just in time, it is true, to utter her vehement protest against
+this exclusive, aristocratic movement&mdash;this arrogant
+affectation of superiority, and to array herself in battle line
+against it, resolved to give herself up with enthusiasm to its
+annihilation. Yet the sight of the college buildings for the higher
+education of women, rising without her furtherance and supervision,
+and under the direction of these people, made her sad and gave her
+a feeling of disappointment. Why had they been permitted to obtain
+this foothold? Someone had been lacking in vigilance and foresight.
+Thank heaven, with her return and a strong, popular spirit like Mr.
+Lyons in the lead, these unsympathetic, so-called reformers would
+speedily be confounded, and the intellectual air of Benham restored
+to its original purity.</p>
+<p>One afternoon while Selma's gaze happened to be directed toward
+the embryo college walls, and she was incubating on the situation,
+Mr. Parsons, who had seemed to be dozing, suddenly said:</p>
+<p>"I should like you to write to Mr. Lyons, the lawyer, and ask
+him to come to see me."</p>
+<p>"I will write to-night. You know he called while you were
+ill."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I thought him a clever fellow when we met two or three
+times on railroad matters, and I gather from what you told me about
+his speech at the political meeting that he's a rising man
+hereabouts. I'm going to make my will, and I need him to put it
+into proper shape."</p>
+<p>"I'm sure he'd do it correctly."</p>
+<p>"There's not much for him to do except to make sure that the
+language is legal, for I've thought it all out while I've been
+lying here during these weeks. Still, it's important to have in a
+lawyer to fix it so the people whom I don't intend to get my money
+shan't be able to make out that I'm not in my right mind. I guess,"
+he added, with a laugh, "that the doctor will allow I've my wits
+sufficiently for that?"</p>
+<p>"Surely. You are practically well now."</p>
+<p>Mr. Parsons was silent for a moment. He prided himself on being
+close-mouthed about his private affairs until they were ripe for
+utterance. His intention had been to defer until after the
+interview with his lawyer any statement of his purpose, but it
+suddenly occurred to him that it would please him to unbosom his
+secret to his companion because he felt sure in advance that she
+would sympathize fully with his plans. He had meant to tell her
+when the instrument was signed. Why not now?</p>
+<p>"Selma," he said, "I've known ever since my wife and daughter
+died that I ought to make a will, but I kept putting it off until
+it has almost happened that everything I've got went to my next of
+kin&mdash;folk I'm fond of, too, and mean to remember&mdash;but not
+fond enough for that. If I give them fifty thousand dollars
+apiece&mdash;the three of them&mdash;I shall rest easy in my grave,
+even if they think they ought to have had a bigger slice. It's hard
+on a man who has worked all his days, and laid up close to a
+million of dollars, not to have a son or a daughter, flesh of my
+flesh, to leave it to; a boy or a girl given at the start the
+education I didn't get, and who, by the help of my money, might
+make me proud, if I could look on, of my name or my blood. It
+wasn't to be, and I must grin and bear it, and do the next best
+thing. I caught a glimpse of what that thing was soon after I lost
+my wife and daughter, and it was the thought of that more than
+anything which kept me from going crazy with despair. I'm a plain
+man, an uneducated man, but the fortune I've made has been made
+honestly, and I'm going to spend it for the good of the American
+people&mdash;to contribute my mite toward helping the cause of
+truth and good citizenship and free and independent ideas which
+this nation calls for. I'm going to give my money for benevolent
+uses."</p>
+<p>"Oh, Mr. Parsons," exclaimed Selma, clasping her hands, "how
+splendid! how glorious! How I envy you. It was what I hoped."</p>
+<p>"I knew you would be pleased. I've had half a mind once or twice
+to let the cat out of the bag, because I guessed it would be the
+sort of thing that would take your fancy; but somehow I've kept
+mum, for fear I might be taken before I'd been able to make a will.
+And then, too, I've been of several minds as to the form of my
+gift. I thought it would suit me best of all to found a college,
+and I was disappointed when I learned that neighbor Flagg had got
+the start of me with his seminary for women across the river. I
+wasn't happy over it until one night, just after the doctor had
+gone, the thought came to me, 'Why, not give a hospital?' And
+that's what it's to be. Five hundred thousand dollars for a free
+hospital in the City of Benham, in memory of my wife and daughter.
+That'll be useful, won't it? That'll help the people as much as a
+college? And, Selma," he added, cutting off the assuring answer
+which trembled on her tongue and blazed from her eyes, "I shan't
+forget you. After I'm gone you are to have twenty thousand dollars.
+That'll enable you, in case you don't marry, to keep a roof over
+your head without working too hard."</p>
+<p>"Thank you. You are very generous," she said. The announcement
+was pleasant to her, but at the moment it seemed of secondary
+importance. Her enthusiasm had been aroused by the fact and
+character of his public donation, and already her brain was dancing
+with the thought of the prospect of a rival vital institution in
+connection with which her views and her talents would in all
+probability be consulted and allowed to exercise themselves. Her's,
+and not Mrs. Taylor's, or any of that censorious and restricting
+set. In that hospital, at least, ambition and originality would be
+allowed to show what they could do unfettered by envy or paralyzed
+by conservatism. "But I can't think of anything now, Mr. Parsons,
+except the grand secret you have confided to me. A hospital! It is
+an ideal gift. It will show the world what noble uses our rich,
+earnest-minded men make of their money, and it will give our
+doctors and our people a chance to demonstrate what a free hospital
+ought to be. Oh, I congratulate you. I will write to Mr. Lyons at
+once."</p>
+<p>A note in prompt response stated the hour when the lawyer would
+call. On his arrival he was shown immediately to Mr. Parsons's
+apartments, with whom he was closeted alone. Selma managed to cross
+the hall at the moment he was descending, and he was easily
+persuaded to linger and to follow her into the library.</p>
+<p>"I was anxious to say a few words to you, Mr. Lyons," she said.
+"I know the purpose for which Mr. Parsons sent for you. He has
+confided to me concerning his will&mdash;told me everything. It is
+a noble disposition of his property. A free hospital for Benham is
+an ideal selection, and one envies him his opportunity."</p>
+<p>"Yes. It is a superb and generous benefaction."</p>
+<p>"I lay awake for hours last night thinking about it; thinking
+particularly of the special point I am desirous to consult you in
+regard to. I don't wish to appear officious, or to say anything I
+shouldn't, but knowing from what I heard you state in your speech
+the other day that you feel as I do in regard to such matters, I
+take the liberty of suggesting that it seems to me of very great
+importance that the management of this magnificent gift should be
+in proper hands. May I ask you without impropriety if you will
+protect Mr. Parsons so that captious or unenthusiastic persons, men
+or women, will be unable to control the policy of his hospital? He
+would wish it so, I am sure. I thought of mentioning the matter to
+him myself, but I was afraid lest it might worry him and spoil the
+satisfaction of his generosity or retard his cure. Is what I ask
+possible? Do I make myself clear?"</p>
+<p>"Perfectly&mdash;perfectly. A valuable suggestion," he said. "I
+am glad that you have spoken&mdash;very glad. Alive as I am to the
+importance of protecting ourselves at all points, I might not have
+realized this particular danger had you not called it to my
+attention. Perhaps only a clever woman would have thought of
+it."</p>
+<p>"Oh, thank you. I felt that I could not keep silence, and run
+the risk of what might happen."</p>
+<p>"Precisely. I think I can relieve your mind by telling
+you&mdash;which under the circumstances is no breach of
+professional secrecy, for it is plain that the testator desires you
+to know his purpose&mdash;that Mr. Parsons has done me the honor to
+request me to act as the executor of his will. As such I shall be
+in a position to make sure that those to whom the management of his
+hospital is intrusted are people in whom you and I would have
+confidence."</p>
+<p>"Ah! That is very satisfactory. It makes everything as it should
+be, and I am immensely relieved."</p>
+<p>"Now that you have spoken," he added, meeting her eager gaze
+with a propitiating look of reflective wisdom, "I will consider the
+advisability of taking the further precaution of advising the
+testator to name in his will the persons who shall act as the
+trustees of his charity. That would clinch the matter. The
+selection of the individuals would necessarily lie with Mr.
+Parsons, but it would seem eminently natural and fitting that he
+should name you to represent your sex on such a board. I hope it
+would be agreeable to you to serve?"</p>
+<p>Selma flushed. "It would be a position which I should prize
+immensely. Such a possibility had not occurred to me, though I felt
+that some definite provision should be made. The responsibility
+would be congenial to me and very much in my line."</p>
+<p>"Assuredly. If you will permit me to say so, you are just the
+woman for the place. We have met only a few times, Mrs. Littleton,
+but I am a man who forms my conclusions of people rapidly, and it
+is obvious to me that you are thoughtful, energetic, and
+liberal-minded&mdash;qualities which are especially requisite for
+intelligent progress in semi-public work. It is essentially
+desirable to enlist the co-operation of well-equipped women to
+promote the national weal."</p>
+<p>Lyons departed with an agreeable impression that he had been
+talking to a woman who combined mental sagacity and enterprise with
+considerable fascination of person. This capable companion of Mr.
+Parsons was no coquettish or simpering beauty, no mere devotee of
+fashionable manners, but a mature, well-poised character endowed
+with ripe intellectual and bodily graces. Their interview suggested
+that she possessed initiative and discretion in directing the
+course of events, and a strong sense of moral responsibility,
+attributes which attracted his interest. He was obliged to make two
+more visits before the execution of the will, and on each occasion
+he had an opportunity to spend a half-hour alone in the society of
+Selma. He found her gravely and engagingly sympathetic with his
+advocacy of democratic principles; he told her of his ambition to
+be elected to Congress&mdash;an ambition which he believed would be
+realized the following autumn. He confided to her, also, that he
+was engaged in his leisure moments in the preparation of a literary
+volume to be entitled, "Watchwords of Patriotism," a study of the
+requisites of the best citizenship, exemplified by pertinent
+extracts from the public utterances of the most distinguished
+American public servants.</p>
+<p>Selma on her part reciprocated by a reference to the course of
+lectures on "Culture and Higher Education," which she had resolved
+to deliver before the Benham Institute during the winter. In these
+lectures she meant to emphasize the importance of unfettered
+individuality, and to comment adversely on the tendencies hostile
+to this fundamental principle of progress which she had observed in
+New York and from which Benham itself did not appear to her to be
+entirely exempt. After delivering these lectures in Benham she
+intended to repeat them in various parts of the State, and in some
+of the large cities elsewhere, under the auspices of the
+Confederated Sisterhood of Women's Clubs of America, the Sorosis
+which Mrs. Earle had established on a firm basis, and of which at
+present she was second vice-president. As a token of sympathy with
+this undertaking, Mr. Lyons offered to procure her a free pass on
+the railroads over which she would be obliged to travel. This
+pleased Selma greatly, for she had always regarded free passes as a
+sign of mysterious and enviable importance.</p>
+<p>Two months later Selma, as secretary of the sub-committee of the
+Institute selected to oppose before the legislature the bill to
+create an appointed school board, had further occasion to confer
+with Mr. Lyons. He agreed to be the active counsel, and approved of
+the plan that a delegation of women should journey to the capital,
+two hours and a half by rail, and add the moral support of their
+presence at the hearing before the legislative committee.</p>
+<p>The expedition was another gratification to Selma&mdash;who had
+become possessed of her free pass. She felt that in visiting the
+state-house and thus taking an active part in the work of
+legislation she was beginning to fulfil the larger destiny for
+which she was qualified. Side by side with Mrs. Earle at the head
+of a delegation of twenty Benham women she marched augustly into
+the committee chamber. The contending factions sat on opposite
+sides of the room. Through its middle ran a long table occupied by
+the Committee on Education to which the bill had been referred.
+Among the dozen or fifteen persons who appeared in support of the
+bill Selma perceived Mrs. Hallett Taylor, whom she had not seen
+since her return. She was disappointed to observe that Mrs.
+Taylor's clothes, though unostentatious, were in the latest
+fashion. She had hoped to find her dowdy or unenlightened, and to
+be able to look down on her from the heights of her own New York
+experience.</p>
+<p>The lawyer in charge of the bill presented lucidly and with
+skill the merits of his case, calling to the stand four prominent
+educators from as many different sections of the State, and several
+citizens of well-known character, among them Babcock's former
+pastor, Rev. Henry Glynn. He pointed out that the school committee,
+as at present constituted, was an unwieldy body of twenty-four
+members, that it was regarded as the first round in the ladder of
+political preferment, and that the members which composed it were
+elected not on the ground of their fitness, but because they were
+ambitious for political recognition.</p>
+<p>The legislative committee listened politely but coldly to these
+statements and to the testimony of the witnesses. It was evident
+that they regarded the proposed reform with distrust.</p>
+<p>"Do you mean us to understand that the public schools of this
+State are not among the best, if not the best, in the world?" asked
+one member of the committee, somewhat sternly.</p>
+<p>"I recognize the merits of our school system, but I am not blind
+to its faults," responded the attorney in charge of the bill. He
+was a man who possessed the courage of his convictions, but he was
+a lawyer of tact, and he knew that his answer went to the full
+limit of what he could safely utter by way of qualification without
+hopelessly imperilling his cause.</p>
+<p>"Are not our public schools turning out yearly hundreds of boys
+and girls who are a growing credit to the soundness of the
+institutions of the country?" continued the same inquisitor.</p>
+<p>Here was a proposition which opened such a vista of circuitous
+and careful speech, were he to attempt to answer it and be true to
+conscience without being false to patriotism, that Mr. Hunter was
+driven to reply, "I am unable to deny the general accuracy of your
+statement."</p>
+<p>"Then why seek to harass those who are doing such good work by
+unfriendly legislation?"</p>
+<p>The member plainly felt that he had disposed of the matter by
+this triumphant interrogation, for he listened with scant attention
+to a repetition of the grounds on which, relief was sought.</p>
+<p>Mr. Lyons's method of reply was a surprise to Selma. She had
+looked for a fervid vindication of the principle of the people's
+choice, and an eloquent, sarcastic setting forth of the evils of
+the exclusive and aristocratic spirit. He began by complimenting
+the members of the committee on their ability to deal intelligently
+with the important question before them, and then proceeded to
+refer to the sincere but mistaken zeal of the advocates of the
+bill, whom he described as people animated by conscientious
+motives, but unduly distrustful of the capacity of the American
+people. His manner suggested a desire to be at peace with all the
+world and was agreeably conciliatory, as though he deprecated the
+existence of friction. He said that he would not do the members of
+the committee the injustice to suppose that they could seriously
+favor the passage of a bill which would deprive the intelligent
+average voter of one of his dearest privileges; but that he desired
+to put himself on record as thinking it a fortunate circumstance,
+on the whole, that the well-intentioned promoters of the bill had
+brought this matter to the attention of the legislature, and had an
+opportunity to express their views. He believed that the hearing
+would be productive of benefit to both parties, in that on the one
+hand it would tend to make the voters more careful as to whom they
+selected for the important duties of the school board, and on the
+other would&mdash;he, as a lover of democratic institutions,
+hoped&mdash;serve to convince the friends of the bill that they had
+exaggerated the evils of the situation, and that they were engaged
+in a false and hopeless undertaking in seeking to confine by hard
+and fast lines the spontaneous yearnings of the American people to
+control the education of their children. "We say to these critics,"
+he continued, "some of whom are enrolled under the solemn name of
+reformers, that we welcome their zeal and offer co-operation in a
+resolute purpose to exercise unswerving vigilance in the selection
+of candidates for the high office of guardians of our public
+schools. So far as they will join hands with us in keeping
+undefiled the traditions of our forefathers, to that extent we are
+heartily in accord with them, but when they seek to override those
+traditions and to fasten upon this community a method which is
+based on a lack of confidence in democratic theories, then
+I&mdash;and gentlemen, I feel sure that you&mdash;are against
+them."</p>
+<p>Lyons sat down, having given everyone in the room, with the
+exception of a few discerning spirits on the other side, the
+impression that he had intended to be pre-eminently fair, and that
+he had held out the olive branch when he would have been justified
+in using the scourge. The inclination to make friends, to smooth
+over seamy situations and to avoid repellent language in dealing
+with adversaries, except in corporation cases before juries and on
+special occasions when defending his political convictions, had
+become a growing tendency with him now that he was in training for
+public office. Selma did not quite know what to make of it at
+first. She had expected that he would crush their opponents beneath
+an avalanche of righteous invective. Instead he took his seat with
+an expression of countenance which was no less benignant than
+dignified. When the hearing was declared closed, a few minutes
+later, he looked in her direction, and in the course of his passage
+to where she was sitting stopped to exchange affable greetings with
+assemblymen and others who came in his way. At his approach Mrs.
+Earle uttered congratulations so comprehensive that Selma felt able
+to refrain for the moment from committing herself. "I am glad that
+you were pleased," he said. "I think I covered the ground, and no
+one's feelings have been hurt." As though he divined what was
+passing through Selma's mind, he added in an aside intended only
+for their ears, "It was not necessary to use all our powder, for I
+could tell from the way the committee acted that they were with
+us."</p>
+<p>"I felt sure they would be," exclaimed Mrs. Earle. "And, as you
+say, it is a pleasure that no one's feelings were hurt, and that we
+can all part friends."</p>
+<p>"Which reminds me," said Lyons, "that I should be glad of an
+introduction to Mrs. Taylor as she passes us on her way out. I wish
+to assure her personally of my willingness to further her efforts
+to improve the quality of the school board."</p>
+<p>"That would be nice of you," said Mrs. Earle, "and ought to
+please and encourage her, for she will be disappointed, poor thing,
+and after all I suppose she means well. There she is now, and I
+will keep my eye on her."</p>
+<p>"But surely, Mr. Lyons," said Selma, dazed yet interested by
+this doctrine of brotherly love, "don't you think our school
+committee admirable as it is?"</p>
+<p>"A highly efficient body," he answered. "But I should be glad to
+have our opponents&mdash;mistaken as we believe them to
+be&mdash;appreciate that we no less than they are zealous to
+preserve the present high standard. We must make them recognize
+that we are reformers and in sympathy with reform."</p>
+<p>"I see," said Selma. "For, of course, we are the real reformers.
+Convert them you mean? Be civil to them at least? I understand.
+Yes, I suppose there is no use in making enemies of them." She was
+thinking aloud. Though ever on her guard to resent false doctrine,
+she was so sure of the loyalty of both her companions that she
+could allow herself to be interested by this new point of
+view&mdash;a vast improvement on the New York manner because of its
+ethical suggestion. She realized that if Mr. Lyons was certain of
+the committee, it was right, and at the same time sensible, not to
+hurt anyone's feelings unnecessarily&mdash;although she felt a
+little suspicious because he had asked to be introduced to Mrs.
+Taylor. Indeed, the more she thought of this attitude, on the
+assumption that the victory was assured, the more it appealed to
+her conscience and intelligence; so much so that when Mrs. Earle
+darted forward to detain Mrs. Taylor, Selma was reflecting with
+admiration on his magnanimity.</p>
+<p>She observed intently the meeting between Mr. Lyons and Mrs.
+Taylor. He was deferential, complimentary, and genial, and he made
+a suave, impressive offer of his personal services, in response to
+which Mrs. Taylor regarded him with smiling incredulity&mdash;a
+smile which Selma considered impertinent. How dared she treat his
+courtly advances with flippant distrust!</p>
+<p>"Are you aware, Mr. Lyons," Mrs. Taylor was saying, "that one of
+the present members of the school board is a milkman, and another a
+carpenter&mdash;both of them persons of very ordinary efficiency
+from an educational standpoint? Will you co-operate with us, when
+their terms expire next year and they seek re-election, to nominate
+more suitable candidates in their stead?"</p>
+<p>"I shall be very glad when the time comes to investigate
+carefully their qualifications, and if they are proved to be
+unworthy of the confidence of the people, to use my influence
+against them. You may rely on this&mdash;rely on my cordial
+support, and the support of these ladies," he added, indicating
+Mrs. Earle and Selma, with a wave of his hand, "who, if you will
+permit me to say so, are no less interested than you in promoting
+good government."</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes, indeed. We thought we were making an ideal choice in
+Miss Luella Bailey," said Mrs. Earle with effusion. "If Mrs. Taylor
+had seen more of her, I feel sure she would have admired her, and
+then our Institute would not have been dragged into politics."</p>
+<p>Mrs. Taylor did not attempt to answer this appeal. Instead she
+greeted Selma civilly, and said, "I was sorry to hear that you were
+against us, Mrs. Littleton. We were allies once in a good cause,
+and in spite of Mr. Lyons's protestations to the contrary, I assure
+you that this is another genuine opportunity to improve the
+existing order of things. At least," she added, gayly but firmly,
+"you must not let Mr. Lyons's predilection to see everything
+through rose-colored spectacles prevent you from looking into the
+matter on your own account."</p>
+<p>"I have done so already," answered Selma, affronted at the
+suggestion that she was uninformed, yet restrained from displaying
+her annoyance by the sudden inspiration that here was an admirable
+opportunity to practise the proselytizing forbearance suggested by
+Mr. Lyons. The idea of patronizing Mrs. Taylor from the
+vantage-ground of infallibility, tinctured by magnanimous
+condescension, appealed to her. "I have made a thorough study of
+the question, and I never could look at it as you do, Mrs. Taylor.
+I sided with you before because I thought you were
+right&mdash;because you were in favor of giving everyone a chance
+of expression. But now I'm on the other side for the same
+reason&mdash;because you and your friends are disposed to deprive
+people of that very thing, and to regard their aspirations and
+their efforts contemptuously, if I may say so. That's the mistake
+we think you make&mdash;we who, as Mr. Lyons has stated, are no
+less eager than you to maintain the present high character of
+everything which concerns our school system. But if you only would
+see things in a little different light, both Mrs. Earle and I would
+be glad to welcome you as an ally and to co-operate with you."</p>
+<p>Selma had not expected to make such a lengthy speech, but as she
+proceeded she was spurred by the desire to teach Mrs. Taylor her
+proper place, and at the same time to proclaim her own allegiance
+to the attitude of optimistic forbearance.</p>
+<p>"I knew that was the way they felt," said Lyons, ingratiatingly.
+"It would be a genuine pleasure to us all to see this unfortunate
+difference of opinion between earnest people obviated."</p>
+<p>Mrs. Taylor, as Selma was pleased to note, flushed at her
+concluding offer, and she answered, drily, "I fear that we are too
+far apart in our ideas to talk of co-operation. If our bill is
+defeated this year, we shall have to persevere and trust to the
+gradual enlightenment of public sentiment. Good afternoon."</p>
+<p>Selma left the State-house in an elated frame of mind. She felt
+that she had taken a righteous and patriotic stand, and it pleased
+her to think that she was taking an active part in defending the
+institutions of the country. She chatted eagerly as she walked
+through the corridors with Mr. Lyons, who, portly and imposing,
+acted as escort to her and Mrs. Earle, and invited them to luncheon
+at a hotel restaurant. Excitement had given her more color than
+usual, to which her mourning acted as a foil, and she looked her
+best. Lyons was proud of being in the company of such a presentable
+and spirited appearing woman, and made a point of stopping two or
+three members of the legislature and introducing them to her. When
+they reached the restaurant he established them at a table where
+they could see everybody and be seen, and he ordered scolloped
+oysters, chicken-salad, ice-cream, coffee, and some bottles of
+sarsaparilla. Both women were in high spirits, and Selma was
+agreeably conscious that people were observing them. Before the
+repast was over a messenger brought a note to Mr. Lyons, which
+announced that the legislative committee had given the petitioners
+leave to withdraw their bill, which, in Selma's eyes, justified the
+management of the affair, and set the seal of complete success on
+an already absorbing and delightful occasion.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER IV.</h3>
+<p>Her mourning and the slow convalescence of Mr. Parsons deprived
+Selma of convincing evidence in regard to her social reception in
+Benham, for those socially prominent were thus barred from inviting
+her to their houses, and her own activities were correspondingly
+fettered. Indeed, her circumstances supplied her with an obvious
+salve for her proper dignity had she been disposed to let suspicion
+lie fallow. As it was a number of people had left cards and sent
+invitations notwithstanding they could not be accepted, and she
+might readily have believed, had she chosen&mdash;and as she
+professed openly to Mr. Parsons&mdash;that everyone had been
+uncommonly civil and appreciative.</p>
+<p>She found herself, however, in spite of her declared devotion to
+her serious duties, noting that the recognition accorded to Mr.
+Parsons and herself was not precisely of the character she craved.
+The visiting-cards and invitations were from people residing on the
+River Drive and in that neighborhood, indeed&mdash;but from people
+like the Flaggs, for instance, who, having acquired large wealth
+and erected lordly dwellings, were eager to dispense good-natured,
+lavish hospitality without social experience. Her sensitive ordeal
+in New York had quickened her social perceptions, so that whereas
+at the time of her departure from Benham as Mrs. Littleton she
+regarded her present neighborhood as an integral class, she was now
+prompt to separate the sheep from the goats, and to remark that
+only the goats seemed conscious of her existence. With the
+exception of Mrs. Taylor, who had called when she was out, not one
+of a certain set, the outward manifestations of whose stately being
+were constantly passing her windows, appeared to take the slightest
+interest in her. Strictly speaking, Mrs. Taylor was of this set,
+yet apart from it. Hers was the exclusive intellectual and
+&aelig;sthetic set, this the exclusive fashionable set&mdash;both
+alike execrable and foreign to the traditions of Benham. As Selma
+had discovered the one and declared war against it, so she promised
+herself to confound the other when the period of her mourning was
+over, and she was free to appear again in society. Once more she
+congratulated herself that she had come in time to nip in the bud
+this other off-shoot of aristocratic tendencies. As yet either set
+was small in number, and she foresaw that it would be an easy task
+to unite in a solid phalanx of offensive-defensive influence the
+friendly souls whom these people treated as outsiders, and purge
+the society atmosphere of the miasma of exclusiveness. In
+connection with the means to this end, when the winter slipped away
+and left her feeling that she had been ignored, and that she was
+eager to assume a commanding position, she began to take more than
+passing thought of the attentions of Mr. Lyons. That he was
+interested by her there could be no doubt, for he plainly went out
+of his way to seek her society, calling at the house from time to
+time, and exercising a useful, nattering superintendence over her
+lecture course in the other cities of the State, in each of which
+he appeared to have friends on the newspaper press who put
+agreeable notices in print concerning her performance. She had
+returned to Benham believing that her married life was over; that
+her heart was in the grave with Wilbur, and that she would never
+again part with her independence. The notice which Mr. Lyons had
+taken of her from the outset had gratified her, but though she
+contrasted his physical energy with Wilbur's lack of vigor, it had
+not occurred to her to consider him in the light of a possible
+husband. Now that a year had passed since Wilbur's death, she felt
+conscious once more, as had happened after her divorce, of the need
+of a closer and more individual sympathy than any at her command.
+Her relations with Mr. Parsons, to be sure, approximated those of
+father and daughter, but his perceptions were much less acute than
+before his seizure; he talked little and ceased to take a vital
+interest in current affairs. She felt the lack of companionship
+and, also, of personal devotion, such personal devotion as was
+afforded by the strenuous, ardent allegiance of a man. On the other
+hand she was firmly resolved never to allow the current of her own
+life to be turned away again by the subordination of her purposes
+to those of any other person, and she had believed that this
+resolution would keep her indifferent to marriage, in spite of any
+sensations of loneliness or craving for masculine idolatry. But as
+a widow of a year's standing she was now suddenly interested by the
+thought that this solid, ambitious, smooth-talking man might
+possibly satisfy her natural preference for a mate without
+violating her individuality. She began to ask herself if he were
+not truly congenial in a sense which no man had ever been to her
+before; also, to ask if their aspirations and aims were not so
+nearly identical that he would be certain as her husband to be
+proud of everything she did and said, and to allow her to work hand
+in hand with him for the furtherance of their common purpose. She
+did not put these questions to herself until his conduct suggested
+that he was seeking her society as a suitor; but having put them,
+she was pleased to find her heart throb with the hope of a
+stimulating and dear discovery.</p>
+<p>Certain causes contributed to convince her that this hope rested
+on a sure foundation&mdash;causes associated with her present life
+and point of view. She felt confident first of all of the godliness
+of Mr. Lyons as indicated not only by his sober, successful life,
+and his enthusiastic, benignant patriotism, but by his active,
+reverent interest in the affairs of his church&mdash;the Methodist
+Church&mdash;to which Mr. Parsons belonged, and which Selma had
+begun to attend since her return to Benham. It had been her
+mother's faith, and she had felt a certain filial glow in
+approaching it, which had been fanned into pious flame by the
+effect of the ministration. The fervent hymns and the opportunities
+for bearing testimony at some of the services appealed to her needs
+and gave her a sense of oneness with eternal truth, which had
+hitherto been lacking from her religious experience. In judging
+Wilbur she was disposed to ascribe the defects of his character
+largely to the coldness and analyzing sobriety of his creed. She
+had accompanied him to church listlessly, and had been bored by the
+unemotional appeals to conscience and quiet subjective designations
+of duty. She preferred to thrill with the intensity of words which
+now roundly rated sin, now passionately called to mind the ransom
+of the Saviour, and ever kept prominent the stirring mission of
+evangelizing ignorant foreign people. It appeared probable to Selma
+that, as the wife of one of the leading church-members, who was the
+chairman of the local committee charged with spreading the gospel
+abroad, her capacity for doing good would be strengthened, and the
+spiritual availability of them both be enhanced.</p>
+<p>Then, too, Mr. Lyons's political prospects were flattering. The
+thought that a marriage with him would put her in a position to
+control the social tendencies of Benham was alluring. As the wife
+of Hon. James O. Lyons, Member of Congress, she believed that she
+would be able to look down on and confound those who had given her
+the cold shoulder. What would Flossy say when she heard it? What
+would Pauline? This was a form of distinction which would put her
+beyond the reach of conspiracy and exclusiveness; for, as the wife
+of a representative, selected by the people to guard their
+interests and make their laws, would not her social position be
+unassailable? And apart from these considerations, a political
+future seemed to her peculiarly attractive. Was not this the real
+opportunity for which she had been waiting? Would she be justified
+in giving it up? In what better way could her talents be spent than
+as the helpmate and intellectual companion of a public man&mdash;a
+statesman devoted to the protection and development of American
+ideas? Her own individuality need not, would not be repressed. She
+had seen enough of Mr. Lyons to feel sure that their views on the
+great questions of life were thoroughly in harmony. They held the
+same religious opinions. Who could foretell the limit of their
+joint progress? He was still a young man&mdash;strong, dignified,
+and patriotic&mdash;endowed with qualities which fitted him for
+public service. It might well be that a brilliant future was before
+him&mdash;before them, if she were his wife. If he were to become
+prominent in the councils of the nation&mdash;Speaker of the
+House&mdash;Governor&mdash;even President, within the bounds of
+possibility, what a splendid congenial scope his honors would
+afford her own versatility! As day by day she dwelt on these points
+of recommendation, Selma became more and more disposed to smile on
+the aspirations of Mr. Lyons in regard to herself, and to feel that
+her life would develop to the best advantage by a union with him.
+Until the words asking her to be his wife were definitely spoken
+she could not be positive of his intentions, but his conduct left
+little room for doubt, and moreover, was marked by a deferential
+soberness of purpose which indicated to her that his views
+regarding marriage were on a higher plane than those of any man she
+had known. He referred frequently to the home as the foundation on
+which American civilization rested, and from which its inspiration
+was largely derived, and spoke feelingly of the value to a public
+man of a stimulating and dignifying fireside. It became his habit
+to join her after morning service and to accompany her home,
+carrying her hymn-books, and he sent her from time to time, through
+the post, quotations which had especially struck his fancy from the
+speeches he was collecting for his "Watchwords of Patriotism."</p>
+<p>Another six months passed, and at its close Lyons received the
+expected nomination for Congress. The election promised to be close
+and exciting. Both parties were confident of victory, and were
+preparing vigorously to keep their adherents at fever pitch by
+rallies and torch-light processions. Although the result of the
+caucus was not doubtful, it was understood between Lyons and Selma
+that he would call at the house that evening to let her know that
+he had been successful. She was waiting to receive him in the
+library. Mr. Parsons had gone to bed. His condition was not
+promising. He had recently suffered another slight attack of
+paralysis, which seemed to indicate that he was liable at any time
+to a fatal seizure.</p>
+<p>Lyons entered smilingly. "So far so good," he exclaimed.</p>
+<p>"Then you have won?"</p>
+<p>"Oh, yes. As I told you, it was a foregone conclusion. Now the
+fight begins."</p>
+<p>Selma, who had provided a slight refection, handed him a cup of
+tea. "I feel sure that you will be chosen," she said. "See if I am
+not right. When is the election?"</p>
+<p>"In six weeks. Six weeks from to-morrow."</p>
+<p>"Then you will go to Washington to live?"</p>
+<p>"Not until the fourth of March."</p>
+<p>"I envy you. If I were a man I should prefer success in politics
+to anything else."</p>
+<p>He was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Will you help me to
+achieve success? Will you go with me to Washington as my wife?"</p>
+<p>His courtship had been formal and elaborate, but his declaration
+was signally simple and to the point. Selma noticed that the cup in
+his hand trembled. While she kept her eyes lowered, as women are
+supposed to do at such moments, she was wondering whether she loved
+him as much as she had loved Wilbur? Not so ardently, but more
+worthily, she concluded, for he seemed to her to fulfil her maturer
+ideal of strong and effective manhood, and to satisfy alike her
+self-respect and her physical fancy. A man of his type would not
+split hairs, but proceed straight toward the goal of his ambition
+without fainting or wavering. Why should she not satisfy her
+renewed craving to be yoked to a kindred spirit and companion who
+appreciated her true worth?</p>
+<p>"I cannot believe," he was saying, "that my words are a surprise
+to you. You can scarcely have failed to understand that I admired
+you extremely. I have delayed to utter my desire to make you my
+wife because I did not dare to cherish too fondly the hope that the
+love inspired in me could be reciprocated, and that you would
+consent to unite your life to mine and trust your happiness to my
+keeping. If I may say so, we are no boy and girl. We understand the
+solemn significance of marriage; what it imports and what it
+demands. Of late I have ventured to dream that the sympathy in
+ideas and identity of purpose which exist between us might be the
+trustworthy sign of a spiritual bond which we could not afford to
+ignore. I feel that without you the joy and power of my life will
+be incomplete. With you at my side I shall aspire to great things.
+You are to me the embodiment of what is charming and serviceable in
+woman."</p>
+<p>Selma looked up. "I like you very much, Mr. Lyons. You, in your
+turn, must have realized that, I think. As you say, we are no boy
+and girl. You meant by that, too, that we both have been married
+before. I have had two husbands, and I did not believe that I could
+ever think of marriage again. I don't wish you to suppose that my
+last marriage was not happy. Mr. Littleton was an earnest, talented
+man, and devoted to me. Yet I cannot deny that in spite of mutual
+love our married life was not a success&mdash;a success as a
+contribution to accomplishment. That nearly broke my heart, and
+he&mdash;he died from lack of the physical and mental vigor which
+would have made so much difference. I am telling you this because I
+wish you to realize that if I should consent to comply with your
+wishes, it would be because I was convinced that true
+accomplishment&mdash;the highest accomplishment&mdash;would result
+from the union of our lives as the result of our riper experience.
+If I did not believe, Mr. Lyons, that man and woman as we
+are&mdash;no longer boy and girl&mdash;a more perfect scheme of
+happiness, a grander conception of the meaning of life than either
+of us had entertained was before us, I would not consider your
+offer for one moment."</p>
+<p>"Yes, yes, I understand," Lyons exclaimed eagerly. "I share your
+belief implicitly. It was what I would have said only&mdash;"</p>
+<p>Despite his facility as an orator, Lyons left this sentence
+incomplete in face of the ticklish difficulty of explaining that he
+had refrained from suggesting such a hope to a widow who had lost
+her husband only two years before. Yet he hastened to bridge over
+this ellipsis by saying, "Without such a faith a union between us
+must fall short of its sweetest and grandest opportunities."</p>
+<p>"It would be a mockery; there would be no excuse for its
+existence," cried Selma impetuously. "I am an idealist, Mr. Lyons,"
+she said clasping her hands. "I believe devotedly in the mission
+and power of love. But I believe that our conception of love
+changes as we grow. I welcomed love formerly as an intoxicating,
+delirious potion, and as such it was very sweet. You have just told
+me of your own feelings toward me, so it is your right to know that
+lately I have begun to realize that my association with you has
+brought peace into my life&mdash;peace and religious
+faith&mdash;essentials of happiness of which I have not known the
+blessings since I was a child. You have dedicated yourself to a
+lofty work; you have chosen the noble career of a statesman&mdash;a
+statesman zealous to promote principles in which we both believe.
+And you ask me to share with you the labors and the privileges
+which will result from this dedication. If I accept your offer, it
+must be because I know that I love you&mdash;love you in a sense I
+have not loved before&mdash;may the dead pardon me! If I accept you
+it will be because I wish to perpetuate that faith and peace, and
+because I believe that our joint lives will realize worthy
+accomplishment." Selma looked into space with her wrapt gaze,
+apparently engaged in an intense mental struggle.</p>
+<p>"And you will accept? You do feel that you can return my love? I
+cannot tell you how greatly I am stirred and stimulated by what you
+have said. It makes me feel that I could never be happy without
+you." Lyons put into this speech all his solemnity and all his
+emotional beneficence of temperament. He was genuinely moved. His
+first marriage had been a love match. His wife&mdash;a mere
+girl&mdash;had died within a year; so soon that the memory of her
+was a tender but hazy sentiment rather than a formulated impression
+of character. By virtue of this memory he had approached marriage
+again as one seeking a companion for his fireside, and a comely,
+sensible woman to preside over his establishment and promote his
+social status, rather than one expecting to be possessed by or to
+inspire a dominant passion. Yet he, too, regarded himself
+distinctly as an idealist, and he had lent a greedy ear to Selma's
+suggestion that mature mutual sympathy and comradeship in
+establishing convictions and religious aims were the source of a
+nobler type of love than that associated with early matrimony. It
+increased his admiration for her, and gave to his courtship, the
+touch of idealism which&mdash;partly owing to his own modesty as a
+man no longer in the flush of youth&mdash;it had lacked. He
+nervously stroked his beard with his thick hand, and gave himself
+up to the spell of this vision of blessedness while he eagerly
+watched Selma's face and waited for her answer. To combine moral
+purpose and love in a pervasive alliance appealed to him
+magnetically as a religious man.</p>
+<p>Selma, as she faced Lyons, was conscious necessarily of the
+contrast between him and her late husband. But she was attuned to
+regard his coarser physical fibre as masculine vigor and a protest
+against aristocratic delicacy, and to derive comfort and exaltation
+from it.</p>
+<p>"Mr. Lyons," she said, "I will tell you frankly that the
+circumstances of married life have hitherto hampered the expression
+of that which is in me, and confined the scope of my individuality
+within narrow and uncongenial limits. I am not complaining; I have
+no intention to rake up the past; but it is proper you should know
+that I believe myself capable of larger undertakings than have yet
+been afforded me, and worthy of ampler recognition than I have yet
+received. If I accept you as a husband, it will be because I feel
+confident that you will give my life the opportunity to expand, and
+that you sympathize with my desire to express myself adequately and
+to labor hand in hand, side by side, with you in the important work
+of the world."</p>
+<p>"That is what I would have you do, Selma. Because you are worthy
+of it, and because it is your right."</p>
+<p>"On that understanding it seems that we might be very
+happy."</p>
+<p>"I am certain of it. You fill my soul with gladness," he cried,
+and seizing her hand he pressed it to his lips and covered it with
+kisses, but she withdrew it, saying, "Not yet&mdash;not yet. This
+step represents so much to me. It means that if I am mistaken in
+you, my whole life will be ruined, for the next years should be my
+best. We must not be too hasty. There are many things to be thought
+of. I must consider Mr. Parsons. I cannot leave him immediately, if
+at all, for he is very dependent on me."</p>
+<p>"I had thought of that. While Mr. Parsons lives, I realize that
+your first duty must be to him."</p>
+<p>The reverential gravity of his tone was in excess of the needs
+of the occasion, and Selma understood that he intended to imply
+that Mr. Parsons would not long need her care. The same thought was
+in her own mind, and it had occurred to her in the course of her
+previous cogitations in regard to Lyons, that in the event of his
+death it would suit her admirably to continue to occupy the house
+as its real mistress. She looked grave for a moment in her turn,
+then with a sudden access of coyness she murmured, "I do not
+believe that I am mistaken in you."</p>
+<p>"Ah," he cried, and would have folded her in his arms, but she
+evaded his onset and said with her dramatic intonation, "The
+knights of old won their lady-loves by brilliant deeds. If you are
+elected a member of Congress, you may come to claim me."</p>
+<p>Reflection served only to convince Selma of the wisdom of her
+decision to try matrimony once more. She argued, that though a
+third marriage might theoretically seem repugnant if stated as a
+bald fact, the actual circumstances in her case not merely
+exonerated her from a lack of delicacy, but afforded an exhibition
+of progress&mdash;a gradual evolution in character. She felt
+light-hearted and triumphant at the thought of her impending new
+importance as the wife of a public man, and she interested herself
+exuberantly in the progress of the political campaign. She was
+pleased to think that her stipulation had given her lover a new
+spur to his ambition, and she was prepared to believe that his
+victory would be due to the exhaustive efforts to win which the
+cruel possibility of losing her obliged him to make.</p>
+<p>This was a campaign era of torch-light processions. The rival
+factions expressed their confidence and enthusiasm by parading at
+night in a series of battalions armed with torches&mdash;some
+resplendently flaring, some glittering gayly through colored
+glass&mdash;and bearing transparencies inscribed with trenchant
+sentiments. The houses of their adherents along the route were
+illuminated from attic to cellar with rows of candles, and the
+atmosphere wore a dusky glow of red and green fire. To Selma all
+this was entrancing. She revelled in it as an introduction to the
+more conspicuous life which she was about to lead. She showed
+herself a zealous and enthusiastic partisan, shrouding the house in
+the darkness of Erebus on the occasion when the rival procession
+passed the door, and imparting to every window the effect of a
+blaze of light on the following evening&mdash;the night before
+election&mdash;when the Democratic party made its final appeal to
+the voters. Standing on a balcony in evening dress, in company with
+Mrs. Earle and Miss Luella Bailey, whom she had invited to view the
+procession from the River Drive, Selma looked down on the parade in
+an ecstatic mood. The torches, the music, the fireworks and the
+enthusiasm set her pulses astir and brought her heart into her
+mouth in melting appreciation of the sanctity of her party cause
+and her own enviable destiny as the wife of an American
+Congressman. She held in one hand a flag which she waved from time
+to time at the conspicuous features of the procession, and she
+stationed herself so that the Bengal lights and other fireworks set
+off by Mr. Parsons's hired man should throw her figure into
+conspicuous relief. The culminating interest of the, occasion for
+her was reached when the James O. Lyons Cadets, the special body of
+youthful torch-bearers devoted to advertising the merits of her
+lover, for whose uniforms and accoutrements he had paid, came in
+sight.</p>
+<p>They proved to be the most flourishing looking organization in
+line. They were preceded by a large, nattily attired drum corps;
+their ranks were full, their torches lustrous, and they bore a
+number of transparencies setting forth the predominant
+qualifications of the candidate for Congress from the second
+district, the largest of which presented his portrait superscribed
+with the sentiment, "A vote for James O. Lyons is a vote in support
+of the liberties of the plain people." On the opposite end of the
+canvas was the picture of the king of beasts, with open jaws and
+bristling mane, with the motto, "Our Lyons's might will keep our
+institutions sacred." In the midst of this glittering escort the
+candidate himself rode in an open barouche on his way to the hall
+where he was to deliver a final speech. He was bowing to right and
+left, and constant cheers marked his progress along the avenue.
+Selma leaned forward from the balcony to obtain the earliest sight
+of her hero. The rolling applause was a new, intoxicating music in
+her ears, and filled her soul with transport. She clapped her hands
+vehemently; seized a roman-candle, and amid a blaze of fiery sparks
+exploded its colored stars in the direction of the approaching
+carriage. Then with the flag slanted across her bosom, she stood
+waiting for his recognition. It was made solemnly, but with the
+unequivocal demonstration of a cavalier or knight of old, for Lyons
+stood up, and doffing his hat toward her, made a conspicuous
+salute. A salvo of applause suggested to Selma that the multitude
+had understood that he was according to her the homage due a
+lady-love, and that their cheers were partly meant for her. She put
+her hand to her bosom with the gesture of a queen of melodrama, and
+culling one from a bunch of roses Lyons had sent her that afternoon
+threw it from the balcony at the carriage. The flower fell almost
+into the lap of her lover, who clutched it, pressed it to his lips,
+and doffed his hat again. The episode had been visible to many, and
+a hoarse murmur of interested approval crowned the performance. The
+glance of the crowds on the sidewalk was turned upward, and someone
+proposed three cheers for the lady in the balcony. They were given.
+Selma bowed to either side in delighted acknowledgment, while the
+torches of the cadets waved tumultuously, and there was a fresh
+outburst of colored fires.</p>
+<p>"I can't keep the secret any longer," she exclaimed, turning to
+her two companions. "I'm engaged to be married to Mr. Lyons."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER V.</h3>
+<p>Lyons was chosen to Congress by a liberal margin. The
+Congressional delegation from his State was almost evenly divided
+between the two parties as the result of the election, and the
+majorities in every case were small. Consequently the more complete
+victory of Lyons was a feather in his cap, and materially enhanced
+his political standing.</p>
+<p>The sudden death of Mr. Parsons within a week of the election
+saved Selma's conscience from the strain of arranging a harmonious
+and equitable separation from him. She had felt that the
+enlargement of her sphere of life and the opportunity to serve her
+country which this marriage offered were paramount to any other
+considerations, but she was duly conscious that Mr. Parsons would
+miss her sorely, and she was considering the feasibility of
+substituting Miss Bailey as his companion in her place, when fate
+supplied a different solution. Selma had pledged her friends to
+secrecy, so that Mr. Parsons need know nothing until the plans for
+his happiness had been perfected, and he died in ignorance of the
+interesting matrimonial alliance which had been fostered under his
+roof. By the terms of his will Selma was bequeathed the twenty
+thousand dollars he had promised her. She and Mr. Lyons, with a
+third person, to be selected by them, were appointed trustees of
+the Free Hospital with which he had endowed Benham, and Mr. Lyons
+was nominated as the sole executor under the will.</p>
+<p>Selma's conception that her third betrothal was coincident with
+spiritual development, and that she had fought her way through
+hampering circumstances to a higher plane of experience, had taken
+firm hold of her imagination. She presently confessed to Lyons that
+she had not hitherto appreciated the full meaning of the dogma that
+marriage was a sacrament. She evinced a disposition to show herself
+with him at church gatherings, and to cultivate the acquaintance of
+his pastor. She felt that she had finally secured the opportunity
+to live the sober, simple life appropriate to those who believed in
+maintaining American principles, and in eschewing luxurious and
+effete foreign innovations; the sort of life she had always meant
+to live, and from which she had been debarred. She had now not only
+opportunity, but a responsibility. As the bride of a Congressman,
+it behooved her both to pursue virtue for its own sake and for the
+sake of example. It was incumbent on her to preserve and promote
+democratic conditions in signal opposition to so-called fashionable
+society, and at the same time to assert her own proper dignity and
+the dignity of her constituents by a suitable outward show.</p>
+<p>This last subtlety of reflection convinced Selma that they ought
+to occupy the house on the River Drive. Lyons himself expressed
+some doubts as to the advisability of this. He admitted that he
+could afford the expense, and that it was just such a residence as
+he desired, but he suggested that their motives might not be
+understood, and he questioned whether it were wise, with the State
+so close, to give his political enemies the chance to make unjust
+accusations.</p>
+<p>"Of course you ought to understand about this matter better than
+I," she said; "but I have the feeling, James, that your
+constituents will be disappointed if we don't show ourselves
+appreciative of the dignity of your position. We both agree that we
+should make Benham our home, and that it will be preferable if I
+visit Washington a month or two at a time during the session rather
+than for us to set up housekeeping there, and I can't help
+believing that the people will be better pleased if you, as their
+representative, make that home all which a beautiful home should
+be. They will be proud of it, and if they are, you needn't mind
+what a few fault-finders say. I have been thinking it over, and it
+seems to me that we shall make a mistake to let this house go. It
+just suits us. I feel sure that in their hearts the American people
+like to have their public men live comfortably. This house is small
+compared to many in New York, and I flatter myself that we shall be
+able to satisfy everyone that we are rootedly opposed to unseemly
+extravagance of living."</p>
+<p>Lyons yielded readily to this argument. He had been accustomed
+to simple surroundings, but travel and the growth of Benham itself
+had demonstrated to him that the ways of the nation in respect to
+material possessions and comforts had undergone a marked change
+since his youth. He had been brought in contact with this new
+development in his capacity of adviser to the magnates of Benham,
+and he had fallen under the spell of improved creature comforts.
+Still, though he cast sheep's eyes at these flesh pots, he had felt
+chary, both as a worker for righteousness and an ardent champion of
+popular principles, of countenancing them openly. Yet his original
+impulse toward marriage had been a desire to secure an
+establishment, and now that this result was at hand he found
+himself ambitious to put his household on a braver footing,
+provided this would do injury neither to his moral scruples nor to
+his political sincerity. The problem was but another phase of that
+presented to him by his evolution from a jury lawyer, whose hand
+and voice were against corporations, to the status of a richly paid
+chamber adviser to railroads and banking houses. He was exactly in
+the frame of mind to grasp at the euphemism offered by Selma. He
+was not one to be convinced without a reason, but his mind eagerly
+welcomed a suggestion which justified on a moral ground the
+proceeding to which they were both inclined. The idea that the
+people would prefer to see him as their representative living in a
+style consistent with the changes in manners and customs introduced
+by national prosperity, affording thereby an example of correct and
+elevating stewardship of reasonable wealth, by way of contrast to
+vapid society doings, came to him as an illumination which
+dissipated his doubts.</p>
+<p>The wedding took place about three months after the death of Mr.
+Parsons. In her renovated outlook regarding matrimony, Selma
+included formal preparations for and some pomp of circumstances at
+the ceremony. It suited her pious mood that she was not required
+again to be married off-hand, and that she could plight her troth
+in a decorous fashion, suitably attired and amid conventional
+surroundings. Her dress was a subject of considerable
+contemplation. She guided her lover's generosity until it centred
+on a diamond spray for her hair and two rings set with handsome
+precious stones. She did not discourage Miss Luella Bailey from
+heralding the approaching nuptials in the press. She became Mrs.
+Lyons in a conspicuous and solemn fashion before the gaze of
+everybody in Benham whom there was any excuse for asking to the
+church. After a collation at the Parsons house, the happy pair
+started on their honeymoon in a special car put at their service by
+one of the railroads for which the bridegroom was counsel. This
+feature delighted Selma. Indeed, everything, from the complimentary
+embrace of her husband's pastor to the details of her dress and
+wedding presents, described with elaborate good will in the evening
+newspapers, appeared to her gratifying and appropriate.</p>
+<p>They were absent six weeks, during which the Parsons house was
+to be redecorated and embellished within and without according to
+instructions given by Selma before her departure. Their trip
+extended to California by way of the Yosemite. Selma had never seen
+the wonders of the far western scenery, and this appropriate
+background for their sentiment also afforded Lyons the opportunity
+to inspect certain railroad lines in which he was financially
+interested. The atmosphere of the gorgeous snow-clad peaks and
+impressive chasms served to heighten still further the intensity of
+Selma's frame of mind. She managed adroitly on several occasions to
+let people know who they were, and it pleased her to observe the
+conductor indicating to passengers in the common cars that they
+were Congressman Lyons and his wife on their honeymoon. She was
+looking forward to Washington, and as she stood in the presence of
+the inspiring beauties of nature she was prone to draw herself up
+in rehearsal of the dignity which she expected to wear. What were
+these mountains and canyons but physical counterparts of the human
+soul? What but correlative representatives of grand ideas, of noble
+lives devoted to the cause of human liberty? She felt that she was
+very happy, and she bore testimony to this by walking arm in arm
+with her husband, leaning against his firm, stalwart shoulder. It
+seemed to her desirable that the public should know that they were
+a happy couple and defenders of the purity of the home. On their
+way back the train was delayed on Washington's birthday for several
+hours by a wash-out, and presently a deputation made up of
+passengers and townspeople waited on Lyons and invited him to
+deliver an open-air address. He and Selma, when the committee
+arrived, were just about to explore the neighborhood, and Lyons,
+though ordinarily he would have been glad of such an opportunity,
+looked at his wife with an expression which suggested that he would
+prefer a walk with her. The eyes of the committee followed his,
+appreciating that he had thrown the responsibility of a decision on
+his bride. Selma was equal to the occasion. "Of course he will
+address you," she exclaimed. "What more suitable place could there
+be for offering homage to the father of our country than this
+majestic prairie?" She added, proudly, "And I am glad you should
+have the opportunity to hear my husband speak."</p>
+<p>Some letters requiring attention were forwarded to Lyons at one
+of the cities where they stopped. As they lay on his dressing-table
+Selma caught sight of the return address, Williams &amp; Van Horne,
+printed on the uppermost envelope. The reminder aroused a host of
+associations. Flossy had not been much in her thoughts lately, yet
+she had not failed to plume herself occasionally with the
+reflection that she could afford now to snap her fingers at her.
+She had wondered more than once what Flossy would think when she
+heard that she was the wife of a Representative.</p>
+<p>"Do you know these people personally?" she inquired, holding up
+the envelope.</p>
+<p>"Yes. They are my&mdash;er&mdash;financial representatives in
+New York. I have considerable dealings with them."</p>
+<p>Selma had not up to this time concerned herself as to the
+details of her husband's affairs. He had made clear to her that his
+income from his profession was large, and she knew that he was
+interested in a variety of enterprises. That he should have
+connections with a firm of New York brokers was one more proof to
+her of his common sense and capacity to take advantage of
+opportunities.</p>
+<p>"Mr. Littleton used to buy stocks through Williams and Van
+Horne&mdash;only a few. He was not very clever at it, and failed to
+make the most of the chances given him to succeed in that way. We
+knew the Williamses at one time very well. They lived in the same
+block with us for several years after we were married."</p>
+<p>"Williams is a capable, driving sort of fellow. Bold, but on the
+whole sagacious, I think," answered Lyons, with demure urbanity. It
+was rather a shock to him that his wife should learn that he had
+dealings in the stock market. He feared lest it might seem to her
+inconsistent with his other propensities&mdash;his religious
+convictions and his abhorrence of corporate rapacity. He preferred
+to keep such transactions private for fear they should be
+misunderstood. At heart he did not altogether approve of them
+himself. They were a part of his evolution, and had developed by
+degrees until they had become now so interwoven with his whole
+financial outlook that he could not escape from them at the moment
+if he would. Indeed some of them were giving him anxiety. He had
+supposed that the letter in question contained a request for a
+remittance to cover depreciation in his account. Instead he had
+read with some annoyance a confidential request from Williams that
+he would work for a certain bill which, in his capacity as a foe of
+monopoly, he had hoped to be able to oppose. It offended his
+conscience to think that he might be obliged secretly to befriend a
+measure against which his vote must be cast. As has been intimated,
+he would have preferred that his business affairs should remain
+concealed from his wife. Yet her remarks were unexpectedly and
+agreeably reassuring. They served to furnish a fresh indication on
+her part of intelligent sympathy with the perplexities which beset
+the path of an ambitious public man. They suggested a subtle
+appreciation of the reasonableness of his behavior, notwithstanding
+its apparent failure to tally with his outward professions.</p>
+<p>Selma's reply interrupted this rhapsody.</p>
+<p>"I ought to tell you, I suppose, that I quarrelled with Mrs.
+Williams before I left New York. Or, rather, she quarrelled with
+me. She insulted me in my own house, and I was obliged to order her
+to leave it."</p>
+<p>"Quarrelled? That is a pity. An open break? Open breaks in
+friendship are always unfortunate." Lyons looked grieved, and
+fingered his beard meditatively.</p>
+<p>"I appreciate," said Selma, frankly, "that our falling out will
+be an inconvenience in case we should meet in Washington or
+elsewhere, since you and Mr. Williams have business interests in
+common. Of course, James, I wish to help you in every way I can. I
+might as well tell you about it. I think she was jealous of me and
+fancied I was trying to cut her out socially. At all events, she
+insinuated that I was not a lady, because I would not lower my
+standards to hers, and adopt the frivolous habits of her little
+set. But I have not forgotten, James, your suggestion that people
+in public life can accomplish more if they avoid showing resentment
+and strive for harmony. I shall be ready to forget the past if Mrs.
+Williams will, for my position as your wife puts me beyond the
+reach of her criticism. She's a lively little thing in her way, and
+her husband seems to understand about investments and how to get
+ahead."</p>
+<p>They went direct to Washington without stopping at Benham. It
+was understood that the new session of Congress was to be very
+short, and they were glad of an opportunity to present themselves
+in an official capacity at the capital as a conclusion to their
+honeymoon, before settling down at home. Selma found a letter from
+Miss Bailey, containing the news that Pauline Littleton had
+accepted the presidency of Wetmore College, the buildings of which
+were now practically completed. Selma gasped as she read this. She
+had long ago decided that her sister-in-law's studies were
+unpractical, and that Pauline was doomed to teach small classes all
+her days, a task for which she was doubtless well fitted. She
+resented the selection, for, in her opinion, Pauline lacked the
+imaginative talent of Wilbur, and yet shared his subjective,
+unenthusiastic ways. More than once it had occurred to her that the
+presidency of Wetmore was the place of all others for which she
+herself was fitted. Indeed, until Lyons had offered himself she had
+cherished in her inner consciousness the hope that the course of
+events might demonstrate that she was the proper person to direct
+the energies of this new medium for the higher education of women.
+It irritated her to think that an institution founded by Benham
+philanthropy, and which would be a vital influence in the
+development of Benham womanhood, should be under the control of one
+who was hostile to American theories and methods. Selma felt so
+strongly on the subject that she thought of airing her objections
+in a letter to Mr. Flagg, the donor, but she concluded to suspend
+her strictures until her return to Benham. She sent, however, to
+Miss Bailey, who was now regularly attached to one of the Benham
+newspapers, notes for an article which should deplore the choice by
+the trustees of one who was unfamiliar and presumably out of
+sympathy with Benham thought and impulse.</p>
+<p>Selma's emotions on her arrival in Washington were very
+different from those which she had experienced in New York as the
+bride of Littleton. Then she had been unprepared for, dazed, and
+offended by what she saw. Now, though she mentally assumed that the
+capital was the parade ground of American ideas and principles, she
+felt not merely no surprise at the august appearance of the wide
+avenues, but she was eagerly on the lookout, as they drove from the
+station to the hotel, for signs of social development. The aphorism
+which she had supplied to her husband, that the American people
+prefer to have their representatives live comfortably, dwelt in her
+thoughts and was a solace to her. Despite her New York experience,
+she had the impression that the doors of every house in Washington
+would fly open at her approach as the wife of a Congressman. She
+did not formulate her anticipations as to her reception, but she
+entertained a general expectation that their presence would be
+acknowledged as public officials in a notable way. She dressed
+herself on the morning after their arrival at the hotel with some
+showiness, so as to be prepared for flattering emergencies. She had
+said little to her husband on the subject, for she had already
+discovered that, though he was ambitious that they should appear
+well, he was disposed to leave the management of social concerns to
+her. His information had been limited to bidding her come prepared
+for the reception to be given at the White House at the
+reassembling of Congress. Selma had brought her wedding-dress for
+this, and was looking forward to it as a gala occasion.</p>
+<p>The hotel was very crowded, and Selma became aware that many of
+the guests were the wives and daughters of other Congressmen, who
+seemed to be in the same predicament as herself&mdash;that is,
+without anyone to speak to and waiting in their best clothes for
+something to happen. Lyons knew a few of them, and was making
+acquaintances in the corridors, with some of whom he exchanged an
+introduction of wives. As she successively met these other women,
+Selma perceived that no one of them was better dressed than
+herself, and she reflected with pleasure that they would doubtless
+be available allies in her crusade against frivolity and
+exclusiveness.</p>
+<p>Presently she set out with her husband to survey the sights of
+the city. Naturally their first visit was to the Capitol, in the
+presence of which Selma clutched his arm in the pride of her
+patriotism and of her pleasure that he was to be one of the makers
+of history within its splendid precincts. The sight of the stately
+houses of Congress, superbly dominated by their imposing dome, made
+them both walk proudly, lost, save for occasional vivid phrases of
+admiration, in the contemplation of their own possible future. What
+greater earthly prize for man than political distinction among a
+people capable of monuments like this? What grander arena for a
+woman eager to demonstrate truth and promote righteousness? There
+was, of course, too much to see for any one visit. They went up to
+the gallery of the House of Representatives and looked down on the
+theatre of Lyons's impending activities. He was to take his seat on
+the day after the morrow as one of the minority party, but a
+strong, vigorous minority. Selma pictured him standing in the aisle
+and uttering ringing words of denunciation against corporate
+monopolies and the money power.</p>
+<p>"I shall come up here and listen to you often. I shall be able
+to tell if you speak loud enough&mdash;so that the public can hear
+you," she said, glancing at the line of galleries which she saw in
+her mind's eye crowded with spectators. "You must make a long
+speech very soon."</p>
+<p>"That is very unlikely indeed. They tell me a new member rarely
+gets a chance to be heard," answered Lyons.</p>
+<p>"But they will hear you. You have something to say."</p>
+<p>Lyons squeezed her hand. Her words nourished the same hope in
+his own breast. "I shall take advantage of every opportunity to
+obtain recognition, and to give utterance to my opinions."</p>
+<p>"Oh yes, I shall expect you to speak. I am counting on
+that."</p>
+<p>On their way down they scanned with interest the statues and
+portraits of distinguished statesmen and heroes, and the
+representations of famous episodes in American history with which
+the walls of the landings and the rotunda are lined.</p>
+<p>"Some day you will be here," said Selma. "I wonder who will
+paint you or make your bust. I have often thought," she added,
+wistfully, "that, if I had given my mind to it, I could have
+modelled well in clay. Some day I'll try. It would be interesting,
+wouldn't it, to have you here in marble with the inscription
+underneath, 'Bust of the Honorable James O. Lyons, sculptured by
+his wife?'"</p>
+<p>Lyons laughed, but he was pleased. "You are making rapid
+strides, my dear. I am sure of one thing&mdash;if my bust or
+portrait ever is here, I shall owe my success largely to your
+devotion and good sense. I felt certain of it before, but our
+honeymoon has proved to me that we were meant for one another."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I think we were. And I like to hear you say I have good
+sense. That is what I pride myself on as a wife."</p>
+<p>On their return to the hotel Selma was annoyed to find that no
+one but a member of her husband's Congressional delegation had
+called. She had hoped to find that their presence in Washington was
+known and appreciated. It seemed to her, moreover, that they were
+not treated at the hotel with the deference she had supposed would
+be accorded to them. To be sure, equality was of the essence of
+American doctrine; nevertheless she had anticipated that the
+official representatives of the people would be made much of, and
+distinguished from the rest of the world, if not by direct
+attention, by being pointed out and looked at admiringly. Still, as
+Lyons showed no signs of disappointment, she forbore to express her
+own perplexity, which was temporarily relieved by an invitation
+from him to drive. The atmosphere was mild enough for an open
+carriage, and Selma's appetite for processional effect derived some
+crumbs of comfort from the process of showing herself in a barouche
+by the side of her husband. They proceeded in an opposite direction
+from the Capitol, and after surveying the outside of the White
+House, drove along the avenues and circles occupied by private
+residences. Selma noticed that these houses, though attractive,
+were less magnificent and conspicuous than many of those in New
+York&mdash;more like her own in Benham; and she pictured as their
+occupants the families of the public men of the country&mdash;a
+society of their wives and daughters living worthily,
+energetically, and with becoming stateliness, yet at the same time
+rebuking by their example frivolity and rampant luxury. She
+observed with satisfaction the passage of a number of private
+carriages, and that their occupants were stylishly clad. She
+reflected that, as, the wife of a Congressman, her place was among
+them, and she was glad that they recognized the claims of social
+development so far as to dress well and live in comfort. Before
+starting she had herself fastened a bunch of red roses at her waist
+as a contribution to her picturesqueness as a public woman.</p>
+<p>While she was thus absorbed in speculation, not altogether free
+from worrying suspicions, in spite of her mental vision as to the
+occupants of these private residences, she uttered an ejaculation
+of surprise as a jaunty victoria passed by them, and she turned her
+head in an eager attempt to ascertain if her surprise and annoyance
+were well-founded. The other vehicle was moving rapidly, but a
+similar curiosity impelled one of its occupants to look hack also,
+and the eyes of the two women met.</p>
+<p>"It's she; I thought it was."</p>
+<p>"Who, my dear?" said Lyons.</p>
+<p>"Flossy Williams&mdash;Mrs. Gregory Williams. I wonder," she
+added, in a severe tone, "what she is doing here, and how she
+happens to be associating with these people. That was a private
+carriage."</p>
+<p>"Williams has a number of friends in Washington, I imagine. I
+thought it likely that he would be here. That was another proof of
+your good sense, Selma&mdash;deciding to let bygones be bygones and
+to ignore your disagreement with his wife."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I know. I shall treat her civilly. But my heart will be
+broken, James, if I find that Washington is like New York."</p>
+<p>"In what respect?"</p>
+<p>"If I find that the people in these houses lead exclusive,
+un-American, godless lives. It would tempt me almost to despair of
+our country," she exclaimed, with tragic emphasis.</p>
+<p>"I don't understand about social matters, Selma. I must leave
+those to you. But," he added, showing that he shrewdly realized the
+cause of her anguish better than she did herself, "as soon as we
+get better acquainted, I'm sure you will find that we shall get
+ahead, and that you will be able to hold your own with anybody,
+however exclusive."</p>
+<p>Selma colored at the unflattering simplicity of his deduction.
+"I don't desire to hold my own with people of that sort. I despise
+them."</p>
+<p>"I know. Hold your own, I mean, among people of the right sort
+by force of sound ideas and principles. The men and women of
+to-day," he continued, with melodious asseveration, "are the
+grand-children of those who built the splendid halls we visited
+this morning as a monument to our nation's love of truth and
+righteousness. A few frivolous, worldly minded spirits are not the
+people of the United States to whom we look for our encouragement
+and support."</p>
+<p>"Assuredly," answered Selma, with eagerness. "It is difficult,
+though, not to get discouraged at times by the behavior of those
+who ought to aid instead of hinder our progress as a nation."</p>
+<p>For a moment she was silent in wrapt meditation, then she
+asked:</p>
+<p>"Didn't you expect that more notice would be taken of our
+arrival?"</p>
+<p>"In what way?"</p>
+<p>"In some way befitting a member of Congress."</p>
+<p>Lyons laughed. "My dear Selma, I am one new Congressman among
+several hundred. What did you expect? That the President and his
+wife would come and take us to drive?"</p>
+<p>"Of course not." She paused a moment, then she said: "I suppose
+that, as you are not on the side of the administration, we cannot
+expect much notice to be taken of us until you speak in the House.
+I will try not to be too ambitious for you, James; but it would be
+easier to be patient," she concluded, with her far-away look, "if I
+were not beginning to fear that this city also may be contaminated
+just as New York is."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VI.</h3>
+<p>The incidents of the next two days previous to her attendance at
+the evening reception at the White House restored Selma's
+equanimity. She had the satisfaction of being present at the
+opening ceremonies of the House of Representatives, and of
+beholding her husband take the oath of office. She was proud of
+Lyons as she looked down on him from the gallery standing in the
+aisle by his allotted seat. He was holding an improvised reception,
+for a number of his colleagues showed themselves desirous to make
+his acquaintance. She noticed that he appeared already on familiar
+terms with some of his fellow-members; that he drew men or was
+drawn aside for whispered confidences; that he joked knowingly with
+others; and that always as he chatted his large, round, smooth
+face, relieved by its chin beard, wore an aspect of bland dignity
+and shrewd reserve wisdom. It pleased her to be assisting at the
+dedication of a fresh page of national history&mdash;a page yet
+unwritten, but on which she hoped that her own name would be
+inscribed sooner or later by those who should seek to trace the
+complete causes of her husband's usefulness and genius.</p>
+<p>Another source of satisfaction was the visit paid them the day
+before at the hotel by one of the United States Senators from their
+own State&mdash;Mr. Calkins. The two political parties in their own
+State were so evenly divided that one of the Senators in office
+happened to be a Republican and his colleague a Democrat. Mr.
+Calkins belonged to her husband's party, yet he suggested that they
+might enjoy a private audience with the President, with whom,
+notwithstanding political differences of opinion, Mr. Calkins was
+on friendly terms. This was the sort of thing which Selma aspired
+to, and the experience did much to lighten her heart. She enjoyed
+the distinction of seeing guarded doors open at their approach, and
+of finding herself shaking hands with the chief magistrate of the
+nation at a special interview. The President was very affable, and
+was manifestly aware of Lyons's triumph at the expense of his own
+party, and of his consequent political importance. He treated the
+matter banteringly, and Selma was pleased at her ability to enter
+into the spirit of his persiflage and to reciprocate. In her
+opinion solemnity would have been more consistent with his position
+as the official representative of the people of the United States,
+and his jocose manifestations at a time when serious conversation
+seemed to be in order was a disappointment, and tended to confirm
+her previous distrust of him as the leader of the opposite party.
+She had hoped he would broach some vital topics of political
+interest, and that she would have the opportunity to give
+expression to her own views in regard to public questions.
+Nevertheless, as the President saw fit to be humorous, she was glad
+that she understood how to meet and answer his bantering sallies.
+She felt sure that Lyons, were he ever to occupy this dignified
+office, would refrain from ill-timed levity, but she bore in mind
+also the policy of conciliation which she had learned from her
+husband, and concealed her true impressions. She noticed that both
+Lyons and Mr. Calkins forebore to show dissatisfaction, and she
+reflected that, though the President's tone was light, there was
+nothing else in his appearance or bearing to convict him of
+sympathy with lack of enthusiasm and with cynicism. It would have
+destroyed all the enjoyment of her interview had she been forced to
+conclude that a man who did not take himself and his duties
+seriously could be elected President of the United States. She was
+not willing to believe this; but her suspicions were so far aroused
+that she congratulated herself that her political opponents were
+responsible for his election. Nevertheless she was delighted by the
+distinction of the private audience, and by the episode at its
+close, which gave her opportunity to show her individuality. Said
+the President gallantly as she was taking leave:</p>
+<p>"Will you permit me to congratulate Congressman Lyons on his
+good fortune in the affairs of the heart as well as in
+politics?"</p>
+<p>"If you say things like that, Mr. President," interjected Lyons,
+"you will turn her head; she will become a Republican, and then
+where should I be?"</p>
+<p>While she perceived that the President was still inclined to
+levity, the compliment pleased Selma. Yet, though she appreciated
+that her husband was merely humoring him by his reply, she did not
+like the suggestion that any flattery could affect her principles.
+She shook her head coquettishly and said:</p>
+<p>"James, I'm sure the President thinks too well of American women
+to believe that any admiration, however gratifying, would make me
+lukewarm in devotion to my party."</p>
+<p>This speech appeared to her apposite and called for, and she
+departed in high spirits, which were illuminated by the thought
+that the administration was not wholly to be trusted.</p>
+<p>On the following evening Selma went to the reception at the
+White House. The process of arrival was trying to her patience, for
+they were obliged to await their turn in the long file of
+carriages. She could not but approve of the democratic character of
+the entertainment, which anyone who desired to behold and shake
+hands with the Chief Magistrate was free to attend. Still, it again
+crossed her mind that, as an official's wife, she ought to have
+been given precedence. Their turn to alight came at last, and they
+took their places in the procession of visitors on its way through
+the East room to the spot where the President and his wife,
+assisted by some of the ladies of the Cabinet, were submitting to
+the ordeal of receiving the nation. There was a veritable crush, in
+which there was every variety of evening toilette, a display
+essentially in keeping with the doctrines which Selma felt that she
+stood for. She took occasion to rejoice in Lyons's ear at the
+realization of her anticipations in this respect. At the same time
+she was agreeably stimulated by the belief that her wedding dress
+was sumptuous and stylish, and her appearance striking. Her hair
+had been dressed as elaborately as possible; she wore all her
+jewelry; and she carried a bouquet of costly roses. Her wish was to
+regard the function as the height of social demonstration, and she
+had spared no pains to make herself effective. She had esteemed it
+her duty to do so both as a Congressman's wife and as a champion of
+moral and democratic ideas.</p>
+<p>The crowd was oppressive, and three times the train of her dress
+was stepped on to her discomfiture. Amid the sea of faces she
+recognized a few of the people she had seen at the hotel. It struck
+her that no one of the women was dressed so elegantly as herself,
+an observation which cheered her and yet was not without its thorn.
+But the music, the lights, and the variegated movement of the scene
+kept her senses absorbed and interfered with introspection, until
+at last they were close to the receiving party. Selma fixed her
+eyes on the President, expecting recognition. Like her husband, the
+President possessed a gift of faces and the faculty of rallying all
+his energies to the important task of remembering who people were.
+An usher asked and announced the names, but the Chief Magistrate's
+perceptions were kept hard at work. His "How do you do, Congressman
+Lyons? I am very glad to see you here, Mrs. Lyons," were uttered
+with a smiling spontaneity, which to his own soul meant a momentary
+agreeable relaxation of the nerves of memory, resembling the easy
+flourish with which a gymnast engaged in lifting heavy weights
+encounters a wooden dumb-bell. But though his eyes and voice were
+flattering, Selma had barely completed the little bob of a courtesy
+which accompanied her act of shaking hands when she discovered that
+the machinery of the national custom was not to halt on their
+account, and that she must proceed without being able to renew the
+half flirtatious interview of the previous day. She proceeded to
+courtesy to the President's wife and to the row of wives of members
+of the Cabinet who were assisting. Before she could adequately
+observe them, she found herself beyond and a part once more of a
+heterogeneous crush, the current of which she aimlessly followed on
+her husband's arm. She was suspicious of the device of courtesying.
+Why had not the President's wife and the Cabinet ladies shaken
+hands with her and given her an opportunity to make their
+acquaintance? Could it be that the administration was aping foreign
+manners and adopting effete and aristocratic usages?</p>
+<p>"What do we do now?" she asked of Lyons as they drifted
+along.</p>
+<p>"I'd like to find Horace Elton and introduce him to you. I
+caught a glimpse of him further on just before we reached the
+President. Horace knows all the ropes and can tell us who everybody
+is."</p>
+<p>Selma had heard her husband refer to Horace Elton on several
+occasions in terms of respectful and somewhat mysterious
+consideration. She had gathered in a general way that he was a far
+reaching and formidable power in matters political and financial,
+besides being the president and active organizer of the energetic
+corporation known as the Consumers' Gas Light Company of their own
+state. As they proceeded she kept her eyes on the alert for a man
+described by Lyons as short, heavily built, and neat looking, with
+small side whiskers and a close-mouthed expression. When they were
+not far from the door of exit from the East room, some one on the
+edge of the procession accosted her husband, who drew her after him
+in that direction. Selma found herself in a sort of eddy occupied
+by half a dozen people engaged in observing the passing show, and
+in the presence of Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Williams. It was Mr.
+Williams who had diverted them. He now renewed his acquaintance
+with her, exclaiming&mdash;"My wife insisted that she had met you
+driving with some one she believed to be your husband. I had heard
+that Congressman Lyons was on his bridal tour, and now everything
+is clear. Flossy, you were right as usual, and it seems that our
+hearty congratulations are in order to two old friends."</p>
+<p>Williams spoke with his customary contagious confidence. Selma
+noted that he was stouter and that his hair was becomingly streaked
+with gray. Had not her attention been on the lookout for his wife
+she might have noticed that his eye wore a restless, strained
+expression despite his august banker's manner and showy gallantry.
+She did observe that the moment he had made way for Flossy he
+turned to Lyons and began to talk to him in a subdued tone under
+the guise of watching the procession.</p>
+<p>The two women confronted each other with spontaneous
+forgetfulness of the past. There was a shade of haughtiness in
+Selma's greeting. She was prepared to respect her husband's policy
+and to ignore the circumstances under which they had parted, but
+she wished Flossy to understand that this was an act of
+condescension on her part as a Congressman's wife, whose important
+social status was beyond question. She was so thoroughly imbued
+with this sense of her indisputable superiority that she readily
+mistook Flossy's affability for fawning; whereas that young woman's
+ingenuous friendliness was the result of a warning sentence from
+Gregory when Selma and her husband were seen
+approaching&mdash;"Keep a check on your tongue, Floss. This
+statesman with a beard like a goat is likely to have a political
+future."</p>
+<p>"I felt sure it was you the other day," Flossy said with smiling
+sprightliness, "but I had not heard of your marriage to Mr.
+Lyons."</p>
+<p>"We were married at Benham six weeks ago. We are to live in
+Benham. We have bought the house there which belonged to Mr.
+Parsons. We have just returned from visiting the superb scenery of
+the Yosemite and the Rocky Mountains, and it made me prouder than
+ever of my country. If Congressman Lyons had not been obliged to be
+present at the opening of Congress, we should have spent our
+honeymoon in Europe."</p>
+<p>"Gregory and I passed last summer abroad yachting. We crossed on
+a steamer and had our yacht meet us there. Isn't it a jam
+to-night?"</p>
+<p>"There seem to be a great many people. I suppose you came on
+from New York on purpose for this reception?"</p>
+<p>"Mercy, no. We are staying with friends, and we hadn't intended
+to come to-night. But we had been dining out and were dressed, so
+we thought we'd drop in and show our patriotism. It's destruction
+to clothes, and I'm glad I haven't worn my best."</p>
+<p>Selma perceived Flossy's eye making a note of her own elaborate
+costume, and the disagreeable suspicion that she was overdressed
+reasserted itself. She had already observed that Mrs. Williams's
+toilette, though stylish, was comparatively simple. How could one
+be overdressed on such an occasion? What more suitable time for an
+American woman to wear her choicest apparel than when paying her
+respects to the President of the United States? She noticed that
+Flossy seemed unduly at her ease as though the importance of the
+ceremony was lost on her, and that they group of people with whom
+Flossy had been talking and who stood a little apart were obviously
+indulging in quiet mirth at the expense of some of those in the
+procession.</p>
+<p>"Are the friends with whom you are staying connected with the
+Government?" Selma asked airily.</p>
+<p>"Official people? Goodness, no. But I can point out to you who
+everybody is, for we have been in Washington frequently during the
+last three sessions. Gregory has to run over here on business every
+now and then, and I almost always come with him. To-night is the
+opportunity to see the queer people in all their glory&mdash;the
+woolly curiosities, as Gregory calls them. And a sprinkling of the
+real celebrities too," she added.</p>
+<p>Selma's inquiry had been put with a view to satisfy herself that
+Flossy's friends were mere civilians. But she was glad of an
+opportunity to be enlightened as to the names of her
+fellow-officials, though she resented Flossy's flippant tone
+regarding the character of the entertainment. While she listened to
+the breezy, running commentary by which Flossy proceeded to
+identify for her benefit the conspicuous figures in the procession
+she nursed her offended sensibilities.</p>
+<p>"I should suppose," she said, taking advantage of a pause, "that
+on such an occasion as this everybody worth knowing would be
+present."</p>
+<p>Flossy gave Selma one of her quick glances. She had not
+forgotten the past, nor her discovery of the late Mrs. Littleton's
+real grievance against her and the world. Nor did she consider that
+her husband's caveat debarred her from the amusement of worrying
+the wife of the Hon. James O. Lyons, provided it could be done by
+means of the truth ingenuously uttered. She said with a
+confidential smile&mdash;</p>
+<p>"The important and the interesting political people have other
+opportunities to meet one another&mdash;at dinner parties and less
+promiscuous entertainments than this, and the Washington people
+have other opportunities to meet them. Of course the President is a
+dear, and everyone makes a point of attending a public reception
+once in a while, but this sort of thing isn't exactly an edifying
+society event. For instance, notice the woman in the pomegranate
+velvet with two diamond sprays in her hair. That's the wife of
+Senator Colman&mdash;his child wife, so they call her. She came to
+Washington six years ago as the wife of a member of the House from
+one of the wild and woolly States, and was notorious then in the
+hotel corridors on account of her ringletty raven hair and the
+profusion of rings she wore. She used to make eyes at the hotel
+guests and romp with her husband's friends in the hotel parlors,
+which was the theatre of her social activities. Her husband died,
+and a year ago she married old Senator Colman, old enough to be her
+grandfather, and one of the very rich and influential men in the
+Senate. Now she has developed social ambition and is anxious to
+entertain. They have hired a large house for the winter and are
+building a larger one. As Mrs. Polsen&mdash;that was her first
+husband's name&mdash;she was invited nowhere except to wholesale
+official functions like this. The wife of a United States Senator
+with plenty of money can generally attract a following; she is
+somebody. And it happens that people are amused by Mrs. Cohnan's
+eccentricities. She still overdresses, and makes eyes, and she
+nudges those who sit next her at table, but she is good-natured,
+says whatever comes into her head, and has a strong sense of humor.
+So she is getting on."</p>
+<p>"Getting on among society people?" said Selma drily.</p>
+<p>Flossy's eyes twinkled. "Society people is the generic name used
+for them in the newspapers. I mean that she is making friends among
+the women who live in the quarter where I passed you the other
+day."</p>
+<p>Selma frowned. "It is not necessary, I imagine, to make friends
+of that class in order to have influence in Washington,&mdash;the
+best kind of influence. I can readily believe that people of that
+sort would interest most of our public women very little."</p>
+<p>"Very likely. I don't think you quite understand me, Mrs. Lyons,
+or we are talking at cross purposes. What I was trying to make
+clear is that political and social prominence in Washington are by
+no means synonimous. Of course everyone connected with the
+government who desires to frequent Washington society and is
+socially available is received with open arms; but, if people are
+not socially available, it by no means follows that they are able
+to command social recognition merely because they hold political
+office,&mdash;except perhaps in the case of wives of the Cabinet,
+of the Justices of the Supreme Court, or of rich and influential
+Senators, where a woman is absolutely bent on success and takes
+pains. I refer particularly to the wives, because a single man, if
+he is reasonably presentable and ambitious, can go about more or
+less, even if he is a little rough, for men are apt to be scarce.
+But the line is drawn on the women unless they
+are&mdash;er&mdash;really important and have to be tolerated for
+official reasons. Now every woman who is not <i>persona grata</i>,
+as the diplomats say, anywhere else, is apt to attend the
+President's reception in all her finery, and that's why I suggested
+that this sort of thing isn't exactly an edifying social event.
+It's amusing to come here now and then, just as it's amusing to go
+to a menagerie. You see what I mean, don't you?" Flossy asked,
+plying her feathery fan with blithe nonchalance and looking into
+her companion's face with an innocent air.</p>
+<p>"I understand perfectly. And who are these people who draw the
+line?"</p>
+<p>"It sometimes happens," continued Flossy abstractedly, without
+appearing to hear this inquiry, "that they improve after they've
+been in Washington a few years. Take Mrs. Baker, the Secretary of
+the Interior's wife, receiving to-night. When her husband came to
+Washington three years ago she had the social adaptability of a
+solemn horse. But she persevered and learned, and now as a Cabinet
+lady she unbends, and is no longer afraid of compromising her
+dignity by wearing becoming clothes and smiling occasionally. But
+you were asking who the people are who draw the line. The nice
+people here just as everywhere else; the people who have been well
+educated and have fine sensibilities, and who believe in modesty,
+and unselfishness and thorough ways of doing things. You must know
+the sort of people I mean. Some of them make too much of mere
+manners, but as a class they are able to draw the line because they
+draw it in favor of distinction of character as opposed
+to&mdash;what shall I call it?&mdash;haphazard custom-made ethics
+and social deportment."</p>
+<p>Flossy spoke with the artless prattle of one seeking to make
+herself agreeable to a new-comer by explaining the existing order
+of things, but she had chosen her words as she proceeded with
+special reference to her listener's case. There was nothing in her
+manner to suggest that she was trifling with the feelings of the
+wife of Hon. James O. Lyons, but to Selma's sensitive ear there was
+no doubt that the impertinent and unpatriotic tirade had been
+deliberately aimed at her. The closing words had a disagreeably
+familiar sound. Save that they fell from seemingly friendly lips
+they recalled the ban which Flossy had hurled at her at the close
+of their last meeting&mdash;the ban which had decided her to
+declare unwavering hostility against social exclusiveness. Its
+veiled reiteration now made her nerves tingle, but the personal
+affront stirred her less than the conclusion, which the whole of
+Flossy's commentary suggested, that Washington&mdash;Washington the
+hearth-stone of American ideals, was contaminated also. Flossy had
+given her to understand that the houses which she had assumed to be
+occupied by members of the Government were chiefly the residences
+of people resembling in character those whom she had disapproved of
+in New York. Flossy had intimated that unless a woman were hand in
+glove with these people and ready to lower herself to their
+standards, she must be the wife of a rich Senator to be tolerated.
+Flossy had virtually told her that a Congressman's wife was nobody.
+Could this be true? The bitterest part of all was that it was
+evident Flossy spoke with the assurance of one uttering familiar
+truths. Selma felt affronted and bitterly disappointed, but she
+chose to meet Mrs. Williams's innocent affability with composure;
+to let her see that she disagreed with her, but not to reveal her
+personal irritation. She must consider Lyons, whose swift political
+promotion was necessary for her plans. It was important that he
+should become rich, and if his relations with the firm of Williams
+&amp; Van Horne tended to that end, no personal grievance of her
+own should disturb them. Even Flossy had conceded that the wives of
+the highest officials could not be ignored.</p>
+<p>"I fear that we look at these matters from too different a
+standpoint to discuss them further," she responded, with an effort
+at smiling ease. "Evidently you do not appreciate that to the
+majority of the strong women of the country whose husbands have
+been sent to Washington as members of the Government social
+interests seem trivial compared with the great public questions
+they are required to consider. These women doubtless feel little
+inclination for fashionable and&mdash;or&mdash;frivolous
+festivities, and find an occasion like this better suited to their
+conception of social dignity."</p>
+<p>A reply by Flossy to this speech was prevented by the
+interruption of Lyons, who brought up Mr. Horace Elton for
+introduction to his wife. Selma knew him at once from his likeness
+to the description which her husband had given. He was portly and
+thick-set, with a large neck, a strong, unemotional, high-colored
+face, and closely-shaven, small side whiskers. He made her a low
+bow and, after a few moments of conversation, in the course of
+which he let fall a complimentary allusion to her husband's
+oratorical abilities and gave her to understand that he considered
+Lyons's marriage as a wise and enviable proceeding, he invited her
+to promenade the room on his arm. Mr. Elton had a low but clear and
+dispassionate voice, and a concise utterance. His remarks gave the
+impression that he could impart more on any subject if he chose,
+and that what he said proceeded from a reserve fund of special,
+secret knowledge, a little of which he was willing to confide to
+his listener. He enlightened Selma in a few words as to a variety
+of the people present, accompanying his identification with a
+phrase or two of comprehensive personal detail, which had the savor
+of being unknown to the world at large.</p>
+<p>"The lady we just passed, Mrs. Lyons, is the wife of the junior
+Senator from Nevada. Her husband fell in love with her on the stage
+of a mining town theatrical troupe. That tall man, with the profuse
+wavy hair and prominent nose, is Congressman Ross of Colorado, the
+owner of one of the largest cattle ranches in the Far West. It is
+said that he has never smoked, never tasted a glass of liquor, and
+never gambled in his life."</p>
+<p>In the course of these remarks Mr. Elton simply stated his
+interesting facts without comment. He avoided censorious or
+satirical allusions to the people to whom he called Selma's
+attention. On the contrary, his observations suggested
+sympathetically that he desired to point out to her the interesting
+personalities of the capital, and that he regarded the
+entertainment as an occasion to behold the strong men and women of
+the country in their lustre and dignity. As they passed the lady in
+pomegranate velvet, Selma said, in her turn, "That is Mrs. Colman,
+I believe. Senator Colman's child wife." She added what was in her
+thoughts, "I understand that the society people here have taken her
+up."</p>
+<p>"Yes. She has become a conspicuous figure in Washington. I
+remember her, Mrs. Lyons, when she was Addie Farr&mdash;before she
+married Congressman Polsen of Kentucky. She was a dashing looking
+girl in those days, with her black eyes and black ringlets. I
+remember she had a coltish way of tossing her head. The story is
+that when she accepted Polsen another Kentuckian&mdash;a young
+planter&mdash;who was in love with her, drank laudanum. Now, as you
+say, she is being taken up socially, and her husband, the Senator,
+is very proud of her success. After all, if a woman is ambitious
+and has tact, what can she ask better than to be the wife of a
+United States Senator?" He paused a moment, then, with a gallant
+sidelong glance at his companion, resumed in a concise whisper,
+which had the effect of a disclosure, "Prophecies, especially
+political prophecies, are dangerous affairs, but it seems to me not
+improbable that before many years have passed the wife of Senator
+Lyons will be equally prominent&mdash;be as conspicuous socially as
+the wife of Senator Colman."</p>
+<p>Selma blushed, but not wholly with pleasure. Socially
+conspicuous before many years? The splendid prophecy, which went
+beyond the limit of Horace Elton's usual caution&mdash;for he
+combined the faculty of habitual discretion with his chatty
+proclivities&mdash;was dimmed for Selma by the rasping intimation
+that she was not conspicuous yet. Worse still, his statement
+shattered the hope, which Flossy's fluent assertions had already
+disturbed, that she was to find in Washington a company of
+congenial spirits who would appreciate her at her full value
+forthwith, and would join with her and under her leadership in
+resisting the encroachments of women of the stamp of Mrs.
+Williams.</p>
+<p>"I am very ambitious for my husband, Mr. Elton, and of course I
+have hoped&mdash;do hope that some day he will be a Senator. What
+you said just now as to the power of his voice to arouse the moral
+enthusiasm of the people seemed to be impressively true. I should
+be glad to be a Senator's wife, for&mdash;for I wish to help him. I
+wish to demonstrate the truth of the principles to which both our
+lives are dedicated. But I hoped that I might help him
+now&mdash;that my mission might be clear at once. It seems
+according to you that a Congressman's wife is not of much
+importance; that her hands are tied."</p>
+<p>"Practically so, unless&mdash;unless she has unusual social
+facility, and the right sort of acquaintances. Beauty, wealth and
+ambition are valuable aids, but I always am sorry for women who
+come here without friends, and&mdash;er&mdash;the right sort of
+introduction. At any rate, to answer your question frankly, a
+Congressman's wife has her spurs to win just as he has. If you were
+to set up house-keeping, here, Mrs. Lyons, I've no doubt that a
+woman of your attractions and capabilities would soon make a niche
+for herself. You have had social experience, which Addie Farr, for
+instance, was without."</p>
+<p>"I lived in New York for some years with my husband, Mr.
+Littleton, so I have a number of Eastern acquaintances."</p>
+<p>"I remember you were talking with Mrs. Gregory Williams when I
+was introduced to you. The people with whom she is staying are
+among the most fashionable in Washington. What I said had reference
+to the wife of the every-day Congressman who comes to Washington
+expecting recognition. Not to Mrs. James O. Lyons."</p>
+<p>Selma bit her lip. She recognized the death-knell of her
+cherished expectations. She was not prepared to acknowledge
+formally her discomfiture and her disappointment. But she believed
+that Mr. Elton, though a plain man, had comprehensive experience
+and that he spoke with shrewd knowledge of the situation. She felt
+sure that he was not trying to deceive or humiliate her. It was
+clear that Washington was contaminated also.</p>
+<p>"I dare say I should get on here well enough after a time,
+though I should find difficulty in considering that it was right to
+give so much time to merely social matters. But Mr. Lyons and I
+have already decided that I can be more use to him at present in
+Benham. There I feel at home. I am known, and have my friends, and
+there I have important work&mdash;literary lectures and the
+establishment of a large public hospital under way. If the time
+comes, as you kindly predict, that my husband is chosen a United
+States Senator, I shall be glad to return here and accept the
+responsibilities of our position. But I warn you, Mr.
+Elton,&mdash;I warn the people of Washington," she added with a
+wave of her fan, while her eyes sparkled with a stern light "that
+when I am one of their leaders, I shall do away with some of
+the&mdash;er&mdash;false customs of the present administration. I
+shall insist on preserving our American social traditions
+inviolate."</p>
+<p>Here was the grain of consolation in the case, which she
+clutched at and held up before her mind's eye as a new stimulus to
+her patriotism and her conscience. Both Mr. Elton and Flossy had
+indicated that there was a point at which exclusiveness was
+compelled to stop in its haughty disregard of democratic ideals.
+There were certain women whom the people who worshipped lack of
+enthusiasm and made an idol of cynicism were obliged to heed and
+recognize. They might be able to ignore the intelligence and social
+originality of a Congressman's wife, but they dared not turn a cold
+shoulder on the wife of a United States Senator. And if a
+woman&mdash;if she were to occupy this proud position, what a
+satisfaction it would be to assert the power which belonged to it;
+assert it in behalf of the cause for which she had suffered so
+much! Her disappointment tasted bitterly in her mouth, and she was
+conscious of stern revolt; but the new hope had already taken
+possession of her fancy, and she hastened to prove it by the
+ethical standard without which all hopes were valueless to her.
+Even now had anyone told her that the ruling passion of her life
+was to be wooed and made much of by the very people she professed
+to despise, she would have spurned the accuser as a malicious
+slanderer. Nor indeed would it have been wholly true. Mrs. Williams
+had practically told her this at their last meeting in New York,
+and its utterance had convinced her on the contrary of repugnance
+to them, and of her desire to be the leader of a social protest
+against them. Now here, in Washington of all places, she was
+confronted by the bitter suggestion that she was without allies,
+and that her enemies were the keepers of the door which led to
+leadership and power. Despondency stared her in the face, but a
+splendid possibility&mdash;aye probability was left. She would not
+forsake her principles. She would not lower her flag. She would
+return to Benham. Washington refused her homage now, but it should
+listen to her and bow before her some day as the wife of one of the
+real leaders of the State, whom Society did not dare to ignore.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VII.</h3>
+<p>At the close of the fortnight of her stay in Washington
+subsequent to the reception at the White House, Selma found herself
+in the same frame of mind as when she parted from Mr. Elton. During
+this fortnight her time was spent either in sight seeing or at the
+hotel. The exercises at the Capitol were purely formal, preliminary
+to a speedy adjournment of Congress. Consequently her husband had
+no opportunity to distinguish himself by addressing the house. Of
+Flossy she saw nothing, though the two men had several meetings.
+Apparently both Lyons and Williams were content with a surface
+reconciliation between their wives which did not bar family
+intercourse. At least her husband made no suggestion that she
+should call on Mrs. Williams, and Flossy's cards did not appear.
+Beyond making the acquaintance of a few more wives and daughters in
+the hotel, who seemed as solitary as herself, Selma received no
+overtures from her own sex. She knew no one, and no one sought her
+out or paid her attention. She still saw fit to believe that if she
+were to establish herself in Washington and devote her energies to
+rallying these wives and daughters about her, she might be able to
+prove that Flossy and Mr. Elton were mistaken. But she realized
+that the task would be less simple than she had anticipated.
+Besides she yearned to return to Benham, and take up again the
+thread of active life there. Benham would vindicate her, and some
+day Benham would send her back to Washington to claim recognition
+and her rightful place.</p>
+<p>Lyons himself was in a cheerful mood and found congenial
+occupation in visiting with his wife the many historical objects of
+interest, and in chatting in various hotel corridors with the
+public men of the country, his associates in Congress. His
+solicitude in regard to the account which Williams was carrying for
+him had been relieved temporarily by an upward turn in the stock
+market, and the impending prompt adjournment of Congress had saved
+him from the necessity of taking action in regard to the railroad
+bill which Williams had solicited him to support. Moreover Selma
+had repeated to him Horace Elton's prophecy that it was not
+unlikely that some day he would become Senator. To be sure he
+recognized that a remark like this uttered to a pretty woman by an
+astute man of affairs such as Elton was not to be taken too
+seriously. There was no vacancy in the office of Senator from his
+state, and none was likely to occur. At the present time, if one
+should occur, his party in the state legislature was in a minority.
+Hence prophecy was obviously a random proceeding. Nevertheless he
+was greatly pleased, for, after all, Elton would scarcely have made
+the speech had he not been genuinely well disposed. A senatorship
+was one of the great prizes of political life, and one of the
+noblest positions in the world. It would afford him a golden
+opportunity to leave the impress of his convictions on national
+legislation, and defend the liberties of the people by force of the
+oratorical gifts which he possessed. Elton had referred to these
+gifts in complimentary terms. Was it not reasonable to infer that
+Elton would be inclined to promote his political fortunes? Such an
+ally would be invaluable, for Elton was a growing power in the
+industrial development of the section of the country where they
+both lived. He had continued to find him friendly in spite of his
+own antagonism on the public platform to corporate power. A
+favorite and conscientious hope in his political outlook was that
+he might be able to make capital as well as labor believe him to be
+a friend without alienating either; that he might obtain support at
+the polls from both factions, and thus be left free after election
+to work out for their mutual advantage appropriate legislation. He
+had avowed himself unmistakably the champion of popular principles
+in order to win the confidence of the common people, but his policy
+of reasonable conciliation led him to cast sheep's eyes at vested
+interests when he could do so without exposing himself to the
+charge of inconsistency. Many of his friends were wealthy men, and
+his private ambition was to amass a handsome fortune. That had been
+the cause of his speculative ventures in local enterprises which
+promised large returns, and in the stock market. Horace Elton was a
+friend of but three years' standing; one of the men who had
+consulted him occasionally in regard to legal matters since he had
+become a corporation attorney. He admired Elton's strong,
+far-reaching grasp of business affairs, his capacity to formulate
+and incubate on plans of magnitude without betraying a sign of his
+intentions, and his power to act with lightning despatch and
+overwhelming vigor when the moment for the consummation of his
+purposes arrived. He also found agreeable Elton's genial,
+easy-going ways outside of business hours, which frequently took
+the form of social entertainment at which expense seemed to be no
+consideration and gastronomic novelties were apt to be presented.
+Lyons attended one of these private banquets while in
+Washington&mdash;a dinner party served to a carefully chosen
+company of public men, to which newspaper scribes were unable to
+penetrate. This same genial, easy-going tendency of Elton's to make
+himself acceptable to those with whom he came in contact took the
+form of a gift to Mrs. Lyons of a handsome cameo pin which he
+presented to her a day or two after their dialogue at the
+President's reception, and for which, as he confidentially informed
+Selma, he had been seeking a suitable wearer ever since he had
+picked it up in an out-of-the-way store in Brussels the previous
+summer.</p>
+<p>On the day of their departure Selma, as she took a last look
+from the car window at the Capitol and the Washington Monument,
+said to her husband: "This is a beautiful city&mdash;worthy in many
+respects of the genius of the American people&mdash;but I never
+wish to return to Washington until you are United States
+Senator."</p>
+<p>"Would you not be satisfied with Justice of the Supreme Court?"
+asked Lyons, gayly.</p>
+<p>"I should prefer Senator. If you were Senator, you could
+probably be appointed to the Supreme Court in case you preferred
+that place. I am relying on you, James, to bring me back here some
+day."</p>
+<p>She whispered this in his ear, as they sat with heads close
+together looking back at the swiftly receding city. Selma's hands
+were clasped in her lap, and she seemed to her lover to have a
+dreamy air&mdash;an air suggesting poetry and high ethical resolve
+such as he liked to associate with her and their scheme of wedded
+life. It pleased him that his wife should feel so confident that
+the future had in store for him this great prize, and he allowed
+himself to yield to the pathos of the moment and whisper in
+reply:</p>
+<p>"I will say this, Selma. My business affairs look more
+favorable, and, if nothing unforeseen happens, I do not see why we
+shouldn't get on reasonably fast. Nowadays, in order to be a United
+States Senator comfortably, it is desirable in the first place to
+have abundant means."</p>
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+<p>"We must be patient and God-fearing, and with your help, dear,
+and your sympathy, we may live to see what you desire come to pass.
+Of course, my ambition is to be Senator, and&mdash;and to take you
+back to Washington as a Senator's wife."</p>
+<p>Selma had not chosen to confide to Lyons in set terms her social
+grievance against the capital of her country. But she was glad to
+perceive from his last words that he understood she was not
+satisfied with the treatment accorded her, and that he also was
+looking forward to giving her a position which would enable her to
+rebuke the ungodly and presumptuous.</p>
+<p>"Thank you, James," she answered. "When that time comes we shall
+be able to teach them a number of things. For the present though, I
+feel that I can be of best service to you and to the truths which
+we are living for by interesting myself in whatever concerns
+Benham. We believe in Benham, and Benham seems inclined to believe
+in us and our ideas."</p>
+<p>The ensuing year passed uneventfully. Lyons was able to be at
+home from the first of April to the reassembling of Congress in the
+following December. He was glad to give himself up to the enjoyment
+of his handsome establishment. He resumed the tenor of his
+professional practice, feeling that as a sober-minded, married
+citizen he had become of more importance to the community, and he
+was eager to bear witness to his sense of responsibility. He took a
+more active part in soliciting contributions for evangelizing
+benighted countries, and he consented on several occasions to
+deliver an address on "Success in Life" to struggling young men of
+Benham and the surrounding towns. His easy flow of words, his
+dignity and his sober but friendly mien made him a favorite with
+audiences, and constantly broadened his circle of acquaintance.</p>
+<p>Selma, on her side, took up the organization of the Free
+Hospital provided by Mr. Parsons. Her husband left the decision of
+all but legal and financial questions to her and Miss Luella
+Bailey, who, at Selma's request, was made the third member of the
+board of trustees. She decided to call in a committee of prominent
+physicians to formulate a programme of procedure in matters purely
+medical; but she reserved a right of rejection of their
+conclusions, and she insisted on the recognition of certain
+cardinal principles, as she called them. She specified that no one
+school of medicine should dictate the policy of the hospital as
+regards the treatment of patients. To the young physician whom she
+selected to assist her in forming this administrative board she
+stated, with stern emotion: "I do not intend that it shall be
+possible in this hospital for men and women to be sacrificed simply
+because doctors are unwilling to avail themselves of the latest
+resources of brilliant individual discernment. I know what it means
+to see a beloved one die, who might have been saved had the
+physician in charge been willing to try new expedients. The doors
+of this hospital must be ever open to rising unconventional talent.
+There shall be no creeds nor caste of medicine here."</p>
+<p>She also specified that the matron in charge of the hospital
+should be Mrs. Earle, whose lack of trained experience was more
+than counterbalanced by her maternal, humanitarian spirit, as Selma
+expressed it. She felt confident that Mrs. Earle would choose as
+her assistants competent and skilful persons, and at the same time
+that her broad point of view and sympathetic instincts would not
+allow her to turn a deaf ear to aspiring but technically ignorant
+ability. This selection of Mrs. Earle was a keen pleasure to Selma.
+It seemed to her an ideal selection. Mrs. Earle was no longer
+young, and was beginning to find the constant labor of lecture and
+newspaper work exhausting. This dignified and important post would
+provide her with a permanent income, and would afford her an
+attractive field for her progressive capabilities.</p>
+<p>Selma's choice of young Dr. Ashmun as the head of the medical
+board was due to a statement which came to her ears, that he was
+reviled by some of the physicians of Benham because he had patented
+certain discoveries of his own instead of giving his
+fellow-practitioners the benefit of his knowledge. Selma was prompt
+to detect in this hostility an envious disposition on the part of
+the regular physicians to appropriate the fruits of individual
+cleverness and to repress youthful revolt against conventional
+methods. Dr. Ashmun regarded his selection as the professional
+chief of this new institution as a most auspicious occurrence from
+the standpoint of his personal fortunes. He was ambitious, ardent,
+and keen to attract attention, with an abundant fund of energy and
+a nervous, driving manner. He was, besides, good looking and
+fluent, and he quickly perceived the drift of Selma's intentions in
+regard to the hospital, and accommodated himself to them with
+enthusiasm. They afforded him the very opportunity which he most
+desired&mdash;the chance to assert himself against his critics, and
+to obtain public notice. The watchword of liberty and distrust of
+professional canons suited his purposes and his mood, and he threw
+himself eagerly into the work of carrying out Selma's projects.</p>
+<p>As a result of the selection of Dr. Ashmun and of the other
+members of the administrative board, who were chosen with a view to
+their availability as sympathetic colleagues, letters of protest
+from several physicians appeared in the newspapers complaining that
+the new hospital was being conducted on unscientific and shallow
+principles, disapproved of by the leading men of the profession.
+Selma was indignant yet thrilled. She promptly took steps to refute
+the charge, and explained that the hostility of these
+correspondents proceeded from envy and hide-bound reluctance to
+adopt new and revolutionizing expedients. Through the aid of Mrs.
+Earle and Miss Luella Bailey a double-leaded column in the Benham
+<i>Sentinel</i> set forth the merits of the new departure in
+medicine, which was cleverly described as the revolt of the
+talented young men of the profession from the tyranny of their
+conservative elders. Benham became divided in opinion as to the
+merits of this controversy, and Selma received a number of
+anonymous letters through the post approving her stand in behalf of
+advanced, independent thought. Among the physicians who were
+opposed to her administration of the hospital she recognized with
+satisfaction the name of a Dr. Paget, who, as she happened to know,
+was Mrs. Hallett Taylor's medical adviser.</p>
+<p>Another matter in which Selma became interested was the case of
+Mrs. Hamilton. She was a woman who had been born in the
+neighborhood of Benham, but had lived for twenty years in England,
+and had been tried in England by due process of law for the murder
+of her husband and sentenced to imprisonment for life. Some of the
+people of the state who had followed the testimony as reported in
+the American newspapers had decided that she ought not to have been
+convicted. Accordingly a petition setting forth the opinion of her
+former neighbors that she was innocent of the charge, and should as
+an American citizen be released from custody, was circulated for
+signature. A public meeting was held and largely attended, at which
+it was resolved to send a monster petition to the British
+authorities with a request for Mrs. Hamilton's pardon, and also to
+ask the government at Washington to intercede on behalf of the
+unfortunate sufferer. The statement of the case appealed vividly to
+Selma, and at the public meeting, which was attended chiefly by
+women, she spoke, and offered the services of her husband to lay
+the matter before the President. It was further resolved to obtain
+the names of influential persons all over the country in order that
+the petition might show that the sentiment that injustice had been
+done was national as well as local.</p>
+<p>Selma espoused the case with ardor, and busied herself in
+obtaining signatures. She called on Miss Flagg and induced her to
+sign by the assurance that the verdict was entirely contrary to the
+evidence. She then had recourse to her former sister-in-law,
+conceiving that the signature of the President of Wetmore College
+would impress the English. She and Pauline had already exchanged
+visits, and Pauline had shown no umbrage at her marriage. The
+possibility of being rebuffed on this occasion did not occur to
+Selma. She took for granted that Pauline would be only too glad to
+give her support to so deserving a petition, and she considered
+that she was paying her a compliment in soliciting her name for
+insertion among the prominent signers. Pauline listened to her
+attentively, then replied:</p>
+<p>"I am sorry for the woman, if she is innocent: and if she has
+been falsely accused, of course she ought to be released. But what
+makes you think she is innocent, Selma?"</p>
+<p>"The testimony did not justify her conviction. Every one is of
+that opinion."</p>
+<p>"Have you read the testimony yourself, Selma?"</p>
+<p>"No, Pauline."</p>
+<p>"Or your husband?"</p>
+<p>"My husband is satisfied from what others have told him, just as
+I am, that this poor American woman is languishing in prison as the
+result of a cruel miscarriage of justice, and that she never
+committed the crime of which she has been found guilty. My husband
+has had considerable legal experience."</p>
+<p>Pauline's questions were nettling, and Selma intended by her
+response to suggest the presumptuousness of her sister-in-law's
+doubts in the face of competent authority.</p>
+<p>"I realize that your husband ought to understand about such
+matters, but may one suppose that the English authorities would
+deliberately allow an innocent woman to remain in prison? They must
+know that the friends of Mrs. Hamilton believe her innocent. Why
+should we on this side of the water meddle simply because she was
+born an American?"</p>
+<p>"Why?" Selma drew herself up proudly. "In the first place I
+believe&mdash;we believe&mdash;that the English are capable of
+keeping her in prison on a technicality merely because she is there
+already. They are worshippers of legal form and red tape, my
+husband says. And as to meddling, why is it not our duty as an
+earnest and Christian people to remonstrate against the continued
+incarceration of a woman born under our flag and accustomed to
+American ideas of justice? Meddling? In my opinion, we should be
+cowards and derelict in our duty if we did not protest."</p>
+<p>Pauline shook her head. "I cannot see it so. It seems to me an
+interference which may make us seem ridiculous in the eyes of the
+English, as well as offensive to them. I am sorry, Selma, not to be
+able to do as you wish."</p>
+<p>Selma rose with burning cheeks, but a stately air. "If that is
+your decision, I must do without your name. Already we have many
+signatures, and shall obtain hundreds more without difficulty. We
+look at things differently, Pauline. Our point of view has never
+been the same. Ridiculous? I should be proud of the ridicule of
+people too selfish or too unenlightened to heed the outcry of
+aspiring humanity. If we had to depend on your little set to strike
+the note of progress, I fear we should sit with folded hands most
+of the time."</p>
+<p>"I do not know what you mean by my little set," said Pauline
+with a smile. "I am too busy with my college duties to belong to
+any set. I see my friends occasionally just as you see yours; and
+as to progress&mdash;well, I fear that you are right in your
+statement that we shall never look at things alike. To me progress
+presupposes in the individual or the community attaining it a
+prelude of slow struggle, disheartening doubts, and modest
+reverence for previous results&mdash;for the accumulated wisdom of
+the past."</p>
+<p>"I mean by your set the people who think as you do. I understand
+your point of view. I should have liked," she added, "to ask you to
+share with me the responsibility of directing the policy of the
+Benham Free Hospital, had I not known that you would listen to the
+voice of conservative authority in preference to that of fearless
+innovation."</p>
+<p>"I certainly should have hesitated long before I overruled the
+experience of those who have devoted their lives to conscientious
+effort to discover truth."</p>
+<p>"That illustrates admirably the difference between us, Pauline.
+No one is more eager to aid the discovery of truth than I, but I
+believe that truth often is concealed from those who go on, day
+after day, following hum-drum routine, however conscientious. I
+recognized that Dr. Ashmun was a live man and had fresh ideas, so I
+chose him as our chief of staff, notwithstanding the doctors were
+unfriendly to him. As a result, my hospital has individuality, and
+is already a success. That's the sort of thing I mean. Good-by,"
+she said, putting out her hand. "I don't expect to convert you,
+Pauline, to look at things my way, but you must realize by this
+time that it is the Benham way."</p>
+<p>"Yet the leading physicians of Benham disapprove of your plans
+for the management of the hospital," said Pauline firmly.</p>
+<p>"But the people of Benham approve of them. I prefer their
+sanction to that of a coterie of cautious, unenthusiastic
+autocrats."</p>
+<p>Selma, true to her intentions, did not return to Washington with
+her husband when Congress reassembled in December. While she was
+absorbed with her philanthropic plans in Benham, Lyons was
+performing his public duties; seeking to do the country good
+service, and at the right moment to attract attention to himself.
+The opportunity to make a speech along the line of his public
+professions in behalf of labor against corporate monopoly did not
+offer itself until late in the session. He improved the few minutes
+allowed him to such advantage that he was listened to with close
+attention, and was at once recognized as one of the persuasive and
+eloquent speakers of the minority. Before Congress adjourned he
+obtained another chance to take part in debate, by which he
+produced an equally favorable impression. The newspapers of the
+country referred approvingly to his cogent gift of statement and
+dignified style of delivery. Both the bills against which he spoke
+were passed by the Republican majority, but echoes of his words
+came back from some of their constituents, and Lyons was referred
+to as certain to be one of the strong men of the House if he
+returned to Congress. He went home at the close of the session in a
+contented frame of mind so far as his political prospects were
+concerned, but he was not free to enjoy the congratulations
+accorded him for the reason that his business ventures were
+beginning to give him serious solicitude. The trend of the stock
+market was again downward. In expectation of a rise from the
+previous depression, he had added to the line of shares which
+Williams &amp; Van Horne were carrying for him. A slight rise had
+come, sufficient to afford him a chance to escape from the toils of
+Wall street without loss. But he needed a profit to rehabilitate
+his ventures in other directions&mdash;his investments in the
+enterprises of his own state, which had now for some months
+appeared quiescent, if not languishing, from a speculative point of
+view. Everything pointed, it was said, to a further advance as soon
+as Congress adjourned. So he had waited, and now, although the
+session was over, the stock market and financial undertakings of
+every sort appeared suddenly to be tottering. He had not been at
+home a month before prices of all securities began to shrink
+inordinately and the business horizon to grow murky with the clouds
+of impending disaster. To add to his worry, Lyons was conscious
+that he had pursued a fast and loose mental coarse in regard to the
+railroad bill in which his broker, Williams, was interested. He had
+given Williams to understand that he would try to see his way to
+support it; yet in view of his late prominence in Washington, as a
+foe of legislation in behalf of moneyed interests, he was more than
+ever averse to casting a vote in its favor. The bill had not been
+reached before adjournment, a result to which he had secretly
+contributed, but it was certain to be called up shortly after
+Congress reassembled. It disturbed him to feel that his affairs in
+New York were in such shape that Williams could embarrass him
+financially if he chose. It disturbed him still more that he
+appeared to himself to be guilty of bad faith. His conscience was
+troubled, and his favorite palliative of conciliation did not seem
+applicable to the case.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER VIII.</h3>
+<p>Until this time the course of financial events in Benham since
+its evolution from a sleepy country town began had been steadily
+prosperous. There had been temporary recessions in prices,
+transient haltings in the tendency of new local undertakings to
+double and quadruple in value. A few rash individuals, indeed, had
+been forced to suspend payments and compound with their creditors.
+But there had been no real set back to commercial enthusiasm and
+speculative gusto. Those who desired to borrow money for
+progressive enterprises had found the banks accommodating and
+unsuspicious, and to Benham initiative it yet appeared that the
+development of the resources of the neighborhood by the unwearying,
+masterful energy of the citizens was still in its infancy.</p>
+<p>But now, after a few months of inactivity, which holders of
+speculative securities had spoken of as another healthy breathing
+spell, the tendency of prices had changed. Had not merely halted,
+but showed a radical tendency to shrink; even to tumble feverishly.
+Buyers were scarce, and the once accommodating banks displayed a
+heartless disposition to scrutinize collateral and to ask
+embarrassing questions in regard to commercial paper. Rates of
+interest on loans were ruthlessly advanced, and additional security
+demanded. A pall of dejection hung over Benham. Evil days had come;
+days the fruit of a long period of inflation. A dozen leading firms
+failed and carried down with them diverse small people. Amid the
+general distrust and anxiety all eyes were fixed on Wall street,
+the so-called money centre of the country, the Gehenna where this
+cyclone had first manifested itself. The newspapers, voicing Benham
+public opinion, cast vituperation at the bankers and brokers of
+Wall street, whose unholy jugglings with fortune had brought this
+commercial blight on the community. Wall street had locked up
+money; consequently funds were tight in Benham, and the plans of
+its honest burghers to promote enterprise and develop the lawful
+industries of the country were interrupted. So spoke public
+opinion, and, at the same time, hundreds of private letters were
+being despatched through the Benham Post Office in response to
+requests for more margins on stocks held for the honest burghers by
+the fraternity of Wall street gamblers. There was private wailing
+and gnashing of teeth also, for in the panic a few of these bankers
+and brokers had been submerged, and the collateral of Benham's
+leading citizens had been swept away.</p>
+<p>The panic itself was brief as panics always are, but it left
+behind it everywhere a paralyzed community. So far as Benham was
+concerned, only a few actually failed, but, in a host of instances,
+possessors of property who had thought themselves wealthy a year
+before found that they were face to face with the knotty problem of
+nursing their dwarfed resources so as to avoid eventual insolvency.
+Everything had shrunk fifty&mdash;often one hundred&mdash;per
+cent., for the basis of Benham's semi-fabulous development had been
+borrowed money. Many of Benham's leading citizens were down to hard
+pan, so to speak. Their inchoate enterprises were being carried by
+the banks on the smallest margins consistent with the solvency of
+those institutions, and clear-headed men knew that months of
+recuperation must elapse before speculative properties would show
+life again. Benham was consequently gloomy for once in despite of
+its native buoyancy. It would have arisen from the ashes of a fire
+as strenuous as a young lion. But, with everybody's stocks and
+merchandise pledged to the money lenders, enterprise was gripped by
+the throat. In the pride of its prosperity Benham had dreamed that
+it was a law unto itself, and that even Wall street could not
+affect its rosy commercial destinies. It appeared to pious owners
+of securities almost as though God had deserted his chosen city of
+a chosen country.</p>
+<p>Lyons was among those upon whom the harrow of this fall in
+prices and subsequent hand-to-mouth struggle with the banks pressed
+with unpleasant rigor. In business phraseology he was too much
+extended. Consequently, as the margins of value of the securities
+on which he had borrowed dropped away, he was kept on tenter-hooks
+as to the future. In case the process of shrinkage went much
+further, he would be required to supply more collateral; and, if
+the rate of money did not fall, the banks would refuse to renew his
+notes as they became due, unless he could furnish clear evidence of
+his solvency. He was owing over one hundred and fifty thousand
+dollars on paper secured only by the stock and bonds of brand-new
+enterprises, which had no market negotiability. From the money
+which he had borrowed he had sent, from time to time, to Williams
+and Van Horne an aggregate of forty thousand dollars to protect
+some two thousand shares of railroad stocks. Williams had
+especially commended the shares of the coal-carrying roads to his
+attention, and the drop in prices had been uniformly severe in
+these properties. Instead of being the possessor of a stable
+quarter of a million, which he considered to be the value of his
+property at the time of his election to Congress, Lyons suddenly
+realized that he was on the brink of a serious financial collapse
+through which he might lose everything before he could discharge
+his liabilities. It seemed cruel to him, for he believed that all
+his ventures were sound, and that if he were not forced to
+sacrifice his possessions, their future value would attest his
+sagacity. But at present the securities of speculative enterprises
+were practically worthless as procurers of ready money. The extreme
+circumstances had come upon him with startling rapidity, so that he
+found himself in the unpleasant predicament of having used for
+temporary relief some of the bonds belonging to the Parsons estate
+which he held as executor. He had forwarded these to Williams
+merely as a matter of convenience before he had become anxious,
+expecting to be able to replace them with funds coming to him
+within thirty days from a piece of real estate for which he had
+received an offer. He had held off in the hope of obtaining a
+higher price. The following week, when signs of danger were
+multiplying, he had found the would-be purchaser unwilling to buy
+at any price. Realizing the compromising position in which he had
+placed himself by his action, he had cast about feverishly for the
+means to redeem the hypothecated securities, but all his resources
+were taxed of a sudden by the advent of the panic. It occurred to
+him to ask Selma to allow substitution of the twenty thousand
+dollars, which had been apportioned, to her as her legacy, for the
+bonds, but at first he had shrunk from the mortification of
+disclosing his condition to her, and now that the situation had
+developed, he feared that he might be obliged to borrow this money
+from her for the protection of his other interests. It gave him
+sore concern that he, a champion of moral ideas, a leading church
+member, and a Representative of the Federal Government should be
+put in such an equivocal position. Here again there was no
+opportunity for conciliation, and dignified urbanity was of no
+avail. If the condition of drooping prices and general distrust, a
+sort of commercial dry-rot, which had succeeded the panic,
+continued much longer he would be driven to the wall unless relief
+were forthcoming. Nor was it much consolation that many others were
+on the verge of failure. Financial insolvency for him would mean
+the probable loss of his seat in Congress, and the serious
+interruption of his political career. From what source could he
+hope for relief? The preparations for the autumn campaign were
+already being considered, and there was likelihood of another close
+contest between the two political parties. But for the worry
+occasioned by his plight, he would have resumed the contest with
+hopeful ardor, appreciating that the pecuniary distress of the
+community would be likely to work to his advantage. His own
+nomination was assured; his re-election appeared probable. But
+after it what could he expect but the deluge?</p>
+<p>One source of the effectiveness of Horace Elton was that he was
+wont to exercise foresight, and make his plans in advance while
+other men were slumbering. He had been prepared for the panic
+because he had been expecting it for more than a year, and the ship
+of his financial fortunes was close reefed to meet the fury of the
+overdue gale. Also he was quick to recognize that the wide-spread
+depreciation of values would inevitably be followed by a period of
+business inactivity which would throw out of employment a large
+number of wage earners whose ballots as a consequence would be cast
+against the political party in power. As far back as the time when
+he made the acquaintance of Selma at Washington and selected her as
+the wearer of his cameo pin, he had been incubating on a scheme for
+the consolidation of the gas companies in the cities and towns of
+the state into one large corporation. For this corporation he
+required a liberal charter, which the next legislature would be
+invited to grant. He expected to be able to procure this franchise
+from the legislature, but he judged that the majority in favor of
+the bill would not be large enough to pass it over the Governor's
+veto. Accordingly it was of the first importance that the Governor
+should be friendly to the measure.</p>
+<p>This was the year of the Presidential election. Both political
+parties were seeking to nominate their strongest candidates for the
+various federal and state offices. A promoter of large business
+schemes was at a disadvantage in a campaign where party feelings
+ran high and national issues were involved, and Elton knew it. He
+commonly chose an off year in politics for the consummation of his
+business deals. But he had chosen to push his bill this year for
+the reason that he wished to be in a position to buy out the
+sub-companies cheaply. The community was pressed for ready money,
+and many men who would be slow in prosperous times to extract gas
+shares from their tin boxes and stockings would be glad to avail
+themselves of a reasonable cash offer. Elton was a Republican on
+national issues. His experience had been that the Republican Party
+was fundamentally friendly to corporations, in spite of occasional
+pious ejaculations in party platforms to the contrary. He had a
+Republican candidate for Governor in mind who would be faithful to
+his interests; but this candidate was put aside in the convention
+in deference to the sentiment that only a man of first-rate mental
+and moral calibre could command the allegiance of independent
+voters, whose co-operation seemed essential to party success. The
+Republican state convention was held three weeks prior to the date
+fixed for that of their opponents. Within twenty-four hours
+subsequent to the nomination of Hon. John Patterson as the
+Republican candidate for Governor, while the party organs were
+congratulating the public on his selection, and the leaders of the
+party were endeavoring to suppress the murmurs of the disappointed
+lower order of politicians who, in metaphorical phrase, felt that
+they were sewed up in a sack for another two years by the choice of
+this strong citizen, one of the most widely circulated democratic
+newspapers announced in large type on its front page that Hon.
+James O. Lyons was the only Democrat who could defeat him in the
+gubernatorial contest. Behind the ledger sheet of this
+newspaper&mdash;which was no other than the Benham
+<i>Sentinel</i>&mdash;lurked the keen intelligence of Horace Elton.
+He knew that the candidate of his own party would never consent to
+indicate in advance what his action on the gas bill would be, and
+that he would only prejudice his chances of obtaining favorable
+action when the time arrived by any attempt to forestall a
+decision. This did not suit Horace Elton. He was accustomed to be
+able to obtain an inkling before election that legislation in which
+he was interested would not encounter a veto. His measures were
+never dishonest. That is, he never sought to foist bogus or
+fraudulent undertakings upon the community. He was seeking, to be
+sure, eventual emolument for himself, but he believed that the
+franchise which he was anxious to obtain would result in more
+progressive and more effectual public service. He had never before
+felt obliged to refrain from asking direct or indirect assurance
+that his plans would be respected by the Governor. Yet he had
+foreseen the possibility of just such an occurrence. The one chance
+in a hundred had happened and he was ready for it. He intended to
+contribute to the Republican national campaign fund, but he did not
+feel that the interests of his State would suffer if he used all
+the influences at his command to secure a Governor who would be
+friendly to his scheme, and Congressman Lyons appeared to him the
+most available man for his purpose.</p>
+<p>It had already occurred to Lyons that his nomination as Governor
+was a possibility, for the leaders of the party were ostensibly
+looking about for a desirable Democrat with whom to confront
+Patterson, and had shown an intention to turn a cold shoulder on
+the ambition of several aspirants for this honor who might have
+been encouraged in an ordinary year as probable victors. He knew
+that his name was under consideration, and he had made up his mind
+that he would accept the nomination if it were offered to him. He
+would regret the interruption of his Congressional career, but he
+felt that his election as Governor in a presidential year after a
+close contest would make him the leader of the party in the State,
+and, in case the candidate of his party were chosen President,
+would entitle him to important recognition from the new
+administration. Moreover, if he became Governor, his financial
+status would be strengthened. The banks would be more likely to
+accommodate one in such a powerful position, and he might be able
+to keep his head above water until better times brought about a
+return of public confidence and a recovery in prices. Yet he felt
+by no means sure that even as Governor he could escape betraying
+his financial embarrassment, and his mind was so oppressed by the
+predicament in which he found himself that he made no effort on his
+own part to cause the party leaders to fix their choice on him. Nor
+did he mention the possibility of his selection to Selma.
+Mortification and self-reproach had made him for the moment inert
+as to his political future, and reluctant to confide his troubles
+to her.</p>
+<p>The clarion declaration of the Benham <i>Sentinel</i> in favor
+of Lyons evoked sympathetic echoes over the State, which promptly
+convinced the political chieftains that he was the strongest
+candidate to pit against Patterson. The enthusiasm caused by the
+suggestion of his name spread rapidly, and at the end of a week his
+nomination at the convention was regarded as certain.</p>
+<p>The championship of the <i>Sentinel</i> was a complete surprise
+to Selma. She had assumed that her husband would return to
+Washington, and that political promotion for the present was out of
+the question. When she saw her husband's features looking out at
+her from a large cut on the front page of the morning newspaper,
+and read the conspicuous heading which accompanied it&mdash;"The
+<i>Sentinel</i> nominates as Governor the Hon. James O. Lyons of
+Benham, the most eloquent orator and most public-spirited citizen
+of the State"&mdash;her heart gave a bound, and she eagerly asked
+herself, "Why not?" That was just what they needed, what she needed
+to secure her hold on the social evolution of Benham. As the wife
+of the Governor of the State she would be able to ignore the people
+who held aloof from her, and introduce the reforms in social
+behavior on which her heart was set.</p>
+<p>"James, have you seen this?" she asked, eagerly.</p>
+<p>Lyons was watching her from across the breakfast table. He had
+seen it, and had laid the newspaper within her reach.</p>
+<p>"Yes, dear. It is very complimentary, isn't it?"</p>
+<p>"But what does it mean? Are you to be Governor? Did you know of
+it, James?"</p>
+<p>"I knew that my name, with others, had been mentioned by those
+who were looking for a candidate whom we can elect. But this
+nomination of the <i>Sentinel</i> comes from a clear sky. Would you
+like to have me Governor, Selma?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, indeed. If the chance is offered you, James, you will
+surely accept it. It would please me immensely to see you Governor.
+We should not be separated then part of the year, and&mdash;and I
+should be able here in Benham to help you as your wife ought to
+help you. I know," she added, "that you have been looking forward
+to the next session of Congress, in the hope of distinguishing
+yourself, but isn't this a finer opportunity? Doesn't it open the
+door to splendid possibilities?"</p>
+<p>Lyons nodded. His wife's eager presentation of the case
+confirmed his own conclusions. "It is an important decision to
+make," he said, with gravity. "If I am not elected, I shall have
+lost my place in the Congressional line, and may find difficulty in
+recovering it later. But if the party needs me, if the State needs
+me, I must not think of that. I cannot help being gratified,
+encouraged by the suggestion that my fellow-citizens of my
+political faith are turning to me as their standard-bearer at this
+time when great public issues are involved. If I can serve God and
+my country in this way, and at the same time please you, my wife,
+what can I ask better?"</p>
+<p>He spoke with genuine feeling and reverence, for it was in
+keeping with his religious tendencies to recognize in advance the
+solemn responsibilities of high office, and to picture himself as
+the agent of the heavenly powers. This attitude of mind always
+found Selma sympathetic and harmonious. Her eyes kindled with
+enthusiasm, and she replied:</p>
+<p>"You view the matter as I would have you view it, James. If this
+trust is committed to us by Providence, it is our duty to accept it
+as lovers of our country and promoters of true progress."</p>
+<p>"It would seem so. And in some ways," he said, as though he felt
+the impulse to be reasonably frank toward Providence in his
+acceptance of the trust, "my election as Governor would be
+advantageous to my political and business interests. I have not
+sought the office," he added with dignified unction, "but my
+knowledge of local conditions leads me to believe that this action
+of the <i>Sentinel</i> signifies that certain powerful influences
+are working in my favor. I shall be able to tell you more
+accurately in regard to this before long."</p>
+<p>Lyons happened to know that the Benham <i>Sentinel</i> had
+enlarged its plant two years previous, and that Horace Elton was
+still the holder of its notes for borrowed money. The transaction
+had passed through his bank, and in the course of his mental search
+for reasons to account for the sudden flat-footed stand of the
+newspaper, the thought came into his mind and dwelt there that
+Elton was at the bottom of it. If so, what was Elton's reason? Why
+should Elton, a Republican, desire his nomination? Surely not to
+compass his defeat.</p>
+<p>In this connection Elton's friendship and the prophecy made to
+Selma as to his political future occurred to him and forbade an
+invidious supposition. "Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and thou shalt
+be what thou art promised!" Lyons left Selma with the conviction
+that he would find Elton to be mainly responsible for what had
+taken place. Shortly after reaching his office he received a note
+from him asking for an appointment. Punctually at twelve o'clock
+Elton arrived and was shown into Lyons's private room. Lyons gave
+orders that he was not to be disturbed, for he believed that the
+results of the interview were likely to have a serious bearing on
+his career as a statesman.</p>
+<p>Both men were of heavy physique, but as they sat facing each
+other an observer would have remarked that Elton's visage possessed
+a clean-cut compactness of expression despite its rotund contour.
+His closely trimmed whiskers, his small, clear, penetrating eyes,
+and the effect of neatness conveyed by his personal appearance were
+so many external indications of his mental lucidity and
+precision.</p>
+<p>In contrast Lyons's moon-shaped face, emphasized by its
+smooth-shaven mobile mouth, below which his almost white chin beard
+hung pendent, expressed a curious interplay of emotional sanctity,
+urbane shrewdness, and solemn self-importance.</p>
+<p>"Governor Lyons, at your service," said Elton, regarding him
+steadily.</p>
+<p>"Do you think so?"</p>
+<p>"I know so, if you desire it."</p>
+<p>"The nomination, you mean?"</p>
+<p>"The election by a comfortable majority."</p>
+<p>Lyons breathed hard with satisfaction. "If the people of the
+State choose to confide their interests to my custody, I shall not
+refuse to serve them."</p>
+<p>"So I supposed. You may be wondering, Lyons, why I, a
+Republican, should be talking like this. I will tell you.
+Observation has led me to believe that the people of this State
+will elect a Democratic Governor this year. The hard times will
+hurt the administration. Consequently, as your friend and my own
+friend, I have taken the liberty to indicate to the managers of
+your party their strongest man. I am responsible for what you saw
+on the front page of the <i>Sentinel</i> this morning. There need
+not be much difficulty," he added, significantly, "in securing
+emphatic endorsement throughout the State of the <i>Sentinel's</i>
+preference."</p>
+<p>Lyons looked grave. "You must be aware that our views on public
+questions&mdash;especially those which concern the relations of
+capital and labor&mdash;are not the same."</p>
+<p>"Certainly. I tell you frankly that while, from a humanitarian
+point of view, I respect your desire to relieve the inequalities of
+modern civilization, as a business man and a man of some property I
+do not regard the remedies presented by your party platform as just
+or adequate. I recognize that your opinions are hostile to
+corporate interests, but I have gathered also that you are disposed
+to be reasonable and conciliatory; that you are not inclined to
+regard all men and all measures as dangerous, merely because they
+have means or are introduced in the name of capital."</p>
+<p>"It has always seemed to me that a conciliatory spirit secures
+the most definite results for the public," assented Lyons.</p>
+<p>"Precisely. See here, Lyons," Elton said, leaning forward across
+the table at which they were sitting, "I wish to be entirely frank
+with you. You know me well enough to understand that I have not
+offered you my support in any philanthropic spirit. I could not
+have deceived you as to this had I tried. I am a practical man, and
+have an axe to grind. I am urging your election as Governor because
+I believe you to possess intelligent capacity to discriminate
+between what is harmful to the community and what is due to
+healthy, individual enterprise&mdash;the energy which is the sap of
+American citizenship. We capitalists have no fear of an honest man,
+provided he has the desire and the ability to protect legitimate
+business acumen against the slander of mere demagogues. I have a
+bill here," he added, drawing a printed document from his pocket,
+"which I am desirous to see passed by the next legislature. It
+embodies a charter authorizing the acquisition and merger in one
+corporation of all the gas companies of this State, and an
+extension of corporate powers so as to cover all forms of municipal
+lighting. Were your hands not tied by your prospective election, I
+should be glad to offer you an opportunity to become one of the
+incorporators, for I believe that the undertaking will be
+lucrative. That, of course, is out of the question. Now then, this
+is a perfectly honest bill. On its face, to be sure, it secures a
+valuable franchise for the petitioners, and consequently may
+encounter some opposition. But, on the other hand, no one who
+considers the matter candidly and closely can fail to recognize
+that the great public will secure cheaper gas and more efficient
+service as the result of the consolidation. And there is where I
+felt that I could count on your intelligence. You would not allow
+the plea that capitalists were interested in obtaining a profitable
+franchise to obscure the more vital consideration that the
+community will be the true gainers."</p>
+<p>Lyons bowed graciously, and stroked his beard. "What is it you
+wish me to do?" he asked.</p>
+<p>"To read the bill in the first place; to convince yourself that
+what I have told you is true; to satisfy yourself that the measure
+is essentially harmless. The bill is not long. Read it now and let
+me hear your objections. I have some papers here to look over which
+will occupy me a quarter of an hour, if you can spare me the
+time."</p>
+<p>Lyons acquiesced, and proceeded to peruse slowly the document.
+When he had finished it he folded it solemnly and returned it to
+Elton. "It is a bill framed in the interest of capital, but I
+cannot say that the public will be prejudiced by it. On the
+contrary, I should judge that the price of gas in our cities and
+towns would be lowered as a consequence of the reduction in running
+expenses caused by the projected consolidation. What is it that you
+wish me to do?"</p>
+<p>"Agree to sign the bill as it now stands if it passes the
+legislature."</p>
+<p>Lyons rested his head on his hand and his mouth moved
+tremulously. "If I am elected governor," he said, "I wish to serve
+the people honestly and fearlessly."</p>
+<p>"I am sure of it. I ask you to point out to me in what manner
+this bill trenches upon the rights of the people. You yourself have
+noted the crucial consequence: It will lower the price of gas. If
+at the same time I am benefited financially, why should I not reap
+the reasonable reward of my foresight?"</p>
+<p>"I will sign the bill, Elton, if it comes to me for signature. I
+may be criticised at first, but the improved public service and
+reduction of the gas bills will be my justification, and show that
+I have not been unmindful of the interests of the great public
+whose burdens my party is seeking to lighten."</p>
+<p>"I shall count on you, then," said Elton, after a pause. "The
+failure of the bill at the last stage when I was expecting its
+passage might affect my affairs seriously."</p>
+<p>"If the legislature does its part, I will do mine," responded
+Lyons, augustly. "I will sign the bill if it comes to me in the
+present form."</p>
+<p>"I thank you, Governor."</p>
+<p>Lyons looked confused but happy at the appellation.</p>
+<p>"By the way," said Elton, after he had returned the papers to
+his pocket, "these are trying times for men with financial
+obligations. It is my custom to be frank and not to mince matters
+where important interests are concerned. A candidate for office in
+this campaign will need the use of all his faculties if he is to be
+successful. I should be very sorry for the sake of my bill to allow
+your mind to be distracted by solicitude in regard to your private
+affairs. Some of the best and most prudent of our business men are
+pressed to-day for ready money. I am in a position to give you
+temporary assistance if you require it. In justice to my interests
+you must not let delicacy stand in the way of your accepting my
+offer."</p>
+<p>Lyons's bosom swelled with the tide of returning happiness. He
+had scarcely been able to believe his ears. Yet here was a
+definite, spontaneous proposition to remove the incubus which
+weighed upon his soul. Here was an opportunity to redeem the bonds
+of the Parsons estate and to repair his damaged self-respect. It
+seemed to him as though the clouds of adversity which had
+encompassed him had suddenly been swept away, and that Providence
+was smiling down at him as her approved and favorite son. His
+emotion choked his speech. His lip trembled and his eyes looked as
+though they would fill with tears. After a brief pause he
+articulated that he was somewhat pressed for ready money. Some
+explanation of his affairs followed, the upshot of which was that
+Elton agreed to indorse Lyons's promissory notes held by the banks
+to the amount of $60,000, and to accept as collateral for a
+personal loan of $40,000 certain securities of new local
+enterprises which had no present marketable value. By this
+arrangement his property was amply protected from sacrifice; he
+would be able to adjust his speculative account in New York; and he
+could await with a tranquil soul the return of commercial
+confidence. Lyons's heart was overflowing with satisfaction. He
+pressed Elton's hand and endeavored to express his gratitude with
+appropriate grandiloquence. But Elton disclaimed the obligation,
+asserting that he had acted merely from self-interest to make the
+election of his candidate more certain.</p>
+<p>The loan of $40,000 was completed within forty-eight hours, and
+before the end of another week Lyons had rescued the bonds of the
+Parsons estate from pawn, and disposed of his line of stocks
+carried by Williams &amp; Van Horne. They were sold at a
+considerable loss, but he made up his mind to free his soul for the
+time being from the toils and torment of speculation and to nurse
+his dwarfed resources behind the bulwark of Elton's relief fund
+until the financial situation cleared. He felt as though he had
+grown ten years younger, and without confiding to Selma the details
+of these transactions he informed her ecstatically that, owing to
+certain important developments, due partly to the friendliness of
+Horace Elton, the outlook for their future advancement had never
+been so bright. When a month later he was nominated as Governor he
+threw himself into the contest with the convincing ardor of
+sincere, untrammelled faith in the reforms he was advocating. His
+speeches reflected complete concentration of his powers on the
+issues of the campaign and evoked enthusiasm throughout the State
+by their eloquent arraignment of corporate rapacity at the expense
+of the sovereign people. In several of his most telling addresses
+he accused the national administration of pandering to the
+un-American gamblers who bought and sold stocks in Wall street.</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER IX.</h3>
+<p>Lyons was chosen Governor by a large majority, as Elton had
+predicted. The Republican Party was worsted at the polls and driven
+out of power both at Washington and in the State. Lyons ran ahead
+of his ticket, receiving more votes than the presidential electors.
+The campaign was full of incidents grateful to Selma's self esteem.
+Chief among these was the conspicuous allusions accorded her by the
+newspapers. The campaign itself was a fervid repetition of the
+stirring scenes of two years previous. Once more torch-light
+processions in vociferous serried columns attested the intensity of
+party spirit. Selma felt herself an adept through her former
+experience, and she lost no opportunity to show herself in public
+and bear witness to her devotion to her husband's cause. It pleased
+her to think that the people recognized her when she appeared on
+the balcony or reviewing stand, and that her presence evoked an
+increase of enthusiasm.</p>
+<p>But the newspaper publicity was even more satisfying, for it
+centred attention unequivocally on her. Columns of descriptive
+matter relative to her husband's personality began to appear as
+soon as it became obvious that he was to be Governor. These
+articles aimed to be exhaustive in their character, covering the
+entire scope of his past life, disclosing pitiless details in
+regard to his habits, tastes, and private concerns. Nothing which
+could be discovered or ferreted out was omitted; and most of these
+biographies were illuminated by a variety of more or less hideous
+cuts showing, for example, his excellency as he looked as a school
+boy, his excellency as a fledgling attorney, the humble home where
+his excellency was born, and his excellency's present stately but
+hospitable residence on Benham's River Drive. Almost every
+newspaper in the State took its turn at contributing something
+which it conceived to be edifying to this reportorial budget. And
+after the Governor, came the turn of the Governor's lady, as she
+was called.</p>
+<p>Selma liked best the articles devoted exclusively to herself;
+where she appeared as the special feature of the newspaper issue,
+not merely as an adjunct to her husband. But she liked them all,
+and she was most benignant in her reception of the several
+newspaper scribes, principally of her own sex, who sought an
+interview for the sake of copy. She withheld nothing in regard to
+her person, talents, household, or tastes which would in her
+opinion be effective in print. She had a photograph of herself
+taken in simple, domestic matronly garb to supplement those which
+she already possessed, one of which revealed the magnificence of
+the attire she wore at the President's Reception; another portrayed
+Littleton's earnest bride, and still a fourth disclosed her as the
+wistful, aspiring school-mistress on the threshold of womanhood.
+These, and the facts appropriate to them, she meted out to her
+biographers from time to time, lubricating her amiable confidences
+with the assertion that both she and her husband felt that the
+people were entitled to be made familiar with the lives of their
+public representatives. As the result of her gracious behavior, her
+willingness to supply interesting details concerning herself, and
+her flattering tendency to become intimate on the spot with the
+reporters who visited her, the newspaper articles in most cases
+were in keeping with Selma's prepossessions. Those which pleased
+her most emphasized in the first place her intellectual gifts and
+literary talents, intimating delicately that she had refused
+brilliant offers for usefulness with her pen and on the lecture
+platform in order to become the wife of Congressman Lyons, to whom
+her counsel and high ideals of public service were a constant
+stimulus. Emphasized in the second place her husband's and her own
+pious tastes, and strong religious convictions, to which their
+constant church attendance and the simple sanctity of their
+American home bore testimony. Emphasized in the third
+place&mdash;reproducing ordinarily a sketch and cut of her
+drawing-room&mdash;her great social gifts and graces, which had
+made her a leader of society in the best sense of the word both in
+Benham and in New York. A few of the articles stated in judicious
+terms that she had been twice a widow. Only one of them set this
+forth in conspicuous and opprobrious terms: "Her Third Husband! Our
+Chief Magistrate's Wife's Many Marriages!" Such was the
+unsympathetic, alliterative heading of the malicious statement
+which appeared in an opposition organ. It did no more than recall
+the fact that she had obtained a divorce from her first husband,
+who had in his despair taken to drink, and intimate that her second
+husband had not been altogether happy. Selma wept when she read the
+article. She felt that it was cruel and uncalled for; that it told
+only half the truth and traduced her before the American people.
+She chose to conceive that it had been inspired by Pauline and Mrs.
+Hallett Taylor, neither of whom had sent her a word of
+congratulation on her promotion to be the Governor's wife. Who but
+Pauline knew that her marriage with Littleton had not been
+completely harmonious? Who but Mrs. Taylor or one of her set would
+have the malice to insinuate that she had been merciless to
+Babcock? This was one libel in a long series of complimentary
+productions. The representation of the family group was made
+complete by occasional references to the Governor elect's
+mother&mdash;"Mother Lyons, the venerable parent of our chief
+magistrate." Altogether Selma felt that the picture presented to
+the public was a truthful and inspiring record of pious and
+enterprising American life, which showed to the community that its
+choice of a Governor had been wise and was merited.</p>
+<p>Close upon the election and these eulogistic biographies came
+the inauguration, with Lyons's eloquent address. Selma, of course,
+had special privileges&mdash;a reserved gallery in the State House,
+to which she issued cards of admission to friends of her own
+selection. Occupying in festal attire the centre of this
+conspicuous group, she felt that she was the cynosure of every eye.
+She perceived that she was constantly pointed out as the second
+personage of the occasion. To the few legislators on the floor whom
+she already knew she took pains to bow from her seat with gracious
+cordiality, intending from the outset to aid her husband by
+captivating his friends and conciliating the leaders of the
+opposition party. On her way to and from the gallery she was joined
+by several members, to each of whom she tried to convey subtly the
+impression that she purposed to take an earnest interest in
+legislative affairs, and that her husband would be apt to consult
+her in regard to close questions. On the morning after the
+inauguration she had the satisfaction of seeing her own portrait
+side by side with that of her husband on the front page of two
+newspapers, a flattering indication, as she believed, that the
+press already recognized her value both as a helpmate to him and an
+ornament to the State. She took up her life as the Governor's lady
+feeling that her talents and eagerness to do good had finally
+prevailed and that true happiness at last was in store for her. She
+was satisfied with her husband and recognized his righteous purpose
+and capacity as a statesman, but she believed secretly that his
+rapid success was due in a large measure to her genius. Her
+prompting had inspired him to make a notable speech in his first
+Congress. Her charms and clever conversation had magnetized Mr.
+Elton so that he had seen fit to nominate him for Governor. A fresh
+impulse to her self-congratulation that virtue and ability were
+reaping their reward was given a few weeks later by the
+announcement which Lyons read from the morning newspaper that the
+firm of Williams &amp; Van Horne had failed disastrously. The
+circumstances attending their down-fall were sensational. It
+appeared that Van Horne, the office partner, who managed the
+finances, had shot himself as the culmination of a series of
+fraudulent hypothecations of securities and misrepresentations to
+which it was claimed that Williams was not a party. The firm had
+been hopelessly insolvent for months, and had been forced to the
+wall at last by a futile effort on the part of Van Horne to redeem
+the situation by a final speculation on a large scale. It had
+failed owing to the continuation of the state of dry rot in the
+stock market, and utter ruin followed.</p>
+<p>The regret which Lyons entertained as he read aloud the tragic
+story was overshadowed in his mind by his own thankfulness that he
+had redeemed the bonds and settled his account with them before the
+crash came. He was so absorbed by his own emotions that he failed
+to note the triumphant tone of his wife's ejaculation of amazement.
+"Failed! Williams &amp; Van Horne failed! Oh, how did it happen? I
+always felt sure that they would fail sooner or later."</p>
+<p>Selma sat with tightly folded hands listening to the exciting
+narrative, which Lyons read for her edification with the urbanely
+mournful emphasis of one who has had a narrow escape. He stopped in
+the course of it to relieve any solicitude which she might be
+feeling in regard to his dealings with the firm, by the assertion
+that he had only two months previous closed out his account owing
+to the conviction that prudent investors were getting under cover.
+This assurance gave the episode a still more providential aspect in
+Selma's eyes. In the first flush of her gratitude that Flossy had
+been superbly rebuked for her frivolous existence, she had
+forgotten that they were her husband's brokers. Moreover the lack
+of perturbation in his manner was not calculated to inspire alarm.
+But the news that Lyons had been shrewd enough to escape at the
+twelfth hour without a dollar's loss heightened the justice of the
+situation. She listened with throbbing pulses to the particulars.
+She could scarcely credit her senses that her irrepressible and
+light-hearted enemy had been confounded at last&mdash;confronted
+with bankruptcy and probable disgrace. She interrupted the reading
+to express her scepticism regarding the claim that Williams had no
+knowledge of the frauds.</p>
+<p>"How could he be ignorant? He must have known. He must have
+bribed the reporters to put that in so as to arouse the sympathy of
+some of their fashionable friends. Van Horne is dead, and the lips
+of the dead are sealed."</p>
+<p>Selma spoke with the confidence born of bitterness. She was
+pleased with her acumen in discerning the true inwardness of the
+case. Her husband nodded with mournful acquiescence. "It would
+seem," he said, "as if he must have had an inkling, at least, of
+what was going on."</p>
+<p>"Of course he had. Gregory Williams, with all his faults, was a
+wide-awake man. I always said that."</p>
+<p>Lyons completed the reading and murmured with a sigh, which was
+half pity, half grateful acknowledgment of his own good
+fortune&mdash;"It's a bad piece of business. I'm glad I had the
+sense to act promptly."</p>
+<p>Selma was ruminating. Her steel bright eyes shone with
+exultation. Her sense of righteousness was gratified and
+temporarily appeased. "They'll have to sell their house, of course,
+and give up their horses and steam-yacht? I don't see why it
+doesn't mean that Flossy and her husband must come down off their
+pedestal and begin over again? It follows, doesn't it, that the
+heartless set into which they have wormed their way will drop them
+like hot coals?"</p>
+<p>All these remarks were put by Selma in the slightly
+interrogative form, as though she were courting any argument to the
+contrary which could be adduced in order to knock it in the head.
+But Lyons saw no reason to differ from her verdict. "It means
+necessarily great mortification for them and a curtailment of their
+present mode of life," he said. "I am sorry for them."</p>
+<p>"Sorry? Of course, James, it is distressing to hear that
+misfortune has befallen any person of one's acquaintance, and so
+far as Gregory Williams himself is concerned I have no wish to see
+him punished simply because he has been worldly and vainglorious.
+You thought him able in a business way, and liked to meet him. But
+as for her, Flossy, his wife," Selma continued, with a gasp, "it
+would be sheer hypocrisy for me to assert that I am sorry for her.
+I should deem myself unworthy of being considered an earnest-minded
+American woman if I did not maintain that this disgrace which has
+befallen them is the logical and legitimate consequence of their
+godless lives&mdash;especially of her frivolity and presumptuous
+indifference to spiritual influences. That woman, James, is utterly
+hostile to the things of the spirit. You have no conception&mdash;I
+have never told you, because he was your friend, and I was willing
+to let bygones be bygones on the surface on your account&mdash;you
+have no conception of the cross her behavior became to me in New
+York. From almost the first moment we met I saw that we were far
+apart as the poles in our views of the responsibilities of life.
+She sneered at everything which you and I reverence, and she set
+her face against true progress and the spread of American
+principles. She claimed to be my friend, and to sympathize with my
+zeal for social truth, yet all the time she was toadying secretly
+the people whose luxurious exclusiveness made me tremble sometimes
+for the future of our country. She and her husband were prosperous,
+and everything he touched seemed to turn to gold. It may sound
+irreverent, James, but there was a time during my life in New York
+when I was discouraged; when it seemed as though heaven were
+mocking me and my husband in our homely struggle against the forces
+of evil, and bestowing all its favors on a woman whose example was
+a menace to American womanhood! Sorry? Why should I be sorry to see
+justice triumph and shallow iniquity rebuked? I would give Florence
+Williams money if she is in want, but I am thankful, very thankful,
+that her heartless vanity has found its proper reward."</p>
+<p>Lyons fingered his beard. "I didn't know she was as bad as that,
+Selma. Now that they have come to grief, we are not likely to be
+brought in contact with them, and in all probability they will pass
+out of our lives. Williams was smart and entertaining, but I never
+liked his taking advantage of the circumstances of my having an
+account in his office to urge me to support a measure at variance
+with my political convictions."</p>
+<p>"Precisely. The trouble with them both, James, is that they have
+no conscience; and it is eminently just they should be made to
+realize that people who lack conscience cannot prosper in this
+country in the long run. 'They have loosed the awful lightnings of
+his terrible swift sword.'"</p>
+<p>"I say 'amen' to that assuredly, Selma," Lyons answered. His
+predilection to palliate equivocal circumstances was never proof
+against clear, evidence of moral delinquency. When his religious
+scruples were finally offended, he was grave and unrelenting.</p>
+<p>The downfall of the Williamses continued to be a sweet solace
+and source of encouragement to Selma. It made her, when taken in
+conjunction with her own recent progress, feel that the whirligig
+of time was working in her behalf after all; and that if she
+persevered, not merely Flossy, but all those who worshipped mammon,
+and consequently failed to recognize her talents, would be made to
+bite the dust. At the moment these enemies seemed to have infested
+Benham. Numerically speaking, they were unimportant, but they had
+established an irritating, irregular skirmish line, one end of
+which occupied Wetmore College, another held secret midnight
+meetings at Mrs. Hallett Taylor's. Rumors of various undertakings,
+educational, semi-political, artistic, or philanthropic, agitated
+or directed by this fringe of society, came to her ears from time
+to time, but she heard them as an outsider. When she became the
+Governor's wife she had said to herself that now these aristocrats
+would be compelled to admit her to their counsels. But she found,
+to her annoyance, that the election made no difference. Neither
+Pauline nor Mrs. Taylor nor any of the coterie had asked her to
+join them, and she was unpleasantly conscious that there were
+people on the River Drive who showed no more desire to make her
+acquaintance than when she had been Mrs. Lewis Babcock. What did
+this mean? It meant simply&mdash;she began to argue&mdash;that she
+must hold fast to her faith and bide her time. That if she and her
+friends kept a bold front and resisted the encroachments of this
+pernicious spirit, Providence would interfere presently and
+confound these enemies of social truth no less obviously than it
+had already overwhelmed Mrs. Gregory Williams. As the wife of the
+Governor, she was clearly in a position to maintain this bold front
+effectively. Every mail brought to her requests for her support,
+and the sanction of her signature to social or charitable
+enterprises. Her hospital was flourishing along the lines of the
+policy which she had indicated, and was feeling the advantage of
+her political prosperity. She was able to give the petition in
+behalf of Mrs. Hamilton, which contained now twenty-five thousand
+signatures, fresh value and solemnity by means of an autograph
+letter from the Governor's wife, countersigned by the Governor.
+This, with the bulky list of petitioners, she addressed and
+despatched directly to Queen Victoria. Her presence was in constant
+demand at all sorts of functions, at many of which she had the
+opportunity to make a few remarks; to express the welcome of the
+State, or to utter words of sympathy and encouragement to those
+assembled. In the second month of her husband's administration, she
+had the satisfaction of greeting, in her double capacity as
+newly-elected President of the Benham Institute and wife of the
+Governor, the Federation of Women's Clubs of the United States, on
+the occasion of its annual meeting at Benham. This federation was
+the incorporated fruit of the Congress of Women's Clubs, which
+Selma had attended as a delegate just previous to her divorce from
+Babcock, and she could not refrain from some exultation at the
+progress she had made since then as she sat wielding the gavel over
+the body of women delegates from every State in the Union. The
+meeting lasted three days. Literary exercises alternated with
+excursions to points of interest in the neighborhood, at all of
+which she was in authority, and the celebration was brought to a
+brilliant close by a banquet, to which men were invited. At this
+Selma acted as toastmaster, introducing the speakers of the
+occasion, which included her own husband. Lyons made a graceful
+allusion to her stimulating influence as a helpmate and her
+executive capacity, which elicited loud applause. Succeeding this
+meeting of the Federation of Women's Clubs came a series of
+semi-public festivities under the patronage of
+women&mdash;philanthropic, literary or social in
+character&mdash;for the fever to perpetuate in club form every
+congregation, of free-born citizens, except on election day, had
+seized Benham in common with the other cities of the country in its
+grasp, to each of which the Governor's wife was invited as the
+principal guest of honor. Selma thus found a dozen opportunities to
+exhibit herself to a large audience and testify to her faith in
+democratic institutions.</p>
+<p>On the 22d of February, Washington's birthday, she held a
+reception at their house on River Drive, for which cards had been
+issued a fortnight previous. She pathetically explained to the
+reporters that, had the dimensions and resources of her
+establishment permitted, she and the Governor would simply have
+announced themselves at home to the community at large; that they
+would have preferred this, but of course it would never do. The
+people would not be pleased to see a rabble confound the
+hospitality of the chief magistrate and his wife. The people
+demanded proper dignity from their representatives in office. The
+list of invitations which Selma sent out was, however,
+comprehensive. She aimed to invite everyone of social, public,
+commercial or political importance. A full band was in attendance,
+and a liberal collation was served. Selma confided to some of her
+guests, who, she thought, might criticise the absence of wine, that
+she had felt obliged, out of consideration for her husband's
+political prospects, to avoid wounding the feelings of total
+abstainers. The entertainment lasted from four to seven, and the
+three hours of hand-shaking provided a delicious experience to the
+hostess. She gloried in the consciousness that this crush of
+citizens, representing the leaders of the community in the widest
+sense, had been assembled by her social gift, and that they had
+come to offer their admiring homage to the clever wife of their
+Governor. It gratified her to think that Pauline and Mrs. Taylor
+and the people of that class, to all of whom she had sent cards,
+should behold her as the first lady of the State, and mistress of a
+beautiful home, dispensing hospitality on broad, democratic lines
+to an admiring constituency. When Mr. Horace Elton approached,
+Selma perpetrated a little device which she had planned. As they
+were in the act of shaking hands a very handsome rose
+fell&mdash;seemingly by chance&mdash;from the bouquet which she
+carried. He picked it up and tendered it to her, but Selma made him
+keep it, adding in a lower tone, "It is your due for the gallant
+friendship you have shown me and my husband." She felt as though
+she were a queen bestowing a guerdon on a favorite minister, and
+yet a woman rewarding in a woman's way an admirer's devotion. She
+meant Elton to appreciate that she understood that his interest in
+Lyons was largely due to his partiality for her. It seemed to her
+that she could recognize to this extent his chivalrous conduct
+without smirching her blameless record as an American
+housewife.</p>
+<p>Meantime the Governor was performing his public duties with
+becoming dignity and without much mental friction. The legislature
+was engaged in digesting the batch of miscellaneous business
+presented for its consideration, among which was Elton's gas
+consolidation bill. Already the measure had encountered some
+opposition in committee, but Lyons was led to believe that the bill
+would be passed by a large majority, and that its opponents would
+be conciliated before his signature was required. Lyons's
+reputation as an orator had been extended by his term in the House
+of Representatives and his recent active campaign, and he was in
+receipt of a number of invitations from various parts of the
+country to address august bodies in other States. All of these were
+declined, but when, in the month of April, opportunity was afforded
+him to deliver a speech on patriotic issues on the anniversary of
+the battle of Lexington, he decided, with Selma's approval, to
+accept the invitation. He reasoned that a short respite from the
+cares of office would be agreeable; she was attracted by the
+glamour of revisiting New York as a woman of note. New York had
+refused to recognize her superiority and to do her homage, and New
+York should realize her present status, and what a mistake had been
+made. The speech was a success, and the programme provided for the
+entertainment of the orator and his wife included the hospitality
+of several private houses. Selma felt that she could afford to hold
+her head high and not to thaw too readily for the benefit of a
+society which had failed to appreciate her worth when it had the
+chance. She was the wife now of one of the leading public men of
+the nation, and in a position to set fashions, not to ask favors.
+Nevertheless she chose on the evening before their return to Benham
+to show herself at dinner at Delmonico's, just to let the world of
+so-called fashion perceive her and ask who she was. There would
+doubtless be people there who knew her by sight, and who, when they
+were told that she was now the wife of Governor Lyons, would regret
+if not be ashamed of their short-sightedness and snobbery. She wore
+a striking dress; she encouraged her husband's willingness to order
+an elaborate dinner, including champagne (for they were in a
+champagne country), and she exhibited a sprightly mood, looking
+about her with a knowing air in observation of the other occupants
+of the dining-room.</p>
+<p>While she was thus engaged the entrance of a party of six, whom
+the head waiter conducted with a show of attention to a table which
+had evidently been reserved for them, fettered Selma's attention.
+She stared unable to believe her eyes, then flushed and looked
+indignant. Her attention remained rivetted on this party while they
+laid aside their wraps and seated themselves. Struck by the annoyed
+intensity of his wife's expression, Lyons turned to follow the
+direction of her gaze.</p>
+<p>"What is the matter?" he said.</p>
+<p>For a few moments Selma sat silent with compressed lips, intent
+on her scrutiny.</p>
+<p>"It's an outrage on decency," she murmured, at last. "How dare
+she show herself here and entertain those people?"</p>
+<p>"Of whom are you talking, Selma?"</p>
+<p>"The Williamses. Flossy Williams and her husband. The two
+couples with them live on Fifth Avenue, and used to be among her
+exclusive friends. Her husband has just ordered the dinner. I saw
+him give the directions to the waiter. It is monstrous that they,
+who only a few months ago failed disgracefully and were supposed to
+have lost everything, should be going on exactly as if nothing had
+happened."</p>
+<p>"People in New York have the faculty of getting on their feet
+again quickly after financial reverses," said Lyons, mildly. "Like
+as not some of Williams's friends have enabled him to make a fresh
+start."</p>
+<p>"So it seems," Selma answered, sternly. She sat back in her
+chair with a discouraged air and neglected her truffled chicken.
+"It isn't right; it isn't decent."</p>
+<p>Lyons was puzzled by her demeanor. "Why should you care what
+they do?" he asked. "We can easily avoid them for the future."</p>
+<p>"Because&mdash;because, James Lyons, I can't bear to see godless
+people triumph. Because it offends me to see a man and woman, who
+are practically penniless through their own evil courses, and
+should be discredited everywhere, able to resume their life of
+vanity and extravagance without protest."</p>
+<p>While she was speaking Selma suddenly became aware that her eyes
+had met those of Dr. George Page, who was passing their table on
+his way out. Recognition on both sides came at the same moment, and
+Selma turned in her chair to greet him, cutting off any hope which
+he may have had of passing unobserved. She was glad of the
+opportunity to show the company that she was on familiar terms with
+a man so well known, and she had on her tongue what she regarded as
+a piece of banter quite in keeping with his usual vein.</p>
+<p>"How d'y do, Dr. Page? We haven't met for a long time. You do
+not know my husband, Governor Lyons, I think. Dr. Page used to be
+our family physician when I lived in New York, James. Everyone here
+knows that he has a very large practice."</p>
+<p>Selma was disposed to be gracious and sprightly, for she felt
+that Dr. Page must surely be impressed by her appearance of
+prosperity.</p>
+<p>"I had heard of your marriage, and of your husband's election. I
+congratulate you. You are living in Benham, I believe, far from
+this hurly-burly?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, a little bird told me the other day that a no less
+distinguished person than Dr. Page had been seen in Benham twice
+during the last three months. Of course a Governor's wife is
+supposed to know everything which goes on, and for certain reasons
+I was very much interested to hear this bit of news. I am a very
+discreet woman, doctor. It shall go no further."</p>
+<p>The physician's broad brow contracted slightly, but his habitual
+self-control concealed completely the inclination to strangle his
+bright-eyed, over-dressed inquisitor. He was the last man to shirk
+the vicissitudes of playful speech, and he preferred this mood of
+Selma's to her solemn style, although his privacy was invaded.</p>
+<p>"I should have remembered," he said, "that there is nothing in
+the world which Mrs. Lyons does not know by intuition."</p>
+<p>"Including the management of a hospital, Dr. Page. Perhaps you
+don't know that I am the managing trustee of a large hospital?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, I was informed of that in Benham. I should scarcely
+venture to tell you what my little bird said. It was an old fogy of
+a bird, with a partiality for thorough investigation and scientific
+methods, and a thorough distrust of the results of off-hand
+inspiration in the treatment of disease."</p>
+<p>"I dare say. But we are succeeding splendidly. The next time you
+come to Benham you must come to see me, and I will take you over
+our hospital. I don't despair yet of converting you to our side,
+just as you evidently don't despair of inducing a certain lady some
+day to change her mind. I, for one, think that she is more fitted
+by nature to be a wife than a college president, so I shall await
+with interest more news from my little bird." Selma felt that she
+was talking to greater advantage than almost ever before. Her last
+remark banished every trace of a smile from her adversary's face,
+and he stood regarding her with a preternatural gravity, which
+should have been appalling, but which she welcomed as a sign of
+serious feeling on his part. She felt, too, that at last she had
+got the better of the ironical doctor in repartee, and that he was
+taking his leave tongue-tied. In truth, he was so angry that he did
+not trust himself to speak. He simply glared and departed.</p>
+<p>"Poor fellow," she said, by way of explanation to Lyons, "I
+suppose his emotion got the better of him, because he has loved her
+so long. That was the Dr. Page who has been crazy for years to
+marry Pauline Littleton. When he was young he married a woman of
+doubtful character, who ran away from him. I used to think that
+Pauline was right in refusing to sacrifice her life for his sake.
+But he has been very constant, and I doubt if she has originality
+enough to keep her position as president of Wetmore long. He
+belongs to the old school of medicine. It was he who took care of
+Wilbur when he died. I fancy that case may have taught him not to
+mistrust truth merely because it isn't labelled. But I bear him no
+malice, because I know he meant to do his best. They are just
+suited for each other, and I shall be on his side after this."</p>
+<p>The interest of this episode served to restore somewhat Selma's
+serenity, but she kept her attention fixed on the table where the
+Williamses were sitting, observing with a sense of injury their gay
+behavior. To all appearances, Flossy was as light-hearted and
+volatile as ever. Her attire was in the height of fashion. Had
+adversity taught her nothing? Had the buffet of Providence failed
+utterly to sober her frivolous spirit? It seemed to Selma that
+there could be no other conclusion, and though she and Lyons had
+finished dinner, she was unable to take her eyes off the culprits,
+or to cease to wonder how it was possible for people with nothing
+to continue to live as though they had everything. Her moral nature
+was stirred to resentment, and she sat spell-bound, seeking in vain
+for a point of consolation.</p>
+<p>Meantime Lyons, like a good American, had sent for an evening
+paper, and was deep in its perusal. A startled ejaculation from him
+aroused Selma from her nightmare. Her husband was saying to her
+across the table:</p>
+<p>"My dear, Senator Calkins is dead." He spoke in a solemn,
+excited whisper.</p>
+<p>"Our Senator Calkins?"</p>
+<p>"Yes. This is the despatch from Washington: 'United States
+Senator Calkins dropped dead suddenly in the lobby of the Senate
+chamber, at ten o'clock this morning, while talking with friends.
+His age was 52. The cause of his death was heart-failure. His
+decease has cast a gloom over the Capital, and the Senate adjourned
+promptly out of respect to the memory of the departed
+statesman.'"</p>
+<p>"What a dreadful thing!" Selma murmured.</p>
+<p>"The ways of Providence are inscrutable," said Lyons. "No one
+could have foreseen this public calamity." He poured out a glass of
+ice-water and drank it feverishly.</p>
+<p>"It's fortunate we have everything arranged to return to-morrow,
+for of course you will be needed at home."</p>
+<p>"Yes. Waiter, bring me a telegram."</p>
+<p>"What are you going to do?"</p>
+<p>"Communicate to Mrs. Calkins our sympathy on account of the
+death of her distinguished husband."</p>
+<p>"That will be nice," said Selma. She sat for some moments in
+silence observing her husband, and spell-bound by the splendid
+possibility which presented itself. She knew that Lyons's gravity
+and agitation were not wholly due to the shock of the catastrophe.
+He, like herself, must be conscious that he might become the dead
+Senator's successor. He poured out and drained another goblet of
+ice-water. Twice he drew himself up slightly and looked around the
+room, with the expression habitual to him when about to deliver a
+public address. Selma's veins were tingling with excitement.
+Providence had interfered in her behalf again. As the wife of a
+United States Senator, everything would be within her grasp.</p>
+<p>"James," she said, "we are the last persons in the world to fail
+in respect to the illustrious dead, but&mdash;of course you ought
+to have Senator Calkins's place."</p>
+<p>Lyons looked at his wife, and his large lips trembled. "If the
+people of my State, Selma, feel that I am the most suitable man for
+the vacant senatorship, I shall be proud to serve them."</p>
+<p>Selma nodded appreciatively. She was glad that her husband
+should approach the situation with a solemn sense of
+responsibility.</p>
+<p>"They are sure to feel that," she said. "It seems to me that you
+are practically certain of the party nomination, and your party has
+a clear majority of both branches of the Legislature."</p>
+<p>Lyons glanced furtively about him before he spoke. "I don't see
+at the moment, Selma, how they can defeat me."</p>
+<h3>CHAPTER X.</h3>
+<p>The body of Senator Calkins was laid to rest with appropriate
+ceremonies in the soil of his native State, and his virtues as a
+statesman and citizen were celebrated in the pulpit and in the
+public prints. On the day following the funeral the contest for his
+place began in dead earnest. There had been some quiet canvassing
+by the several candidates while the remains were being transported
+from Washington, but public utterance was stayed until the last
+rites were over. Then it transpired that there were four candidates
+in the field; a Congressman, an ex-Governor, a silver-tongued
+orator named Stringer, who was a member of the upper branch of the
+State Legislature and who claimed to be a true defender of popular
+rights, and Hon. James O. Lyons. Newspaper comment concerning the
+candidacy of these aspirants early promulgated the doctrine that
+Governor Lyons was entitled to the place if he desired it. More
+than one party organ claimed that his brilliant services had given
+him a reputation beyond the limit of mere political prestige, and
+that he had become a veritable favorite son of the State. By the
+end of a fortnight the ex-Governor had withdrawn in favor of Lyons;
+while the following of the Congressman was recognized to be
+inconsiderable, and that he was holding out in order to obtain
+terms. Only the silver-tongued orator, Stringer, remained. On him
+the opposition within the party had decided to unite their forces.
+To all appearances they were in a decided minority. There was no
+hope that the Republican members of the Legislature would join
+them, for it seemed scarcely good politics to rally to the support
+of a citizen whose statesmanship had not been tested in preference
+to the Governor of the State. It was conceded by all but the
+immediate followers of Stringer that Lyons would receive the
+majority vote of either house, and be triumphantly elected on the
+first joint ballot.</p>
+<p>And yet the opposition to the Governor, though numerically
+small, was genuine. Stringer was, as he described himself, a man of
+the plain people. That is he was a lawyer with a denunciating
+voice, a keen mind, and a comprehensive grasp on language, who was
+still an attorney for plaintiffs, and whose ability had not yet
+been recognized by corporations or conservative souls. He was where
+Lyons had been ten years before, but he had neither the urbanity,
+conciliatory tendencies, nor dignified, solid physical properties
+of the Governor. He was pleased to refer to himself as a tribune of
+the people, and his thin, nervous figure, clad in a long
+frock-coat, with a yawning collar and black whisp tie, his fiery
+utterance and relentless zeal, bore out the character. He looked
+hungry, and his words suggested that he was in earnest, carrying
+conviction to some of his colleagues in the Legislature. The
+election at which Lyons had been chosen chief magistrate had
+brought into this State government a sprinkling of socialistic
+spirits, as they were called, who applauded vigorously the thinly
+veiled allusions which Stringer made in debate to the lukewarm
+democracy of some of the party leaders. When he spoke with stern
+contempt of those who played fast and loose with sacred
+principles&mdash;who were staunch friends of the humblest citizens
+on the public platform, and behind their backs grew slyly rich on
+the revenues of wealthy corporations, everyone knew that he was
+baiting the Governor. These diatribes were stigmatized as in
+wretched taste, but the politicians of both parties could not help
+being amused. They admitted behind their hands that the taunt was
+not altogether groundless, and that Lyons certainly was on
+extremely pleasant terms with prosperity for an out and out
+champion of popular rights. Nevertheless the leading party
+newspapers termed Stringer a demagogue, and accused him of
+endeavoring to foment discord in the ranks of the Democracy by
+questioning the loyalty of a man who had led them to notable
+victory twice in the last three years. He was invited to step down,
+and to season his aspirations until he could present a more
+significant public record. What had he done that entitled him to
+the senatorship? He had gifts undeniably, but he was young and
+could wait. This was a taking argument with the legislators, many
+of whom had grown gray in the party service, and Lyons's managers
+felt confident that the support accorded to this tribune of the
+people would dwindle to very small proportions when the time came
+to count noses.</p>
+<p>Suddenly there loomed into sight on the political horizon, and
+came bearing down on Lyons under full sail, Elton's bill for the
+consolidation of the gas companies. The Benham <i>Sentinel</i> had
+not been one of the promoters of Lyons's senatorial canvass, but it
+had not espoused the cause of any of his competitors, and latterly
+had referred in acquiescent terms to his election as a foregone
+conclusion. He had not happened to run across Elton during these
+intervening weeks, and preferred not to encounter him. He cherished
+an ostrich-like hope that Elton was in no haste regarding the bill,
+and that consequently it might not pass the legislature until after
+his election as Senator. If he were to come in contact with Elton,
+the meeting might jog the busy magnate's memory. It was a barren
+hope. Immediately after the <i>Sentinel</i> announced that Governor
+Lyons was practically sure to be the next United States Senator,
+the gas bill was reported favorably by the committee which had it
+in charge, and was advanced rapidly in the House. Debate on its
+provisions developed that it was not to have entirely plain
+sailing, though the majority recorded in its favor on the first and
+second readings was large. It was not at first regarded as a party
+measure. Its supporters included most of the Republicans and more
+than half of the Democrats. Yet the opposition to it proceeded from
+the wing of the Democracy with which Stringer was affiliated.
+Elton's interest in the bill was well understood, and the work of
+pledging members in advance, irrespective of party, had been so
+thoroughly done, that but for the exigencies of the senatorial
+contest it would probably have slipped through without notice as a
+harmless measure. As it was, the opposition to it in the lower
+branch was brief and seemed unimportant. The bill passed the House
+of Representatives by a nearly two-thirds vote and went promptly to
+the Senate calendar. Then suddenly it became obvious to Lyons not
+merely that Elton was bent on securing its passage while the
+present Governor was in office, but that his rival, Stringer, had
+conceived the cruel scheme of putting him in the position, by a hue
+and cry against monopoly and corporate interests, where his
+election to the senatorship would be imperilled if he did not veto
+the measure. By a caustic speech in the Senate Stringer drew public
+attention to the skilfully concealed iniquities of the proposed
+franchise, and public attention thus aroused began to bristle.
+Newspapers here and there throughout the state put forth edicts
+that this Legislature had been chosen to protect popular
+principles, and that here was an opportunity for the Democratic
+party to fulfil its pledges and serve the people. Stringer and his
+associates were uttering in the Senate burning words against the
+audacious menace of what they termed the franchise octopus. Did the
+people realize that this bill to combine gas companies, which
+looked so innocent on its face, was a gigantic scheme to wheedle
+them out of a valuable franchise for nothing? Did they understand
+that they were deliberately putting their necks in the grip of a
+monster whose tentacles would squeeze and suck their life-blood for
+its own enrichment? Stringer hammered away with fierce and
+reiterated invective. He had no hope of defeating the bill, but he
+confidently believed that he was putting his adversary, the
+Governor, in a hole. It had been noised about the lobbies by the
+friends of the measure earlier in the session that the Governor was
+all right and could be counted on. Stringer reasoned that Lyons was
+committed to the bill; that, if he signed it, his opponents might
+prevent his election as Senator on the plea that he had catered to
+corporate interests; that if he vetoed it, he would lose the
+support of powerful friends who might seek to revenge themselves by
+uniting on his opponent. Stringer recognized that he was playing a
+desperate game, but it was his only chance. One thing was evident
+already: As a result of the exposure in the Senate, considerable
+public hostility to the bill was manifesting itself. Petitions for
+its defeat were in circulation, and several Senators who had been
+supposed to be friendly to its passage veered round in deference to
+the views of their constituents. Its defeat had almost become a
+party measure. A majority of the Democrats in the Senate were
+claimed to be against it. Nevertheless there was no delay on the
+part of those in charge in pushing it to final action. They had
+counted noses, and their margin of support had been so liberal they
+could afford to lose a few deserters. After a fierce debate the
+bill was passed to be engrossed by a majority of eleven. The
+Democrats in the Senate were just evenly divided on the ballot.</p>
+<p>What would the Governor do? This was the question on everyone's
+lips. Would he sign or veto the bill? Public opinion as represented
+by the newspapers was prompt to point out his duty. The verdict of
+a leading party organ was that, in view of all the circumstances,
+Governor Lyons could scarcely do otherwise than refuse to give his
+official sanction to a measure which threatened to increase the
+burdens of the plain people. The words "in view of all the
+circumstances" appeared to be an euphemism for "in view of his
+ambition to become United States Senator." Several journals
+declared unequivocally that it would become the duty of the party
+to withdraw its support from Governor Lyons in case he allowed this
+undemocratic measure to become law. On the other hand, certain
+party organs questioned the justice of the outcry against the bill,
+arguing that the merits of the case had been carefully examined in
+the Legislature and that there was no occasion for the Governor to
+disturb the result of its action. On the day after the bill was
+sent to the chief magistrate, an editorial appeared in the Benham
+<i>Sentinel</i> presenting an exhaustive analysis of its
+provisions, and pointing out that, though the petitioners might
+under certain contingencies reap a reasonable profit, the public
+could not fail in that event to secure a lower price for gas and
+more effective service. This article was quoted extensively
+throughout the State, and was ridiculed or extolled according to
+the sympathies of the critics. Lyons received a marked copy of the
+<i>Sentinel</i> on the morning when it appeared. He recognized the
+argument as that which he had accepted at the time he promised to
+sign the bill if he were elected Governor. In the course of the
+same day a letter sent by messenger was handed to him in the
+executive chamber. It contained simply two lines in pencil in
+Elton's handwriting&mdash;"It continues to be of vital importance
+to my affairs that the pending bill should receive your signature."
+That was obviously a polite reminder of their agreement; an
+intimation that the circumstances had not altered, and that it was
+incumbent on him to perform his part of their compact. Obviously,
+too, Horace Elton took for granted that a reminder was enough, and
+that he would keep his word. He had promised to sign the bill. He
+had given his word of honor to do so, and Elton was relying on his
+good faith.</p>
+<p>The situation had become suddenly oppressive and disheartening.
+Just when his prospects seemed assured this unfortunate obstacle
+had appeared in his path, and threatened to confound his political
+career. He must sign the bill. And if he signed it, in all
+probability he would lose the senatorship. His enemies would claim
+that the party could not afford to stultify itself by the choice of
+a candidate who favored monopolies. He had given his promise, the
+word of a man of honor, and a business man. What escape was there
+from the predicament? If he vetoed the bill, would he not be a liar
+and a poltroon? If he signed it, the senatorship would slip through
+his fingers. The thought occurred to him to send for Elton and
+throw himself on his mercy, but he shrank from such an interview.
+Elton was a business man, and a promise was a promise. He had
+enjoyed the consideration for his promise; his notes were secure
+and the hypothecated bonds had been redeemed. He was on his feet
+and Governor, thanks to Elton's interposition, and now he was
+called on to do his part&mdash;to pay the fiddler. He must sign the
+bill.</p>
+<p>Lyons had five days in which to consider the matter. At the end
+of that time if he neither signed nor vetoed the bill, it would
+become law without his signature. He was at bay, and the time for
+deliberation was short. An incubus of disappointment weighed upon
+his soul and clouded his brow. His round, smooth face looked
+grieved. It seemed cruel to him that such an untoward piece of
+fortune should confront him just at the moment when this great
+reward for his political services was within his grasp and his
+opportunities for eminent public usefulness assured. He brooded
+over his quandary in silence for twenty-four hours. On the second
+day he concluded to speak of the matter to Selma. He knew that she
+kept a general run of public affairs. Not infrequently she had
+asked him questions concerning measures before the Legislature, and
+he was pleasantly aware that she was ambitious to be regarded as a
+politician. But up to this time there had been no room for question
+as to what his action as Governor should be in respect to any
+measure. It had happened, despite his attitude of mental
+comradeship with his wife, that he had hitherto concealed from her
+his most secret transactions. He had left her in the dark in regard
+to his true dealings with Williams &amp; Van Horne; he had told her
+nothing as to his straitened circumstances, the compact by which he
+had been made Governor, and his relief at the hands of Elton from
+threatened financial ruin. Reluctance, born of the theory in his
+soul that these were accidents in his life, not typical happenings,
+had sealed his lips. He was going to confide in her now not because
+he expected that Selma's view of this emergency would differ from
+his own, but in order that she might learn before he acted that he
+was under an imperative obligation to sign the bill. While he was
+sitting at home in the evening with the topic trembling on his
+tongue, Selma made his confession easy by saying, "I have taken for
+granted that you will veto the gas bill."</p>
+<p>Selma had indeed so assumed. In the early stages of the bill she
+had been ignorant of its existence. During the last fortnight,
+since the controversy had reached an acute phase and public
+sentiment had been aroused against its passage, she had been hoping
+that it would pass so that Lyons might have the glory of returning
+it to the Legislature without his signature. She had reasoned that
+he would be certain to veto the measure, for the bill was clearly
+in the interest of monopoly, and though her nerves were all on edge
+with excitement over the impending election of a Senator, she had
+not interfered because she took for granted that it was
+unnecessary. Even when Lyons, after reading the article in the
+<i>Sentinel</i>, had dropped the remark that the measure was really
+harmless and the outcry against it unwarranted, she had supposed
+that he was merely seeking to be magnanimous. She had forgotten
+this speech until it was recalled by Lyons's obvious state of worry
+during the last few days. She had noticed this at first without
+special concern, believing it due to the malicious insinuations of
+Stringer. Now that the bill was before him for signature there
+could be no question as to his action. Nevertheless her heart had
+suddenly been assailed by a horrible doubt, and straightway her
+sense of duty as a wife and of duty to herself had sought assurance
+in a crucial inquiry.</p>
+<p>"I was going to speak to you about that this evening. I wish to
+tell you the reasons which oblige me to sign the bill," he
+answered. Lyons's manner was subdued and limp. Even his phraseology
+had been stripped of its stateliness.</p>
+<p>"Sign the bill?" gasped Selma. "If you sign it, you will lose
+the senatorship." She spoke like a prophetess, and her steely eyes
+snapped.</p>
+<p>"That is liable to be the consequence I know. I will explain to
+you, Selma. You will see that I am bound in honor and cannot help
+myself."</p>
+<p>"In honor? You are bound in honor to your party&mdash;bound in
+honor to me to veto it."</p>
+<p>"Wait a minute, Selma. You must hear my reasons. Before I was
+nominated for Governor I gave Horace Elton my word, man to man,
+that I would sign this gas bill. It is his bill. I promised, if I
+were elected Governor, not to veto it. At the time, I&mdash;I was
+financially embarrassed. I did not tell you because I was unwilling
+to distress you, but&mdash;er&mdash;my affairs in New York were in
+disorder, and I had notes here coming due. Nothing was said about
+money matters between Elton and me until he had agreed to support
+me as Governor. Then he offered to help me, and I accepted his aid.
+Don't you see that I cannot help myself? That I must sign the
+bill?"</p>
+<p>Selma had listened in amazement. "It's a trap," she murmured.
+"Horace Elton has led you into a trap." The thought that Elton's
+politeness to her was a blind, and that she had been made sport of,
+took precedence in her resentment even of the annoyance caused her
+by her husband's deceit.</p>
+<p>"Why did you conceal all this from me?" she asked,
+tragically.</p>
+<p>"I should not have done so, perhaps."</p>
+<p>"If you had told me, this difficulty never would have arisen.
+Pshaw! It is not a real difficulty. Surely you must throw Elton
+over. Surely you must veto the bill."</p>
+<p>"Throw him over," stammered Lyons. "You don't understand, Selma.
+I gave my word as a business man. I am under great obligations to
+him." He told briefly the details of the transaction; even the
+hypothecation of the Parsons bonds. For once in his life he made a
+clean breast of his bosom's perilous stuff. He was ready to bear
+the consequences of his plight rather than be false to his man's
+standard of honor, and yet his wife's opposition had fascinated as
+well as startled him. He set forth his case&mdash;the case which
+meant his political checkmate, then waited. Selma had risen and
+stood with folded arms gazing into distance with the far away look
+by which she was wont to subdue mountains.</p>
+<p>"Have you finished?" she asked. "What you are proposing to do is
+to sacrifice your life&mdash;and my life, James Lyons, for the sake
+of a&mdash;er&mdash;fetish. Horace Elton, under the pretence of
+friendship for us, has taken advantage of your necessities to
+extract from you a promise to support an evil scheme&mdash;a bill
+to defraud the plain American people of their rights&mdash;the
+people whose interests you swore to protect when you took the oath
+as Governor. Is a promise between man and man, as you call it, more
+sacred than everlasting truth itself? More binding than the tie of
+principle and political good faith? Will you refuse to veto a bill
+which you know is a blow at liberty in order to keep a technical
+business compact with an over-reaching capitalist, who has no
+sympathy with our ideas? I am disappointed in you, James. I thought
+you could see clearer than that."</p>
+<p>Lyons sighed. "I examined the bill at the time with some care,
+and did not think it inimical to the best public interest; but had
+I foreseen the objections which would be raised against it, I admit
+that I never would have agreed to sign it."</p>
+<p>"Precisely. You were taken in." She meant in her heart that they
+had both been taken in. "This is not a case of commercial give and
+take&mdash;of purchase and sale of stocks or merchandise. The
+eternal verities are concerned. You owe it to your country to break
+your word. The triumph of American principles is paramount to your
+obligation to Elton. Whom will this gas bill benefit but the
+promoters? Your view, James, is the old-fashioned view. Just as I
+said to you the other day that Dr. Page is old-fashioned in his
+views of medicine, so it seems to me, if you will forgive my saying
+so, you are, in this instance, behind the times. And you are not
+usually behind the times. It has been one of the joyous features of
+my marriage with you that you have not lacked American initiative
+and independence of conventions. I wish you had confided in me. You
+were forced to give that promise by your financial distress. Will
+you let an old-fashioned theory of private honor make you a traitor
+to our party cause and to the sovereign people of our country?"</p>
+<p>Lyons bowed his head between his hands. "You make me see that
+there are two sides to the question, Selma. It is true that I was
+not myself when Elton got my promise to sign the bill. My mind had
+been on the rack for weeks, and I was unfit to form a correct
+estimate of a complicated public measure. But a promise is a
+promise."</p>
+<p>"What can he do if you break it? He will not kill you."</p>
+<p>"He will not kill me, no; but he will despise me." Lyons
+reflected, as he spoke, that Elton would be unable to injure him
+financially. He would, be able to pay his notes when they became
+due, thanks to the improvement in business affairs which had set in
+since the beginning of the year.</p>
+<p>"And your party&mdash;the American people will despise you if
+you sign the bill. Whose contempt do you fear the most?"</p>
+<p>"I see&mdash;I see," he murmured. "I cannot deny there is much
+force in your argument, dear. I fear there can be no doubt that if
+I let the bill become law, public clamor will oblige the party to
+throw me over and take up Stringer or some dark horse. That means a
+serious setback to my political progress; means perhaps my
+political ruin."</p>
+<p>"Your political suicide, James. And there is another side to
+it," continued Selma, pathetically. "My side. I wish you to think
+of that. I wish you to realize that, if you yield to this false
+notion of honor, you will interfere with the development of my life
+no less than your own. As you know, I think, I became your wife
+because I felt that as a public woman working, at your side in
+behalf of the high purposes in which we had a common sympathy, I
+should be a greater power for good than if I pursued alone my
+career as a writer and on the lecture platform. Until to-day I have
+felt sure that I had made no mistake&mdash;that we had made no
+mistake. Without disrespect to the dead, I may say that for the
+first time in my life marriage has meant to me what it should mean,
+and has tended to bring out the best which is in me. I have grown;
+I have developed; I have been recognized. We have both made
+progress. Only a few days ago I was rejoicing to think that when
+you became a United States Senator, there would be a noble field
+for my abilities as well as yours. We are called to high office,
+called to battle for great principles and to lead the nation to
+worthy things. And now, in a moment of mental blindness, you are
+threatening to spoil all. For my sake, if not for your own, James,
+be convinced that you do not see clearly. Do not snatch the cup of
+happiness from my lips just as at last it is full. Give me the
+chance to live my own life as I wish to live it."</p>
+<p>There was a brief silence. Lyons rose and let fall his hand on
+the table with impressive emphasis. His mobile face was working
+with emotion; his eyes were filled with tears. "I will veto the
+bill," he said, grandiloquently. "The claims of private honor must
+give way to the general welfare, and the demands of civilization.
+You have convinced me, Selma&mdash;my wife. My point of view was
+old-fashioned. Superior ethics permit no other solution of the
+problem. Superior ethics," he repeated, as though the phrase gave
+him comfort, "would not justify a statesman in sacrificing his
+party and his own powers&mdash;aye, and his political
+conscience&mdash;in order to keep a private compact. I shall veto
+the bill."</p>
+<p>"Thank God for that," she murmured.</p>
+<p>Lyons stepped forward and put his arm around her. "You shall
+live your own life as you desire, Selma. No act of mine shall spoil
+it."</p>
+<p>"Superior ethics taught you by your wife! Your poor, wise wife
+in whom you would not confide!" She tapped him playfully on his fat
+cheek. "Naughty boy!"</p>
+<p>"There are moments when a man sees through a glass, darkly," he
+answered, kissing her again. "This is a solemn decision for us,
+Selma. Heaven has willed that you should save me from my own
+errors, and my own blindness."</p>
+<p>"We shall be very happy, James. You will be chosen Senator, and
+all will be as it should be. The clouds on my horizon are one by
+one passing away, and justice is prevailing at last. What do you
+suppose I heard to-day? Pauline Littleton is to marry Dr. Page.
+Mrs. Earle told me so. Pauline has written to the trustees that
+after the first of next January she will cease to serve as
+president of Wetmore; that by that time the college will be running
+smoothly, so that a successor can take up the work. There is a
+chance now that the trustees will choose a genuine educator for the
+place&mdash;some woman of spontaneous impulses and a large outlook
+on life. Pauline's place is by the domestic hearth. She could never
+have much influence on progress."</p>
+<p>"I do not know her very well," said Lyons. "But I know this,
+Selma, you would be just the woman for the place if you were not my
+wife. You would make an ideal president of a college for
+progressive women."</p>
+<p>"I am suited for the work, and I think I am progressive," she
+admitted. "But that, of course, is out of the question for me as a
+married woman and the wife of a United States Senator. But I am
+glad, James, to have you appreciate my strong points."</p>
+<p>On the following day Lyons vetoed the gas bill. His message to
+the Legislature described it as a measure which disposed of a
+valuable franchise for nothing, and which would create a monopoly
+detrimental to the rights of the public. This action met with much
+public approval. One newspaper expressed well the feeling of the
+community by declaring that the Governor had faced the issue
+squarely and shown the courage of his well-known convictions. The
+Benham <i>Sentinel</i> was practically mute. It stated merely in a
+short editorial that it was disappointed in Governor Lyons, and
+that he had played into the hands of the demagogues and the
+sentimentalists. It suggested to the Legislature to show
+commendable independence by passing the bill over his veto. But
+this was obviously a vain hope.</p>
+<p>The vote in the House against the veto not merely fell short of
+the requisite two-thirds, but was less than a plurality, showing
+that the action of the chief magistrate had reversed the sentiment
+of the Legislature. The force of Stringer's opposition was
+practically killed by the Governor's course. He had staked
+everything on the chance that Lyons would see fit to sign the bill.
+When the party caucus for the choice of a candidate for Senator was
+held a few days later, his followers recognized the hopelessness of
+his ambition and prevailed on him to withdraw his name from
+consideration. Lyons was elected Senator of the United States by a
+party vote by the two branches of the Legislature assembled in
+solemn conclave. Apparently Elton had realized that opposition was
+useless, and that he must bide his time for revenge. Booming cannon
+celebrated the result of the proceedings, and Selma, waiting at
+home on the River Drive, received a telegram from the capital
+announcing the glad news. Her husband was United States Senator,
+and the future stretched before her big with promise. She had
+battled with life, she had suffered, she had held fast to her
+principles, and at last she was rewarded.</p>
+<p>Lyons returned to Benham by the afternoon train, and a salute of
+one hundred guns greeted him on his arrival. He walked from the
+station like any private citizen. Frequent cheers attended his
+progress to his house. In the evening the shops and public
+buildings were illuminated, and the James O. Lyons Cadets, who
+considered themselves partly responsible for his rapid promotion,
+led a congratulatory crowd to the River Drive. The Senator-elect,
+in response to the music of a serenade, stepped out on the balcony.
+Selma waited behind the window curtain until the enthusiasm had
+subsided; then she glided forth and showed herself at his elbow. A
+fresh round of cheers for the Senator's wife followed. It was a
+glorious night. The moon shone brightly. The street was thronged by
+the populace, and glittered with the torches of the cadets. Lyons
+stood bareheaded. His large, round, smooth face glistened, and the
+moonbeams, bathing his chin beard, gave him the effect of a
+patriarch, or of one inspired. He raised his hand to induce
+silence, then stood for a moment, as was his habit before speaking,
+with an expression as though he were struggling with emotion or
+busy in silent prayer.</p>
+<p>"Fellow citizens of Benham," he began, slowly, "compatriots of
+the sovereign State which has done me to-day so great an honor, I
+thank you for this precious greeting. You are my constituents and
+my brothers. I accept from your hands this great trust of office,
+knowing that I am but your representative, knowing that my mission
+is to bear constant witness to the love of liberty, the love of
+progress, the love of truth which are enshrined in the hearts of
+the great American people. Your past has been ever glorious; your
+future looms big with destiny. Still leaning on the God of our
+fathers, to whom our patriot sires have ever turned, and whose
+favors to our beloved country are seen in your broad prairies tall
+with fruitful grain, and your mighty engines of commerce, I take up
+the work which you have given me to do, pledged to remain a
+democrat of the democrats, an American of the Americans."</p>
+<p>Selma heard the words of this peroration with a sense of
+ecstasy. She felt that he was speaking for them both, and that he
+was expressing the yearning intention of her soul to attempt and
+perform great things. She stood gazing straight before her with her
+far away, seraph look, as though she were penetrating the future
+even into Paradise.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
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+++ b/old/14645.txt
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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Unleavened Bread, by Robert Grant
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Unleavened Bread
+
+Author: Robert Grant
+
+Release Date: January 10, 2005  [eBook #14645]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNLEAVENED BREAD***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Audrey Longhurst, Amy Cunningham, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+
+
+
+UNLEAVENED BREAD
+
+by
+
+ROBERT GRANT
+
+Author of _The Bachelor's Christmas_, etc.
+
+Charles Scribner's Sons
+New York
+
+1900
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+BOOK I
+THE EMANCIPATION
+
+
+BOOK II
+THE STRUGGLE
+
+
+BOOK III
+THE SUCCESS
+
+
+
+
+UNLEAVENED BREAD
+
+
+BOOK I.
+
+THE EMANCIPATION
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+Babcock and Selma White were among the last of the wedding guests to
+take their departure. It was a brilliant September night with a touch of
+autumn vigor in the atmosphere, which had not been without its effect on
+the company, who had driven off in gay spirits, most of them in
+hay-carts or other vehicles capable of carrying a party. Their songs and
+laughter floated back along the winding country road. Selma, comfortable
+in her wraps and well tucked about with a rug, leaned back contentedly
+in the chaise, after the goodbyes had been said, to enjoy the glamour of
+the full moon. They were seven miles from home and she was in no hurry
+to get there. Neither festivities nor the undisguised devotion of a city
+young man were common in her life. Consideration she had been used to
+from a child, and she knew herself to be tacitly acknowledged the
+smartest girl in Westfield, but perhaps for that very reason she had
+held aloof from manhood until now. At least no youth in her neighborhood
+had ever impressed her as her equal. Neither did Babcock so impress her;
+but he was different from the rest. He was not shy and unexpressive; he
+was buoyant and self-reliant, and yet he seemed to appreciate her
+quality none the less.
+
+They had met about a dozen times, and on the last six of these occasions
+he had come from Benham, ten miles to her uncle's farm, obviously to
+visit her. The last two times her Aunt Farley had made him spend the
+night, and it had been arranged that he would drive her in the Farley
+chaise to Clara Morse's wedding. A seven-mile drive is apt to promote or
+kill the germs of intimacy, and on the way over she had been conscious
+of enjoying herself. Scrutiny of Clara's choice had been to the
+advantage of her own cavalier. The bridegroom had seemed to her what her
+Aunt Farley would call a mouse-in-the-cheese young man. Whereas Babcock
+had been the life of the affair.
+
+She had been teaching now in Wilton for more than a year. When, shortly
+after her father's death, she had obtained the position of school
+teacher, it seemed to her that at last the opportunity had come to
+display her capabilities, and at the same time to fulfil her
+aspirations. But the task of grounding a class of small children in the
+rudiments of simple knowledge had already begun to pall and to seem
+unsatisfying. Was she to spend her life in this? And if not, the next
+step, unless it were marriage, was not obvious. Not that she mistrusted
+her ability to shine in any educational capacity, but neither Wilton nor
+the neighboring Westfield offered better, and she was conscious of a
+lack of influential friends in the greater world, which was embodied for
+her in Benham. Benham was a western city of these United States, with an
+eastern exposure; a growing, bustling city according to rumor, with an
+eager population restless with new ideas and stimulating ambitions. So
+at least Selma thought of it, and though Boston and New York and a few
+other places were accepted by her as authoritative, she accepted them,
+as she accepted Shakespeare, as a matter of course and so far removed
+from her immediate outlook as almost not to count. But Benham with its
+seventy-five thousand inhabitants and independent ways was a fascinating
+possibility. Once established there the world seemed within her grasp,
+including Boston. Might it not be that Benham, in that it was newer, was
+nearer to truth and more truly American than that famous city? She was
+not prepared to believe this an absurdity.
+
+At least the mental atmosphere of Westfield and even of the somewhat
+less solemn Wilton suggested this apotheosis of the adjacent city to be
+reasonable. Westfield had stood for Selma as a society of serious though
+simple souls since she could first remember and had been one of them.
+Not that she arrogated to her small native town any unusual qualities of
+soul or mind in distinction from most other American communities, but
+she regarded it as inferior in point of view to none, and typical of the
+best national characteristics. She had probably never put into words the
+reasons of her confidence, but her daily consciousness was permeated
+with them. To be an American meant to be more keenly alive to the
+responsibility of life than any other citizen of civilization, and to be
+an American woman meant to be something finer, cleverer, stronger, and
+purer than any other daughter of Eve. Under the agreeable but sobering
+influence of this faith she had grown to womanhood, and the heroic deeds
+of the civil war had served to intensify a belief, the truth of which
+she had never heard questioned. Her mission in life had promptly been
+recognized by her as the development of her soul along individual lines,
+but until the necessity for a choice had arisen she had been content to
+contemplate a little longer. Now the world was before her, for she was
+twenty-three and singularly free from ties. Her mother had died when she
+was a child. Her father, the physician of the surrounding country, a man
+of engaging energy with an empirical education and a speculative habit
+of mind, had been the companion of her girlhood. During the last few
+years since his return from the war an invalid from a wound, her care
+for him had left her time for little else.
+
+No more was Babcock in haste to reach home; and after the preliminary
+dash from the door into the glorious night he suffered the farm-horse to
+pursue its favorite gait, a deliberate jog. He knew the creature to be
+docile, and that he could bestow his attention on his companion without
+peril to her. His own pulses were bounding. He was conscious of having
+made the whirligig of time pass merrily for the company by his spirits
+and jolly quips, and that in her presence, and he was groping for an
+appropriate introduction to the avowal he had determined to make. He
+would never have a better opportunity than this, and it had been his
+preconceived intention to take advantage of it if all went well. All had
+gone well and he was going to try. She had been kind coming over; and
+had seemed to listen with interest as he told her about himself: and
+somehow he had felt less distant from her. He was not sure what she
+would say, for he realized that she was above him. That was one reason
+why he admired her so. She symbolized for him refinement, poetry, art,
+the things of the spirit--things from which in the same whirligig of
+time he had hitherto been cut off by the vicissitudes of the varnish
+business; but the value of which he was not blind to. How proud he would
+be of such a wife! How he would strive and labor for her! His heart was
+in his mouth and trembled on his lip as he thought of the possibility.
+What a joy to be sitting side by side with her under this splendid moon!
+He would speak and know his fate.
+
+"Isn't it a lovely night?" murmured Selma appreciatively. "There they
+go," she added, indicating the disappearance over the brow of a hill of
+the last of the line of vehicles of the rest of the party, whose songs
+had come back fainter and fainter.
+
+"I don't care. Do you?" He snuggled toward her a very little.
+
+"I guess they won't think I'm lost," she said, with a low laugh.
+
+"What d'you suppose your folks would say if you _were_ lost? I mean if I
+were to run away with you and didn't bring you back?" There was a
+nervous ring in the guffaw which concluded his question.
+
+"My friends wouldn't miss me much; at least they'd soon get over the
+shock; but I might miss myself, Mr. Babcock."
+
+Selma was wondering why it was that she rather liked being alone with
+this man, big enough, indeed, to play the monster, yet half school-boy,
+but a man who had done well in his calling. He must be capable; he could
+give her a home in Benham; and it was plain that he loved her.
+
+"I'll tell you something," he said, eagerly, ignoring her suggestion.
+"I'd like to run away with you and be married to-night, Selma. That's
+what I'd like, and I guess you won't. But it's the burning wish of my
+heart that you'd marry me some time. I want you to be my wife. I'm a
+rough fellow along-side of you, Selma, but I'd do well by you; I would.
+I'm able to look after you, and you shall have all you want. There's a
+nice little house building now in Benham. Say the word and I'll buy it
+for us to-morrow. I'm crazy after you, Selma."
+
+The rein was dangling, and Babcock reached his left arm around the waist
+of his lady-love. He had now and again made the same demonstration with
+others jauntily, but this was a different matter. She was not to be
+treated like other women. She was a goddess to him, even in his ardor,
+and he reached gingerly. Selma did not wholly withdraw from the spread
+of his trembling arm, though this was the first man who had ever
+ventured to lay a finger on her.
+
+"I'd have to give up my school," she said.
+
+"They could get another teacher."
+
+"_Could_ they?"
+
+"Not one like you. You see I'm clumsy, but I'm crazy for you, Selma."
+Emboldened by the obvious feebleness of her opposition, he broadened his
+clutch and drew her toward him. "Say you will, sweetheart."
+
+This time she pulled herself free and sat up in the chaise. "Would you
+let me do things?" she asked after a moment.
+
+"Do things," faltered Babcock. What could she mean? She had told him on
+the way over that her mother had chosen her name from a theatrical
+playbill, and it passed through his unsophisticated brain that she might
+be thinking of the stage.
+
+"Yes, do something worth while. Be somebody. I've had the idea I could,
+if I ever got the chance." Her hands were folded in her lap; there was a
+wrapt expression on her thin, nervous face, and a glitter in her keen
+eyes, which were looking straight at the moon, as though they would
+outstare it in brilliancy.
+
+"You shall be anything you like, if you'll only marry me. What is it
+you're wishing to be?"
+
+"I don't know exactly. It isn't anything especial yet. It's the whole
+thing. I thought I might find it in my school, but the experience so far
+hasn't been--satisfying."
+
+"Troublesome little brats!"
+
+"No, I dare say the fault's in me. If I went to Benham to live it would
+be different. Benham must be interesting--inspiring."
+
+"There's plenty of go there. You'd like it, and people would think lots
+of you."
+
+"I'd try to make them." She turned and looked at him judicially, but
+with a softened expression. Her profile in her exalted mood had
+suggested a beautiful, but worried archangel; her full face seemed less
+this and wore much of the seductive embarrassment of sex. To Babcock she
+seemed the most entrancing being he had ever seen. "Would you really
+like to have me come?"
+
+He gave a hoarse ejaculation, and encircling her eagerly with his strong
+grasp pressed his lips upon her cheek. "Selma! darling! angel! I'm the
+happiest man alive."
+
+"You mustn't do that--yet," she said protestingly.
+
+"Yes, I must; I'm yours, and you're mine,--mine. Aren't you, sweetheart?
+There's no harm in a kiss."
+
+She had to admit to herself that it was not very unpleasant after all to
+be held in the embrace of a sturdy lover, though she had never intended
+that their relations should reach this stage of familiarity so promptly.
+She had known, of course, that girls were to look for endearments from
+those whom they promised to marry, but her person had hitherto been so
+sacred to man and to herself that it was difficult not to shrink a
+little from what was taking place. This then was love, and love was, of
+course, the sweetest thing in the world. That was one of the truths
+which she had accepted as she had accepted the beauty of Shakespeare, as
+something not to be disputed, yet remote. He was a big, affectionate
+fellow, and she must make up her mind to kiss him. So she turned her
+face toward him and their lips met eagerly, forestalling the little peck
+which she had intended. She let her head fall back at his pressure on to
+his shoulder, and gazed up at the moon.
+
+"Are you happy, Selma?" he asked, giving her a fond, firm squeeze.
+
+"Yes, Lewis."
+
+She could feel his frame throb with joy at the situation as she uttered
+his name.
+
+"We'll be married right away. That's if you're willing. My business is
+going first-rate and, if it keeps growing for the next year as it has
+for the past two, you'll be rich presently. When shall it be, Selma?"
+
+"You're in dreadful haste. Well, I'll promise to give the selectmen
+notice to-morrow that they must find another teacher."
+
+"Because the one they have now is going to become Mrs. Lewis J. Babcock.
+I'm the luckiest fellow, hooray! in creation. See here," he added,
+taking her hand, "I guess a ring wouldn't look badly there--a real
+diamond, too. Pretty little fingers."
+
+She sighed gently, by way of response. It was comfortable nestling in
+the hollow of his shoulder, and a new delightful experience to be
+hectored with sweetness in this way. How round and bountiful the moon
+looked. She was tired of her present life. What was coming would be
+better. Her opportunity was at hand to show the world what she was made
+of.
+
+"A real diamond, and large at that," he repeated, gazing down at her,
+and then, as though the far away expression in her eyes suggested
+kinship with the unseen and the eternal, he said, admiringly but humbly,
+"It must be grand to be clever like you, Selma. I'm no good at that. But
+if loving you will make up for it, I'll go far, little woman."
+
+"What I know of that I like, and--and if some day, I can make you proud
+of me, so much the better," said Selma.
+
+"Proud of you? You are an angel, and you know it."
+
+She closed her eyes and sighed again. Even the bright avenues of fame,
+which her keen eyes had traversed through the golden moon, paled before
+this tribute from the lips of real flesh and blood. What woman can
+withstand the fascination of a lover's faith that she is an angel? If a
+man is fool enough to believe it, why undeceive him? And if he is so
+sure of it, may it even not be so? Selma was content to have it so,
+especially as the assertion did not jar with her own prepossessions; and
+thus they rode home in the summer night in the mutual contentment of a
+betrothal.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+The match was thoroughly agreeable to Mrs. Farley, Selma's aunt and
+nearest relation, who with her husband presided over a flourishing
+poultry farm in Wilton. She was an easy-going, friendly spirit, with a
+sharp but not wide vision, who did not believe that a likelier fellow
+than Lewis Babcock would come wooing were her niece to wait a lifetime.
+He was hearty, comical, and generous, and was said to be making money
+fast in the varnish business. In short, he seemed to her an admirable
+young man, with a stock of common-sense and high spirits eminently
+serviceable for a domestic venture. How full of fun he was, to be sure!
+It did her good to behold the tribute his appetite paid to the buckwheat
+cakes with cream and other tempting viands she set before him--a
+pleasing contrast to Selma's starveling diet--and the hearty smack with
+which he enforced his demands upon her own cheeks as his mother-in-law
+apparent, argued an affectionate disposition. Burly, rosy-cheeked,
+good-natured, was he not the very man to dispel her niece's vagaries and
+turn the girl's morbid cleverness into healthy channels?
+
+Selma, therefore, found nothing but encouragement in her choice at home;
+so by the end of another three months they were made man and wife, and
+had moved into that little house in Benham which had attracted Babcock's
+eye. Benham, as has been indicated, was in the throes of bustle and
+self-improvement. Before the war it had been essentially unimportant.
+But the building of a railroad through the town and the discovery of oil
+wells in its neighborhood had transformed it in a twinkling into an
+active and spirited centre. Selma's new house was on the edge of the
+city, in the van of real estate progress, one of a row of small but
+ambitious-looking dwellings, over the dark yellow clapboards of which
+the architect had let his imagination run rampant in scrolls and
+flourishes. There was fancy colored glass in a sort of rose-window over
+the front door, and lozenges of fancy glass here and there in the
+facade. Each house had a little grass-plot, which Babcock in his case
+had made appurtenant to a metal stag, which seemed to him the finishing
+touch to a cosey and ornamental home. He had done his best and with all
+his heart, and the future was before them.
+
+Babcock found himself radiant over the first experiences of married
+life. It was just what he had hoped, only better. His imagination in
+entertaining an angel had not been unduly literal, and it was a constant
+delight and source of congratulation to him to reflect over his pipe on
+the lounge after supper that the charming piece of flesh and blood
+sewing or reading demurely close by was the divinity of his domestic
+hearth. There she was to smile at him when he came home at night and
+enable him to forget the cares and dross of the varnish business. Her
+presence across the table added a new zest to every meal and improved
+his appetite. In marrying he had expected to cut loose from his bachelor
+habits, and he asked for nothing better than to spend every evening
+alone with Selma, varied by an occasional evening at the theatre, and a
+drive out to the Farleys' now and then for supper. This, with the
+regular Sunday service at Rev. Henry Glynn's church, rounded out the
+weeks to his perfect satisfaction. He was conscious of feeling that the
+situation did not admit of improvement, for though, when he measured
+himself with Selma, Babcock was humble-minded, a cheerful and uncritical
+optimism was the ruling characteristic of his temperament. With health,
+business fortune, and love all on his side, it was natural to him to
+regard his lot with complacency. Especially as to all appearances, this
+was the sort of thing Selma liked, also. Presently, perhaps, there would
+be a baby, and then their cup of domestic happiness would be
+overflowing. Babcock's long ungratified yearning for the things of the
+spirit were fully met by these cosey evenings, which he would have been
+glad to continue to the crack of doom. To smoke and sprawl and read a
+little, and exchange chit-chat, was poetry enough for him. So contented
+was he that his joy was apt to find an outlet in ditties and
+whistling--he possessed a slightly tuneful, rollicking knack at both--a
+proceeding which commonly culminated in his causing Selma to sit beside
+him on the sofa and be made much of, to the detriment of her toilette.
+
+As for the bride, so dazing were the circumstances incident to the
+double change of matrimony and adaptation to city life, that her
+judgment was in suspension. Yet though she smiled and sewed demurely,
+she was thinking. The yellow clapboarded house and metal stag, and a
+maid-of-all-work at her beck and call, were gratifying at the outset and
+made demands upon her energies. Selma's position in her father's house
+had been chiefly ornamental and social. She had been his companion and
+nurse, had read to him and argued with him, but the mere household work
+had been performed by an elderly female relative who recognized that her
+mind was bent on higher things. Nevertheless, she had never doubted that
+when the time arrived to show her capacity as a housewife, she would be
+more than equal to the emergency. Assuredly she would, for one of the
+distinguishing traits of American womanhood was the ability to perform
+admirably with one's own hand many menial duties and yet be prepared to
+shine socially with the best. Still the experience was not quite so easy
+as she expected; even harassing and mortifying. Fortunately, Lewis was
+more particular about quantity than quality where the table was
+concerned; and, after all, food and domestic details were secondary
+considerations in a noble outlook. It would have suited her never to be
+obliged to eat, and to be able to leave the care of the house to the
+hired girl; but that being out of the question, it became incumbent on
+her to make those obligations as simple as possible. However, the
+possession of a new house and gay fittings was an agreeable realization.
+At home everything had been upholstered in black horse-hair, and regard
+for material appearances had been obscured for her by the tension of her
+introspective tendencies. Lewis was very kind, and she had no reason to
+reproach herself as yet for her choice. He had insisted that she should
+provide herself with an ample and more stylish wardrobe, and though the
+invitation had interested her but mildly, the effect of shrewdly-made
+and neatly fitting garments on her figure had been a revelation. Like
+the touch of a man's hand, fine raiment had seemed to her hitherto
+almost repellant, but it was obvious now that anything which enhanced
+her effectiveness could not be dismissed as valueless. To arrive at
+definite conclusions in regard to her social surroundings was less easy
+for Selma. Benham, in its rapid growth, had got beyond the level
+simplicity of Westfield and Wilton, and was already confronted by the
+stern realities which baffle the original ideal in every American city.
+We like as a nation to cherish the illusion that extremes of social
+condition do not exist even in our large communities, and that the
+plutocrat and the saleslady, the learned professions and the proletariat
+associate on a common basis of equal virtue, intelligence, and culture.
+And yet, although Benham was a comparatively young and an essentially
+American city, there were very marked differences in all these respects
+in its community.
+
+Topographically speaking the starting point of Benham was its
+water-course. Twenty years before the war Benham was merely a cluster of
+frame houses in the valley of the limpid, peaceful river Nye. At that
+time the inhabitants drank of the Nye taken at a point below the town,
+for there was a high fall which would have made the drawing of water
+above less convenient. This they were doing when Selma came to Benham,
+although every man's hand had been raised against the Nye, which was the
+nearest, and hence for a community in hot haste, the most natural
+receptacle for dyestuffs, ashes and all the outflow from woollen mills,
+pork factories and oil yards, and it ran the color of glistening bean
+soup. From time to time, as the city grew, the drawing point had been
+made a little lower where the stream had regained a portion of its
+limpidity, and no one but wiseacres and busybodies questioned its
+wholesomeness. Benham at that time was too preoccupied and too proud of
+its increasing greatness to mistrust its own judgment in matters
+hygienic, artistic, and educational. There came a day later when the
+river rose against the city, and an epidemic of typhoid fever convinced
+a reluctant community that there were some things which free-born
+Americans did not know intuitively. Then there were public meetings and
+a general indignation movement, and presently, under the guidance of
+competent experts, Lake Mohunk, seven miles to the north, was secured as
+a reservoir. Just to show how the temper of the times has changed, and
+how sophisticated in regard to hygienic matters some of the good
+citizens of Benham in these latter days have become, it is worthy of
+mention that, though competent chemists declare Lake Mohunk to be free
+from contamination, there are those now who use so-called mineral
+spring-waters in preference; notably Miss Flagg, the daughter of old
+Joel Flagg, once the miller and, at the date when the Babcocks set up
+their household gods, one of the oil magnates of Benham. He drank the
+bean colored Nye to the day of his death and died at eighty; but she
+carries a carboy of spring-water with her personal baggage wherever she
+travels, and is perpetually solicitous in regard to the presence of
+arsenic in wall-papers into the bargain.
+
+Verily, the world has wagged apace in Benham since Selma first looked
+out at her metal stag and the surrounding landscape. Ten years later the
+Benham Home Beautifying Society took in hand the Nye and those who
+drained into it, and by means of garbage consumers, disinfectants, and
+filters and judiciously arranged shrubbery converted its channel and
+banks into quite a respectable citizens' paradise. But even at that time
+the industries on either bank of the Nye, which flowed from east to
+west, were forcing the retail shops and the residences further and
+further away. To illustrate again from the Flagg family, just before the
+war Joel Flagg built a modest house less than a quarter of a mile from
+the southerly bank of the river, expecting to end his days there, and
+was accused by contemporary censors of an intention to seclude himself
+in magnificent isolation. About this time he had yielded to the plea of
+his family, that every other building in the street had been given over
+to trade, and that they were stranded in a social Sahara of factories.
+So like the easy going yet soaring soul that he was, he had moved out
+two miles to what was known as the River Drive, where the Nye
+accomplishes a broad sweep to the south. There an ambitious imported
+architect, glad of such an opportunity to speculate in artistic effects,
+had built for him a conglomeration of a feudal castle and an old
+colonial mansion in all the grisly bulk of signal failure.
+
+Considering our ideals, it is a wonder that no one has provided a law
+forbidding the erection of all the architecturally attractive, or
+sumptuous houses in one neighborhood. It ought not to be possible in a
+republic for such a state of affairs to exist as existed in Benham. That
+is to say all the wealth and fashion of the city lay to the west of
+Central Avenue, which was so literally the dividing line that if a
+Benhamite were referred to as living on that street the conventional
+inquiry would be "On which side?" And if the answer were "On the east,"
+the inquirer would be apt to say "Oh!" with a cold inflection which
+suggested a ban. No Benhamite has ever been able to explain precisely
+why it should be more creditable to live on one side of the same street
+than on the other, but I have been told by clever women, who were good
+Americans besides, that this is one of the subtle truths which baffle
+the Gods and democracies alike. Central Avenue has long ago been
+appropriated by the leading retail dry-goods shops, huge establishments
+where everything from a set of drawing-room furniture to a hair-pin can
+be bought under a single roof; but at that time it was the social
+artery. Everything to the west was new and assertive; then came the
+shops and the business centre; and to the east were Tom, Dick, and
+Harry, Michael, Isaac and Pietro, the army of citizens who worked in the
+mills, oil yards, and pork factories. And to the north, across the
+river, on the further side of more manufacturing establishments, was
+Poland, so-called--a settlement of the Poles--to reach whom now there
+are seven bridges of iron. There were but two bridges then, one of wood,
+and journeys across them had not yet been revealed to philanthropic
+young women eager to do good.
+
+Selma's house lay well to the south-west of Central Avenue, far enough
+removed from the River Drive and the Flagg mansion to be humble and yet
+near enough to be called looking up. Their row was complete and mainly
+occupied, but the locality was a-building, and in the process of making
+acquaintance. So many strangers had come to Benham that even Babcock
+knew but few of their neighbors. Without formulating definitely how it
+was to happen, Selma had expected to be received with open arms into a
+society eager to recognize her salient qualities. But apparently, at
+first glance, everybody's interest was absorbed by the butcher and
+grocer, the dressmaker and the domestic hearth. That is, the other
+people in their row seemed to be content to do as they were doing. The
+husbands went to town every day--town which lay in the murky
+distance--and their wives were friendly enough, but did not seem to be
+conscious either of voids in their own existence or of the privilege of
+her society. To be sure, they dressed well and were suggestive in that,
+but they looked blank at some of her inquiries, and appeared to feel
+their days complete if, after the housework had been done and the battle
+fought with the hired girl, they were able to visit the shopping
+district and pore over fabrics, in case they could not buy them. Some
+were evidently looking forward to the day when they might be so
+fortunate as to possess one of the larger houses of the district a mile
+away, and figure among what they termed "society people." There were
+others who, in their satisfaction with this course of life, referred
+with a touch of self-righteousness to the dwellers on the River Drive as
+deserving reprobation on account of a lack of serious purpose. This
+criticism appealed to Selma, and consoled her in a measure for the half
+mortification with which she had begun to realize that she was not of so
+much account as she had expected; at least, that there were people not
+very far distant from her block who were different somehow from her
+neighbors, and who took part in social proceedings in which she and her
+husband were not invited to participate. Manifestly they were unworthy
+and un-American. It was a comfort to come to this conclusion, even
+though her immediate surroundings, including the society of those who
+had put the taunt into her thoughts, left her unsatisfied.
+
+Some relief was provided at last by her church. Babcock was by birth an
+Episcopalian, though he had been lax in his interest during early
+manhood. This was one of the matters which he had expected marriage to
+correct, and he had taken up again, not merely with resignation but
+complacency, the custom of attending service regularly. Dr. White had
+been a controversial Methodist, but since his wife's death, and
+especially since the war, he had abstained from religious observances,
+and had argued himself somewhat far afield from the fold of orthodox
+belief. Consequently Selma, though she attended church at Westfield when
+her father's ailments did not require her presence at home, had been
+brought up to exercise her faculties freely on problems of faith and to
+feel herself a little more enlightened than the conventional worshipper.
+Still she was not averse to following her husband to the Rev. Henry
+Glynn's church. The experience was another revelation to her, for
+service at Westfield had been eminently severe and unadorned. Mr. Glynn
+was an Englishman; a short, stout, strenuous member of the Church of
+England with a broad accent and a predilection for ritual, but
+enthusiastic and earnest. He had been tempted to cross the ocean by the
+opportunities for preaching the gospel to the heathen, and he had fixed
+on Benham as a vineyard where he could labor to advantage. His advent
+had been a success. He had awakened interest by his fervor and by his
+methods. The pew taken by Babcock was one of the last remaining, and
+there was already talk of building a larger church to replace the chapel
+where he ministered. Choir boys, elaborate vestments, and genuflections,
+were novelties in the Protestant worship of Benham, and attracted the
+attention of many almost weary of plainer forms of worship, especially
+as these manifestations of color were effectively supplemented by
+evident sincerity of spirit on the part of their pastor. Nor were his
+energy and zeal confined to purely spiritual functions. The scope of his
+church work was practical and social. He had organized from the
+congregation societies of various sorts to relieve the poor; Bible
+classes and evening reunions which the members of the parish were urged
+to attend in order to become acquainted. Mr. Glynn's manner was both
+hearty and pompous. To him there was no Church in the world but the
+Church of England, and it was obvious that as one of the clergy of that
+Church he considered himself to be no mean man; but apart from this
+serious intellectual foible with respect to his own relative importance,
+he was a stimulating Christian and citizen within his lights. His
+active, crusading, and emotional temperament just suited the seething
+propensities of Benham.
+
+His flock comprised a few of the residents of the River Drive district,
+among them the Flaggs, but was a fairly representative mixture of all
+grades of society, including the poorest. These last were specimens
+under spiritual duress rather than free worshippers, and it was a
+constant puzzle to the reverend gentleman why, in the matter of
+attendance, they, metaphorically speaking, sickened and died. It had
+never been so in England. "Bonnets!" responded one day Mrs. Hallett
+Taylor, who had become Mr. Glynn's leading ally in parish matters, and
+was noted for her executive ability. She was an engaging but
+clear-headed soul who went straight to the point.
+
+"I do not fathom your meaning," said the pastor, a little loftily, for
+the suggestion sounded flippant.
+
+"It hurts their feelings to go to a church where their clothes are
+shabby compared with those of the rest of the congregation."
+
+"Yes, but in God's chapel, dear lady, all such distinctions should be
+forgotten."
+
+"They can't forget, and I don't blame them much, poor things, do you?
+It's the free-born American spirit. There now, Mr. Glynn, you were
+asking me yesterday to suggest some one for junior warden. Why not Mr.
+Babcock? They're new comers and seem available people."
+
+Mr. Glynn's distress at her first question was merged in the interest
+inspired by her second, for his glance had followed hers until it rested
+on the Babcocks, who had just entered the vestry to attend the social
+reunion. Selma's face wore its worried archangel aspect. She was on her
+good behavior and proudly on her guard against social impertinence. But
+she looked very pretty, and her compact, slight figure indicated a busy
+way.
+
+"I will interrogate him," he answered. "I have observed them before,
+and--and I can't quite make out the wife. It is almost a spiritual face,
+and yet--"
+
+"Just a little hard and keen," broke in Mrs. Taylor, upon his
+hesitation. "She is pretty, and she looks clever. I think we can get
+some work out of her."
+
+Thereupon she sailed gracefully in the direction of Selma. Mrs. Taylor
+was from Maryland. Her husband, a physician, had come to Benham at the
+close of the war to build up a practice, and his wife had aided him by
+her energy and graciousness to make friends. Unlike some Southerners,
+she was not indolent, and yet she possessed all the ingratiating,
+spontaneous charm of well-bred women from that section of the country.
+Her tastes were aesthetic and ethical rather than intellectual, and her
+special interest at the moment was the welfare of the church. She
+thought it desirable that all the elements of which the congregation was
+composed should be represented on the committees, and Selma seemed to
+her the most obviously available person from the class to which the
+Babcocks belonged.
+
+"I want you to help us," she said. "I think you have ideas. We need a
+woman with sense and ideas on our committee to build the new church."
+
+Selma was not used to easy grace and sprightly spontaneity. It affected
+her at first much as the touch of man; but just as in that instance the
+experience was agreeable. Life was too serious a thing in her regard to
+lend itself casually to lightness, and yet she felt instinctively
+attracted by this lack of self-consciousness and self-restraint. Besides
+here was an opportunity such as she had been yearning for. She had met
+Mrs. Taylor before, and knew her to be the presiding genius of the
+congregation; and it was evident that Mrs. Taylor had discovered her
+value.
+
+"Thank you," she said, gravely, but cordially. "That is what I should
+like. I wish to be of use. I shall be pleased to serve on the
+committee."
+
+"It will be interesting, I think. I have never helped build anything
+before. Perhaps you have?"
+
+"No," said Selma slowly. Her tone conveyed the impression that, though
+her abilities had never been put to that precise test, the employment
+seemed easily within her capacity.
+
+"Ah! I am sure you will be suggestive" said Mrs. Taylor. "I am right
+anxious that it shall be a credit in an architectural way, you know."
+
+Mr. Glynn, who had followed with more measured tread, now mingled his
+hearty bass voice in the conversation. His mental attitude was friendly,
+but inquisitorial; as seemed to him to befit one charged with the cure
+of souls. He proceeded to ask questions, beginning with inquiries
+conventional and domestic, but verging presently on points of faith.
+Babcock, to whom they were directly addressed, stood the ordeal well,
+revealing himself as flattered, contrite, and zealous to avail himself
+of the blessings of the church. He admitted that lately he had been lax
+in his spiritual duties.
+
+"We come every Sunday now," he said buoyantly, with a glance at Selma as
+though to indicate that she deserved the credit of his reformation.
+
+"The holy sacrament of marriage has led many souls from darkness into
+light, from the flesh-pots of Egypt to the table of the Lord" Mr. Glynn
+answered. "And you, my daughter," he added, meaningly, "guard well your
+advantage."
+
+It was agreeable to Selma that the clergymen seemed to appreciate her
+superiority to her embarrassed husband, especially as she thought she
+knew that in England women were not expected to have opinions of their
+own. She wished to say something to impress him more distinctly with her
+cleverness, for though she was secretly contemptuous of his ceremonials,
+there was something impressive in his mandatory zeal. She came near
+asking whether he held to the belief that it was wrong for a man to
+marry his deceased wife's sister, which was the only proposition in
+relation to the married state which occurred to her at the moment as
+likely to show her independence, but she contented herself instead with
+saying, with so much of Mrs. Taylor's spontaneity as she could reproduce
+without practice, "We expect to be very happy in your church."
+
+Selma, however, supplemented her words with her tense spiritual look.
+She felt happier than she had for weeks, inasmuch as life seemed to be
+opening before her. For a few moments she listened to Mr. Glynn unfold
+his hopes in regard to the new church, trying to make him feel that she
+was no common woman. She considered it a tribute to her when he took
+Lewis aside later and asked him to become a junior warden.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+At this time the necessity for special knowledge as to artistic or
+educational matters was recognized grudgingly in Benham. Any reputable
+citizen was considered capable to pass judgment on statues and pictures,
+design a house or public building, and prescribe courses of study for
+school-children. Since then the free-born Benhamite, little by little,
+through wise legislation or public opinion, born of bitter experience,
+has been robbed of these prerogatives until, not long ago, the
+un-American and undemocratic proposition to take away the laying out of
+the new city park from the easy going but ignorant mercies of the
+so-called city forester, who had been first a plumber and later an
+alderman, prevailed. An enlightened civic spirit triumphed and special
+knowledge was invoked.
+
+That was twenty-five years later. Mrs. Hallett Taylor had found herself
+almost single-handed at the outset in her purpose to build the new
+church on artistic lines. Or rather the case should be stated thus:
+Everyone agreed that it was to be the most beautiful church in the
+country, consistent with the money, and no one doubted that it would be,
+especially as everyone except Mrs. Taylor felt that in confiding the
+matter to the leading architect in Benham the committee would be
+exercising a wise and intelligent discretion. Mr. Pierce, the individual
+suggested, had never, until recently, employed the word architect in
+speaking of himself, and he pronounced it, as did some of the committee,
+"arshitect," shying a little at the word, as though it were caviare and
+anything but American. He was a builder, practised by a brief but
+rushing career in erecting houses, banks, schools, and warehouses
+speedily and boldly. He had been on the spot when the new growth of
+Benham began, and his handiwork was writ large all over the city. The
+city was proud of him, and had, as it were, sniffed when Joel Flagg went
+elsewhere for a man to build his new house. Surely, if it were necessary
+to pay extra for that sort of thing, was not home talent good enough?
+Yet it must be confessed that the ugly splendor of the Flagg mediaeval
+castle had so far dazed the eye of Benham that its "arshitect" had felt
+constrained, in order to keep up with the times, to try fancy flights of
+his own. He had silenced any doubting Thomases by his latest effort, a
+new school-house, rich in rampant angles and scrolls, on the brown-stone
+front of which the name _Flagg School_ appeared in ambitious, distorted
+hieroglyphics.
+
+Think what a wealth of imagery in the tossing of the second O on top of
+the L. If artistic novelty and genius were sought for the new church,
+here it was ready to be invoked. Besides, Mr. Pierce was a
+brother-in-law of one of the members of the committee, and, though the
+committee had the fear of God in their hearts in the erection of his
+sanctuary, it was not easy to protest against the near relative of a
+fellow member, especially one so competent.
+
+The committee numbered seven. Selma had been chosen to fill a vacancy
+caused by death, but at the time of her selection the matter was still
+in embryo, and the question of an architect had not been mooted. At the
+next meeting discussion arose as to whether Mr. Pierce should be given
+the job, under the eagle eyes of a sub-committee, or Mrs. Taylor's
+project of inviting competitive designs should be adopted. It was known
+that Mr. Glynn, without meaning disrespect to Mr. Pierce, favored the
+latter plan as more progressive, a word always attractive to Benham ears
+when they had time to listen. Its potency, coupled with veneration, for
+the pastor's opinion, had secured the vote of Mr. Clyme, a banker.
+Another member of the committee, a lawyer, favored Mrs. Taylor's idea
+because of a grudge against Mr. Pierce. The chairman and brother-in-law,
+and a hard-headed stove dealer, were opposed to the competitive plan as
+highfalutin and unnecessary. Thus the deciding vote lay with Selma.
+
+Now that they were on the same committee, Mrs. Taylor could not
+altogether make her out. She remembered that Mr. Glynn had said the same
+thing. Mrs. Taylor was accustomed to conquests. Without actual
+premeditation, she was agreeably conscious of being able to convert and
+sweep most opponents off their feet by the force of her pleasant
+personality. In this case the effect was not so obvious. She was
+conscious that Selma's eyes were constantly fixed upon her, but as to
+what she was thinking Mrs. Taylor felt less certain. Clearly she was
+mesmerized, but was the tribute admiration or hostility? Mrs. Taylor was
+piqued, and put upon her metal. Besides she needed Selma's vote. Not
+being skilled in psychological analyses, she had to resort to practical
+methods, and invited her to afternoon tea.
+
+Selma had never been present at afternoon tea as a domestic function in
+her life. Nor had she seen a home like Mrs. Taylor's. The house was no
+larger than her own, and had cost less. Medicine had not been so
+lucrative as the manufacture of varnish. Externally the house displayed
+stern lines of unadorned brick--the custom-made style of Benham in the
+first throes of expansion before Mr. Pierce's imagination had been
+stirred. Mr. Taylor had bought it as it stood, and his wife had made no
+attempt to alter the outside, which was, after all, inoffensively
+homely. But the interior was bewildering to Selma's gaze in its
+suggestion of cosey comfort. Pretty, tasteful things, many of them
+inexpensive knick-knacks of foreign origin--a small picture, a bit of
+china, a mediaeval relic--were cleverly placed as a relief to the
+conventional furniture. Selma had been used to formalism in household
+garniture--to a best room little used and precise with the rigor of wax
+flowers and black horse-hair, and to a living room where the effect
+sought was purely utilitarian. Her new home, in spite of its colored
+glass and iron stag, was arranged in much this fashion, as were the
+houses of her neighbors which she had entered.
+
+Selma managed to seat herself on the one straight-backed chair in the
+room. From this she was promptly driven by Mrs. Taylor and established
+in one corner of a lounge with a soft silk cushion behind her, and
+further propitiated by the proffer of a cup of tea in a dainty cup and
+saucer. All this, including Mrs. Taylor's musical voice, easy speech,
+and ingratiating friendliness, alternately thrilled and irritated her.
+She would have liked to discard her hostess from her thought as a light
+creature unworthy of intellectual seriousness, but she found herself
+fascinated and even thawed in spite of herself.
+
+"I'm glad to have the opportunity really to talk to you," said Mrs.
+Taylor. "At the church reunions one is so liable to interruptions. If
+I'm not mistaken, you taught school before you were married?"
+
+"For a short time."
+
+"That must have been interesting. It is so practical and definite. My
+life," she added deprecatingly, "has been a thing of threads and
+patches--a bit here and a bit there."
+
+She paused, but without forcing a response, proceeded blithely to touch
+on her past by way of illustration. The war had come just when she was
+grown up, and her kin in Maryland were divided on the issue. Her father
+had taken his family abroad, but her heart was in the keeping of a young
+officer on the Northern side--now her husband. Loss of property and
+bitterness of spirit had kept her parents expatriated, and she, with
+them, had journeyed from place to place in Europe. She had seen many
+beautiful places and beautiful things. At last Major Taylor had come for
+her and carried her off as his bride to take up again her life as an
+American.
+
+"I am interested in Benham," she continued, "and I count on you, Mrs.
+Babcock, to help make the new church what it ought to be
+artistically--worthy of all the energy and independence there is in this
+place."
+
+Selma's eye kindled. The allusion to foreign lands had aroused her
+distrust, but this patriotic avowal warmed her pulses.
+
+"Every one is so busy with private affairs here, owing to the rapid
+growth of the city," pursued Mrs. Taylor, "that there is danger of our
+doing inconsiderately things which cannot easily be set right hereafter.
+An ugly or tawdry-looking building may be an eyesore for a generation. I
+know that we have honest and skilful mechanics in Benham, but as
+trustees of the church funds, shouldn't we at least make the effort to
+get the best talent there is? If we have the cleverest architect here,
+so much the better. An open competition will enable us to find out.
+After all Benham is only one city among many, and a very new city. Why
+shouldn't we take advantage of the ideas of the rest of the country--the
+older portion of the country?"
+
+"Mr. Pierce built our house, and we think it very satisfactory and
+pretty."
+
+Selma's tone was firm, but she eyed her hostess narrowly. She had begun
+of late to distrust the aesthetic worth of the colored glass and metal
+stag, and, though she was on her guard against effrontery, she wished to
+know the truth. She knew that Mr. Pierce, with fine business instinct,
+had already conveyed to her husband the promise that he should furnish
+the varnish for the new church in case of his own selection, which, as
+Babcock had remarked, would be a nice thing all round.
+
+Mrs. Taylor underwent the scrutiny without flinching. "I have nothing to
+say against Mr. Pierce. He is capable within his lights. Indeed I think
+it quite possible that we shall get nothing more satisfactory elsewhere.
+Mr. Flagg's grim pile is anything but encouraging. That may sound like
+an argument against my plan, but in the case of the Flagg house there
+was no competition; merely unenlightened choice on the one side and
+ignorant experimenting on the other."
+
+"You don't seem to think very highly of the appearance of Benham," said
+Selma. The remark was slightly interrogative, but was combative withal.
+She wished to know if everything, from the Flagg mansion down, was open
+to criticism, but she would fain question the authority of the
+censor--this glib, graceful woman whose white, starched cuffs seemed to
+make light of her own sober, unadorned wrists.
+
+This time Mrs. Taylor flushed faintly. She realized that their relations
+had reached a critical point, and that the next step might be fatal. She
+put down her teacup, and leaning forward, said with smiling confidential
+eagerness, "I don't. I wouldn't admit it to anyone else. But what's the
+use of mincing matters with an intelligent woman like you? I might put
+you off now, and declare that Benham is well enough. But you would soon
+divine what I really think, and that would be the end of confidence
+between us. I like honesty and frankness, and I can see that you do. My
+opinion of Benham architecture is that it is slip-shod and mongrel.
+There! You see I put myself in your hands, but I do so because I feel
+sure you nearly agree with me already. You know it's so, but you hate to
+acknowledge it."
+
+Selma's eyes were bright with interest. She felt flattered by the
+appeal, and there was a righteous assurance in Mrs. Taylor's manner
+which was convincing. She opened her mouth to say something--what she
+did not quite know--but Mrs. Taylor raised her hand by way of
+interdiction.
+
+"Don't answer yet. Let me show you what I mean. I'm as proud of Benham
+as anyone. I am absorbed by the place, I look to see it fifty years
+hence--perhaps less--a great city, and a beautiful city too. Just at
+present everything is commercial and--and ethical; yes, ethical. We wish
+to do and dare, but we haven't time to adorn as we construct. That is,
+most of us haven't. But if a few determined spirits--women though they
+be--cry 'halt,' art may get a chance here and there to assert herself.
+Look at this," she said, gliding across the room and holding up a small
+vase of exquisite shape and coloring, "I picked it up on the other side
+and it stands almost for a lost art. The hands and taste which wrought
+it represent the transmitted patience and skill of hundreds of years. We
+like to rush things through in a few weeks on a design hastily conceived
+by a Mr. Pierce because we are so earnest. Now, we won't do it this
+time, will we?"
+
+"No, we won't," said Selma. "I see what you mean. I was afraid at first
+that you didn't give us credit for the earnestness--for the ethical
+part. That's the first thing, the great thing according to my idea, and
+it's what distinguishes us from foreigners,--the foreigners who made
+that vase, for instance. But I agree with you that there's such a thing
+as going too fast, and very likely some of the buildings here aren't all
+they might be. We don't need to model them on foreign patterns, but we
+must have them pretty and right."
+
+"Certainly, certainly, my dear. What we should strive for is
+originality--American originality; but soberly, slowly. Art is evolved
+painfully, little by little; it can't be bought ready-made at shops for
+the asking like tea and sugar. If we invite designs for the new church,
+we shall give the youths of the country who have ideas seething in their
+heads a chance to express themselves. Who knows but we may unearth a
+genius?"
+
+"Who knows?" echoed Selma, with her spiritual look. "Yes, you are right,
+Mrs. Taylor. I will help you. As you say, there must be hundreds of
+young men who would like to do just that sort of thing. I know myself
+what it is to have lived in a small place without the opportunity to
+show what one could do; to feel the capacity, but to be without the
+means and occasion to reveal what is in one. And now that I understand
+we really look at things the same way, I'm glad to join with you in
+making Benham beautiful. As you say, we women can do much if we only
+will. I've the greatest faith in woman's mission in this new,
+interesting nation of ours. Haven't you, Mrs. Taylor? Don't you believe
+that she, in her new sphere of usefulness, is one of the great moving
+forces of the Republic?" Selma was talking rapidly, and had lost every
+trace of suspicious restraint. She spoke as one transfigured.
+
+"Yes, indeed," answered Mrs. Taylor, checking any disposition she may
+have felt to interpose qualifications. She could acquiesce generally
+without violence to her convictions, and she could not afford to imperil
+the safety of the immediate issue--her church. "I felt sure you would
+feel so if you only had time to reflect," she added. "If you vote with
+us, you will have the pleasant consciousness of knowing that you have
+advanced woman's cause just so much."
+
+"You may count on my vote."
+
+Selma stopped on her way home, although it was late, to purchase some
+white cuffs. As she approached, her husband stood on the grass-plot in
+his shirt sleeves with a garden-hose. He was whistling, and when he saw
+her he kissed his hand at her jubilantly,
+
+"Well, sweetheart, where you been?"
+
+"Visiting. Taking tea with Mrs. Taylor. I've promised her to vote to
+invite bids for the church plans."
+
+Babcock looked surprised. "That'll throw Pierce out, won't it?"
+
+"Not unless some one else submits a better design than he."
+
+Lewis scratched his head. "I considered that order for varnish as good
+as booked."
+
+"I'm not sure Mr. Pierce knows as much as he thinks he does," said Selma
+oracularly. "We shall get plans from New York and Boston. If we don't
+like them we needn't take them. But that's the way to get an artistic
+thing. And we're going to have the most artistic church in Benham. I'm
+sorry about the varnish, but a principle is involved."
+
+Babcock was puzzled but content. He cared far more for the
+disappointment to Pierce than for the loss of the order. But apart from
+the business side of the question, he never doubted that his wife must
+be right, nor did he feel obliged to inquire what principle was
+involved. He was pleased to have her associate with Mrs. Taylor, and was
+satisfied that she would be a credit to him in any situation where
+occult questions of art or learning were mooted. He dropped his hose and
+pulled her down beside him on the porch settee. There was a beautiful
+sunset, and the atmosphere was soft and refreshing. Selma felt satisfied
+with herself. As Mrs. Taylor had said, it was her vote which would turn
+the scale on behalf of progress. Other things, too, were in her mind.
+She was not ready to admit that she had been instructed, but she was
+already planning changes in her own domestic interior, suggested by what
+she had seen.
+
+She let her husband squeeze her hand, but her thoughts were wandering
+from his blandishments. Presently she said: "Lewis, I've begun lately to
+doubt if that stag is really pretty."
+
+"The stag? Well, now, I've always thought it tasty--one of the features
+of our little place."
+
+"No one would mistake it for a real deer. It looks to me almost
+comical."
+
+Babcock turned to regard judicially the object of her criticism.
+
+"I like it," he said somewhat mournfully, as though he were puzzled.
+"But if you don't, we'll change the stag for something else. I wish you
+to be pleased first of all. Instead we might have a fountain; two
+children under an umbrella I saw the other day. It was cute. How does
+that strike you?"
+
+"I can't tell without seeing it. And, Lewis, promise me that you won't
+select anything new of that sort until I have looked at it."
+
+"Very well," Babcock answered submissively. But he continued to look
+puzzled. In his estimate of his wife's superiority to himself in the
+subtleties of life, it had never occurred to him to include the choice
+of every-day objects of art. He had eyes and could judge for himself
+like any other American citizen. Still, he was only too glad to humor
+Selma in such an unimportant matter, especially as he was eager for her
+happiness.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+Seven designs for the new church were submitted, including three from
+Benham architects. The leaven of influence exercised by spirits like
+Mrs. Taylor was only just beginning to work, and the now common custom
+of competing outside one's own bailiwick was still in embryo. Mr.
+Pierce's design was bold and sumptuous. His brother-in-law stated
+oracularly not long before the day when the plans were to be opened:
+"Pierce is not a man to be frightened out of a job by frills. Mark my
+words; he will give us an elegant thing." Mr. Pierce had conceived the
+happy thought of combining a Moorish mosque and New England
+meeting-house in a conservative and equitable medley, evidently hoping
+thereby to be both picturesque and traditional. The result, even on
+paper, was too bold for some of his admirers. The chairman was heard to
+remark: "I shouldn't feel as though I was in church. That dome set among
+spires is close to making a theatre of the house of God."
+
+The discomfiture of the first architect of Benham cleared the way for
+the triumph of Mrs. Taylor's taste. The design submitted by Wilbur
+Littleton of New York, seemed to her decidedly the most meritorious. It
+was graceful, appropriate, and artistic; entirely in harmony with
+religious associations, yet agreeably different from every day
+sanctuaries. The choice lay between his and that presented by Mr. Cass,
+a Benham builder--a matter-of-fact, serviceable, but very conventional
+edifice. The hard-headed stove dealer on the committee declared in favor
+of the native design, as simpler and more solid.
+
+"It'll be a massive structure" he said, "and when it's finished no one
+will have to ask what it is. It'll speak for itself. Mr. Cass is a solid
+business man, and we know what we'll get. The other plan is what I call
+dandified."
+
+It was evident to the committee that the stove dealer's final criticism
+comprehended the architect as well as his design. Several
+competitors--Littleton among them--had come in person to explain the
+merits of their respective drawings, and by the side of solid,
+red-bearded, undecorative Mr. Cass, Littleton may well have seemed a
+dandy. He was a slim young man with a delicate, sensitive face and
+intelligent brown eyes. He looked eager and interesting. In his case the
+almost gaunt American physiognomy was softened by a suggestion of poetic
+impulses. Yet the heritage of nervous energy was apparent. His
+appearance conveyed the impression of quiet trigness and gentility. His
+figure lent itself to his clothes, which were utterly inconspicuous,
+judged by metropolitan standards, but flawless in the face of
+hard-headed theories of life, and aroused suspicion. He spoke in a
+gentle but earnest manner, pointing out clearly, yet modestly, the
+merits of his composition.
+
+Selma had never seen a man just like him before, and she noticed that
+from the outset his eyes seemed to be fastened on her as though his
+words were intended for her special benefit. She had never read the
+lines--indeed they had not been written--
+
+"I think I could be happy with a gentleman like you."
+
+Nor did the precise sentiment contained in them shape itself in her
+thought. Yet she was suddenly conscious that she had been starving for
+lack of intellectual companionship, and that he was the sort of man she
+had hoped to meet--the sort of man who could appreciate her and whom she
+could appreciate.
+
+It did not become necessary for Selma to act as Mr. Littleton's
+champion, for the stove dealer's criticism found only one supporter. The
+New Yorker's design for the church was so obviously pretty and suitable
+that a majority of the Committee promptly declared in its favor. The
+successful competitor, who had remained a day to learn the result, was
+solemnly informed of the decision, and then elaborately introduced to
+the members. In shaking hands with him, Selma experienced a shade of
+embarrassment. It was plain that his words to her, spoken with a low
+bow--"I am very much gratified that my work pleases you" conveyed a more
+spiritual significance than was contained in his thanks to the others.
+Still he seemed more at his ease with Mrs. Taylor, who promptly broke
+the ice of the situation by fixing him as a close relative of friends in
+Baltimore. Straightway he became sprightly and voluble, speaking of
+things and people beyond Selma's experience. This social jargon
+irritated Selma. It seemed to her a profanation of a noble character,
+yet she was annoyed because she could not understand.
+
+Mrs. Taylor, having discovered in Mr. Littleton one who should have been
+a friend long before, succeeded in carrying him off to dinner. Yet,
+before taking his leave, he came back to Selma for a few words. She had
+overheard Mrs. Taylor's invitation, and she asked herself why she too
+might not become better acquainted with this young man whose attitude
+toward her was that of respectful admiration. To have a strange young
+man to dine off-hand struck her as novel. She had a general conviction
+that it would seem to Lewis closely allied to light conduct, and that
+only foreigners or frivolous people let down to this extent the bars of
+family life. Now that Mrs. Taylor had set her the example, she was less
+certain of the moral turpitude of such an act, but she concluded also
+that her husband would be in the way at table. What she desired was an
+opportunity for a long, interesting chat about high things.
+
+While she reflected, he was saying to her, "I understand that your
+committee is to supervise my work until the new church is completed, so
+I shall hope to have the opportunity to meet you occasionally. It will
+be necessary for me to make trips here from time to time to see that
+everything is being done correctly by the mechanics."
+
+"Do you go away immediately?"
+
+"It may be that I shall be detained by the arrangements which I must
+make here until day after to-morrow."
+
+"If you would really like to see me, I live at 25 Onslow Avenue."
+
+"Thank you very much." Littleton took out a small memorandum book and
+carefully noted the address. "Mrs. Babcock, 25 Onslow Avenue. I shall
+make a point of calling to-morrow afternoon if I stay--and probably I
+shall."
+
+He bowed and left Selma pleasantly stirred by the interview. His voice
+was low and his enunciation sympathetically fluent. She said to herself
+that she would give him afternoon tea and they would compare ideas
+together. She felt sure that his must be interesting.
+
+Later in the evening at Mrs. Taylor's, when there was a pause in their
+sympathetic interchange of social and aesthetic convictions, Littleton
+said abruptly:
+
+"Tell me something, please, about Mrs. Babcock. She has a suggestive as
+well as a beautiful face, and it is easy to perceive that she is
+genuinely American--not one of the women of whom we were speaking, who
+seem to be ashamed of their own institutions, and who ape foreign
+manners and customs. I fancy she would illustrate what I was saying just
+now as to the vital importance of our clinging to our heritage of
+independent thought--of accepting the truth of the ancient order of
+things without allowing its lies and demerits to enslave us."
+
+"I suppose so," said Mrs. Taylor. "She certainly does not belong to the
+dangerous class of whom you were speaking. I was flattering myself that
+neither did I, for I was agreeing with all you said as to the need of
+cherishing our native originality. Yet I must confess that now that you
+compare me with her (the actual comparison is my own, but you instigated
+it), I begin to feel more doubts about myself--that is if she is the
+true species, and I'm inclined to think she is. Pray excuse this
+indirect method of answering your inquiry; it is in the nature of a
+soliloquy; it is an airing of thoughts and doubts which have been
+harassing me for a fortnight--ever since I knew Mrs. Babcock. Really,
+Mr. Littleton, I can tell you very little about her. She is a new-comer
+on the horizon of Benham; she has been married very recently; I believe
+she has taught school and that she was brought up not far from here. She
+is as proud as Lucifer and sometimes as beautiful; she is profoundly
+serious and--and apparently very ignorant. I fancy she is clever and
+capable in her way, but I admit she is an enigma to me and that I have
+not solved it. I can see she does not approve of me altogether. She
+regards me with suspicion, and yet she threw the casting vote in favor
+of my proposal to open the competition for the church to architects from
+other places. I am trying to like her, for I wish to believe in
+everything genuinely American if I can. There, I have told you all I
+know, and to a man she may seem altogether attractive and inspiring."
+
+"Thank you. I had no conception that I was broaching such a complex
+subject. She sounds interesting, and my curiosity is whetted. You have
+not mentioned the husband."
+
+"To be sure. A burly, easy-going manufacturer of varnish, without much
+education, I should judge. He is manifestly her inferior in half a dozen
+ways, but I understand that he is making money, and he looks kind."
+
+Wilbur Littleton's life since he had come to man's estate had been a
+struggle, and he was only just beginning to make headway. He had never
+had time to commiserate himself, for necessity on the one hand and
+youthful ambition on the other had kept his energies tense and his
+thoughts sane and hopeful. He and his sister Pauline, a year his senior,
+had been left orphans while both were students by the death of their
+father on the battlefield. To persevere in their respective tastes and
+work out their educations had been a labor of love, but an undertaking
+which demanded rigorous self-denial on the part of each. Wilbur had
+determined to become an architect. Pauline, early interested in the
+dogma that woman must no longer be barred from intellectual
+companionship with man, had sought to cultivate herself intelligently
+without sacrificing her brother's domestic comfort. She had succeeded.
+Their home in New York, despite its small dimensions and frugal
+hospitality, was already a favorite resort of a little group of
+professional people with busy brains and light purses. Wilbur was in the
+throes of early progress. He had no relatives or influential friends to
+give him business, and employment came slowly. He had been an architect
+on his own account for two years, but was still obliged to supplement
+his professional orders by work as a draughtsman for others. Yet his
+enthusiasm kept him buoyant. In respect to his own work he was
+scrupulous; indeed, a stern critic. He abhorred claptrap and specious
+effects, and aimed at high standards of artistic expression. This gave
+him position among his brother architects, but was incompatible with
+meteoric progress. His design for the church at Benham represented much
+thought and hope, and he felt happy at his success.
+
+Littleton's familiarity with women, apart from his sister, had been
+slight, but his thoughts regarding them were in keeping with a poetic
+and aspiring nature. He hoped to marry some day, and he was fond of
+picturing to himself in moments of reverie the sort of woman to whom his
+heart would be given. In the shrine of his secret fancy she appeared
+primarily as an object of reverence, a white-souled angel of light clad
+in the graceful outlines of flesh, an Amazon and yet a winsome, tender
+spirit, and above all a being imbued with the stimulating intellectual
+independence he had been taught to associate with American womanhood.
+She would be the loving wife of his bosom and the intelligent sharer of
+his thoughts and aspirations--often their guide. So pure and exacting
+was his ideal that while alive to the value of coyness and coquetry as
+elements of feminine attraction for others, Wilbur had chosen to regard
+the maiden of his faith as too serious a spirit to condescend to such
+vanities; and from a similar vein of appreciation he was prone to think
+of her as unadorned, or rather untarnished, by the gewgaws of
+fashionable dressmaking and millinery. His first sight of Selma had made
+him conscious that here was a face not unlike what he had hoped to
+encounter some day, and he had instinctively felt her to be sympathetic.
+He was even conscious of disappointment when he heard her addressed as
+Mrs. Babcock. Evidently she was a free-born soul, unhampered by the
+social weaknesses of a large city, and illumined by the spiritual grace
+of native womanliness. So he thought of her, and Mrs. Taylor's diagnosis
+rather confirmed than impaired his impression, for in Mrs. Taylor Wilbur
+felt he discerned a trace of antagonism born of cosmopolitan
+prejudice--an inability to value at its true worth a nature not moulded
+on conventional lines. Rigorous as he was in his judgments, and eager to
+disown what was cheap or shallow, mere conventionalism, whether in art
+or daily life, was no less abhorrent to him. Here, he said to himself,
+was an original soul, ignorant and unenlightened perhaps, but endowed
+with swift perception and capable of noble development.
+
+The appearance of Selma's scroll and glass bedizened house did not
+affect this impression. Wilbur was first of all appreciatively an
+American. That is he recognized that native energy had hitherto been
+expended on the things of the spirit to the neglect of things material.
+As an artist he was supremely interested in awakening and guiding the
+national taste in respect to art, but at the same time he was thoroughly
+aware that the peculiar vigor and independence of character which he
+knew as Americanism was often utterly indifferent to, or ignorant of,
+the value of aesthetics. After all, art was a secondary consideration,
+whereas the inward vision which absorbed the attention of the thoughtful
+among his countrymen and countrywomen was an absolute essential without
+which the soul must lose its fineness. He himself was seeking to show
+that beauty, in external material expression, was not merely consistent
+with strong ideals but requisite to their fit presentment. He recognized
+too that the various and variegated departures from the monotonous
+homely pattern of the every-day American house, which were evident in
+each live town, were but so many indicators that the nation was
+beginning to realize the truth of this. His battle was with the
+designers and builders who were guiding falsely and flamboyantly, not
+with the deceived victims, nor with those who were still satisfied
+merely to look inwardly, and ignored form and color. Hence he would have
+been able to behold the Babcocks' iron stag without rancor had the
+animal still occupied the grass-plot. Selma, when she saw the figure of
+her visitor in the door-way, congratulated herself that it had been
+removed. It would have pleased her to know that Mr. Littleton had
+already placed her in a niche above the level of mere grass-plot
+considerations. That was where she belonged of course; but she was
+fearful on the score of suspected shortcomings. So it was gratifying to
+be able to receive him in a smarter gown, to be wearing white cuffs, and
+to offer him tea with a touch of Mrs. Taylor's tormenting urbanity. Not
+so unreservedly as she. That would never do. It was and never would be
+in keeping with her own ideas of serious self-respect. Still a touch of
+it was grateful to herself. She felt that it was a grace and enhanced
+her effectiveness.
+
+A few moments later Selma realized that for the first time since she had
+lived in Benham she was being understood and appreciated. She felt too
+that for the first time she was talking to a kindred spirit--to be sure,
+to one different, and more technically proficient in concrete knowledge,
+possibly more able, too, to express his thoughts in words, but eminently
+a comrade and sympathizer. She was not obliged to say much. Nor were,
+indeed, his actual words the source of her realization. The revelation
+came from what was left unsaid--from the silent recognition by him that
+she was worthy to share his best thoughts and was herself a serious
+worker in the struggle of life. No graceful but galling attitude of
+superiority, no polite indifference to her soul-hunger, no disposition
+to criticise. And yet he was no less voluble, clever, and spirited than
+Mrs. Taylor. She listened with wrapt interest to his easy talk, which
+was ever grave in tone, despite his pleasant sallies. He spoke of Benham
+with quick appreciation of its bustling energy, and let her see that he
+divined its capacity for greatness. This led him to refer with kindling
+eyes to the keen impulse toward education and culture which was
+animating the younger men and women of the country; to the new
+beginnings of art, literature, and scientific investigation. At scarcely
+a hint from her he told briefly of his past life and his hopes, and
+fondly mentioned his sister and her present absorption in some history
+courses for women.
+
+"And you?" he said. "You are a student, too. Mrs. Taylor has told me,
+but I should have guessed it. Duties even more interesting claim you
+now, but it is easy to perceive that you have known that other
+happiness, 'To scorn delights and live laborious days.'"
+
+His words sounded musical, though the quotation from Lycidas was
+unfamiliar to her ears. Her brain was thrilling with the import of all
+he had told her--with his allusions to the intellectual and ethical
+movements of Boston and New York, in which she felt herself by right and
+with his recognition a partner and peer.
+
+"You were teaching school when you married, I believe?" he added.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And before that, if I may ask?"
+
+"I lived at Westfield with my father. It is a small country town, but we
+tried to be in earnest."
+
+"I understand--I understand. You grew up among the trees, and the
+breezes and the brooks, those wonderful wordless teachers. I envy you,
+for they give one time to think--to expand. I have known only city life
+myself. It is stimulating, but one is so easily turned aside from one's
+direct purpose. Do you write at all?"
+
+"Not yet. But I have wished to. Some day I shall. Just now I have too
+many domestic concerns to--"
+
+She did not finish, for Babcock's heavy tread and whistle resounded in
+the hall and at the next moment he was calling "Selma!"
+
+She felt annoyed at being interrupted, but she divined that it would
+never do to show it.
+
+"My husband," she said, and she raised her voice to utter with a sugared
+dignity which would have done credit to Mrs. Taylor,
+
+"I am in the parlor, Lewis."
+
+"Enter your chief domestic concern," said Littleton blithely. "A happy
+home is preferable to all the poems and novels in the world."
+
+Babcock, pushing open the door, which stood ajar, stopped short in his
+melody.
+
+"This is Mr. Littleton, Lewis. The architect of our new church."
+
+"Pleased to make your acquaintance." And by way of accounting for the
+sudden softening of his brow, Babcock added, "I set you down at first as
+one of those lightning-rod agents. There was one here last week who
+wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."
+
+"He has an advantage over me," answered Littleton with a laugh. "In my
+business a man can't solicit orders. He has to sit and wait for them to
+come to him."
+
+"I want to know. My wife thinks a lot of your drawings for the new
+church."
+
+"I hope to make it a credit to your city. I've just been saying to your
+wife, Mr. Babcock, that Benham has a fine future before it. The very
+atmosphere seems charged with progress."
+
+Babcock beamed approvingly. "It's a driving place, sir. The man in
+Benham who stops by the way-side to scratch his head gets left behind.
+When we moved into this house a year ago looking through that window we
+were at the jumping-off place; now you see houses cropping up in every
+direction. It's going to be a big city. Pleased to have you stop to
+supper with us," he added with burly suavity as their visitor rose.
+
+Littleton excused himself and took his leave. Babcock escorted him to
+the front door and full of his subject delayed him on the porch to touch
+once more on the greatness of Benham. There was a clumsy method too in
+this optimistic garrulity, for at the close he referred with some pride
+to his own business career, and made a tender of his business card,
+"Lewis Babcock & Company, Varnishes," with a flourish. "If you do
+anything in my line, pleased to accommodate you."
+
+Littleton departing, tickled by a pleasant sense of humor, caught
+through the parlor window a last glimpse of Selma's inspired face bowing
+gravely, yet wistfully, in acknowledgment of his lifted hat, and he
+strode away under the spell of a brain picture which he transmuted into
+words: "There's the sort of case where the cynical foreigner fails to
+appreciate the true import of our American life. That couple typifies
+the elements of greatness in our every-day people. At first blush the
+husband's rough and material, but he's shrewd and enterprising and
+vigorous--the bread winner. He's enormously proud of her, and he has
+reason to be, for she is a constant stimulus to higher things. Little by
+little, and without his knowing it, perhaps, she will smoothe and
+elevate him, and they will develop together, growing in intelligence and
+cultivation as they wax in worldly goods. After all, woman is our most
+marvellous native product--that sort of woman. Heigho!" Having given
+vent to this sigh, Littleton proceeded to recognize the hopelessness of
+the personal situation by murmuring with a slightly forced access of
+sprightliness
+
+     "If she be not fair for me,
+     What care I how fair she be?"
+
+Still he intended to see more of Mrs. Babcock, and that without
+infringing the tenth or any other commandment. To flirt with a married
+woman savored to him of things un-American and unworthy, and Littleton
+had much too healthy an imagination to rhapsodize from such a
+stand-point. Yet he foresaw that they might be mutually respecting
+friends.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+Selma knew intuitively that an American woman was able to cook a smooth
+custard, write a poem and control real society with one and the same
+brain and hand, and she was looking forward to the realization of the
+apotheosis; but, though she was aware that children are the natural
+increment of wedlock, she had put the idea from her ever since her
+marriage as impersonal and vaguely disgusting. Consequently her
+confinement came as an unwelcome interruption of her occupations and
+plans.
+
+Her connection with the committee for the new church had proved an
+introduction to other interests, charitable and social. One day she was
+taken by Mrs. Taylor to a meeting of the Benham Woman's Institute, a
+literary club recently established by Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle, a
+Western newspaper woman who had made her home in Benham. Selma came in
+upon some twenty of her own sex in a hotel private parlor hired weekly
+for the uses of the Institute. Mrs. Earle, the president, a large florid
+woman of fifty, with gray hair rising from the brow, fluent of speech,
+endowed with a public manner, a commanding bust and a vigorous,
+ingratiating smile, wielded a gavel at a little table and directed the
+exercises. A paper on Shakespeare's heroines was read and discussed.
+Selections on the piano followed. A thin woman in eye-glasses, the
+literary editor of the _Benham Sentinel_, recited "Curfew must not ring
+to-night," and a visitor from Wisconsin gave an exhibition in melodious
+whistling. In the intervals, tea, chocolate with whipped cream and
+little cakes were dispensed.
+
+Selma was absorbed and thrilled. What could be more to her taste than
+this? At the close of the whistling exercise, Mrs. Earle came over and
+spoke to her. They took a strong fancy to each other on the spot. Selma
+preferred a person who would tell you everything about herself and to
+whom you could tell everything about yourself without preliminaries.
+People like Mrs. Taylor repressed her, but the motherly loquacity and
+comprehension of Mrs. Earle drew her out and thawed at once and forever
+the ice of acquaintanceship. Before she quite realized the extent of
+this fascination she had promised to recite something, and as in a
+dream, but with flushing cheeks, she heard the President rap the table
+and announce "You will be gratified to hear that a talented friend who
+is with us has kindly consented to favor us with a recital. I have the
+honor to introduce Mrs. Lewis Babcock."
+
+After the first flush of nervousness, Selma's grave dignity came to her
+support, and justified her completely in her own eyes. Her father had
+been fond of verse, especially of verse imbued with moral melancholy,
+and at his suggestion she had learned and had been wont to repeat many
+of the occasional pieces which he cut from the newspapers and collected
+in a scrap-book. Her own preference among these was the poem, "O why
+should the spirit of mortal be proud?" which she had been told was a
+great favorite of Abraham Lincoln. It was this piece which came into her
+mind when Mrs. Earle broached the subject, and this she proceeded to
+deliver with august precision. She spoke clearly and solemnly without
+the trace of the giggling protestation which is so often incident to
+feminine diffidence. She treated the opportunity with the seriousness
+expected, for though the Institute was not proof against light and
+diverting contributions, as the whistling performance indicated, levity
+of spirit would have been out of place.
+
+     "'Tis a twink of the eye, 'tis a draught of the breath
+     From the blossom of health to the paleness of death;
+     From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud,
+     O why should the spirit of mortal be proud?"
+
+Selma enjoyed the harmony between the long, slow cadence of the metre
+and the important gravity of the theme. She rolled out the verses with
+the intensity of a seer, and she looked a beautiful seer as well.
+Liberal applause greeted her as she sat down, though the clapping woman
+is apt to be a feeble instrument at best. Selma knew that she had
+produced an impression and she was moved by her own effectiveness. She
+was compelled to swallow once or twice to conceal the tears in her voice
+while listening to the congratulations of Mrs. Earle. The words which
+she had just recited were ringing through her brain and seemed to her to
+express the pitch at which her life was keyed.
+
+Selma was chosen a member of the Institute at the next meeting, and
+forthwith she became intimate with the president. Mrs. Margaret Rodney
+Earle was, as she herself phrased it, a live woman. She supported
+herself by writing for the newspapers articles of a morally utilitarian
+character--for instance a winter's series, published every Saturday,
+"Hints on Health and Culture," or again, "Receipts for the Parlor and
+the Kitchen." She also contributed poetry of a pensive cast, and chatty
+special correspondence flavored with personal allusion. She was one of
+the pioneers in modern society journalism, which at this time, however,
+was comparatively veiled and delicate in its methods. Besides, she was a
+woman of tireless energy, with theories on many subjects and an ardor
+for organization. She advocated prohibition, the free suffrage of woman,
+the renunciation of corsets, and was interested in reforms relating to
+labor, the pauper classes and the public schools. In behalf of any of
+these causes she was ready from time to time to dash off an article at
+short notice or address an audience. But her dearest concern was the
+promotion of woman's culture and the enlargement of woman's sphere of
+usefulness through the club. The idea of the woman's club, which was
+taking root over the country, had put in the shade for the time being
+all her other plans, including the scheme of a society for making the
+golden-rod the national flower. As the founder and president of the
+Benham Institute, she felt that she had found an avocation peculiarly
+adapted to her capacities, and she was already actively in
+correspondence with clubs of a similar character in other cities, in the
+hope of forming a national organization for mutual enlightenment and
+support.
+
+Mrs. Earle received Selma by invitation at her lodgings the following
+day, and so quickly did their friendship ripen that at the end of two
+hours each had told the other everything. Selma was prone instinctively
+to regard as aristocratic and un-American any limitations to confidence.
+The evident disposition on the part of Mrs. Earle to expose promptly and
+without reserve the facts of her past and her plans for the future
+seemed to Selma typical of an interesting character, and she was
+thankful to make a clean breast in her turn as far as was possible. Mrs.
+Earle's domestic experience had been thorny.
+
+"I had a home once, too," she said, "a happy home, I thought. My husband
+said he loved me. But almost from the first we had trouble. It went on
+so from month to month, and finally we agreed to part. He objected, my
+dear, to my living my own life. He didn't like me to take an interest in
+things outside the house--public matters. I was elected on the
+school-board--the only woman--and he ought to have been proud. He said
+he was, at first, but he was too fond of declaring that a woman's place
+is in her kitchen. One day I said to him, 'Ellery, this can't go on. If
+we can't agree we'd better separate. A cat-and-dog life is no life at
+all.' He answered back, 'I'm not asking you to leave me, but if you're
+set on it don't let me hinder you, Margaret. You don't need a man to
+support you. You're as good as a man yourself.' He meant that to be
+sarcastic, I suppose. 'Yes,' said I, 'thank God, I think I can take care
+of myself, even though I am a woman.' That was the end of it. There was
+no use for either of us to get excited. I packed my things, and a few
+mornings later I said to him, 'Good-by, Ellery Earle: I wish you well,
+and I suppose you're my husband still, but I'm going to live my own life
+without let or hindrance from any man. There's your ring.' My holding
+out the ring was startling to him, for he said, 'Aren't you going to be
+sorry for this, Margaret?' 'No,' said I, 'I've thought it all out, and
+it's best for both of us. There's your ring.' He wouldn't take it, so I
+dropped it on the table and went out. Some people miss it, and
+misbelieve I was ever married. That was close on to twenty years ago,
+and I've never seen him since. When the war broke out I heard he
+enlisted, but what's become of him I don't know. Maybe he got a divorce.
+I've kept right on and lived my own life in my own way, and never lacked
+food or raiment. I'm forty-five years old, but I feel a young woman
+still."
+
+Notwithstanding Mrs. Earle's business-like directness and the
+protuberance of her bust in conclusion, by way of reasserting her
+satisfaction with the results of her action, there was a touch of
+plaintiveness in her confession which suggested the womanly author of
+"Hints on Culture and Hygiene," rather than the man-hater. This was lost
+on Selma, who was fain to sympathize purely from the stand-point of
+righteousness.
+
+"It was splendid," she said. "He had no right to prevent you living your
+own life. No husband has that right."
+
+Mrs. Earle brushed her eyes with her handkerchief. "You musn't think, my
+dear, that I'm not a believer in the home because mine has been
+unhappy--because my husband didn't or couldn't understand. The true home
+is the inspirer and nourisher of all that is best in life--in our
+American life; but men must learn the new lesson. There are many
+homes--yours, I'm sure--where the free-born American woman has
+encouragement and the opportunity to expand."
+
+"Oh, yes. My husband lets me do as I wish. I made him promise before I
+accepted him that he wouldn't thwart me; that he'd let me live my own
+life."
+
+Selma was so appreciative of Mrs. Earle, and so energetic and suggestive
+in regard to the scope of the Institute, that she was presently chosen a
+member of the council, which was the body charged with the supervision
+of the fortnightly entertainments. It occurred to her as a brilliant
+conception to have Littleton address the club on "Art," and she broached
+the subject to him when he next returned to Benham and appeared before
+the church committee. He declared that he was too busy to prepare a
+suitable lecture, but he yielded finally to her plea that he owed it to
+himself to let the women of Benham hear his views and opinions.
+
+"They are wives and they are mothers," said Selma sententiously. "It was
+a woman's vote, you remember, which elected you to build our church. You
+owe it to Art; don't you think so?"
+
+A logical appeal to his conscience was never lost on Littleton. Besides
+he was glad to oblige Mrs. Babcock, who seemed so earnest in her desire
+to improve the aesthetic taste of Benham. Accordingly, he yielded. The
+lecture was delivered a few weeks later and was a marked success, for
+Littleton's earnestness of theme and manner was relieved by a graceful,
+sympathetic delivery. Selma, whose social aplomb was increasing every
+day, glided about the rooms with a contented mien receiving
+felicitations and passing chocolate. She enjoyed the distinction of
+being the God behind the curtain.
+
+A few days later the knowledge that she herself was to become a mother
+was forced upon her attention, and was a little irksome. Of necessity
+her new interests would be interrupted. Though she did not question that
+she would perform maternal duties fitly and fully, they seemed to her
+less peculiarly adapted to her than concerns of the intellect and the
+spirit. However, the possession of a little daughter was more precious
+to her than she had expected, and the consciousness that the tiny doll
+which lay upon her breast, was flesh of her flesh and bone of her bone
+affected her agreeably and stirred her imagination. It should be reared,
+from the start, in the creed of soul independence and expansion, and she
+herself would find a new and sacred duty in catering to the needs of
+this budding intelligence. So she reflected as she lay in bed, but the
+outlook was a little marred by the thought that the baby was the living
+image of its father--broad-featured and burly--not altogether desirable
+cast of countenance for a girl. What a pity, when it might just as well
+have looked like her.
+
+Babcock, on his part, was transported by paternity. He was bubbling over
+with appreciation of the new baby, and fondly believed it to be a human
+wonder. He was solicitous on the score of its infantile ailments, and
+loaded it with gifts and toys beyond the scope of its enjoyment. He went
+about the house whistling more exuberantly than ever. There was no speck
+on his horizon; no fly in his pot of ointment. It was he who urged that
+the child should be christened promptly, though Dr. Glynn was not
+disposed to dwell on the clerical barbarism as to the destiny of
+unbaptized infants. Babcock was cultivating a conservative method: He
+realized that there was no object in taking chances. Illogical as was
+the theory that a healthy dog which had bitten him should be killed at
+once, lest it subsequently go mad and he contract hydrophobia, he was
+too happy and complacent to run the risk of letting it live. So it was
+with regard to baby. But Selma chose the name. Babcock preferred in this
+order another Selma, Sophia, after his mother, or a compliment to the
+wife of the President of the United States. But Selma, as the result of
+grave thought, selected Muriel Grace. Without knowing exactly why, she
+asked Mrs. Taylor to be godmother. The ceremony was solemn and inspiring
+to her. She knew from the glass in her room that she was looking very
+pretty. But she was weak and emotional. The baby behaved admirably, even
+when Lewis, trembling with pride, held it out to Mr. Glynn for baptism
+and held it so that the blood rushed to its head. "I baptize thee in the
+name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." She was happy and the
+tears were in her eyes. The divine blessing was upon her and her house,
+and, after all, baby was a darling and her husband a kind, manly soul.
+With the help of heaven she would prove herself their good angel.
+
+When they returned home there was a whistle of old silver of light,
+graceful design, a present from Mrs. Taylor to Muriel. Her aunt, Mrs.
+Farley, compared this to its disparagement with one already purchased by
+Lewis, on the gaudily embossed stem of which perched a squirrel with a
+nut in its mouth. But Selma shook her head. "Both of you are wrong," she
+said with authority. "This is a beauty."
+
+"It doesn't look new to my eyes," protested Mrs. Parley.
+
+"Of course it isn't new. I shouldn't wonder if she bought it while
+travelling abroad in Europe. It's artistic, and--and I shan't let baby
+destroy it."
+
+Babcock glanced from one gift to the other quizzically. Then by way of
+disposing of the subject he seized his daughter in his arms and dandling
+her toward the ceiling cried, "If it's artistic things we must have,
+this is the most artistic thing which I know of in the wide world.
+Aren't you, little sugar-plum?"
+
+Mrs. Farley, with motherly distrust of man, apprehensively followed with
+her eyes and arms the gyrations of rise and fall; but Selma, though she
+saw, pursued the current of her own thought which prompted her to
+examine her wedding-ring. She was thinking that, compared with Mrs.
+Taylor's, it was a cart wheel--a clumsy, conspicuous band of metal,
+instead of a delicate hoop. She wondered if Lewis would object to
+exchange it for another.
+
+With the return of her strength, Selma took up again eagerly the tenor
+of her former life, aiding and abetting Mrs. Earle in the development of
+the Institute. The president was absorbed in enlarging its scope by the
+enrollment of more members, and the establishment of classes in a
+variety of topics--such as literature, science, philosophy, current
+events, history, art, and political economy. She aimed to construct a
+club which should be social and educational in the broadest sense by
+mutual co-operation and energy. Selma, in her eagerness to make the most
+of the opportunities for culture offered, committed herself to two of
+the new topic classes--"Italian and Grecian Art," and "The Governments
+of Civilization," and as a consequence found some difficulty in
+accommodating her baby's nursing hours to these engagements. It was
+indeed a relief to her when the doctor presently pronounced the supply
+of her breast-milk inadequate. She was able to assuage Lewis' regret
+that Muriel should be brought up by hand with the information that a
+large percentage of Benham and American mothers were similarly barren
+and that bottle babies were exceedingly healthy. She had gleaned the
+first fact from the physician, the second from Mrs. Earle, and her own
+conclusion on the subject was that a lack of milk was an indication of
+feminine evolution from the status of the brute creation, a sign of
+spiritual as opposed to animal quality. Selma found Mrs. Earle
+sympathetic on this point, and also practical in her suggestions as to
+the rearing of infants by artificial means, recommendations concerning
+which were contained in one of her series of papers entitled "Mother
+Lore."
+
+The theory of the new classes was co-operation. That is, the members
+successively, turn by turn, lectured on the topic, and all were expected
+to study in the interim so as to be able to ask questions and discuss
+the views of the lecturer. Concerning both Italian and Grecian Art and
+the Governments of Civilization, Selma knew that she had convictions in
+the abstract, but when she found herself face to face with a specific
+lecture on each subject, it occurred to her as wise to supplement her
+ideas by a little preparation. The nucleus of a public library had been
+recently established by Joel Flagg and placed at the disposal of Benham.
+Here, by means of an encyclopaedia and two hand-books, Selma was able in
+three forenoons to compile a paper satisfactory to her self-esteem on
+the dynasties of Europe and their inferiority to the United States, but
+her other task was illumined for her by a happy incident, the promise of
+Littleton to lend her books. Indeed he seemed delightfully interested in
+both of her classes, which was especially gratifying in view of the fact
+that Mrs. Taylor, who was a member of the Institute, had combated the
+new programme on the plea that they were attempting too much and that it
+would encourage superficiality. But Littleton seemed appreciative of the
+value of the undertaking, and he made his promise good forthwith by
+forwarding to her a package of books on art, among them two volumes of
+Ruskin. Selma, who had read quotations from Ruskin on one or two
+occasions and believed herself an admirer of, and tolerably familiar
+with, his writings, was thrilled. She promptly immersed herself in
+"Stones of Venice" and "Seven Lamps of Architecture," sitting up late at
+night to finish them. When she had read these and the article in the
+encyclopaedia under the head of Art, she felt bursting with her subject
+and eager to air her knowledge before the class. Her lecture was
+acknowledged to be the most stirring and thorough of the course.
+
+Reports of its success came back to her from Littleton, who offered to
+assist his pupil further by practical demonstration of the eternal
+architectural fitness and unfitness of things--especially the latter--in
+walks through the streets of Benham. But six times in as many months,
+however. There was no suggestion of coquetry on either side in these
+excursions, yet each enjoyed them. Littleton's own work was beginning to
+assume definite form, and his visits to Benham became of necessity more
+frequent; flying trips, but he generally managed to obtain a few words
+with Selma. He continued to lend her books, and he invited her criticism
+on the slowly growing church edifice. The responsibility of critic was
+an absorbing sensation to her, but the stark glibness of tongue which
+stood her in good stead before the classes of the Institute failed her
+in his presence--the presence of real knowledge. She wished to praise,
+but to praise discriminatingly, with the cant of aesthetic appreciation,
+so that he should believe that she knew. As for the church itself, she
+was interested in it; it was fine, of course, but that was a secondary
+consideration compared with her emotions. His predilection in her favor,
+however, readily made him deaf in regard to her utterances. He scarcely
+heeded her halting, solemn, counterfeit transcendentalisms; or rather
+they passed muster as subtle and genuine, so spell bound was he by the
+Delphic beauty of her criticising expression. It was enough for him to
+watch her as she stood with her head on one side and the worried
+archangel look transfiguring her profile. What she said was lost in his
+reverie as to what she was--what she represented in his contemplation.
+As she looked upon his handiwork he was able to view it with different
+eyes, to discern its weaknesses and to gain fresh inspiration from her
+presence. He felt that it was growing on his hands and that he should be
+proud of it, and though, perhaps, he was conscious in his inner soul
+that she was more to him than another man's wife should be, he knew too,
+that no word or look of his had offended against the absent husband.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+By the end of another six months Littleton's work was practically
+completed. Only the finishing touches to the interior decoration
+remained to be done. The members of Rev. Mr. Glynn's congregation,
+including Mrs. Hallett Taylor, were thoroughly satisfied with the
+appearance of the new church. It was attractive in its lines, yet it was
+simple and, consequently, in keeping with the resources of the treasury.
+There was no large bill for extras to be audited, as possibly would have
+been the case had a hard-headed designer like Mr. Pierce been employed.
+The committee felt itself entitled to the congratulations of the
+community. Nor was the community on the whole disposed to grumble, for
+home talent had been employed by the architect; under rigorous
+supervision, to be sure, so that poor material and slap-dash workmanship
+were out of the question. Still, payments had been prompt, and Benham
+was able to admire competent virtue. The church was a monument of
+suggestion in various ways, artistic and ethical, and it shone neatly
+with Babcock varnish.
+
+One morning Selma set forth by agreement with Littleton, in order to
+inspect some fresco work. Muriel Grace was ailing slightly, but as she
+would be home by mid-day, she bade the hired girl be watchful of baby,
+and kept her appointment. The child had grown dear to her, for Muriel
+was a charming little dot, and Selma had already begun to enjoy the
+maternal delight of human doll dressing, an extravagance in which she
+was lavishly encouraged by her husband. Babcock was glad of any excuse
+to spend money on his daughter, who seemed to him, from day to day, a
+greater marvel of precocity--such a child as became Selma's beauty and
+cleverness and his own practical common-sense.
+
+Selma was in a pensive frame of mind this morning. Two days before she
+had read a paper at the Institute on "Motherhood," which had been
+enthusiastically received. Mrs. Earle had printed a flattering item
+concerning it in the _Benham Sentinel_. It was agreeable to her to be
+going to meet Littleton, for he was the most interesting masculine
+figure in her life. She was sure of Lewis. He was her husband and she
+knew herself to be the apple of his eye; but she knew exactly what he
+was going to say before he said it, and much of what he said grated on
+her. She was almost equally sure of Littleton; that is of his
+admiration. His companionship was a constant pleasure to her. As a
+married woman, and as a Christian and American woman, she desired no
+more than this. But on the other hand, she would fain have this admiring
+companionship continue; and yet it could not. Littleton had told her the
+day before that he was going back to New York and that it was doubtful
+if he would return. She would miss him. She would have the Institute and
+Mrs. Earle still, but her life would be less full.
+
+Littleton was waiting for her at the church entrance. She followed him
+down the nave to the chancel where she listened dreamily to his
+presentation of the merits of the new decoration. He seemed inclined to
+talk, and from this presently branched off to describe with enthusiasm
+the plates of a French book on interior architecture, which he had
+recently bought as a long-resisted but triumphant piece of extravagance.
+Mechanically, they turned from the chancel and slowly made the round of
+the aisles. A short silence succeeded his professional ardor. His
+current of thought, in its reversion to home matters, had reminded him
+afresh of what was perpetually this morning uppermost in his
+consciousness--his coming departure.
+
+"Now," he said, abruptly, "is the most favorable opportunity I shall
+have, Mrs. Babcock, to tell you how much I am your debtor. I shan't
+despair of our meeting again, for the world is small, and good friends
+are sure to meet sooner or later. But the past is secure to me at any
+rate. If this church is in some measure what I have dreamed and wished
+it to be, if my work with all its faults is a satisfaction to myself, I
+wish you to know how much you have contributed to make it what it is."
+
+The words were as a melody in Selma's ears, and she listened greedily.
+Littleton paused, as one seriously moved will pause before giving the
+details of an important announcement. She, thinking he had finished,
+interjected with a touch of modesty, "I'm so glad. But my suggestions
+and criticisms have not been what I meant them to be. It was all new to
+me, you know."
+
+"Oh, yes. It hasn't been so much what you have said in words which has
+helped me, though that has been always intelligent and uplifting. I did
+not look for technical knowledge. You do not possess that, of course.
+There are women in New York who would be able to confuse you with their
+familiarity with these things. And yet it is by way of contrast with
+those very women--fine women, too, in their way--that you have been my
+good angel. There is no harm in saying that. I should be an ingrate,
+surely, if I would not let you know that your sane, simple outlook upon
+life, your independent vision, has kept my brain clear and my soul free.
+I am a better artist and a better man for the experience. Good-by, and
+may all happiness attend you. If once in a while you should find time to
+write to a struggling architect named Littleton, he will be charmed to
+do your bidding--to send you books and to place his professional
+knowledge at your service. Good-by."
+
+He held out his hand with frank effusion. He was obviously happy at
+having given utterance to his sense of obligation. Selma was tingling
+from head to foot and a womanly blush was on her cheek, though the
+serious seraph spoke in her words and eyes. She felt moved to a wave of
+unreserved speech.
+
+"What you have said is very interesting to me. I wish to tell you how
+much I, too, have enjoyed our friendship. The first time we met I felt
+sure we should be sympathetic, and we have been, haven't we? One of the
+fine things about friendships between men and women in this country is
+that they can really get to know each other without--er--harm to either.
+Isn't it? It's such a pleasure to know people really, and I feel as if I
+had known you, as if we had known each other really. I've never known
+any man exactly in that way, and I have always wanted to. Except, of
+course, my husband. And he's extremely different--that is, his tastes
+are not like yours. It's a happiness to me to feel that I have been of
+assistance to you in your work, and you have been equally helpful to me
+in mine. As you say, I have never had the opportunity to learn the
+technical parts of art, and your books have instructed me as to that. I
+have never been in New York, but I understand what you meant about your
+friends, those other women. I suppose society people must be constantly
+diverted from serious work--from the intellectual and spiritual life. Oh
+yes, we ought to write. Our friendship mustn't languish. We must let
+each other know what we are thinking and doing. Good-by."
+
+As Selma walked along the street her heart was in her mouth. She felt
+pity for herself. To just the right person she would have confessed the
+discovery that she had made a mistake and tied herself for life to the
+wrong man. It was not so much that she fancied Littleton which
+distressed her, for, indeed, she was but mildly conscious of
+infatuation. What disturbed her was the contrast between him and
+Babcock, which definite separation now forced upon her attention. An
+indefinable impression that Littleton might think less of her if she
+were to state this soul truth had restrained her at the last moment from
+disclosing the secret. Not for an instant did she entertain the idea of
+being false to Lewis. Her confession would have been but a dissertation
+on the inexorable irony of fate, calling only for sympathy, and in no
+way derogating from her dignity and self-respect as a wife. Still, she
+had restrained herself, and stopped just short of the confidence. He was
+gone, and she would probably not see him again for years. That was
+endurable. Indeed, a recognition of the contrary would not have seemed
+to her consistent with wifely virtue. What brought the tears to her eyes
+was the vision of continued wedlock, until death intervened, with a
+husband who could not understand. Could she bear this? Must she endure
+it? There was but one answer: She must. At the thought she bit her lip
+with the intensity and sternness of a martyr. She would be faithful to
+her marriage vows, but she would not let Lewis's low aims interfere with
+the free development of her own life.
+
+It was after noon when she reached home. She was met at the door by the
+hired girl with the worried ejaculation that baby was choking. The
+doctor was hastily summoned. He at once pronounced that Muriel Grace had
+membranous croup, and was desperately ill. Remedies of various sorts
+were tried, and a consulting physician called, but when Babcock returned
+from his office her condition was evidently hopeless. The child died in
+the early night. Selma was relieved to hear the doctor tell her husband
+that it was a malignant case from the first, and that nothing could have
+averted the result. In response to questions from Lewis, however, she
+was obliged to admit that she had not been at home when the acute
+symptoms appeared. This afforded Babcock an outlet for his suffering. He
+spoke to her roughly for the first time in his life, bitterly suggesting
+neglect on her part.
+
+"You knew she wasn't all right this morning, yet you had to go
+fiddle-faddling with that architect instead of staying at home where you
+belonged. And now she's dead. My little girl, my little girl!" And the
+big man burst out sobbing.
+
+Selma grew deadly pale. No one had ever spoken to her like that before
+in her life. To the horror of her grief was added the consciousness that
+she was being unjustly dealt with. Lewis had heard the doctor's
+statement, and yet he dared address her in such terms. As if the loss of
+the child did not fall equally on her.
+
+"If it were to be done over again, I should do just the same," she
+answered, with righteous quietness. "To all appearances she had nothing
+but a little cold. You have no right to lay the blame on me, her
+mother." At the last word she looked ready to cry, too.
+
+Babcock regarded her like a miserable tame bull. "I didn't mean to," he
+blubbered. "She's taken away from me, and I'm so wretched that I don't
+know what I'm saying. I'm sorry, Selma."
+
+He held out his arms to her. She was ready to go to them, for the angel
+of death had entered her home and pierced her heart, where it should be
+most tender. She loved her baby. Yet, when she had time to think, she
+was not sure that she wished to have another. When the bitterness of his
+grief had passed away, that was the hope which Lewis ventured to
+express, at first in a whisper, and later with reiterated boldness.
+Selma acquiesced externally, but she had her own opinions. Certain
+things which were not included in "Mother Lore," had been confided by
+Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle by word of mouth in the fulness of their
+mutual soul-scourings, and had remained pigeon-holed for future
+reference in Selma's inner consciousness. Another baby just at this time
+meant interference with everything elevating. There was time enough. In
+a year or two, when she had established herself more securely in the
+social sphere of Benham, she would present her husband with a second
+child. It was best for them both to wait, for her success was his
+success; but it would be useless to try to make that clear to him in his
+present mood.
+
+So she put away her baby things, dropping tears over the little socks
+and other reminders of her sorrow, and took up her life again, keeping
+her own counsel. The sympathy offered her was an interesting experience.
+Mrs. Earle came to her at once, and took her to her bosom; Mrs. Taylor
+sent her flowers with a kind note, which set Selma thinking whether she
+ought not to buy mourning note-paper; and within a week she received a
+visit of condolence from Mr. Glynn, rather a ghastly visit. Ghastly,
+because Lewis sat through it all with red eyes, very much as though he
+were listening to a touching exhortation in church. To be sure, he
+gripped the pastor's hand like a vice, at the end, and thanked him for
+coming, but his silent, afflicted presence had interfered with the free
+interchange of thought which would have been possible had she been alone
+with the clergyman. The subject of death, and the whole train of
+reflections incident to it, were uppermost in her mind, and she would
+have been glad to probe the mysteries of the subject by controversial
+argument, instead of listening to hearty, sonorous platitudes. She
+listened rather contemptuously, for she recognized that Mr. Glynn was
+saying the stereotyped thing in the stereotyped way, without realizing
+that it was nothing but sacerdotal pap, little adapted to an intelligent
+soul. What was suited to Lewis was not fit for her. And yet her baby's
+death had served to dissipate somewhat the immediate discontent which
+she felt with her husband. His strong grief had touched her in spite of
+herself, and, though she blamed him still for his inconsiderate
+accusation, she was fond of him as she might have been fond of some
+loving Newfoundland, which, splendid in awkward bulk, caressed her and
+licked her hand. It was pleasant enough to be in his arms, for the touch
+of man--even the wrong man--was, at times, a comfort.
+
+She took up again with determined interest her relations to the
+Institute, joining additional classes and pursuing a variety of topics
+of study, in regard to some of which she consulted Littleton. She missed
+his presence less than she had expected, especially after they had begun
+to correspond and were able to keep in touch by letter. His letters were
+delightful. They served her in her lecture courses, for they so clearly
+and concisely expressed her views that she was able to use long extracts
+from them word for word. And every now and then they contained a
+respectful allusion which showed that he still retained a personal
+interest in her. So the weeks slipped away and she was reasonably happy.
+She was absorbed and there was nothing new to mar the tenor of her life,
+though she was vaguely conscious that the loss of their little girl had
+widened the breach between her and her husband--widened it for the
+reason that now, for the first time, he perceived how lonely he was. The
+baby had furnished him with constant delight and preoccupation. He had
+looked forward all day to seeing it at night, and questions relating to
+it had supplied a never-ceasing small change of conversation between him
+and her. He had let her go her way with a smile on his face. Selma did
+not choose to dwell on the situation, but it was obvious that Lewis
+continued to look glum, and that there were apt to be long silences
+between them at meals. Now and again he would show some impatience at
+the continuous recurrence of the Institute classes as a bar to some
+project of domesticity or recreation, as though she had not been an
+active member of the Institute before baby was born.
+
+One of the plans in which Mrs. Earle was most interested was a Congress
+of Women's Clubs, and in the early summer of the same year--some four
+months subsequent to the death of Muriel Grace--a small beginning toward
+this end was arranged to take place in Chicago. There were to be six
+delegates from each club, and Selma was unanimously selected as one of
+the delegation from the Benham Women's Institute. The opinion was
+generally expressed that a change would do her good, and there was no
+question that she was admirably fitted to represent the club. Selma, who
+had not travelled a hundred miles beyond Benham in her life, was elated
+at the prospect of the expedition; so much so that she proudly recounted
+to Lewis the same evening the news of her appointment. It never occurred
+to her that he would wish to accompany her, and when he presently
+informed her that he had been wishing to go to Chicago on business for
+some time, and that the date proposed would suit him admirably, she was
+dumfounded. Half of the interest of the expedition would consist in
+travelling as an independent delegation. A husband would be in the way
+and spoil the savor of the occasion. It would never do, and so Selma
+proceeded to explain. She wished to go alone.
+
+"A pack of six women travel by themselves?" blurted Lewis. "Suppose
+there were an accident?" he added, after searching his brain for a less
+feeble argument.
+
+"We should either be killed or we shouldn't be," said Selma firmly. "We
+are perfectly well able to take care of ourselves. Women travel alone
+everywhere every-day--that is, intelligent American women."
+
+Lewis looked a little sad. "I thought, perhaps, it would seem nice for
+you to go with me, Selma. We haven't been off since we were married, and
+I can get away now just as well as not."
+
+"So it would have been if I weren't one of the delegation. I should
+think you would see, Lewis, that your coming is out of the question."
+
+So it proved. Selma set forth for Chicago on the appointed day, made
+many new acquaintances among the delegates, and was pleased to be
+introduced and referred to publicly as Mrs. Selma Babcock--a form of
+address to which she was unaccustomed at Benham. On the night before her
+departure, being in pleasant spirits, she told Lewis that her absence
+would do him good, and that he would appreciate her all the more on her
+return.
+
+She was to be gone a week. The first twenty-four hours passed gloomily
+for Babcock. Then he began to take notice. He noticed that the county
+fair was fixed for the following days. He had hoped to carry Selma
+there, but, as she was not to be had, it seemed to him sensible to get
+what enjoyment from it he could alone. Then it happened that a former
+companion of his bachelor days and his bachelor habits, a commercial
+traveller, whom he had not seen since his marriage, appeared on the
+scene.
+
+"The very man for me!" he ejaculated, jubilantly.
+
+The obscurity of this remark was presently made clear to his friend, who
+had hoped perhaps to enjoy a snug evening at Babcock's domestic hearth,
+but who was not averse to playing a different part--that of cheering up
+a father who had lost his baby, and whose wife had left him in the
+lurch. He assured Babcock that a regular old time outing--a shaking
+up--would do him good, and Babcock was ready to agree with him,
+intending thereby a free-handed two days at the fair. As has been
+intimated, his manner of life before marriage had not been
+irreproachable, but he had been glad of an opportunity to put an end to
+the mildly riotous and coarse bouts which disfigured his otherwise
+commonplace existence. He had no intention now of misbehaving himself,
+but he felt the need of being enlivened. His companion was a man who
+delighted in what he called a lark, and whose only method of insuring a
+lark was by starting in with whiskey and keeping it up. That had been
+also Babcock's former conception of a good time, and though he had dimly
+in mind that he was now a husband and church-member, he strove to
+conduct himself in such a manner as to maintain his self-respect without
+becoming a spoil sport.
+
+During the first day at the fair Babcock managed to preserve this nice
+distinction. On the second, he lost account of his conduct, and by the
+late afternoon was sauntering with his friend among the booths in the
+company of two suspicions looking women. With these same women the pair
+of revellers drove off in top buggies just before dusk, and vanished in
+the direction of the open country.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+Babcock returned to his home twenty-four hours later like a whipped cur.
+He was disgusted with himself. It seemed to him incredible that he
+should have fallen so low. He had sinned against his wife and his own
+self-respect without excuse; for it was no excuse that he had let
+himself be led to drink too much. His heart ached and his cheek burned
+at the recollection of his two days of debauchery. What was to be done?
+If only he were able to cut this ugly sore in his soul out with a knife
+and have done with it forever! But that was impossible. It stared him in
+the face, a haunting reality. In his distress he asked himself whether
+he would not go to Mr. Glynn and make a clean breast of it; but his
+practical instincts answered him that he would none the less have made a
+beast of himself. He held his head between his hands, and stared
+dejectedly at his desk. Some relief came to him at last only from the
+reflection that it was a single fault, and that it need never--it should
+never be repeated. Selma need not know, and he would henceforth avoid
+all such temptations. Terrible as it was, it was a slip, not a
+deliberate fault, and his love for his wife was not in question.
+
+Thus reasoning, he managed by the third day after his return to reach a
+less despondent frame of mind. While busy writing in his office a lady
+was announced, and looking up he encountered the meretricious smile of
+the courtesan with whom he had forgotten himself. She had taken a fancy
+to her victim, and having learned that he was well to do, she had come
+in order to establish, if possible, on a more permanent basis, her
+relations with him. She was a young woman, who had been drifting from
+place to place, and whose professional inclination for a protector was
+heightened by the liking which she had conceived for him. Babcock
+recalled in her smile merely his shame, and regarded her reappearance as
+effrontery. He was blind to her prettiness and her sentimental mood. He
+asked her roughly what she wanted, and rising from his chair, he bade
+her be gone before she had time to answer. Nine out of ten women of her
+class would have taken their dismissal lightly. Some might have answered
+back in tones loud enough to enlighten the clerks, and thus have
+accomplished a pretty revenge in the course of retreat. This particular
+Lesbian was in no humor to be harshly treated. She was a little
+desperate and Babcock had pleased her. It piqued her to be treated in
+such a fashion; accordingly, she held her ground and sat down. She tried
+upon him, alternately, irony and pathos. He was angry but confused under
+the first, he became savage and merciless under the second, throwing
+back in her teeth the suggestion of her fondness, and stigmatizing her
+coarsely. Then she became angry in her turn--angry as a woman whose
+proffered love is spurned. The method for revenge was obvious, and she
+told him plainly what she intended. His wife should know at once how her
+husband passed his time during her absence. She had posted herself, and
+she saw that her shaft hurt. Babcock winced, but mad and incredulous, he
+threatened her with arrest and drove her from the room. She went out
+smiling, but with an ominous look in her eyes, the remembrance of which
+made him ask himself now and again if she could be vicious enough, or
+fool enough, to keep her promise. He dismissed the idea as improbable;
+still the bare chance worried him. Selma was to arrive early the next
+morning, and he had reconciled himself to the conclusion that she need
+never know, and that he would henceforth be a faithful husband. Had he
+not given an earnest of his good faith in his reception of his visitor?
+Surely, no such untoward and unnatural accident would dash the cup of
+returning happiness from his lips. A more clever man would have gone
+straight to police headquarters, instead of trusting to chance.
+
+A night's rest reassured him as to the idleness of the threat, so that
+he was able to welcome Selma at the railroad station with a
+comparatively light heart. She was in high spirits over the success of
+her expedition, and yet graciously ready to admit that she was glad to
+return home--meaning thereby, to her own bed and bathing facilities; but
+the general term seemed to poor Lewis a declaration of wifely devotion.
+He went to his business with the mien of a man who had passed through an
+ordeal and is beginning life again; but when he returned at night, as
+soon as he beheld Selma, he suspected what had happened.
+
+She was awaiting him in the parlor. Though he saw at a glance that she
+looked grave, he went forward to kiss her, but she rose and, stepping
+behind the table, put out her hand forbiddingly.
+
+"What is the matter?" he faltered.
+
+"That woman has been here," was her slow, scornful response.
+
+"Selma, I--" A confusing sense of hopelessness as to what to say choked
+Babcock's attempt to articulate. There was a brief silence, while he
+looked at her imploringly and miserably.
+
+"Is it true what she says? Have you been false to your marriage vows?
+Have you committed adultery?"
+
+"My God! Selma, you don't understand."
+
+"It is an easy question to answer, yes or no?"
+
+"I forgot myself, Selma. I was drunk and crazy. I ask your pardon."
+
+She shook her head coldly. "I shall have nothing more to do with you. I
+cannot live with you any longer."
+
+"Not live with me?"
+
+"Would you live with me if it were I who had forgotten myself?"
+
+"I think I would, Selma. You don't understand. I was a brute. I have
+been wretched ever since. But it was a slip--an accident. I drank too
+much, and it happened. I love you, Selma, with all my heart. I have
+never been false to you in my affection."
+
+"It is a strange time to talk of affection. I went away for a week, and
+in my absence you insulted me by debauchery with a creature like that.
+Love? You have no conception of the meaning of the word. Oh no, I shall
+never live with you again."
+
+Babcock clinched his palms in his distress and walked up and down. She
+stood pale and determined looking into space. Presently he turned to her
+and asked with quiet but intense solicitude, "You don't mean that you're
+going to leave me for one fault, we being husband and wife and the
+little girl in her grave? I said you don't understand and you don't. A
+man's a man, and there are times when he's been drinking when he's
+liable to yield to temptation, and that though he's so fond of his wife
+that life without her would be misery. This sounds strange to a woman,
+and it's a poor excuse. But it ought to count, Selma, when it comes to a
+question of our separating. There would be happy years before us yet if
+you give me another chance."
+
+"Not happy years for me," she replied concisely. "The American woman
+does not choose to live with the sort of man you describe. She demands
+from her husband what he demands from her, faithfulness to the marriage
+tie. We could never be happy again. Our ideal of life is different. I
+have made excuses for you in other things, but my soul revolts at this."
+
+Babcock looked at her for a moment in silence, then he said, a little
+sternly, "You shouldn't have gone away and left me. I'm not blaming you,
+but you shouldn't have gone." He walked to the window but he saw
+nothing. His heart was racked. He had been eager to humiliate himself
+before her to prove his deep contrition, but he had come to the end of
+his resources, and yet she was adamant. Her charge that she had been
+making excuses for him hitherto reminded him that they had not been
+really sympathetic for some time past. With his back turned to her he
+heard her answer:
+
+"It was understood before I agreed to marry you that I was to be free to
+follow my tastes and interests. It is a paltry excuse that, because I
+left you alone for a week in pursuit of them, I am accessory to your
+sin."
+
+Babcock faced her sadly. "The sin's all mine," he said. "I can't deny
+that. But, Selma, I guess I've been pretty lonely ever since the baby
+died."
+
+"Lonely?" she echoed. "Then my leaving you will not matter so much.
+Here," she said, slipping off her wedding-ring, "this belongs to you."
+She remembered Mrs. Earle's proceeding, and though she had not yet
+decided what course to pursue in order to maintain her liberty, she
+regarded this as the significant and definite act. She held out the
+ring, but Babcock shook his head.
+
+"The law doesn't work as quick as that, nor the church either. You can
+get a divorce if you're set on it, Selma. But we're husband and wife
+yet."
+
+"Only the husk of our marriage is left. The spirit is dead," she said
+sententiously. "I am going away. I cannot pass another night in this
+house. If you will not take this ring, I shall leave it here."
+
+Babcock turned to hide the tears which blinded his eyes. Selma regarded
+him a moment gravely, then she laid her wedding-ring on the table and
+went from the room.
+
+She put her immediate belongings into a bag and left the house. She had
+decided to go to Mrs. Earle's lodgings where she would be certain to
+find shelter and sympathy. Were she to go to her aunt's she would be
+exposed to importunity on her husband's behalf from Mrs. Farley, who was
+partial to Lewis. Her mind was entirely made up that there could be no
+question of reconciliation. Her duty was plain; and she would be doing
+herself an injustice were she to continue to live with one so weak and
+regardless of the honor which she had a right to demand of the man to
+whom she had given her society and her body. His gross conduct had
+entitled her to her liberty, and to neglect to seize it would be to
+condemn herself to continuous unhappiness, for this overt act of his was
+merely a definite proof of the lack of sympathy between them, of which
+she had for some time been well aware at heart. As she walked along the
+street she was conscious that it was a relief to her to be sloughing off
+the garment of an uncongenial relationship and to be starting life
+afresh. There was nothing in her immediate surroundings from which she
+was not glad to escape. Their house was full of blemishes from the
+stand-point of her later knowledge, and she yearned to dissociate
+herself, once and for all, from the trammels of her pitiful mistake. She
+barely entertained the thought that she was without means. She would
+have to support herself, of course, but it never occurred to her to
+doubt her ability to do so, and the necessity added a zest to her
+decision. It would be plain sailing, for Mrs. Earle had more than once
+invited her to send copy to the _Benham Sentinel_, and there was no form
+of occupation which would be more to her liking than newspaper work. It
+was almost with the mien of a prisoner escaped from jail that she walked
+in upon her friend and said:
+
+"I have left my husband. He has been unfaithful to me."
+
+In Mrs. Earle, conventional feminine instincts were apt, before she had
+time to think, to get the upper hand of her set theories. "You, poor,
+poor child," she cried extending her arms.
+
+Selma had not intended to weep. Still the opportunity was convenient,
+and her nerves were on edge. She found herself sobbing with her head on
+Mrs. Earle's, bosom, and telling her sad story.
+
+"He was never good enough for you. I have always said so," Mrs. Earle
+murmured stroking her hair.
+
+"I ought to have known from the first that it was impossible for us to
+be happy. Why did I ever marry him? He said he loved me, and I let
+myself be badgered into it," Selma answered through her tears. "Well,
+it's all over now," she added, sitting up and drying her eyes. "He has
+given me back my liberty. I am a free woman."
+
+"Yes, dear, if you are perfectly sure of yourself, there is only one
+course to pursue. Only you should consider the matter solemnly. Perhaps
+in a few days, after he has apologized and shown proper contrition, you
+might feel willing to give him another chance."
+
+Selma was unprepared for Mrs. Earle's sentimentality. "Surely," she
+exclaimed with tragic earnestness, "you wouldn't have me live with him
+after what occurred? Contrition? He said everything he could think of to
+get me to stay, but I made my decision then and there."
+
+Mrs. Earle put her own handkerchief to her eyes. "Women have forgiven
+such things; but I respect you all the more for not being weak. I know
+how you feel. It is hard to do, but if I had it to do over again, I
+would act just the same--just the same. It's a serious responsibility to
+encourage any one to desert a home, but under the circumstances I would
+not live with him another minute, my child--not another minute."
+Thereupon Mrs. Earle protruded her bosom to celebrate the triumph of
+justice in her own mental processes over conventional and maudlin
+scruples. "You will apply for a divorce, I suppose?"
+
+"I have not considered that. All I care for is never to see him again."
+
+"Oh yes, you must get a divorce. It is much better, you know. In my case
+I couldn't, for he did nothing public. A divorce settles matters, and
+puts you back where you were before. You might wish some day to marry
+again."
+
+"I have had enough of marriage."
+
+"It isn't any harm to be a free woman--free in the eye of the law as
+well as of conscience. I know an excellent lawyer--a Mr. Lyons, a
+sympathetic and able man. Besides your husband is bound to support you.
+You must get alimony."
+
+"I wouldn't touch a dollar of his money," Selma answered with scorn. "I
+intend to support myself. I shall write--work."
+
+"Of course you will, dear; and it will be a boon and a blessing to me to
+have you in our ranks--one of the new army of self-supporting,
+self-respecting women. I suppose you are right. I have never had a
+sixpence. But your husband deserves to be punished. Perhaps it is
+punishment enough to lose you."
+
+"He will get over that. It is enough for me," she exclaimed, ardently,
+after a dreamy pause, "that I am separated from him forever--that I am
+free--free--free."
+
+A night's sleep served to intensify Selma's determination, and she awoke
+clearly of the opinion that a divorce was desirable. Why remain fettered
+by a bare legal tie to one who was a husband only in name? Accordingly,
+in company with Mrs. Earle, she visited the office of James O. Lyons,
+and took the initiatory steps to dissolve the marriage.
+
+Mr. Lyons was a large, full-bodied man of thirty-five, with a fat,
+cleanly-shaven, cherubic countenance, an aspect of candor, and keen,
+solemn eyes. His manner was impressive and slightly pontificial; his
+voice resonant and engaging. He knew when to joke and when to be grave
+as an owl. He wore in every-day life a shiny, black frock-coat, a
+standing collar, which yawned at the throat, and a narrow, black tie.
+His general effect was that of a cross between a parson and a shrewd
+Yankee--a happy suggestion of righteous, plain, serious-mindedness,
+protected against the wiles of human society--and able to protect
+others--by a canny intelligence. For a young man he had already a
+considerable clientage. A certain class of people, notably the
+hard-headed, God-fearing, felt themselves safe in his hands. His
+magnetic yet grave manner of conducting business pleased Benham,
+attracting also both the distressed and the bilious portions of the
+community, and the farmers from the surrounding country. As Mrs. Earle
+informed Selma, he was in sympathy with all progressive and stimulating
+ideas, and he already figured in the newspapers politically, and before
+the courts as a friend of the masses, and a fluent advocate of social
+reforms. His method of handling Selma's case was smooth. To begin with,
+he was sympathetic within proper limits, giving her tacitly to
+understand that, though as a man and brother, he deplored the necessity
+of extreme measures, he recognized that she had made up her mind, and
+that compromise was out of the question. To put it concisely, his manner
+was grieved, but practical. He told her that he would represent to
+Babcock the futility of contesting a cause, which, on the evidence, must
+be hopeless, and that, in all probability, the matter could be disposed
+of easily and without publicity. He seemed to Selma a very sensible and
+capable man, and it was agreeable to her to feel that he appreciated
+that, though divorce in the abstract was deplorable, her experience
+justified and called for the protection of the law.
+
+In the meantime Babcock was very unhappy, and was casting about for a
+method to induce his wife to return. He wrote to her a pitiful letter,
+setting forth once more the sorry facts in the best light which he could
+bring to bear on them, and implored her forgiveness. He applied to her
+aunt, Mrs. Farley, and got her to supplement his plea with her
+good-natured intervention. "There are lots of men like that," she
+confided to Selma, "and he's a kind, devoted creature." When this
+failed, he sought Rev. Mr. Glynn as a last resort, and, after he had
+listened to a stern and fervid rating from the clergyman on the lust of
+the flesh, he found his pastor on his side. Mr. Glynn was opposed to
+divorce on general ecclesiastical principles; moreover, he had been
+educated under the law of England, by which a woman cannot obtain a
+divorce from her husband for the cause of adultery unless it be coupled
+with cruelty--a clever distinction between the sexes, which was
+doubtless intended as a cloak for occasional lapses on the part of man.
+It was plain to him, as a Christian and as a hearty soul, that there had
+been an untoward accident--a bestial fault, a soul-debasing carnal sin,
+but still an accident, and hence to be forgiven by God and woman. It was
+his duty to interfere; and so, having disciplined the husband, he
+essayed the more delicate matter of propitiating the wife. And he
+essayed it without a thought of failure.
+
+"I'm afraid she's determined to leave me, and that there's not much
+hope," said Babcock, despondently, as he gripped the clergyman's hand in
+token of his gratitude.
+
+"Nonsense, my man," asserted Mr. Glynn briskly. "All she needs is an
+exhortation from me, and she will take you back."
+
+Selma was opposed to divorce in theory. That is, she had accepted on
+trust the traditional prejudice against it as she had accepted
+Shakespeare and Boston. But theory stood for nothing in her regard
+before the crying needs of her own experience. She had not the least
+intention of living with her husband again. No one could oblige her to
+do that. In addition, the law offered her a formal escape from his
+control and name. Why not avail herself of it? She recollected, besides,
+that her husband's church recognized infidelity as a lawful ground of
+release from the so-called sacrament of marriage. This had come into her
+mind as an additional sanction to her own decision. But it had not
+contributed to that decision. Consequently, when she was confronted in
+Mrs. Earle's lodgings by the errand of Mr. Glynn, she felt that his
+coming was superfluous. Still, she was glad of the opportunity to
+measure ideas with him in a thorough interview free from interruption.
+
+Mr. Glynn's confidence was based on his intention to appeal to the ever
+womanly quality of pity. He expected to encounter some resistance, for
+indisputably here was a woman whose sensibilities had been justly and
+severely shocked--a woman of finer tissue than her husband, as he had
+noted in other American couples. She was entitled to her day in
+court--to a stubborn, righteous respite of indignation. But he expected
+to carry the day in the end, amid a rush of tears, with which his own
+might be mingled. He trusted to what he regarded as the innate
+reluctance of the wife to abandon the man she loved, and to the leaven
+of feminine Christian charity.
+
+As a conscientious hater of sin, he did not attempt to minimize
+Babcock's act or the insult put upon her. That done, he was free to
+intercede fervently for him and to extol the virtue and the advisability
+of forgiveness. This plea, however cogent, was narrow, and once stated
+admitted merely of duplication in the same form. It was indeed no
+argument, merely an appeal, and, in proportion as it failed to move the
+listener, became feeble. Selma listened to him with a tense face, her
+hands clasped before her in the guise of an interested and
+self-scrutinizing spirit. But she betrayed no sign of yielding, or
+symptom of doubt. She shook her head once or twice as he proceeded, and,
+when he paused, asked why she should return to a man who had broken
+faith with her; asked it in such a genuine tone of conviction that Dr.
+Glynn realized the weakness of his own case, and became slightly nettled
+at the same time.
+
+"True," he said, rather sternly, "your husband has committed a hideous,
+carnal sin, but he is genuinely repentant. Do you wish to ruin his life
+forever?"
+
+"His life?" said Selma. "It would ruin my life to return to him. I have
+other plans--plans which will bring me happiness. I could never be happy
+with him."
+
+The clergyman was baffled. Other plans! The words offended him, and yet
+he could not dispute her right to do as she chose. Still he saw fit to
+murmur: "He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his
+life for my sake shall find it."
+
+Selma flushed. To be accused of acting contrary to Christian precepts
+was painful and surprising to her. "Mr. Glynn," she said, "I see you
+don't understand. My husband and I ought never to have married. It has
+all been a dreadful mistake. We have not the same tastes and interests.
+I am sorry for him, but I can never consent to return to him. To do so
+would condemn us both to a life of unhappiness. We were not intended for
+husband and wife, and it is best--yes, more Christian--for us to
+separate. We American women do not feel justified in letting a mistake
+ruin our lives when there is a chance to escape."
+
+Mr. Glynn regarded her in silence for a moment. He was accustomed to
+convince, and he had not succeeded, which to a clergyman is more
+annoying than to most men. Still what she said made his plea seem
+doubtful wisdom.
+
+"Then you do not love your husband?" he said.
+
+"No," said Selma quietly, "I do not love him. It is best to be frank
+with one's self--with you, in such a matter, isn't it? So you see that
+what you ask is out of the question."
+
+Mr. Glynn rose. Clearly his mission had failed, and there was nothing
+more to be said. Being a just man, he hesitated to pass an unkind
+judgment on this bright-faced, pensive woman. She was within her moral
+rights, and he must be careful to keep within his. But he went away
+bewildered and discomfited. Selma would have liked to dismiss the
+subject and keep him longer. She would have been glad to branch off on
+to other ethical topics and discuss them. She was satisfied with the
+result of the interview, for she had vindicated her position and spiked
+Lewis's last gun.
+
+So, indeed, it proved. Mr. Glynn sent for Babcock and told him the naked
+truth, that his wife's love for him was dead and reconciliation
+impossible. He properly refrained from expressing the doubt lurking in
+his own mind as to whether Selma had ever loved her husband. Thus
+convinced of the hopelessness of his predicament, Babcock agreed to Mr.
+Lyons's suggestion not to contest the legal proceedings. The lawyer had
+been diligent, and the necessary evidence--the testimony of the
+woman--was secure. She was ready to carry her revenge to the end,
+hoping, perhaps, that the victim of it would return to her when he had
+lost his wife. Accordingly, a few weeks later, Selma was granted a
+divorce nisi and the right to resume her maiden name. She had decided,
+however, to retain the badge of marriage as a decorous social prefix,
+and to call herself Mrs. Selma White.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+The consciousness that she was dependent for the means of support solely
+on her own exertions was a genuine pleasure to Selma, and she applied
+herself with confidence and enthusiasm to the problem of earning her
+livelihood. She had remained steadfast to her decision to accept nothing
+from her husband except the legal costs of the proceedings, though Mr.
+Lyons explained to her that alimony was a natural and moral increment of
+divorce. Still, after her refusal, he informed her as a man and a friend
+that he respected and admired the independence of her action, which was
+an agreeable tribute. She had fixed definitely on newspaper work as the
+most inviting and congenial form of occupation. She believed herself to
+be well fitted for it. It would afford her an immediate income, and it
+would give her the opportunity which she craved for giving public
+expression to her ideas and fixing attention on herself. There was room
+for more than one Mrs. Earle in Benham, for Benham was growing and
+wide-awake and on the alert for originality of any kind--especially in
+the way of reportorial and journalistic cleverness. Selma had no
+intention of becoming a second Mrs. Earle. That is, she promised herself
+to follow, but not to follow blindly; to imitate judiciously, but to
+improve on a gradually diverging line of progress. This was mere
+generalization as yet. It was an agreeable seething brain consciousness
+for future development. For the moment, however, she counted on Mrs.
+Earle to obtain for her a start by personal influence at the office of
+the _Benham Sentinel_. This was provided forthwith in the form of an
+invitation to prepare a weekly column under the caption of "What Women
+Wear;" a summary of passing usages in clothes. The woman reporter in
+charge of it had just died. Selma's first impulse was to decline the
+work as unworthy of her abilities, yet she was in immediate need of
+employment to avoid running in debt and she was assured by Mrs. Earle
+that she would be very foolish to reject such an offer. Reflection
+caused her to think more highly of the work itself. It would afford her
+a chance to explain to the women of Benham, and indirectly to the
+country at large, that taste in dress was not necessarily inconsistent
+with virtue and serious intentions--a truth of which she herself had
+become possessed since her marriage and which it seemed to her might be
+utilized delightfully in her department. She would endeavor to treat
+dress from the standpoint of ethical responsibility to society, and to
+show that both extravagance and dowdy homeliness were to be avoided.
+Clothes in themselves had grown to be a satisfaction to her, and any
+association of vanity would be eliminated by the introduction of a
+serious artistic purpose into a weekly commentary concerning them.
+Accordingly she accepted the position and entered upon its duties with
+grave zeal.
+
+For each of these contributions Selma was to receive eight dollars--four
+hundred a year, which she hoped to expand to a thousand by creative
+literary production--preferably essays and poetry. She hired a room in
+the same neighborhood as Mrs. Earle, in the boarding-house district
+appurtenant to Central Avenue--that is to say, on the ragged edge of
+Benham's social artery, and set up her new household gods. The interest
+of preparing the first paper absorbed her to the exclusion of everything
+else. She visited all the dress-making and dry-goods establishments in
+town, examined, at a hint from Mrs. Earle, the fashion departments of
+the New York papers, and then, pen in hand, gave herself up to her
+subject. The result seemed to her a happy blending of timely philosophy
+and suggestions as to toilette, and she took it in person to the editor.
+He saw fit to read it on the spot. His brow wrinkled at first and he
+looked dubious. He re-read it and said with some gusto, "It's a novelty,
+but I guess they'll like it. Our women readers have been used to fashion
+notes which are crisp and to the point, and the big houses expect to
+have attention called to the goods they wish to sell. If you'll run over
+this again and set your cold facts in little paragraphs by themselves
+every now and then, I shouldn't wonder if the rest were a sort of
+lecture course which will catch them. It's a good idea. Next time you
+could work in a pathetic story--some references to a dead
+baby--verses--anecdotes--a little variety. You perceive the idea?"
+
+"Oh, yes," said Selma, appropriately sober at the allusion yet ecstatic.
+"That's just what I should like to do. It would give me more scope. I
+wish my articles to be of real use--to help people to live better, and
+to dress better."
+
+"That's right, that's right; and if they make the paper sell, we'll know
+that folks like them," responded the editor with Delphic urbanity.
+
+The first article was a success. That is, Selma's method was not
+interfered with, and she had the satisfaction of reading in the
+_Sentinel_ during the week an item calling gratified attention to the
+change in its "What Women Wear" column, and indicating that it would
+contain new features from week to week. It gave her a pleasant thrill to
+see her name, "Selma White," signed at the end of the printed column,
+and she set to work eagerly to carry out the editor's suggestions. At
+the same time she tried her hand at a short story--the story of an
+American girl who went to Paris to study art, refused to alter her mode
+of life to suit foreign ideas of female propriety, displayed exceptional
+talent as an artist, and finally married a fine-spirited young American,
+to the utter discomfiture of a French member of the nobility, who had
+begun by insulting her and ended with making her an offer of marriage.
+This she sent to the _Eagle_, the other Benham newspaper, for its Sunday
+edition.
+
+It took her a month to compose this story, and after a week she received
+it back with a memorandum to the effect that it was one-half too long,
+but intimating that in a revised form it would be acceptable. This was a
+little depressing, especially as it arrived at a time when the novelty
+of her occupation had worn off and she was realizing the limitations of
+her present life. She had begun to miss the advantages of a free purse
+and the importance of a domestic establishment. She possessed her
+liberty, and was fulfilling her mission as a social force, but her life
+had been deprived of some of its savor, and, though she was thankful to
+be rid of Babcock, she felt the lack of an element of personal devotion
+to herself, an element which was not to be supplied by mere admiration
+on the part of Mrs. Earle and the other members of the Institute. It did
+not suit her not to be able to gratify her growing taste in clothes and
+in other lines of expenditure, and there were moments when she
+experienced the need of being petted and made much of by a man. She was
+conscious of loneliness, and in this mood she pitied herself as a victim
+of untoward circumstances, one who had wasted the freshness of her young
+life, and missed the happiness which the American wife is apt to find
+waiting for her. Under the spell of this nostalgia she wrote a poem
+entitled "The Bitter Sweets of Solitude," and disposed of it for five
+dollars to the _Sentinel_. The price shocked her, for the verses seemed
+flesh of her flesh. Still, five dollars was better than nothing, and she
+discerned from the manner of the newspaper editor that he cared little
+whether she left them or not. It was on that evening that she received a
+letter from Littleton, stating that he was on the eve of leaving New
+York for Benham. He was coming to consult concerning certain further
+interior decorations which the committee had decided to add to the
+church.
+
+Selma's nerves vibrated blissfully as she read the news. For some
+reason, which she had never seen fit definitely to define, she had
+chosen not to acquaint Littleton with the fact of her divorce. Their
+letters had been infrequent during the last six months, for this visit
+had been impending, having been put off from time to time because the
+committee had been dilatory and he otherwise engaged. Perhaps her secret
+motive had been to surprise him, to let him find himself confronted with
+an accomplished fact, which would obviate argument and reveal her
+established in her new career, a happy, independent citizen, without
+ties. At any rate she smiled now at the address on the envelope--Mrs.
+Lewis Babcock. Obviously he was still in the dark as to the truth, and
+it would be her privilege to enlighten him. She began to wonder what
+would be the upshot of his coming, and tears came to her eyes, tears of
+self-congratulation that the narrow tenor of her daily life was to be
+irradiated by a sympathetic spirit.
+
+When Littleton duly appeared at the committee meeting on the following
+day, Selma saw at a glance that he was unaware of what had happened. He
+looked slightly puzzled when one of the members addressed her as Mrs.
+White, but evidently he regarded this as a slip of the tongue. Selma
+looked, as she felt, contented and vivacious. She had dressed herself
+simply, but with effective trigness. To those who knew her experience,
+her appearance indicated courage and becoming self-respect. Public
+opinion, even as embodied in the church committee, while deploring the
+necessity, was not disposed to question the propriety of her action.
+That is, all except Mrs. Taylor. In her, Selma thought she had detected
+signs of coldness, a sort of suspicious reservation of judgment, which
+contrasted itself unpleasantly with the sympathetic attitude of the
+others, who were fain to refer to her, in not altogether muffled
+whispers, as a plucky, independent, little woman. Hence, she was glad
+that Mrs. Taylor happened to be detained at home by illness on this
+afternoon, and that, accordingly, she was free to enjoy unreservedly the
+dramatic nature of the situation. Her heart beat a little faster as the
+chairman, turning to her to ask a question, addressed her unmistakably
+as Mrs. White. She could not refrain from casting half-amused,
+half-pathetic sheep's eyes at Littleton. He started visibly, regarded
+her for, a moment in obvious amazement, then flushed to the roots of his
+hair. She felt the blood rising to her own cheeks, and a sensation of
+mild triumph. The meeting was over and the members were merely lingering
+to tie up the loose threads of the matter arranged for. In a few moments
+Selma found herself with the architect sufficiently apart from the
+others for him to ask:
+
+"Two persons have addressed you this afternoon as Mrs. White. I do not
+understand."
+
+She cast down her eyes, as a woman will when a question of modesty is
+involved, then she raised them and said: "You did not know, then, that I
+had left my husband?"
+
+"Left him?"
+
+"Yes. I have obtained a divorce. He was unfaithful to me."
+
+"I see"--said Littleton with a sort of gasp--"I see. I did not know. You
+never wrote to me."
+
+"I did not feel like writing to any body. There was nothing to be done
+but that."
+
+Littleton regarded her with a perturbed, restless air.
+
+"Then you live no longer at 25 Onslow Avenue?"
+
+"Oh, no. I left there more than six months ago. I live in lodgings. I am
+supporting myself by literary work. I am Mrs. Selma White now, and my
+divorce has been absolute more than a month."
+
+She spoke gravely and quietly, with less than her usual assurance, for
+she felt the spell of his keen, eager scrutiny and was not averse to
+yield at the moment to the propensity of her sex. She wondered what he
+was thinking about. Did he blame her? Did he sympathize with her?
+
+"Where are you going when you leave here?" he asked.
+
+"Home--to my new home. Will you walk along with me?"
+
+"That is what I should like. I am astonished by what you have told me,
+and am anxious to hear more about it, if to speak of it would not wound
+you. Divorced! How you must have suffered! And I did not have the chance
+to offer you my help--my sympathy."
+
+"Yes, I have suffered. But that is all over now. I am a free woman. I am
+beginning my life over again."
+
+It was a beautiful afternoon, and by mutual consent, which neither put
+into words, they diverged from the exact route to Selma's lodging house
+and turned their steps to the open country beyond the city limits--the
+picturesque dell which has since become the site of Benham's public
+park. There they seated themselves where they would not be interrupted.
+Selma told him on the way the few vital facts in her painful story, to
+which he listened in a tense silence, broken chiefly by an occasional
+ejaculation expressive of his contempt for the man who had brought such
+unhappiness upon her. She let him understand, too, that her married
+life, from the first, had been far less happy than he had
+imagined--wretched makeshift for the true relation of husband and wife.
+She spoke of her future buoyantly, yet with a touch of sadness, as
+though to indicate that she was aware that the triumphs of intelligence
+and individuality could not entirely be a substitute for a happy home.
+
+"And what do you expect to do?" he inquired in a bewildered fashion, as
+though her delineation of her hopes had been lost on him.
+
+"Do? Support myself by my own exertions, as I have told you. By writing
+I expect. I am doing very well already. Do you question my ability to
+continue?"
+
+"Oh, no; not that. Only--"
+
+"Only what? Surely you are not one of the men who grudge women the
+chance to prove what is in them--who would treat us like china dolls and
+circumscribe us by conventions? I know you are not, because I have heard
+you inveigh against that very sort of narrow mindedness. Only what?"
+
+"I can't make up my mind to it. And I suppose the reason is that it
+means so much to me--that you mean so much to me. What is the use of my
+dodging the truth, Selma--seeking to conceal it because such a short
+time has elapsed since you ceased to be a wife? Forgive me if I hurt
+you, if it seem indelicate to speak of love at the very moment when you
+are happy in your liberty. I can't help it; it's my nature to speak
+openly. And there's no bar now. The fact that you are free makes clear
+to me what I have not dared to countenance before, that you are the one
+woman in the world for me--the woman I have dreamed of--and longed to
+meet--the woman whose influence has blessed me already, and without whom
+I shall lack the greatest happiness which life can give. Selma, I love
+you--I adore you."
+
+Selma listened with greedy ears, which she could scarcely believe. It
+seemed to her that she was in dream-land, so unexpected, yet entrancing,
+was his avowal. She had been vaguely aware that he admired her more than
+he had allowed himself to disclose, and conscious, too, that his
+presence was agreeable to her; but in an instant now she recognized that
+this was love--the love she had sought, the love she had yearned to
+inspire and to feel. Compared with it, Babcock's clumsy ecstasy and her
+own sufferance of it had been a sham and a delusion. Of so much she was
+conscious in a twinkling, and yet what she deemed proper self-respect
+restrained her from casting herself into his arms. It was, indeed, soon,
+and she had been happy in her liberty. At least, she had supposed
+herself so; and she owed it to her own plans and hopes not to act
+hastily, though she knew what she intended to do. She had been lonely,
+yes starving, for lack of true companionship, and here was the soul
+which would be a true mate to hers.
+
+They were sitting on a grassy bank. He was bending toward her with
+clasped hands, a picture of fervor. She could see him out of the corner
+of her glance, though she looked into space with her gaze of seraphic
+worry. Yet her lips were ready to lend themselves to a smile of blissful
+satisfaction and her eyes to fill with the melting mood of the thought
+that at last happiness had come to her.
+
+The silence was very brief, but Littleton, as would have seemed fitting
+to her, feared lest she were shocked.
+
+"I distress you," he said. "Forgive me. Listen--will you listen?" Selma
+was glad to listen. The words of love, such love as this, were
+delicious, and she felt she owed it to herself not to be won too easily.
+"I am listening," she answered softly with the voice of one face to face
+with an array of doubts.
+
+"Before I met you, Selma, woman but was a name to me. My life brought me
+little into contact with them, except my dear sister, and I had no
+temptation to regret that I could not support a wife. Yet I dreamed of
+woman and of love and of a joy which might some day come to me if I
+could meet one who fulfilled my ideal of what a true woman should be. So
+I dreamed until I met you. The first time I saw you, Selma, I knew in my
+heart that you were a woman whom I could love. Perhaps I should have
+recognized more clearly as time went on that you were more to me even
+then than I had a right to allow; yet I call heaven to witness that I
+did not, by word or sign, do a wrong to him who has done such a cruel
+wrong to you."
+
+"Never by word or sign," echoed Selma solemnly. The bare suggestion that
+Babcock had cause to complain of either of them seemed to her
+preposterous. Yet she was saying to herself that it was easy to perceive
+that he had loved her from the first.
+
+"And since I love you with all my soul must I--should I in justice to
+myself--to my own hopes of happiness, refrain from speaking merely
+because you have so recently been divorced? I must speak--I am speaking.
+It is too soon, I dare say, for you to be willing to think of marriage
+again--but I offer you the love and protection of a husband. My means
+are small, but I am able now to support a wife in decent comfort. Selma,
+give me some hope. Tell me, that in time you may be willing to trust
+yourself to my love. You wish to work--to distinguish yourself. Would I
+be a hindrance to that? Indeed, you must know that I would do every
+thing in my power to promote your desire to be of service to the world."
+
+The time for her smile and her tears had come. He had argued his case
+and her own, and it was clear to her mind that delay would be futile.
+Since happiness was at hand, why not grasp it? As for her work, he need
+not interfere with that. And, after all, now that she had tried it, was
+she so sure that newspaper work--hack work, such as she was pursuing,
+was what she wished? As a wife, re-established in the security of a
+home, she could pick and choose her method of expression. Perhaps,
+indeed, it would not be writing, except occasionally. Was not New York a
+wide, fruitful field, for a reforming social influence? She saw herself
+in her mind's eye a leader of movements and of progress. And that with a
+man she loved--yes, adored even as he adored her.
+
+So she turned to Littleton with her smile and in tears--the image of
+bewitching but pathetic self-justification and surrender. Her mind was
+made up; hence why procrastinate and coyly postpone the desirable, and
+the inevitable? That was what she had the shrewdness to formulate in the
+ecstasy of her transport; and so eloquent was the mute revelation of her
+love that Littleton, diffident reverencer of the modesty of woman as he
+was, without a word from her clasped her to his breast, a victor in a
+breath. As, regardless of the possible invasion of interlopers, he took
+her in his embrace, she felt with satisfaction once more the grasp of
+masculine arms. She let her head fall on his shoulder in delighted
+contentment. While he murmured in succession inarticulate terms of
+endearment, she revelled in the thrill of her nerves and approved her
+own sagacious and commendable behavior.
+
+"Dearest," she whispered, "you are right. We are right. Since we love
+each other, why should we not say so? I love you--I love you. The ugly
+hateful past shall not keep us apart longer. You say you loved me from
+the first; so did I love you, though I did not know it then. We were
+meant for each other--God meant us--did he not? It is right, and we
+shall be so happy, Wilbur."
+
+"Yes, Selma." Words seemed to him an inadequate means for expressing his
+emotions. He pressed his lips upon hers with the adoring respect of a
+worshipper touching his god, yet with the energy of a man. She sighed
+and compared him in her thought with Babcock. How gentle this new lover!
+How refined and sensitive and appreciative! How intelligent and
+gentlemanly!
+
+"If I had my wish, darling," he said, "we should be married to-night and
+I would carry you away from here forever."
+
+She remembered that Babcock had uttered the same wish on the occasion
+when he had offered himself. To grant it then had been out of the
+question. To do so now would be convenient--a prompt and satisfactory
+blotting out of her past and present life--a happy method of solving
+many minor problems of ways and means connected with waiting to be
+married. Besides it would be romantic, and a delicious, fitting crowning
+of her present blissful mood.
+
+He mistook her silence for womanly scruples, and he recounted with a
+little laugh the predicament in which he should find himself on his own
+account were they to be so precipitate. "What would my sister think if
+she were to get a telegram--'Married to-night. Expect us to-morrow?' She
+would think I had lost my senses. So I have, darling; and you are the
+cause. She knows about you. I have talked to her about you."
+
+"But she thinks I am Mrs. Babcock."
+
+"Oh yes. Ha! ha! It would never do to state to whom I was married,
+unless I sent a telegram as long as my arm. Dear Pauline! She will be
+radiant. It is all arranged that she is to stay where she is in the old
+quarters, and I am to take you to a new house. We've decided on that,
+time and again, when we've chanced to talk of what might happen--of 'the
+fair, the chaste and unexpressive she'--my she. Dearest, I wondered if I
+should ever find her. Pauline has always said that she would never run
+the risk of spoiling everything by living with us."
+
+"It would be very nice--and very simple," responded Selma, slowly. "You
+wouldn't think any the worse of me, Wilbur, if I were to marry you
+to-night?"
+
+"The worse of you? It is what I would like of all things. Whom does it
+concern but us? Why should we wait in order to make a public spectacle
+of ourselves?"
+
+"I shouldn't wish that. I should insist on being married very quietly.
+Under all the circumstances there is really no reason--it seems to me it
+would be easier if we were to be married as soon as possible. It would
+avoid explanations and talk, wouldn't it? That is, if you are perfectly
+sure."
+
+"Sure? That I love you? Oh Selma!"
+
+She shut her eyes under the thrill which his kiss gave her. "Then we
+will be married whenever you wish," she said.
+
+It was already late in the afternoon, so that the prospects of obtaining
+a license did not seem favorable. Still it happened that Littleton knew
+a clergyman of his own faith--Unitarian--in Benham, a college classmate,
+whom he suggested as soon as he understood that Selma preferred not to
+be married by Mr. Glynn. They found him at home, and by diligent
+personal effort on his part the necessary legal forms were complied with
+and they were made husband and wife three hours before the departure of
+the evening train for New York. After the ceremony they stepped
+buoyantly, arm in arm in the dusk, along the street to send the telegram
+to Miss Littleton, and to snatch a hasty meal before Selma went to her
+lodgings to pack. There were others in the restaurant, so having
+discovered that they were not hungry, they bought sandwiches and
+bananas, and resumed their travels. The suddenness and surprise of it
+all made Selma feel as if on wings. It seemed to her to be of the
+essence of new and exquisite romance to be walking at the side of her
+fond, clever lover in the democratic simplicity of two paper bags of
+provender and an open, yet almost headlong marriage. She felt that at
+last she was yoked to a spirit who comprehended her and who would
+stimulate instead of repress the fire of originality within her. She had
+found love and she was happy. Meanwhile she had decided to leave Benham
+without a word to anyone, even Mrs. Earle. She would write and explain
+what had happened.
+
+
+
+
+BOOK II.
+
+THE STRUGGLE
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+Littleton had not expected that Selma would accede to his request to be
+married at once, but he was delighted at her decision. He had uttered
+his wish in sincerity, for there was really no reason for waiting, and
+by an immediate marriage they would escape the tedium of an engagement
+during which they could hope to see each other but rarely. He was able
+to support a wife provided they were to live simply and economically. He
+felt sure that Selma understood his circumstances and was no less ready
+than he to forego luxuries in order that they might be all in all to
+each other spiritually as husband and wife. Besides he had hopes that
+his clientage would continue to grow so that he would be able to provide
+all reasonable comforts for his new home. Consequently he drove up from
+the station in New York with a light heart, fondly pointing out to his
+wife this and that building and other objects of interest. He mistook
+her pensive silence for diffidence at the idea of descending suddenly on
+another woman's home--a matter which in this instance gave him no
+concern, for he had unlimited confidence in Pauline's executive ability
+and her tendency not to get ruffled. She had been his good angel,
+domestically speaking, and, indeed, in every way, since they had first
+begun to keep house together, and it had rather amused him to let fall
+such a bombshell as the contents of his telegram upon the regularity of
+her daily life.
+
+"Don't be nervous, darling," he said gayly. "You will find Pauline
+bubbling over with joy at our coming, and everything arranged as though
+we were expected to live there all our lives."
+
+Selma looked at him blankly and then remembered. She was not feeling
+nervous, and Pauline was not in her thoughts. She had been lost in her
+own reflections--lost in the happy consciousness of the contrast between
+her new and her old husband, and in the increasing satisfaction that she
+was actually in New York. How bright and busy the streets looked! The
+throng of eager passers and jostling vehicles against the background of
+brilliant shop-windows bewildered and stimulated her. She was saying to
+herself that here was the place where she was suited to live, and mutely
+acknowledging its superiority to Benham as a centre of life. This was a
+rash, swift conclusion, but Selma prided herself on her capacity to
+arrive at wise judgments by rapid mental processes. So absorbed was she
+in the glittering, stirring panorama that Wilbur's efforts at
+enlightenment were practically wasted. She was in no humor for details;
+she was glorying in the exalted impression which the whole vivid scene
+produced upon her.
+
+His remark caused her to realize that they must be near their
+destination. She had no misgivings on the score of her own reception,
+but she was interested and curious to see Pauline, this wonderful sister
+of whom Wilbur was so fond and so proud. Then her husband cried, "Here
+we are!" and in another moment she found herself in the hearty embrace
+of a large, comely woman who met her at the door. This of course must be
+Pauline. Selma was just a little shocked by the fervor of the greeting;
+for though she delighted in rapid intimacies, unexpected liberties with
+her person were contrary to her conceptions of propriety. Still it was
+delightful to be welcomed so heartily. She returned the embrace warmly
+but with dignity, and allowed herself to be convoyed into the house arm
+in arm with her new relation who seemed, indeed, to be bubbling over
+with joy. It was not until they were in the same room that Selma could
+get a good look at her.
+
+Pauline Littleton was fine looking rather than pretty. She was tall and
+substantial, with an agreeable face, an intelligent brow, a firm yet
+sweet mouth, and steady, honest eyes which now sparkled with pleasure.
+Her physique was very different from her brother's. Selma noticed that
+she was taller than herself and only a little shorter than Wilbur. She
+had Wilbur's smile too, suggesting a disposition to take things
+humorously; but her expression lacked the poetic cast which made him so
+attractive and congenial to herself and excused the existence of the
+lighter vein. Selma did not admire women who were inclined to be stout.
+She associated spareness of person with high thinking, and an abundance
+of flesh as an indication of material or commonplace aims. She reflected
+that Pauline was presumably business-like and a good house-keeper, and,
+very likely, an industrious teacher in her classes, but she set her down
+in her mind as deficient in the finer sensibilities of the spirit
+belonging to herself and Wilbur. It was instinctive with Selma to form a
+prompt estimate of every one she met, and it was a relief to her to come
+to the agreeable conclusion that there was nothing in her
+sister-in-law's appearance to make her discontented with herself. This
+warmed her heart at once toward Pauline. To be sure Pauline manifested
+the same sort of social grace which distinguished Mrs. Hallett Taylor,
+but Selma, though she still regarded this with suspicion, for the reason
+that she had not yet become mistress of it, was secretly content to know
+that she had married into a family which possessed it. Altogether she
+was agreeably impressed by her scrutiny of her new sister, who, in her
+opinion, would not be an irritating rival either in looks or character,
+and yet who was a pleasing and sufficiently serious-minded person--in
+short just the sort of sister-in-law which she yearned to have.
+
+Pauline, on her part, was duly fascinated by the delicate and inspiring
+beauty of her brother's wife. She understood at once why Wilbur had
+chosen her in preference to any one of his own circle. Selma obviously
+symbolized by her grave, tense, thin face the serious ideals of living
+and womanhood, which had been dear to his meditation as a youth and a
+part of his heritage from his New England ancestors. It made her joyous
+to feel that he had found a wife who would be a constant source of
+inspiration to him, for she knew that Wilbur would not be happy with any
+one who fell short of his ideal as to what a woman should be. She knew
+her brother well, and she understood how deeply in earnest he was to
+make the most of his life, and what an exalted vision he entertained as
+to the possibilities for mutual sympathy and help between husband and
+wife.
+
+Partly as a consequence of their limited means, partly owing to
+absorption in their respective studies and interests, the Littletons,
+though of gentle stock, lived simple lives according to New York
+standards. They were aware of the growth of luxury resulting from the
+accumulation of big fortunes since the war. As an architect, Wilbur saw
+larger and more elaborate public and private buildings being erected on
+every side. As a house-keeper and a woman with social interests, Pauline
+knew that the power of money was revolutionizing the public taste in the
+matter of household expenditure; that in the details of domestic life
+there was more color and more circumstance, and that people who were
+well-to-do, and many who were not, were requiring as daily comforts all
+sorts of things to which they had been unaccustomed. But though they
+both thus knew vaguely that the temper of society had changed, and that
+sober citizens and their wives, who, twenty years before, would have
+prated solemnly against a host of gay, enlivening or pretty customs as
+incompatible with American virtue, were now adopting these as rapidly as
+money could procure them--the brother and sister had remained
+comparatively unaffected by the consequences of the transformation
+scene. Certainly their home had. It was old-fashioned in its garniture
+and its gentility. It spoke of a day, not so many years before, when
+high thinking had led to blinking where domestic decoration was
+concerned, and people had bought ugly wooden and worsted things to live
+with because only the things of the spirit seemed of real importance.
+Still time, with its marvellous touch, has often the gift of making
+furniture and upholstery, which were hideous when bought, look
+interesting and cosey when they have become old-fashioned. In this way
+Pauline Wilbur's parlor was a delightful relic of a day gone by. There
+was scarcely a pretty thing in it, as Wilbur himself well knew, yet, as
+a whole, it had an atmosphere--an atmosphere of simple unaffected
+refinement. Their domestic belongings had come to them from their
+parents, and they had never had the means to replenish them. When, in
+due time, they had realized their artistic worthlessness, they had held
+to them through affection, humorously conscious of the incongruity that
+two such modern individuals as themselves should be living in a domestic
+museum. Then, presto! friends had begun to congratulate them on the
+uniqueness of their establishment, and to express affection for it. It
+had become a favorite resort for many modern spirits--artists, literary
+men, musicians, self-supporting women--and Pauline's oyster suppers,
+cooked in her grandmother's blazer, were still a stimulus to high
+thinking.
+
+So matters stood when Selma entered it as a bride. Her coming signified
+the breaking up of the household and the establishment. Pauline had
+thought that out in her clear brain over night since receiving Wilbur's
+telegram. Wilbur must move into a modern house, and she into a modern
+flat. She would keep the very old things, such as the blazer and some
+andirons and a pair of candlesticks, for they were ancient enough to be
+really artistic, but the furniture of the immediate past, her father and
+mother's generation, should be sold at auction. Wilbur and she must, if
+only for Selma's sake, become modern in material matters as well as in
+their mental interests.
+
+Pauline proceeded to unfold this at the dinner-table that evening. She
+had heard in the meanwhile from her brother, the story of Selma's
+divorce and the explanation of his sudden marriage; and in consequence,
+she felt the more solicitous that her sister-in-law's new venture should
+begin propitiously. It was agreed that Wilbur should make inquiries at
+once about houses further uptown, and that his present lease from year
+to year should not be renewed. She said to Selma:
+
+"You have saved us from becoming an old-fashioned bachelor and maid. Our
+friends began to leave this neighborhood five years ago, and there is no
+one left. We are surrounded by boarding-houses and shops. We were
+comfortable, and we were too busy to care. But it would never do for a
+young married couple to begin house-keeping here. You must have a brand
+new house uptown, Selma. You must insist on that. Don't be alarmed,
+Wilbur. I know it will have to be small, but I noticed the other day
+several blocks of new houses going up on the side streets west of the
+Park, which looked attractive and cheap."
+
+"I will look at them," said Wilbur. "Since you seem determined not to
+live with us, and we are obliged to move, we will follow the procession.
+But Selma and I could be happy anywhere." He turned from his sister to
+her as he spoke with a proud, happy look.
+
+Selma said nothing to mar his confidence. She had no intention of living
+either with Pauline or in their present house, and she felt that her
+sister-in-law had shown good sense in recognizing that neither was
+possible. She necessarily had vague ideas as to New York houses and
+locations, but she had seen enough in her drive from the station to
+understand that it was a wonderful and decorative place. Although her
+experience of Benham had taught her that some old things--such as Mrs.
+Hallett Taylor's gleanings from Europe--were desirable, she associated
+new things with progress--especially American progress. Consequently the
+Littleton household possessions had puzzled her, for though she thought
+them ugly, she was resolved not to commit herself too hastily. But now
+that Pauline had sounded a note of warning, the situation was clear.
+They had suffered themselves to fall behind the times, and she was to be
+her husband's good angel by helping him to catch up with them. And it
+was evident that Pauline would be her ally. Selma for the first time
+asked herself whether it might be that Wilbur was a little visionary.
+
+Meanwhile he was saying: "Pauline is right, Selma. I had already asked
+myself if it would not be fairer to you to move uptown where we should
+be in the van and in touch with what is going on. Pauline is gently
+hinting to you that you must not humor me as she has done, and let me
+eat bread and milk out of a bowl in this old curiosity shop, instead of
+following in the wake of fashion. She has spoiled me and now she deserts
+me at the critical moment of my life. Selma, you shall have the most
+charming modern house in New York within my means. It must be love in a
+cottage, but the cottage shall have the latest improvements--hot and
+cold water, tiles, hygienic plumbing and dados."
+
+"Bravo!" said Pauline. "He says I have spoiled him, Selma. Perhaps I
+have. It will be your turn now. You will fail to convert him as I have
+failed, and the world will be the better for it. There are too few men
+who think noble thoughts and practice them, who are true to themselves
+and the light which is in them through thick and thin. But you see, he
+admits himself that he needs to mix with the world a little more.
+Otherwise he is perfect. You know that perhaps, already, Selma. But I
+wish to tell it to you before him. Take care of him, dear, won't you?"
+
+"It was because I felt that his thoughts were nobler than most men's
+that I wished to marry him," Selma replied, seraphically. "But I can see
+that it is sensible to live where your friends live. I shall try not to
+spoil him, Pauline." She was already conscious of a mission which
+appealed to her. She had been content until now in the ardor of her love
+to regard Wilbur as flawless--as in some respects superior to herself;
+but it was a gratification to her to detect this failing, and to
+perceive her opportunity for usefulness. Surely it was important for her
+husband to be progressive and not merely a dreamer.
+
+Littleton looked from one to the other fondly. "Not many men are blessed
+with the love of two such women," he said. "I put myself in your hands.
+I bow my neck to the yoke."
+
+In New York in the early seventies the fashionable quarter lay between
+Eighth and Fortieth Streets, bounded on either side by Fourth and Sixth
+Avenues. Central Park was completed, but the region west of it was, from
+the social stand-point, still a wilderness, and Fifth Avenue in the
+neighborhood of Twenty-third Street was the centre of elegant social
+life. Selma took her first view of this brilliant street on the
+following day on her way to hunt for houses in the outlying district.
+The roar and bustle of the city, which thrilled yet dazed her, seemed
+here softened by the rows of tall, imposing residences in brown stone.
+Along the sunny sidewalks passed with jaunty tread an ever-hurrying
+procession of stylishly clad men and women; and along the roadbed sped
+an array of private carriages conducted by coachmen in livery. It was a
+brilliant day, and New Yorkers were making the most of it.
+
+Selma had never seen such a sight before. Benham faded into
+insignificance in comparison. She was excited, and she gazed eagerly at
+the spectacle. Yet her look, though absorbed, was stern. This sort of
+thing was unlike anything American within her personal experience. This
+avenue of grand houses and this procession of fine individuals and fine
+vehicles made her think of that small section of Benham into which she
+had never been invited, and the thought affected her disagreeably.
+
+"Who are the people who live in these houses?" she asked, presently.
+
+Littleton had already told her that it was the most fashionable street
+in the city.
+
+"Oh, the rich and prosperous."
+
+"Those who gamble in stocks, I suppose." Selma wished to be assured that
+this was so.
+
+"Some of them," said Littleton, with a laugh. "They belong to people who
+have made money in various ways or have inherited it--our well-to-do
+class, among them the first families in New York, and many of them our
+best citizens."
+
+"Are they friends of yours?"
+
+Littleton laughed again. "A few--not many. Society here is divided into
+sets, and they are not in my set. I prefer mine, and fortunately, for I
+can't afford to belong to theirs."
+
+"Oh!"
+
+The frigidity and dryness of the exclamation Littleton ascribed to
+Selma's intuitive enmity to the vanities of life.
+
+"You mustn't pass judgment on them too hastily," he said. "New York is a
+wonderful place, and it's likely to shock you before you learn to
+appreciate what is interesting and fine here. I will tell you a secret,
+Selma. Every one likes to make money. Even clergymen feel it their duty
+to accept a call from the congregation which offers the best salary, and
+probing men of science do not hesitate to reap the harvest from a
+wonderful invention. Yet it is the fashion with most of the people in
+this country who possess little to prate about the wickedness of
+money-getters and to think evil of the rich. That proceeds chiefly from
+envy, and it is sheer cant. The people of the United States are engaged
+in an eager struggle to advance themselves--to gain individual
+distinction, comfort, success, and in New York to a greater extent than
+in any other place can the capable man or woman sell his or her wares to
+the best advantage--be they what they may, stocks, merchandise, law,
+medicine, pictures. The world pays well for the things it wants--and the
+world is pretty just in the long run. If it doesn't like my designs,
+that will be because they're not worth buying. The great thing--the
+difficult thing to guard against in the whirl of this great city, where
+we are all striving to get ahead--is not to sell one's self for money,
+not to sacrifice the thing worth doing for mere pecuniary advantage.
+It's the great temptation to some to do so, for only money can buy fine
+houses, and carriages and jewels--yes, and in a certain sense, social
+preferment. The problem is presented in a different form to every man.
+Some can grow rich honestly, and some have to remain poor in order to be
+true to themselves. We may have to remain poor, Selma mia." He spoke
+gayly, as though that prospect did not disturb him in the least.
+
+"And we shall be just as good as the people who own these houses." She
+said it gravely, as if it were a declaration of principles, and at the
+same moment her gaze was caught and disturbed by a pair of blithe,
+fashionably dressed young women gliding by her with the quiet,
+unconscious grace of good-breeding. She was inwardly aware, though she
+would never acknowledge it by word or sign, that such people troubled
+her. More even than Mrs. Taylor had troubled her. They were different
+from her and they tantalized her.
+
+At the same moment her husband was saying in reply, "Just as good, but
+not necessarily any better. No--other things being equal--not so good.
+We mustn't deceive ourselves with that piece of cant. Some of them are
+frivolous enough, and dishonest enough, heaven knows, but so there are
+frivolous and dishonest people in every class. But there are many more
+who endeavor to be good citizens--are good citizens, our best citizens.
+The possession of money gives them the opportunity to become arbiters of
+morals and taste, and to seek culture under the best advantages. After
+all, an accumulation of money represents brains and energy in some one.
+Look at this swell," he continued, indicating an attractive looking
+young man who was passing. "His grandfather was one of the ablest men in
+the city--an intelligent, self-respecting, shrewd, industrious,
+public-spirited citizen who made a large fortune. The son has had
+advantages which I have never had, and I happen to know that he is a
+fine fellow and a very able one. If it came to comparisons, I should be
+obliged to admit that he's a more ornamental member of society than
+Jones, Brown, or Robinson, and certainly no less useful. Do I shock
+you--you sweet, unswerving little democrat of the democrats?"
+
+It always pleased Selma to be called endearing names, and it suited her
+in her present frame of mind to be dubbed a democrat, for it did not
+suit her to be painfully realizing that she was unable, at one brilliant
+swoop, to take her place as a leader in social influence. Somehow she
+had expected to do this, despite her first difficulties at Benham, for
+she had thought of New York as a place where, as the wife of Littleton,
+the architect, she would at once be a figure of importance. She shook
+her head and said, "It's hard to believe that these people are really in
+earnest; that they are serious in purpose and spirit." Meanwhile she was
+being haunted by the irritating reflection that her clothes and her
+bearing were inferior to those of the women she was passing. Secretly
+she was making a resolve to imitate them, though she believed that she
+despised them. She put her hand through her husband's arm and added,
+almost fiercely, as she pressed closer to him, "We needn't trouble our
+heads about them, Wilbur. We can get along without being rich and
+fashionable, you and I. In spite of what you say, I don't consider this
+sort of thing American."
+
+"Get along? Darling, I was merely trying to be just to them; to let you
+see that they are not so black as they're painted. We will forget them
+forever. We have nothing in common with them. Get along? I feel that my
+life will be a paradise living with you and trying to make some
+impression on the life of this big, striving city. But as to its not
+being American to live like these people--well you know they are
+Americans and that New York is the Mecca of the hard-fisted sons of toil
+from all over the country who have made money. But you're right, Selma.
+Those who go in for show and extravagance are not the best
+Americans--the Americans whom you and I believe in. Sometimes I get
+discouraged when I stop to think, and now I shall have you to keep me
+steadfast to our faith."
+
+"Yes, Wilbur. And how far from here are we to live?"
+
+"Oh, a mile or more. On some side street where the land is cheap and the
+rent low. What do we care for that, Selma mia?"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+Shortly before Selma Littleton took up her abode in New York, Miss
+Florence, or, as she was familiarly known, Miss Flossy Price, was an
+inhabitant of a New Jersey city. Her father was a second cousin of
+Morton Price, whose family at that time was socially conspicuous in
+fashionable New York society. Not aggressively conspicuous, as ultra
+fashionable people are to-day, by dint of frequent newspaper
+advertisement, but in consequence of elegant, conservative
+respectability, fortified by and cushioned on a huge income. In the
+early seventies to know the Morton Prices was a social passport, and by
+no means every one socially ambitious knew them. Morton Price's
+great-grandfather had been a peddler, his grandfather a tea merchant,
+his father a tea merchant and bank organizer, and he himself did nothing
+mercantile, but was a director in diverse institutions, representing
+trusts or philantrophy, and was regarded by many, including himself, as
+the embodiment of ornamental and admirable citizenship. He could talk by
+the hour on the degeneracy of state and city politics and the evil deeds
+of Congress, and was, generally speaking, a conservative, fastidious,
+well-dressed, well-fed man, who had a winning way with women and a happy
+faculty of looking wise and saying nothing rash in the presence of men.
+Some of the younger generation were apt, with the lack of reverence
+belonging to youth, to speak of him covertly as "a stuffed club," but no
+echo of this epithet had ever reached the ear of his cousin, David
+Price, in New Jersey. For him, as for most of the world within a radius
+of two hundred miles, he was above criticism and a monument of social
+power.
+
+David Price, Miss Flossy's father, was the president of a small and
+unprogressive but eminently solid bank. Respectable routine was his
+motto, and he lived up to it, and, as a consequence, no more sound
+institution of the kind existed in his neighborhood. He and his
+directors were slow to adopt innovations of any kind; they put stumbling
+blocks in the path of business convenience whenever they could; in
+short, David Price in his humble way was a righteous, narrow, hide-bound
+retarder of progress and worshipper of established local custom.
+Therefore it was a constant source of surprise and worry to him that he
+should have a progressive daughter. There were four other children,
+patterns of quiet, plodding conservatism, but--such is the irony of
+fate--the youngest, prettiest, and his favorite, was an independent,
+opinionated young woman, who seemed to turn a deaf ear to paternal and
+maternal advice of safest New Jersey type. In her father's words, she
+had no reverence for any thing or any body, which was approximately
+true, for she did not hesitate to speak disrespectfully even of the head
+of the house in New York.
+
+"Poppa," she said one day, "Cousin Morton doesn't care for any of us a
+little bit. I know what you're going to say," she added; "that he sends
+you two turkeys every Thanksgiving. The last were terribly tough. I'm
+sure he thinks that we never see turkeys here in New Jersey, and that he
+considers us poor relations and that we live in a hole. If one of us
+should call on him, I know it would distress him awfully. He's right in
+thinking that this is a hole. Nothing ever happens here, and when I
+marry I intend to live in New York."
+
+This was when she was seventeen. Her father was greatly shocked,
+especially as he suspected in his secret soul that the tirade was true
+in substance. He had been the recipient of Thanksgiving turkeys for
+nearly twenty years on the plea that they had been grown on the donor's
+farm in Westchester county, and he had seen fit to invite his
+fellow-directors annually to dine off one of them as a modest notice
+that he was on friendly terms with his aristocratic New York cousin. But
+in all these twenty years turkeys had been the only medium of
+intercourse between them. David Price, on the few occasions when he had
+visited New York, had not found it convenient to call. Once he had
+walked by on the other side of Fifth avenue and looked at the house, but
+shyness and the thought that he had no evening clothes in his valise had
+restrained him from ringing the doorbell.
+
+"You do your cousin Morton great injustice--great injustice, Florence,"
+he answered. "He never forgets to send the turkeys, and as to the rest
+of your speech, I have only to say that it is very disrespectful and
+very foolish. The next time I go to New York I will take you to call on
+your cousins."
+
+"And what would I say to them? No thank you, poppa." The young woman
+shook her head decisively, and then she added, "I'm not going to call on
+them, until I'm fit to. There!"
+
+The ambiguity of this remark gave Mr. Price the opportunity to say that,
+in view of her immediate shortcomings, it was a wise conclusion, but he
+knew what she really meant and was distressed. His feeling toward his
+cousin, though mildly envious, did not extend to self-depreciation, nor
+had it served to undermine his faith in the innate dignity and worth of
+New Jersey family life. He could not only with a straight face, but with
+a kindling eye inveigh against the perils of New York fashionable life,
+and express gratification that no son or daughter of his had wandered so
+far from the fold. It distressed him to think that Florence should be
+casting sheep's eyes at the flesh-pots of Gotham, and so failing to
+appreciate the blessings and safety of a quiet American home.
+
+Miss Flossy continued to entertain and to express opinions of her own,
+and as a result became socially interesting. At eighteen, by her beauty,
+her engaging frankness and lack of self-consciousness, she spread havoc
+among the young men of her native city, several of whom offered her
+marriage. But marriage was far from her thoughts. Life seemed too
+interesting and she wished to see the world. She was erect and alert
+looking, with a compact figure of medium height, large brown eyes and
+rich red hair, and a laughing mouth; also an innocent demeanor, which
+served to give her, by moonlight, the effect of an angel. She succeeded
+in visiting Bar Harbor, where she promptly became a bright particular
+star among the galaxy of young women who at that period were
+establishing the reputation of the summer girl. She continued to be a
+summer girl for four seasons without injury to her own peace of mind. At
+the end of the fourth summer she appeared on close scrutiny to be a
+little worn, and her innocent air seemed a trifle deliberate. She
+returned to her home in New Jersey in not quite her usual spirits. In
+fact she became pensive. She had seen the world, and lo! she found it
+stuffed with sawdust. She was ready to settle down, but the only man
+with whom she would have been willing to settle had never asked her. He
+was the brother of one of the girls who had been forbidden by her mother
+to stay out in canoes with young men after nine at night. The rumor had
+reached Flossy that this same mother had referred to her in "the fish
+pond" at Rodick's as "that dreadful girl." It would have pleased her
+after that to have wrung an offer of marriage from the son and heir, who
+knew her cousins, the Morton Prices, and to whom she would have been
+willing to engage herself temporarily at all events. He was very
+devoted; they stayed out in his canoe until past midnight; he wrote
+verses to her and told her his innermost thoughts; but he stopped there.
+He went away without committing himself, and she was left to chew the
+cud of reflection. It was bitter, not because she was in love with him,
+for she was not. In her heart she knew he bored her a little. But she
+was piqued. Evidently he had been afraid to marry "that dreadful girl."
+She was piqued and she was sad. She recognized that it was another case
+of not being fit. When would she be fit? What was she to do in order to
+become fit--fit like the girl who was not allowed to stay on the water
+after nine o'clock? She had ceased to think of the young man, but the
+image of his sister haunted her. How stylish she was, yet how simple and
+quiet! "I wonder," thought Flossy to herself, "if I could ever become
+like her." The reflection threw her into a brown study in which she
+remained for weeks, and during which she refused the hand of a staid and
+respectable townsman, who, in her father's words, was ready to take her
+with all her follies. David Price was disappointed. He loved this
+independent daughter, and he had hopes that her demure and reticent
+deportment signified that the effervescence of youth had evaporated. But
+it was only an effort on Flossy's part to imitate the young man's
+sister.
+
+At this juncture and just when she was bored and dispirited by the
+process, Gregory Williams appeared on the scene. Flossy met him at a
+dancing party. He had a very tall collar, a very friendly, confident,
+and (toward her) devoted manner, and good looks. It was whispered among
+the girls that he was a banker from New York. He was obviously not over
+thirty, which was young for a banker, but so he presently described
+himself to Flossy with hints of impending prosperity. He spoke glibly
+and picturesquely. He had a convincing eloquence of gesture--a wave of
+the hand which suggested energy and compelled confidence. He had picked
+her out at once to be introduced to, and sympathy between them was
+speedily established. Her wearing, as a red-headed girl, a white horse
+in the form of a pin, in order to prevent the attention of the men to
+whom she talked from wandering, delighted him. He said to himself that
+here was a girl after his own heart. He had admired her looks at the
+outset, but he gazed at her now more critically. He danced every dance
+with her, and they sat together at supper, apart from everybody else.
+Flossy's resolutions were swept away. That is, she had become in an
+instant indifferent to the fact that the New York girl she had yearned
+to imitate would not have made herself so conspicuous. Her excuse was
+that she could not help herself. It was a case of genuine, violent
+attraction, which she made no effort to straggle against.
+
+The attraction was violent on both sides. Gregory Williams was not
+seeking to be married. He had been, until within six months, a broker's
+clerk, and had become a banker on the strength of ten thousand dollars
+bequeathed to him by a grandmother. He and a clerk from another broker's
+office, J. Willett VanHorne, had recently formed a partnership as
+Williams & VanHorne, Bankers and Dealers in Stocks and Bonds. He was not
+seeking to be married, but he intended to be married some day, and it
+was no part of his scheme of life to deny himself anything he wished.
+Support a wife? Of course he could; and support her in the same
+grandiose fashion which he had adopted for himself since he had begun
+business on his own account. He had chosen as a philosophy of life the
+smart paradox, which he enjoyed uttering, that he spent what he needed
+first and supplied the means later; and at the same time he let it be
+understood that the system worked wonderfully. He possessed unlimited
+confidence in himself, and though he was dimly aware that a very small
+turn of the wheel of fortune in the wrong direction would ruin him
+financially, he chose to close his eyes to the possibilities of disaster
+and to assume a bold and important bearing before the world. He had
+implicit faith in his own special line of ability, and he appreciated
+the worth of his partner, VanHorne. He had joined forces with VanHorne
+because he knew that he was the opposite of himself--that he was a
+delving, thorough, shrewd, keen office man--and able too. How genuinely
+able Williams did not yet know. He himself was to be the showy partner,
+the originator of schemes and procurer of business, the brilliant man
+before the world. So there was some method in his madness. And with it
+all went a cheery, incisive, humorous point of view which was congenial
+and diverting to Flossy.
+
+He went away, but he came back once--twice--thrice in quick succession.
+On business, so he said casually to Mr. and Mrs. Price, but his language
+to their daughter was a declaration of personal devotion. It remained
+for her to say whether she would marry him or no. Of one thing she was
+sure without need of reflection, that she loved him ardently. As a
+consequence she surrendered at once, though, curiously enough, she was
+conscious when she permitted him to kiss her with effusion that he was
+not the sort of man she had intended to marry--that he was not fit in
+her sense of the word. Yet she was determined to marry him, and from the
+moment their troth was plighted she found herself his eager and faithful
+ally, dreaming and scheming on their joint account. She would help him
+to succeed; they would conquer the world together; she would never doubt
+his ability to conquer it. And in time--yes, in time they would make
+even the Morton Prices notice them.
+
+And so after some bewildered opposition on the part of Mr. Price, who
+was alternately appalled and fascinated by the magniloquent language of
+his would-be son-in-law, they were married. Flossy gave but a single
+sign to her husband that she understood him and recognized what they
+really represented. It was one evening a few months after they had set
+up housekeeping while they were walking home from the theatre. They had
+previously dined at Delmonico's, and the cost of the evening's
+entertainment, including a bottle of champagne at dinner, their tickets
+and a corsage bouquet of violets for Flossy, had been fifteen dollars.
+Flossy wore a resplendent theatre hat and fashionable cape--one of the
+several stylish costumes with which her husband had hastened to present
+her, and Gregory was convoying her along the Avenue with the air of a
+man not averse to have the world recognize that they were a well set up
+and prosperous couple. Flossy had put her arm well inside his and was
+doing her best to help him produce the effect which he desired, when she
+suddenly said:
+
+"I wonder, Gregory, how long it will be before we're really anybody.
+Now, of course, we're only make believe swell."
+
+Gregory gave an amused laugh. "What a clever little woman! That's just
+what we are. We'll keep it a secret, though, and won't advertise it to
+the world."
+
+"Mum's the word," she replied, giving his arm a squeeze. "I only wished
+you to know that I was not being fooled; that I understood."
+
+Fate ordained that the Williamses and the Littletons should take houses
+side by side in the same block. It was a new block, and at first they
+were the sole occupants. Williams bought his house, giving a mortgage
+back to the seller for all the man would accept, and obtaining a second
+mortgage from a money lender in consideration of a higher rate of
+interest, for practically the remaining value. He furnished his house
+ornately from top to bottom in the latest fashion, incurring bills for a
+portion of the effects, and arranging to pay on the instalment plan
+where he could not obtain full credit. His reasoning was convincing to
+himself and did not alarm Flossy, who was glad to feel that they were
+the owners of the house and attractive furniture. It was that the land
+was sure to improve in value before the mortgage became due, and as for
+the carpets and curtains and other outlays, a few points in the stock
+market would pay for them at any time.
+
+Wilbur Littleton did not possess the ready money to buy; consequently he
+took a lease of his new house for three years, and paid promptly for the
+furniture he bought, the selection of which was gradual. Gregory
+Williams had a marvellous way of entering a shop and buying everything
+which pleased his eye at one fell swoop, but Wilbur, who desired to
+accomplish the best aesthetic effects possible consistent with his
+limited means, trotted Selma from one shop to another before choosing.
+This process of selecting slowly the things with which they were to pass
+their lives was a pleasure to him, and, as he supposed, to Selma. She
+did enjoy keenly at first beholding the enticing contents of the various
+stores which they entered in the process of procuring wall-papers,
+carpets, and the other essentials for house-keeping. It was a revelation
+to her that such beautiful things existed, and her inclination was to
+purchase the most showy and the most costly articles. In the adornment
+of her former home Babcock had given her a free hand. That is, his
+disposition had been to buy the finest things which the shopkeepers of
+Benham called to his attention. She understood now that his taste and
+the taste of Benham, and even her's, had been at fault, but she found
+herself hampered now by a new and annoying limitation, the smallness of
+their means. Almost every thing was very expensive, and she was obliged
+to pass by the patterns and materials she desired to possess, and accept
+articles of a more sober and less engaging character. Many of these, to
+be sure, were declared by Wilbur to be artistically charming and more
+suitable than many which she preferred, but it would have suited her
+better to fix on the rich upholstery and solid furniture, which were
+evidently the latest fashion in household decoration, rather than go
+mousing from place to place, only at last to pick up in the back corner
+of some store this or that object which was both reasonably pretty and
+reasonably cheap. When it was all over Selma was pleased with the effect
+of her establishment, but she had eaten of the tree of knowledge. She
+had visited the New York shops. These, in her capacity of a God-fearing
+American, she would have been ready to anathematize in a speech or in a
+newspaper article, but the memory of them haunted her imagination and
+left her domestic yearnings not wholly satisfied.
+
+Wilbur Littleton's scheme of domestic life was essentially spiritual,
+and in the development of it he felt that he was consulting his wife's
+tastes and theories no less than his own. He knew that she understood
+that he was ambitious to make a name for himself as an architect; but to
+make it only by virtue of work of a high order; that he was unwilling to
+become a time-server or to lower his professional standards merely to
+make temporary progress, which in the end would mar a success worth
+having. He had no doubt that he had made this clear to her and that she
+sympathized with him. As a married man it was his desire and intention
+not to allow his interest in this ambition to interfere with the
+enjoyment of the new great happiness which had come into his life. He
+would be a professional recluse no longer. He would cast off his work
+when he left his office, and devote his evenings to the aesthetic
+delights of Selma's society. They would read aloud; he would tell her
+his plans and ask her advice; they would go now and then to the theatre;
+and, in justice to her, they would occasionally entertain their friends
+and accept invitations from them. With this outlook in mind he had made
+such an outlay as would render his home attractive and cosey--simple as
+became a couple just beginning life, yet the abode of a gentleman and a
+lover of inspiring and pretty things.
+
+As has been mentioned, Littleton was a Unitarian, and one effect of his
+faith had been to make his point of view broad and straightforward. He
+detested hypocrisy and cant, subterfuge and self-delusion. He was
+content to let other people live according to their own lights without
+too much distress on their account, but he was too honest and too
+clear-headed to be able to deceive himself as to his own motives and his
+own conduct. He had no intention to be morbid, but he saw clearly that
+it was his privilege and his duty to be true to both his loves, his wife
+and his profession, and that if he neglected either, he would be so far
+false to his best needs and aspirations. Yet he felt that for the moment
+it was incumbent on him to err on the side of devotion to his wife until
+she should become accustomed to her new surroundings.
+
+The problem of the proper arrangement and subdivision of life in a large
+city and in these seething, modern times is perplexing to all of us.
+There are so many things we would like to do which we cannot; so many
+things which we do against our wills. We are perpetually squinting at
+happiness, but just as we get a delightful vision before our eyes we are
+whisked off by duty or ambition or the force of social momentum to try a
+different view. Consequently our perennial regret is apt to be that we
+have seen our real interests and our real friends as in a panorama, for
+a fleeting moment, and then no more until the next time. For Littleton
+this was less true than for most. His life was deep and stable rather
+than many-sided. To be sure his brain experienced, now and then, the
+dazing effects of trying to confront all the problems of the universe
+and adapt his architectural endeavors to his interpretation of them; and
+he knew well the bewildering difficulties of the process of adjusting
+professional theories to the sterile conditions which workaday practice
+often presented. But this crowding of his mental canvas was all in the
+line of his life purpose. The days were too short, and sometimes left
+him perplexed and harassed by their rush; yet he was still pursuing the
+tenor of his way. The interest of marriage was not, therefore, in his
+case a fresh burden on a soul already laden with a variety of side
+pursuits. He was neither socially nor philanthropically active; he was
+not a club man, nor an athletic enthusiast; he was on no committees; he
+voted on election days, but he did not take an active part in politics.
+For Selma's sake all this must be changed; and he was glad to
+acknowledge that he owed it to himself as well as to her to widen his
+sympathies.
+
+As a first step in reform he began to leave his office daily at five
+instead of six, and, on Saturdays, as soon after two as possible. For a
+few months these brands of time snatched from the furnace of his
+professional ardor were devoted to the shopping relative to
+house-furnishing. When that was over, to walking with Selma; sometimes
+as a sheer round of exercise in company, sometimes to visit a
+print-shop, exhibition of pictures, book-store, or other attraction of
+the hour. But the evening was for him the ideal portion of the day;
+when, after dinner was done, they made themselves comfortable in the new
+library, their living room, and it became his privilege to read aloud to
+her or to compare ideas with her regarding books and pictures and what
+was going on in the world. It had been a dream of Littleton's that some
+day he would re-read consecutively the British poets, and as soon as the
+furniture was all in place and the questions of choice of rugs and
+chairs and pictures had been settled by purchase, he proposed it as a
+definite occupation whenever they had nothing else in view. It delighted
+him that Selma received this suggestion with enthusiasm. Accordingly,
+they devoted their spare evenings to the undertaking, reading aloud in
+turn. Littleton's enunciation was clear and intelligent, and as a happy
+lover he was in a mood to fit poetic thoughts to his own experience, and
+to utter them ardently. While he read, Selma knew that she was ever the
+heroine of his imagination, which was agreeable, and she recognized
+besides that his performance in itself was aesthetically attractive. Yet
+in spite of the personal tribute, Selma preferred the evenings when she
+herself was the elocutionist. She enjoyed the sound of her own voice,
+and she enjoyed the emotions which her utterance of the rhythmic stanzas
+set coursing through her brain. It was obvious to her that Wilbur was
+captivated by her reading, and she delighted in giving herself up to the
+spirit of the text with the reservations appropriate to an enlightened
+but virtuous soul. For instance, in the case of Shelley, she gloried in
+his soaring, but did not let herself forget that fire-worship was not
+practical; in the case of Byron, though she yielded her senses to the
+spell of his passionate imagery, she reflected approvingly that she was
+a married woman.
+
+But Littleton appreciated also that his wife should have the society of
+others beside himself. Pauline introduced her promptly to her own small
+but intelligent feminine circle, and pending Pauline's removal to a
+flat, the Saturday evening suppers were maintained at the old
+establishment. Here Selma made the acquaintance of her husband's and his
+sister's friends, both men and women, who dropped in often after the
+play and without ceremony for a weekly interchange of thought and
+comradeship. Selma looked forward to the first of these occasions with
+an eager curiosity. She expected a renewal of the Benham Institute, only
+in a more impressive form, as befitted a great literary centre; that
+papers would be read, original compositions recited, and many
+interesting people of both sexes perform according to their specialties.
+She confidently hoped to have the opportunity to declaim, "Oh, why
+should the spirit of mortal be proud?" "Curfew must not ring to-night,"
+or some other of her literary pieces.
+
+Therefore, it was almost a shock to her that the affair was so informal,
+and that the company seemed chiefly occupied in behaving gayly--in
+making sallies at each other's expense, which were greeted with
+merriment. They seemed to her like a lot of children let loose from
+school. There were no exercises, and no allusion was made to the
+attainments of the various guests beyond an occasional word of
+introduction by Pauline or Wilbur; and this word was apt to be of
+serio-comic import. Selma realized that among the fifteen people present
+there were representatives of various interesting crafts--writers,
+artists, a magazine editor, two critics of the stage, a prominent
+musician, and a college professor--but none of them seemed to her to act
+a part or to have their accomplishments in evidence, as she would have
+liked. Every one was very cordial to her, and appeared desirous to
+recognize her as a permanent member of their circle, but she could not
+help feeling disappointed at the absence of ceremony and formal events.
+There was no president or secretary, and presently the party went into
+the dining-room and sat around a table, at either end of which Pauline
+and Wilbur presided over a blazer. Interest centred on the preparation
+of a rabbit and creamed oysters, and pleasant badinage flew from tongue
+to tongue. Selma found herself between the magazine editor and a large,
+powerfully built man with a broad, rotund, strong face, who was
+introduced to her as Dr. Page, and who was called George by every one
+else. He had arrived late, just as they were going in to supper, and his
+appearance had been greeted with a murmur of satisfaction. He had placed
+himself between Pauline and her, and he showed himself, to Selma's
+thinking, one of the least dignified of the company.
+
+"My dear Mrs. Littleton," he said, with a counterfeit of great gravity,
+"you are now witnessing an impressive example of the politeness of true
+friendship. There are cynics who assert that the American people are
+lacking in courtesy, and cast in our teeth the superiority of Japanese
+manners. I wish they were here to-night. There is not a single
+individual present, male or female, married or single, who does not
+secretly cherish the amiable belief that he or she can cook things on a
+blazer better than any one else. And yet we abstain from criticism; we
+offer no suggestions; we accept, without a murmur, the proportions of
+cheese and beer and butter inflicted upon us by our hostess and her
+brother, and are silent. We shall even become complimentary later. Can
+the Japanese vie with this?"
+
+The contrast between his eager, grave gaze, and the levity of his words,
+puzzled Selma. He looked interesting, but his speech seemed to her
+trivial and unworthy of the occasion. Still she appreciated that she
+must not be a spoil-sport, and that it was incumbent on her to resign
+herself to the situation, so she smiled gayly, and said: "I am the only
+one then not suffering from self-restraint. I never made a Welsh rabbit,
+nor cooked on a blazer." Then, in her desire for more serious
+conversation, she added: "Do you really think that we, as a people, are
+less polite than the Japanese?"
+
+The doctor regarded her with solemn interest for an instant, as though
+he were pondering the question. As a matter of fact, he was thinking
+that she was remarkably pretty. Then he put his finger on his lips, and
+in a hoarse whisper, said, "Sh! Be careful. If the editorial ear should
+catch your proposition the editorial man would appropriate it. There!"
+he added, as her left-hand neighbor bent toward them in response to the
+summons, "he has heard, and your opportunity to sell an idea to the
+magazine is lost. It is all very fine for him to protest that he has
+heard nothing. That is a trick of his trade. Let us see now if he will
+agree to buy. If he refuses, it will be a clear case that he has heard
+and purloined it. Come, Dennison, here's a chance for a ten
+thousand-word symposium debate, 'Are we, as a nation, less polite than
+the Japanese?' We offer it for a hundred and fifty cash, and cheap at
+the price."
+
+Mr. Dennison, who was a keen-eyed, quiet man, with a brown, closely-cut
+beard, had paused in his occupation of buttering hot toast for the
+impending rabbit, and was smiling quizzically. "If you have literary
+secrets to dispose of, Mrs. Littleton, let me warn you against making a
+confidant of Dr. Page. Had you spoken to me first, there is no knowing
+what I might have--"
+
+"What did I tell you?" broke in the doctor. "A one hundred and
+fifty-dollar idea ruthlessly appropriated. These editors, these
+editors!"
+
+It was tantalizing to Selma to be skirting the edge of themes she would
+have enjoyed to hear treated seriously. She hoped that Mr. Dennison
+would inquire if she really wrote, and at least he would tell her
+something about his magazine and literary life in New York. But he took
+up again his task of buttering toast, and sought to interest her in
+that. Presently she was unable to resist the temptation of remarking
+that the editorship of a magazine must be one of the most interesting of
+all occupations; but he looked at her with his quizzical smile, and
+answered:
+
+"Between you and me, Mrs. Littleton, I will confide to you that a
+considerable portion of the time it is a confounded bore. To tell the
+truth, I much prefer to sit next to you and butter toast."
+
+This was depressing and puzzling to Selma; but after the consumption of
+the rabbit and the oysters there was some improvement in the general
+tone of the conversation. Yet, not so far as she was concerned. Mr.
+Dennison neglected to confide to her the secrets of his prison house,
+and Dr. Page ruthlessly refused to discuss medicine, philosophy, or the
+Japanese. But here and there allusion was made by one or another of the
+company to something which had been done in the world of letters, or
+art, or music, which possessed merit or deserved discouragement. What
+was said was uttered simply, often trenchantly and lightly, but never as
+a dogma, or with the solemnity which Mrs. Earle had been wont to impart
+to her opinions. Just as the party was about to break up, Dr. Page
+approached Selma and offered her his hand. "It is a great pleasure to me
+to have met you," he said, looking into her face with his honest eyes.
+"A good wife was just what Wilbur needed to insure him happiness and a
+fine career. His friends have great confidence in his ability, and we
+intrust him to you in the belief that the world will hear from him--and
+I, for one, shall be very grateful to you."
+
+He spoke now with evident feeling, and his manner suggested the desire
+to be her friend. Selma admired his large physique and felt the
+attraction of his searching gaze.
+
+"Perhaps he did need a wife," she answered with an attempt at the
+sprightliness which he had laid aside. "I shall try not to let him be
+too indifferent to practical considerations."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+"Who is Dr. Page?" asked Selma of her husband when they left the house.
+
+"One of our best friends, and one of the leading physicians in the city.
+The energy of that man is tireless. He is absorbed in his profession.
+The only respite he allows himself are these Saturday evenings, and his
+devotion to his little son who has hip disease. He told me to-night that
+he had finished his day's work only just before he came in. What did you
+think of him? He likes to tease."
+
+"Then he is married?"
+
+"He is a widower."
+
+"He seems interested in you. He was good enough to say that he thought
+you needed a wife."
+
+"Then he must have admired you, Selma. Poor fellow! I wish he might have
+that happiness himself. I'll tell you a secret: He has desired to marry
+Pauline for years. They are devoted friends--but until now that is all.
+His wife was an actress--a handsome creature. Two years after they were
+married she ran away with another man and left him. Left him with one
+little boy, a cripple, on whom he lavishes all the love of his big
+nature."
+
+"How dreadful!"
+
+"Yes, it is a sad story. That was ten years ago. He was very young and
+the woman was very beautiful. It has been the making of him, though, in
+one way. He had the pride and confidence of ability, but he lacked
+sympathy. His experience and the appealing presence of his son have
+developed his nature and given him tenderness. He has not been
+imbittered; he has simply become gentle. And how he works! He is already
+famous in his profession."
+
+"Does Pauline care for him?"
+
+"I don't know her feelings. I am sure she is fond of him, and admires
+him. I fancy, though, that she hesitates to renounce her own ambitions.
+As you are aware, she is greatly interested in her classes, and in
+matters pertaining to the higher education of women. George Page knew
+her at the time of his marriage. I do not mean that he paid her serious
+attention then, but he had the opportunity to ask her instead of the
+other. Now, when she has become absorbed in her life-work, she would
+naturally decline to give it up unless she felt sure that she could not
+be happy without him."
+
+"I would not marry him if I were she," said Selma. "He has given his
+best to the other woman. He is the one at fault, not Pauline. Why should
+she sacrifice her own career in order to console him?"
+
+"She might love him sufficiently to be willing to do so, Selma. Love
+makes women blind to faults. But poor George was scarcely at fault. It
+was a misfortune."
+
+"He made his choice and was deceived. It would be weak of her to give up
+her own life merely because he is lonely. We modern women have too much
+self-respect for that. Love is love, and it is not to be trifled with."
+
+"Yes, love is love," murmured Littleton, "and I am happy in mine."
+
+"That is because neither of us has loved before, you foolish boy. But as
+to this evening, it wasn't at all what I expected. Are your friends
+always like that?"
+
+Littleton laughed. "Did they seem to you frivolous and undignified,
+then?"
+
+"Almost. They certainly said nothing serious."
+
+"It is their holiday--their evening out. They have to be serious during
+the rest of the week--busy with problems and cares, for they are a set
+of hard workers. The stress of life is so rigorous and constant here in
+New York that we have learned not to take our pleasure sadly. When you
+become accustomed to their way you will realize that they are no less
+serious at heart because they frolic now and then."
+
+Selma was silent a moment; then she said, "That reminds me; have you
+found out about our next-door neighbors yet?"
+
+"He is a banker named Williams, I believe."
+
+"I saw his wife pass the window this morning. She was beautifully
+dressed. They must be rich."
+
+"I dare say."
+
+"But they live in the same style of house as ours."
+
+"Bankers have mysterious ways of making money. We cannot compete with
+those."
+
+"I suppose not. I was thinking that she had the same manner as some of
+your friends this evening, only more pronounced. She stopped to speak to
+some one just in front of the house, so I could observe her. I should
+think she was frivolous, but fascinating. That must be the New York
+manner, and, consequently, she may be very much in earnest."
+
+"It isn't given to every woman to be attractive all the time just
+because she looks in earnest, as it is to you, dearest. But you musn't
+be too severe on the others."
+
+"On the contrary, I think I shall like Mrs. Williams. She may teach us
+to be practical. You know that is what your friends would like to have
+me help you to be, Wilbur."
+
+"Then they did talk a word or two of sense?"
+
+"They said that. Do you think it is true that you are visionary?"
+
+"It is your duty to tell me so, Selma, when you think it, just as I have
+told you that we can afford to laugh now and then. Come, begin."
+
+"I haven't been your wife long enough yet. I shall know better by the
+end of another six months."
+
+A fortnight elapsed before Selma made the acquaintance of Mrs. Gregory
+Williams. It was not a chance meeting. Flossy rang the bell deliberately
+one afternoon and was ushered in, thereby bridging over summarily the
+yawning chasm which may continue to exist for an indefinite period
+between families in the same block who are waiting to be introduced.
+
+"I said to my husband last night, Mrs. Littleton, that it was ridiculous
+for us to be living side by side without knowing one another, and that I
+was going to call. We moved in three weeks before you, so I'm the one
+who ought to break the ice. Otherwise we might have stared at each other
+blankly for three months, looked at each other sheepishly out of the
+corner of our eyes for another three, half bowed for six months, and
+finally, perhaps, reached the stage where we are now. Neighbors should
+be neighborly, don't you think so?"
+
+"Indeed I do. Of course I knew you by sight; and I felt I should like to
+make your acquaintance." Selma spoke with enthusiasm. Here was some one
+whose social deftness was no less marked than Mrs. Hallett Taylor's,
+and, to her mind, more brilliant, yet whom she felt at once to be
+congenial. Though she perceived that her neighbor's clothes made her own
+apparel seem dull, and was accordingly disposed to be on her guard, she
+realized instinctively that she was attracted by the visitor.
+
+"That is very nice of you," said Flossy. "I told my
+husband--Gregory--the other day that I was sure you were something
+literary--I mean Mr. Littleton, of course--and when he found out that he
+was I said we must certainly cultivate you as an antidote to the banking
+business. Gregory's a banker. It must be delightful to plan houses. This
+room is so pretty and tasteful."
+
+"It isn't wholly furnished yet. We are buying things by degrees, as we
+find pieces which we like."
+
+"We bought all our things in two days at one fell swoop," said Flossy
+with a gay laugh. "Gregory gave the dealers carte blanche. That's his
+way," she added with a touch of pride. "I dare say the house would have
+been prettier if we could have taken more time. However, it is all paid
+for now. Some of it was bought on the instalment plan, but Gregory
+bought or sold something in stocks the next week which covered the
+furniture and paid for a present for me of this besides," she said,
+indicating her seal-skin cape. "Wasn't he a dear?"
+
+Selma did not know precisely what the instalment plan was, but she
+understood that Mr. Williams had been distinctly clever in his wife's
+estimation. She perceived that Mrs. Williams had the same light, half
+jocular manner displayed by Wilbur's friends, and that she spoke with
+bubbling, jaunty assurance, which was suggestive of frivolity. Still
+Wilbur had intimated that this might be the New York manner, and clearly
+her neighbor had come in a friendly spirit and was duly appreciative of
+the distinction of being literary. Besides, her ready disposition to
+talk about herself and her affairs seemed to Selma the sign of a
+willingness to be truly friendly. The seal-skin cape she wore was very
+handsome, and she was more conspicuously attired from head to foot than
+any woman with whom Selma had ever conversed. She was pretty, too--a
+type of beauty less spiritual than her own--with piquant, eager
+features, laughing, restless gray eyes, and light hair which escaped
+from her coquettish bonnet in airy ringlets. If they had met three years
+earlier Selma would certainly have regarded her as an incarnation of
+volatility and servility to foreign fashions. Now, though she classed
+her promptly as a frivolous person, she regarded her with a keen
+curiosity not unmixed with self-distress, and the reflection came to her
+that a little of the New York manner might perhaps be desirable when in
+New York.
+
+"Yes, it's beautiful," she replied, referring to the cape.
+
+"Gregory is always making me presents like that. He gave me this
+bracelet yesterday. He saw it in the shop-window and went in and bought
+it. Speaking of husbands, you won't mind my saying that I think Mr.
+Littleton is very distinguished looking? I often see him pass the window
+in the morning."
+
+"Of course _I_ think so," said Selma. "I suppose it would seem flat if I
+were to say that I admired Mr. Williams's appearance also."
+
+"The truth is no harm. Wouldn't it be nice if we should happen to become
+friends? We are the pioneers in this block, but I hear three other
+houses have been sold. I suppose you own your house?"
+
+"I believe not. We have a lease of it."
+
+"That's a pity, because Gregory bought ours on a mortgage, thinking the
+land is sure to become more valuable. He hopes to be able to sell some
+day for a great deal more than he paid for it. May I ask where you lived
+before you were married?"
+
+Selma told her briefly.
+
+"Then you are almost Western. I felt sure you weren't a New Yorker, and
+I didn't think you were from Boston. You have the Boston earnest
+expression, but somehow you're different. You don't mind my analyzing
+you, do you? That's a Boston habit by the way. But I'm not from Boston.
+I've lived all my life in New Jersey. So we are both strangers in New
+York. That is, I'm the same as a stranger, though my father is a cousin
+of the Morton Prices. We sent them wedding cards and they called one day
+when I was out. I shall return the call and find them out, and that will
+be the last move on either side until Gregory does something remarkable.
+I'm rather glad I wasn't at home, because it would have been awkward.
+They wouldn't have known what to say to me, and they might have felt
+that they ought to ask me to dinner, and I don't care to have them ask
+me until they're obliged to. Do I shock you running on so about my own
+affairs?" Flossy asked, noticing Selma draw herself up sternly.
+
+"Oh no, I like that. I was only thinking that it was very strange of
+your cousins. You are as good as they, aren't you?"
+
+"Mercy, no. We both know it, and that's what makes the situation so
+awkward. As Christians, they had to call on me, but I really think they
+are justified in stopping there. Socially I'm nobody."
+
+"In this country we are all free and equal."
+
+"You're a dear--a delicious dear," retorted Flossy, with a caressing
+laugh. "There's something of the sort in the Declaration of
+Independence, but, as Gregory says, that was put in as a bluff to
+console salesladies. Was everybody equal in Benham, Mrs. Littleton?"
+
+"Practically so," said Selma, with an air of haughtiness, which was
+evoked by her recollection of the group of houses on Benham's River
+Drive into which she had never been invited. "There were some people who
+were richer than others, but that didn't make them better than any one
+else."
+
+"Well, in New York it's different. Of course, every body has the same
+right to vote or to be elected President of the United States, but
+equality ends there. People here are either in society or out of it, and
+society itself is divided into sets. There's the conservative
+aristocratic set, the smart rapid set, the set which hasn't much money,
+but has Knickerbocker or other highly respectable ancestors, the new
+millionaire set, the literary set, the intellectual philanthropic set,
+and so on, according to one's means or tastes. Each has its little
+circle which shades away into the others, and every now and then there
+is a big entertainment to which they all go."
+
+"I see," said Selma, coldly.
+
+"Now, to make it plain, I will confide to you in strictest confidence
+that Gregory and I aren't yet really in any set. We are trying to get a
+footing and are holding on by our teeth to the fringe of the social
+merry-go-round. I wouldn't admit it to any one but you; but as you are a
+stranger like myself and in the same block, I am glad to initiate you
+into the customs of this part of the country," Flossy gave a merry toss
+to her head which set her ringlets bobbing, and rose to go.
+
+"And in what set are your cousins?" asked Selma.
+
+"If you wish to hear about them, I shall have to sit down again. The
+Morton-Prices belong to the ultra-conservative, solid, stupid,
+aristocratic set--the most dignified and august of all. They are almost
+as sacred as Hindoo gods, and some people would walk over red-hot coals
+to gain admission to their house. And really, it's quite just in one way
+that incense should be burnt before them. You mustn't look so disgusted,
+because there's some sense in it all. As Gregory says, it's best to look
+things squarely in the face. Most of the people in these different sets
+are somebodies because either their grandfathers or they have done
+something well--better than other people, and made money as a
+consequence. And when a family has made money or won distinction by its
+brains and then has brushed its teeth twice a day religiously for two
+generations, the members of it, even though dull, are entitled to
+respect, don't you think so?"
+
+Selma, who brushed her teeth but once a day, looked a little sharp at
+Flossy.
+
+"It makes money of too much importance and it establishes class
+distinctions. I don't approve of such a condition of affairs at all."
+
+Flossy shrugged her shoulders. "I have never thought whether I approve
+of it or not. I am only telling you what exists. I don't deny that money
+counts for a great deal, for, as Gregory says, money is the measure of
+success. But money isn't everything. Brains count and refinement, and
+nice honorable ways of looking at things. Of course, I'm only telling
+you what my ambition is. People have different kinds of bees in their
+bonnets. Some men have the presidential bee; I have the social bee. I
+should like to be recognized as a prominent member of the charmed circle
+on my own merits and show my cousins that I am really worthy of their
+attention. There are a few who are able to be superior to that sort of
+thing, who go on living their own lives attractively and finely, without
+thinking of society, and who suddenly wake up some day to find
+themselves socially famous--to find that they have been taken up. That's
+the best way, but one requires to be the right sort of person and to
+have a lot of moral courage. I can imagine it happening to you and your
+husband. But it would never happen to Gregory and me. We shall have to
+make money and cut a dash in order to attract attention, and by-and-by,
+if we are persistent and clever enough, we may be recognized as
+somebodies, provided there is something original or interesting about
+us. There! I have told you my secret and shocked you into the bargain. I
+really must be going. But I'll tell you another secret first: It'll be a
+pleasure to me to see you, if I may, because you look at things
+differently and haven't a social bee. I wish I were like that--really
+like it. But then, as Gregory would say, I shouldn't be myself, and not
+to be one's self is worse than anything else after all, isn't it? You
+and your husband must come and dine with us soon."
+
+After Mrs. Williams had gone, Selma fell into a brown study. She had
+listened to sentiments of which she thoroughly disapproved, and which
+were at variance with all her theories and conceptions. What her
+friendly, frivolous visitor had told her with engaging frankness
+offended her conscience and patriotism. She did not choose to admit the
+existence of these class-distinctions, and she knew that even if they
+did exist, they could not possibly concern Wilbur and herself. Even Mrs.
+Williams had appreciated that Wilbur and her literary superiority put
+them above and beyond the application of any snobbish, artificial,
+social measuring-tape. And yet Selma's brow was clouded. Her thought
+reverted to the row of stately houses on either side of Fifth Avenue,
+into none of which she had the right of free access, in spite of the
+fact that she was leading her life attractively and finely, without
+regard to society. She thought instinctively of Sodom and Gomorrah, and
+she saw righteously with her mind's eye for a moment an angel with a
+flaming sword consigning to destruction these offending mansions and
+their owners as symbols of mammon and contraband to God.
+
+That evening she told Wilbur of Mrs. Williams's visit. "She's a bright,
+amusing person, and quite pretty. We took a fancy to each other. But
+what do you suppose she said? She intimated that we haven't any social
+position."
+
+"Very kind of her, I'm sure. She must be a woman of
+discrimination--likewise something of a character."
+
+"She's smart. So you think it's true?"
+
+"What? About our social position? Ours is as good as theirs, I fancy."
+
+"Oh yes, Wilbur. She acknowledges that herself. She admires us both and
+she thinks it fine that we don't care for that sort of thing. What she
+said was chiefly in connection with herself, but she intimated that
+neither they, nor we, are the--er--equals of the people who live on
+Fifth Avenue and thereabouts. She's a cousin of the Morton Prices,
+whoever they may be, and she declared perfectly frankly that they were
+better than she. Wasn't it funny?"
+
+"You seem to have made considerable progress for one visit."
+
+"I like that, you know, Wilbur. I prefer people who are willing to tell
+me their real feelings at once."
+
+"Morton Price is one of the big bugs. His great grandfather was among
+the wise, shrewd pioneers in the commercial progress of the city. The
+present generation are eminently respectable, very dignified, mildly
+philanthropic, somewhat self-indulgent, reasonably harmless, decidedly
+ornamental and rather dull."
+
+"But Mrs. Williams says that she will never be happy until her relations
+and the people of that set are obliged to take notice of her, and that
+she and her husband are going to cut a dash to attract attention. It's
+her secret."
+
+"The cat which she let out of the bag is a familiar one. She must be
+amusing, provided she is not vulgar."
+
+"I don't think she's vulgar, Wilbur. She wears gorgeous clothes, but
+they're extremely pretty. She said that she called on me because she
+thought that we were literary, and that she desired an antidote to the
+banker's business, which shows she isn't altogether worldly. She wishes
+us to dine with them soon."
+
+"That's neighborly."
+
+"Why was it, Wilbur, that you didn't buy our house instead of hiring
+it?"
+
+"Because I hadn't money enough to pay for it."
+
+"The Williamses bought theirs. But I don't believe they paid for it
+altogether. She says her husband thinks the land will increase in value,
+and they hope some day to make money by the rise. I imagine Mr. Williams
+must be shrewd."
+
+"He's a business man. Probably he bought, and gave a mortgage back. I
+might have done that, but we weren't sure we should like the location,
+and it isn't certain yet that fashion will move in just this direction.
+I have very little, and I preferred not to tie up everything in a house
+we might not wish to keep."
+
+"I see. She appreciates that people may take us up any time. She thinks
+you are distinguished looking."
+
+"If she isn't careful, I shall make you jealous, Selma. Was there
+anything you didn't discuss?"
+
+"I regard you as the peer of any Morton Price alive. Why aren't you?"
+
+"Far be it from me to discourage such a wifely conclusion. Provided you
+think so, I don't care for any one else's opinion."
+
+"But you agree with her. That is, you consider because people of that
+sort don't invite us to their houses, they are better than we."
+
+"Nothing of the kind. But there's no use denying the existence of social
+classes in this city, and that, though I flatter myself you and I are
+trying to make the most of our lives in accordance with the talents and
+means at our disposal, we are not and are not likely to become, for the
+present at any rate, socially prominent. That's what you have in mind, I
+think. I don't know those people; they don't know me. Consequently they
+do not ask me to their beautiful and costly entertainments. Some day,
+perhaps, if I am very successful as an architect, we may come more in
+contact with them, and they will have a chance to discover what a
+charming wife I have. But from the point of view of society, your
+neighbor Mrs. Williams is right. She evidently has a clear head on her
+shoulders and knows what she desires. You and I believe that we can get
+more happiness out of life by pursuing the even tenor of our way in the
+position in which we happen to find ourselves."
+
+"I don't understand it," said Selma, shaking her head and looking into
+space with her spiritual expression. "It troubles me. It isn't American.
+I didn't think such distinctions existed in this country. Is it all a
+question of money, then? Do intelligence and--er--purpose count for
+nothing?"
+
+"My dear girl, it simply means that the people who are on top--the
+people who, by force of success, or ability, or money, are most
+prominent in the community, associate together, and the world gives a
+certain prominence to their doings. Here, where fortunes have been made
+so rapidly, and we have no formal aristocracy, money undoubtedly plays a
+conspicuous part in giving access to what is known as society. But it is
+only an entering wedge. Money supplies the means to cultivate manners
+and the right way of looking at things, and good society represents the
+best manners and, on the whole, the best way of looking at things."
+
+"Yes. But you say that we don't belong to it."
+
+"We do in the broad, but not in the narrow sense. We have neither the
+means nor the time to take part in fashionable society. Surely, Selma,
+you have no such ambition?"
+
+"I? You know I disapprove of everything of the sort. It is like Europe.
+There's nothing American in it."
+
+"I don't know about that. The people concerned in it are Americans. If a
+man has made money there is no reason why he shouldn't build a handsome
+house, maintain a fine establishment, give his children the best
+educational advantages, and choose his own friends. So the next
+generation becomes more civilized. It isn't the best Americanism to
+waste one's time in pursuing frivolities and excessive luxury, as some
+of these people do; but there's nothing un-American in making the most
+of one's opportunities. As I've said to you before, Selma, it's the way
+in which one rises that's the important thing in the individual
+equation, and every man must choose for himself what that shall be. My
+ambition is to excel in my profession, and to mould my life to that end
+without neglecting my duties as a citizen or a husband. If, in the end,
+I win fame and fortune, so much the better. But there's no use in
+worrying because other people are more fashionable than we."
+
+"Of course. You speak as if you thought I was envious of them, Wilbur.
+What I don't understand is why such people should be allowed to exist in
+this country."
+
+"We're a free people, Selma. I'm a good democrat, but you must agree
+that the day-laborer in his muddy garb would not find himself at ease in
+a Fifth Avenue drawing-room. On that account shall we abolish the
+drawing-room?"
+
+"We are not day-laborers."
+
+"Not precisely; but we have our spurs to win. And, unlike some people in
+our respectable, but humble station, we have each other's love to give
+us courage to fight the battle of life bravely. I had a fresh order
+to-day--and I have bought tickets for to-night at the theatre."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+Almost the first persons at the theatre on whom Selma's eyes rested were
+the Gregory Williamses. They were in a box with two other people, and
+both Flossy and her husband were talking with the festive air peculiar
+to those who are willing to be noticed and conscious that their wish is
+being gratified. Flossy wore a gay bonnet and a stylish frock,
+supplemented by a huge bunch of violets, and her husband's evening dress
+betrayed a slight exaggeration of the prevailing fashion in respect to
+his standing collar and necktie. Selma had never had a thorough look at
+him before, and she reflected that he was decidedly impressive and
+handsome. His face was full and pleasant, his mustache large and
+gracefully curved, and his figure manly. His most distinguishing
+characteristic was a dignity of bearing uncommon in so young a man,
+suggesting that he carried, if not the destiny of republics on his
+shoulders, at least, important financial secrets in his brain. The man
+and woman with them were almost elderly and gave the effect of being
+strangers to the city. They were Mr. and Mrs. Silas S. Parsons. Mr.
+Parsons was a prosperous Western business man, who now and then visited
+New York, and who had recently become a customer of Williams's. He had
+dealt in the office where Williams was a clerk, and, having taken a
+fancy to him, was disposed to help the new firm. Gregory had invited
+them to dinner and to the theatre, by way of being attentive, and had
+taken a box instead of stalls, in order to make his civility as
+magnificent as the occasion would permit. A box, besides being a
+delicate testimonial to his guest, would cause the audience to notice
+him and his wife and to ask who they were.
+
+In the gradual development of the social appetite in this country a
+certain class has been evolved whose drawing-room is the floor of the
+leading theatres. Society consists for them chiefly in being present
+often at theatrical performances in sumptuous dress, not merely to
+witness the play, but to be participants in a social function which
+enhances their self-esteem. To be looked at and to look on these
+occasions takes the place with them of balls and dinner parties. They
+are not theatregoers in the proper sense, but social aspirants, and the
+boxes and stalls are for them an arena in which for a price they can
+show themselves in their finery and attractions, for lack of other
+opportunities.
+
+Our theatres are now in the full blaze of this harmless appropriation
+for quasi-ballroom uses. At the time when Selma was a New York bride the
+movement was in its infancy. The people who went to the theatre for
+spectacular purposes no less than to see the actors on the stage were
+comparatively few in number. Still the device was practised, and from
+the very fact that it was not freely employed, was apt to dazzle the
+eyes of the uninitiated public more unreservedly than to-day. The sight
+of Mrs. Williams in a box, in the glory of her becoming frock and her
+violets, caused even so stern a patriot and admirer of simplicity as
+Selma to seize her husband's arm and whisper:
+
+"Look." What is more she caught herself a moment later blushing with
+satisfaction on account of the friendly bow which was bestowed on her.
+
+Wilbur Littleton's ambitions were so definite and congenial that the
+sight of his neighbors' splendor neither offended nor irritated him. He
+did not feel obliged to pass judgment on them while deriving amusement
+from their display, nor did he experience any qualms of regret that he
+was not able to imitate them. He regarded Flossy and her husband with
+the tolerant gaze of one content to allow other people to work out their
+salvation, without officious criticism, provided he were allowed the
+same privilege, and ready to enjoy any features of the situation which
+appealed to his sense of humor or to his human sympathy. Flossy's frank,
+open nod and ingenuous face won his favor at once, especially as he
+appreciated that she and Selma had found each other attractive, and
+though he tabooed luxury and fashionable paraphernalia where he was
+immediately concerned, it occurred to him that this evidently
+wide-awake, vivacious-looking couple might, as friends, introduce just
+the right element of variety into their lives. He had no wish to be a
+banker himself, nor to hire boxes at the theatre, but he was disposed to
+meet half-way these entertaining and gorgeous neighbors.
+
+Selma, in spite of her wish to watch the play, found her glance
+returning again and again to the occupants of the box, though she
+endeavored to dispose of the matter by remarking presently that she
+could not understand why people should care to make themselves so
+conspicuous, particularly as the seats in the boxes were less desirable
+for seeing the stage than their own.
+
+"We wouldn't care for it, but probably it's just what they like," said
+Wilbur. "Some society reporter may notice them; in which case we shall
+see in the Sunday newspaper that Mr. Gregory Williams and party occupied
+a private box at the Empire Theatre last Tuesday evening, which will be
+another straw toward helping them to carry out their project of
+attracting attention. I like the face of your new friend, my dear. I
+mean to say that she looks unaffected and honest, and as if she had a
+sense of humor. With those three virtues a woman can afford to have some
+faults. I suppose she has hers."
+
+Littleton felt that Selma was disposed to fancy her neighbor, but was
+restrained by conscientious scruples due to her dislike for society
+concerns. He had fallen in love with and married his wife because he
+believed her to be free from and superior to the petty weaknesses of the
+feminine social creed; but though extremely proud of her uncompromising
+standards, he had begun to fear lest she might indulge her point of view
+so far as to be unjust. Her scornful references from time to time to
+those who had made money and occupied fine houses had wounded his own
+sense of justice. He had endeavored to explain that virtue was not the
+exclusive prerogative of the noble-minded poor, and now he welcomed an
+opportunity of letting her realize from personal experience that society
+was not so bad as it was painted.
+
+Selma returned Mrs. Williams's call during the week, but did not find
+her at home. A few days later arrived a note stamped with a purple and
+gold monogram inviting them to dinner. When the evening arrived they
+found only a party of four. A third couple had given out at the last
+minute, so they were alone with their hosts. The Williams house in its
+decoration and upholstery was very different from their own. The
+drawing-room was bright with color. The furniture was covered with light
+blue plush; there were blue and yellow curtains, gay cushions, and a
+profusion of gilt ornamentation. A bear-skin, a show picture on an
+easel, and a variety of florid bric-a-brac completed the brilliant
+aspect of the apartment. Selma reflected at once that that this was the
+sort of drawing-room which would have pleased her had she been given her
+head and a full purse. It suggested her home at Benham refurnished by
+the light of her later experience undimmed by the shadow of economy. On
+the way down to dinner she noticed in the corner of the hall a suit of
+old armor, and she was able to perceive that the little room on one side
+of the front door, which they learned subsequently was Mr. Williams's
+den, contained Japanese curiosities. The dinner-table shone with glass
+and silver ware, and was lighted by four candles screened by small pink
+shades. By the side of Flossy's plate and her own was a small bunch of
+violets, and there was a rosebud for each of the men. The dinner, which
+was elaborate, was served by two trig maids. There were champagne and
+frozen pudding. Selma felt almost as if she were in fairy-land. She had
+never experienced anything just like this before; but her exacting
+conscience was kept at bay by the reflection that this must be a further
+manifestation of the New York manner, and her self-respect was
+propitiated by the cordiality of her entertainers. The conversation was
+bubbling and light-hearted on the part of both Mr. and Mrs. Williams.
+They kept up a running prattle on the current fads of the day, the
+theatre, the doings of well-known social personages, and their own
+household possessions, which they naively called to the attention of
+their guests, that they might be admired. But Selma enjoyed more than
+the general conversation her talk with the master of the house, who
+possessed all the friendly suavity of his wife and also the valuable
+masculine trait of seeming to be utterly absorbed in any woman to whom
+he was talking. Gregory had a great deal of manner and a confidential
+fluency of style, which gave distinction even to commonplace remarks.
+His method did not condescend to nudging when he wished to note a point,
+but it fell only so far short of it as he thought social elegance
+required. His conversation presently drifted, or more properly speaking,
+flowed into a graphic and frank account of his own progress as a banker.
+He referred to past successful undertakings, descanted on his present
+roseate responsibilities, and hinted sagely at impending operations
+which would eclipse in importance any in which he had hitherto been
+engaged. In answer to Selma's questions he discoursed alluringly
+concerning the methods of the Stock Exchange, and gave her to understand
+that for an intelligent and enterprising man speculation was the high
+road to fortune. No doubt for fools and for people of mediocre or torpid
+abilities it was a dangerous trade; but for keen and bold intellects
+what pursuit offered such dazzling opportunities?
+
+Selma listened, abhorrent yet fascinated. It worried her to be told that
+what she had been accustomed to regard as gambling should be so quickly
+and richly rewarded. Yet the fairy scene around her manifestly confirmed
+the prosperous language of her host and left no room for doubt that her
+neighbors were making brilliant progress. Apparently, too, this business
+of speculation and of vast combinations of railroad and other capital,
+the details of which were very vague to her, was, in his opinion, the
+most desirable and profitable of callings.
+
+"Do you know," she said, "that I have been taught to believe that to
+speculate in stocks is rather dreadful, and that the people of the
+country don't approve of it." She spoke smilingly, for the leaven of the
+New York manner was working, but she could not refrain from testifying
+on behalf of righteousness.
+
+"The people of the country!" exclaimed Gregory, with a smile of
+complacent amusement. "My dear Mrs. Littleton, you must not let yourself
+be deceived by the Sunday school, Fourth of July, legislative or other
+public utterances of the American people. It isn't necessary to shout it
+on the house-tops, but I will confide to you that, whatever they may
+declaim or publish to the contrary, the American people are at heart a
+nation of gamblers. They don't play little horses and other games in
+public for francs, like the French, for the law forbids it, but I don't
+believe that any one, except we bankers and brokers, realizes how widely
+exists the habit of playing the stock-market. Thousands of people, big
+and little, sanctimonious and highly respectable, put up their margins
+and reap their profits or their losses. Oh no, the country doesn't
+approve of it, especially those who lose. I assure you that the letters
+which pass through the post-office from the godly, freeborn voters in
+the rural districts would tell an eloquent story concerning the wishes
+of the people of the country in regard to speculation."
+
+Flossy was rising from table as he finished, so he accompanied the close
+of his statement with a sweeping bow which comported with his jaunty
+dignity.
+
+"I am afraid you are a wicked man. You ought not to slander the American
+people like that," Selma answered, pleased as she spoke at the light
+touch which she was able to impart to her speech.
+
+"It's true. Every word of it is true," he said as she passed him. He
+added in a low tone--"I would almost even venture to wager a pair of
+gloves that at some time or other your husband has had a finger in the
+pie."
+
+"Never," retorted Selma.
+
+"What is that Gregory is saying?" interrupted Flossy, putting her arm
+inside Selma's. "I can see by his look that he has been plaguing you."
+
+"Yes, he has been trying to shatter my ideals, and now he is trying to
+induce me to make an odious bet with him."
+
+"Don't, for you would be certain to lose. Gregory is in great luck
+nowadays."
+
+"That is evident, for he has had the good fortune to make the
+acquaintance of Mrs. Littleton," said Williams gallantly.
+
+The two men were left alone with their cigars. After these were lighted,
+as if he were carrying out his previous train of thought, Gregory
+remarked, oracularly, at the end of a puff: "Louisville and Nashville is
+certain to sell higher."
+
+Littleton looked blank for a moment. He knew so little of stocks that at
+first he did not understand what was meant. Then he said, politely:
+"Indeed!"
+
+"It is good for a ten-point rise in my opinion," Williams continued
+after another puff. He was of a liberal nature, and was making a present
+of this tip to his guest in the same spirit of hospitality as he had
+proffered the dinner and the champagne. He was willing to take for
+granted that Littleton, as a gentleman, would give him the order in case
+he decided to buy, which would add another customer to his list. But his
+suggestion was chiefly disinterested.
+
+"I'm afraid I know very little about such matters," Littleton responded
+with a smile. "I never owned but ten shares of stock in my life." Then,
+by way, perhaps, of showing that he was not indifferent to all the good
+things which the occasion afforded, he said, indicating a picture on the
+opposite wall: "That is a fine piece of color."
+
+Williams, having discharged his obligations as a host, was willing to
+exchange the stock-market as a topic for his own capacity as a lightning
+appreciator and purchaser of objects of art.
+
+"Yes," he said, urbanely, "that is a good thing. I saw it in the
+shop-window, asked the price and bought it. I bought two other pictures
+at the same time. 'I'll take that, and that, and that,' I said, pointing
+with my cane. The dealer looked astonished. He was used, I suppose, to
+having people come in and look at a picture every day for a fortnight
+before deciding. When I like a thing I know it. The three cost me
+eighteen hundred dollars, and I paid for them within a week by a turn in
+the market."
+
+"You were very fortunate," said Littleton, who wished to seem
+sympathetic.
+
+Meanwhile the two wives had returned to the drawing-room arm in arm, and
+established themselves on one of those small sofas for two, constructed
+so that the sitters are face to face. They had taken a strong fancy to
+each other, especially Flossy to Selma, and in the half hour which
+followed they made rapid progress toward intimacy. Before they parted
+each had agreed to call the other by her Christian name, and Selma had
+confided the story of her divorce. Flossy listened with absorbed
+interest and murmured at the close:
+
+"Who would have thought it? You look so pure and gentle and refined that
+a man must have been a brute to treat you like that. But you are happy
+now, thank goodness. You have a husband worthy of you."
+
+Each had a host of things still unsaid when Littleton and Williams
+joined them.
+
+"Well, my dear," said Wilbur as they left the house, "that was a sort of
+Arabian Nights entertainment for us, wasn't it? A little barbaric, but
+handsome and well intentioned. I hope it didn't shock you too much."
+
+"It struck me as very pleasant, Wilbur. I think I am beginning to
+understand New York a little better. Every thing costs so much here that
+it seems necessary to make money, doesn't it? I don't see exactly how
+poor people get along. Do you know, Mr. Williams wished to bet me a pair
+of gloves that you buy stocks sometimes."
+
+"He would have lost his bet."
+
+"So I told him at once. But he didn't seem to believe me. I was sure you
+never did. He appears to be very successful; but I let him see that I
+knew it was gambling. You consider it gambling, don't you?"
+
+"Not quite so bad as that. Some stock-brokers are gamblers; but the
+occupation of buying and selling stocks for a commission is a well
+recognized and fashionable business."
+
+"Mr. Williams thinks that a great many Americans make money in
+stocks--that we are gamblers as a nation."
+
+"I am, in my heart, of the same opinion."
+
+"Oh, Wilbur. I find you are not so good a patriot as I supposed."
+
+"I hate bunkum."
+
+"What is that?"
+
+"Saying things for effect, and professing virtue which we do not
+possess."
+
+Selma was silent a moment. "What does champagne cost a bottle?"
+
+"About three dollars and a half."
+
+"Do you really think their house barbaric?"
+
+"It certainly suggests to me heterogeneous barbaric splendor. They
+bought their upholstery as they did their pictures, with free-handed
+self-confidence. Occasionally they made a brilliant shot, but oftener
+they never hit the target at all."
+
+"I think I like brighter colors than you do, Wilbur," mused Selma. "I
+used to consider things like that as wrong; but I suppose that was
+because our fathers wished Europe to understand that we disapproved of
+the luxury of courts and the empty lives of the nobility. But if people
+here with purpose have money, it would seem sensible to furnish their
+houses prettily."
+
+"Subject always to the crucifying canons of art," laughed Littleton.
+"I'm glad you're coming round to my view, Selma. Only I deny the ability
+of the free-born American, with the overflowing purse, to indulge his
+newly acquired taste for gorgeous effects without professional
+assistance."
+
+"I suppose so. I can see that their house is crude, though I do think
+that they have some handsome things. It must be interesting to walk
+through shops and say: 'I'll take that,' just because it pleases you."
+
+During her first marriage Selma had found the problem of dollars and
+cents a simple one. The income of Lewis Babcock was always larger than
+the demands made upon it, and though she kept house and was familiar
+with the domestic disbursements, questions of expenditure solved
+themselves readily. She had never been obliged to ask herself whether
+they could afford this or that outlay. Her husband had been only too
+eager to give her anything she desired. Consideration of the cost of
+things had seemed to her beneath her notice, and as the concern of the
+providing man rather than the thoughtful American wife and mother. After
+she had been divorced the difficulty in supplying herself readily with
+money had been a dismaying incident of her single life. Dismaying
+because it had seemed to her a limitation unworthy of her aspirations
+and abilities. She had married Littleton because she believed him her
+ideal of what a man should be, but she had been glad that he would be
+able to support her and exempt her from the necessity of asking what
+things cost.
+
+By the end of their first year and a half of marriage, Selma realized
+that this necessity still stood, almost like a wolf at the door, between
+her and the free development of her desires and aspirations. New York
+prices were appalling; the demands of life in New York still more so.
+They had started house-keeping on a more elaborate scale than she had
+been used to in Benham. As Mrs. Babcock she had kept one hired girl; but
+in her new kitchen there were two servants, in deference to the desire
+of Littleton, who did not wish her to perform the manual work of the
+establishment. Men rarely appreciate in advance to the full extent the
+extra cost of married life, and Littleton, though intending to be
+prudent, found his bills larger than he had expected. He was able to pay
+them promptly and without worry, but he was obliged to make evident to
+Selma that the margin over and above their carefully considered expenses
+was very small. The task of watching the butcher's book and the
+provision list, and thinking twice before making any new outlay, was
+something she had not bargained for. All through her early life as a
+girl, the question of money had been kept in the background by the
+simplicity of her surroundings. In her country town at home they had
+kept no servants. A woman relative had done the work, and she had been
+free to pursue her mental interests and devote herself to her father.
+She had thought then that the existence of domestic servants was an act
+of treason against the institutions of the country by those who kept
+them. Yet she had accepted, with glee, the hired-girl whom Babcock had
+provided, satisfying her own democratic scruples by dubbing her "help,"
+and by occasionally offering her a book to read or catechising her as to
+her moral needs. There is probably no one in the civilized world more
+proud of the possession of a domestic servant than the American woman
+who has never had one, and no one more prompt to consign her to the
+obscurity of the kitchen after a feeble pretence at making her feel at
+home. Selma was delighted to have two instead of one, and, after
+beholding Mrs. Williams's trig maids, was eager to see her own arrayed
+in white caps and black alpaca dresses. Yet, though she had become keen
+to cultivate the New York manner, and had succeeded in reconciling her
+conscience to the possession of beautiful things by people with a
+purpose, it irked her to feel that she was hampered in living up to her
+new-found faith by the bugbear of a lean purse. She had expected, as
+Wilbur's wife, to figure quickly and gracefully in the van of New York
+intellectual and social progress. Instead, she was one among thousands,
+living in a new and undeveloped locality, unrecognized by the people of
+whom she read in the newspapers, and without opportunities for
+displaying her own individuality and talents. It depressed her to see
+the long lines of houses, street after street, and to think that she was
+merely a unit, unknown by name, in this great sea of humanity--she,
+Selma Littleton, free-born American, conscious of virtue and power. This
+must not be; and she divined clearer and clearer every day that it need
+not be if she had more money.
+
+It began to be annoying to her that Wilbur's professional progress was
+not more rapid. To be sure he had warned her that he could not hope to
+reach the front rank at once; that recognition must be gradual; and that
+he must needs work slowly in order to do himself justice. She had
+accepted this chiefly as a manifestation of modesty, not doubting that
+many orders would be forthcoming, especially now that he had the new
+stimulus of her love and inspiration. Instead there had been no marked
+increase in the number of his commissions; moreover he had been
+unsuccessful in two out of three competitions for minor public buildings
+for which he had submitted designs. From both the pecuniary and
+professional point of view these failures had been a disappointment. He
+was in good spirits and obviously happy, and declared that he was doing
+as well as he could reasonably expect; yet on his discouraged days he
+admitted that the cost of retaining his draughtsmen was a drain on the
+profit side of his ledger.
+
+In contrast with this the prosperity of her neighbors the Williamses was
+a little hard to bear. The sudden friendship developed into neighborly
+intimacy, and she and Flossy saw much of each other, dropping in
+familiarly, and often walking and shopping together. The two men were on
+sufficiently cordial terms, each being tolerant of the other's
+limitations, and seeking to recognize his good points for the sake of
+the bond between their wives. The return dinner was duly given, and
+Selma, hopeless of imitating the barbaric splendor, sought refuge in the
+reflection that the aesthetic and intellectual atmosphere of her table
+would atone for the lack of material magnificence, and limited her
+efforts to a few minor details such as providing candles with colored
+shades and some bonbon dishes. It was plain that Flossy admired her
+because she recognized her to be a fine and superior soul, and the
+appreciation of this served to make it more easy not to repine at the
+difference between their entertainments. Still the constant acquisition
+of pretty things by her frank and engaging friend was an ordeal which
+only a soul endowed with high, stern democratic faith and purpose could
+hope to endure with equanimity. Flossy bought new adornments for her
+house and her person with an amiable lavishness which required no
+confession to demonstrate that her husband was making money. She made
+the confession, though, from time to time with a bubbling pride, never
+suspecting that it could harass or tempt her spiritual looking friend.
+She prattled artlessly of theatre parties followed by a supper at one of
+the fashionable restaurants, and of new acquaintances whom she
+entertained, and through whom her social circle was enlarged, without
+divining that the sprightly narration was a thorn in the flesh of her
+hearer. Selma was capricious in her reception of these reports of
+progress. At times she listened to them with grave, cold eyes, which
+Flossy took for signals of noble disdain and sought to deprecate by
+wooing promises to be less worldly. At others she asked questions with a
+feverish, searching curiosity, which stimulated Mrs. Williams's free and
+independent style into running commentaries on the current course of
+social events and the doings and idiosyncracies of contemporary leaders
+of fashion whom she had viewed from afar. One afternoon Selma saw from
+her window Flossy and her husband drive jubilantly away in a high cart
+with yellow wheels drawn by a sleek cob, and at the same moment she
+became definitely aware that her draught from the cup of life had a
+bitter taste. Why should these people drive in their own vehicle rather
+than she? It seemed clear to her that Wilbur could not be making the
+best use of his talents, and that she had both a grievance against him
+and a sacred duty to perform in his and her own behalf. Justice and
+self-respect demanded that their mutual light should no longer be hid
+under a bushel.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+Pauline Littleton was now established in her new lodgings. Having been
+freed by her brother's marriage from the responsibilities of a
+housewife, she was able to concentrate her attention on the work in
+which she was interested. Her classes absorbed a large portion of her
+time. The remainder was devoted to writing to girls in other cities who
+sought her advice in regard to courses of study, and to correspondence,
+consultation, and committee meetings with a group of women in New York
+and elsewhere, who like herself were engrossed in educational matters.
+She was glad to have the additional time thus afforded her for pursuing
+her own tastes, and the days seemed too short for what she wished to
+accomplish. She occupied two pleasant rooms within easy walking distance
+of her brother's house. Her classes took her from home four days in the
+week, and two mornings in every seven were spent at her desk with her
+books and papers, in the agreeable labor of planning and correspondence.
+
+Naturally one of her chief desires was to be on loving terms with her
+brother's wife, and to do everything in her power to add to Selma's
+happiness. She summoned her women friends to meet her sister-in-law at
+afternoon tea. All of these called on the bride, and some of them
+invited her to their houses. They were busy women like Pauline herself,
+intent in their several ways on their vocations or avocations. They were
+disposed to extend the right hand of fellowship to Mrs. Littleton, whom
+they without exception regarded as interesting in appearance, but they
+had no leisure for immediate intimacy with her. Having been introduced
+to her and having scheduled her in their minds as a new and desirable
+acquaintance, they went their ways, trusting chiefly to time to renew
+the meeting and to supply the evidence as to the stranger's social
+value. Busy people in a large city are obliged to argue that new-comers
+should win their spurs, and that great minds, valuable opinions, and
+moving social graces are never crushed by inhumanity, but are certain
+sooner or later to gain recognition. Therefore after being very cordial
+and expressing the hope of seeing more of her in the future, every one
+departed and left Selma to her duties and her opportunities as
+Littleton's wife, without having the courtesy to indicate that they
+considered her a superior woman.
+
+Pauline regarded this behavior on the part of her friends as normal, and
+having done her social duty in the afternoon tea line, without a
+suspicion that Selma was disappointed by the experience, she gave
+herself up to the congenial undertaking of becoming intimate with her
+sister-in-law. She ascribed Selma's reserve, and cold, serious manner
+partly to shyness due to her new surroundings, and partly to the
+spiritual rigor of the puritan conscience and point of view. She had
+often been told that individuals of this temperament possessed more
+depth of character than more emotional and socially facile people, and
+she was prepared to woo. In comparison with Wilbur, Pauline was
+accustomed to regard herself as a practical and easy-going soul, but she
+was essentially a woman of fine and vigorous moral and mental purpose.
+Like many of her associates in active life, however, she had become too
+occupied with concrete possibilities to be able to give much thought to
+her own soul anatomy, and she was glad to look up to her brother's wife
+as a spiritual superior and to recognize that the burden lay on herself
+to demonstrate her own worthiness to be admitted to close intimacy on
+equal terms. Wilbur was to her a creature of light, and she had no doubt
+that his wife was of the same ethereal composition.
+
+Pauline was glad, too, of the opportunity really to know a countrywoman
+of a type so different from her own friends. She, like Wilbur, had heard
+all her life of these interesting and inspiring beings; intense,
+marvellously capable, peerless, free-born creatures panoplied in
+chastity and endowed with congenital mental power and bodily charms, who
+were able to cook, educate children, control society and write
+literature in the course of the day's employment. The newspapers and
+popular opinion had given her to understand that these were the true
+Americans, and caused her to ask herself whether the circle to which she
+herself belonged was not retrograde from a nobler ideal. In what way she
+did not precisely understand, except that she and her friends did not
+altogether disdain nice social usages and conventional womanly ways.
+But, nevertheless, the impression had remained in her mind that she must
+be at fault somehow, and it interested her that she would now be able to
+understand wherein she was inferior.
+
+She went to see Selma as often as she could, and encouraged her to call
+at her lodgings on the mornings when she was at home, expecting that it
+might please her sister-in-law to become familiar with the budding
+educational enterprises, and that thus a fresh bond of sympathy would be
+established between them. Selma presented herself three or four times in
+the course of the next three months, and on the first occasion expressed
+gratifying appreciation of the cosiness of the new lodgings.
+
+"I almost envy you," she said, "your freedom to live your own life and
+do just what you like. It must be delightful away up here where you can
+see over the tops of the houses and almost touch the sky, and there is
+no one to disturb the current of your thoughts. It must be a glorious
+place to work and write. I shall ask you to let me come up here
+sometimes when I wish to be alone with my own ideas."
+
+"As often as you like. You shall have a pass key."
+
+"I should think," said Selma, continuing to gaze, with her far away
+look, over the vista of roofs which the top story of the apartment house
+commanded, "that you would be a great deal happier than if you had
+married him."
+
+The pause which ensued caused her to look round, and add jauntily, "I
+have heard, you know, about Dr. Page."
+
+A wave of crimson spread over Pauline's face--the crimson of wounded
+surprise, which froze Selma's genial intentions to the core.
+
+"I didn't think you'd mind talking about it," she said stiffly.
+
+"There's nothing to talk about. Since you have mentioned it, Dr. Page is
+a dear friend of mine, and will always continue to be, I hope."
+
+"Oh, I knew you were nothing but friends now," Selma answered. She felt
+wounded in her turn. She had come with the wish to be gracious and
+companionable, and it had seemed to her a happy thought to congratulate
+Pauline on the wisdom of her decision. She did not like people who were
+not ready to be communicative and discuss their intimate concerns.
+
+The episode impaired the success of the first morning visit. At the
+next, which occurred a fortnight later, Pauline announced that she had a
+piece of interesting news.
+
+"Do you know a Mr. Joel Flagg in Benham?"
+
+"I know who he is," said Selma. "I have met his daughter."
+
+"It seems he has made a fortune in oil and real estate, and is desirous
+to build a college for women in memory of his mother, Sarah Wetmore. One
+of my friends has just received a letter from a Mrs. Hallett Taylor, to
+whom Mr. Flagg appears to have applied for counsel, and who wishes some
+of us who are interested in educational matters to serve as an advisory
+committee. Probably you know Mrs. Taylor too?"
+
+"Oh yes. I have been at her house, and I served with her on the
+committee which awarded Wilbur the church."
+
+"Why, then you are the very person to tell us all about her. I think I
+remember now having heard Wilbur mention her name."
+
+"Wilbur fancied her, I believe."
+
+"Your tone rather implies that you did not. You must tell me everything
+you know. My friend has corresponded with her before in regard to some
+artistic matters, but she has never met her. Her letter suggests a
+lady."
+
+"I dare say you would like Mrs. Taylor," said Selma, gravely. "She is
+attractive, I suppose, and seemed to know more or less about European
+art and pictures, but we in Benham didn't consider her exactly an
+American. If you really wish to know my opinion, I think that she was
+too exclusive a person to have fine ideas."
+
+"That's a pity."
+
+"If she lived in New York she would like to be one of those society
+ladies who live on Fifth Avenue; only she hasn't really any conception
+of what true elegance is. Her house there, except for the ornaments she
+had bought abroad, was not so well furnished as the one I lived in. I
+wonder what she would think if she could look into the drawing-room of
+my friend Mrs. Williams."
+
+"I see," said Pauline, though in truth she was puzzled. "I am sorry if
+she is a fine lady, but people like that, when they become interested,
+are often excellent workers. It is a noble gift of Mr. Flagg's--$500,000
+as a foundation fund. He's a good American at all events. Wilbur must
+certainly compete for the buildings, and his having first met you there
+ought to be an inspiration to him to do fine work."
+
+Selma had been glad of the opportunity to criticise Mrs. Hallett Taylor,
+whom she had learned, by the light of her superior social knowledge, to
+regard as an unimportant person. Yet she had been conscious of a
+righteous impulse in saying what she thought of her. She knew that she
+had never liked Mrs. Taylor, and she was not pleased to hear that Mr.
+Flagg had selected her from among the women of Benham to superintend the
+administration of his splendid gift. Benham had come to seem to her
+remote and primitive, yet she preferred, and was in the mood, to think
+that it represented the principles which were dear to her, and that she
+had been appreciated there far better than in her present sphere. She
+was still tied to Benham by correspondence with Mrs. Earle. Selma had
+written at once to explain her sudden departure, and letters passed
+between them at intervals of a few weeks--letters on Selma's part fluent
+with dazzled metropolitan condescension, yet containing every now and
+then a stern charge against her new fellow-citizens on the score of
+levity and worldliness.
+
+The donation for the establishment of Wetmore College was made shortly
+after another institution for the education of women in which Pauline
+was interested--Everdean College--had been opened to students. The
+number of applicants for admission to Everdean had been larger than the
+authorities had anticipated, and Pauline, who had been one of the
+promoters and most active workers in raising funds for and supervising
+the construction of this labor of love, was jubilant over the outlook,
+and busy in regard to a variety of new matters presented for solution by
+the suddenly evolved needs of the situation. Among these was the
+acquisition of two or three new women instructors; and it occurred to
+Pauline at once that Selma might know of some desirable candidate. Selma
+appeared to manifest but little interest in this inquiry at the time,
+but a few months subsequent to their conversation in regard to Mrs.
+Taylor she presented herself at Pauline's rooms one morning with the
+announcement that she had found some one. Pauline, who was busy at her
+desk, asked permission to finish a letter before listening; so there was
+silence for a few minutes, and Selma, who wore a new costume of a more
+fashionable guise than her last, reflected while she waited that the
+details of such work as occupied her sister-in-law must be tedious.
+Indeed, she had begun to entertain of late a sort of contempt for the
+deliberate, delving processes of the Littletons. She was inclined to ask
+herself if Wilbur and Pauline were not both plodders. Her own idea of
+doing things was to do them quickly and brilliantly, arriving at
+conclusions, as became an American, with prompt energy and despatch. It
+seemed to her that Wilbur, in his work, was slow and elaborate, disposed
+to hesitate and refine instead of producing boldly and immediately. And
+his sister, with her studies and letter-writing, suggested the same
+wearisome tendency. Why should not Wilbur, in his line, act with the
+confident enterprise and capacity to produce immediate, ostensible
+results which their neighbor, Gregory Williams, displayed? As for
+Pauline, of course she had not Wilbur's talent and could not, perhaps,
+be expected to shine conspicuously, but surely she might make more of
+herself if only she would cease to spend so much time in details and
+cogitation, with nothing tangible to show for her labor. Selma
+remembered her own experience as a small school teacher, and her
+thankfulness at her escape from a petty task unworthy of her
+capabilities, and she smiled scornfully to herself, as she sat waiting,
+at what she regarded Pauline's willingness to spend her energies in such
+inconspicuous, self-effacing work. Indeed, when Pauline had finished her
+letter and announced that she was now entirely at leisure, Selma felt
+impelled to remark:
+
+"I should think, Pauline, that you would give a course of lectures on
+education. We should be glad to have them at our house, and your friends
+ought to be able to dispose of a great many tickets." Such a thing had
+never occurred to Selma until this moment, but it seemed to her, as she
+heard her own words, a brilliant suggestion, both as a step forward for
+Pauline and a social opportunity for herself.
+
+"On education? My dear Selma, you have no idea of the depths of my
+ignorance. Education is an enormous subject, and I am just beginning to
+realize how little I know concerning it. People have talked and written
+about education enough. What we need and what some of us are trying to
+do is to study statistics and observe results. I am very much obliged to
+you, but I should only make myself a laughing-stock."
+
+"I don't think you would. You have spent a great deal of time in
+learning about education, and you must have interesting things to say.
+You are too modest and--don't you think it may be that you are not quite
+enterprising enough? A course of lectures would call public attention to
+you, and you would get ahead faster, perhaps. I think that you and
+Wilbur are both inclined to hide your light under a bushel. It seems to
+me that one can be conscientious and live up to one's ideals without
+neglecting one's opportunities."
+
+"The difficulty is," said Pauline, with a laugh, "that I shouldn't
+regard it as an opportunity, and I am sure it wouldn't help me to get
+ahead, as you call it, with the people I desire to impress, to give
+afternoon tea or women-club lectures. I don't know enough to lecture
+effectively. As to enterprise, I am busy from morning until night. What
+more can a woman do? You mustn't hurry Wilbur, Selma. All he needs is
+time to let the world see his light."
+
+"Very likely. Of course, if you don't consider that you know enough
+there is nothing to be said. I thought of it because I used to lecture
+in Benham, at the Benham Institute, and I am sure it helped me to get
+ahead. I used to think a great deal about educational matters, and
+perhaps I will set you the example by giving some lectures myself."
+
+"That would be very interesting. If a person has new ideas and has
+confidence in them, it is natural to wish to let the world hear them."
+
+Pauline spoke amiably, but she was disposed to regard her sister with
+more critical eyes. She felt no annoyance at the patronizing tone toward
+herself, but the reference to Wilbur made her blood rebel. Still she
+could not bear to harbor distrust against that grave face with its
+delicate beauty and spiritualized air, which was becomingly accommodated
+to metropolitan conditions by a more festive bonnet than any which she
+herself owned. Yet she noticed that the thin lips had an expression of
+discontent, and she wondered why.
+
+Recurring to the errand on which she had come, Selma explained that she
+had just received a letter from Benham--from her friend, Mrs. Margaret
+Rodney Earle, an authoress and a promulgator of advanced and original
+ideas in respect to the cause of womanhood, asking if she happened to
+know of an opening for a gifted young lady in any branch of intellectual
+work.
+
+"I thought at once of Everdean," said Selma, "and have come to give you
+the opportunity of securing her."
+
+Pauline expressed her thanks cordially, and inquired if Mrs. Earle had
+referred to the candidate's experience or special fitness for the duties
+of the position.
+
+"She writes that she is very clever and gifted. I did not bring the
+letter with me, but I think Mrs. Earle's language was that Miss Bailey
+will perform brilliantly any duties which may be intrusted to her."
+
+"That is rather general," said Pauline. "I am sorry that she didn't
+specify what Miss Bailey's education has been, and whether she has
+taught elsewhere."
+
+"Mrs. Earle wouldn't have recommended her if she hadn't felt sure that
+she was well educated. I remember seeing her at the Benham Institute on
+one of the last occasions when I was present. She delivered a whistling
+solo which every one thought clever and melodious."
+
+"I dare say she is just the person we are looking for," said Pauline,
+leniently. "It happens that Mrs. Grainger--my friend to whom Mrs. Taylor
+wrote concerning Mr. Flagg's gift--is to make Mrs. Taylor a visit at
+Benham next week, in order to consider the steps to be taken in regard
+to Wetmore College. She and Miss Bailey can arrange to meet, and that
+will save Miss Bailey the expense of a journey to New York, at the
+possible risk of disappointment."
+
+"I thought," said Selma, "that you would consider yourselves fortunate
+to secure her services."
+
+"I dare say we shall be very fortunate, Selma. But we cannot engage her
+without seeing her and testing her qualifications."
+
+Selma made no further demur at the delay, but she was obviously
+surprised and piqued that her offer should be treated in this elaborate
+fashion. She was obliged to acknowledge to herself that she could not
+reasonably expect Pauline to make a definite decision without further
+inquiry, but she had expected to be able to report to Mrs. Earle that
+the matter was as good as settled--that, if Miss Bailey would give a few
+particulars as to her accomplishments, the position would be hers.
+Surely she and Mrs. Earle were qualified to choose a school-teacher.
+Here was another instance of the Littleton tendency to waste time on
+unimportant details. She reasoned that a woman with more wide-awake
+perceptions would have recognized the opportunity as unusual, and would
+have snapped up Miss Bailey on the spot.
+
+The sequel was more serious. Neither Selma nor Pauline spoke of the
+matter for a month. Then it was broached by Pauline, who wrote a few
+lines to the effect that she was sorry to report that the authorities of
+Everdean, after investigation, had concluded not to engage the services
+of Miss Bailey as instructor. When Selma read the note her cheeks burned
+with resentment. She regarded the decision as an affront. Pauline dined
+with them on the evening of that day, and at table Selma was cold and
+formal. When the two women were alone, Selma said at once, with an
+attempt at calmness:
+
+"What fault do you find with my candidate?"
+
+"I think it possible that she might have been satisfactory from the mere
+point of scholarship," judicially answered Pauline, who did not realize
+in the least that her sister-in-law was offended, "though Mrs. Grainger
+stopped short of close inquiry on that score, for the reason that Miss
+Bailey failed to satisfy our requirements in another respect. I don't
+wish to imply by what I am going to say anything against her character,
+or her capacity for usefulness as a teacher under certain conditions,
+but I confide to you frankly, Selma, that we make it an absolute
+condition in the choice of instructors for our students that they should
+be first of all lady-like in thought and speech, and here it was that
+she fell short. Of course I have never seen Miss Bailey, but Mrs.
+Grainger reported that she was--er--impossible."
+
+"You mean that your friend does not consider her a lady? She isn't a
+society lady, but I did not suppose an American girl would be refused a
+position as a teacher for such a reason as that."
+
+"A lady is a lady, whether she is what you term a society lady or not.
+Mrs. Grainger told us that Miss Bailey's appearance and manners did not
+suggest the womanly refinement which we deem indispensable in those who
+are to teach our college students. Five years ago only scholarship and
+cleverness were demanded, but experience has taught the educators of
+women that this was a mistake."
+
+"I presume," said Selma, with dramatic scorn, "that Mrs. Hallett Taylor
+disapproved of her. I thought there would be some such outcome when I
+heard that she was to be consulted."
+
+"Mrs. Taylor's name was not mentioned," answered Pauline, in
+astonishment. "I had no idea, Selma, that you regarded this as a
+personal matter. You told me that you had seen Miss Bailey but once."
+
+"I am interested in her because--because I do not like to see a cruel
+wrong done. You do not understand her. You allow a prejudice, a
+class-prejudice, to interfere with her career and the opportunity to
+display her abilities. You should have trusted Mrs. Earle, Pauline, She
+is my friend, and she recommended Miss Bailey because she believed in
+her. It is a reflection on me and my friends to intimate that she is not
+a lady."
+
+She bent forward from the sofa with her hands clasped and her lips
+tightly compressed. For a moment she gazed angrily at the bewildered
+Pauline, then, as though she had suddenly bethought her of her New York
+manner, she drew herself up and said with a forced laugh--"If the reason
+you give were not so ridiculous, I should be seriously offended."
+
+"Offended! Offended with Pauline," exclaimed Littleton, who entered the
+room at the moment. "It cannot be that my two guardian angels have had a
+falling out." He looked from one to the other brightly as if it were
+really a joke.
+
+"It is nothing," said Selma.
+
+"It seems," said Pauline with fervor, "that I have unintentionally hurt
+Selma's feelings. It is the last thing in the world I wish to do, and I
+trust that when she thinks the matter over she will realize that I am
+innocent. I am very, very sorry."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+"Why don't you follow the advice of Mr. Williams and buy some shares of
+stock?" asked Selma lightly, yet coaxingly, of her husband one day in
+the third year of their marriage. The Williamses were dining with them
+at the time, and a statement by Gregory, not altogether without motive,
+as to the profits made by several people who had taken his advice,
+called forth the question. He and his wife were amiably inclined toward
+the Littletons, and were proud of the acquaintance. Among their other
+friends they boasted of the delightful excursions into the literary
+circle which the intimacy afforded them. They both would have been
+pleased to see their neighbors more amply provided with money, and
+Gregory, partly at the instance of Flossy, partly from sheer good-humor
+in order to give a deserving but impractical fellow a chance to better
+himself, threw out tips from time to time--crumbs from the rich man's
+table, but bestowed in a friendly spirit. Whenever they were let fall,
+Selma would look at Wilbur hoping for a sign of interest, but hitherto
+they had evoked merely a smile of refusal or had been utterly ignored.
+
+Her own question had been put on several occasions, both in the company
+of the tempter and in the privacy of the domestic hearth, and both in
+the gayly suggestive and the pensively argumentative key. Why might they
+not, by means of a clever purchase in the stock market, occasionally
+procure some of the agreeable extra pleasures of life--provide the ready
+money for theatres, a larger wardrobe, trips from home, or a modest
+equipage? Why not take advantage of the friendly advice given? Mr.
+Williams had made clear that the purchase of stocks on a sufficient
+margin was no more reprehensible as a moral proposition than the
+purchase of cargoes of sugar, cotton, coffee or tea against which
+merchants borrowed money at the bank. In neither instance did the
+purchaser own outright what he sought to sell at an advance; merely in
+one case it was shares, in the other merchandise. Of course it was
+foolish for inexperienced country folk with small means to dabble in
+stocks and bonds, but why should not city people who were clever and had
+clever friends in the business eke out the cost of living by shrewd
+investments? In an old-fashioned sense it might be considered gambling;
+but, if it were true, as Wilbur and Mr. Williams both maintained, that
+the American people were addicted to speculation, was not the existence
+of the habit strong evidence that the prejudice against it must be
+ill-founded? The logical and the patriotic conclusion must needs be that
+business methods had changed, and that the American nation had been
+clever enough to substitute dealings in shares of stock, and in
+contracts relating to cereals and merchandise for the methods of their
+grandfathers who delivered the properties in bulk.
+
+To this condensation of Gregory's glib sophistries on the lips of his
+wife, Wilbur had seemed to turn a deaf ear. It did not occur to him, at
+first, that Selma was seriously in earnest. He regarded her suggestions
+of neglected opportunities, which were often whimsically uttered, as
+more than half playful--a sort of make-believe envy of the meteoric
+progress in magnificence of their friendly neighbors. He was even glad
+that she should show herself appreciative of the merits of civilized
+comfort, for he had been afraid lest her ascetic scruples would lead her
+judgments too far in the opposite direction. He welcomed them and
+encouraged her small schemes to make the establishment more festive and
+stylish in appearance, in modest imitation of the splendor next door.
+But constant and more sombre reference to the growing fortunes of the
+Williamses presently attracted his attention and made him more
+observant. His income sufficed to pay the ordinary expenses of quiet
+domestic life, and to leave a small margin for carefully, considered
+amusements, but he reflected that if Selma were yearning for greater
+luxury, he could not afford at present to increase materially her
+allowance. It grieved him as a proud man to think that the woman he
+loved should lack any thing she desired, and without a thought of
+distrust he applied himself more strenuously to his work, hoping that
+the sum of his commissions would enable him presently to gratify some of
+her hankerings--such, for instance, as the possession of a horse and
+vehicle. Selma had several times alluded with a sigh to the satisfaction
+there must be in driving in the new park. Babcock had kept a horse, and
+the Williamses now drove past the windows daily in a phaeton drawn by
+two iron gray, champing steeds. He said to himself that he could
+scarcely blame Selma if she coveted now and then Flossy's fine
+possessions, and the thought that she was not altogether happy in
+consequence of his failure to earn more kept recurring to his mind and
+worried him. No children had been born to them, and he pictured with
+growing concern his wife lonely at home on this account, yet without
+extra income to make purchases which might enable her to forget at times
+that there was no baby in the house. Flossy had two children, a boy and
+a girl, two gorgeously bedizened little beings who were trundled along
+the sidewalk in a black, highly varnished baby-wagon which was reputed
+by the dealer who sold it to Gregory to have belonged to an English
+nobleman. Wilbur more than once detected Selma looking at the babies
+with a wistful glance. She was really admiring their clothes, yet the
+thought of how prettily she would have been able to dress a baby of her
+own was at times so pathetic as to bring tears to her eyes, and cause
+her to deplore her own lack of children as a misfortune.
+
+As the weeks slipped away and Wilbur realized that, though he was
+gaining ground in his profession, more liberal expenditures were still
+out of the question, he reached a frame of mind which made him yearn for
+a means of relief. So it happened that, when Selma asked him once more
+why he did not follow the advice proffered and buy some stocks, he
+replied by smiling at Gregory and inquiring what he should buy. During
+the dinner, which had been pleasant, Wilbur's eye had been attracted by
+the brilliancy of some new jewels which Mrs. Williams wore, and he had
+been conscious of the wish that he were able to make a present like that
+to his own wife.
+
+"You take my breath away. Wonders will never cease," responded Gregory,
+while both the women clapped their hands. "But you musn't buy anything;
+you must sell," he continued. "VanHorne and I both came to the
+conclusion to-day that it is time for a turn on the short side of the
+market. When the public are crazy and will buy any thing, then is the
+time to let them have all they wish."
+
+"What, then, am I to sell?" asked Wilbur "I am a complete lamb, you
+know." He was already sorry that he had consented, but Selma's manifest
+interest restrained him from turning the matter into a joke.
+
+"Leave it all to me," said Williams with a magnificent gesture.
+
+"But you will need some money from me."
+
+"Not at all. If you would feel better, you may send me a check or a bond
+for a thousand dollars. But it isn't necessary in your case."
+
+"I will bring you in a bond to-morrow--one of the very few I own."
+
+Wilbur having delivered his security the first thing in the morning,
+heard nothing further from Williams for a fortnight. One day he received
+a formal account of certain transactions executed by Williams and
+VanHorne for Wilbur Littleton, Esq., and a check for two thousand
+dollars. The flush which rose to his cheeks was induced partly by
+pleasure, partly by shame. His inclination, as he reflected, was to
+return the check, but he recognized presently that this was a foolish
+idea, and that the only thing to be done was to deposit it. He wrote a
+grateful note of acknowledgment to Williams, and then gave himself up to
+the agreeable occupation of thinking what he should buy for Selma with
+the money. He decided not to tell her of his good fortune, but to treat
+her to a surprise. His first fancy was in favor of jewelry--some
+necklace or lustrous ornament for the hair, which would charm the
+feminine eye and might make Selma even more beautiful than she already
+appeared in evening dress. His choice settled on a horse and buggy as
+more genuinely useful. To be sure there was the feed of the animal to be
+considered; but he would be able to reserve sufficient money to cover
+this cost for some months, and by the end of that time he would perhaps
+be able to afford the outlay from his income. Horse-flesh and vehicles
+were not in his line, but he succeeded by investigation in procuring a
+modest equipment for seven hundred dollars, which left him three hundred
+for fodder, and the other thousand. This he had decided to hand over to
+Selma as pin money. It was for her sake that he had consented to
+speculate, and it seemed meet that she should have the satisfaction of
+spending it.
+
+He carried out his surprise by appearing one afternoon before the door
+and inviting her to drive. Selma became radiant at the news that the
+horse and buggy were hers, though, when the particulars of the purchase
+were disclosed she said to herself that she wished Wilbur had allowed
+her to choose the vehicle. She would have preferred one more stylish and
+less domestic looking. She flung her arms about his neck and gave him a
+kiss on their return to show her satisfaction.
+
+"You see how easy it is, Wilbur," she said as she surveyed the check
+which he had handed her.
+
+"It was not I, it was Williams."
+
+"No, but you could, if you would only think so. I have the greatest
+confidence in you, dear," she added, looking eagerly into his face; "but
+don't you sometimes go out of your way to avoid what is enterprising
+and--er--modern, just because it is modern?"
+
+"Gambling is as old as the hills, Selma."
+
+"Yes. And if this were gambling--the sort of gambling you mean, do you
+think I would allow you to do it? Do you think the American people would
+tolerate it for a minute?" she asked triumphantly.
+
+"It seems to me that your admiration for the American people sometimes
+makes you a little weak in your logic," he answered with good-humor. He
+was so pleased by Selma's gratification that he was disposed to exorcise
+his scruples.
+
+"I have always told you that I was more of a patriot than you, Wilbur."
+
+The bond had not been returned by Williams at the time he sent the
+money, and some fortnight later--only a few days in fact after this
+drive, Littleton received another cheque for $500 and a request that he
+call at the office.
+
+"I thought you would like to see the instruments of torture at work--the
+process of lamb-shearing in active operation," Williams explained as he
+shook hands and waved him into his private room. After a few easy
+remarks on the methods of doing business the broker continued, "I
+flatter myself that for so small an investment and so short a time, I
+have done tolerably well for you."
+
+"I scarcely know how to express my thanks and my admiration for your
+skill. Indeed I feel rather awkwardly about--"
+
+"That's all right, my dear fellow. It's my business; I get my
+commission. Still I admit friendly regard--and this is why I suggested
+your dropping in--by introducing the personal equation, makes one
+nervous. If instead of closing out your account, I had in each instance
+held on, you would have made more money. I was glad to take this
+responsibility at first because you were a neophyte at the business, but
+I think it will be more satisfactory both for you and for me that in
+future transactions you should give me the word when to reap the profit.
+Of course you shall have all the information which I possess and my
+advice will be at your command, but where a man's money is concerned his
+own head is apt to be the wisest counsellor. Now I took the liberty
+yesterday of selling for you two hundred shares of Reading railroad. You
+can cover to-day at a profit of one point--about $200. I do not urge it.
+On the contrary I believe that the market, barring occasional rallies,
+is still on the downward track. I wish, however, to put you in a
+position where you can, if you desire, take advantage of the full
+opportunities of the financial situation and save myself from feeling
+that I have robbed you by my friendly caution."
+
+"In other words you don't wish to speculate with my money," said
+Littleton. "You wish me to paddle my own canoe."
+
+Williams' real desire was to escape the bother of personally
+superintending an insignificant account. His circumlocution was a suave
+way of stating that he had done all that could be expected of a neighbor
+and benevolent friend, and that the ordinary relation of broker and
+customer ought now be established. As for Littleton, he perceived that
+he was not free to retire from the market on the profits of friendly
+regard unless he was prepared to fly in the face of advice and buy in
+his two hundred Reading railroad. To do so would be pusillanimous;
+moreover to retire and abstain from further dealings would make
+Williams' two cheques more obviously a charitable donation, and the
+thought of them was becoming galling. Above all there were Selma's
+feelings to be considered. The possession of the means to afford her
+happiness was already a sweet argument in favor of further experiments.
+
+And so it happened that during the next nine months Littleton became a
+frequenter of the office of Williams & VanHorne. He was not among those
+who hung over the tape and were to be seen there daily; but he found
+himself attracted as the needle by the magnet to look in once or twice a
+week to ascertain the state of the market. His ventures continued to be
+small, and were conducted under the ken of Williams, and though the
+occasional rallies referred to by the broker harassed Wilbur's spirit
+when they occurred, the policy of selling short proved reasonably
+remunerative in the course of half a dozen separate speculations. In
+round figures he added another $2,500 to that which Williams had made
+for him. The process kept him on pins and needles, and led him to scan
+the list of stock quotations before reading anything else in the
+newspaper. Selma was delighted at his success, and though he chose not
+to tell her the details of his dealings, she watched him furtively,
+followed the general tendency of the market, and when she perceived that
+he was in good spirits, satisfied sufficiently her curiosity by
+questions.
+
+On the strength of this addition to their pecuniary resources, Selma
+branched out into sundry mild extravagances. She augmented her wardrobe,
+engaged an additional house-maid and a more expensive cook, and
+entertained with greater freedom and elaboration. She was fond of going
+to the theatre and supping afterward at some fashionable restaurant
+where she could show her new plumage and be a part of the gay,
+chattering rout at the tables consuming soft-shelled crabs and
+champagne. She was gradually increasing her acquaintance, chiefly among
+the friends of the Williamses, people who were fond of display and
+luxury and who seemed to have plenty of money. In this connection she
+was glad to avail herself of the reputation of belonging to the literary
+circle, and she conceived the plan of mingling these new associates with
+Wilbur's former set--to her thinking a delightful scheme, which she
+inaugurated by means of a dinner party. She included among the guests
+Pauline and Dr. Page, and considered that she had acted gracefully in
+putting them side by side at table, thus sacrificing the theory of her
+entertainment to her feminine interest in romance. In her opinion it was
+more than Pauline deserved, and she was proud of her generosity. There
+were fourteen in the company, and after dinner they were regaled by a
+young woman who had brought a letter of introduction to Selma from Mrs.
+Earle, who read from her own poems. The dinner was given for her, and
+her seat was between Wilbur and Mr. Dennison, the magazine editor. Selma
+had attended a dinner-party at the Williamses a fortnight earlier where
+there had been music in the drawing-room by a ballad-singer at a cost of
+$100 (so Flossy had told her in confidence). A poetess reading from her
+own works, a guest and not invited in after dinner on a business
+footing, appealed to Selma as more American, and less expensive. She, in
+her secret soul, would have liked to recite herself, but she feared to
+run the gauntlet of the New York manner. The verses were intense in
+character and were delivered by the young woman with a hollow-eyed
+fervor which, as one of the non-literary wing of the company stated,
+made one creep and weep alternately. There was no doubt that the
+entertainment was novel and acceptable to the commercial element, and to
+Selma it seemed a delightful reminder of the Benham Institute. She was
+curious to know what Mr. Dennison thought, though she said to herself
+that she did not really care. She felt that anything free and earnest in
+the literary line was likely to be frowned on by the coterie to which
+her husband's people belonged. Nevertheless she seized an opportunity to
+ask the editor if he did not think the verses remarkable.
+
+"They are certainly remarkable," answered Mr. Dennison. After a brief
+pause he added, "Being a strictly truthful person, Mrs. Littleton, I do
+not wish to seek shelter behind the rampart which your word 'remarkable'
+affords. A dinner may be remarkable--remarkably good, like the one I
+have just eaten, or remarkably bad. Some editors would have replied to
+you as I have done, and yet been capable of a mental reservation
+unflattering to the ambitious young woman to whom we have been
+listening. But without wishing to express an opinion, let me remind you
+that poetry, like point-lace, needs close scrutiny before its merits can
+be defined. I thought I recognized some ancient and well-worn flowers of
+speech, but my editorial ear and eye may have been deceived. She has
+beautiful hair at all events."
+
+     "'Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare;
+      And beauty draws us by a single hair.'
+
+"You cynical personage! I only hope she may prove a genius and that you
+will realize when too late that you might have discovered her," said
+Selma, looking into his face brightly with a knowing smile and tapping
+her fan against her hand. She was in a gay humor at the success of the
+entertainment, despite the non-committal attitude of this censor, and
+pleased at the appositeness of her quotation. Her figure had filled out
+since her marriage. She was almost plump and she wore a single short fat
+curl pendent behind her ear.
+
+A few months subsequent to this dinner party Flossy announced one day
+that Mr. Silas S. Parsons, whom Selma had seen with the Williamses at
+the theatre nearly three years before, had come to live in New York with
+his wife and daughter. Flossy referred to him eagerly as one of her
+husband's most valuable customers, a shrewd, sensible, Western business
+man, who had made money in patent machinery and was superbly rich. He
+had gone temporarily to a hotel, but he was intending to build a large
+house on Fifth Avenue near the park. Selma heard this announcement with
+keen interest, asking herself at once why Wilbur should not be the
+architect. Why not, indeed? She promptly reasoned that here was her
+chance to aid her husband; that he, if left to his own devices, would do
+nothing to attract the magnate's attention, and that it behooved her, as
+an American wife and a wide-awake, modern woman, to let Mr. Parsons know
+his qualifications, and to prepossess him in Wilbur's favor by her own
+attractions. The idea appealed to her exceedingly. She had been hoping
+that some opportunity to take an active part in the furtherance of
+Wilbur's career would present itself, for she felt instinctively that
+with her co-operation he would make more rapid progress. Here was
+exactly the occasion longed for. She saw in her mind's eye Mr. Parsons's
+completed mansion, stately and beautiful, the admired precursor of a
+host of important edifices--a revolutionizing monument in contemporary
+architecture. Wilbur would become the fashion, and his professional
+success be assured, thanks to the prompt ability of his wife to take
+advantage of circumstances. So she would prove herself a veritable
+helpmate, and the bond of marital sympathy would be strengthened and
+refreshed.
+
+To begin with, Selma hinted to Mrs. Williams that Mr. Parsons might do
+worse than employ Wilbur to design his house. Flossy accepted the
+suggestion with enthusiasm and promised her support, adding that Mr.
+Parsons was a person of sudden and strong fancies, and that if he were
+to take a fancy to Wilbur, the desired result would be apt to follow.
+Selma quickly decided that Mr. Parsons must be made to like her, for she
+feared lest Wilbur's quiet, undemonstrative manner would fail to attract
+him. Evidently he admired the self-confidence and manly assertion of
+Gregory Williams, and would be liable to regard Wilbur as lacking in
+force and enterprise. The reflection that she would thus be working--as
+necessarily she would--for the eternal progress of truth, added a
+pleasant savor to the undertaking, for it was clear that her husband was
+an ideal architect for the purpose, and she would be doing a true
+service to Mr. Parsons in convincing him that this was so. Altogether
+her soul was in an agreeable flutter, notwithstanding that her neighbor
+Flossy had recently received invitations to two or three large balls,
+and been referred to in the society columns of the newspapers as the
+fascinating and clever wife of the rising banker Gregory Williams.
+
+The Littletons were promptly given by Flossy the opportunity to make the
+acquaintance of the Parsons family. Mr. Parsons was a ponderous man of
+over sixty, with a solid, rotund, grave face and a chin whisker. He was
+absorbed in financial interests, though he had retired from active
+business, and had come to New York to live chiefly to please his wife
+and daughter. Mrs. Parsons, who was somewhat her husband's junior, was a
+devotee, or more correctly, a debauchee, of hotel life. Since the time
+when they had become exceedingly rich, about ten years before, they had
+made a grand tour of the hotels of this country and Europe. By so doing
+Mrs. Parsons and her daughter felt that they became a part of the social
+life of the cities which they visited. Although they had been used to
+plain, if not slovenly, house-keeping before the money came, both the
+wife and daughter had evolved into connoisseurs of modish and luxurious
+hotel apparatus and garniture. They had learned to revel in many
+courses, radiantly upholstered parlors, and a close acquaintance with
+the hotel register. Society for them, wherever they went, meant finding
+out the names of the other guests and dressing for them, being on easy
+terms with the head waiter and elevator boy, visiting the theatres, and
+keeping up a round of shopping in pursuit of articles of apparel. They
+wore rich garments and considerable jewelry, and plastered
+themselves--especially the daughter--with bunches of violets or roses
+self-bestowed. Mrs. Parsons was partial to perfume, and they both were
+addicted to the free consumption of assorted bonbons. To be sure they
+had made some acquaintances in the course of their peregrinations, but
+one reason for moving to New York was that Mrs. Parsons had come to the
+melancholy conclusion that neither the princes of Europe nor the sons of
+American leading citizens were paying that attention to her daughter
+which the young lady's charms seemed to her to merit. If living lavishly
+in hotels and seeing everybody right and left were not the high-road to
+elegant existence and hence to a brilliant match for Lucretia, Mrs.
+Parsons was ready to try the effect of a house on Fifth Avenue, though
+she preferred the comforts of her present mode of life. Still one
+advantage of a stable home would be that Mr. Parsons could be constantly
+with them, instead of an occasional and intermittent visitor
+communicated with more frequently by electricity than by word of mouth.
+While Mr. Parsons was selecting the land, she and Lucretia had abandoned
+themselves to an orgy of shopping, and with an eye to the new house,
+their rooms at the hotel were already littered with gorgeous fabrics,
+patterns of wall-paper and pieces of pottery.
+
+Selma's facility in the New York manner was practised on Silas Parsons
+with flattering success. He was captivated by her--more so than by
+Flossy, who amused him as a flibbertigibbet, but who seemed to him to
+lack the serious cast of character which he felt that he discerned
+beneath the sprightliness of this new charmer. Mr. Parsons was what he
+called a "stickler" for the dignity of a serious demeanor. He liked to
+laugh at the theatre, but mistrusted a daily point of view which savored
+of buffoonery. He was fond of saying that more than one public man in
+the United States had come to grief politically from being a joker, and
+that the American people could not endure flippancy in their
+representatives. He liked to tell and listen to humorous stories in the
+security of a smoking-room, but in his opinion it behooved a citizen to
+maintain a dignified bearing before the world. Like other self-made men
+who had come to New York--like Selma herself--he had shrunk from and
+deplored at first the lighter tone of casual speech. Still he had grown
+used to it, and had even come to depend on it as an amusement. But he
+felt that in the case of Selma there was a basis of ethical earnestness,
+appropriate to woman, beneath her chatty flow of small talk. That she
+was comparatively a new-comer accounted partially for this impression,
+but it was mainly due to the fact that she still reverted after her
+sallies of pleasantry to a grave method of deportment.
+
+Selma's chief hospitality toward the Parsonses took the form of a
+theatre party, which included a supper at Delmonico's after the play. It
+was an expensive kind of entertainment, which she felt obliged to
+justify to Wilbur by the assertion that the Williamses had been so civil
+she considered it would be only decent to show attention to their
+friends. She was unwilling to disclose her secret, lest the knowledge of
+it might make Wilbur offish and so embarrass her efforts. There were
+eight in the party, and the affair seemed to Selma to go off admirably.
+She was enthralled by the idea of using her own personal magnetism to
+promote her husband's business. She felt that it was just the sort of
+thing she would like and was fitted for, and that here was an
+opportunity for her individuality to display itself. She devoted herself
+with engaging assiduity to Mr. Parsons, pleased during the active
+process of propitiation by the sub-consciousness that her table was one
+of the centres of interest in the large restaurant. She had dressed
+herself with formal care, and nothing in the way of compliment could
+have gratified her more than the remark which Mr. Parsons made, as he
+regarded her appreciatively, when he had finished his supper, that she
+suggested his idea of Columbia. Selma glowed with satisfaction. The
+comparison struck her as apt and appropriate, and she replied with a
+proud erection of her head, which imparted to her features their
+transcendental look, and caused her short curl to joggle tremulously, "I
+suppose I see what you mean, Mr. Parsons."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+One evening, four or five days after this supper party, Wilbur laid down
+the book which he was pretending to read, and said, "Selma, I have come
+to the conclusion that I must give up dabbling in stocks. I am being
+injured by it--not financially, for, as you know, I have made a few
+thousand dollars--but morally."
+
+"I thought you were convinced that it was not immoral," answered Selma,
+in a constrained voice.
+
+"I do not refer to whether speculation is justifiable in itself, but to
+its effect on me as an individual--its distraction to my mind and
+consequent interference with my professional work."
+
+"Oh."
+
+"For a year now, the greater portion of the time, I have had some
+interest in the market, and as a consequence, have felt impelled to look
+in on Williams and VanHorne every day--sometimes oftener. I am unable to
+dismiss my speculations from my thoughts. I find myself wondering what
+has happened to the stocks I am carrying, and I am satisfied that the
+practice is thoroughly demoralizing to my self-respect and to my
+progress. I am going to give it up."
+
+"I suppose you must give it up if it affects you like that," responded
+Selma drily. "I don't see exactly why it should."
+
+"It may seem foolish to you, but I am unable to put my ventures out of
+my mind. The consequences of loss would be so serious to me that I
+suppose my imagination becomes unduly active and apprehensive. Also, I
+find myself eager to secure large gains. I must renounce Aladdin's lamp
+from this day forth, my dear, and trust to my legitimate business for my
+income."
+
+Selma folded her hands and looked grave. "It's disappointing that you
+feel so just when we are beginning to get on, Wilbur."
+
+"I have realized, Selma, that you have enjoyed and--er--been made
+happier by the freedom to spend which this extra money has afforded you.
+But I know, when you reflect, you will understand that I am right, and
+that it would be disastrous to both of us if I were to continue to do
+what I believe demoralizing. It is a mortification to me to ask you to
+retrench, but I said to myself that Selma would be the first to insist
+on our doing so if she knew my feelings, and it makes me happy to be
+sure of your approval."
+
+Littleton spoke with a tender plaintiveness which betrayed that in his
+secret soul he was less confident on this score than his words declared,
+or than he himself supposed. "Of course," he added, earnestly, "I shall
+hope that it will not make much difference. My business is slowly, but
+steadily, improving, and I am doing more this year than last. I am
+bending all my energies on my plans for Wetmore College. If I win in
+that competition, I shall make a reputation and a respectable
+commission."
+
+"You have been on those plans three months."
+
+"Yes, and shall not finish them for another two. I wish to do my best
+work, and I shall be glad not to hear quotations of the ticker in my
+brain. You desire me to be thorough, surely, Selma _mia_?"
+
+"Oh, yes. Only, you know people very often spoil things by pottering
+over them."
+
+"I never potter. I reject because I am dissatisfied rather than offer a
+design which does not please me, but I do not waste my time."
+
+"Call it over-conscientiousness then. I wish you to do your best work,
+of course, but one can't expect to do best work invariably. Everything
+was going so nicely that you must perceive it will be inconvenient to
+have to economize as we did before."
+
+Littleton looked at his wife with a glance of loving distress. "You
+wouldn't really care a button. I know you wouldn't, Selma," he said,
+stoutly.
+
+"Of course not, if it were necessary," she answered. "Only I don't wish
+to do so unless it is necessary. I am not controverting your decision
+about the stocks, though I think your imagination, as you say, is to
+blame. I would rather cut my right hand off than persuade you to act
+contrary to your conscience. But it _is_ inconvenient, Wilbur, you must
+admit, to give up the things we have become accustomed to."
+
+"We shall be able to keep the horse. I am certain of that."
+
+"I wish you to see my side of it. Say that you do," she said, with
+shrill intensity.
+
+"It is because I do see it that I am troubled, Selma. For myself I am no
+happier now than I was when we lived more simply. I can't believe that
+you will really find it a hardship to deny yourself such extravagances
+as our theatre party last week. Being a man," he added, after a pause,
+"I suppose I may not appreciate how important and seductive some of
+these social observances appear to a woman, and heaven knows my chief
+wish in life is to do everything in my power to make you happy. You must
+be aware of that, dearest. I delight to work hard for your sake. But it
+seems almost ludicrous to be talking of social interests to you, of all
+women. Why, at the time we were married, I feared that you would cut
+yourself off from reasonable pleasures on account of your dislike of
+everything frivolous. I remember I encouraged you not to take too
+ascetic a view of such things. So I am bound to believe that your side
+is my side--that we both will find true happiness in not attempting to
+compete with people whose tastes are not our tastes, and whose aims are
+not our aims."
+
+"Then you think I have deteriorated," she said, with a superior smile.
+
+"I think of you as the most conscientious woman I ever met. It was only
+natural that you should be spurred by our neighbors, the Williamses, to
+make a better showing socially before the world. I have been glad to see
+you emulous up to a certain point. You must realize though, that we
+cannot keep pace with them, even if we so desire. Already they are in
+the public eye. He appears to have made considerable money, and his
+views on the stock-market are given prominence by the press. He and his
+wife are beginning to be recognized by people who were ignorant of their
+existence four years ago. You told me last week that Mrs. Williams had
+attended one of the fashionable balls, and I saw in yesterday's
+newspaper a description of her toilette at another. It begins to look as
+if, in a few years more, their ambition might be realized, and the doors
+of the Morton Price mansion open wide to admit this clever country
+cousin to the earthly paradise. It must be evident to you, Selma, that
+very shortly we shall see only the dust of their chariot-wheels in the
+dim social distance. Williams told me to-day that he has bought a house
+near the park."
+
+"He has bought a new house? They are going to move?" exclaimed Selma,
+sitting up straight, and with a fierce light in her eyes.
+
+"Yes. He was going home to tell his wife. It seems that they have been
+talking vaguely of moving for some time. An acquaintance happened to
+offer him a house, and Williams closed the bargain on the spot in his
+customary chain-lightning style. I shall be sorry to have them go on
+some accounts, for they have always been friendly, and you seem fond of
+the wife, but we shall find it easier, perhaps, when they are gone, to
+live according to our own ideas."
+
+"Flossy has not been quite so nice lately," said Selma; "I am afraid she
+is disposed to put on airs."
+
+"Her head may have been turned by her success. She has a kind heart, but
+a giddy brain in spite of its cleverness."
+
+"Flossy has been getting on, of course. But so are we getting on. Why
+should they be recognized, as you call it, any more than we? In time, I
+mean. Not in the same way, perhaps, since you don't approve of the sort
+of things--"
+
+"Since I don't approve? Why, Selma, surely--"
+
+"Since _we_ don't approve, then. I only mean that Gregory Williams has
+shown initiative, has pushed ahead, and is--er--the talk of the town. I
+expect you to be successful, too. Is there any reason on earth why the
+door of the Morton Prices should open wide to her and not to me?"
+
+"I suppose not, if--if you wish it."
+
+She made a gesture of impatience and gazed at him a moment with an
+imperious frown, then suddenly, with the litheness of a cat, she slipped
+from her chair to the floor at his feet, and leaning against his knee,
+looked up into his face.
+
+"You dear boy, I am going to tell you something. You said to me once
+that if ever the time came when I thought you visionary, I was to let
+you know. Of course I understand you are worth a thousand _Gregorys_;
+but don't you think you would get on faster if you were a little more
+aggressive in your work?--if you weren't so afraid of being superficial
+or sensational? You were intimating a few minutes ago," she added,
+speaking rapidly under the stress of the message she burned to deliver,
+"that I seemed changed. I don't believe I am changed. But, if I seem
+different, it is because I feel so strongly that those who wish to
+succeed must assert themselves and seize opportunities. There is where
+it seems to me that Mr. Williams has the advantage over you, Wilbur. One
+of the finest and most significant qualities of our people, you know, is
+their enterprise and aggressiveness. Architecture isn't like the stock
+business, but the same theory of progress must be applicable to both.
+Don't you think I may be right, Wilbur? Don't you see what I mean?"
+
+He stroked her hair and answered gently, "What is it that I am not doing
+which you think I might do?"
+
+Selma snuggled close to him, and put her hand in his. She was vibrating
+with the proud consciousness of the duty vouchsafed to her to guide and
+assist the man she loved. It was a blissful and a precious moment to
+her. "If I were you," she said, solemnly, "I should build something
+striking and original, something which would make everyone who beheld it
+ask, 'what is the architect's name?' I would strike out boldly without
+caring too much what the critics and the people of Europe would say. You
+musn't be too afraid, Wilbur, of producing something American, and you
+mustn't be too afraid of the American ways of doing things. We work more
+quickly here in everything, and--and I still can't help feeling that you
+potter a little. Necessarily I don't know about the details of your
+business, but if I were you, instead of designing small buildings or
+competing for colleges and churches, where more than half the time
+someone else gets the award, I should make friends with the people who
+live in those fine houses on Fifth Avenue, and get an order to design a
+splendid residence for one of them. If you were to make a grand success
+of that, as you surely would, your reputation would be made. You ask me
+why I like to entertain and am willing to know people like that. It is
+to help you to get clients and to come to the front professionally. Now
+isn't that sensible and practical and right, too?"
+
+Her voice rang triumphantly with the righteousness of her plea.
+
+"Selma, dear, if I am not worldly-wise enough, I am glad to listen to
+your suggestions. But art is not to be hurried. I cannot vulgarize my
+art. I could not consent to that."
+
+"Of course not, Wilbur. Not worldly-wise enough is just the phrase, I
+think. You are so absorbed in the theory of fine things that I am sure
+you often let the practical opportunities to get the fine things to do
+slip."
+
+"Perhaps, dear. I will try to guard against it." Wilbur took her hands
+in his and looked down tenderly into her face. His own was a little
+weary. "Above everything else in life I wish, to make you happy," he
+said.
+
+"I am happy, you dear boy."
+
+"Truly?"
+
+"Yes, truly. And if something happens which I am nearly sure will
+happen, I shall be happier still. It's a secret, and I mustn't tell you,
+but if it does happen, you can't help agreeing that your wife has been
+clever and has helped you in your profession."
+
+"Helped me? Ah, Selma," he said, folding her in his arms, "I don't think
+you realize how much you are to me. In this modern world, what with
+self-consciousness, and shyness and contemporary distaste for fulsome
+expression, it is difficult to tell adequately those we love how we feel
+toward them. You are my darling and my inspiration. The sun rises and
+sets with you, and unless you were happy, I could never be. Each man in
+this puzzling world must live according to his own lights, and I,
+according to mine, am trying to make the most of myself, consistent with
+self-respect and avoidance of the low human aims and time-serving
+methods upon which our new civilization is supposed to frown. If I am
+neglecting my lawful opportunities, if I am failing to see wisely and
+correctly, I shall be grateful for counsel. Ah, Selma, for your sake,
+even more than for my own, I grieve that we have no children. A baby's
+hands would, I fancy, be the best of counsellors and enlighteners."
+
+"If children had come at first, it would have been very nice. But
+now--now I think they might stand in the way of my being of help to you.
+And I am so anxious to help you, Wilbur."
+
+As a result of this conversation Littleton devoted himself more
+assiduously than ever to his work. He was eager to increase his earnings
+so that his income should not be curtailed by his decision to avoid
+further ventures in the stock-market. He was troubled in soul, for
+Selma's accusation that he was visionary haunted him. Could it be that
+he was too scrupulous, too uncompromising, and lacked proper enterprise?
+Self-scrutiny failed to convince him that this was so, yet left a
+lurking doubt which was harassing. His clear mind was too modest to
+believe in its own infallibility, for he was psychologist enough to
+understand that no one can be absolutely sure that his perspective of
+life is accurate. Possibly he was sacrificing his wife's legitimate
+aspirations to too rigid canons of behavior, and to an unconscious lack
+of initiative. On the other hand, as a positive character, he believed
+that he saw clearly, and he could not avoid the reflection that, if this
+was the case, he and Selma were drifting apart--the more bitter
+alternative of the two, and a condition which, if perpetuated, would
+involve the destruction of the scheme of matrimonial happiness, the
+ideal communion of two sympathetic souls, in which he was living as a
+proud partner. Apparently he was in one of two predicaments; either he
+was self deceived, which was abhorrent to him as a thoughtful grappler
+with the eternal mysteries, or he had misinterpreted the character of
+the woman whose transcendent quality was a dearer faith to him than the
+integrity of his own manhood.
+
+So it was with a troubled heart that he applied himself to more rigorous
+professional endeavor. Like most architects he had pursued certain lines
+of work because orders had come to him, and the chances of employment
+had ordained that his services should be sought for small churches,
+school-houses and kindred buildings in the surrounding country rather
+than for more elaborate and costly structures. On these undertakings it
+was his habit to expend abundant thought and devotion. The class of work
+was to his taste, for, though the funds at his disposal were not always
+so large as he desired for artistic effects, yet he enjoyed the
+opportunity of showing that simplicity need not be homely and
+disenchanting, but could wear the aspect of grace and poetry. Latterly
+he had been requested to furnish designs for some blocks of houses in
+the outlying wards of the city, where the owners sought to provide
+attractive, modern flats for people with moderate means. Various
+commissions had come to him, also, to design decorative work, which
+interested him and gave scope to his refined and aspiring imagination,
+and he was enthusiastically absorbed in preparing his competitive plans
+for the building of Wetmore College. His time was already well occupied
+by the matters which he had in hand. That is, he had enough to do and
+yet did not feel obliged to deny himself the luxury of deliberate
+thoroughness in connection with each professional undertaking. Save for
+the thought that he must needs earn more in order to please Selma, he
+would have been completely happy in the slow but flattering growth of
+his business, and in feeling his way securely toward greater success.
+Now, however, he began to ask himself if it were not possible to hasten
+this or that piece of work in order to afford himself the necessary
+leisure for new employment. He began also to consider whether he might
+not be able, without loss of dignity, to put himself in the way of
+securing more important clients. To solicit business was not to be
+thought of, but now and again he put the question to himself whether he
+had not been too indifferent as to who was who, and what was what, in
+the development of his business.
+
+While Littleton was thus mulling over existing conditions, and
+subjecting his conduct to the relentless lens of his own conscience and
+theories, Selma announced to him jubilantly, about a fortnight
+subsequent to their conversation, that her secret was a secret no
+longer, and that Mr. Parsons desired to employ him to build an imposing
+private residence on Fifth Avenue near the Park. Mr. Parsons confirmed
+this intelligence on the following day in a personal interview. He
+informed Littleton that he was going to build in order to please his
+wife and daughter, and intimated that expense need not stand in the way
+of the gratification of their wishes. After the business matters were
+disposed of he was obviously ready to intrust all the artistic details
+to his architect. Consequently Littleton enjoyed an agreeable quarter of
+an hour of exaltation. He was pleased at the prospect of building a
+house of this description, and the hope of being able to give free scope
+to his architectural bent without molestation made that prospect
+roseate. He could desire no better opportunity for expressing his ideas
+and proving his capacity. It was an ideal chance, and his soul thrilled
+as he called up the shadowy fabric of scheme after scheme to fill the
+trial canvas of his fantasy. Nor did he fail to award due credit to
+Selma for her share in the transaction; not to the extent, perhaps, of
+confessing incapacity on his own part, but by testifying lovingly to her
+cleverness. She was in too good humor at her success to insist on his
+humiliation in set terms. The two points in which she was most vitally
+interested--the advantage of her own interference and the consequent
+prompt extension of her husband's field of usefulness--had been
+triumphantly proved, and there was no need that the third--Wilbur's lack
+of capacity to battle and discriminate for himself--should be
+emphasized. Selma knew what she thought in her own mind, and she
+entertained the hope that this lesson might be a lamp to his feet for
+future illumination. She was even generous enough to exclaim, placing
+her hands on his shoulders and looking into his face with complacent
+fervor:
+
+"You might have accomplished it just as well yourself, Wilbur."
+
+Littleton shook his head and smiled. "It was a case of witchery and
+fascination. He probably divined how eager you were to help me, and he
+was glad to yield to the agreeable spell of your wifely devotion."
+
+"Oh, no," said Selma. "I am sure he never guessed for one moment of what
+I was thinking. Of course, I did try to make him like me, but that was
+only sensible. To make people like one is the way to get business, I
+believe."
+
+Littleton's quarter of an hour of exaltation was rudely checked by a
+note from Mrs. Parsons, requesting an interview in regard to the plans.
+When he presented himself he found her and her daughter imbued with
+definite ideas on the subject of architects and architecture. In the
+eyes of Mrs. Parsons the architect of her projected house was nothing
+but a young man in the employ of her husband, who was to guide them as
+to measurements, carpentry, party-walls and plumbing, but was otherwise
+to do her bidding for a pecuniary consideration, on the same general
+basis as the waiter at the hotel or the theatre ticket-agent. As to
+architecture, she expected him to draw plans just as she expected
+dealers in carpets or wall-papers to show her patterns in easy
+succession. "I don't care for that; take it away." "That is rather
+pretty, but let me see something else." What she said to Littleton was,
+"We haven't quite decided yet what we want, but, if you'll bring some
+plans the next time you call, we'll let you know which we like best.
+There's a house in Vienna I saw once, which I said at the time to
+Lucretia I would copy if I ever built. I've mislaid the photograph of
+it, but I may be able to tell you when I see your drawings how it
+differed from yours. Lucretia has a fancy for something Moorish or
+Oriental. I guess Mr. Parsons would prefer brown-stone, plain and
+massive, but he has left it all to us, and both daughter and I think
+we'd rather have a house which would speak for itself, and not be mixed
+up with everybody else's. You'd better bring us half a dozen to choose
+from, and between me and you and Lucretia, we'll arrive at something
+elegant and unique."
+
+This was sadly disillusionizing to Littleton, and the second experience
+was no less so. The refined outline sketches proffered by him were
+unenthusiastically surveyed and languidly discarded like so many
+wall-papers. It was evident that both the mother and daughter were
+disappointed, and Littleton presently divined that their chief objection
+was to the plainness of the several designs. This was made unmistakably
+obvious when Mrs. Parsons, after exhibiting a number of photographs of
+foreign public buildings with which she had armed herself, surveyed the
+most ornate, holding it out with her head on one side, and exclaimed
+impressively, "This is more the sort of thing we should like. I think
+Mr. Parsons has already explained to you that he desired our house to be
+as handsome as possible."
+
+"I had endeavored to bear that in mind," Littleton retorted with spirit.
+"I believe that either of these plans would give you a house which would
+be handsome, interesting and in good taste."
+
+"It does not seem to me that there is anything unique about any of
+them," said Mrs. Parsons, with a cold sniff intended to be conclusive.
+Nor did Littleton's efforts to explain that elaboration in a private
+residence was liable to detract from architectural dignity and to
+produce the effect of vulgarity fall upon receptive soil. The rich man's
+wife listened in stony silence, at times raising her lorgnette to
+examine as a curiosity this young man who was telling her--an American
+woman who had travelled around the world and seen everything to be
+seen--how she ought to build her own house. The upshot of this interview
+was that Littleton was sent away with languid instructions to try again.
+He departed, thinking melancholy thoughts and with fire in his soul,
+which, for Selma's sake, he endeavored to keep out of his eyes.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+The departure of the Williamses to a smarter neighborhood was a trial
+for Selma. She nursed the dispiriting reflection that she and Wilbur
+might just as well be moving also; that a little foresight and
+shrewdness on her husband's part would have enabled him to sell at a
+handsome profit the house in which they were living; and that there was
+no reason, except the sheer, happy faculty of making the most of
+opportunities, to account for the social recognition which Flossy and
+her husband were beginning to receive. It had not been easy to bear with
+equanimity during the last year the ingenuous, light-hearted warblings
+in which Flossy had indulged as an outlet to her triumphant spirits, and
+to listen to naive recitals of new progress, as though she herself were
+a companion or ladies' maid, to whom such developments could never
+happen. She was weary of being merely a recipient of confidences and a
+sympathetic listener, and more weary still of being regarded as such by
+her self-absorbed and successful neighbor. Why should Flossy be so
+dense? Why should she play second fiddle to Flossy? Why should Flossy
+take for granted that she did not intend to keep pace with her? Keep
+pace, indeed, when, if circumstances would only shape themselves a
+little differently, she would be able speedily to outstrip her volatile
+friend in the struggle for social preferment.
+
+Not unnaturally their friendship had been somewhat strained by the
+simmering of these thoughts in Selma's bosom. If a recipient of
+confidences becomes tart or cold, ingenuous prattle is apt to flow less
+spontaneously. Though Flossy was completely self-absorbed, and
+consequently glad to pour out her satisfaction into a sympathetic ear,
+she began to realize that there was something amiss with her friend
+which mere conscientious disapproval of her own frivolities did not
+adequately explain. It troubled her somewhat, for she liked the
+Littletons and was proud of her acquaintance with them. However, she was
+conscious of having acquitted herself toward them with liberality, and,
+especially now that her social vista was widening, she was not disposed
+at first to analyze too deeply the cause of the lack of sympathy between
+them. That is, she was struck by Selma's offish manner and frigid
+silences, but forgot them until they were forced upon her attention the
+next time they met. But as her friend continued to receive her bubbling
+announcements with stiff indifference, Flossy, in her perplexity, began
+to bend her acute mental faculties more searchingly on her idol. A fixed
+point of view will keep a shrine sacred forever, but let a worshipper's
+perspective be altered, and it is astonishing how different the features
+of divinity will appear. Flossy had worshipped with the eyes of faith.
+Now that her adoration was rejected without apparent cause, her
+curiosity was piqued, and she sought an interpretation of the mystery
+from her clever wits. As she observed Selma more dispassionately her
+suspicion was stirred, and she began to wonder if she had been burning
+incense before a false goddess. This doubt was agitating her mind at the
+time when they moved from the street.
+
+Selma was unconscious of the existence of this doubt as she had been
+largely unconscious of her own sour demeanor. She had no wish to lose
+the advantages of intimate association with the Williamses. On the
+contrary, she expected to make progress on her own account by admission
+into their new social circle. She went promptly to call, and saw fit to
+show herself tactfully appreciative of the new establishment and more
+ready to listen to Flossy's volubility. Flossy, who was radiant and
+bubbling over with fresh experiences which she was eager to impart, was
+glad to dismiss her doubt and to give herself up to the delights of
+unbridled speech. She took Selma over her new house, which had been
+purchased just as it stood, completely furnished, from the previous
+owner, who had suffered financial reverses. "Gregory bought it because
+it was really a bargain," she said. "It will do very well for the
+present, but we intend to build before long. I am keeping my eye on your
+husband, and am expecting great things from the Parsons house. Do you
+know, I believe in Mr. Littleton, and feel sure that some day we shall
+wake up and find him famous."
+
+This was amiable, particularly as Flossy was very busily engaged in
+contemplating the brilliant progress of Gregory Williams and his wife.
+But Selma returned home feeling sore and dissatisfied. Flossy had been
+gracious, but still dense and naively condescending. Selma chose to
+foresee that her friend would neglect her, and her foresight was
+correct. The call was not returned for many weeks, although Flossy had
+assured her when they separated that distance would make no difference
+in their intimacy. But in the first place, her doubts recurred to Flossy
+after the departure of her visitor, and in the second, the agitations
+incident to her new surroundings, fortified by these doubts, made
+neglect easy. When she did call, Selma happened to be out. A few days
+later an invitation to dine with the Williamses arrived. Selma would
+have preferred to remain at home as a rebuke, but she was miserably
+conscious that Flossy would not perceive the point of the refusal. So
+she went, and was annoyed when she realized that the guests were only
+people whom she knew already--the Parsonses, and some of Gregory
+Williams's former associates, whom she had met at the old house. It was
+a pleasant dinner, apparently, to all except Selma. The entertainment
+was flatteringly lavish, and both the host and hostess with suavity put
+in circulation, under the rose, the sentiment that there are no friends
+like old friends--a graceful insincerity which most of them present
+accepted as true. Indeed, in one sense it was not an insincerity, for
+Gregory and his wife entertained cordial feelings toward them all. But
+on the other hand, Selma's immediate and bitter conclusion was also
+true, that the company had been invited together for the reason that, in
+the opinion of Flossy, they would not have harmonized well with anyone
+else.
+
+Said Wilbur as they drove away from the house--"Barring a few moments of
+agony in the society of my tormentor, Mrs. Parsons, I had a pleasant
+evening. They were obviously potting their old acquaintance in one pie,
+but to my thinking it was preferable to being sandwiched in between some
+of their new friends whom we do not know and who know nothing of us. It
+was a little evident, but on the whole agreeable."
+
+Selma, shrouded in her wraps, made no reply at first. Suddenly she
+exclaimed, with, fierceness, "I consider it rank impertinence. It was as
+much as to say that they do not think us good enough to meet their new
+friends."
+
+Littleton, who still found difficulty in remembering that his wife would
+not always enjoy the humor of an equivocal situation, was sorry that he
+had spoken. "Come, Selma," he said, "there's no use in taking that view
+of the matter. You would not really care to meet the other people."
+
+"Yes, I would, and she knows it. I shall never enter her house again."
+
+"As to that, my dear, the probabilities are that we shall not be asked
+for some time. You know perfectly well that, in the nature of things,
+your intimacy with Mrs. Williams must languish now that she lives at a
+distance and has new surroundings. She may continue to be very fond of
+you, but you can't hope to see very much of her, unless I am greatly
+mistaken in her character."
+
+"She is a shallow little worldling," said Selma, with measured
+intensity.
+
+"But you knew that already. The fact that she invited us to dinner and
+did not ignore our existence altogether shows that she likes us and
+wishes to continue the friendship. I've no doubt she believes that she
+is going to see a great deal of us, and you should blame destiny and the
+force of fashionable circumstances, not Flossy, if you drift apart."
+
+"She invited us because she wished to show off her new house."
+
+"Not altogether. You musn't be too hard on her."
+
+Selma moved her shoulders impatiently, and there was silence for some
+moments broken only by the tapping of her foot. Then she asked, "How
+nearly have you finished the plans for the Parsons house?"
+
+Wilbur's brow clouded under cover of the night. He hesitated an instant
+before replying, "I am sorry to say that Mrs. Parsons and I do not seem
+to get on very well together. Her ideas and mine on the subject of
+architecture are wide apart, as I have intimated to you once or twice. I
+have modified my plans again, and she has made airy suggestions which
+from my point of view are impossible. We are practically at loggerheads,
+and I am trying to make up my mind what I ought to do."
+
+There was a wealth of condensation in the word 'impossible' which
+brought back unpleasantly to Selma Pauline's use of the same word in
+connection with the estimate which had been formed of Miss Bailey.
+"There can be only one thing to do in the end," she said, "if you can't
+agree. Mrs. Parsons, of course, must have her house as she wishes it. It
+is her house, Wilbur."
+
+"It is her house, and she has that right, certainly. The question is
+whether I am willing to allow the world to point to an architectural
+hotch-potch and call it mine."
+
+"Isn't this another case of neglecting the practical side, Wilbur? I am
+sure you exaggerate the importance of the changes she desires. If I were
+building a house, I should expect to have it built to suit me, and I
+should be annoyed if the architect stood on points and were captious."
+Selma under the influence of this more congenial theme had partially
+recovered her equanimity. Her duty was her pleasure, and it was clearly
+her duty to lead her husband in the right path and save him from
+becoming the victim of his own shortcomings.
+
+Wilbur sighed. "I have told her," he said, "that I would submit another
+entirely new sketch. It may be that I can introduce some of her and her
+daughter's splurgy and garish misconceptions without making myself
+hopelessly ridiculous."
+
+He entered the house wearily, and as he stood before the hall table
+under the chandelier, Selma took him by the arm and turning him toward
+her gazed into his face. "I wish to examine you. Pauline said to me
+to-day that she thinks you are looking pale. I don't see that you are;
+no more so than usual. You never were rosy exactly. Do you know I have
+an idea that she thinks I am working you to death."
+
+"Pauline? What reason has she to think anything of the kind? Besides, I
+am perfectly well. It is a delight to work for a woman like you,
+dearest." He took her face between his hands and kissed her tenderly;
+yet gravely, too, as though the riddle of life did not solve itself at
+the touch of her lips. "You will be interested to hear," he added, "that
+I shall finish and send off the Wetmore College plans this week."
+
+"I am glad they are off your hands, for you will have more time for
+other work."
+
+"Yes. I think I may have done something worth while," he said,
+wistfully.
+
+"And I shall try not to be annoyed if someone else gets the award," she
+responded, smoothing down the sheen of her evening dress and regarding
+herself in the mirror.
+
+"Of course someone else may have taken equal pains and done a better
+thing. It is necessary always to be prepared for that."
+
+"That is the trouble. That is why I disapprove of competitions."
+
+"Selma, you are talking nonsense," Littleton exclaimed with sudden
+sternness.
+
+The decision in his tone made her start. The color mounted to her face,
+and she surveyed him for an instant haughtily, as though he had done her
+an injury. Then with an oratorical air and her archangel look, she said,
+"You do not seem to understand, Wilbur, that I am trying to save you
+from yourself."
+
+Littleton was ever susceptible to that look of hers. It suggested
+incarnate conscientiousness, and seemed incompatible with human
+imperfection or unworthy ambitions. He was too wroth to relent
+altogether, but he compressed his lips and returned her look
+searchingly, as though he would scrutinize her soul.
+
+"I'm bound to believe, I do believe, that you are trying to help me,
+Selma. I need your advice and help, even against myself, I dare say. But
+there are some matters of which you cannot judge so well as I. You must
+trust my opinion where the development of my professional life is
+concerned. I shall not forget your caution to be practical, but for the
+sake of expediency I cannot be false to what I believe true. Come, dear,
+let us go to bed."
+
+He put his hand on her arm to lead her upstairs, but she turned from it
+to collect her fan and gloves. Looking, not at him, but at herself in
+the mirror, she answered, "Of course. I trust, though, that this does
+not mean you intend to act foolishly in regard to the Parsons house."
+
+"I have already told you," he said, looking back, "that I am going to
+make another attempt to satisfy that exasperating woman and her
+daughter."
+
+"And you can satisfy them, I'm sure, if you only choose to," said Selma,
+by way of a firm, final observation.
+
+Littleton's prophecy in regard to the waning of friendship between his
+wife and Mrs. Williams proved to be correct. Propinquity had made them
+intimate, and separation by force of circumstances put a summary end to
+frequent and cordial intercourse between them. As he had predicted,
+their first invitation to the new house was still the last at the end of
+three months, and save for a few words on one occasion in the street,
+Selma and Flossy did not meet during that period. But during that same
+three months Selma's attention was constantly attracted to the
+Williamses by prominent newspaper allusions to their prosperity and
+growing fashionable prestige. What they did and where they went were
+chronicled in the then new style journalistic social gossip, and the
+every-day world was made familiar with his financial opinions and his
+equipages and her toilettes. The meeting in the street was an ordeal for
+Selma. Flossy had been shopping and was about to step into her carriage,
+the door of which was held open by an imposing liveried footman, when
+the two women nearly collided.
+
+"I have not seen you for an age," Flossy exclaimed, with the genuine
+ring of regret in her tone, with which busy people partially atone for
+having left undone the things they ought or would like to have done.
+"Which way are you going? Can't I take you somewhere?"
+
+Selma glanced sternly at the snug coupe and stylish horses. "No, we
+don't seem to meet very often," she said drily. "I'm living, though, at
+the same place," she added, with a determination to be sprightly.
+
+"Yes, I know; I owe you a call. It's dreadful of me. I've been intending
+to come, but you can't imagine how busy I've been. Such a number of
+invitations, and new things to be done. I'm looking forward to giving
+you a full account of my experiences."
+
+"I've read about them in the newspapers."
+
+"Oh, yes. Gregory is always civil to reporters. He says that the
+newspapers are one of the great institutions of the country, and that it
+is sensible to keep in touch with them. I will confide to you that I
+think the whole business vulgar, and I intend some day, when we are
+firmly established, to be ugly to them. But at present the publicity is
+rather convenient and amusing," she exclaimed, with a gay shake of her
+head, which set her ringlets bobbing.
+
+"I should think it would be unpleasant to have the details of one's
+appearance described by the press."
+
+Flossy's doubts had returned in full force during the conversation. She
+said to herself, "I wonder if that is true? I wonder if it wouldn't be
+the very thing she would like?" But she answered blithely, "Oh, one gets
+used to it. Then I can't take you anywhere? I'm sorry. Some day I hope
+my round of gayety will cease, so that we can have a quiet evening
+together. I miss your husband. I always find him suggestive and
+interesting."
+
+"'Her round of gayety! A quiet evening together!'" murmured Selma as she
+walked away. "Wilbur is right; purse-proud, frivolous little thing! She
+is determined to destroy our friendship."
+
+Four weeks subsequent to this meeting the newspapers contained a fulsome
+account of a dancing party given by Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Williams--"an
+elegant and recherche entertainment," in the language of the reporter. A
+list of the company followed, which Selma scrutinized with a brow like a
+thunder-cloud. She had acquired a feverish habit of perusing similar
+lists, and she recognized that Flossy's guests--among the first of whom
+were Mr. and Mrs. Morton Price and the Misses Price--were chiefly
+confined to persons whom she had learned to know as members of
+fashionable society. She read, in the further phraseology of the
+reporter, that "it was a small and select affair." At the end of the
+list, as though they had been invited on sufferance as a business
+necessity, were the Parsonses; but these were the only former associates
+of the Williamses. Selma had just finished her second reading of this
+news item when her meditation was interrupted by the voice of her
+husband, who had been silent during dinner, as though he had some matter
+on his mind, and was at the moment sitting close by, on the other side
+of the lamp which lighted the library table.
+
+"I fear you will be disappointed, Selma, but I have informed Mr. Parsons
+definitely this morning, that he must get another architect. The ideas
+of his wife and daughter are hopelessly at variance with mine. He seemed
+to be sorry--indeed, I should think he was a reasonable and sensible
+man--but he said that he was building to please Mrs. Parsons, and we
+both agreed that under the circumstances it was necessary that she
+should make a fresh start. He asked me to send my bill, and we parted on
+the best of terms. So it is all over, and except from the point of view
+of dollars and cents, I am very glad. Only the remembrance that you had
+set your heart on my making this my masterpiece, prevented me from
+throwing over the contract weeks ago. Tell me, Selma _mia_, that you
+approve of what I have done and congratulate me." He pulled forward his
+chair so that he might see her face without interference from the lamp
+and leaned toward her with frank appeal.
+
+"Yes, I had set my heart on it, and you knew it. Yet you preferred to
+give up this fine opportunity to show what you could do and to get
+business worth having rather than sacrifice your own ideas as to how a
+house should be built to the ideas of the women who were to live in it.
+I dare say I should agree with them, and that the things which they
+wished and you objected to were things I would have insisted on having."
+
+Littleton started as though she had struck him in the face. "Selma! My
+wife! Do you realize what you are saying?"
+
+"Perfectly."
+
+"Then--then--. Why, what have I said, what have I done that you should
+talk like this?"
+
+"Done? Everything. For one thing you have thrown away the chance for
+getting ahead in your profession which I procured for you. For another,
+by your visionary, unpractical ways, you have put me in the position
+where I can be insulted. Read that, and judge for yourself." She held
+out to him the newspaper containing the account of the dancing party,
+pointing with her finger to the obnoxious passage.
+
+With nervous hands Littleton drew the page under the light. "What is all
+this about? A party? What has it to do with our affairs?"
+
+"It has this to do with them--if you had been more practical and
+enterprising, our names would have been on that list."
+
+"I am glad they are not there."
+
+"Yes, I know. You would be content to have us remain nobodies all our
+days. You do not care what becomes of my life, provided you can carry
+out your own narrow theory of how we ought to live. And I had such faith
+in you, too! I have refused to believe until now that you were not
+trying to make the most of your opportunities, and to enable me to make
+the most of mine."
+
+"Selma, are you crazy? To think that you, the woman I have loved with
+all my soul, should be capable of saying such things to me! What does it
+mean?"
+
+She was quick to take advantage of his phrase. "Have loved? Yes, I know
+that you do not love me as you did; otherwise you could not have refused
+to build that house, against my wish and advice. It means this, Wilbur
+Littleton, that I am determined not to let you spoil my life. You forget
+that in marrying you I gave up my own ambitions and hopes for your sake;
+because--because I believed that by living together we should be more,
+and accomplish more, than by living apart. You said you needed me, and I
+was fool enough to believe it."
+
+The fierce tragedy in her tone lapsed into self-pity under the influence
+of her last thought, and Littleton, eager in his bewilderment for some
+escape from the horror of the situation, put aside his anger and
+dropping on his knees beside her tried to take her hands.
+
+"You are provoked, my darling. Do not say things which you will be sorry
+for to-morrow. I call God to witness that I have sought above all else
+to make you happy, and if I have failed, I am utterly miserable. I have
+needed you, I do need you. Do not let a single difference of opinion
+spoil the joy of both our lives and divide our hearts."
+
+She pulled her hands away, and shunning his endearment, rose to her
+feet.
+
+"I am provoked, but I know what I am saying. A single difference of
+opinion? Do you not see, Wilbur, that none of our opinions are the same,
+and that we look at everything differently? Even your religion and the
+God you call to witness are not mine. They are stiff and cold; you
+Unitarians permit your consciences to deaden your emotions and belittle
+your outlook on life. When I went with Mr. Parsons the other day to the
+Methodist church, I could not help thinking how different it was. I was
+thrilled and I felt I could do anything and be anything. My mother was a
+Methodist. They sang 'Onward Christian Soldiers,' and it was glorious."
+She paused a moment and, with an exalted look, seemed to be recalling
+the movement of the hymn. "With you, Wilbur, and the people like
+you--Pauline is the same--everything is measured and pondered over, and
+nothing is spontaneous. I like action, and progress and prompt, sensible
+conclusions. That is the American way, and the way in which people who
+succeed get on. But you won't see it--you can't see it. I've tried to
+explain it to you, and now--now it's too late. We're nobodies, and, if
+our hearts are divided, that's fate I suppose. It's a very cruel fate
+for me. But I don't choose to remain a nobody."
+
+Littleton's expression as she talked had changed from astonishment to
+anger, and from anger to a sternness which gave his words of response
+the effect of calm and final decision. "You have said so many things
+with which I do not agree, and which I should have to dispute, that I
+will not attempt to argue with you concerning them. One thing is clear,
+both of us have made a horrible mistake. Each has misunderstood the
+other. You are dissatisfied with me; I realize suddenly that you are
+utterly different from what I supposed. I am overwhelmed, but your words
+make plain many things which have distressed and puzzled me." He paused
+as though in spite of the certainty of his tone, he hoped that she would
+see fit to deny his conclusions. "We have made a mistake and we shall
+both be miserable--that must needs be--but we must consider whether
+there is any method by which we can be less unhappy. What would you like
+to have me do, Selma? We have no children, thank heaven! Would it be
+more agreeable to live apart from me and receive support? A divorce does
+not seem necessary. Besides, our misconception of each other would
+not be a legal cause."
+
+Selma flushed at the reference to divorce. Littleton's sad, simple
+statement wore on the surface no sign of a design to hark back to her
+experience with her first husband, yet she divined that it must be in
+his thoughts and she resented the recurrence. Moreover, separation,
+certainly for the present, went beyond her purpose.
+
+"I have no wish for divorce or separation. I see no reason why we should
+not continue to live as we are," she answered. "To separate would cause
+scandal. It is not necessary that people should know we have made a
+mistake. I shall merely feel more free now to live my own life--and
+there is no telling that you may not some day see things from my point
+of view and sympathize with me more." She uttered the last words with a
+mixture of pathos and bright solicitation.
+
+Littleton shook his head. "I agree with you that to go on as we are is
+our best course. As you say, we ought, if possible, to keep the
+knowledge of our sorrow to ourselves. God knows that I wish I could hope
+that our life could ever be as it was before. Too many things have
+become plain to me in the last half-hour to make that possible. I could
+never learn to accept or sympathize with your point of view. There can
+be no half-love with me, Selma. It is my nature to be frank, and as you
+are fond of saying, that is the American way. I am your husband still,
+and while I live you shall have my money and my protection. But I have
+ceased to be your lover, though my heart is broken."
+
+"Very well," said Selma, after a painful pause. "But you know, Wilbur,"
+she added in a tone of eager protestation, "that I do not admit for a
+moment that I am at fault. I was simply trying to help you. You have
+only yourself to blame for your unhappiness and--and for mine. I hope
+you understand that."
+
+"Yes, I understand that you think so," he said sadly.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+The breach between Littleton and his wife was too serious to be healed,
+for he was confronted by the conviction that Selma was a very different
+being from the woman whom he had supposed that he was marrying. He had
+been slow to harbor distrust, and loath, even in the face of her own
+words, to admit that he had misinterpreted her character; but this last
+conversation left no room for doubt. Selma had declared to him,
+unequivocally, that his ideas and theory of life were repugnant to her,
+and that, henceforth, she intended to act independently of them, so far
+as she could do so, and yet maintain the semblance of the married state.
+It was a cruel shock and disappointment to him. At the time of his
+marriage he would have said that the least likely of possible happenings
+would be self-deception as to the character of the woman he loved. Yet
+this was precisely what had befallen him.
+
+Having realized his mistake, he did not seek to flinch from the bitter
+truth. He saw clearly that their future relations toward each other must
+be largely formal; that tender comradeship and mutual soul alliance were
+at an end. At the same time his simple, direct conscience promptly
+indicated to him that it was his duty to recognize Selma's point of view
+and endeavor to satisfy it as far as he could without sacrifice of his
+own principles. He chose to remember that she, too, had made a mistake,
+and that he was not the kind of husband whom she desired; that his
+tastes were not her tastes, nor his ambitions her's; that she had tastes
+and ambitions of her own which he, as the man to whom she was bound by
+the law, must not disregard. Thus reasoning, he resolved to carry out
+the scheme of life which she appeared to despise, but also to work hard
+to provide her with the means to fulfil her own aims. She craved money
+for social advancement. She should have it from him, for there was no
+other source from which she could obtain it. The poignancy of his own
+sorrow should not cause him to ignore that she had given up her own
+career and pursuits in order to become his wife, and was now
+disappointed and without independent resources. His pride was sorely
+wounded, his ideals shattered and his heart crushed; yet, though he
+could not forbear from judging Selma, and was unconscious of having
+failed in his obligations to her as a husband and a man, he saw what she
+called her side, and he took up the thread of life again under the spur
+of an intention to give her everything but love.
+
+On her part Selma felt aggrieved yet emancipated. She had not looked for
+any such grave result from her vituperation. She had intended to reprove
+his surrender of the Parsons's contract, in direct opposition to her own
+wishes, with the severity it deserved, and to let him understand clearly
+that he was sacrificing her happiness, no less than his own, by his
+hysterical folly. When the conversation developed stubborn resistance on
+his part, and she realized that he was defending and adhering to his
+purpose, a righteous sense of injury became predominant in her mind over
+everything else. All her past wrongs cried for redress, and she rejoiced
+in the opportunity of giving free vent to the pent up grievances which
+had been accumulating for many months. Even then it was startling to her
+that Wilbur should suddenly utter the tragic ultimatum that their
+happiness was at an end, and hint at divorce. She considered that she
+loved him, and it had never occurred to her that he could ever cease to
+love her. Rather than retract a word of her own accusations she would
+have let him leave her, then and there, to live her own life without
+protection or support from him, but his calmer decision that they should
+continue to live together, yet apart, suited her better. In spite of his
+resolute mien she was sceptical of the seriousness of the situation. She
+believed in her heart that after a few days of restraint they would
+resume their former life, and that Wilbur, on reflection, would
+appreciate that he had been absurd.
+
+When it became apparent that he was not to be appeased and that his
+threat had been genuine, Selma accepted the new relation without demur,
+and prepared to play her part in the compact as though she had been
+equally obdurate in her outcry for her freedom. She met reserve with
+reserve, maintaining rigorously the attitude that she had been wronged
+and that he was to blame. Meantime she watched him narrowly, wondering
+what his grave, sad demeanor and solicitous politeness signified. When
+presently it became plain to her that not merely she was to be free to
+follow her own bent, but that he was ready to provide her with the means
+to carry out her schemes, she regarded his liberality as weakness and a
+sign that he knew in his heart that she was in the right. Immediately,
+and with thinly concealed triumph, she planned to utilize the new
+liberty at her disposal, purging any scruples from her conscience by the
+generous reflection that when Wilbur's brow unbent and his lips moved
+freely she would forgive him and proffer him once more her conjugal
+counsel and sympathy. She was firmly of the opinion that, unless he thus
+acknowledged his shortcomings and promised improvement, the present
+arrangement was completely to her liking, and that confidence and
+happiness between them would be utterly impossible. She shed some tears
+over the thought that unkind circumstances had robbed her of the love by
+which she had set such store and which she, on her part, still
+cherished, but she comforted herself with the retort that its loss was
+preferable to sacrificing weakly the development of her own ideas and
+life to its perpetuation.
+
+Her flush of triumph was succeeded, however, by a discontented mood,
+because cogitation constrained her to suspect that her social progress
+might not be so rapid as her first rosy visions had suggested. She
+counted on being able to procure the participation of Wilbur
+sufficiently to preserve the appearance of domestic harmony. This would
+be for practical purposes a scarcely less effective furtherance of her
+plans than if he were heartily in sympathy with them. Were there not
+many instances where busy husbands took part in the social undertakings
+of their wives, merely on the surface, to preserve appearances? The
+attitude of Wilbur seemed reasonably secure. That which harassed her as
+the result of her reflections and efforts to plan was the unpalatable
+consciousness that she did not know exactly what to do, and that no one,
+even now that she was free, appeared eager to extend to her the hand of
+recognition. She was prompt to lay the blame of this on her husband. It
+was he who, by preventing her from taking advantage of the social
+opportunities at their disposal, had consigned her to this eddy where
+she was overlooked. This seemed to her a complete excuse, and yet,
+though she made the most of it, it did not satisfy her. Her helplessness
+angered her, and aroused her old feelings of suspicion and resentment
+against the fashionable crew who appeared to be unaware of her
+existence. She was glad to believe that the reason they ignored her was
+because she was too serious minded and spiritual to suit their frivolous
+and pleasure-loving tastes. Sometimes she reasoned that the sensible
+thing for her to do was to break away from her present life, where
+convention and caste trammelled her efforts, and make a name for herself
+as an independent soul, like Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle and other
+free-born women of the Republic. With satisfaction she pictured herself
+on the lecture platform uttering burning denunciation of the un-American
+social proclivities of this shallow society, and initiating a crusade
+which should sweep it from existence beneath the ban of the moral sense
+of the thoughtful people of the country.
+
+But more frequently she nursed her resentment against Mrs. Williams, to
+whom she ascribed the blame of her isolation, reasoning that if Flossy
+had been a true friend, not even Wilbur's waywardness would have
+prevented her social recognition and success. That, instead, this
+volatile, fickle prattler had used her so long as she needed her, and
+then dropped her heartlessly. The memory of Flossy's ball still rankled
+deeply, and appeared to Selma a more obvious and more exasperating
+insult as the days passed without a sign of explanation on the part of
+her late neighbor, and as her new projects languished for lack of a few
+words of introduction here and there, which, in her opinion, were all
+she needed to ensure her enthusiastic welcome as a social leader. The
+appreciation that without those words of introduction she was helpless
+for the time being focused her resentment, already keen, on the
+successful Flossy, whose gay doings had disappeared from the public
+prints in a blaze of glory with the advent of the Lenten season.
+Refusing to acknowledge her dependence, Selma essayed several spasmodic
+attempts to assert herself, but they proved unsatisfactory. She made the
+most of Mr. Parsons's predilection for her society, which had not been
+checked by Wilbur's termination of the contract. She was thus enabled to
+affiliate with some of their new friends, but she was disagreeably
+conscious that she was not making real progress, and that Mr. and Mrs.
+Parsons and their daughter had, like herself, been dropped by the
+Williamses--dropped skilfully and imperceptibly, yet none the less
+dropped. Two dinner parties, which she gave in the course of a fortnight
+to the most important of these new acquaintances, by way of manifesting
+to Wilbur her intention to enjoy her liberty at his expense, left her
+depressed and sore.
+
+It was just at this time that Flossy took it into her head to call on
+her--one of her first Lenten duties, as she hastened to assure Selma,
+with glib liveliness, as soon as she entered. Flossy was in too exalted
+a frame of mind, too bubbling over with the desire to recite her
+triumphs, to have in mind either her doubts concerning Selma or the need
+of being more than mildly apologetic for her lack of devotion. She felt
+friendly, for she was in good humor, and was naively desirous to be
+received in the same spirit, so that she might unbosom herself
+unreservedly. Sweeping into the room, an animated vision of smiling,
+stylish cordiality, she sought, as it were, to carry before her by force
+of her own radiant mood all obstacles to an amiable reception.
+
+"My dear, we haven't met for ages. Thank heaven, Lent has come, and now
+I may see something of you. I said to Gregory only yesterday that I
+should make a bee-line for your house, and here I am. Well, dear, how
+are you? All sorts of things have happened, Selma, since we've had a
+real chat together. Do you remember my telling you--of course you
+do--not long after Gregory and I were married that I never should be
+satisfied until one thing happened? Well, you may congratulate me; it
+has happened. We dined a week ago to-night with my cousins--the Morton
+Prices--a dinner of fourteen, all of them just the people I wished to
+know. Wasn't it lovely? I have waited for it to come, and I haven't
+moved a finger to bring it about, except to ask them to my dancing
+party--I had to do that, for after all they are my relations. They
+accepted and came and I was pleased by it; but they could easily have
+ignored me afterward if they had wished. What really pleased me, Selma,
+was their asking me to one of their select dinners, because--because it
+showed that we are--"
+
+Flossy's hesitation was due partly to the inherent difficulty of
+expressing her thought with proper regard for modesty. With her rise in
+life she had learned that unlimited laudation of self was not altogether
+consistent with "fitness," even in such a confidential interview as the
+present. But she was also disconcerted by the look in Selma's eyes--a
+look which, at first startled into momentary friendliness by the
+suddenness of the onslaught, had become more and more lowering until it
+was unpleasantly suggestive of scornful dislike. While she thus
+faltered, Selma drily rounded out the sentence with the words, "Because
+it showed that you are somebodies now."
+
+Flossy gave an embarrassed little laugh. "Yes, that's what I meant. I
+see you have a good memory, and it sounds nicer on your lips than it
+would on mine."
+
+"You have come here to-day on purpose to tell me this?" said Selma.
+
+"I thought you would be interested to hear that my cousins had
+recognized me at last. I remember, you thought it strange that they
+should take so little notice of me." Flossy's festive manner had
+disappeared before the tart reception of her confidences, and her keen
+wits, baffled in their search for flattery, recalled the suspicions
+which were only slumbering. She realized that Selma was seriously
+offended with her, and though she did not choose to acknowledge to
+herself that she knew the cause, she had already guessed it. An
+encounter at repartee had no terrors for her, if necessary, and the
+occasion seemed to her opportune for probing the accumulating mysteries
+of Selma's hostile demeanor. Yet, without waiting for a response to her
+last remark, she changed the subject, and said, volubly, "I hear that
+your husband has refused to build the new Parsons house because Mrs.
+Parsons insisted on drawing the plans."
+
+Selma's pale, tense face flushed. She thought for a moment that she was
+being taunted.
+
+"That was Mr. Littleton's decision, not mine."
+
+"I admire his independence. He was quite right. What do Mrs. Parsons or
+her daughter know about architecture? Everybody is laughing at them. You
+know I consider your husband a friend of mine, Selma."
+
+"And we were friends, too, I believe?" Selma exclaimed, after a moment
+of stern silence.
+
+"Naturally," responded Flossy, with a slightly sardonic air, prompted by
+the acerbity with which the question was put.
+
+"Then, if we were friends--are friends, why have you ceased to associate
+with us, simply because you live in another street and a finer house?"
+
+Flossy gave a gasp. "Oh," she said to herself, "it's true. She is
+jealous. Why didn't I appreciate it before?"
+
+"Am I not associating with you now by calling on you, Selma?" she said
+aloud. "I don't understand what you mean."
+
+"You are calling on me, and you asked us to dinner to meet--to meet just
+the people we knew already, and didn't care to meet; but you have never
+asked us to meet your new friends, and you left us out when you gave
+your dancing party."
+
+"You do not dance."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I have never associated you with dancing. I assumed that you did not
+dance."
+
+"What grounds had you for such an assumption?"
+
+"Really, Selma, your catechism is most extraordinary. Excuse my smiling.
+And I don't know how to answer your questions--your fierce questions any
+better. I didn't ask you to my party because I supposed that you and
+your husband were not interested in that sort of thing, and would not
+know any of the people. You have often told me that you thought they
+were frivolous."
+
+"I consider them so still."
+
+"Then why do you complain?"
+
+"Because--because you have not acted like a friend. Your idea of
+friendship has been to pour into my ears, day after day, how you had
+been asked to dinner by this person and taken up by that person, until I
+was weary of the sound of your voice, but it seems not to have occurred
+to you, as a friend of mine, and a friend and admirer of my husband, to
+introduce us to people whom you were eager to know, and who might have
+helped him in his profession. And now, after turning the cold shoulder
+on us, and omitting us from your party, because you assumed I didn't
+dance, you have come here this morning, in the name of friendship, to
+tell me that your cousins, at last, have invited you to dinner. And yet
+you think it strange that I'm not interested. That's the only reason you
+came--to let me know that you are a somebody now; and you expected me,
+as a friend and a nobody, to tell you how glad I am."
+
+Flossy's eyes opened wide. Free as she was accustomed to be in her own
+utterances, this flow of bitter speech delivered with seer-like
+intensity was a new experience to her. She did not know whether to be
+angry or amused by the indictment, which caused her to wince
+notwithstanding that she deemed it slander. Moreover the insinuation
+that she had been a bore was humiliating.
+
+"I shall not weary you soon again with my confidences," she answered.
+"So it appears that you were envious of me all the time--that while you
+were preaching to me that fashionable society was hollow and
+un-American, you were secretly unhappy because you couldn't do what I
+was doing--because you weren't invited, too. Oh, I see it all now; it's
+clear as daylight. I've suspected the truth for some time, but I've
+refused to credit it. Now everything is explained. I took you at your
+word; I believed in you and your husband and looked up to you as
+literary people--people who were interested in fine and ennobling
+things. I admired you for the very reason that I thought you didn't
+care, and that you didn't need to care, about society and fashionable
+position. I kept saying to you that I envied you your tastes, and let
+you see that I considered myself your real inferior in my determination
+to attract attention and oblige society to notice us. I was guileless
+and simpleton enough to tell you of my progress--things I would have
+blushed to tell another woman like myself--because I considered you the
+embodiment of high aims and spiritual ideas, as far superior to mine as
+the poetic star is superior to the garish electric light. I thought it
+might amuse you to listen to my vanities. Instead, it seems you were
+masquerading and were eating your heart out with envy of me--poor me.
+You were ambitious to be like me."
+
+"I wouldn't be like you for anything in the world."
+
+"You couldn't if you tried. That's one of the things which this
+extraordinary interview has made plain beyond the shadow of a doubt. You
+are aching to be a social success. You are not fit to be. I have found
+that out for certain to-day."
+
+"It is false," exclaimed Selma, with a tragic intonation. "You do not
+understand. I have no wish to be a social success. I should abhor to
+spend my life after the manner of you and your associates. What I object
+to, what I complain of, is that, in spite of your fine words and
+pretended admiration of me, you have preferred these people, who are
+exclusive without a shadow of right, to me who was your friend, and that
+you have chosen to ignore me for the sake of them, and behaved as if you
+thought I was not their equal or your equal. That is not friendship, it
+is snobbishness--un-American snobbishness."
+
+"It is very amusing. Amusing yet depressing," continued Flossy, without
+heed to this asseveration. "You have proved one of my ideals to be a
+delusion, which is sad." She had arisen and stood gently swaying pendent
+by its crook her gay parasol, with her head on one side, and seeming for
+once to be choosing her words judicially. "When we met first and I
+nearly rushed into your arms, I was fascinated, and I said to myself
+that here was the sort of American woman of whom I had dreamed--the sort
+of woman I had fondly imagined once that I might become. I saw you were
+unsophisticated and different from the conventional women to whom I was
+accustomed, and, even at first, the things you said every now and then
+gave me a creepy feeling, but you were inspiring to look at--though now
+that the scales have fallen from my eyes I wonder at my infatuation--and
+I continued to worship you as a goddess on a pedestal. I used to say to
+Gregory, 'there's a couple who are to the manner born; they never have
+to make believe. They are genuinely free and gentle souls.' Your
+husband? I can't believe that I have been deluded in regard to him,
+also. I just wonder if you appreciate him--if it is possible that he has
+been deluded, also. That's rank impertinence, I know; but after all, we
+are unbosoming our thoughts to each other to-day, and may as well speak
+openly. You said just now that it was his decision not to go on with the
+Parsons house. Did you disapprove of it?"
+
+"Yes, I disapproved of it," answered Selma with flashing eyes. "And what
+if I did?"
+
+She rose and stood confronting her visitor as though to banish her from
+the house.
+
+"I'm going," said Flossy. "It's none of my concern of course, and I'm
+aware that I appear very rude. I'm anxious though not to lose faith in
+your husband, and now that I've begun to understand you, my wits are
+being flooded with light. I was saying that you were not fit to be a
+social success, and I'm going to tell you why. No one else is likely to,
+and I'm just mischievous and frank enough. You're one of those American
+women--I've always been curious to meet one in all her glory--who
+believe that they are born in the complete panoply of flawless
+womanhood; that they are by birthright consummate house-wives, leaders
+of the world's thought and ethics, and peerless society queens. All this
+by instinct, by heritage, and without education. That's what you
+believe, isn't it? And now you are offended because you haven't been
+invited to become a leader of New York society. You don't understand,
+and I don't suppose you ever will understand, that a true lady--a
+genuine society queen--represents modesty and sweetness and
+self-control, and gentle thoughts and feelings; that she is evolved by
+gradual processes from generation to generation, not ready made. Oh, you
+needn't look at me like that. I'm quite aware that if I were the genuine
+article I shouldn't be talking to you in this fashion. But there's hope
+for me because I'm conscious of my shortcomings and am trying to correct
+them; whereas you are satisfied, and fail to see the difference between
+yourself and the well-bred women whom you envy and sneer at. You're
+pretty and smart and superficial and--er--common, and you don't know it.
+I'm rather dreadful, but I'm learning. I don't believe you will ever
+learn. There! Now I'm going."
+
+"Go!" cried Selma with a wave of her arm. "Yes, I am one of those women.
+I am proud to be, and you have insulted by your aspersions, not only me,
+but the spirit of independent and aspiring American womanhood. You don't
+understand us; you have nothing in common with us. You think to keep us
+down by your barriers of caste borrowed from effete European courts, but
+we--I--the American people defy you. The time will come when we shall
+rise in our might and teach you your place. Go! Envy you? I would not
+become one of your frivolous and purposeless set if you were all on your
+bended knees before me."
+
+"Oh, yes you would," exclaimed Flossy, glancing back over her shoulder.
+"And it's because you've not been given the chance that we have
+quarrelled now."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+The morning after her drastic interview with Mrs. Williams, Selma
+studied herself searchingly in her mirror. Of all Flossy's candid
+strictures the intimation that she was not and never would be completely
+a lady was the only one which rankled. The effrontery of it made her
+blood boil; and yet she consulted her glass in the seclusion of her
+chamber in order to reassure herself as to the spiteful falsity of the
+criticism. Wild horses would not have induced her to admit even to
+herself that there was the slightest ground for it; still it rankled,
+thereby suggesting a sub-consciousness of suspicion on the look out for
+just such a calumny.
+
+She gave Littleton her own version of the quarrel. Her explanation was
+that she had charged Flossy with a lack of friendship in failing to
+invite her to her ball, and convicted her of detestable snobbery; that
+she had denounced this conduct in vigorous language, that they had
+parted in anger, and that all intercourse between them was at an end.
+
+"We understand each other now," she added. "I have felt for some time
+that we were no longer sympathetic; and that something of this kind was
+inevitable. I am glad that we had the chance to speak plainly, for I was
+able to show her that I had been waiting for an excuse to cut loose from
+her and her frivolous surroundings. I have wearied my spirit long enough
+with listening to social inanities, and in lowering my standards to hers
+for the sake of appearing friendly and conventional. That is all over
+now, thank heaven."
+
+It did not occur to Selma that there was any inconsistency in these
+observations, or that they might appear a partial vindication of her
+husband's point of view. The most salient effect of her encounter with
+Flossy had been suddenly to fuse and crystallize her mixed and seemingly
+contradictory ambitions into utter hostility to conventional fashionable
+society. Even when her heart had been hungering for an invitation to
+Flossy's ball, she considered that she despised these people, but the
+interview had served to establish her in the glowing faith that they, by
+their inability to appreciate her, had shown themselves unworthy of
+further consideration. The desire which she had experienced of late for
+a renewal of her intimacy with Mrs. Earle and a reassertion of her
+former life of independent feminine activity had returned to her,
+coupled with the crusading intention to enroll herself openly once more
+in the army of new American women, whose impending victorious campaign
+she had prophesied in her retort to Mrs. Williams's maledictions. She
+had, in her own opinion, never ceased to belong to this army, and she
+felt herself now more firmly convinced than ever that the course of life
+of those who had turned a cold shoulder on her was hostile to the spirit
+of American institutions. So far as her husband was concerned,
+imaginative enterprise and the capacity to take advantage of
+opportunities still seemed to her of the essence of fine character.
+Indeed, she was not conscious of any change in her point of view. She
+had resented Flossy's charge that she desired to be a social success,
+and had declared that her wounded feelings were solely due to Flossy's
+betrayal of friendship, not to balked social ambition. Consequently it
+was no strain on her conscientiousness to feel that her real sentiments
+had always been the same.
+
+Nevertheless she scrutinized herself eagerly and long in her mirror, and
+the process left her serious brow still clouded. She saw in the glass
+features which seemed to her suggestive of superior womanhood, a slender
+clear-cut nose, the nostrils of which dilated nervously, delicately
+thin, compressed lips, a pale, transparent complexion, and clear,
+steel-like, greenish-brown eyes looking straight and boldly from an
+anxious forehead surmounted with a coiffure of elaborately and smoothly
+arranged hair. She saw indisputable evidence that she had ceased to be
+the ethically attractive, but modishly unsophisticated and physically
+undeveloped girl, who had come to New York five years before, for her
+figure was compact without being unduly plump, her cheeks becomingly
+oval, and her toilette stylish. There were rings on her fingers, and her
+neck-gear was smart. Altogether the vision was satisfactory, yet she
+recognized as she gazed that her appearance and general effect were not
+precisely those of Flossy, Pauline, or Mrs. Hallett Taylor. She had
+always prided herself on the distinction of her face, and admired
+especially its freedom from gross or unintellectual lines. She did not
+intend to question its superiority now; but Flossy's offensive words
+rang in her ears and caused her to gnaw her lips with annoyance. What
+was the difference between them? Flossy had dared to call her common and
+superficial; had dared to insinuate that she never could be a lady. A
+lady? What was there in her appearance not lady-like? In what way was
+she the inferior of any of them in beauty, intelligence or character?
+Rigorous as was the scrutiny, the face in the mirror seemed to her an
+unanswerable refutation of the slander. What was the difference? Was it
+that her eyes were keener and brighter, her lips thinner and less
+fleshly, her general expression more wide-awake and self-reliant? If so,
+were these not signs of superiority; signs that they, not she, were
+deficient in the attributes of the best modern womanhood in spite of
+their affectation of exclusiveness?
+
+The result of this process of self-examination in her looking-glass,
+which was not limited to a single occasion, established more firmly than
+ever in Selma's opinion the malignant falsity of the imputation, and yet
+she was still haunted by it. She was tortured by the secret thought
+that, though her ambition had been to become just like those other
+women, she was still distinguishable from them; and moreover, that she
+was baffled in her attempt to analyze the distinction. Distinguishable
+even from Flossy--from Flossy, who had slighted and then reviled her!
+Why had she ever faltered in her distrust of these enemies of true
+American society? Yet this lingering sense of torture served to whet her
+new-found purpose to have done with them forever, and to obtain the
+recognition and power to which she was entitled, in spite of their
+impertinence and neglect.
+
+The announcement was made to her by Wilbur at about this time that his
+plans for Wetmore College had been accepted, and that he was to be the
+architect of the new buildings. As he told her his face showed a
+tremulous animation which it had not worn for many weeks, and he
+regarded her for a moment with shy eagerness, as though he half hoped
+that this vindication of his purposes by success might prompt her to
+tender some sort of apology, and thus afford him the chance to persuade
+himself that he had been mistaken after all in his judgment of her.
+
+"You must be very much pleased," she said. "And so am I, of course."
+Then, after a moment of reflective abstraction, she asked with sudden
+eagerness, "How long will it take to build them?"
+
+"Two or three years, I suppose."
+
+"And you would be obliged to go frequently to Benham?"
+
+"In order to oversee the work I should have to make short trips there
+from time to time."
+
+"Yes. Wilbur," she exclaimed, with her exalted expression, "why
+shouldn't we go to Benham to live? I have been thinking a great deal
+lately about what we said to each other that time when you felt so
+badly, and I have come to the conclusion that our living in New York is
+what is really the trouble. I have the feeling, Wilbur, that in some
+other place than this cruel, conventional city we should be happier than
+we are now--indeed, very happy. Has it ever occurred to you? You see,
+New York doesn't understand me; it doesn't understand you, Wilbur. It
+sneers at our aspirations. Benham is a growing, earnest city--a city
+throbbing with the best American spirit and energy. I suggest Benham
+because we both know it so well. The college buildings would give you a
+grand start, and I--we both would be in our proper sphere."
+
+Littleton had started at the suggestion. As a drowning man will grasp at
+a straw, his grieving soul for an instant entertained the plan as a
+panacea for their woes. But his brow grew grave and sad under the
+influence of reflection as she proceeded to set forth her reasons in her
+wrapt fashion. If he had not learned to remain cold under the witchery
+of her intense moods, he no longer hesitated to probe her fervid
+assertions with his self-respecting common-sense.
+
+"I would he willing to go to the ends of the earth, Selma," he answered,
+"if I believed that by so doing you and I could become what we once were
+to each other. But I cannot see why we should hope to be happier in
+Benham than here, nor do I agree with you that this is not our proper
+sphere. I do not share your sentiments in regard to New York; but
+whatever its faults, New York is the place where I have established
+myself and am known, and where the abilities which I possess can be
+utilized and will be appreciated soonest. Benham is twenty-five years
+behind this city in all things which concern art and my professional
+life, as you well know."
+
+Selma flushed. "On the contrary, I have reason to believe that Benham
+has made wonderful progress in the last five years. My friends there
+write that there are many new streets and beautiful buildings, and that
+the spirit of the place is enthusiastic and liberal, not luxurious and
+sneering. You never appreciated Benham at its true worth, Wilbur."
+
+"Perhaps not. But we chose New York."
+
+"Then you insist on remaining here?"
+
+"I see no reason for sacrificing the fruits of the past five years--for
+pulling myself up by the roots and making a fresh start. From a
+professional point of view, I think it would be madness."
+
+"Not even to save our happiness?" Selma's eyes swam and her lips
+trembled as she spoke. She felt very miserable, and she yearned with the
+desire that her husband would clasp her in his arms in a vast embrace,
+and tell her that she was right and that he would go. She felt that if
+he did, the horror of the past would be wiped out and loving harmony be
+restored.
+
+Wilbur's lips trembled, too. He gazed at her for a moment without
+speaking, in conflict with himself; then passing his hand across his
+forehead, as though he would sweep away a misty spell from his eyes,
+said, "Be sensible, Selma. If we could be happy in Benham, we should be
+happy here."
+
+"Then you refuse?"
+
+"For the present, yes."
+
+"And I must remain here to be insulted--and a nobody."
+
+"For God's sake, Selma, let us not renew that discussion. What you ask
+is impossible at present, but I shall remember that it is your wish, and
+when I begin my work at Benham the circumstances and surroundings may be
+such that I shall feel willing to move."
+
+Selma turned to the table and took up a book, dissatisfied, yet buoyed
+by a new hope. She did not observe the tired lines on her husband's
+face--the weariness of a soul disappointed in its most precious
+aspirations.
+
+Within the next month it happened that a terrible and unusual fatality
+was the occasion of the death of both Mrs. Parsons and her daughter.
+They were killed by a fall of the elevator at the hotel in which they
+were living--one of those dire casualties which are liable to happen to
+any one of us in these days of swift and complicated apparatus, but
+which always seem remote from personal experience. This cruel blow of
+fate put an end to all desire on the part of the bereaved husband and
+father to remain in New York, whither he had come to live mainly to
+please his women folk, as he called them. As soon as he recovered from
+the bewilderment of the shock, Mr. Parsons sent for the architect who
+had taken Littleton's place, and who had just begun the subservient task
+of fusing diverse types of architecture in order to satisfy an American
+woman's appetite for startling effect, and told him to arrange to
+dispose of the lot and its immature walls to the highest bidder. His
+precise plans for the future were still uncertain when Selma called on
+him, and found comfort for her own miseries in ministering to his
+solitude, but he expressed an inclination to return to his native
+Western town, as the most congenial spot in which to end his days.
+Selma, whose soul was full of Benham, suggested it as an alternative,
+enlarging with contagious enthusiasm on its civic merits. The crushed
+old man listened with growing attention. Already the germs of a plan for
+the disposition of his large property were sprouting in his mind to
+provide him with a refuge from despondency. He was a reticent man, not
+in the habit of confiding his affairs until ready to act, but he paid
+interested heed to Selma's eulogy of the bustling energy and rapid
+growth of Benham. His preliminary thought had been that it would make
+him happy to endow his native town, which was a small and inconspicuous
+place, with a library building. But, as his visitor referred to the
+attractions and admirable public spirit of the thriving city, which was
+in the same State as his own home, he silently reasoned that residence
+there need not interfere with his original project, and that he might
+find a wide and more important field for his benefactions in a community
+so representative of American ideas and principles.
+
+Selma's visits of condolence to Mr. Parsons were interrupted by the
+illness of her own husband. In reflecting, subsequently, she remembered
+that he had seemed weary and out of sorts for several days, but her
+conscious attention was invoked by his coming home early in the
+afternoon, suffering from a violent chill, and manifestly in a state of
+physical collapse. He went to bed at once; Selma brought blankets and a
+hot-water bottle, and Dr. George Page was sent for. Dr. Page was the one
+of Littleton's friends whom Selma had unsuccessfully yearned to know
+better. She had never been able to understand him exactly, but he
+fascinated her in spite of--perhaps because of--his bantering manner.
+She found difficulty in reconciling it with his reputation for hard work
+and masterly skill in his profession. She was constantly hoping to
+extract from him something worthy of his large, solid face, with its
+firm mouth and general expression of reserve force, but he seemed always
+bent on talking nonsense in her society, and more than once the
+disagreeable thought had occurred to her that he was laughing at her. He
+had come to the house after her marriage now and then, but during the
+past year or two she had scarcely seen him. The last time when they had
+met, Selma had taxed him with his neglect of her.
+
+His reply had been characteristically elusive and unsatisfactory. "I
+will not attempt to frame excuses for my behavior, Mrs. Littleton, for
+no reason which I could offer would be a justification."
+
+But on the present occasion his greeting was grave and eager.
+
+"Wilbur sick? I feared as much. I warned Pauline two months ago that he
+was overworking, and only last week I told him that he would break down
+if he did not go away for a fortnight's rest."
+
+"I wish you had spoken to me."
+
+Selma noted with satisfaction that there was no raillery in his manner
+now. He bent his gaze on her searchingly.
+
+"Have you not noticed that he looked ill and tired?"
+
+She did not flinch. Why indeed should she? "A little. He tired himself,
+I think, over the designs for Wetmore College, which he did in addition
+to his other work. But since the award was made it has seemed to me that
+he was looking better."
+
+She started to lead the way to Wilbur's room, but the doctor paused, and
+regarding her again fixedly, as though he had formed a resolution to
+ferret the secrets of her soul, said laconically:
+
+"Is he happy?"
+
+"Happy?" she echoed.
+
+"Has he anything on his mind, I mean--anything except his work?"
+
+"Nothing--that is," she added, looking up at her inquisitor
+with bright, interested eyes, "nothing except that he is very
+conscientious--over-conscientious I sometimes think." To be bandying
+psychological analyses with this able man was an edifying experience
+despite her concern for Wilbur.
+
+"I see," he answered dryly, and for an instant there was a twinkle in
+his eyes. Yet he added, "To make a correct diagnosis it is important to
+know all the facts of the case."
+
+"Of course," she said solemnly, reassured in her belief that she was
+being consulted and was taking part in the treatment of her husband's
+malady.
+
+She accompanied Dr. Page to Wilbur's bed-side. He conversed in a cheery
+tone with his friend while he took his temperature and made what seemed
+to her a comparatively brief examination. Selma jumped to the conclusion
+that there was nothing serious the matter. The moment they had left the
+room, the doctor's manner changed, and he said with alert concern:
+
+"Your husband is very ill; he has pneumonia. I am going to send for a
+nurse."
+
+"A nurse? I will nurse him myself, Dr. Page."
+
+It seemed to her the obvious thing to do. She spoke proudly, for it
+flashed into her mind that here was the opportunity to redeem the
+situation with Wilbur. She would tend him devotedly and when he had been
+restored to health by her loving skill, perhaps he would appreciate her
+at her worth, and recognize that she had thwarted him only to help him.
+
+The doctor's brow darkened, and he said with an emphasis which was
+almost stern: "Mrs. Littleton, I do not wish to alarm you, but it is
+right that you should know that Wilbur's symptoms are grave. I hope to
+save his life, but it can be saved only by trained skill and attendance.
+Inexperienced assistance, however devoted, would be of no use in a case
+like this."
+
+"But I only wished to nurse him."
+
+"I know it; I understand perfectly. You supposed that anyone could do
+that. At least that you could. I shall return in an hour at the latest
+with a nurse who was trained for three years in a hospital to fit her to
+battle for valuable lives."
+
+Selma flushed with annoyance. She felt that she was being ridiculed and
+treated as though she were an incapable doll. She divined that by his
+raillery he had been making fun of her, and forthwith her predilection
+was turned to resentment. Not nurse her husband? Did this brow-beating
+doctor realize that, as a girl, she had been the constant attendant of
+her invalid father, and that more than once it had occurred to her that
+her true mission in life might be to become a nurse? Training? She would
+prove to him that she needed no further training. These were her
+thoughts, and she felt like crying, because he had humiliated her at a
+time like this. Yet she had let Dr. Page go without a word. She returned
+to Wilbur and established herself beside his bed. He tried to smile at
+her coming.
+
+"I think I shall be better to-morrow. It is only a heavy cold," he said,
+but already he found difficulty in speaking.
+
+"I have come to nurse you. The blankets and hot-water bottle have made
+you warmer, haven't they? Nod; you mustn't talk."
+
+"Yes," he whispered huskily.
+
+She felt his forehead, and it was burning. She took his hand and saying,
+"Sh! You ought not to talk," held it in her own. Then there was silence
+save for Wilbur's uneasy turning. It was plain that he was very
+uncomfortable. She realized that he was growing worse, and though she
+chose to believe that the doctor had exaggerated the seriousness of the
+case in order to affront her, the thought came that he might die. She
+had never considered such a possibility before. What should she do? She
+would be a widow without children and without means, for she knew that
+Wilbur had laid up little if anything. She would have to begin life over
+again--a pathetic prospect, yet interesting. Even this conjecture of
+such a dire result conjured up a variety of possible methods of
+livelihood and occupation which sped through her mind.
+
+The return of Dr. Page with a nurse cut short these painful yet
+engrossing speculations. His offensive manner appeared to have exhausted
+itself, but he proceeded to install his companion in Wilbur's room.
+Selma would have liked to turn her out of the house, but realized that
+she could not run the risk of taking issue with him at a time when her
+husband's life might be in danger. With an injured air yet in silence
+she beheld the deliberate yet swift preparations. Once or twice Dr. Page
+asked her to procure for him some article or appliance likely to be in
+the house, speaking with a crisp, business-like preoccupation which
+virtually ignored her existence, yet was free from offence. His soul
+evidently was absorbed by his patient, whom he observed with alert
+watchfulness, issuing brief directions now and then to his white-capped,
+methodical, and noiseless assistant. Selma sat with her hands before her
+in a corner of the bed-room, practically ignored. The shadows deepened
+and a maid announced dinner. Dr. Page looked at his watch.
+
+"I shall pass the night here," he said.
+
+"Is he worse?"
+
+"The disease is making progress and must run its course. This is only
+the beginning. You should eat your dinner, for you will need your
+strength," he added with simple graciousness.
+
+"But I am doing nothing," she blurted.
+
+"If there is anything you can do I will let you know."
+
+Their eyes met. His were gray and steady, but kind. She felt that he
+chose to treat her like a child, yet that he was trying to be
+considerate. She was galled, but after all, he was the doctor, and
+Wilbur had the utmost confidence in him, so she must submit. She ate her
+dinner, and when she returned preparations were being made for the
+night. The nurse was to use a lounge at the foot of Wilbur's bed. Dr.
+Page asked permission to occupy the dressing-room adjoining, so as to be
+within easy call. He established himself there with a book, returning at
+short intervals to look at his patient. Selma had resumed her seat. It
+was dark save for a night lamp. In the stillness the only sounds were
+the ticking of the clock on the mantel-piece and Wilbur's labored
+breathing. It seemed as though he were struggling for his life. What
+should she do if he died? Why was she debarred from tending him? It was
+cruel. Tears fell on her hand. She stared into the darkness, twisting
+her fingers, until at last, as though to show her independence, she
+stepped to the bed on tip-toe. Wilbur's eyes were open. He put out his
+hand, and, taking hers, touched it to his burning lips.
+
+"Good-night, Selma," he murmured.
+
+She stooped and kissed his brow. "I am here beside you, Wilbur."
+
+A figure stood behind her. She turned, expecting to encounter the
+white-capped sentinel. It was Dr. Page. He touched her gently on the
+arm. "We must let him rest now. You can do no good. Won't you go to
+bed?"
+
+"Oh, no. I shall sit with him all night."
+
+"Very well. But it is important that you should not speak to him," he
+said with another touch of emphasis.
+
+She resumed her seat and sat out the night, wide-awake and conscious of
+each movement on Wilbur's part. He was restless and moaning. Twice the
+nurse summoned the doctor, and two or three times he came to the
+bed-side of his own accord. She felt slighted, and once, when it seemed
+to her that Wilbur was in distress and anxious for something, she
+forestalled the nurse.
+
+"He wishes water," Selma said sternly, and she fetched a glass from the
+table and let him drink.
+
+Dr. Page took breakfast with her. She was conscious that somehow her
+vigil had affected his estimate of her, for his speech was frank and
+direct, as though he considered her now more fit to be treated with
+confidence.
+
+"He is very ill, but he is holding his own. If you will lie down for a
+few hours, I will call you to take Miss Barker's place while she rests."
+
+This was gratifying, and tended to assuage her bitterness. But the
+doctor appeared to her anxious, and spent only a few minutes at table.
+He said as he rose,
+
+"Excuse me, but Pauline--does she know?"
+
+"I will send her word."
+
+Selma would have been glad to dispense with the presence of her
+sister-in-law. Their relations had not been sympathetic since the
+episode of Miss Bailey, and, though Pauline still dined at the house
+once a week, the intercourse between them had become reserved and
+perfunctory. She grudged sharing with her what might be Wilbur's last
+hours. She grudged, too, permitting her to help to nurse him, especially
+now that her own capabilities were in the way of being recognized, for
+she remembered Dr. Page's partiality for her. Still, she appreciated
+that she must let her know.
+
+Pauline arrived speedily, and Selma found herself sobbing in her arms.
+She was pleased by this rush of feeling on her own part, and, confirmed
+in her belief that her sister-in-law was cold because she did not break
+down, and, shrinking from her efforts to comfort her, she quickly
+regained her self-control. Pauline seemed composed and cheerful, but the
+unceasing watchfulness and manifest tension of the doctor were
+disconcerting, and as the afternoon shadows deepened, the two women sat
+grave and silent, appalled by the suspicion that Wilbur's condition was
+eminently critical. Yet Dr. Page volunteered to say to them presently:
+
+"If his heart holds out, I am hopeful that he will pull through."
+
+Dr. Page had given up all his duties for the sake of Wilbur. He never
+left the house, manifestly devoting, as shown by the unflagging,
+absorbed scrutiny with which he noted every symptom and change, the
+fullest measure of his professional skill and a heart-felt purpose to
+save his friend's life if human brain or human concentration could
+avail. And yet he stated to Pauline in Selma's hearing that, beyond
+keeping up the patient's strength by stimulants, science was practically
+helpless, and that all they could do was to wait.
+
+And so they sat, still and unemployed watchers, while day turned into
+darkness. From time to time, by the night-lamp, Selma saw Pauline
+smiling at her as though in defiance of whatever fate might have in
+store. Selma herself felt the inclination neither to smile nor to weep.
+She sat looking before her with her hands clasped, resenting the
+powerlessness of the few remedies used, and impatient of the inactivity
+and relentless silence. Why did not the doctor adopt more stringent
+measures? Surely there was something to be done to enable Wilbur to
+combat the disease. Dr. Page had the reputation of being a skilful
+physician, and, presumably, was doing his best; but was it not possible,
+was it not sensible, to suppose there was a different and better way of
+treating pneumonia--a way which was as superior to the conventional and
+stereotyped method as the true American point of view was superior in
+other matters?
+
+It came over her as a conviction that if she were elsewhere--in Benham,
+for instance--her husband could be readily and brilliantly cured. This
+impassive mode of treatment seemed to her of one piece with the entire
+Littleton surroundings, the culmination of which was Pauline smiling in
+the face of death. She yearned to do something active and decided. Yet,
+how helpless she was! This arbitrary doctor was following his own
+dictates without a word to anyone, and without suspecting the existence
+of wiser expedients.
+
+In a moment of rebellion she rose, and swiftly approaching Wilbur's bed,
+exclaimed, fervently: "Is there not something we can do for you,
+darling? Something you feel will do you good?"
+
+The sufferer faintly smiled and feebly shook his head, and at the same
+moment she was drawn away by a firm hand, and Dr. Page whispered: "He is
+very weak. Entire rest is his only chance. The least exertion is a drain
+on his vitality."
+
+"Surely there must be some medicine--some powerful application which
+will help his breathing," she retorted, and she detected again the
+semblance of laughter in the doctor's eyes.
+
+"Everything which modern science can do is being done, Mrs. Littleton."
+
+What was there but to resume her seat and helpless vigil? Modern
+science? The word grated on her ears. It savored to her of narrow
+medical tyranny, and distrust of aspiring individuality. Wilbur was
+dying, and all modern science saw fit to do was to give him brandy and
+wait. And she, his wife--the one who loved him best in the world, was
+powerless to intervene. Nay, she had intervened, and modern science had
+mocked her.
+
+Selma's eyes, like the glint of two swords, bent themselves on her
+husband's bed. A righteous anger reinforced her grieving heart and made
+her spirit militant, while the creeping hours passed. Over and over she
+pursued the tenor of her protest until her wearied system sought refuge
+in sleep. She was not conscious of slumbering, but she reasoned later
+that she must have slept, for she suddenly became conscious of a touch
+on the shoulder and a vibrant utterance of her name.
+
+"Selma, Selma, you must come at once."
+
+Her returning wits realized that it was Pauline who was arousing her and
+urging her to Wilbur's bed-side. She sprang forward, and saw the light
+of existence fading from her husband's eyes into the mute dulness of
+death. Dr. Page was bending over him in a desperate, but vain, effort to
+force some restorative between his lips. At the foot of the bed stood
+the nurse, with an expression which betrayed what had occurred.
+
+"What is it, Wilbur? What have they done to you? What has happened?"
+Selma cried, looking from one to the other, though she had discerned the
+truth in a flash. As she spoke, Dr. Page desisted from his undertaking,
+and stepped back from the bed, and instantly Selma threw herself on her
+knees and pressed her face upon Littleton's lifeless features. There was
+no response. His spirit had departed.
+
+"His heart could not stand the strain. That is the great peril in
+pneumonia," she heard the doctor murmur.
+
+"He is dead," she cried, in a horrified outburst, and she looked up at
+the pitying group with the gaze of an afflicted lioness. She caught
+sight of Pauline smiling through her tears--that same unprotesting,
+submissive smile--and holding out her hands to her. Selma, rising,
+turned away, and as her sister-in-law sought to put her arm about her,
+evaded the caress.
+
+"No--no," she said. Then facing her, added, with aggrieved conviction:
+
+"I cannot believe that Wilbur's death was necessary. Why was not
+something energetic done?"
+
+Pauline flushed, but, ascribing the calumny to distress, she held her
+peace, and said, simply:
+
+"Sh! dear. You will understand better by and by."
+
+
+
+
+BOOK III.
+
+THE SUCCESS
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+It had never occurred to Selma that she might lose her husband. Even
+with his shortcomings he was so important to her from the point of view
+of support, and her scheme of life was so interwoven with his, she had
+taken for granted that he would live as long as she desired. She felt
+that destiny had a second time been signally cruel to her, and that she
+was drinking deeply of the cup of sorrow. She was convinced that Wilbur,
+had he lived, would have moved presently to Benham, in accordance with
+her desire, and that they would then have been completely happy again.
+Instead he was dead and under the sod, and she was left to face the
+world with no means save $5,000 from his life insurance and the natural
+gifts and soul which God had given her.
+
+She appreciated that she was still a comparatively young woman, and
+that, notwithstanding her love for Wilbur, she had been unable as his
+wife to exhibit herself to the world in her true light. She was free
+once more to lead her own life, and to obtain due recognition for her
+ideas and principles. She deplored with a grief which depleted the curve
+of her oval cheeks the premature end of her husband's artistic
+career--an aspiring soul cut off on the threshold of success--yet,
+though of course she never squarely made the reflection, she was aware
+that the development of her own life was more intrinsically valuable to
+the world than his, and that of the two it was best that he should be
+taken. She was sad, sore against Providence, and uncertain as to the
+future. But she was keenly conscious that she had a future, and she was
+eager to be stirring. Still, for the moment, the outlook was perplexing.
+What was she to do? First, and certainly, she desired to shake the dust
+of New York from her feet at the earliest opportunity. She inclined
+toward Benham as a residence, and to the lecture platform, supplemented
+by literature, and perhaps eventually the stage, as a means of
+livelihood. She believed in her secret soul that she could act. Her
+supposed facility in acquiring the New York manner had helped to
+generate that impression. It seemed to her more than probable that with
+a little instruction as to technical stage business she could gain fame
+and fortune almost at once as an actress of tragedy or melodrama. Comedy
+she despised as unworthy of her. But the stage appealed to her only on
+the ground of income. The life of an actress lacked the ethical
+character which she liked to associate with whatever she did. To be
+sure, a great actress was an inspiring influence. Nevertheless she
+preferred some more obviously improving occupation, provided it would
+afford a suitable support. Yet was it fitting that she should be
+condemned to do hack work for her daily bread instead of something to
+enlighten and uplift the community in which she lived? She considered
+that she had served her apprenticeship by teaching school and writing
+for the newspapers, and she begrudged spending further time in
+subordinate work. Better on the whole a striking success on the stage
+than this, for after she had made a name and money she could retire and
+devote herself to more congenial undertakings. Nevertheless her
+conscience told her that a theatrical career must be regarded as a last
+resort, and she appreciated the importance of not making a hasty
+decision as to what she would do. The lease of her house would not
+expire for six months, and it seemed to her probable that even in New
+York, where she was not understood, someone would realize her value as a
+manager of some intellectual or literary movement and make overtures to
+her. She wrote to Mrs. Earle and received a cordial response declaring
+that Benham would welcome her with open arms, a complimentary though
+somewhat vague certificate. She sent a line also to Mr. Dennison,
+informing him that she hoped soon to submit some short stories for his
+magazine, and received a guarded but polite reply to the effect that he
+would be glad to read her manuscripts.
+
+While she was thus deliberating and winding up her husband's affairs,
+Mr. Parsons, who had been absent from New York at the time of Wilbur's
+decease, called and bluntly made the announcement that he had bought a
+house in Benham, was to move there immediately, and was desirous that
+she should live with him as his companion and housekeeper on liberal
+pecuniary terms.
+
+"I am an old man," he said, "and my health is not what it used to be. I
+need someone to look after me and to keep me company. I like your chatty
+ways, and, if I have someone smart and brisk around like you, I sha'n't
+be thinking so often that I'm all alone in the world. It'll be dull for
+you, I guess; but you'll be keeping quiet for the present wherever you
+are; and when the time comes that you wish to take notice again I won't
+stand in the way of your amusing yourself."
+
+To this homely plea Selma returned a beatific smile. It struck her as an
+ideal arrangement; a golden opportunity for him, and convenient and
+promising for her. In the first place she was accorded the mission of
+cheering and guarding the declining years of this fine old man, whom she
+had come to look on with esteem and liking. And at the same time as his
+companion--the virtual mistress of his house, for she knew perfectly
+well that as a genuine American he was not offering her a position less
+than this--she would be able to shape her life gradually along congenial
+lines, and to wait for the ripe occasion for usefulness to present
+itself. In an instant a great load was lifted from her spirit. She was
+thankful to be spared conscientious qualms concerning the career of an
+actress, and thankful to be freed at one bound from her New York
+associations--especially with Pauline, whose attitude toward her had
+been further strained by her continued conviction that Wilbur's life
+might have been saved. Indeed, so completely alleviating was Mr.
+Parsons's proposition that, stimulated by the thought that he was to be
+a greater gainer from the plan than she, Selma gave rein to her emotions
+by exclaiming with fervor:
+
+"Usually I like to think important plans over before coming to a
+decision; but this arrangement seems to me so sensible and natural and
+mutually advantageous, Mr. Parsons, that I see no reason why I shouldn't
+accept your offer now. God grant that I may be a worthy daughter to
+you--and in some measure take the place of the dear ones you have lost."
+
+"That's what I want," he said. "I took a liking to you the first time we
+met. Then it's settled?"
+
+"Yes. I suppose," she added, after a moment's hesitation--speaking with
+an accent of scorn--"I suppose there may be people--people like those
+who are called fashionable here--who will criticise the arrangement on
+the ground--er--of propriety, because I'm not a relation, and you are
+not very old. But I despise conventions such as that. They may be
+necessary for foreigners; but they are not meant for self-respecting
+American women. I fancy my sister-in-law may not wholly approve of it,
+but I don't know. I shall take pleasure in showing her and the rest that
+it would be wicked as well as foolish to let a flimsy suggestion of evil
+interfere with the happiness of two people situated as we are."
+
+Mr. Parsons seemed puzzled at first, as though he did not understand
+exactly what she meant, but when she concluded he said:
+
+"You come to me, as you have yourself stated, on the footing of a
+daughter. If folk are not content to mind their own business, I guess we
+needn't worry because they don't happen to be suited. There's one or two
+relations of mine would be glad to be in your shoes, but I don't know of
+anything in the Bible or the Constitution of the United States which
+forbids an old man from choosing the face he'll have opposite to him at
+table."
+
+"Or forbids the interchange of true sympathy--that priceless privilege,"
+answered Selma, her liking for a sententious speech rising paramount
+even to the pleasure caused her by the allusion to her personal
+appearance. Nevertheless it was agreeable to be preferred to his female
+cousins on the score of comeliness.
+
+Accordingly, within six months of her husband's death, the transition to
+Benham was accomplished, and Selma was able to encounter the
+metaphorically open arms, referred to by Mrs. Earle, without feeling
+that she was a less important person than when she had been whisked off
+as a bride by Littleton, the rising architect. She was returning as the
+confidential, protecting companion of a successful, self-made old man,
+who was relying on her to make his new establishment a pleasure to
+himself and a credit to the wide-awake city in which he had elected to
+pass his remaining days. She was returning to a house on the River Drive
+(the aristocratic boulevard of Benham, where the river Nye makes a broad
+sweep to the south); a house not far distant from the Flagg mansion at
+which, as Mrs. Lewis Babcock, she had looked askance as a monument
+inimical to democratic simplicity. Wilbur had taught her that it was
+very ugly, and now that she saw it again after a lapse of years she was
+pleased to note that her new residence, though slightly smaller, had a
+more modern and distinguished air.
+
+The new house was of rough-hewn red sandstone, combining solid dignity
+and some artistic merit, for Benham had not stood still architecturally
+speaking. The River Drive was a grotesque, yet on the whole encouraging
+exhibit. Most of the residences had been designed by native talent, but
+under the spur of experiment even the plain, hard-headed builders had
+been constrained to dub themselves "architects," and adopt modern
+methods; and here and there stood evidences that the seed planted by
+Mrs. Hallett Taylor and Littleton had borne fruit, for Benham possessed
+at least half a dozen private houses which could defy criticism.
+
+The one selected by Mr. Parsons was not of these half dozen; but the
+plain, hard-headed builder who had erected it for the original owner was
+shrewd and imitative, and had avoided ambitious deviations from the type
+he wished to copy--the red sandstone, swell front variety, which ten
+years before would have seemed to the moral sense of Benham unduly
+cheerful. Mr. Parsons was so fortunate as to be able to buy it just
+after it had been completed, together with a stable and half an acre of
+ground, from one of the few Benhamites whose financial ventures had
+ended in disaster, and who was obliged to sell. It was a more ambitious
+residence than Mr. Parsons had desired, but it was the most available,
+inasmuch as he could occupy it at once. It had been painted and
+decorated within, but was unfurnished. Mr. Parsons, as a practical
+business man, engaged the builder to select and supply the bedroom and
+solid fittings, but it occurred to him to invite Selma to choose the
+furnishings for what he called the show rooms.
+
+Selma was delighted to visit once more the New York stores, free from
+the bridle of Wilbur's criticism and unrestrained by economy. She found
+to her satisfaction that the internal decoration of the new house was
+not unlike that of the Williamses' first habitation--that is, gay and
+bedizened; and she was resolved in the selection of her draperies and
+ornaments to buy things which suggested by their looks that they were
+handsome, and whose claim to distinction was not mere sober
+unobtrusiveness. She realized that some of her purchases would have made
+Wilbur squirm, but since his death she felt more sure than ever that
+even where art was concerned his taste was subdued, timid, and
+unimaginative. For instance, she believed that he would not have
+approved her choice of light-blue satin for the upholstery of the
+drawing-room, nor of a marble statue--an allegorical figure of Truth,
+duly draped, as its most conspicuous ornament.
+
+Selma was spared the embarrassment of her first husband's presence.
+Divorce is no bar to ordinary feminine curiosity as to the whereabouts
+of a former partner for life, and she had proved no exception to the
+rule. Mrs. Earle had kept her posted as to Babcock's career since their
+separation, and what she learned had tended merely to demonstrate the
+wisdom and justice of her action. As a divorced man he had, after a
+time, resumed the free and easy, coarse companionship to which he had
+been partial before his marriage, and had gradually become a heavy
+drinker. Presently he had neglected his business, a misfortune of which
+a rival concern had been quick to take advantage. The trend of his
+affairs had been steadily downhill, and had come to a crisis three
+months before Littleton's death, when, in order to avoid insolvency, he
+sold out his factory and business to the rival company, and accepted at
+the same hands the position of manager in a branch office in a city
+further west. Consequently, Selma could feel free from molestation or an
+appeal to her sensibilities. She preferred to think of Babcock as
+completely outside her life, as dead to her, and she would have disliked
+the possibility of meeting him in the flesh while shopping on Central
+avenue. It had been the only drawback to her proposed return to Benham.
+
+During the years of Selma's second marriage Benham had waxed rapidly in
+population and importance. People had been attracted thither by the
+varied industries of the city--alike those in search of fortune, and
+those offering themselves for employment in the mills, oil-works, and
+pork factories; and at the date of Littleton's death it boasted over one
+hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. It was already the second city
+of the State in point of population, and was freely acknowledged to be
+the most wide-awake and enterprising. The civic spirit of Benham was
+reputed to be constantly and increasingly alert and progressive,
+notwithstanding the river Nye still ran the color of bean-soup above
+where it was drawn for drinking purposes, and the ability of a plumber,
+who had become an alderman, to provide a statue or lay out a public park
+was still unquestioned by the majority. Even to-day, when trained
+ability has obtained recognition in many quarters, the Benhamites at
+large are apt to resent criticism as aristocratic fault-finding; yet at
+this time that saving minority of souls who refused to regard everything
+which Benham did as perfection, and whose subsequent forlorn hopes and
+desperately won victories have little by little taught the community
+wisdom, if not modesty, was beginning to utter disagreeable strictures.
+
+Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle, when she opened her arms to Selma and folded
+her to her bosom with a hug of welcome, was raging inwardly against this
+minority, and they had not been many minutes together before she gave
+utterance to her grievance.
+
+"You have come just in time to give us your sympathy and support in an
+important matter, my dear. Miss Bailey has been nominated for the School
+Board at the instance of the Executive Committee of the Benham
+Institute. We supposed that she would have plain sailing, for many of
+the voters have begun to recognize the justice of having one or two
+women on the School Board, and by hard work we had succeeded in getting
+her name put on the Democratic ticket. Judge, then, of our feelings when
+we learned that the Reform Club had decided to blacklist and refuse to
+support at the polls three of the six names on the ticket, including our
+Luella Bailey, on the ground of lack of experience in educational
+matters. The Reform Club has nominated three other persons--one of them
+a woman. And who do you suppose is the head and front of this unholy
+crusade?"
+
+"It sounds like Mrs. Hallett Taylor," answered Selma, sternly.
+
+"How did you know? What made you think so? How clever of you, Selma!
+Yes, she is the active spirit."
+
+"It was she who was at the bottom of Miss Bailey's rejection when she
+was my candidate for a position at Everdean College."
+
+"To be sure. I remember. This Reform Club, which was started a year or
+so ago, and which sets itself up as a censor of what we are trying to do
+in Benham, has nominated a Miss Snow, who is said to have travelled
+abroad studying the school systems of Europe."
+
+"As if that would help us in any way."
+
+"Precisely. She has probably come home with her head full of
+queer-fangled notions which would be out of keeping with our
+institutions. Just the reason why she shouldn't be chosen. We are
+greatly troubled as to the result, dear, for though we expect to win,
+the prejudice of some men against voting for a woman under any
+circumstances will operate against our candidate, so that this action of
+the Reform Club may possibly be the means of electing one of the men on
+the Republican ticket instead of Luella. Miss Snow hasn't the ghost of a
+chance. But that isn't all. These Reform Club nominations are
+preliminary to a bill before the Legislature to take away from the
+people the right to elect members of the school committee, and
+substitute an appointive board of specialists to serve during long terms
+of good behavior. As Mr. Lyons says, that's the real issue involved.
+It's quixotic and it isn't necessary. Haven't we always prided ourselves
+on our ability to keep our public schools the best in the world? And is
+there any doubt, Selma, that either you or I would be fully qualified to
+serve on the School Board though we haven't made any special study of
+primers and geographies? Luella Bailey hasn't had any special training,
+but she's smart and progressive, and the poor thing would like the
+recognition. We fixed on her because we thought it would help her to get
+ahead, for she has not been lucky in obtaining suitable employment. As
+Mr. Lyons says, a serious principle is involved. He has come out strong
+against the movement and declares that it is a direct menace to the
+intelligence of the plain people of the United States and a subtle
+invasion of their liberties."
+
+"Mr. Lyons? What Mr. Lyons is that?"
+
+"Yes, dear, it is the same one who managed your affair. Your Mr. Lyons.
+He has become an important man since you left Benham. He speaks
+delightfully, and is likely to receive the next Democratic nomination
+for Congress. He is in accord with all liberal movements, and a foe of
+everything exclusive, unchristian or arbitrary. He has declared his
+intention to oppose the bill when it is introduced, and I shall devote
+myself body and soul to working against it in case Luella Bailey is
+defeated. It is awkward because Mrs. Taylor is a member of the
+Institute, though she doesn't often come, and the club has never been in
+politics. But here when there was a chance to do Luella Bailey a good
+turn, and I'd been able through some of my newspaper friends to get her
+on the ticket, it seems to me positively unchristian--yes, that's the
+word--to try to keep her off the board. There are some things of course,
+Luella couldn't do--and if the position were superintendent of a
+hospital, for instance, I dare say that special training would be
+advantageous, though nursing can be picked up very rapidly by a keen
+intelligence: but to raise such objections in regard to a candidate for
+the School Board seems to me ridiculous as well as cruel. What
+we need there are open, receptive minds, free from fads and
+prejudice--wide-awake, progressive enthusiastic intellects. It worries
+me to see the Institute dragged into politics, but it is my duty to
+resist this undemocratic movement."
+
+"Surely," exclaimed Selma, with fire. "I am thankful I have come in time
+to help you. I understand exactly. I have been passing through just such
+experiences in New York--encountering and being rebuffed by just such
+people as those who belong to this Reform Club. My husband was beginning
+to see through them and to recognize that we were both tied hand and
+foot by their narrowness and lack of enthusiasm when he died. If he had
+lived, we would have moved to Benham shortly in order to escape from
+bondage. And one thing is certain, dear Mrs. Earle," she continued with
+intensity, "we must not permit this carping spirit of hostility to
+original and spontaneous effort to get a foothold in Benham. We must
+crush it, we must stamp it out."
+
+"Amen, my dear. I am delighted to hear you talk like that. I declare you
+would be very effective in public if you were roused."
+
+"Yes, I am roused, and I am willing to speak in public if it becomes
+necessary in order to keep Benham uncontaminated by the insidious canker
+of exclusiveness and the distrust of aspiring souls which a few narrow
+minds choose to term untrained. Am _I_ untrained? Am _I_ superficial and
+common? Do _I_ lack the appearance and behavior of a lady?"
+
+Selma accompanied these interrogatories with successive waves of the
+hand, as though she were branding so many falsehoods.
+
+"Assuredly not, Selma. I consider you"--and here Mrs. Earle gasped in
+the process of choosing her words--"I consider you one of our best
+trained and most independent minds--cultured, a friend of culture, and
+an earnest seeker after truth. If you are not a lady, neither am I,
+neither is anyone in Benham. Why do you ask, dear?" And without waiting
+for an answer, Mrs. Earle added with a touch of material wisdom, "You
+return to Benham under satisfactory, I might say, brilliant auspices.
+You will be the active spirit in this fine house, and be in a position
+to promote worthy intellectual and moral movements."
+
+"Thank heavens, yes. And to combat those which are unworthy and
+dangerous," exclaimed Selma, clasping her fingers, "I can count on the
+support of Mr. Parsons, God bless him! And it would seem at last as if I
+had, a real chance--a real chance at last. Mrs. Earle--Cora--I know you
+can keep a secret. I feel almost as though you were my mother, for there
+is no one else now to whom I can talk like this. I have not been happy
+in New York. I thought I was happy at first, but lately we have been
+miserable. My marriage--er--they drove my husband to the wall, and
+killed him. He was sensitive and noble, but not practical, and he fell a
+victim to the mercenary despotism of our surroundings. When I tried to
+help him they became jealous of me, and shut their doors in our faces."
+
+"You poor, poor child. I have suspected for some time that something was
+wrong."
+
+"It nearly killed me. But now, thank heaven, I breathe freely once more.
+I have lost my dear husband, but I have escaped from that prison-house;
+and with his memory to keep me merciless, I am eager to wage war against
+those influences which are conspiring to fetter the free-born soul and
+stifle spontaneity. Luella Bailey must be elected, and these people be
+taught that foreign ideas may flourish in New York, but cannot obtain
+root in Benham."
+
+Mrs. Earle wiped her eyes, which were running over as the result of this
+combination of confidence and eloquence.
+
+"If you don't mind my saying so, Selma, I never saw anyone so much
+improved as you. You always had ideas, and were well equipped, but now
+you speak as though you could remove mountains if necessary. It's a
+blessing for us as well as you that you're back among us once more."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+When Selma uttered her edict that Luella Bailey must be elected she did
+not know that the election was only three days off. When she was told
+this by Mrs. Earle, she cast about feverishly during a few hours for the
+means to compass certain victory, then promptly and sensibly disclaimed
+responsibility for the result, suggesting even that her first appearance
+as a remover of mountains be deferred to the time when the bill should
+be before the Legislature. As she aptly explained to Mrs. Earle, the
+canvass was virtually at an end, she was unacquainted with the practical
+features of the situation, and was to all intents a stranger in Benham
+after so long an absence. Mrs. Earle was unable to combat the logic of
+these representations, but she obtained from Selma a ready promise to
+accompany the Benham Institute to the final rally on the evening before
+election day and sit in a prominent place on the platform. The Institute
+was to attend as a body by way of promoting the cause of its candidate,
+for though the meeting was called in aid of the entire Democratic
+municipal ticket, Hon. James O. Lyons, the leading orator of the
+occasion, had promised to devote special attention to Miss Bailey, whose
+election, owing to the attitude of the Reform Club, was recognized as in
+doubt. Selma also agreed to accompany Mrs. Earle in a hack on the day
+itself, and career through the city in search of recalcitrant or
+indifferent female voters, for the recently acquired right of Benham
+women to vote for members of the School Board had not as yet been
+exercised by any considerable number of the emancipated sex.
+
+As a part of the programme of the meeting the Benham Institute, or the
+major portion of it (for there were a few who sympathized openly with
+Mrs. Taylor), filed showily on to the platform headed by Mrs. Earle, who
+waved her pocket handkerchief at the audience, which was the occasion
+for renewed hand-clapping and enthusiasm. Selma walked not far behind
+and took her seat among the forty other members, who all wore white silk
+badges stamped in red with the sentiment "A vote for Luella Bailey is a
+vote for the liberty of the people." Her pulses were throbbing with
+interest and pleasure. This was the sort of thing she delighted in, and
+which she had hoped would be a frequent incident of her life in New
+York. It pleased her to think how naturally and easily she had taken her
+place in the ranks of these earnest, enthusiastic workers, and that she
+had merely to express a wish in order to have leadership urged upon her.
+Matters had shaped themselves exactly as she desired. Mr. Parsons not
+only treated her completely as an equal, but consulted her in regard to
+everything. He had already become obviously dependent on her, and had
+begun to develop the tendencies of an invalid.
+
+The exercises were of a partisan cast. The theory that municipal
+government should be independent of party politics had been an adage in
+Benham since its foundation, and been disregarded annually by
+nine-tenths of the population ever since. This was a Democratic
+love-feast. The speakers and the audience alike were in the best of
+spirits, for there was no uncertainty in the minds of the party prophets
+as to the result of the morrow's ballot--excepting with regard to Miss
+Bailey. The rest of the ticket would unquestionably be elected;
+accordingly all hands and voices were free to focus their energies in
+her behalf and thus make the victory a clean sweep. Nevertheless the
+earlier speakers felt obliged to let their eloquence flow over the whole
+range of political misgovernment from the White House and the national
+platform down, although the actual issue was the choice of a mayor,
+twelve aldermen and a school committee, so that only casual reference
+was made to the single weak spot on the ticket until the Hon. James O.
+Lyons rose to address the meeting. The reception accorded him was more
+spontaneous and effusive than that which had been bestowed on either of
+his predecessors, and as he stood waiting with dignified urbanity for
+the applause to subside, some rapturous admirer called for three cheers,
+and the tumult was renewed.
+
+Selma was thrilled. Her acquaintance with Mr. Lyons naturally heightened
+her interest, and she observed him eagerly. Time had added to his
+corporeal weight since he had acted as her counsel, and enhanced the
+sober yet genial decorum of his bearing. His slightly pontifical air
+seemed an assurance against ill-timed levity. His cheeks were still fat
+and smooth shaven, but, like many of the successful men of Benham, he
+now wore a chin beard--a thick tuft of hair which in his case tapered so
+that it bore some resemblance to the beard of a goat, and gave a
+rough-and-ready aspect to his appearance suggestive alike of smart,
+solid worth and an absence of dandified tendencies. Mr. Parsons had a
+thicker beard of the same character, which Selma regarded with favor as
+a badge of serious intentions.
+
+"My friends," he began when the applause had subsided; then paused and
+surveyed his audience in a manner which left them in doubt as to whether
+he was struggling with emotion or busy in silent prayer. "My friends, a
+month ago to-day the citizens of Benham assembled to crown with
+appropriate and beautiful services the monument which they, the
+survivors, have erected with pious hands to perpetuate the memory of
+those who laid down their lives to keep intact our beloved union of
+States and to banish slavery forever from the confines of our aspiring
+civilization. A week ago an equally representative assembly, without
+regard to creed or party, listened to the exercises attending the
+dedication of the new Court House which we have raised to Justice--that
+white-robed goddess, the guardian of the liberties of the people. Each
+was a notable and significant event. On each occasion I had the honor to
+say a few poor words. We celebrated with bowed heads and with garlands
+the deeds of the heroic dead, and now have consecrated ourselves to the
+opportunities and possibilities of peace under the law--to the
+revelation of the temper of our new civilization which, tried in the
+furnace of war, is to be a grand and vital power for the advancement of
+the human race, for the righteous furtherance of the brotherhood of man.
+What is the hope of the world?" he asked. "America--these United States,
+a bulwark against tyranny, an asylum for the aspiring and the
+downtrodden. The eyes of the nations are upon us. In the souls of the
+survivors and of the sons and daughters of the patriots who have died in
+defence of the liberties of our beloved country abide the seed and
+inspiration for new victories of peace. Our privilege be it as the heirs
+of Washington and Franklin and Hamilton and Lincoln and Grant to set the
+nations of the earth an example of what peace under the law may
+accomplish, so that the free-born son of America from the shores of Cape
+Cod to the western limits of the Golden Gate may remain a synonym for
+noble aims and noble deeds, for truth and patriotism and fearlessness of
+soul."
+
+The speaker's words had been uttered slowly at the outset--ponderous,
+sonorous, sentence by sentence, like the big drops before a heavy
+shower. As he warmed to his theme the pauses ceased, and his speech
+flowed with the musical sweep of a master of platform oratory. When he
+spoke of war his voice choked; in speaking of peace he paused for an
+appreciable moment, casting his eyes up as though he could discern the
+angel of national tranquillity hovering overhead. Although this opening
+peroration seemed scarcely germane to the occasion, the audience
+listened in absorbed silence, spell-bound by the magnetism of his
+delivery. They felt sure that he had a point in reserve to which these
+splendid and agreeable truths were a pertinent introduction.
+
+Proceeding, with his address, Mr. Lyons made a panegyric on these United
+States of America, from the special standpoint of their dedication to
+the "God of our fathers," a solemn figure of speech. The sincerity of
+his patriotism was emphasized by the religious fervor of his deduction
+that God was on the side of the nation, and the nation on the side of
+God. Though he abstained from direct strictures, both his manner and his
+matter seemed to serve a caveat, so to speak, on the other nations by
+declaring that for fineness of heart and thought, and deed, the world
+must look to the land "whose wide and well-nigh boundless prairies were
+blossoming with the buds of truth fanned by the breeze of liberty and
+fertilized by the aspirations of a God-fearing and a God-led population.
+What is the hope of the world, I repeat?" he continued. "The plain and
+sovereign people of our beloved country. Whatever menaces their
+liberties, whatever detracts from their, power and infringes on their
+prerogatives is a peril to our institutions and a step backward in the
+science of government. My friends, we are here to-night to protest
+against a purpose to invade those liberties--a deliberately conceived
+design to take away from the sovereign people of this city one of their
+cherished privileges--the right to decide who shall direct the policy of
+our free public-school system, that priceless heritage of every
+American. I beg to remind you that this contest is no mere question of
+healthy rivalry between two great political parties; nor again is it
+only a vigorous competition between two ambitious and intelligent women.
+A ballot in behalf of our candidate will be a vote of confidence in the
+ability of the plain people of this country to adopt the best
+educational methods without the patronizing dictation of aboard of
+specialists nurtured on foreign and uninspiring theories of instruction.
+A ballot against Miss Luella Bailey, the competent and cultivated lady
+whose name adds strength and distinction to our ticket, and who has been
+needlessly and wantonly opposed by those who should be her proud
+friends, will signify a willingness to renounce one of our most precious
+liberties--the free man's right to choose those who are to impart to his
+children mastery of knowledge and love of country. I take my stand
+to-night as the resolute enemy of this aristocratic and un-American
+suggestion, and urge you, on the eve of election, to devote your
+energies to overwhelming beneath the shower of your fearless ballots
+this insult to the intelligence of the voters of Benham, and this menace
+to our free and successful institutions, which, under the guidance of
+the God of our fathers, we purpose to keep perpetually progressive and
+undefiled."
+
+A salvo of enthusiasm greeted Mr. Lyons as he concluded. His speeches
+were apt to cause those whom he addressed to feel that they were no
+common campaign utterances, but eloquent expressions of principle and
+conviction, clothed in memorable language, as, indeed, they were. He was
+fond of giving a moral or patriotic flavor to what he said in public,
+for he entertained both a profound reverence for high moral ideas and an
+abiding faith in the superiority of everything American. He had arrayed
+himself on the threshold of his legal career as a friend and champion of
+the mass of the people--the plain and sovereign people, as he was apt to
+style them in public. His first and considerable successes had been as
+the counsel for plaintiffs before juries in accident cases against large
+corporations, and he had thought of himself with complete sincerity as a
+plain man, contesting for human rights before the bar of justice, by the
+sheer might of his sonorous voice and diligent brain. His political
+development had been on the same side. Latterly the situation had become
+a little puzzling, though to a man of straightforward intentions, like
+himself, not fundamentally embarrassing. That is, the last four or five
+years had altered both the character of his practice and his
+circumstances, so that instead of fighting corporations he was now the
+close adviser of a score of them; not the defender of their accident
+cases, but the confidential attorney who was consulted in regard to
+their vital interests, and who charged them liberal sums for his
+services. He still figured in court from time to time in his capacity of
+the plain man's friend, which he still considered himself to be no less
+than before, but most of his time was devoted to protecting the legal
+interests of the railroad, gas, water, manufacturing, mining and other
+undertakings which, the rapid growth of Benham had forgotten. And as a
+result of this commerce with the leading men of affairs in Benham, and
+knowledge of what was going on, he had been able to invest his large
+fees to the best advantage, and had already reaped a rich harvest from
+the rapid rise in value of the securities of diverse successful
+enterprises. When new projects were under consideration he was in a
+position to have a finger in the pie, and he was able to borrow freely
+from a local bank in which he was a director.
+
+He was puzzled--it might be said distressed--how to make these rewards
+of his professional prominence appear compatible with his real political
+principles, so that the plain and sovereign people would recognize as
+clearly as he that there was no inconsistency in his having taken
+advantage of the opportunities for professional advancement thrown in
+his way. He was ambitious for political preferment, sharing the growing
+impression that he was well qualified for public office, and he desired
+to rise as the champion of popular ideas. Consequently he resented
+bitterly the calumnies which had appeared in one or two irresponsible
+newspapers to the effect that he was becoming a corporation attorney and
+a capitalist. Could a man refuse legitimate business which was thrust
+upon him? How were his convictions and interest in the cause of
+struggling humanity altered or affected by his success at the bar? Hence
+he neglected no occasion to declare his allegiance to progressive
+doctrine, and to give utterance to the patriotism which at all times was
+on tap in his emotional system. He had been married, but his wife had
+been dead a number of years, and he made his home with his aged mother,
+to whom he was apt to refer with pious tremulousness when he desired to
+emphasize some domestic situation before a jury. As a staunch member of
+the Methodist Church, he was on terms of intimate association with his
+pastor, and was known as a liberal contributor to domestic and foreign
+missions.
+
+Selma was genuinely carried away by the character of his oratory. His
+sentiments were so completely in accord with her own ideas that she felt
+he had left nothing unsaid, and had put the case grandly. Here at last
+was a man who shared with her the convictions with which her brain was
+seething--a man who was not afraid to give public expression to his
+views, and who possessed a splendid gift of statement. She had felt sure
+that she would meet sympathy and kindred spirits in Benham, but her
+experience in New York had so far depressed her that she had not allowed
+herself to expect such a thorough-going champion. What a contrast his
+solid, devotional, yet business-like aspect was to the quizzical
+lightness of the men in New York she had been told were clever, like Dr.
+Page and Mr. Dennison! He possessed Wilbur's ardor and reverence, with a
+robustness of physique and a practical air which Wilbur had
+lacked--lacked to his and her detriment. If Wilbur had been as vigorous
+in body as he ought to have been, would he have died? She had read
+somewhere lately that physical delicacy was apt to react on the mind and
+make one's ideas too fine-spun and unsubstantial. Here was the advantage
+which a man like Mr. Lyons had over Wilbur. He was strong and thickset,
+and looked as though he could endure hard work without wincing. So could
+she. It was a great boon, an essential of effective manhood or
+womanhood. These thoughts followed in the wake of the enthusiasm his
+personality had aroused in her at the close of his address. She scarcely
+heard the remarks of the next speaker, the last on the programme. Her
+eyes kept straying wistfully in the direction of Mr. Lyons, and she
+wondered if there would be an opportunity when the meeting was over to
+let him know how much she approved of what he had said, and how
+necessary she felt the promulgation, of such ideas was for the welfare
+of the country.
+
+She was aroused from contemplation by the voice of Mrs. Earle, who, now
+that everybody was standing up preliminary to departure, bent over her
+front bench on the platform to whisper, "Wasn't Mr. Lyons splendid?"
+
+"Yes, indeed," said Selma. "I should like so much to make his
+acquaintance, to compare notes with him and thank him for his brave,
+true words."
+
+"I know he'd be pleased to meet you. I'll try to catch his eye. I wish
+some of those Reform Club people could have heard what he thought of
+them. There! He's looking this way. I'm going to attract his attention."
+Whereupon Mrs. Earle began to nod in his direction energetically. "He
+sees us now, and has noticed you. I shouldn't wonder if he has
+recognized you. Follow me close, Selma, and we'll be able to shake hands
+with him."
+
+By dint of squeezing and stertorous declarations of her desire, Mrs.
+Earle obtained a gradual passage through the crowd. Many from the
+audience had ascended to the platform for the purpose of accosting the
+speakers, and a large share of the interest was being bestowed on Mr.
+Lyons, who was holding an impromptu reception. When at last Mrs. Earle
+had worked her way to within a few feet of him, her wheezing condition
+and bulk announced her approach, and procured her consideration from the
+others in the line, so that she was able to plant herself pervasively
+and firmly in front of her idol and take possession of him by the fervid
+announcement, "You were simply unanswerable. Eloquent, convincing, and
+unanswerable. And I have brought with me an old friend, Mrs. Littleton,
+who sympathizes with your superb utterances, and wishes to tell you so."
+
+As Selma stepped forward in recognition of this introduction she
+vibrated to hear Mr. Lyons say, without a sign of hesitation, "A friend
+whom it is a pleasure to welcome back to Benham, Mrs. Littleton, I am
+pleased to meet you again."
+
+Selma had hoped, and felt it her due, that he would recognize her. Still
+his having done so at once was a compliment which served to enhance the
+favorable opinion which she had already formed regarding him.
+
+"I have been longing for months, Mr. Lyons," she said, "to hear someone
+say what you have said to-night. I am concerned, as we all are of
+course, in Miss Bailey's election, and your advocacy of her cause was
+most brilliant; but what I refer to--what interested, me especially, was
+the splendid protest you uttered against all movements to prevent the
+intelligence of the people from asserting itself. It gave me
+encouragement and made me feel that the outlook for the future is
+bright--that our truths must prevail."
+
+It was a maxim with Lyons that it was desirable to remember everyone he
+met, and he prided himself on his ability to call cordially by name
+clients or chance acquaintances whom he had not seen for years. Nature
+had endowed him with a good memory for names and faces, but he had
+learned to take advantage of all opportunities to brush up his wits
+before they were called into flattering, spontaneous action. When his
+glance, attracted by Mrs. Earle's remote gesticulation, rested on
+Selma's face, he began to ask himself at once where he had seen it
+before. In the interval vouchsafed by her approach he recalled the
+incident of the divorce, that her name had been Babcock, and that she
+had married again, but he was still groping for the name of her husband
+when the necessary clew was supplied by Mrs. Earle, and he was able to
+make his recognition of her exhaustive. He noticed with approval her
+pretty face and compact figure, reflecting that the slight gain in flesh
+was to her advantage, and noticed also her widow's mourning. But her
+eager, fluent address and zealous manner had prevented his attention
+from secretly wandering with business-like foresight to the next persons
+in the line of those anxious to shake his hand, and led him to regard
+her a second time. He was accustomed to compliments, but he was struck
+by the note of discriminating companionship in her congratulation. He
+believed that he had much at heart the very issue which she had touched
+upon, and it gratified him that a woman whose appearance was so
+attractive to him should single out for sympathetic enthusiasm what was
+in his opinion the cardinal principle involved, instead of expatiating
+on the assistance he had rendered Miss Bailey. Lyons said to himself
+that here was a kindred spirit--a woman with whom conversation would be
+a pleasure; with whom it would be possible to discourse on terms of
+mental comradeship. He was partial to comely women, but he did not
+approve of frivolity except on special and guarded occasions.
+
+"I thank you cordially for your appreciation," he answered. "You have
+grasped the vital kernel of my speech and I am grateful for your good
+opinion."
+
+Even in addressing the other sex, Lyons could not forget the
+responsibility of his frock-coat and that it was incumbent upon him to
+be strictly serious in public. Nevertheless his august but glib demeanor
+suited Selma's mood better than more obvious gallantry, especially as
+she got the impression, which he really wished to convey, that he
+admired her. It was out of the question for him to prolong the situation
+in the face of those waiting to grasp his hand, but Lyons heard with
+interest the statement which Mrs. Earle managed to whisper hoarsely in
+his ear just as he turned to welcome the next comer, and they were swept
+along:
+
+"She is one of our brightest minds. The poor child has recently lost her
+husband, and has come to keep Mr. Parsons company in his new house--an
+ideal arrangement."
+
+The identity of Mr. Parsons was well known to Lyons. He had met him
+occasionally in the past in other parts of the State in connection with
+business complications, and regarded him as a practical, intelligent
+citizen whose name would be of value to an aspirant for Congressional
+honors. It occurred to him as he shook hands with those next in line and
+addressed them that it would be eminently suitable if he should pay his
+respects to this new-comer to Benham by a visit. By so doing he world
+kill two birds with one stone, for he had reasoned of late that he owed
+it to himself to see more of the other sex. He had no specific
+matrimonial intentions; that is, he was not on the lookout for a wife;
+but he approved of happy unions as one of the great bulwarks of the
+community, and was well-disposed to encounter a suitable helpmate. He
+should expect physical charms, dignity, capacity and a sympathetic mind;
+a woman, in short, who would be an ornament to his home, a Christian
+influence in society and a companion whose intelligent tact would be
+likely to promote his political fortunes. And so it happened that in the
+course of the next few days he found himself thinking of Mrs. Littleton
+as a fine figure of a woman. This had not happened to him before since
+the death of his wife, and it made him thoughtful to the extent of
+asking "Why not?" For in spite of his long frock-coat and proper
+demeanor, passion was not extinct in the bosom of the Hon. James O.
+Lyons, and he was capable on special and guarded occasions of telling a
+woman that he loved her.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+Miss Luella Bailey was not elected. The unenlightened prejudice of man
+to prefer one of his own sex, combined with the hostility of the Reform
+Club, procured her defeat, notwithstanding that the rest of her ticket
+triumphed at the polls. There was some consolation for her friends in
+the fact that her rival, Miss Snow, had a considerably smaller number of
+votes than she. Selma solaced herself by the reflection that, as she had
+been consulted only at the twelfth hour, she was not responsible for the
+result, but she felt nerved by the defeat to concentrate her energies
+against the proposed bill for an appointed school board.
+
+Her immediate attention and sympathy were suddenly invoked by the
+illness of Mr. Parsons, who had seemed lacking in physical vigor for
+some weeks, and whose symptoms culminated in a slight paralysis, which
+confined him to his bed for a month, and to his house during the
+remainder of the autumn. Selma rejoiced in this opportunity to develop
+her capacities as a nurse, to prove how adequate she would have been to
+take complete charge of her late husband, had Dr. Page chosen to trust
+her. She administered with scrupulous regularity to the invalid such
+medicines as were ordered, and kept him cheerful by reading and
+conversation, so that the physician in charge complimented her on her
+proficiency. Trained nurses were unknown in Benham at this time, and any
+old or unoccupied female was regarded as qualified to watch over the
+sick. Selma appreciated from what she had observed of the conduct of
+Wilbur's nurse that there was a wrong and a right way of doing things,
+but she blamed Dr. Page for his failure to appreciate instinctively that
+she was sure to do things suitably. It seemed to her that he had lacked
+the intuitive gift to discern latent capabilities--a fault of which the
+Benham practitioner proved blameless.
+
+From the large, sunny chamber in which Mr. Parsons slowly recovered some
+portion of his vitality, Selma could discern the distant beginnings of
+Wetmore College, pleasantly situated on an elevation well beyond the
+city limits on the further side of the winding river. An architect had
+been engaged to carry out Wilbur's plans, and she watched the outlines
+of the new building gradually take shape during the convalescence of her
+benefactor. She recognized that the college would be theoretically a
+noble addition to the standing of Benham as a city of intellectual and
+aesthetic interests, but it provoked her to think that its management was
+in the hands of Mrs. Hallett Taylor and her friends, between whom and
+herself she felt that a chasm of irreconcilable differences of opinion
+existed. Mrs. Taylor had not called on her since her return. She
+believed that she was glad of this, and hoped that some of the severely
+indignant criticism which she had uttered in regard to the Reform Club
+movement had reached her ears. Or was Mrs. Taylor envious of her return
+to Benham as the true mistress of this fine establishment on the River
+Drive, so superior to her own? Nevertheless, it would have suited Selma
+to have been one of the trustees of this new college--her husband's
+handiwork in the doing of which he had laid down his promising life--and
+the fact that no one had sought her out and offered her the honor as a
+fitting recognition of her due was secretly mortifying. The Benham
+Institute had been prompt to acknowledge her presence by giving a
+reception in her honor, at which she was able to recite once more, "Oh,
+why should the Spirit of Mortal be proud?" with old-time success, and
+she had been informed by Mrs. Earle that she was likely to be chosen one
+of the Vice-Presidents at the annual meeting. But these Reform Club
+people had not even done her the courtesy to ask her to join them or
+consider their opinions. She would have spurned the invitation with
+contempt, but it piqued her not to know more about them; it distressed
+her to think that there should exist in Benham an exclusive set which
+professed to be ethically and intellectually superior and did not
+include her, for she had come to Benham with the intention of leading
+such a movement, to the detriment of fashion and frivolity. With Mr.
+Parsons's money at her back, she was serenely confident that the houses
+of the magnates of Benham--the people who corresponded in her mind's eye
+to the dwellers on Fifth Avenue--would open to her. Already there had
+been flattering indications that she would be able to command attention
+there. She had expected to find this so; her heart would have been
+broken to find it otherwise. Still, her hope in shaking the dust of New
+York from her feet had been to find in Benham an equally admirable and
+satisfactory atmosphere in regard to mental and moral progress. She had
+come just in time, it is true, to utter her vehement protest against
+this exclusive, aristocratic movement--this arrogant affectation of
+superiority, and to array herself in battle line against it, resolved to
+give herself up with enthusiasm to its annihilation. Yet the sight of
+the college buildings for the higher education of women, rising without
+her furtherance and supervision, and under the direction of these
+people, made her sad and gave her a feeling of disappointment. Why had
+they been permitted to obtain this foothold? Someone had been lacking in
+vigilance and foresight. Thank heaven, with her return and a strong,
+popular spirit like Mr. Lyons in the lead, these unsympathetic,
+so-called reformers would speedily be confounded, and the intellectual
+air of Benham restored to its original purity.
+
+One afternoon while Selma's gaze happened to be directed toward the
+embryo college walls, and she was incubating on the situation, Mr.
+Parsons, who had seemed to be dozing, suddenly said:
+
+"I should like you to write to Mr. Lyons, the lawyer, and ask him to
+come to see me."
+
+"I will write to-night. You know he called while you were ill."
+
+"Yes, I thought him a clever fellow when we met two or three times on
+railroad matters, and I gather from what you told me about his speech at
+the political meeting that he's a rising man hereabouts. I'm going to
+make my will, and I need him to put it into proper shape."
+
+"I'm sure he'd do it correctly."
+
+"There's not much for him to do except to make sure that the language is
+legal, for I've thought it all out while I've been lying here during
+these weeks. Still, it's important to have in a lawyer to fix it so the
+people whom I don't intend to get my money shan't be able to make out
+that I'm not in my right mind. I guess," he added, with a laugh, "that
+the doctor will allow I've my wits sufficiently for that?"
+
+"Surely. You are practically well now."
+
+Mr. Parsons was silent for a moment. He prided himself on being
+close-mouthed about his private affairs until they were ripe for
+utterance. His intention had been to defer until after the interview
+with his lawyer any statement of his purpose, but it suddenly occurred
+to him that it would please him to unbosom his secret to his companion
+because he felt sure in advance that she would sympathize fully with his
+plans. He had meant to tell her when the instrument was signed. Why not
+now?
+
+"Selma," he said, "I've known ever since my wife and daughter died that
+I ought to make a will, but I kept putting it off until it has almost
+happened that everything I've got went to my next of kin--folk I'm fond
+of, too, and mean to remember--but not fond enough for that. If I give
+them fifty thousand dollars apiece--the three of them--I shall rest easy
+in my grave, even if they think they ought to have had a bigger slice.
+It's hard on a man who has worked all his days, and laid up close to a
+million of dollars, not to have a son or a daughter, flesh of my flesh,
+to leave it to; a boy or a girl given at the start the education I
+didn't get, and who, by the help of my money, might make me proud, if I
+could look on, of my name or my blood. It wasn't to be, and I must grin
+and bear it, and do the next best thing. I caught a glimpse of what that
+thing was soon after I lost my wife and daughter, and it was the thought
+of that more than anything which kept me from going crazy with despair.
+I'm a plain man, an uneducated man, but the fortune I've made has been
+made honestly, and I'm going to spend it for the good of the American
+people--to contribute my mite toward helping the cause of truth and good
+citizenship and free and independent ideas which this nation calls for.
+I'm going to give my money for benevolent uses."
+
+"Oh, Mr. Parsons," exclaimed Selma, clasping her hands, "how splendid!
+how glorious! How I envy you. It was what I hoped."
+
+"I knew you would be pleased. I've had half a mind once or twice to let
+the cat out of the bag, because I guessed it would be the sort of thing
+that would take your fancy; but somehow I've kept mum, for fear I might
+be taken before I'd been able to make a will. And then, too, I've been
+of several minds as to the form of my gift. I thought it would suit me
+best of all to found a college, and I was disappointed when I learned
+that neighbor Flagg had got the start of me with his seminary for women
+across the river. I wasn't happy over it until one night, just after the
+doctor had gone, the thought came to me, 'Why, not give a hospital?' And
+that's what it's to be. Five hundred thousand dollars for a free
+hospital in the City of Benham, in memory of my wife and daughter.
+That'll be useful, won't it? That'll help the people as much as a
+college? And, Selma," he added, cutting off the assuring answer which
+trembled on her tongue and blazed from her eyes, "I shan't forget you.
+After I'm gone you are to have twenty thousand dollars. That'll enable
+you, in case you don't marry, to keep a roof over your head without
+working too hard."
+
+"Thank you. You are very generous," she said. The announcement was
+pleasant to her, but at the moment it seemed of secondary importance.
+Her enthusiasm had been aroused by the fact and character of his public
+donation, and already her brain was dancing with the thought of the
+prospect of a rival vital institution in connection with which her views
+and her talents would in all probability be consulted and allowed to
+exercise themselves. Her's, and not Mrs. Taylor's, or any of that
+censorious and restricting set. In that hospital, at least, ambition and
+originality would be allowed to show what they could do unfettered by
+envy or paralyzed by conservatism. "But I can't think of anything now,
+Mr. Parsons, except the grand secret you have confided to me. A
+hospital! It is an ideal gift. It will show the world what noble uses
+our rich, earnest-minded men make of their money, and it will give our
+doctors and our people a chance to demonstrate what a free hospital
+ought to be. Oh, I congratulate you. I will write to Mr. Lyons at once."
+
+A note in prompt response stated the hour when the lawyer would call. On
+his arrival he was shown immediately to Mr. Parsons's apartments, with
+whom he was closeted alone. Selma managed to cross the hall at the
+moment he was descending, and he was easily persuaded to linger and to
+follow her into the library.
+
+"I was anxious to say a few words to you, Mr. Lyons," she said. "I know
+the purpose for which Mr. Parsons sent for you. He has confided to me
+concerning his will--told me everything. It is a noble disposition of
+his property. A free hospital for Benham is an ideal selection, and one
+envies him his opportunity."
+
+"Yes. It is a superb and generous benefaction."
+
+"I lay awake for hours last night thinking about it; thinking
+particularly of the special point I am desirous to consult you in regard
+to. I don't wish to appear officious, or to say anything I shouldn't,
+but knowing from what I heard you state in your speech the other day
+that you feel as I do in regard to such matters, I take the liberty of
+suggesting that it seems to me of very great importance that the
+management of this magnificent gift should be in proper hands. May I ask
+you without impropriety if you will protect Mr. Parsons so that captious
+or unenthusiastic persons, men or women, will be unable to control the
+policy of his hospital? He would wish it so, I am sure. I thought of
+mentioning the matter to him myself, but I was afraid lest it might
+worry him and spoil the satisfaction of his generosity or retard his
+cure. Is what I ask possible? Do I make myself clear?"
+
+"Perfectly--perfectly. A valuable suggestion," he said. "I am glad that
+you have spoken--very glad. Alive as I am to the importance of
+protecting ourselves at all points, I might not have realized this
+particular danger had you not called it to my attention. Perhaps only a
+clever woman would have thought of it."
+
+"Oh, thank you. I felt that I could not keep silence, and run the risk
+of what might happen."
+
+"Precisely. I think I can relieve your mind by telling you--which under
+the circumstances is no breach of professional secrecy, for it is plain
+that the testator desires you to know his purpose--that Mr. Parsons has
+done me the honor to request me to act as the executor of his will. As
+such I shall be in a position to make sure that those to whom the
+management of his hospital is intrusted are people in whom you and I
+would have confidence."
+
+"Ah! That is very satisfactory. It makes everything as it should be, and
+I am immensely relieved."
+
+"Now that you have spoken," he added, meeting her eager gaze with a
+propitiating look of reflective wisdom, "I will consider the
+advisability of taking the further precaution of advising the testator
+to name in his will the persons who shall act as the trustees of his
+charity. That would clinch the matter. The selection of the individuals
+would necessarily lie with Mr. Parsons, but it would seem eminently
+natural and fitting that he should name you to represent your sex on
+such a board. I hope it would be agreeable to you to serve?"
+
+Selma flushed. "It would be a position which I should prize immensely.
+Such a possibility had not occurred to me, though I felt that some
+definite provision should be made. The responsibility would be congenial
+to me and very much in my line."
+
+"Assuredly. If you will permit me to say so, you are just the woman for
+the place. We have met only a few times, Mrs. Littleton, but I am a man
+who forms my conclusions of people rapidly, and it is obvious to me that
+you are thoughtful, energetic, and liberal-minded--qualities which are
+especially requisite for intelligent progress in semi-public work. It is
+essentially desirable to enlist the co-operation of well-equipped women
+to promote the national weal."
+
+Lyons departed with an agreeable impression that he had been talking to
+a woman who combined mental sagacity and enterprise with considerable
+fascination of person. This capable companion of Mr. Parsons was no
+coquettish or simpering beauty, no mere devotee of fashionable manners,
+but a mature, well-poised character endowed with ripe intellectual and
+bodily graces. Their interview suggested that she possessed initiative
+and discretion in directing the course of events, and a strong sense of
+moral responsibility, attributes which attracted his interest. He was
+obliged to make two more visits before the execution of the will, and on
+each occasion he had an opportunity to spend a half-hour alone in the
+society of Selma. He found her gravely and engagingly sympathetic with
+his advocacy of democratic principles; he told her of his ambition to be
+elected to Congress--an ambition which he believed would be realized the
+following autumn. He confided to her, also, that he was engaged in his
+leisure moments in the preparation of a literary volume to be entitled,
+"Watchwords of Patriotism," a study of the requisites of the best
+citizenship, exemplified by pertinent extracts from the public
+utterances of the most distinguished American public servants.
+
+Selma on her part reciprocated by a reference to the course of lectures
+on "Culture and Higher Education," which she had resolved to deliver
+before the Benham Institute during the winter. In these lectures she
+meant to emphasize the importance of unfettered individuality, and to
+comment adversely on the tendencies hostile to this fundamental
+principle of progress which she had observed in New York and from which
+Benham itself did not appear to her to be entirely exempt. After
+delivering these lectures in Benham she intended to repeat them in
+various parts of the State, and in some of the large cities elsewhere,
+under the auspices of the Confederated Sisterhood of Women's Clubs of
+America, the Sorosis which Mrs. Earle had established on a firm basis,
+and of which at present she was second vice-president. As a token of
+sympathy with this undertaking, Mr. Lyons offered to procure her a free
+pass on the railroads over which she would be obliged to travel. This
+pleased Selma greatly, for she had always regarded free passes as a sign
+of mysterious and enviable importance.
+
+Two months later Selma, as secretary of the sub-committee of the
+Institute selected to oppose before the legislature the bill to create
+an appointed school board, had further occasion to confer with Mr.
+Lyons. He agreed to be the active counsel, and approved of the plan that
+a delegation of women should journey to the capital, two hours and a
+half by rail, and add the moral support of their presence at the hearing
+before the legislative committee.
+
+The expedition was another gratification to Selma--who had become
+possessed of her free pass. She felt that in visiting the state-house
+and thus taking an active part in the work of legislation she was
+beginning to fulfil the larger destiny for which she was qualified. Side
+by side with Mrs. Earle at the head of a delegation of twenty Benham
+women she marched augustly into the committee chamber. The contending
+factions sat on opposite sides of the room. Through its middle ran a
+long table occupied by the Committee on Education to which the bill had
+been referred. Among the dozen or fifteen persons who appeared in
+support of the bill Selma perceived Mrs. Hallett Taylor, whom she had
+not seen since her return. She was disappointed to observe that Mrs.
+Taylor's clothes, though unostentatious, were in the latest fashion. She
+had hoped to find her dowdy or unenlightened, and to be able to look
+down on her from the heights of her own New York experience.
+
+The lawyer in charge of the bill presented lucidly and with skill the
+merits of his case, calling to the stand four prominent educators from
+as many different sections of the State, and several citizens of
+well-known character, among them Babcock's former pastor, Rev. Henry
+Glynn. He pointed out that the school committee, as at present
+constituted, was an unwieldy body of twenty-four members, that it was
+regarded as the first round in the ladder of political preferment, and
+that the members which composed it were elected not on the ground of
+their fitness, but because they were ambitious for political
+recognition.
+
+The legislative committee listened politely but coldly to these
+statements and to the testimony of the witnesses. It was evident that
+they regarded the proposed reform with distrust.
+
+"Do you mean us to understand that the public schools of this State are
+not among the best, if not the best, in the world?" asked one member of
+the committee, somewhat sternly.
+
+"I recognize the merits of our school system, but I am not blind to its
+faults," responded the attorney in charge of the bill. He was a man who
+possessed the courage of his convictions, but he was a lawyer of tact,
+and he knew that his answer went to the full limit of what he could
+safely utter by way of qualification without hopelessly imperilling his
+cause.
+
+"Are not our public schools turning out yearly hundreds of boys and
+girls who are a growing credit to the soundness of the institutions of
+the country?" continued the same inquisitor.
+
+Here was a proposition which opened such a vista of circuitous and
+careful speech, were he to attempt to answer it and be true to
+conscience without being false to patriotism, that Mr. Hunter was driven
+to reply, "I am unable to deny the general accuracy of your statement."
+
+"Then why seek to harass those who are doing such good work by
+unfriendly legislation?"
+
+The member plainly felt that he had disposed of the matter by this
+triumphant interrogation, for he listened with scant attention to a
+repetition of the grounds on which, relief was sought.
+
+Mr. Lyons's method of reply was a surprise to Selma. She had looked for
+a fervid vindication of the principle of the people's choice, and an
+eloquent, sarcastic setting forth of the evils of the exclusive and
+aristocratic spirit. He began by complimenting the members of the
+committee on their ability to deal intelligently with the important
+question before them, and then proceeded to refer to the sincere but
+mistaken zeal of the advocates of the bill, whom he described as people
+animated by conscientious motives, but unduly distrustful of the
+capacity of the American people. His manner suggested a desire to be at
+peace with all the world and was agreeably conciliatory, as though he
+deprecated the existence of friction. He said that he would not do the
+members of the committee the injustice to suppose that they could
+seriously favor the passage of a bill which would deprive the
+intelligent average voter of one of his dearest privileges; but that he
+desired to put himself on record as thinking it a fortunate
+circumstance, on the whole, that the well-intentioned promoters of the
+bill had brought this matter to the attention of the legislature, and
+had an opportunity to express their views. He believed that the hearing
+would be productive of benefit to both parties, in that on the one hand
+it would tend to make the voters more careful as to whom they selected
+for the important duties of the school board, and on the other
+would--he, as a lover of democratic institutions, hoped--serve to
+convince the friends of the bill that they had exaggerated the evils of
+the situation, and that they were engaged in a false and hopeless
+undertaking in seeking to confine by hard and fast lines the spontaneous
+yearnings of the American people to control the education of their
+children. "We say to these critics," he continued, "some of whom are
+enrolled under the solemn name of reformers, that we welcome their zeal
+and offer co-operation in a resolute purpose to exercise unswerving
+vigilance in the selection of candidates for the high office of
+guardians of our public schools. So far as they will join hands with us
+in keeping undefiled the traditions of our forefathers, to that extent
+we are heartily in accord with them, but when they seek to override
+those traditions and to fasten upon this community a method which is
+based on a lack of confidence in democratic theories, then I--and
+gentlemen, I feel sure that you--are against them."
+
+Lyons sat down, having given everyone in the room, with the exception of
+a few discerning spirits on the other side, the impression that he had
+intended to be pre-eminently fair, and that he had held out the olive
+branch when he would have been justified in using the scourge. The
+inclination to make friends, to smooth over seamy situations and to
+avoid repellent language in dealing with adversaries, except in
+corporation cases before juries and on special occasions when defending
+his political convictions, had become a growing tendency with him now
+that he was in training for public office. Selma did not quite know what
+to make of it at first. She had expected that he would crush their
+opponents beneath an avalanche of righteous invective. Instead he took
+his seat with an expression of countenance which was no less benignant
+than dignified. When the hearing was declared closed, a few minutes
+later, he looked in her direction, and in the course of his passage to
+where she was sitting stopped to exchange affable greetings with
+assemblymen and others who came in his way. At his approach Mrs. Earle
+uttered congratulations so comprehensive that Selma felt able to refrain
+for the moment from committing herself. "I am glad that you were
+pleased," he said. "I think I covered the ground, and no one's feelings
+have been hurt." As though he divined what was passing through Selma's
+mind, he added in an aside intended only for their ears, "It was not
+necessary to use all our powder, for I could tell from the way the
+committee acted that they were with us."
+
+"I felt sure they would be," exclaimed Mrs. Earle. "And, as you say, it
+is a pleasure that no one's feelings were hurt, and that we can all part
+friends."
+
+"Which reminds me," said Lyons, "that I should be glad of an
+introduction to Mrs. Taylor as she passes us on her way out. I wish to
+assure her personally of my willingness to further her efforts to
+improve the quality of the school board."
+
+"That would be nice of you," said Mrs. Earle, "and ought to please and
+encourage her, for she will be disappointed, poor thing, and after all I
+suppose she means well. There she is now, and I will keep my eye on
+her."
+
+"But surely, Mr. Lyons," said Selma, dazed yet interested by this
+doctrine of brotherly love, "don't you think our school committee
+admirable as it is?"
+
+"A highly efficient body," he answered. "But I should be glad to have
+our opponents--mistaken as we believe them to be--appreciate that we no
+less than they are zealous to preserve the present high standard. We
+must make them recognize that we are reformers and in sympathy with
+reform."
+
+"I see," said Selma. "For, of course, we are the real reformers. Convert
+them you mean? Be civil to them at least? I understand. Yes, I suppose
+there is no use in making enemies of them." She was thinking aloud.
+Though ever on her guard to resent false doctrine, she was so sure of
+the loyalty of both her companions that she could allow herself to be
+interested by this new point of view--a vast improvement on the New York
+manner because of its ethical suggestion. She realized that if Mr. Lyons
+was certain of the committee, it was right, and at the same time
+sensible, not to hurt anyone's feelings unnecessarily--although she felt
+a little suspicious because he had asked to be introduced to Mrs.
+Taylor. Indeed, the more she thought of this attitude, on the assumption
+that the victory was assured, the more it appealed to her conscience and
+intelligence; so much so that when Mrs. Earle darted forward to detain
+Mrs. Taylor, Selma was reflecting with admiration on his magnanimity.
+
+She observed intently the meeting between Mr. Lyons and Mrs. Taylor. He
+was deferential, complimentary, and genial, and he made a suave,
+impressive offer of his personal services, in response to which Mrs.
+Taylor regarded him with smiling incredulity--a smile which Selma
+considered impertinent. How dared she treat his courtly advances with
+flippant distrust!
+
+"Are you aware, Mr. Lyons," Mrs. Taylor was saying, "that one of the
+present members of the school board is a milkman, and another a
+carpenter--both of them persons of very ordinary efficiency from an
+educational standpoint? Will you co-operate with us, when their terms
+expire next year and they seek re-election, to nominate more suitable
+candidates in their stead?"
+
+"I shall be very glad when the time comes to investigate carefully their
+qualifications, and if they are proved to be unworthy of the confidence
+of the people, to use my influence against them. You may rely on
+this--rely on my cordial support, and the support of these ladies," he
+added, indicating Mrs. Earle and Selma, with a wave of his hand, "who,
+if you will permit me to say so, are no less interested than you in
+promoting good government."
+
+"Oh, yes, indeed. We thought we were making an ideal choice in Miss
+Luella Bailey," said Mrs. Earle with effusion. "If Mrs. Taylor had seen
+more of her, I feel sure she would have admired her, and then our
+Institute would not have been dragged into politics."
+
+Mrs. Taylor did not attempt to answer this appeal. Instead she greeted
+Selma civilly, and said, "I was sorry to hear that you were against us,
+Mrs. Littleton. We were allies once in a good cause, and in spite of Mr.
+Lyons's protestations to the contrary, I assure you that this is another
+genuine opportunity to improve the existing order of things. At least,"
+she added, gayly but firmly, "you must not let Mr. Lyons's predilection
+to see everything through rose-colored spectacles prevent you from
+looking into the matter on your own account."
+
+"I have done so already," answered Selma, affronted at the suggestion
+that she was uninformed, yet restrained from displaying her annoyance by
+the sudden inspiration that here was an admirable opportunity to
+practise the proselytizing forbearance suggested by Mr. Lyons. The idea
+of patronizing Mrs. Taylor from the vantage-ground of infallibility,
+tinctured by magnanimous condescension, appealed to her. "I have made a
+thorough study of the question, and I never could look at it as you do,
+Mrs. Taylor. I sided with you before because I thought you were
+right--because you were in favor of giving everyone a chance of
+expression. But now I'm on the other side for the same reason--because
+you and your friends are disposed to deprive people of that very thing,
+and to regard their aspirations and their efforts contemptuously, if I
+may say so. That's the mistake we think you make--we who, as Mr. Lyons
+has stated, are no less eager than you to maintain the present high
+character of everything which concerns our school system. But if you
+only would see things in a little different light, both Mrs. Earle and I
+would be glad to welcome you as an ally and to co-operate with you."
+
+Selma had not expected to make such a lengthy speech, but as she
+proceeded she was spurred by the desire to teach Mrs. Taylor her proper
+place, and at the same time to proclaim her own allegiance to the
+attitude of optimistic forbearance.
+
+"I knew that was the way they felt," said Lyons, ingratiatingly. "It
+would be a genuine pleasure to us all to see this unfortunate difference
+of opinion between earnest people obviated."
+
+Mrs. Taylor, as Selma was pleased to note, flushed at her concluding
+offer, and she answered, drily, "I fear that we are too far apart in our
+ideas to talk of co-operation. If our bill is defeated this year, we
+shall have to persevere and trust to the gradual enlightenment of public
+sentiment. Good afternoon."
+
+Selma left the State-house in an elated frame of mind. She felt that she
+had taken a righteous and patriotic stand, and it pleased her to think
+that she was taking an active part in defending the institutions of the
+country. She chatted eagerly as she walked through the corridors with
+Mr. Lyons, who, portly and imposing, acted as escort to her and Mrs.
+Earle, and invited them to luncheon at a hotel restaurant. Excitement
+had given her more color than usual, to which her mourning acted as a
+foil, and she looked her best. Lyons was proud of being in the company
+of such a presentable and spirited appearing woman, and made a point of
+stopping two or three members of the legislature and introducing them to
+her. When they reached the restaurant he established them at a table
+where they could see everybody and be seen, and he ordered scolloped
+oysters, chicken-salad, ice-cream, coffee, and some bottles of
+sarsaparilla. Both women were in high spirits, and Selma was agreeably
+conscious that people were observing them. Before the repast was over a
+messenger brought a note to Mr. Lyons, which announced that the
+legislative committee had given the petitioners leave to withdraw their
+bill, which, in Selma's eyes, justified the management of the affair,
+and set the seal of complete success on an already absorbing and
+delightful occasion.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+Her mourning and the slow convalescence of Mr. Parsons deprived Selma of
+convincing evidence in regard to her social reception in Benham, for
+those socially prominent were thus barred from inviting her to their
+houses, and her own activities were correspondingly fettered. Indeed,
+her circumstances supplied her with an obvious salve for her proper
+dignity had she been disposed to let suspicion lie fallow. As it was a
+number of people had left cards and sent invitations notwithstanding
+they could not be accepted, and she might readily have believed, had she
+chosen--and as she professed openly to Mr. Parsons--that everyone had
+been uncommonly civil and appreciative.
+
+She found herself, however, in spite of her declared devotion to her
+serious duties, noting that the recognition accorded to Mr. Parsons and
+herself was not precisely of the character she craved. The
+visiting-cards and invitations were from people residing on the River
+Drive and in that neighborhood, indeed--but from people like the Flaggs,
+for instance, who, having acquired large wealth and erected lordly
+dwellings, were eager to dispense good-natured, lavish hospitality
+without social experience. Her sensitive ordeal in New York had
+quickened her social perceptions, so that whereas at the time of her
+departure from Benham as Mrs. Littleton she regarded her present
+neighborhood as an integral class, she was now prompt to separate the
+sheep from the goats, and to remark that only the goats seemed conscious
+of her existence. With the exception of Mrs. Taylor, who had called when
+she was out, not one of a certain set, the outward manifestations of
+whose stately being were constantly passing her windows, appeared to
+take the slightest interest in her. Strictly speaking, Mrs. Taylor was
+of this set, yet apart from it. Hers was the exclusive intellectual and
+aesthetic set, this the exclusive fashionable set--both alike execrable
+and foreign to the traditions of Benham. As Selma had discovered the one
+and declared war against it, so she promised herself to confound the
+other when the period of her mourning was over, and she was free to
+appear again in society. Once more she congratulated herself that she
+had come in time to nip in the bud this other off-shoot of aristocratic
+tendencies. As yet either set was small in number, and she foresaw that
+it would be an easy task to unite in a solid phalanx of
+offensive-defensive influence the friendly souls whom these people
+treated as outsiders, and purge the society atmosphere of the miasma of
+exclusiveness. In connection with the means to this end, when the winter
+slipped away and left her feeling that she had been ignored, and that
+she was eager to assume a commanding position, she began to take more
+than passing thought of the attentions of Mr. Lyons. That he was
+interested by her there could be no doubt, for he plainly went out of
+his way to seek her society, calling at the house from time to time, and
+exercising a useful, nattering superintendence over her lecture course
+in the other cities of the State, in each of which he appeared to have
+friends on the newspaper press who put agreeable notices in print
+concerning her performance. She had returned to Benham believing that
+her married life was over; that her heart was in the grave with Wilbur,
+and that she would never again part with her independence. The notice
+which Mr. Lyons had taken of her from the outset had gratified her, but
+though she contrasted his physical energy with Wilbur's lack of vigor,
+it had not occurred to her to consider him in the light of a possible
+husband. Now that a year had passed since Wilbur's death, she felt
+conscious once more, as had happened after her divorce, of the need of a
+closer and more individual sympathy than any at her command. Her
+relations with Mr. Parsons, to be sure, approximated those of father and
+daughter, but his perceptions were much less acute than before his
+seizure; he talked little and ceased to take a vital interest in current
+affairs. She felt the lack of companionship and, also, of personal
+devotion, such personal devotion as was afforded by the strenuous,
+ardent allegiance of a man. On the other hand she was firmly resolved
+never to allow the current of her own life to be turned away again by
+the subordination of her purposes to those of any other person, and she
+had believed that this resolution would keep her indifferent to
+marriage, in spite of any sensations of loneliness or craving for
+masculine idolatry. But as a widow of a year's standing she was now
+suddenly interested by the thought that this solid, ambitious,
+smooth-talking man might possibly satisfy her natural preference for a
+mate without violating her individuality. She began to ask herself if he
+were not truly congenial in a sense which no man had ever been to her
+before; also, to ask if their aspirations and aims were not so nearly
+identical that he would be certain as her husband to be proud of
+everything she did and said, and to allow her to work hand in hand with
+him for the furtherance of their common purpose. She did not put these
+questions to herself until his conduct suggested that he was seeking her
+society as a suitor; but having put them, she was pleased to find her
+heart throb with the hope of a stimulating and dear discovery.
+
+Certain causes contributed to convince her that this hope rested on a
+sure foundation--causes associated with her present life and point of
+view. She felt confident first of all of the godliness of Mr. Lyons as
+indicated not only by his sober, successful life, and his enthusiastic,
+benignant patriotism, but by his active, reverent interest in the
+affairs of his church--the Methodist Church--to which Mr. Parsons
+belonged, and which Selma had begun to attend since her return to
+Benham. It had been her mother's faith, and she had felt a certain
+filial glow in approaching it, which had been fanned into pious flame by
+the effect of the ministration. The fervent hymns and the opportunities
+for bearing testimony at some of the services appealed to her needs and
+gave her a sense of oneness with eternal truth, which had hitherto been
+lacking from her religious experience. In judging Wilbur she was
+disposed to ascribe the defects of his character largely to the coldness
+and analyzing sobriety of his creed. She had accompanied him to church
+listlessly, and had been bored by the unemotional appeals to conscience
+and quiet subjective designations of duty. She preferred to thrill with
+the intensity of words which now roundly rated sin, now passionately
+called to mind the ransom of the Saviour, and ever kept prominent the
+stirring mission of evangelizing ignorant foreign people. It appeared
+probable to Selma that, as the wife of one of the leading
+church-members, who was the chairman of the local committee charged with
+spreading the gospel abroad, her capacity for doing good would be
+strengthened, and the spiritual availability of them both be enhanced.
+
+Then, too, Mr. Lyons's political prospects were flattering. The thought
+that a marriage with him would put her in a position to control the
+social tendencies of Benham was alluring. As the wife of Hon. James O.
+Lyons, Member of Congress, she believed that she would be able to look
+down on and confound those who had given her the cold shoulder. What
+would Flossy say when she heard it? What would Pauline? This was a form
+of distinction which would put her beyond the reach of conspiracy and
+exclusiveness; for, as the wife of a representative, selected by the
+people to guard their interests and make their laws, would not her
+social position be unassailable? And apart from these considerations, a
+political future seemed to her peculiarly attractive. Was not this the
+real opportunity for which she had been waiting? Would she be justified
+in giving it up? In what better way could her talents be spent than as
+the helpmate and intellectual companion of a public man--a statesman
+devoted to the protection and development of American ideas? Her own
+individuality need not, would not be repressed. She had seen enough of
+Mr. Lyons to feel sure that their views on the great questions of life
+were thoroughly in harmony. They held the same religious opinions. Who
+could foretell the limit of their joint progress? He was still a young
+man--strong, dignified, and patriotic--endowed with qualities which
+fitted him for public service. It might well be that a brilliant future
+was before him--before them, if she were his wife. If he were to become
+prominent in the councils of the nation--Speaker of the
+House--Governor--even President, within the bounds of possibility, what
+a splendid congenial scope his honors would afford her own versatility!
+As day by day she dwelt on these points of recommendation, Selma became
+more and more disposed to smile on the aspirations of Mr. Lyons in
+regard to herself, and to feel that her life would develop to the best
+advantage by a union with him. Until the words asking her to be his wife
+were definitely spoken she could not be positive of his intentions, but
+his conduct left little room for doubt, and moreover, was marked by a
+deferential soberness of purpose which indicated to her that his views
+regarding marriage were on a higher plane than those of any man she had
+known. He referred frequently to the home as the foundation on which
+American civilization rested, and from which its inspiration was largely
+derived, and spoke feelingly of the value to a public man of a
+stimulating and dignifying fireside. It became his habit to join her
+after morning service and to accompany her home, carrying her
+hymn-books, and he sent her from time to time, through the post,
+quotations which had especially struck his fancy from the speeches he
+was collecting for his "Watchwords of Patriotism."
+
+Another six months passed, and at its close Lyons received the expected
+nomination for Congress. The election promised to be close and exciting.
+Both parties were confident of victory, and were preparing vigorously to
+keep their adherents at fever pitch by rallies and torch-light
+processions. Although the result of the caucus was not doubtful, it was
+understood between Lyons and Selma that he would call at the house that
+evening to let her know that he had been successful. She was waiting to
+receive him in the library. Mr. Parsons had gone to bed. His condition
+was not promising. He had recently suffered another slight attack of
+paralysis, which seemed to indicate that he was liable at any time to a
+fatal seizure.
+
+Lyons entered smilingly. "So far so good," he exclaimed.
+
+"Then you have won?"
+
+"Oh, yes. As I told you, it was a foregone conclusion. Now the fight
+begins."
+
+Selma, who had provided a slight refection, handed him a cup of tea. "I
+feel sure that you will be chosen," she said. "See if I am not right.
+When is the election?"
+
+"In six weeks. Six weeks from to-morrow."
+
+"Then you will go to Washington to live?"
+
+"Not until the fourth of March."
+
+"I envy you. If I were a man I should prefer success in politics to
+anything else."
+
+He was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Will you help me to achieve
+success? Will you go with me to Washington as my wife?"
+
+His courtship had been formal and elaborate, but his declaration was
+signally simple and to the point. Selma noticed that the cup in his hand
+trembled. While she kept her eyes lowered, as women are supposed to do
+at such moments, she was wondering whether she loved him as much as she
+had loved Wilbur? Not so ardently, but more worthily, she concluded, for
+he seemed to her to fulfil her maturer ideal of strong and effective
+manhood, and to satisfy alike her self-respect and her physical fancy. A
+man of his type would not split hairs, but proceed straight toward the
+goal of his ambition without fainting or wavering. Why should she not
+satisfy her renewed craving to be yoked to a kindred spirit and
+companion who appreciated her true worth?
+
+"I cannot believe," he was saying, "that my words are a surprise to you.
+You can scarcely have failed to understand that I admired you extremely.
+I have delayed to utter my desire to make you my wife because I did not
+dare to cherish too fondly the hope that the love inspired in me could
+be reciprocated, and that you would consent to unite your life to mine
+and trust your happiness to my keeping. If I may say so, we are no boy
+and girl. We understand the solemn significance of marriage; what it
+imports and what it demands. Of late I have ventured to dream that the
+sympathy in ideas and identity of purpose which exist between us might
+be the trustworthy sign of a spiritual bond which we could not afford to
+ignore. I feel that without you the joy and power of my life will be
+incomplete. With you at my side I shall aspire to great things. You are
+to me the embodiment of what is charming and serviceable in woman."
+
+Selma looked up. "I like you very much, Mr. Lyons. You, in your turn,
+must have realized that, I think. As you say, we are no boy and girl.
+You meant by that, too, that we both have been married before. I have
+had two husbands, and I did not believe that I could ever think of
+marriage again. I don't wish you to suppose that my last marriage was
+not happy. Mr. Littleton was an earnest, talented man, and devoted to
+me. Yet I cannot deny that in spite of mutual love our married life was
+not a success--a success as a contribution to accomplishment. That
+nearly broke my heart, and he--he died from lack of the physical and
+mental vigor which would have made so much difference. I am telling you
+this because I wish you to realize that if I should consent to comply
+with your wishes, it would be because I was convinced that true
+accomplishment--the highest accomplishment--would result from the union
+of our lives as the result of our riper experience. If I did not
+believe, Mr. Lyons, that man and woman as we are--no longer boy and
+girl--a more perfect scheme of happiness, a grander conception of the
+meaning of life than either of us had entertained was before us, I would
+not consider your offer for one moment."
+
+"Yes, yes, I understand," Lyons exclaimed eagerly. "I share your belief
+implicitly. It was what I would have said only--"
+
+Despite his facility as an orator, Lyons left this sentence incomplete
+in face of the ticklish difficulty of explaining that he had refrained
+from suggesting such a hope to a widow who had lost her husband only two
+years before. Yet he hastened to bridge over this ellipsis by saying,
+"Without such a faith a union between us must fall short of its sweetest
+and grandest opportunities."
+
+"It would be a mockery; there would be no excuse for its existence,"
+cried Selma impetuously. "I am an idealist, Mr. Lyons," she said
+clasping her hands. "I believe devotedly in the mission and power of
+love. But I believe that our conception of love changes as we grow. I
+welcomed love formerly as an intoxicating, delirious potion, and as such
+it was very sweet. You have just told me of your own feelings toward me,
+so it is your right to know that lately I have begun to realize that my
+association with you has brought peace into my life--peace and religious
+faith--essentials of happiness of which I have not known the blessings
+since I was a child. You have dedicated yourself to a lofty work; you
+have chosen the noble career of a statesman--a statesman zealous to
+promote principles in which we both believe. And you ask me to share
+with you the labors and the privileges which will result from this
+dedication. If I accept your offer, it must be because I know that I
+love you--love you in a sense I have not loved before--may the dead
+pardon me! If I accept you it will be because I wish to perpetuate that
+faith and peace, and because I believe that our joint lives will realize
+worthy accomplishment." Selma looked into space with her wrapt gaze,
+apparently engaged in an intense mental struggle.
+
+"And you will accept? You do feel that you can return my love? I cannot
+tell you how greatly I am stirred and stimulated by what you have said.
+It makes me feel that I could never be happy without you." Lyons put
+into this speech all his solemnity and all his emotional beneficence of
+temperament. He was genuinely moved. His first marriage had been a love
+match. His wife--a mere girl--had died within a year; so soon that the
+memory of her was a tender but hazy sentiment rather than a formulated
+impression of character. By virtue of this memory he had approached
+marriage again as one seeking a companion for his fireside, and a
+comely, sensible woman to preside over his establishment and promote his
+social status, rather than one expecting to be possessed by or to
+inspire a dominant passion. Yet he, too, regarded himself distinctly as
+an idealist, and he had lent a greedy ear to Selma's suggestion that
+mature mutual sympathy and comradeship in establishing convictions and
+religious aims were the source of a nobler type of love than that
+associated with early matrimony. It increased his admiration for her,
+and gave to his courtship, the touch of idealism which--partly owing to
+his own modesty as a man no longer in the flush of youth--it had lacked.
+He nervously stroked his beard with his thick hand, and gave himself up
+to the spell of this vision of blessedness while he eagerly watched
+Selma's face and waited for her answer. To combine moral purpose and
+love in a pervasive alliance appealed to him magnetically as a religious
+man.
+
+Selma, as she faced Lyons, was conscious necessarily of the contrast
+between him and her late husband. But she was attuned to regard his
+coarser physical fibre as masculine vigor and a protest against
+aristocratic delicacy, and to derive comfort and exaltation from it.
+
+"Mr. Lyons," she said, "I will tell you frankly that the circumstances
+of married life have hitherto hampered the expression of that which is
+in me, and confined the scope of my individuality within narrow and
+uncongenial limits. I am not complaining; I have no intention to rake up
+the past; but it is proper you should know that I believe myself capable
+of larger undertakings than have yet been afforded me, and worthy of
+ampler recognition than I have yet received. If I accept you as a
+husband, it will be because I feel confident that you will give my life
+the opportunity to expand, and that you sympathize with my desire to
+express myself adequately and to labor hand in hand, side by side, with
+you in the important work of the world."
+
+"That is what I would have you do, Selma. Because you are worthy of it,
+and because it is your right."
+
+"On that understanding it seems that we might be very happy."
+
+"I am certain of it. You fill my soul with gladness," he cried, and
+seizing her hand he pressed it to his lips and covered it with kisses,
+but she withdrew it, saying, "Not yet--not yet. This step represents so
+much to me. It means that if I am mistaken in you, my whole life will be
+ruined, for the next years should be my best. We must not be too hasty.
+There are many things to be thought of. I must consider Mr. Parsons. I
+cannot leave him immediately, if at all, for he is very dependent on
+me."
+
+"I had thought of that. While Mr. Parsons lives, I realize that your
+first duty must be to him."
+
+The reverential gravity of his tone was in excess of the needs of the
+occasion, and Selma understood that he intended to imply that Mr.
+Parsons would not long need her care. The same thought was in her own
+mind, and it had occurred to her in the course of her previous
+cogitations in regard to Lyons, that in the event of his death it would
+suit her admirably to continue to occupy the house as its real mistress.
+She looked grave for a moment in her turn, then with a sudden access of
+coyness she murmured, "I do not believe that I am mistaken in you."
+
+"Ah," he cried, and would have folded her in his arms, but she evaded
+his onset and said with her dramatic intonation, "The knights of old won
+their lady-loves by brilliant deeds. If you are elected a member of
+Congress, you may come to claim me."
+
+Reflection served only to convince Selma of the wisdom of her decision
+to try matrimony once more. She argued, that though a third marriage
+might theoretically seem repugnant if stated as a bald fact, the actual
+circumstances in her case not merely exonerated her from a lack of
+delicacy, but afforded an exhibition of progress--a gradual evolution in
+character. She felt light-hearted and triumphant at the thought of her
+impending new importance as the wife of a public man, and she interested
+herself exuberantly in the progress of the political campaign. She was
+pleased to think that her stipulation had given her lover a new spur to
+his ambition, and she was prepared to believe that his victory would be
+due to the exhaustive efforts to win which the cruel possibility of
+losing her obliged him to make.
+
+This was a campaign era of torch-light processions. The rival factions
+expressed their confidence and enthusiasm by parading at night in a
+series of battalions armed with torches--some resplendently flaring,
+some glittering gayly through colored glass--and bearing transparencies
+inscribed with trenchant sentiments. The houses of their adherents along
+the route were illuminated from attic to cellar with rows of candles,
+and the atmosphere wore a dusky glow of red and green fire. To Selma all
+this was entrancing. She revelled in it as an introduction to the more
+conspicuous life which she was about to lead. She showed herself a
+zealous and enthusiastic partisan, shrouding the house in the darkness
+of Erebus on the occasion when the rival procession passed the door, and
+imparting to every window the effect of a blaze of light on the
+following evening--the night before election--when the Democratic party
+made its final appeal to the voters. Standing on a balcony in evening
+dress, in company with Mrs. Earle and Miss Luella Bailey, whom she had
+invited to view the procession from the River Drive, Selma looked down
+on the parade in an ecstatic mood. The torches, the music, the fireworks
+and the enthusiasm set her pulses astir and brought her heart into her
+mouth in melting appreciation of the sanctity of her party cause and her
+own enviable destiny as the wife of an American Congressman. She held in
+one hand a flag which she waved from time to time at the conspicuous
+features of the procession, and she stationed herself so that the Bengal
+lights and other fireworks set off by Mr. Parsons's hired man should
+throw her figure into conspicuous relief. The culminating interest of
+the, occasion for her was reached when the James O. Lyons Cadets, the
+special body of youthful torch-bearers devoted to advertising the merits
+of her lover, for whose uniforms and accoutrements he had paid, came in
+sight.
+
+They proved to be the most flourishing looking organization in line.
+They were preceded by a large, nattily attired drum corps; their ranks
+were full, their torches lustrous, and they bore a number of
+transparencies setting forth the predominant qualifications of the
+candidate for Congress from the second district, the largest of which
+presented his portrait superscribed with the sentiment, "A vote for
+James O. Lyons is a vote in support of the liberties of the plain
+people." On the opposite end of the canvas was the picture of the king
+of beasts, with open jaws and bristling mane, with the motto, "Our
+Lyons's might will keep our institutions sacred." In the midst of this
+glittering escort the candidate himself rode in an open barouche on his
+way to the hall where he was to deliver a final speech. He was bowing to
+right and left, and constant cheers marked his progress along the
+avenue. Selma leaned forward from the balcony to obtain the earliest
+sight of her hero. The rolling applause was a new, intoxicating music in
+her ears, and filled her soul with transport. She clapped her hands
+vehemently; seized a roman-candle, and amid a blaze of fiery sparks
+exploded its colored stars in the direction of the approaching carriage.
+Then with the flag slanted across her bosom, she stood waiting for his
+recognition. It was made solemnly, but with the unequivocal
+demonstration of a cavalier or knight of old, for Lyons stood up, and
+doffing his hat toward her, made a conspicuous salute. A salvo of
+applause suggested to Selma that the multitude had understood that he
+was according to her the homage due a lady-love, and that their cheers
+were partly meant for her. She put her hand to her bosom with the
+gesture of a queen of melodrama, and culling one from a bunch of roses
+Lyons had sent her that afternoon threw it from the balcony at the
+carriage. The flower fell almost into the lap of her lover, who clutched
+it, pressed it to his lips, and doffed his hat again. The episode had
+been visible to many, and a hoarse murmur of interested approval crowned
+the performance. The glance of the crowds on the sidewalk was turned
+upward, and someone proposed three cheers for the lady in the balcony.
+They were given. Selma bowed to either side in delighted acknowledgment,
+while the torches of the cadets waved tumultuously, and there was a
+fresh outburst of colored fires.
+
+"I can't keep the secret any longer," she exclaimed, turning to her two
+companions. "I'm engaged to be married to Mr. Lyons."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+Lyons was chosen to Congress by a liberal margin. The Congressional
+delegation from his State was almost evenly divided between the two
+parties as the result of the election, and the majorities in every case
+were small. Consequently the more complete victory of Lyons was a
+feather in his cap, and materially enhanced his political standing.
+
+The sudden death of Mr. Parsons within a week of the election saved
+Selma's conscience from the strain of arranging a harmonious and
+equitable separation from him. She had felt that the enlargement of her
+sphere of life and the opportunity to serve her country which this
+marriage offered were paramount to any other considerations, but she was
+duly conscious that Mr. Parsons would miss her sorely, and she was
+considering the feasibility of substituting Miss Bailey as his companion
+in her place, when fate supplied a different solution. Selma had pledged
+her friends to secrecy, so that Mr. Parsons need know nothing until the
+plans for his happiness had been perfected, and he died in ignorance of
+the interesting matrimonial alliance which had been fostered under his
+roof. By the terms of his will Selma was bequeathed the twenty thousand
+dollars he had promised her. She and Mr. Lyons, with a third person, to
+be selected by them, were appointed trustees of the Free Hospital with
+which he had endowed Benham, and Mr. Lyons was nominated as the sole
+executor under the will.
+
+Selma's conception that her third betrothal was coincident with
+spiritual development, and that she had fought her way through hampering
+circumstances to a higher plane of experience, had taken firm hold of
+her imagination. She presently confessed to Lyons that she had not
+hitherto appreciated the full meaning of the dogma that marriage was a
+sacrament. She evinced a disposition to show herself with him at church
+gatherings, and to cultivate the acquaintance of his pastor. She felt
+that she had finally secured the opportunity to live the sober, simple
+life appropriate to those who believed in maintaining American
+principles, and in eschewing luxurious and effete foreign innovations;
+the sort of life she had always meant to live, and from which she had
+been debarred. She had now not only opportunity, but a responsibility.
+As the bride of a Congressman, it behooved her both to pursue virtue for
+its own sake and for the sake of example. It was incumbent on her to
+preserve and promote democratic conditions in signal opposition to
+so-called fashionable society, and at the same time to assert her own
+proper dignity and the dignity of her constituents by a suitable outward
+show.
+
+This last subtlety of reflection convinced Selma that they ought to
+occupy the house on the River Drive. Lyons himself expressed some doubts
+as to the advisability of this. He admitted that he could afford the
+expense, and that it was just such a residence as he desired, but he
+suggested that their motives might not be understood, and he questioned
+whether it were wise, with the State so close, to give his political
+enemies the chance to make unjust accusations.
+
+"Of course you ought to understand about this matter better than I," she
+said; "but I have the feeling, James, that your constituents will be
+disappointed if we don't show ourselves appreciative of the dignity of
+your position. We both agree that we should make Benham our home, and
+that it will be preferable if I visit Washington a month or two at a
+time during the session rather than for us to set up housekeeping there,
+and I can't help believing that the people will be better pleased if
+you, as their representative, make that home all which a beautiful home
+should be. They will be proud of it, and if they are, you needn't mind
+what a few fault-finders say. I have been thinking it over, and it seems
+to me that we shall make a mistake to let this house go. It just suits
+us. I feel sure that in their hearts the American people like to have
+their public men live comfortably. This house is small compared to many
+in New York, and I flatter myself that we shall be able to satisfy
+everyone that we are rootedly opposed to unseemly extravagance of
+living."
+
+Lyons yielded readily to this argument. He had been accustomed to simple
+surroundings, but travel and the growth of Benham itself had
+demonstrated to him that the ways of the nation in respect to material
+possessions and comforts had undergone a marked change since his youth.
+He had been brought in contact with this new development in his capacity
+of adviser to the magnates of Benham, and he had fallen under the spell
+of improved creature comforts. Still, though he cast sheep's eyes at
+these flesh pots, he had felt chary, both as a worker for righteousness
+and an ardent champion of popular principles, of countenancing them
+openly. Yet his original impulse toward marriage had been a desire to
+secure an establishment, and now that this result was at hand he found
+himself ambitious to put his household on a braver footing, provided
+this would do injury neither to his moral scruples nor to his political
+sincerity. The problem was but another phase of that presented to him by
+his evolution from a jury lawyer, whose hand and voice were against
+corporations, to the status of a richly paid chamber adviser to
+railroads and banking houses. He was exactly in the frame of mind to
+grasp at the euphemism offered by Selma. He was not one to be convinced
+without a reason, but his mind eagerly welcomed a suggestion which
+justified on a moral ground the proceeding to which they were both
+inclined. The idea that the people would prefer to see him as their
+representative living in a style consistent with the changes in manners
+and customs introduced by national prosperity, affording thereby an
+example of correct and elevating stewardship of reasonable wealth, by
+way of contrast to vapid society doings, came to him as an illumination
+which dissipated his doubts.
+
+The wedding took place about three months after the death of Mr.
+Parsons. In her renovated outlook regarding matrimony, Selma included
+formal preparations for and some pomp of circumstances at the ceremony.
+It suited her pious mood that she was not required again to be married
+off-hand, and that she could plight her troth in a decorous fashion,
+suitably attired and amid conventional surroundings. Her dress was a
+subject of considerable contemplation. She guided her lover's generosity
+until it centred on a diamond spray for her hair and two rings set with
+handsome precious stones. She did not discourage Miss Luella Bailey from
+heralding the approaching nuptials in the press. She became Mrs. Lyons
+in a conspicuous and solemn fashion before the gaze of everybody in
+Benham whom there was any excuse for asking to the church. After a
+collation at the Parsons house, the happy pair started on their
+honeymoon in a special car put at their service by one of the railroads
+for which the bridegroom was counsel. This feature delighted Selma.
+Indeed, everything, from the complimentary embrace of her husband's
+pastor to the details of her dress and wedding presents, described with
+elaborate good will in the evening newspapers, appeared to her
+gratifying and appropriate.
+
+They were absent six weeks, during which the Parsons house was to be
+redecorated and embellished within and without according to instructions
+given by Selma before her departure. Their trip extended to California
+by way of the Yosemite. Selma had never seen the wonders of the far
+western scenery, and this appropriate background for their sentiment
+also afforded Lyons the opportunity to inspect certain railroad lines in
+which he was financially interested. The atmosphere of the gorgeous
+snow-clad peaks and impressive chasms served to heighten still further
+the intensity of Selma's frame of mind. She managed adroitly on several
+occasions to let people know who they were, and it pleased her to
+observe the conductor indicating to passengers in the common cars that
+they were Congressman Lyons and his wife on their honeymoon. She was
+looking forward to Washington, and as she stood in the presence of the
+inspiring beauties of nature she was prone to draw herself up in
+rehearsal of the dignity which she expected to wear. What were these
+mountains and canyons but physical counterparts of the human soul? What
+but correlative representatives of grand ideas, of noble lives devoted
+to the cause of human liberty? She felt that she was very happy, and she
+bore testimony to this by walking arm in arm with her husband, leaning
+against his firm, stalwart shoulder. It seemed to her desirable that the
+public should know that they were a happy couple and defenders of the
+purity of the home. On their way back the train was delayed on
+Washington's birthday for several hours by a wash-out, and presently a
+deputation made up of passengers and townspeople waited on Lyons and
+invited him to deliver an open-air address. He and Selma, when the
+committee arrived, were just about to explore the neighborhood, and
+Lyons, though ordinarily he would have been glad of such an opportunity,
+looked at his wife with an expression which suggested that he would
+prefer a walk with her. The eyes of the committee followed his,
+appreciating that he had thrown the responsibility of a decision on his
+bride. Selma was equal to the occasion. "Of course he will address you,"
+she exclaimed. "What more suitable place could there be for offering
+homage to the father of our country than this majestic prairie?" She
+added, proudly, "And I am glad you should have the opportunity to hear
+my husband speak."
+
+Some letters requiring attention were forwarded to Lyons at one of the
+cities where they stopped. As they lay on his dressing-table Selma
+caught sight of the return address, Williams & Van Horne, printed on the
+uppermost envelope. The reminder aroused a host of associations. Flossy
+had not been much in her thoughts lately, yet she had not failed to
+plume herself occasionally with the reflection that she could afford now
+to snap her fingers at her. She had wondered more than once what Flossy
+would think when she heard that she was the wife of a Representative.
+
+"Do you know these people personally?" she inquired, holding up the
+envelope.
+
+"Yes. They are my--er--financial representatives in New York. I have
+considerable dealings with them."
+
+Selma had not up to this time concerned herself as to the details of her
+husband's affairs. He had made clear to her that his income from his
+profession was large, and she knew that he was interested in a variety
+of enterprises. That he should have connections with a firm of New York
+brokers was one more proof to her of his common sense and capacity to
+take advantage of opportunities.
+
+"Mr. Littleton used to buy stocks through Williams and Van Horne--only a
+few. He was not very clever at it, and failed to make the most of the
+chances given him to succeed in that way. We knew the Williamses at one
+time very well. They lived in the same block with us for several years
+after we were married."
+
+"Williams is a capable, driving sort of fellow. Bold, but on the whole
+sagacious, I think," answered Lyons, with demure urbanity. It was rather
+a shock to him that his wife should learn that he had dealings in the
+stock market. He feared lest it might seem to her inconsistent with his
+other propensities--his religious convictions and his abhorrence of
+corporate rapacity. He preferred to keep such transactions private for
+fear they should be misunderstood. At heart he did not altogether
+approve of them himself. They were a part of his evolution, and had
+developed by degrees until they had become now so interwoven with his
+whole financial outlook that he could not escape from them at the moment
+if he would. Indeed some of them were giving him anxiety. He had
+supposed that the letter in question contained a request for a
+remittance to cover depreciation in his account. Instead he had read
+with some annoyance a confidential request from Williams that he would
+work for a certain bill which, in his capacity as a foe of monopoly, he
+had hoped to be able to oppose. It offended his conscience to think that
+he might be obliged secretly to befriend a measure against which his
+vote must be cast. As has been intimated, he would have preferred that
+his business affairs should remain concealed from his wife. Yet her
+remarks were unexpectedly and agreeably reassuring. They served to
+furnish a fresh indication on her part of intelligent sympathy with the
+perplexities which beset the path of an ambitious public man. They
+suggested a subtle appreciation of the reasonableness of his behavior,
+notwithstanding its apparent failure to tally with his outward
+professions.
+
+Selma's reply interrupted this rhapsody.
+
+"I ought to tell you, I suppose, that I quarrelled with Mrs. Williams
+before I left New York. Or, rather, she quarrelled with me. She insulted
+me in my own house, and I was obliged to order her to leave it."
+
+"Quarrelled? That is a pity. An open break? Open breaks in friendship
+are always unfortunate." Lyons looked grieved, and fingered his beard
+meditatively.
+
+"I appreciate," said Selma, frankly, "that our falling out will be an
+inconvenience in case we should meet in Washington or elsewhere, since
+you and Mr. Williams have business interests in common. Of course,
+James, I wish to help you in every way I can. I might as well tell you
+about it. I think she was jealous of me and fancied I was trying to cut
+her out socially. At all events, she insinuated that I was not a lady,
+because I would not lower my standards to hers, and adopt the frivolous
+habits of her little set. But I have not forgotten, James, your
+suggestion that people in public life can accomplish more if they avoid
+showing resentment and strive for harmony. I shall be ready to forget
+the past if Mrs. Williams will, for my position as your wife puts me
+beyond the reach of her criticism. She's a lively little thing in her
+way, and her husband seems to understand about investments and how to
+get ahead."
+
+They went direct to Washington without stopping at Benham. It was
+understood that the new session of Congress was to be very short, and
+they were glad of an opportunity to present themselves in an official
+capacity at the capital as a conclusion to their honeymoon, before
+settling down at home. Selma found a letter from Miss Bailey, containing
+the news that Pauline Littleton had accepted the presidency of Wetmore
+College, the buildings of which were now practically completed. Selma
+gasped as she read this. She had long ago decided that her
+sister-in-law's studies were unpractical, and that Pauline was doomed to
+teach small classes all her days, a task for which she was doubtless
+well fitted. She resented the selection, for, in her opinion, Pauline
+lacked the imaginative talent of Wilbur, and yet shared his subjective,
+unenthusiastic ways. More than once it had occurred to her that the
+presidency of Wetmore was the place of all others for which she herself
+was fitted. Indeed, until Lyons had offered himself she had cherished in
+her inner consciousness the hope that the course of events might
+demonstrate that she was the proper person to direct the energies of
+this new medium for the higher education of women. It irritated her to
+think that an institution founded by Benham philanthropy, and which
+would be a vital influence in the development of Benham womanhood,
+should be under the control of one who was hostile to American theories
+and methods. Selma felt so strongly on the subject that she thought of
+airing her objections in a letter to Mr. Flagg, the donor, but she
+concluded to suspend her strictures until her return to Benham. She
+sent, however, to Miss Bailey, who was now regularly attached to one of
+the Benham newspapers, notes for an article which should deplore the
+choice by the trustees of one who was unfamiliar and presumably out of
+sympathy with Benham thought and impulse.
+
+Selma's emotions on her arrival in Washington were very different from
+those which she had experienced in New York as the bride of Littleton.
+Then she had been unprepared for, dazed, and offended by what she saw.
+Now, though she mentally assumed that the capital was the parade ground
+of American ideas and principles, she felt not merely no surprise at the
+august appearance of the wide avenues, but she was eagerly on the
+lookout, as they drove from the station to the hotel, for signs of
+social development. The aphorism which she had supplied to her husband,
+that the American people prefer to have their representatives live
+comfortably, dwelt in her thoughts and was a solace to her. Despite her
+New York experience, she had the impression that the doors of every
+house in Washington would fly open at her approach as the wife of a
+Congressman. She did not formulate her anticipations as to her
+reception, but she entertained a general expectation that their presence
+would be acknowledged as public officials in a notable way. She dressed
+herself on the morning after their arrival at the hotel with some
+showiness, so as to be prepared for flattering emergencies. She had said
+little to her husband on the subject, for she had already discovered
+that, though he was ambitious that they should appear well, he was
+disposed to leave the management of social concerns to her. His
+information had been limited to bidding her come prepared for the
+reception to be given at the White House at the reassembling of
+Congress. Selma had brought her wedding-dress for this, and was looking
+forward to it as a gala occasion.
+
+The hotel was very crowded, and Selma became aware that many of the
+guests were the wives and daughters of other Congressmen, who seemed to
+be in the same predicament as herself--that is, without anyone to speak
+to and waiting in their best clothes for something to happen. Lyons knew
+a few of them, and was making acquaintances in the corridors, with some
+of whom he exchanged an introduction of wives. As she successively met
+these other women, Selma perceived that no one of them was better
+dressed than herself, and she reflected with pleasure that they would
+doubtless be available allies in her crusade against frivolity and
+exclusiveness.
+
+Presently she set out with her husband to survey the sights of the city.
+Naturally their first visit was to the Capitol, in the presence of which
+Selma clutched his arm in the pride of her patriotism and of her
+pleasure that he was to be one of the makers of history within its
+splendid precincts. The sight of the stately houses of Congress,
+superbly dominated by their imposing dome, made them both walk proudly,
+lost, save for occasional vivid phrases of admiration, in the
+contemplation of their own possible future. What greater earthly prize
+for man than political distinction among a people capable of monuments
+like this? What grander arena for a woman eager to demonstrate truth and
+promote righteousness? There was, of course, too much to see for any one
+visit. They went up to the gallery of the House of Representatives and
+looked down on the theatre of Lyons's impending activities. He was to
+take his seat on the day after the morrow as one of the minority party,
+but a strong, vigorous minority. Selma pictured him standing in the
+aisle and uttering ringing words of denunciation against corporate
+monopolies and the money power.
+
+"I shall come up here and listen to you often. I shall be able to tell
+if you speak loud enough--so that the public can hear you," she said,
+glancing at the line of galleries which she saw in her mind's eye
+crowded with spectators. "You must make a long speech very soon."
+
+"That is very unlikely indeed. They tell me a new member rarely gets a
+chance to be heard," answered Lyons.
+
+"But they will hear you. You have something to say."
+
+Lyons squeezed her hand. Her words nourished the same hope in his own
+breast. "I shall take advantage of every opportunity to obtain
+recognition, and to give utterance to my opinions."
+
+"Oh yes, I shall expect you to speak. I am counting on that."
+
+On their way down they scanned with interest the statues and portraits
+of distinguished statesmen and heroes, and the representations of famous
+episodes in American history with which the walls of the landings and
+the rotunda are lined.
+
+"Some day you will be here," said Selma. "I wonder who will paint you or
+make your bust. I have often thought," she added, wistfully, "that, if I
+had given my mind to it, I could have modelled well in clay. Some day
+I'll try. It would be interesting, wouldn't it, to have you here in
+marble with the inscription underneath, 'Bust of the Honorable James O.
+Lyons, sculptured by his wife?'"
+
+Lyons laughed, but he was pleased. "You are making rapid strides, my
+dear. I am sure of one thing--if my bust or portrait ever is here, I
+shall owe my success largely to your devotion and good sense. I felt
+certain of it before, but our honeymoon has proved to me that we were
+meant for one another."
+
+"Yes, I think we were. And I like to hear you say I have good sense.
+That is what I pride myself on as a wife."
+
+On their return to the hotel Selma was annoyed to find that no one but a
+member of her husband's Congressional delegation had called. She had
+hoped to find that their presence in Washington was known and
+appreciated. It seemed to her, moreover, that they were not treated at
+the hotel with the deference she had supposed would be accorded to them.
+To be sure, equality was of the essence of American doctrine;
+nevertheless she had anticipated that the official representatives of
+the people would be made much of, and distinguished from the rest of the
+world, if not by direct attention, by being pointed out and looked at
+admiringly. Still, as Lyons showed no signs of disappointment, she
+forbore to express her own perplexity, which was temporarily relieved by
+an invitation from him to drive. The atmosphere was mild enough for an
+open carriage, and Selma's appetite for processional effect derived some
+crumbs of comfort from the process of showing herself in a barouche by
+the side of her husband. They proceeded in an opposite direction from
+the Capitol, and after surveying the outside of the White House, drove
+along the avenues and circles occupied by private residences. Selma
+noticed that these houses, though attractive, were less magnificent and
+conspicuous than many of those in New York--more like her own in Benham;
+and she pictured as their occupants the families of the public men of
+the country--a society of their wives and daughters living worthily,
+energetically, and with becoming stateliness, yet at the same time
+rebuking by their example frivolity and rampant luxury. She observed
+with satisfaction the passage of a number of private carriages, and that
+their occupants were stylishly clad. She reflected that, as, the wife of
+a Congressman, her place was among them, and she was glad that they
+recognized the claims of social development so far as to dress well and
+live in comfort. Before starting she had herself fastened a bunch of red
+roses at her waist as a contribution to her picturesqueness as a public
+woman.
+
+While she was thus absorbed in speculation, not altogether free from
+worrying suspicions, in spite of her mental vision as to the occupants
+of these private residences, she uttered an ejaculation of surprise as a
+jaunty victoria passed by them, and she turned her head in an eager
+attempt to ascertain if her surprise and annoyance were well-founded.
+The other vehicle was moving rapidly, but a similar curiosity impelled
+one of its occupants to look hack also, and the eyes of the two women
+met.
+
+"It's she; I thought it was."
+
+"Who, my dear?" said Lyons.
+
+"Flossy Williams--Mrs. Gregory Williams. I wonder," she added, in a
+severe tone, "what she is doing here, and how she happens to be
+associating with these people. That was a private carriage."
+
+"Williams has a number of friends in Washington, I imagine. I thought it
+likely that he would be here. That was another proof of your good sense,
+Selma--deciding to let bygones be bygones and to ignore your
+disagreement with his wife."
+
+"Yes, I know. I shall treat her civilly. But my heart will be broken,
+James, if I find that Washington is like New York."
+
+"In what respect?"
+
+"If I find that the people in these houses lead exclusive, un-American,
+godless lives. It would tempt me almost to despair of our country," she
+exclaimed, with tragic emphasis.
+
+"I don't understand about social matters, Selma. I must leave those to
+you. But," he added, showing that he shrewdly realized the cause of her
+anguish better than she did herself, "as soon as we get better
+acquainted, I'm sure you will find that we shall get ahead, and that you
+will be able to hold your own with anybody, however exclusive."
+
+Selma colored at the unflattering simplicity of his deduction. "I don't
+desire to hold my own with people of that sort. I despise them."
+
+"I know. Hold your own, I mean, among people of the right sort by force
+of sound ideas and principles. The men and women of to-day," he
+continued, with melodious asseveration, "are the grand-children of those
+who built the splendid halls we visited this morning as a monument to
+our nation's love of truth and righteousness. A few frivolous, worldly
+minded spirits are not the people of the United States to whom we look
+for our encouragement and support."
+
+"Assuredly," answered Selma, with eagerness. "It is difficult, though,
+not to get discouraged at times by the behavior of those who ought to
+aid instead of hinder our progress as a nation."
+
+For a moment she was silent in wrapt meditation, then she asked:
+
+"Didn't you expect that more notice would be taken of our arrival?"
+
+"In what way?"
+
+"In some way befitting a member of Congress."
+
+Lyons laughed. "My dear Selma, I am one new Congressman among several
+hundred. What did you expect? That the President and his wife would come
+and take us to drive?"
+
+"Of course not." She paused a moment, then she said: "I suppose that, as
+you are not on the side of the administration, we cannot expect much
+notice to be taken of us until you speak in the House. I will try not to
+be too ambitious for you, James; but it would be easier to be patient,"
+she concluded, with her far-away look, "if I were not beginning to fear
+that this city also may be contaminated just as New York is."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+The incidents of the next two days previous to her attendance at the
+evening reception at the White House restored Selma's equanimity. She
+had the satisfaction of being present at the opening ceremonies of the
+House of Representatives, and of beholding her husband take the oath of
+office. She was proud of Lyons as she looked down on him from the
+gallery standing in the aisle by his allotted seat. He was holding an
+improvised reception, for a number of his colleagues showed themselves
+desirous to make his acquaintance. She noticed that he appeared already
+on familiar terms with some of his fellow-members; that he drew men or
+was drawn aside for whispered confidences; that he joked knowingly with
+others; and that always as he chatted his large, round, smooth face,
+relieved by its chin beard, wore an aspect of bland dignity and shrewd
+reserve wisdom. It pleased her to be assisting at the dedication of a
+fresh page of national history--a page yet unwritten, but on which she
+hoped that her own name would be inscribed sooner or later by those who
+should seek to trace the complete causes of her husband's usefulness and
+genius.
+
+Another source of satisfaction was the visit paid them the day before at
+the hotel by one of the United States Senators from their own State--Mr.
+Calkins. The two political parties in their own State were so evenly
+divided that one of the Senators in office happened to be a Republican
+and his colleague a Democrat. Mr. Calkins belonged to her husband's
+party, yet he suggested that they might enjoy a private audience with
+the President, with whom, notwithstanding political differences of
+opinion, Mr. Calkins was on friendly terms. This was the sort of thing
+which Selma aspired to, and the experience did much to lighten her
+heart. She enjoyed the distinction of seeing guarded doors open at their
+approach, and of finding herself shaking hands with the chief magistrate
+of the nation at a special interview. The President was very affable,
+and was manifestly aware of Lyons's triumph at the expense of his own
+party, and of his consequent political importance. He treated the matter
+banteringly, and Selma was pleased at her ability to enter into the
+spirit of his persiflage and to reciprocate. In her opinion solemnity
+would have been more consistent with his position as the official
+representative of the people of the United States, and his jocose
+manifestations at a time when serious conversation seemed to be in order
+was a disappointment, and tended to confirm her previous distrust of him
+as the leader of the opposite party. She had hoped he would broach some
+vital topics of political interest, and that she would have the
+opportunity to give expression to her own views in regard to public
+questions. Nevertheless, as the President saw fit to be humorous, she
+was glad that she understood how to meet and answer his bantering
+sallies. She felt sure that Lyons, were he ever to occupy this dignified
+office, would refrain from ill-timed levity, but she bore in mind also
+the policy of conciliation which she had learned from her husband, and
+concealed her true impressions. She noticed that both Lyons and Mr.
+Calkins forebore to show dissatisfaction, and she reflected that, though
+the President's tone was light, there was nothing else in his appearance
+or bearing to convict him of sympathy with lack of enthusiasm and with
+cynicism. It would have destroyed all the enjoyment of her interview had
+she been forced to conclude that a man who did not take himself and his
+duties seriously could be elected President of the United States. She
+was not willing to believe this; but her suspicions were so far aroused
+that she congratulated herself that her political opponents were
+responsible for his election. Nevertheless she was delighted by the
+distinction of the private audience, and by the episode at its close,
+which gave her opportunity to show her individuality. Said the President
+gallantly as she was taking leave:
+
+"Will you permit me to congratulate Congressman Lyons on his good
+fortune in the affairs of the heart as well as in politics?"
+
+"If you say things like that, Mr. President," interjected Lyons, "you
+will turn her head; she will become a Republican, and then where should
+I be?"
+
+While she perceived that the President was still inclined to levity, the
+compliment pleased Selma. Yet, though she appreciated that her husband
+was merely humoring him by his reply, she did not like the suggestion
+that any flattery could affect her principles. She shook her head
+coquettishly and said:
+
+"James, I'm sure the President thinks too well of American women to
+believe that any admiration, however gratifying, would make me lukewarm
+in devotion to my party."
+
+This speech appeared to her apposite and called for, and she departed in
+high spirits, which were illuminated by the thought that the
+administration was not wholly to be trusted.
+
+On the following evening Selma went to the reception at the White House.
+The process of arrival was trying to her patience, for they were obliged
+to await their turn in the long file of carriages. She could not but
+approve of the democratic character of the entertainment, which anyone
+who desired to behold and shake hands with the Chief Magistrate was free
+to attend. Still, it again crossed her mind that, as an official's wife,
+she ought to have been given precedence. Their turn to alight came at
+last, and they took their places in the procession of visitors on its
+way through the East room to the spot where the President and his wife,
+assisted by some of the ladies of the Cabinet, were submitting to the
+ordeal of receiving the nation. There was a veritable crush, in which
+there was every variety of evening toilette, a display essentially in
+keeping with the doctrines which Selma felt that she stood for. She took
+occasion to rejoice in Lyons's ear at the realization of her
+anticipations in this respect. At the same time she was agreeably
+stimulated by the belief that her wedding dress was sumptuous and
+stylish, and her appearance striking. Her hair had been dressed as
+elaborately as possible; she wore all her jewelry; and she carried a
+bouquet of costly roses. Her wish was to regard the function as the
+height of social demonstration, and she had spared no pains to make
+herself effective. She had esteemed it her duty to do so both as a
+Congressman's wife and as a champion of moral and democratic ideas.
+
+The crowd was oppressive, and three times the train of her dress was
+stepped on to her discomfiture. Amid the sea of faces she recognized a
+few of the people she had seen at the hotel. It struck her that no one
+of the women was dressed so elegantly as herself, an observation which
+cheered her and yet was not without its thorn. But the music, the
+lights, and the variegated movement of the scene kept her senses
+absorbed and interfered with introspection, until at last they were
+close to the receiving party. Selma fixed her eyes on the President,
+expecting recognition. Like her husband, the President possessed a gift
+of faces and the faculty of rallying all his energies to the important
+task of remembering who people were. An usher asked and announced the
+names, but the Chief Magistrate's perceptions were kept hard at work.
+His "How do you do, Congressman Lyons? I am very glad to see you here,
+Mrs. Lyons," were uttered with a smiling spontaneity, which to his own
+soul meant a momentary agreeable relaxation of the nerves of memory,
+resembling the easy flourish with which a gymnast engaged in lifting
+heavy weights encounters a wooden dumb-bell. But though his eyes and
+voice were flattering, Selma had barely completed the little bob of a
+courtesy which accompanied her act of shaking hands when she discovered
+that the machinery of the national custom was not to halt on their
+account, and that she must proceed without being able to renew the half
+flirtatious interview of the previous day. She proceeded to courtesy to
+the President's wife and to the row of wives of members of the Cabinet
+who were assisting. Before she could adequately observe them, she found
+herself beyond and a part once more of a heterogeneous crush, the
+current of which she aimlessly followed on her husband's arm. She was
+suspicious of the device of courtesying. Why had not the President's
+wife and the Cabinet ladies shaken hands with her and given her an
+opportunity to make their acquaintance? Could it be that the
+administration was aping foreign manners and adopting effete and
+aristocratic usages?
+
+"What do we do now?" she asked of Lyons as they drifted along.
+
+"I'd like to find Horace Elton and introduce him to you. I caught a
+glimpse of him further on just before we reached the President. Horace
+knows all the ropes and can tell us who everybody is."
+
+Selma had heard her husband refer to Horace Elton on several occasions
+in terms of respectful and somewhat mysterious consideration. She had
+gathered in a general way that he was a far reaching and formidable
+power in matters political and financial, besides being the president
+and active organizer of the energetic corporation known as the
+Consumers' Gas Light Company of their own state. As they proceeded she
+kept her eyes on the alert for a man described by Lyons as short,
+heavily built, and neat looking, with small side whiskers and a
+close-mouthed expression. When they were not far from the door of exit
+from the East room, some one on the edge of the procession accosted her
+husband, who drew her after him in that direction. Selma found herself
+in a sort of eddy occupied by half a dozen people engaged in observing
+the passing show, and in the presence of Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Williams.
+It was Mr. Williams who had diverted them. He now renewed his
+acquaintance with her, exclaiming--"My wife insisted that she had met
+you driving with some one she believed to be your husband. I had heard
+that Congressman Lyons was on his bridal tour, and now everything is
+clear. Flossy, you were right as usual, and it seems that our hearty
+congratulations are in order to two old friends."
+
+Williams spoke with his customary contagious confidence. Selma noted
+that he was stouter and that his hair was becomingly streaked with gray.
+Had not her attention been on the lookout for his wife she might have
+noticed that his eye wore a restless, strained expression despite his
+august banker's manner and showy gallantry. She did observe that the
+moment he had made way for Flossy he turned to Lyons and began to talk
+to him in a subdued tone under the guise of watching the procession.
+
+The two women confronted each other with spontaneous forgetfulness of
+the past. There was a shade of haughtiness in Selma's greeting. She was
+prepared to respect her husband's policy and to ignore the circumstances
+under which they had parted, but she wished Flossy to understand that
+this was an act of condescension on her part as a Congressman's wife,
+whose important social status was beyond question. She was so thoroughly
+imbued with this sense of her indisputable superiority that she readily
+mistook Flossy's affability for fawning; whereas that young woman's
+ingenuous friendliness was the result of a warning sentence from Gregory
+when Selma and her husband were seen approaching--"Keep a check on your
+tongue, Floss. This statesman with a beard like a goat is likely to have
+a political future."
+
+"I felt sure it was you the other day," Flossy said with smiling
+sprightliness, "but I had not heard of your marriage to Mr. Lyons."
+
+"We were married at Benham six weeks ago. We are to live in Benham. We
+have bought the house there which belonged to Mr. Parsons. We have just
+returned from visiting the superb scenery of the Yosemite and the Rocky
+Mountains, and it made me prouder than ever of my country. If
+Congressman Lyons had not been obliged to be present at the opening of
+Congress, we should have spent our honeymoon in Europe."
+
+"Gregory and I passed last summer abroad yachting. We crossed on a
+steamer and had our yacht meet us there. Isn't it a jam to-night?"
+
+"There seem to be a great many people. I suppose you came on from New
+York on purpose for this reception?"
+
+"Mercy, no. We are staying with friends, and we hadn't intended to come
+to-night. But we had been dining out and were dressed, so we thought
+we'd drop in and show our patriotism. It's destruction to clothes, and
+I'm glad I haven't worn my best."
+
+Selma perceived Flossy's eye making a note of her own elaborate costume,
+and the disagreeable suspicion that she was overdressed reasserted
+itself. She had already observed that Mrs. Williams's toilette, though
+stylish, was comparatively simple. How could one be overdressed on such
+an occasion? What more suitable time for an American woman to wear her
+choicest apparel than when paying her respects to the President of the
+United States? She noticed that Flossy seemed unduly at her ease as
+though the importance of the ceremony was lost on her, and that they
+group of people with whom Flossy had been talking and who stood a little
+apart were obviously indulging in quiet mirth at the expense of some of
+those in the procession.
+
+"Are the friends with whom you are staying connected with the
+Government?" Selma asked airily.
+
+"Official people? Goodness, no. But I can point out to you who everybody
+is, for we have been in Washington frequently during the last three
+sessions. Gregory has to run over here on business every now and then,
+and I almost always come with him. To-night is the opportunity to see
+the queer people in all their glory--the woolly curiosities, as Gregory
+calls them. And a sprinkling of the real celebrities too," she added.
+
+Selma's inquiry had been put with a view to satisfy herself that
+Flossy's friends were mere civilians. But she was glad of an opportunity
+to be enlightened as to the names of her fellow-officials, though she
+resented Flossy's flippant tone regarding the character of the
+entertainment. While she listened to the breezy, running commentary by
+which Flossy proceeded to identify for her benefit the conspicuous
+figures in the procession she nursed her offended sensibilities.
+
+"I should suppose," she said, taking advantage of a pause, "that on such
+an occasion as this everybody worth knowing would be present."
+
+Flossy gave Selma one of her quick glances. She had not forgotten the
+past, nor her discovery of the late Mrs. Littleton's real grievance
+against her and the world. Nor did she consider that her husband's
+caveat debarred her from the amusement of worrying the wife of the Hon.
+James O. Lyons, provided it could be done by means of the truth
+ingenuously uttered. She said with a confidential smile--
+
+"The important and the interesting political people have other
+opportunities to meet one another--at dinner parties and less
+promiscuous entertainments than this, and the Washington people have
+other opportunities to meet them. Of course the President is a dear, and
+everyone makes a point of attending a public reception once in a while,
+but this sort of thing isn't exactly an edifying society event. For
+instance, notice the woman in the pomegranate velvet with two diamond
+sprays in her hair. That's the wife of Senator Colman--his child wife,
+so they call her. She came to Washington six years ago as the wife of a
+member of the House from one of the wild and woolly States, and was
+notorious then in the hotel corridors on account of her ringletty raven
+hair and the profusion of rings she wore. She used to make eyes at the
+hotel guests and romp with her husband's friends in the hotel parlors,
+which was the theatre of her social activities. Her husband died, and a
+year ago she married old Senator Colman, old enough to be her
+grandfather, and one of the very rich and influential men in the Senate.
+Now she has developed social ambition and is anxious to entertain. They
+have hired a large house for the winter and are building a larger one.
+As Mrs. Polsen--that was her first husband's name--she was invited
+nowhere except to wholesale official functions like this. The wife of a
+United States Senator with plenty of money can generally attract a
+following; she is somebody. And it happens that people are amused by
+Mrs. Cohnan's eccentricities. She still overdresses, and makes eyes, and
+she nudges those who sit next her at table, but she is good-natured,
+says whatever comes into her head, and has a strong sense of humor. So
+she is getting on."
+
+"Getting on among society people?" said Selma drily.
+
+Flossy's eyes twinkled. "Society people is the generic name used for
+them in the newspapers. I mean that she is making friends among the
+women who live in the quarter where I passed you the other day."
+
+Selma frowned. "It is not necessary, I imagine, to make friends of that
+class in order to have influence in Washington,--the best kind of
+influence. I can readily believe that people of that sort would interest
+most of our public women very little."
+
+"Very likely. I don't think you quite understand me, Mrs. Lyons, or we
+are talking at cross purposes. What I was trying to make clear is that
+political and social prominence in Washington are by no means
+synonimous. Of course everyone connected with the government who
+desires to frequent Washington society and is socially available is
+received with open arms; but, if people are not socially available, it
+by no means follows that they are able to command social recognition
+merely because they hold political office,--except perhaps in the case
+of wives of the Cabinet, of the Justices of the Supreme Court, or of
+rich and influential Senators, where a woman is absolutely bent on
+success and takes pains. I refer particularly to the wives, because a
+single man, if he is reasonably presentable and ambitious, can go about
+more or less, even if he is a little rough, for men are apt to be
+scarce. But the line is drawn on the women unless they are--er--really
+important and have to be tolerated for official reasons. Now every woman
+who is not _persona grata_, as the diplomats say, anywhere else, is apt
+to attend the President's reception in all her finery, and that's why I
+suggested that this sort of thing isn't exactly an edifying social
+event. It's amusing to come here now and then, just as it's amusing to
+go to a menagerie. You see what I mean, don't you?" Flossy asked, plying
+her feathery fan with blithe nonchalance and looking into her
+companion's face with an innocent air.
+
+"I understand perfectly. And who are these people who draw the line?"
+
+"It sometimes happens," continued Flossy abstractedly, without appearing
+to hear this inquiry, "that they improve after they've been in
+Washington a few years. Take Mrs. Baker, the Secretary of the Interior's
+wife, receiving to-night. When her husband came to Washington three
+years ago she had the social adaptability of a solemn horse. But she
+persevered and learned, and now as a Cabinet lady she unbends, and is no
+longer afraid of compromising her dignity by wearing becoming clothes
+and smiling occasionally. But you were asking who the people are who
+draw the line. The nice people here just as everywhere else; the people
+who have been well educated and have fine sensibilities, and who believe
+in modesty, and unselfishness and thorough ways of doing things. You
+must know the sort of people I mean. Some of them make too much of mere
+manners, but as a class they are able to draw the line because they draw
+it in favor of distinction of character as opposed to--what shall I call
+it?--haphazard custom-made ethics and social deportment."
+
+Flossy spoke with the artless prattle of one seeking to make herself
+agreeable to a new-comer by explaining the existing order of things, but
+she had chosen her words as she proceeded with special reference to her
+listener's case. There was nothing in her manner to suggest that she was
+trifling with the feelings of the wife of Hon. James O. Lyons, but to
+Selma's sensitive ear there was no doubt that the impertinent and
+unpatriotic tirade had been deliberately aimed at her. The closing words
+had a disagreeably familiar sound. Save that they fell from seemingly
+friendly lips they recalled the ban which Flossy had hurled at her at
+the close of their last meeting--the ban which had decided her to
+declare unwavering hostility against social exclusiveness. Its veiled
+reiteration now made her nerves tingle, but the personal affront stirred
+her less than the conclusion, which the whole of Flossy's commentary
+suggested, that Washington--Washington the hearth-stone of American
+ideals, was contaminated also. Flossy had given her to understand that
+the houses which she had assumed to be occupied by members of the
+Government were chiefly the residences of people resembling in character
+those whom she had disapproved of in New York. Flossy had intimated that
+unless a woman were hand in glove with these people and ready to lower
+herself to their standards, she must be the wife of a rich Senator to be
+tolerated. Flossy had virtually told her that a Congressman's wife was
+nobody. Could this be true? The bitterest part of all was that it was
+evident Flossy spoke with the assurance of one uttering familiar truths.
+Selma felt affronted and bitterly disappointed, but she chose to meet
+Mrs. Williams's innocent affability with composure; to let her see that
+she disagreed with her, but not to reveal her personal irritation. She
+must consider Lyons, whose swift political promotion was necessary for
+her plans. It was important that he should become rich, and if his
+relations with the firm of Williams & Van Horne tended to that end, no
+personal grievance of her own should disturb them. Even Flossy had
+conceded that the wives of the highest officials could not be ignored.
+
+"I fear that we look at these matters from too different a standpoint to
+discuss them further," she responded, with an effort at smiling ease.
+"Evidently you do not appreciate that to the majority of the strong
+women of the country whose husbands have been sent to Washington as
+members of the Government social interests seem trivial compared with
+the great public questions they are required to consider. These women
+doubtless feel little inclination for fashionable and--or--frivolous
+festivities, and find an occasion like this better suited to their
+conception of social dignity."
+
+A reply by Flossy to this speech was prevented by the interruption of
+Lyons, who brought up Mr. Horace Elton for introduction to his wife.
+Selma knew him at once from his likeness to the description which her
+husband had given. He was portly and thick-set, with a large neck, a
+strong, unemotional, high-colored face, and closely-shaven, small side
+whiskers. He made her a low bow and, after a few moments of
+conversation, in the course of which he let fall a complimentary
+allusion to her husband's oratorical abilities and gave her to
+understand that he considered Lyons's marriage as a wise and enviable
+proceeding, he invited her to promenade the room on his arm. Mr. Elton
+had a low but clear and dispassionate voice, and a concise utterance.
+His remarks gave the impression that he could impart more on any subject
+if he chose, and that what he said proceeded from a reserve fund of
+special, secret knowledge, a little of which he was willing to confide
+to his listener. He enlightened Selma in a few words as to a variety of
+the people present, accompanying his identification with a phrase or two
+of comprehensive personal detail, which had the savor of being unknown
+to the world at large.
+
+"The lady we just passed, Mrs. Lyons, is the wife of the junior Senator
+from Nevada. Her husband fell in love with her on the stage of a mining
+town theatrical troupe. That tall man, with the profuse wavy hair and
+prominent nose, is Congressman Ross of Colorado, the owner of one of the
+largest cattle ranches in the Far West. It is said that he has never
+smoked, never tasted a glass of liquor, and never gambled in his life."
+
+In the course of these remarks Mr. Elton simply stated his interesting
+facts without comment. He avoided censorious or satirical allusions to
+the people to whom he called Selma's attention. On the contrary, his
+observations suggested sympathetically that he desired to point out to
+her the interesting personalities of the capital, and that he regarded
+the entertainment as an occasion to behold the strong men and women of
+the country in their lustre and dignity. As they passed the lady in
+pomegranate velvet, Selma said, in her turn, "That is Mrs. Colman, I
+believe. Senator Colman's child wife." She added what was in her
+thoughts, "I understand that the society people here have taken her up."
+
+"Yes. She has become a conspicuous figure in Washington. I remember her,
+Mrs. Lyons, when she was Addie Farr--before she married Congressman
+Polsen of Kentucky. She was a dashing looking girl in those days, with
+her black eyes and black ringlets. I remember she had a coltish way of
+tossing her head. The story is that when she accepted Polsen another
+Kentuckian--a young planter--who was in love with her, drank laudanum.
+Now, as you say, she is being taken up socially, and her husband, the
+Senator, is very proud of her success. After all, if a woman is
+ambitious and has tact, what can she ask better than to be the wife of a
+United States Senator?" He paused a moment, then, with a gallant
+sidelong glance at his companion, resumed in a concise whisper, which
+had the effect of a disclosure, "Prophecies, especially political
+prophecies, are dangerous affairs, but it seems to me not improbable
+that before many years have passed the wife of Senator Lyons will be
+equally prominent--be as conspicuous socially as the wife of Senator
+Colman."
+
+Selma blushed, but not wholly with pleasure. Socially conspicuous before
+many years? The splendid prophecy, which went beyond the limit of Horace
+Elton's usual caution--for he combined the faculty of habitual
+discretion with his chatty proclivities--was dimmed for Selma by the
+rasping intimation that she was not conspicuous yet. Worse still, his
+statement shattered the hope, which Flossy's fluent assertions had
+already disturbed, that she was to find in Washington a company of
+congenial spirits who would appreciate her at her full value forthwith,
+and would join with her and under her leadership in resisting the
+encroachments of women of the stamp of Mrs. Williams.
+
+"I am very ambitious for my husband, Mr. Elton, and of course I have
+hoped--do hope that some day he will be a Senator. What you said just
+now as to the power of his voice to arouse the moral enthusiasm of the
+people seemed to be impressively true. I should be glad to be a
+Senator's wife, for--for I wish to help him. I wish to demonstrate the
+truth of the principles to which both our lives are dedicated. But I
+hoped that I might help him now--that my mission might be clear at once.
+It seems according to you that a Congressman's wife is not of much
+importance; that her hands are tied."
+
+"Practically so, unless--unless she has unusual social facility, and the
+right sort of acquaintances. Beauty, wealth and ambition are valuable
+aids, but I always am sorry for women who come here without friends,
+and--er--the right sort of introduction. At any rate, to answer your
+question frankly, a Congressman's wife has her spurs to win just as he
+has. If you were to set up house-keeping, here, Mrs. Lyons, I've no
+doubt that a woman of your attractions and capabilities would soon make
+a niche for herself. You have had social experience, which Addie Farr,
+for instance, was without."
+
+"I lived in New York for some years with my husband, Mr. Littleton, so I
+have a number of Eastern acquaintances."
+
+"I remember you were talking with Mrs. Gregory Williams when I was
+introduced to you. The people with whom she is staying are among the
+most fashionable in Washington. What I said had reference to the wife of
+the every-day Congressman who comes to Washington expecting recognition.
+Not to Mrs. James O. Lyons."
+
+Selma bit her lip. She recognized the death-knell of her cherished
+expectations. She was not prepared to acknowledge formally her
+discomfiture and her disappointment. But she believed that Mr. Elton,
+though a plain man, had comprehensive experience and that he spoke with
+shrewd knowledge of the situation. She felt sure that he was not trying
+to deceive or humiliate her. It was clear that Washington was
+contaminated also.
+
+"I dare say I should get on here well enough after a time, though I
+should find difficulty in considering that it was right to give so much
+time to merely social matters. But Mr. Lyons and I have already decided
+that I can be more use to him at present in Benham. There I feel at
+home. I am known, and have my friends, and there I have important
+work--literary lectures and the establishment of a large public hospital
+under way. If the time comes, as you kindly predict, that my husband is
+chosen a United States Senator, I shall be glad to return here and
+accept the responsibilities of our position. But I warn you, Mr.
+Elton,--I warn the people of Washington," she added with a wave of her
+fan, while her eyes sparkled with a stern light "that when I am one of
+their leaders, I shall do away with some of the--er--false customs of
+the present administration. I shall insist on preserving our American
+social traditions inviolate."
+
+Here was the grain of consolation in the case, which she clutched at and
+held up before her mind's eye as a new stimulus to her patriotism and
+her conscience. Both Mr. Elton and Flossy had indicated that there was a
+point at which exclusiveness was compelled to stop in its haughty
+disregard of democratic ideals. There were certain women whom the people
+who worshipped lack of enthusiasm and made an idol of cynicism were
+obliged to heed and recognize. They might be able to ignore the
+intelligence and social originality of a Congressman's wife, but they
+dared not turn a cold shoulder on the wife of a United States Senator.
+And if a woman--if she were to occupy this proud position, what a
+satisfaction it would be to assert the power which belonged to it;
+assert it in behalf of the cause for which she had suffered so much! Her
+disappointment tasted bitterly in her mouth, and she was conscious of
+stern revolt; but the new hope had already taken possession of her
+fancy, and she hastened to prove it by the ethical standard without
+which all hopes were valueless to her. Even now had anyone told her that
+the ruling passion of her life was to be wooed and made much of by the
+very people she professed to despise, she would have spurned the accuser
+as a malicious slanderer. Nor indeed would it have been wholly true.
+Mrs. Williams had practically told her this at their last meeting in New
+York, and its utterance had convinced her on the contrary of repugnance
+to them, and of her desire to be the leader of a social protest against
+them. Now here, in Washington of all places, she was confronted by the
+bitter suggestion that she was without allies, and that her enemies were
+the keepers of the door which led to leadership and power. Despondency
+stared her in the face, but a splendid possibility--aye probability was
+left. She would not forsake her principles. She would not lower her
+flag. She would return to Benham. Washington refused her homage now, but
+it should listen to her and bow before her some day as the wife of one
+of the real leaders of the State, whom Society did not dare to ignore.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+At the close of the fortnight of her stay in Washington subsequent to
+the reception at the White House, Selma found herself in the same frame
+of mind as when she parted from Mr. Elton. During this fortnight her
+time was spent either in sight seeing or at the hotel. The exercises at
+the Capitol were purely formal, preliminary to a speedy adjournment of
+Congress. Consequently her husband had no opportunity to distinguish
+himself by addressing the house. Of Flossy she saw nothing, though the
+two men had several meetings. Apparently both Lyons and Williams were
+content with a surface reconciliation between their wives which did not
+bar family intercourse. At least her husband made no suggestion that she
+should call on Mrs. Williams, and Flossy's cards did not appear. Beyond
+making the acquaintance of a few more wives and daughters in the hotel,
+who seemed as solitary as herself, Selma received no overtures from her
+own sex. She knew no one, and no one sought her out or paid her
+attention. She still saw fit to believe that if she were to establish
+herself in Washington and devote her energies to rallying these wives
+and daughters about her, she might be able to prove that Flossy and Mr.
+Elton were mistaken. But she realized that the task would be less simple
+than she had anticipated. Besides she yearned to return to Benham, and
+take up again the thread of active life there. Benham would vindicate
+her, and some day Benham would send her back to Washington to claim
+recognition and her rightful place.
+
+Lyons himself was in a cheerful mood and found congenial occupation in
+visiting with his wife the many historical objects of interest, and in
+chatting in various hotel corridors with the public men of the country,
+his associates in Congress. His solicitude in regard to the account
+which Williams was carrying for him had been relieved temporarily by an
+upward turn in the stock market, and the impending prompt adjournment of
+Congress had saved him from the necessity of taking action in regard to
+the railroad bill which Williams had solicited him to support. Moreover
+Selma had repeated to him Horace Elton's prophecy that it was not
+unlikely that some day he would become Senator. To be sure he recognized
+that a remark like this uttered to a pretty woman by an astute man of
+affairs such as Elton was not to be taken too seriously. There was no
+vacancy in the office of Senator from his state, and none was likely to
+occur. At the present time, if one should occur, his party in the state
+legislature was in a minority. Hence prophecy was obviously a random
+proceeding. Nevertheless he was greatly pleased, for, after all, Elton
+would scarcely have made the speech had he not been genuinely well
+disposed. A senatorship was one of the great prizes of political life,
+and one of the noblest positions in the world. It would afford him a
+golden opportunity to leave the impress of his convictions on national
+legislation, and defend the liberties of the people by force of the
+oratorical gifts which he possessed. Elton had referred to these gifts
+in complimentary terms. Was it not reasonable to infer that Elton would
+be inclined to promote his political fortunes? Such an ally would be
+invaluable, for Elton was a growing power in the industrial development
+of the section of the country where they both lived. He had continued to
+find him friendly in spite of his own antagonism on the public platform
+to corporate power. A favorite and conscientious hope in his political
+outlook was that he might be able to make capital as well as labor
+believe him to be a friend without alienating either; that he might
+obtain support at the polls from both factions, and thus be left free
+after election to work out for their mutual advantage appropriate
+legislation. He had avowed himself unmistakably the champion of popular
+principles in order to win the confidence of the common people, but his
+policy of reasonable conciliation led him to cast sheep's eyes at vested
+interests when he could do so without exposing himself to the charge of
+inconsistency. Many of his friends were wealthy men, and his private
+ambition was to amass a handsome fortune. That had been the cause of his
+speculative ventures in local enterprises which promised large returns,
+and in the stock market. Horace Elton was a friend of but three years'
+standing; one of the men who had consulted him occasionally in regard to
+legal matters since he had become a corporation attorney. He admired
+Elton's strong, far-reaching grasp of business affairs, his capacity to
+formulate and incubate on plans of magnitude without betraying a sign of
+his intentions, and his power to act with lightning despatch and
+overwhelming vigor when the moment for the consummation of his purposes
+arrived. He also found agreeable Elton's genial, easy-going ways outside
+of business hours, which frequently took the form of social
+entertainment at which expense seemed to be no consideration and
+gastronomic novelties were apt to be presented. Lyons attended one of
+these private banquets while in Washington--a dinner party served to a
+carefully chosen company of public men, to which newspaper scribes were
+unable to penetrate. This same genial, easy-going tendency of Elton's to
+make himself acceptable to those with whom he came in contact took the
+form of a gift to Mrs. Lyons of a handsome cameo pin which he presented
+to her a day or two after their dialogue at the President's reception,
+and for which, as he confidentially informed Selma, he had been seeking
+a suitable wearer ever since he had picked it up in an out-of-the-way
+store in Brussels the previous summer.
+
+On the day of their departure Selma, as she took a last look from the
+car window at the Capitol and the Washington Monument, said to her
+husband: "This is a beautiful city--worthy in many respects of the
+genius of the American people--but I never wish to return to Washington
+until you are United States Senator."
+
+"Would you not be satisfied with Justice of the Supreme Court?" asked
+Lyons, gayly.
+
+"I should prefer Senator. If you were Senator, you could probably be
+appointed to the Supreme Court in case you preferred that place. I am
+relying on you, James, to bring me back here some day."
+
+She whispered this in his ear, as they sat with heads close together
+looking back at the swiftly receding city. Selma's hands were clasped in
+her lap, and she seemed to her lover to have a dreamy air--an air
+suggesting poetry and high ethical resolve such as he liked to associate
+with her and their scheme of wedded life. It pleased him that his wife
+should feel so confident that the future had in store for him this great
+prize, and he allowed himself to yield to the pathos of the moment and
+whisper in reply:
+
+"I will say this, Selma. My business affairs look more favorable, and,
+if nothing unforeseen happens, I do not see why we shouldn't get on
+reasonably fast. Nowadays, in order to be a United States Senator
+comfortably, it is desirable in the first place to have abundant means."
+
+"Yes."
+
+"We must be patient and God-fearing, and with your help, dear, and your
+sympathy, we may live to see what you desire come to pass. Of course, my
+ambition is to be Senator, and--and to take you back to Washington as a
+Senator's wife."
+
+Selma had not chosen to confide to Lyons in set terms her social
+grievance against the capital of her country. But she was glad to
+perceive from his last words that he understood she was not satisfied
+with the treatment accorded her, and that he also was looking forward to
+giving her a position which would enable her to rebuke the ungodly and
+presumptuous.
+
+"Thank you, James," she answered. "When that time comes we shall be able
+to teach them a number of things. For the present though, I feel that I
+can be of best service to you and to the truths which we are living for
+by interesting myself in whatever concerns Benham. We believe in Benham,
+and Benham seems inclined to believe in us and our ideas."
+
+The ensuing year passed uneventfully. Lyons was able to be at home from
+the first of April to the reassembling of Congress in the following
+December. He was glad to give himself up to the enjoyment of his
+handsome establishment. He resumed the tenor of his professional
+practice, feeling that as a sober-minded, married citizen he had become
+of more importance to the community, and he was eager to bear witness to
+his sense of responsibility. He took a more active part in soliciting
+contributions for evangelizing benighted countries, and he consented on
+several occasions to deliver an address on "Success in Life" to
+struggling young men of Benham and the surrounding towns. His easy flow
+of words, his dignity and his sober but friendly mien made him a
+favorite with audiences, and constantly broadened his circle of
+acquaintance.
+
+Selma, on her side, took up the organization of the Free Hospital
+provided by Mr. Parsons. Her husband left the decision of all but legal
+and financial questions to her and Miss Luella Bailey, who, at Selma's
+request, was made the third member of the board of trustees. She decided
+to call in a committee of prominent physicians to formulate a programme
+of procedure in matters purely medical; but she reserved a right of
+rejection of their conclusions, and she insisted on the recognition of
+certain cardinal principles, as she called them. She specified that no
+one school of medicine should dictate the policy of the hospital as
+regards the treatment of patients. To the young physician whom she
+selected to assist her in forming this administrative board she stated,
+with stern emotion: "I do not intend that it shall be possible in this
+hospital for men and women to be sacrificed simply because doctors are
+unwilling to avail themselves of the latest resources of brilliant
+individual discernment. I know what it means to see a beloved one die,
+who might have been saved had the physician in charge been willing to
+try new expedients. The doors of this hospital must be ever open to
+rising unconventional talent. There shall be no creeds nor caste of
+medicine here."
+
+She also specified that the matron in charge of the hospital should be
+Mrs. Earle, whose lack of trained experience was more than
+counterbalanced by her maternal, humanitarian spirit, as Selma expressed
+it. She felt confident that Mrs. Earle would choose as her assistants
+competent and skilful persons, and at the same time that her broad point
+of view and sympathetic instincts would not allow her to turn a deaf ear
+to aspiring but technically ignorant ability. This selection of Mrs.
+Earle was a keen pleasure to Selma. It seemed to her an ideal selection.
+Mrs. Earle was no longer young, and was beginning to find the constant
+labor of lecture and newspaper work exhausting. This dignified and
+important post would provide her with a permanent income, and would
+afford her an attractive field for her progressive capabilities.
+
+Selma's choice of young Dr. Ashmun as the head of the medical board was
+due to a statement which came to her ears, that he was reviled by some
+of the physicians of Benham because he had patented certain discoveries
+of his own instead of giving his fellow-practitioners the benefit of his
+knowledge. Selma was prompt to detect in this hostility an envious
+disposition on the part of the regular physicians to appropriate the
+fruits of individual cleverness and to repress youthful revolt against
+conventional methods. Dr. Ashmun regarded his selection as the
+professional chief of this new institution as a most auspicious
+occurrence from the standpoint of his personal fortunes. He was
+ambitious, ardent, and keen to attract attention, with an abundant fund
+of energy and a nervous, driving manner. He was, besides, good looking
+and fluent, and he quickly perceived the drift of Selma's intentions in
+regard to the hospital, and accommodated himself to them with
+enthusiasm. They afforded him the very opportunity which he most
+desired--the chance to assert himself against his critics, and to obtain
+public notice. The watchword of liberty and distrust of professional
+canons suited his purposes and his mood, and he threw himself eagerly
+into the work of carrying out Selma's projects.
+
+As a result of the selection of Dr. Ashmun and of the other members of
+the administrative board, who were chosen with a view to their
+availability as sympathetic colleagues, letters of protest from several
+physicians appeared in the newspapers complaining that the new hospital
+was being conducted on unscientific and shallow principles, disapproved
+of by the leading men of the profession. Selma was indignant yet
+thrilled. She promptly took steps to refute the charge, and explained
+that the hostility of these correspondents proceeded from envy and
+hide-bound reluctance to adopt new and revolutionizing expedients.
+Through the aid of Mrs. Earle and Miss Luella Bailey a double-leaded
+column in the Benham _Sentinel_ set forth the merits of the new
+departure in medicine, which was cleverly described as the revolt of the
+talented young men of the profession from the tyranny of their
+conservative elders. Benham became divided in opinion as to the merits
+of this controversy, and Selma received a number of anonymous letters
+through the post approving her stand in behalf of advanced, independent
+thought. Among the physicians who were opposed to her administration of
+the hospital she recognized with satisfaction the name of a Dr. Paget,
+who, as she happened to know, was Mrs. Hallett Taylor's medical adviser.
+
+Another matter in which Selma became interested was the case of Mrs.
+Hamilton. She was a woman who had been born in the neighborhood of
+Benham, but had lived for twenty years in England, and had been tried in
+England by due process of law for the murder of her husband and
+sentenced to imprisonment for life. Some of the people of the state who
+had followed the testimony as reported in the American newspapers had
+decided that she ought not to have been convicted. Accordingly a
+petition setting forth the opinion of her former neighbors that she was
+innocent of the charge, and should as an American citizen be released
+from custody, was circulated for signature. A public meeting was held
+and largely attended, at which it was resolved to send a monster
+petition to the British authorities with a request for Mrs. Hamilton's
+pardon, and also to ask the government at Washington to intercede on
+behalf of the unfortunate sufferer. The statement of the case appealed
+vividly to Selma, and at the public meeting, which was attended chiefly
+by women, she spoke, and offered the services of her husband to lay the
+matter before the President. It was further resolved to obtain the names
+of influential persons all over the country in order that the petition
+might show that the sentiment that injustice had been done was national
+as well as local.
+
+Selma espoused the case with ardor, and busied herself in obtaining
+signatures. She called on Miss Flagg and induced her to sign by the
+assurance that the verdict was entirely contrary to the evidence. She
+then had recourse to her former sister-in-law, conceiving that the
+signature of the President of Wetmore College would impress the English.
+She and Pauline had already exchanged visits, and Pauline had shown no
+umbrage at her marriage. The possibility of being rebuffed on this
+occasion did not occur to Selma. She took for granted that Pauline would
+be only too glad to give her support to so deserving a petition, and she
+considered that she was paying her a compliment in soliciting her name
+for insertion among the prominent signers. Pauline listened to her
+attentively, then replied:
+
+"I am sorry for the woman, if she is innocent: and if she has been
+falsely accused, of course she ought to be released. But what makes you
+think she is innocent, Selma?"
+
+"The testimony did not justify her conviction. Every one is of that
+opinion."
+
+"Have you read the testimony yourself, Selma?"
+
+"No, Pauline."
+
+"Or your husband?"
+
+"My husband is satisfied from what others have told him, just as I am,
+that this poor American woman is languishing in prison as the result of
+a cruel miscarriage of justice, and that she never committed the crime
+of which she has been found guilty. My husband has had considerable
+legal experience."
+
+Pauline's questions were nettling, and Selma intended by her response to
+suggest the presumptuousness of her sister-in-law's doubts in the face
+of competent authority.
+
+"I realize that your husband ought to understand about such matters, but
+may one suppose that the English authorities would deliberately allow an
+innocent woman to remain in prison? They must know that the friends of
+Mrs. Hamilton believe her innocent. Why should we on this side of the
+water meddle simply because she was born an American?"
+
+"Why?" Selma drew herself up proudly. "In the first place I believe--we
+believe--that the English are capable of keeping her in prison on a
+technicality merely because she is there already. They are worshippers
+of legal form and red tape, my husband says. And as to meddling, why is
+it not our duty as an earnest and Christian people to remonstrate
+against the continued incarceration of a woman born under our flag and
+accustomed to American ideas of justice? Meddling? In my opinion, we
+should be cowards and derelict in our duty if we did not protest."
+
+Pauline shook her head. "I cannot see it so. It seems to me an
+interference which may make us seem ridiculous in the eyes of the
+English, as well as offensive to them. I am sorry, Selma, not to be able
+to do as you wish."
+
+Selma rose with burning cheeks, but a stately air. "If that is your
+decision, I must do without your name. Already we have many signatures,
+and shall obtain hundreds more without difficulty. We look at things
+differently, Pauline. Our point of view has never been the same.
+Ridiculous? I should be proud of the ridicule of people too selfish or
+too unenlightened to heed the outcry of aspiring humanity. If we had to
+depend on your little set to strike the note of progress, I fear we
+should sit with folded hands most of the time."
+
+"I do not know what you mean by my little set," said Pauline with a
+smile. "I am too busy with my college duties to belong to any set. I see
+my friends occasionally just as you see yours; and as to progress--well,
+I fear that you are right in your statement that we shall never look at
+things alike. To me progress presupposes in the individual or the
+community attaining it a prelude of slow struggle, disheartening doubts,
+and modest reverence for previous results--for the accumulated wisdom of
+the past."
+
+"I mean by your set the people who think as you do. I understand your
+point of view. I should have liked," she added, "to ask you to share
+with me the responsibility of directing the policy of the Benham Free
+Hospital, had I not known that you would listen to the voice of
+conservative authority in preference to that of fearless innovation."
+
+"I certainly should have hesitated long before I overruled the
+experience of those who have devoted their lives to conscientious effort
+to discover truth."
+
+"That illustrates admirably the difference between us, Pauline. No one
+is more eager to aid the discovery of truth than I, but I believe that
+truth often is concealed from those who go on, day after day, following
+hum-drum routine, however conscientious. I recognized that Dr. Ashmun
+was a live man and had fresh ideas, so I chose him as our chief of
+staff, notwithstanding the doctors were unfriendly to him. As a result,
+my hospital has individuality, and is already a success. That's the sort
+of thing I mean. Good-by," she said, putting out her hand. "I don't
+expect to convert you, Pauline, to look at things my way, but you must
+realize by this time that it is the Benham way."
+
+"Yet the leading physicians of Benham disapprove of your plans for the
+management of the hospital," said Pauline firmly.
+
+"But the people of Benham approve of them. I prefer their sanction to
+that of a coterie of cautious, unenthusiastic autocrats."
+
+Selma, true to her intentions, did not return to Washington with her
+husband when Congress reassembled in December. While she was absorbed
+with her philanthropic plans in Benham, Lyons was performing his public
+duties; seeking to do the country good service, and at the right moment
+to attract attention to himself. The opportunity to make a speech along
+the line of his public professions in behalf of labor against corporate
+monopoly did not offer itself until late in the session. He improved the
+few minutes allowed him to such advantage that he was listened to with
+close attention, and was at once recognized as one of the persuasive and
+eloquent speakers of the minority. Before Congress adjourned he obtained
+another chance to take part in debate, by which he produced an equally
+favorable impression. The newspapers of the country referred approvingly
+to his cogent gift of statement and dignified style of delivery. Both
+the bills against which he spoke were passed by the Republican majority,
+but echoes of his words came back from some of their constituents, and
+Lyons was referred to as certain to be one of the strong men of the
+House if he returned to Congress. He went home at the close of the
+session in a contented frame of mind so far as his political prospects
+were concerned, but he was not free to enjoy the congratulations
+accorded him for the reason that his business ventures were beginning to
+give him serious solicitude. The trend of the stock market was again
+downward. In expectation of a rise from the previous depression, he had
+added to the line of shares which Williams & Van Horne were carrying for
+him. A slight rise had come, sufficient to afford him a chance to escape
+from the toils of Wall street without loss. But he needed a profit to
+rehabilitate his ventures in other directions--his investments in the
+enterprises of his own state, which had now for some months appeared
+quiescent, if not languishing, from a speculative point of view.
+Everything pointed, it was said, to a further advance as soon as
+Congress adjourned. So he had waited, and now, although the session was
+over, the stock market and financial undertakings of every sort appeared
+suddenly to be tottering. He had not been at home a month before prices
+of all securities began to shrink inordinately and the business horizon
+to grow murky with the clouds of impending disaster. To add to his
+worry, Lyons was conscious that he had pursued a fast and loose mental
+coarse in regard to the railroad bill in which his broker, Williams, was
+interested. He had given Williams to understand that he would try to see
+his way to support it; yet in view of his late prominence in Washington,
+as a foe of legislation in behalf of moneyed interests, he was more than
+ever averse to casting a vote in its favor. The bill had not been
+reached before adjournment, a result to which he had secretly
+contributed, but it was certain to be called up shortly after Congress
+reassembled. It disturbed him to feel that his affairs in New York were
+in such shape that Williams could embarrass him financially if he chose.
+It disturbed him still more that he appeared to himself to be guilty of
+bad faith. His conscience was troubled, and his favorite palliative of
+conciliation did not seem applicable to the case.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+Until this time the course of financial events in Benham since its
+evolution from a sleepy country town began had been steadily prosperous.
+There had been temporary recessions in prices, transient haltings in the
+tendency of new local undertakings to double and quadruple in value. A
+few rash individuals, indeed, had been forced to suspend payments and
+compound with their creditors. But there had been no real set back to
+commercial enthusiasm and speculative gusto. Those who desired to borrow
+money for progressive enterprises had found the banks accommodating and
+unsuspicious, and to Benham initiative it yet appeared that the
+development of the resources of the neighborhood by the unwearying,
+masterful energy of the citizens was still in its infancy.
+
+But now, after a few months of inactivity, which holders of speculative
+securities had spoken of as another healthy breathing spell, the
+tendency of prices had changed. Had not merely halted, but showed a
+radical tendency to shrink; even to tumble feverishly. Buyers were
+scarce, and the once accommodating banks displayed a heartless
+disposition to scrutinize collateral and to ask embarrassing questions
+in regard to commercial paper. Rates of interest on loans were
+ruthlessly advanced, and additional security demanded. A pall of
+dejection hung over Benham. Evil days had come; days the fruit of a long
+period of inflation. A dozen leading firms failed and carried down with
+them diverse small people. Amid the general distrust and anxiety all
+eyes were fixed on Wall street, the so-called money centre of the
+country, the Gehenna where this cyclone had first manifested itself. The
+newspapers, voicing Benham public opinion, cast vituperation at the
+bankers and brokers of Wall street, whose unholy jugglings with fortune
+had brought this commercial blight on the community. Wall street had
+locked up money; consequently funds were tight in Benham, and the plans
+of its honest burghers to promote enterprise and develop the lawful
+industries of the country were interrupted. So spoke public opinion,
+and, at the same time, hundreds of private letters were being despatched
+through the Benham Post Office in response to requests for more margins
+on stocks held for the honest burghers by the fraternity of Wall street
+gamblers. There was private wailing and gnashing of teeth also, for in
+the panic a few of these bankers and brokers had been submerged, and the
+collateral of Benham's leading citizens had been swept away.
+
+The panic itself was brief as panics always are, but it left behind it
+everywhere a paralyzed community. So far as Benham was concerned, only a
+few actually failed, but, in a host of instances, possessors of property
+who had thought themselves wealthy a year before found that they were
+face to face with the knotty problem of nursing their dwarfed resources
+so as to avoid eventual insolvency. Everything had shrunk fifty--often
+one hundred--per cent., for the basis of Benham's semi-fabulous
+development had been borrowed money. Many of Benham's leading citizens
+were down to hard pan, so to speak. Their inchoate enterprises were
+being carried by the banks on the smallest margins consistent with the
+solvency of those institutions, and clear-headed men knew that months of
+recuperation must elapse before speculative properties would show life
+again. Benham was consequently gloomy for once in despite of its native
+buoyancy. It would have arisen from the ashes of a fire as strenuous as
+a young lion. But, with everybody's stocks and merchandise pledged to
+the money lenders, enterprise was gripped by the throat. In the pride of
+its prosperity Benham had dreamed that it was a law unto itself, and
+that even Wall street could not affect its rosy commercial destinies. It
+appeared to pious owners of securities almost as though God had deserted
+his chosen city of a chosen country.
+
+Lyons was among those upon whom the harrow of this fall in prices and
+subsequent hand-to-mouth struggle with the banks pressed with unpleasant
+rigor. In business phraseology he was too much extended. Consequently,
+as the margins of value of the securities on which he had borrowed
+dropped away, he was kept on tenter-hooks as to the future. In case the
+process of shrinkage went much further, he would be required to supply
+more collateral; and, if the rate of money did not fall, the banks would
+refuse to renew his notes as they became due, unless he could furnish
+clear evidence of his solvency. He was owing over one hundred and fifty
+thousand dollars on paper secured only by the stock and bonds of
+brand-new enterprises, which had no market negotiability. From the money
+which he had borrowed he had sent, from time to time, to Williams and
+Van Horne an aggregate of forty thousand dollars to protect some two
+thousand shares of railroad stocks. Williams had especially commended
+the shares of the coal-carrying roads to his attention, and the drop in
+prices had been uniformly severe in these properties. Instead of being
+the possessor of a stable quarter of a million, which he considered to
+be the value of his property at the time of his election to Congress,
+Lyons suddenly realized that he was on the brink of a serious financial
+collapse through which he might lose everything before he could
+discharge his liabilities. It seemed cruel to him, for he believed that
+all his ventures were sound, and that if he were not forced to sacrifice
+his possessions, their future value would attest his sagacity. But at
+present the securities of speculative enterprises were practically
+worthless as procurers of ready money. The extreme circumstances had
+come upon him with startling rapidity, so that he found himself in the
+unpleasant predicament of having used for temporary relief some of the
+bonds belonging to the Parsons estate which he held as executor. He had
+forwarded these to Williams merely as a matter of convenience before he
+had become anxious, expecting to be able to replace them with funds
+coming to him within thirty days from a piece of real estate for which
+he had received an offer. He had held off in the hope of obtaining a
+higher price. The following week, when signs of danger were multiplying,
+he had found the would-be purchaser unwilling to buy at any price.
+Realizing the compromising position in which he had placed himself by
+his action, he had cast about feverishly for the means to redeem the
+hypothecated securities, but all his resources were taxed of a sudden by
+the advent of the panic. It occurred to him to ask Selma to allow
+substitution of the twenty thousand dollars, which had been apportioned,
+to her as her legacy, for the bonds, but at first he had shrunk from the
+mortification of disclosing his condition to her, and now that the
+situation had developed, he feared that he might be obliged to borrow
+this money from her for the protection of his other interests. It gave
+him sore concern that he, a champion of moral ideas, a leading church
+member, and a Representative of the Federal Government should be put in
+such an equivocal position. Here again there was no opportunity for
+conciliation, and dignified urbanity was of no avail. If the condition
+of drooping prices and general distrust, a sort of commercial dry-rot,
+which had succeeded the panic, continued much longer he would be driven
+to the wall unless relief were forthcoming. Nor was it much consolation
+that many others were on the verge of failure. Financial insolvency for
+him would mean the probable loss of his seat in Congress, and the
+serious interruption of his political career. From what source could he
+hope for relief? The preparations for the autumn campaign were already
+being considered, and there was likelihood of another close contest
+between the two political parties. But for the worry occasioned by his
+plight, he would have resumed the contest with hopeful ardor,
+appreciating that the pecuniary distress of the community would be
+likely to work to his advantage. His own nomination was assured; his
+re-election appeared probable. But after it what could he expect but the
+deluge?
+
+One source of the effectiveness of Horace Elton was that he was wont to
+exercise foresight, and make his plans in advance while other men were
+slumbering. He had been prepared for the panic because he had been
+expecting it for more than a year, and the ship of his financial
+fortunes was close reefed to meet the fury of the overdue gale. Also he
+was quick to recognize that the wide-spread depreciation of values would
+inevitably be followed by a period of business inactivity which would
+throw out of employment a large number of wage earners whose ballots as
+a consequence would be cast against the political party in power. As far
+back as the time when he made the acquaintance of Selma at Washington
+and selected her as the wearer of his cameo pin, he had been incubating
+on a scheme for the consolidation of the gas companies in the cities and
+towns of the state into one large corporation. For this corporation he
+required a liberal charter, which the next legislature would be invited
+to grant. He expected to be able to procure this franchise from the
+legislature, but he judged that the majority in favor of the bill would
+not be large enough to pass it over the Governor's veto. Accordingly it
+was of the first importance that the Governor should be friendly to the
+measure.
+
+This was the year of the Presidential election. Both political parties
+were seeking to nominate their strongest candidates for the various
+federal and state offices. A promoter of large business schemes was at a
+disadvantage in a campaign where party feelings ran high and national
+issues were involved, and Elton knew it. He commonly chose an off year
+in politics for the consummation of his business deals. But he had
+chosen to push his bill this year for the reason that he wished to be in
+a position to buy out the sub-companies cheaply. The community was
+pressed for ready money, and many men who would be slow in prosperous
+times to extract gas shares from their tin boxes and stockings would be
+glad to avail themselves of a reasonable cash offer. Elton was a
+Republican on national issues. His experience had been that the
+Republican Party was fundamentally friendly to corporations, in spite of
+occasional pious ejaculations in party platforms to the contrary. He had
+a Republican candidate for Governor in mind who would be faithful to his
+interests; but this candidate was put aside in the convention in
+deference to the sentiment that only a man of first-rate mental and
+moral calibre could command the allegiance of independent voters, whose
+co-operation seemed essential to party success. The Republican state
+convention was held three weeks prior to the date fixed for that of
+their opponents. Within twenty-four hours subsequent to the nomination
+of Hon. John Patterson as the Republican candidate for Governor, while
+the party organs were congratulating the public on his selection, and
+the leaders of the party were endeavoring to suppress the murmurs of the
+disappointed lower order of politicians who, in metaphorical phrase,
+felt that they were sewed up in a sack for another two years by the
+choice of this strong citizen, one of the most widely circulated
+democratic newspapers announced in large type on its front page that
+Hon. James O. Lyons was the only Democrat who could defeat him in the
+gubernatorial contest. Behind the ledger sheet of this newspaper--which
+was no other than the Benham _Sentinel_--lurked the keen intelligence of
+Horace Elton. He knew that the candidate of his own party would never
+consent to indicate in advance what his action on the gas bill would be,
+and that he would only prejudice his chances of obtaining favorable
+action when the time arrived by any attempt to forestall a decision.
+This did not suit Horace Elton. He was accustomed to be able to obtain
+an inkling before election that legislation in which he was interested
+would not encounter a veto. His measures were never dishonest. That is,
+he never sought to foist bogus or fraudulent undertakings upon the
+community. He was seeking, to be sure, eventual emolument for himself,
+but he believed that the franchise which he was anxious to obtain would
+result in more progressive and more effectual public service. He had
+never before felt obliged to refrain from asking direct or indirect
+assurance that his plans would be respected by the Governor. Yet he had
+foreseen the possibility of just such an occurrence. The one chance in a
+hundred had happened and he was ready for it. He intended to contribute
+to the Republican national campaign fund, but he did not feel that the
+interests of his State would suffer if he used all the influences at his
+command to secure a Governor who would be friendly to his scheme, and
+Congressman Lyons appeared to him the most available man for his
+purpose.
+
+It had already occurred to Lyons that his nomination as Governor was a
+possibility, for the leaders of the party were ostensibly looking about
+for a desirable Democrat with whom to confront Patterson, and had shown
+an intention to turn a cold shoulder on the ambition of several
+aspirants for this honor who might have been encouraged in an ordinary
+year as probable victors. He knew that his name was under consideration,
+and he had made up his mind that he would accept the nomination if it
+were offered to him. He would regret the interruption of his
+Congressional career, but he felt that his election as Governor in a
+presidential year after a close contest would make him the leader of the
+party in the State, and, in case the candidate of his party were chosen
+President, would entitle him to important recognition from the new
+administration. Moreover, if he became Governor, his financial status
+would be strengthened. The banks would be more likely to accommodate one
+in such a powerful position, and he might be able to keep his head above
+water until better times brought about a return of public confidence and
+a recovery in prices. Yet he felt by no means sure that even as Governor
+he could escape betraying his financial embarrassment, and his mind was
+so oppressed by the predicament in which he found himself that he made
+no effort on his own part to cause the party leaders to fix their choice
+on him. Nor did he mention the possibility of his selection to Selma.
+Mortification and self-reproach had made him for the moment inert as to
+his political future, and reluctant to confide his troubles to her.
+
+The clarion declaration of the Benham _Sentinel_ in favor of Lyons
+evoked sympathetic echoes over the State, which promptly convinced the
+political chieftains that he was the strongest candidate to pit against
+Patterson. The enthusiasm caused by the suggestion of his name spread
+rapidly, and at the end of a week his nomination at the convention was
+regarded as certain.
+
+The championship of the _Sentinel_ was a complete surprise to Selma. She
+had assumed that her husband would return to Washington, and that
+political promotion for the present was out of the question. When she
+saw her husband's features looking out at her from a large cut on the
+front page of the morning newspaper, and read the conspicuous heading
+which accompanied it--"The _Sentinel_ nominates as Governor the Hon.
+James O. Lyons of Benham, the most eloquent orator and most
+public-spirited citizen of the State"--her heart gave a bound, and she
+eagerly asked herself, "Why not?" That was just what they needed, what
+she needed to secure her hold on the social evolution of Benham. As the
+wife of the Governor of the State she would be able to ignore the people
+who held aloof from her, and introduce the reforms in social behavior on
+which her heart was set.
+
+"James, have you seen this?" she asked, eagerly.
+
+Lyons was watching her from across the breakfast table. He had seen it,
+and had laid the newspaper within her reach.
+
+"Yes, dear. It is very complimentary, isn't it?"
+
+"But what does it mean? Are you to be Governor? Did you know of it,
+James?"
+
+"I knew that my name, with others, had been mentioned by those who were
+looking for a candidate whom we can elect. But this nomination of the
+_Sentinel_ comes from a clear sky. Would you like to have me Governor,
+Selma?"
+
+"Yes, indeed. If the chance is offered you, James, you will surely
+accept it. It would please me immensely to see you Governor. We should
+not be separated then part of the year, and--and I should be able here
+in Benham to help you as your wife ought to help you. I know," she
+added, "that you have been looking forward to the next session of
+Congress, in the hope of distinguishing yourself, but isn't this a finer
+opportunity? Doesn't it open the door to splendid possibilities?"
+
+Lyons nodded. His wife's eager presentation of the case confirmed his
+own conclusions. "It is an important decision to make," he said, with
+gravity. "If I am not elected, I shall have lost my place in the
+Congressional line, and may find difficulty in recovering it later. But
+if the party needs me, if the State needs me, I must not think of that.
+I cannot help being gratified, encouraged by the suggestion that my
+fellow-citizens of my political faith are turning to me as their
+standard-bearer at this time when great public issues are involved. If I
+can serve God and my country in this way, and at the same time please
+you, my wife, what can I ask better?"
+
+He spoke with genuine feeling and reverence, for it was in keeping with
+his religious tendencies to recognize in advance the solemn
+responsibilities of high office, and to picture himself as the agent of
+the heavenly powers. This attitude of mind always found Selma
+sympathetic and harmonious. Her eyes kindled with enthusiasm, and she
+replied:
+
+"You view the matter as I would have you view it, James. If this trust
+is committed to us by Providence, it is our duty to accept it as lovers
+of our country and promoters of true progress."
+
+"It would seem so. And in some ways," he said, as though he felt the
+impulse to be reasonably frank toward Providence in his acceptance of
+the trust, "my election as Governor would be advantageous to my
+political and business interests. I have not sought the office," he
+added with dignified unction, "but my knowledge of local conditions
+leads me to believe that this action of the _Sentinel_ signifies that
+certain powerful influences are working in my favor. I shall be able to
+tell you more accurately in regard to this before long."
+
+Lyons happened to know that the Benham _Sentinel_ had enlarged its plant
+two years previous, and that Horace Elton was still the holder of its
+notes for borrowed money. The transaction had passed through his bank,
+and in the course of his mental search for reasons to account for the
+sudden flat-footed stand of the newspaper, the thought came into his
+mind and dwelt there that Elton was at the bottom of it. If so, what was
+Elton's reason? Why should Elton, a Republican, desire his nomination?
+Surely not to compass his defeat.
+
+In this connection Elton's friendship and the prophecy made to Selma as
+to his political future occurred to him and forbade an invidious
+supposition. "Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and thou shalt be what thou
+art promised!" Lyons left Selma with the conviction that he would find
+Elton to be mainly responsible for what had taken place. Shortly after
+reaching his office he received a note from him asking for an
+appointment. Punctually at twelve o'clock Elton arrived and was shown
+into Lyons's private room. Lyons gave orders that he was not to be
+disturbed, for he believed that the results of the interview were likely
+to have a serious bearing on his career as a statesman.
+
+Both men were of heavy physique, but as they sat facing each other an
+observer would have remarked that Elton's visage possessed a clean-cut
+compactness of expression despite its rotund contour. His closely
+trimmed whiskers, his small, clear, penetrating eyes, and the effect of
+neatness conveyed by his personal appearance were so many external
+indications of his mental lucidity and precision.
+
+In contrast Lyons's moon-shaped face, emphasized by its smooth-shaven
+mobile mouth, below which his almost white chin beard hung pendent,
+expressed a curious interplay of emotional sanctity, urbane shrewdness,
+and solemn self-importance.
+
+"Governor Lyons, at your service," said Elton, regarding him steadily.
+
+"Do you think so?"
+
+"I know so, if you desire it."
+
+"The nomination, you mean?"
+
+"The election by a comfortable majority."
+
+Lyons breathed hard with satisfaction. "If the people of the State
+choose to confide their interests to my custody, I shall not refuse to
+serve them."
+
+"So I supposed. You may be wondering, Lyons, why I, a Republican, should
+be talking like this. I will tell you. Observation has led me to believe
+that the people of this State will elect a Democratic Governor this
+year. The hard times will hurt the administration. Consequently, as your
+friend and my own friend, I have taken the liberty to indicate to the
+managers of your party their strongest man. I am responsible for what
+you saw on the front page of the _Sentinel_ this morning. There need not
+be much difficulty," he added, significantly, "in securing emphatic
+endorsement throughout the State of the _Sentinel's_ preference."
+
+Lyons looked grave. "You must be aware that our views on public
+questions--especially those which concern the relations of capital and
+labor--are not the same."
+
+"Certainly. I tell you frankly that while, from a humanitarian point of
+view, I respect your desire to relieve the inequalities of modern
+civilization, as a business man and a man of some property I do not
+regard the remedies presented by your party platform as just or
+adequate. I recognize that your opinions are hostile to corporate
+interests, but I have gathered also that you are disposed to be
+reasonable and conciliatory; that you are not inclined to regard all men
+and all measures as dangerous, merely because they have means or are
+introduced in the name of capital."
+
+"It has always seemed to me that a conciliatory spirit secures the most
+definite results for the public," assented Lyons.
+
+"Precisely. See here, Lyons," Elton said, leaning forward across the
+table at which they were sitting, "I wish to be entirely frank with you.
+You know me well enough to understand that I have not offered you my
+support in any philanthropic spirit. I could not have deceived you as to
+this had I tried. I am a practical man, and have an axe to grind. I am
+urging your election as Governor because I believe you to possess
+intelligent capacity to discriminate between what is harmful to the
+community and what is due to healthy, individual enterprise--the energy
+which is the sap of American citizenship. We capitalists have no fear of
+an honest man, provided he has the desire and the ability to protect
+legitimate business acumen against the slander of mere demagogues. I
+have a bill here," he added, drawing a printed document from his pocket,
+"which I am desirous to see passed by the next legislature. It embodies
+a charter authorizing the acquisition and merger in one corporation of
+all the gas companies of this State, and an extension of corporate
+powers so as to cover all forms of municipal lighting. Were your hands
+not tied by your prospective election, I should be glad to offer you an
+opportunity to become one of the incorporators, for I believe that the
+undertaking will be lucrative. That, of course, is out of the question.
+Now then, this is a perfectly honest bill. On its face, to be sure, it
+secures a valuable franchise for the petitioners, and consequently may
+encounter some opposition. But, on the other hand, no one who considers
+the matter candidly and closely can fail to recognize that the great
+public will secure cheaper gas and more efficient service as the result
+of the consolidation. And there is where I felt that I could count on
+your intelligence. You would not allow the plea that capitalists were
+interested in obtaining a profitable franchise to obscure the more vital
+consideration that the community will be the true gainers."
+
+Lyons bowed graciously, and stroked his beard. "What is it you wish me
+to do?" he asked.
+
+"To read the bill in the first place; to convince yourself that what I
+have told you is true; to satisfy yourself that the measure is
+essentially harmless. The bill is not long. Read it now and let me hear
+your objections. I have some papers here to look over which will occupy
+me a quarter of an hour, if you can spare me the time."
+
+Lyons acquiesced, and proceeded to peruse slowly the document. When he
+had finished it he folded it solemnly and returned it to Elton. "It is a
+bill framed in the interest of capital, but I cannot say that the public
+will be prejudiced by it. On the contrary, I should judge that the price
+of gas in our cities and towns would be lowered as a consequence of the
+reduction in running expenses caused by the projected consolidation.
+What is it that you wish me to do?"
+
+"Agree to sign the bill as it now stands if it passes the legislature."
+
+Lyons rested his head on his hand and his mouth moved tremulously. "If I
+am elected governor," he said, "I wish to serve the people honestly and
+fearlessly."
+
+"I am sure of it. I ask you to point out to me in what manner this bill
+trenches upon the rights of the people. You yourself have noted the
+crucial consequence: It will lower the price of gas. If at the same time
+I am benefited financially, why should I not reap the reasonable reward
+of my foresight?"
+
+"I will sign the bill, Elton, if it comes to me for signature. I may be
+criticised at first, but the improved public service and reduction of
+the gas bills will be my justification, and show that I have not been
+unmindful of the interests of the great public whose burdens my party is
+seeking to lighten."
+
+"I shall count on you, then," said Elton, after a pause. "The failure of
+the bill at the last stage when I was expecting its passage might affect
+my affairs seriously."
+
+"If the legislature does its part, I will do mine," responded Lyons,
+augustly. "I will sign the bill if it comes to me in the present form."
+
+"I thank you, Governor."
+
+Lyons looked confused but happy at the appellation.
+
+"By the way," said Elton, after he had returned the papers to his
+pocket, "these are trying times for men with financial obligations. It
+is my custom to be frank and not to mince matters where important
+interests are concerned. A candidate for office in this campaign will
+need the use of all his faculties if he is to be successful. I should be
+very sorry for the sake of my bill to allow your mind to be distracted
+by solicitude in regard to your private affairs. Some of the best and
+most prudent of our business men are pressed to-day for ready money. I
+am in a position to give you temporary assistance if you require it. In
+justice to my interests you must not let delicacy stand in the way of
+your accepting my offer."
+
+Lyons's bosom swelled with the tide of returning happiness. He had
+scarcely been able to believe his ears. Yet here was a definite,
+spontaneous proposition to remove the incubus which weighed upon his
+soul. Here was an opportunity to redeem the bonds of the Parsons estate
+and to repair his damaged self-respect. It seemed to him as though the
+clouds of adversity which had encompassed him had suddenly been swept
+away, and that Providence was smiling down at him as her approved and
+favorite son. His emotion choked his speech. His lip trembled and his
+eyes looked as though they would fill with tears. After a brief pause he
+articulated that he was somewhat pressed for ready money. Some
+explanation of his affairs followed, the upshot of which was that Elton
+agreed to indorse Lyons's promissory notes held by the banks to the
+amount of $60,000, and to accept as collateral for a personal loan of
+$40,000 certain securities of new local enterprises which had no present
+marketable value. By this arrangement his property was amply protected
+from sacrifice; he would be able to adjust his speculative account in
+New York; and he could await with a tranquil soul the return of
+commercial confidence. Lyons's heart was overflowing with satisfaction.
+He pressed Elton's hand and endeavored to express his gratitude with
+appropriate grandiloquence. But Elton disclaimed the obligation,
+asserting that he had acted merely from self-interest to make the
+election of his candidate more certain.
+
+The loan of $40,000 was completed within forty-eight hours, and before
+the end of another week Lyons had rescued the bonds of the Parsons
+estate from pawn, and disposed of his line of stocks carried by Williams
+& Van Horne. They were sold at a considerable loss, but he made up his
+mind to free his soul for the time being from the toils and torment of
+speculation and to nurse his dwarfed resources behind the bulwark of
+Elton's relief fund until the financial situation cleared. He felt as
+though he had grown ten years younger, and without confiding to Selma
+the details of these transactions he informed her ecstatically that,
+owing to certain important developments, due partly to the friendliness
+of Horace Elton, the outlook for their future advancement had never been
+so bright. When a month later he was nominated as Governor he threw
+himself into the contest with the convincing ardor of sincere,
+untrammelled faith in the reforms he was advocating. His speeches
+reflected complete concentration of his powers on the issues of the
+campaign and evoked enthusiasm throughout the State by their eloquent
+arraignment of corporate rapacity at the expense of the sovereign
+people. In several of his most telling addresses he accused the national
+administration of pandering to the un-American gamblers who bought and
+sold stocks in Wall street.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+Lyons was chosen Governor by a large majority, as Elton had predicted.
+The Republican Party was worsted at the polls and driven out of power
+both at Washington and in the State. Lyons ran ahead of his ticket,
+receiving more votes than the presidential electors. The campaign was
+full of incidents grateful to Selma's self esteem. Chief among these was
+the conspicuous allusions accorded her by the newspapers. The campaign
+itself was a fervid repetition of the stirring scenes of two years
+previous. Once more torch-light processions in vociferous serried
+columns attested the intensity of party spirit. Selma felt herself an
+adept through her former experience, and she lost no opportunity to show
+herself in public and bear witness to her devotion to her husband's
+cause. It pleased her to think that the people recognized her when she
+appeared on the balcony or reviewing stand, and that her presence evoked
+an increase of enthusiasm.
+
+But the newspaper publicity was even more satisfying, for it centred
+attention unequivocally on her. Columns of descriptive matter relative
+to her husband's personality began to appear as soon as it became
+obvious that he was to be Governor. These articles aimed to be
+exhaustive in their character, covering the entire scope of his past
+life, disclosing pitiless details in regard to his habits, tastes, and
+private concerns. Nothing which could be discovered or ferreted out was
+omitted; and most of these biographies were illuminated by a variety of
+more or less hideous cuts showing, for example, his excellency as he
+looked as a school boy, his excellency as a fledgling attorney, the
+humble home where his excellency was born, and his excellency's present
+stately but hospitable residence on Benham's River Drive. Almost every
+newspaper in the State took its turn at contributing something which it
+conceived to be edifying to this reportorial budget. And after the
+Governor, came the turn of the Governor's lady, as she was called.
+
+Selma liked best the articles devoted exclusively to herself; where she
+appeared as the special feature of the newspaper issue, not merely as an
+adjunct to her husband. But she liked them all, and she was most
+benignant in her reception of the several newspaper scribes, principally
+of her own sex, who sought an interview for the sake of copy. She
+withheld nothing in regard to her person, talents, household, or tastes
+which would in her opinion be effective in print. She had a photograph
+of herself taken in simple, domestic matronly garb to supplement those
+which she already possessed, one of which revealed the magnificence of
+the attire she wore at the President's Reception; another portrayed
+Littleton's earnest bride, and still a fourth disclosed her as the
+wistful, aspiring school-mistress on the threshold of womanhood. These,
+and the facts appropriate to them, she meted out to her biographers from
+time to time, lubricating her amiable confidences with the assertion
+that both she and her husband felt that the people were entitled to be
+made familiar with the lives of their public representatives. As the
+result of her gracious behavior, her willingness to supply interesting
+details concerning herself, and her flattering tendency to become
+intimate on the spot with the reporters who visited her, the newspaper
+articles in most cases were in keeping with Selma's prepossessions.
+Those which pleased her most emphasized in the first place her
+intellectual gifts and literary talents, intimating delicately that she
+had refused brilliant offers for usefulness with her pen and on the
+lecture platform in order to become the wife of Congressman Lyons, to
+whom her counsel and high ideals of public service were a constant
+stimulus. Emphasized in the second place her husband's and her own pious
+tastes, and strong religious convictions, to which their constant church
+attendance and the simple sanctity of their American home bore
+testimony. Emphasized in the third place--reproducing ordinarily a
+sketch and cut of her drawing-room--her great social gifts and graces,
+which had made her a leader of society in the best sense of the word
+both in Benham and in New York. A few of the articles stated in
+judicious terms that she had been twice a widow. Only one of them set
+this forth in conspicuous and opprobrious terms: "Her Third Husband! Our
+Chief Magistrate's Wife's Many Marriages!" Such was the unsympathetic,
+alliterative heading of the malicious statement which appeared in an
+opposition organ. It did no more than recall the fact that she had
+obtained a divorce from her first husband, who had in his despair taken
+to drink, and intimate that her second husband had not been altogether
+happy. Selma wept when she read the article. She felt that it was cruel
+and uncalled for; that it told only half the truth and traduced her
+before the American people. She chose to conceive that it had been
+inspired by Pauline and Mrs. Hallett Taylor, neither of whom had sent
+her a word of congratulation on her promotion to be the Governor's wife.
+Who but Pauline knew that her marriage with Littleton had not been
+completely harmonious? Who but Mrs. Taylor or one of her set would have
+the malice to insinuate that she had been merciless to Babcock? This was
+one libel in a long series of complimentary productions. The
+representation of the family group was made complete by occasional
+references to the Governor elect's mother--"Mother Lyons, the venerable
+parent of our chief magistrate." Altogether Selma felt that the picture
+presented to the public was a truthful and inspiring record of pious and
+enterprising American life, which showed to the community that its
+choice of a Governor had been wise and was merited.
+
+Close upon the election and these eulogistic biographies came the
+inauguration, with Lyons's eloquent address. Selma, of course, had
+special privileges--a reserved gallery in the State House, to which she
+issued cards of admission to friends of her own selection. Occupying in
+festal attire the centre of this conspicuous group, she felt that she
+was the cynosure of every eye. She perceived that she was constantly
+pointed out as the second personage of the occasion. To the few
+legislators on the floor whom she already knew she took pains to bow
+from her seat with gracious cordiality, intending from the outset to aid
+her husband by captivating his friends and conciliating the leaders of
+the opposition party. On her way to and from the gallery she was joined
+by several members, to each of whom she tried to convey subtly the
+impression that she purposed to take an earnest interest in legislative
+affairs, and that her husband would be apt to consult her in regard to
+close questions. On the morning after the inauguration she had the
+satisfaction of seeing her own portrait side by side with that of her
+husband on the front page of two newspapers, a flattering indication, as
+she believed, that the press already recognized her value both as a
+helpmate to him and an ornament to the State. She took up her life as
+the Governor's lady feeling that her talents and eagerness to do good
+had finally prevailed and that true happiness at last was in store for
+her. She was satisfied with her husband and recognized his righteous
+purpose and capacity as a statesman, but she believed secretly that his
+rapid success was due in a large measure to her genius. Her prompting
+had inspired him to make a notable speech in his first Congress. Her
+charms and clever conversation had magnetized Mr. Elton so that he had
+seen fit to nominate him for Governor. A fresh impulse to her
+self-congratulation that virtue and ability were reaping their reward
+was given a few weeks later by the announcement which Lyons read from
+the morning newspaper that the firm of Williams & Van Horne had failed
+disastrously. The circumstances attending their down-fall were
+sensational. It appeared that Van Horne, the office partner, who managed
+the finances, had shot himself as the culmination of a series of
+fraudulent hypothecations of securities and misrepresentations to which
+it was claimed that Williams was not a party. The firm had been
+hopelessly insolvent for months, and had been forced to the wall at last
+by a futile effort on the part of Van Horne to redeem the situation by a
+final speculation on a large scale. It had failed owing to the
+continuation of the state of dry rot in the stock market, and utter ruin
+followed.
+
+The regret which Lyons entertained as he read aloud the tragic story was
+overshadowed in his mind by his own thankfulness that he had redeemed
+the bonds and settled his account with them before the crash came. He
+was so absorbed by his own emotions that he failed to note the
+triumphant tone of his wife's ejaculation of amazement. "Failed!
+Williams & Van Horne failed! Oh, how did it happen? I always felt sure
+that they would fail sooner or later."
+
+Selma sat with tightly folded hands listening to the exciting narrative,
+which Lyons read for her edification with the urbanely mournful emphasis
+of one who has had a narrow escape. He stopped in the course of it to
+relieve any solicitude which she might be feeling in regard to his
+dealings with the firm, by the assertion that he had only two months
+previous closed out his account owing to the conviction that prudent
+investors were getting under cover. This assurance gave the episode a
+still more providential aspect in Selma's eyes. In the first flush of
+her gratitude that Flossy had been superbly rebuked for her frivolous
+existence, she had forgotten that they were her husband's brokers.
+Moreover the lack of perturbation in his manner was not calculated to
+inspire alarm. But the news that Lyons had been shrewd enough to escape
+at the twelfth hour without a dollar's loss heightened the justice of
+the situation. She listened with throbbing pulses to the particulars.
+She could scarcely credit her senses that her irrepressible and
+light-hearted enemy had been confounded at last--confronted with
+bankruptcy and probable disgrace. She interrupted the reading to express
+her scepticism regarding the claim that Williams had no knowledge of the
+frauds.
+
+"How could he be ignorant? He must have known. He must have bribed the
+reporters to put that in so as to arouse the sympathy of some of their
+fashionable friends. Van Horne is dead, and the lips of the dead are
+sealed."
+
+Selma spoke with the confidence born of bitterness. She was pleased with
+her acumen in discerning the true inwardness of the case. Her husband
+nodded with mournful acquiescence. "It would seem," he said, "as if he
+must have had an inkling, at least, of what was going on."
+
+"Of course he had. Gregory Williams, with all his faults, was a
+wide-awake man. I always said that."
+
+Lyons completed the reading and murmured with a sigh, which was half
+pity, half grateful acknowledgment of his own good fortune--"It's a bad
+piece of business. I'm glad I had the sense to act promptly."
+
+Selma was ruminating. Her steel bright eyes shone with exultation. Her
+sense of righteousness was gratified and temporarily appeased. "They'll
+have to sell their house, of course, and give up their horses and
+steam-yacht? I don't see why it doesn't mean that Flossy and her husband
+must come down off their pedestal and begin over again? It follows,
+doesn't it, that the heartless set into which they have wormed their way
+will drop them like hot coals?"
+
+All these remarks were put by Selma in the slightly interrogative form,
+as though she were courting any argument to the contrary which could be
+adduced in order to knock it in the head. But Lyons saw no reason to
+differ from her verdict. "It means necessarily great mortification for
+them and a curtailment of their present mode of life," he said. "I am
+sorry for them."
+
+"Sorry? Of course, James, it is distressing to hear that misfortune has
+befallen any person of one's acquaintance, and so far as Gregory
+Williams himself is concerned I have no wish to see him punished simply
+because he has been worldly and vainglorious. You thought him able in a
+business way, and liked to meet him. But as for her, Flossy, his wife,"
+Selma continued, with a gasp, "it would be sheer hypocrisy for me to
+assert that I am sorry for her. I should deem myself unworthy of being
+considered an earnest-minded American woman if I did not maintain that
+this disgrace which has befallen them is the logical and legitimate
+consequence of their godless lives--especially of her frivolity and
+presumptuous indifference to spiritual influences. That woman, James, is
+utterly hostile to the things of the spirit. You have no conception--I
+have never told you, because he was your friend, and I was willing to
+let bygones be bygones on the surface on your account--you have no
+conception of the cross her behavior became to me in New York. From
+almost the first moment we met I saw that we were far apart as the poles
+in our views of the responsibilities of life. She sneered at everything
+which you and I reverence, and she set her face against true progress
+and the spread of American principles. She claimed to be my friend, and
+to sympathize with my zeal for social truth, yet all the time she was
+toadying secretly the people whose luxurious exclusiveness made me
+tremble sometimes for the future of our country. She and her husband
+were prosperous, and everything he touched seemed to turn to gold. It
+may sound irreverent, James, but there was a time during my life in New
+York when I was discouraged; when it seemed as though heaven were
+mocking me and my husband in our homely struggle against the forces of
+evil, and bestowing all its favors on a woman whose example was a menace
+to American womanhood! Sorry? Why should I be sorry to see justice
+triumph and shallow iniquity rebuked? I would give Florence Williams
+money if she is in want, but I am thankful, very thankful, that her
+heartless vanity has found its proper reward."
+
+Lyons fingered his beard. "I didn't know she was as bad as that, Selma.
+Now that they have come to grief, we are not likely to be brought in
+contact with them, and in all probability they will pass out of our
+lives. Williams was smart and entertaining, but I never liked his taking
+advantage of the circumstances of my having an account in his office to
+urge me to support a measure at variance with my political convictions."
+
+"Precisely. The trouble with them both, James, is that they have no
+conscience; and it is eminently just they should be made to realize that
+people who lack conscience cannot prosper in this country in the long
+run. 'They have loosed the awful lightnings of his terrible swift
+sword.'"
+
+"I say 'amen' to that assuredly, Selma," Lyons answered. His
+predilection to palliate equivocal circumstances was never proof against
+clear, evidence of moral delinquency. When his religious scruples were
+finally offended, he was grave and unrelenting.
+
+The downfall of the Williamses continued to be a sweet solace and source
+of encouragement to Selma. It made her, when taken in conjunction with
+her own recent progress, feel that the whirligig of time was working in
+her behalf after all; and that if she persevered, not merely Flossy, but
+all those who worshipped mammon, and consequently failed to recognize
+her talents, would be made to bite the dust. At the moment these enemies
+seemed to have infested Benham. Numerically speaking, they were
+unimportant, but they had established an irritating, irregular skirmish
+line, one end of which occupied Wetmore College, another held secret
+midnight meetings at Mrs. Hallett Taylor's. Rumors of various
+undertakings, educational, semi-political, artistic, or philanthropic,
+agitated or directed by this fringe of society, came to her ears from
+time to time, but she heard them as an outsider. When she became the
+Governor's wife she had said to herself that now these aristocrats would
+be compelled to admit her to their counsels. But she found, to her
+annoyance, that the election made no difference. Neither Pauline nor
+Mrs. Taylor nor any of the coterie had asked her to join them, and she
+was unpleasantly conscious that there were people on the River Drive who
+showed no more desire to make her acquaintance than when she had been
+Mrs. Lewis Babcock. What did this mean? It meant simply--she began to
+argue--that she must hold fast to her faith and bide her time. That if
+she and her friends kept a bold front and resisted the encroachments of
+this pernicious spirit, Providence would interfere presently and
+confound these enemies of social truth no less obviously than it had
+already overwhelmed Mrs. Gregory Williams. As the wife of the Governor,
+she was clearly in a position to maintain this bold front effectively.
+Every mail brought to her requests for her support, and the sanction of
+her signature to social or charitable enterprises. Her hospital was
+flourishing along the lines of the policy which she had indicated, and
+was feeling the advantage of her political prosperity. She was able to
+give the petition in behalf of Mrs. Hamilton, which contained now
+twenty-five thousand signatures, fresh value and solemnity by means of
+an autograph letter from the Governor's wife, countersigned by the
+Governor. This, with the bulky list of petitioners, she addressed and
+despatched directly to Queen Victoria. Her presence was in constant
+demand at all sorts of functions, at many of which she had the
+opportunity to make a few remarks; to express the welcome of the State,
+or to utter words of sympathy and encouragement to those assembled. In
+the second month of her husband's administration, she had the
+satisfaction of greeting, in her double capacity as newly-elected
+President of the Benham Institute and wife of the Governor, the
+Federation of Women's Clubs of the United States, on the occasion of its
+annual meeting at Benham. This federation was the incorporated fruit of
+the Congress of Women's Clubs, which Selma had attended as a delegate
+just previous to her divorce from Babcock, and she could not refrain
+from some exultation at the progress she had made since then as she sat
+wielding the gavel over the body of women delegates from every State in
+the Union. The meeting lasted three days. Literary exercises alternated
+with excursions to points of interest in the neighborhood, at all of
+which she was in authority, and the celebration was brought to a
+brilliant close by a banquet, to which men were invited. At this Selma
+acted as toastmaster, introducing the speakers of the occasion, which
+included her own husband. Lyons made a graceful allusion to her
+stimulating influence as a helpmate and her executive capacity, which
+elicited loud applause. Succeeding this meeting of the Federation of
+Women's Clubs came a series of semi-public festivities under the
+patronage of women--philanthropic, literary or social in character--for
+the fever to perpetuate in club form every congregation, of free-born
+citizens, except on election day, had seized Benham in common with the
+other cities of the country in its grasp, to each of which the
+Governor's wife was invited as the principal guest of honor. Selma thus
+found a dozen opportunities to exhibit herself to a large audience and
+testify to her faith in democratic institutions.
+
+On the 22d of February, Washington's birthday, she held a reception at
+their house on River Drive, for which cards had been issued a fortnight
+previous. She pathetically explained to the reporters that, had the
+dimensions and resources of her establishment permitted, she and the
+Governor would simply have announced themselves at home to the community
+at large; that they would have preferred this, but of course it would
+never do. The people would not be pleased to see a rabble confound the
+hospitality of the chief magistrate and his wife. The people demanded
+proper dignity from their representatives in office. The list of
+invitations which Selma sent out was, however, comprehensive. She aimed
+to invite everyone of social, public, commercial or political
+importance. A full band was in attendance, and a liberal collation was
+served. Selma confided to some of her guests, who, she thought, might
+criticise the absence of wine, that she had felt obliged, out of
+consideration for her husband's political prospects, to avoid wounding
+the feelings of total abstainers. The entertainment lasted from four to
+seven, and the three hours of hand-shaking provided a delicious
+experience to the hostess. She gloried in the consciousness that this
+crush of citizens, representing the leaders of the community in the
+widest sense, had been assembled by her social gift, and that they had
+come to offer their admiring homage to the clever wife of their
+Governor. It gratified her to think that Pauline and Mrs. Taylor and the
+people of that class, to all of whom she had sent cards, should behold
+her as the first lady of the State, and mistress of a beautiful home,
+dispensing hospitality on broad, democratic lines to an admiring
+constituency. When Mr. Horace Elton approached, Selma perpetrated a
+little device which she had planned. As they were in the act of shaking
+hands a very handsome rose fell--seemingly by chance--from the bouquet
+which she carried. He picked it up and tendered it to her, but Selma
+made him keep it, adding in a lower tone, "It is your due for the
+gallant friendship you have shown me and my husband." She felt as though
+she were a queen bestowing a guerdon on a favorite minister, and yet a
+woman rewarding in a woman's way an admirer's devotion. She meant Elton
+to appreciate that she understood that his interest in Lyons was largely
+due to his partiality for her. It seemed to her that she could recognize
+to this extent his chivalrous conduct without smirching her blameless
+record as an American housewife.
+
+Meantime the Governor was performing his public duties with becoming
+dignity and without much mental friction. The legislature was engaged in
+digesting the batch of miscellaneous business presented for its
+consideration, among which was Elton's gas consolidation bill. Already
+the measure had encountered some opposition in committee, but Lyons was
+led to believe that the bill would be passed by a large majority, and
+that its opponents would be conciliated before his signature was
+required. Lyons's reputation as an orator had been extended by his term
+in the House of Representatives and his recent active campaign, and he
+was in receipt of a number of invitations from various parts of the
+country to address august bodies in other States. All of these were
+declined, but when, in the month of April, opportunity was afforded him
+to deliver a speech on patriotic issues on the anniversary of the battle
+of Lexington, he decided, with Selma's approval, to accept the
+invitation. He reasoned that a short respite from the cares of office
+would be agreeable; she was attracted by the glamour of revisiting New
+York as a woman of note. New York had refused to recognize her
+superiority and to do her homage, and New York should realize her
+present status, and what a mistake had been made. The speech was a
+success, and the programme provided for the entertainment of the orator
+and his wife included the hospitality of several private houses. Selma
+felt that she could afford to hold her head high and not to thaw too
+readily for the benefit of a society which had failed to appreciate her
+worth when it had the chance. She was the wife now of one of the leading
+public men of the nation, and in a position to set fashions, not to ask
+favors. Nevertheless she chose on the evening before their return to
+Benham to show herself at dinner at Delmonico's, just to let the world
+of so-called fashion perceive her and ask who she was. There would
+doubtless be people there who knew her by sight, and who, when they were
+told that she was now the wife of Governor Lyons, would regret if not be
+ashamed of their short-sightedness and snobbery. She wore a striking
+dress; she encouraged her husband's willingness to order an elaborate
+dinner, including champagne (for they were in a champagne country), and
+she exhibited a sprightly mood, looking about her with a knowing air in
+observation of the other occupants of the dining-room.
+
+While she was thus engaged the entrance of a party of six, whom the head
+waiter conducted with a show of attention to a table which had evidently
+been reserved for them, fettered Selma's attention. She stared unable to
+believe her eyes, then flushed and looked indignant. Her attention
+remained rivetted on this party while they laid aside their wraps and
+seated themselves. Struck by the annoyed intensity of his wife's
+expression, Lyons turned to follow the direction of her gaze.
+
+"What is the matter?" he said.
+
+For a few moments Selma sat silent with compressed lips, intent on her
+scrutiny.
+
+"It's an outrage on decency," she murmured, at last. "How dare she show
+herself here and entertain those people?"
+
+"Of whom are you talking, Selma?"
+
+"The Williamses. Flossy Williams and her husband. The two couples with
+them live on Fifth Avenue, and used to be among her exclusive friends.
+Her husband has just ordered the dinner. I saw him give the directions
+to the waiter. It is monstrous that they, who only a few months ago
+failed disgracefully and were supposed to have lost everything, should
+be going on exactly as if nothing had happened."
+
+"People in New York have the faculty of getting on their feet again
+quickly after financial reverses," said Lyons, mildly. "Like as not some
+of Williams's friends have enabled him to make a fresh start."
+
+"So it seems," Selma answered, sternly. She sat back in her chair with a
+discouraged air and neglected her truffled chicken. "It isn't right; it
+isn't decent."
+
+Lyons was puzzled by her demeanor. "Why should you care what they do?"
+he asked. "We can easily avoid them for the future."
+
+"Because--because, James Lyons, I can't bear to see godless people
+triumph. Because it offends me to see a man and woman, who are
+practically penniless through their own evil courses, and should be
+discredited everywhere, able to resume their life of vanity and
+extravagance without protest."
+
+While she was speaking Selma suddenly became aware that her eyes had met
+those of Dr. George Page, who was passing their table on his way out.
+Recognition on both sides came at the same moment, and Selma turned in
+her chair to greet him, cutting off any hope which he may have had of
+passing unobserved. She was glad of the opportunity to show the company
+that she was on familiar terms with a man so well known, and she had on
+her tongue what she regarded as a piece of banter quite in keeping with
+his usual vein.
+
+"How d'y do, Dr. Page? We haven't met for a long time. You do not know
+my husband, Governor Lyons, I think. Dr. Page used to be our family
+physician when I lived in New York, James. Everyone here knows that he
+has a very large practice."
+
+Selma was disposed to be gracious and sprightly, for she felt that Dr.
+Page must surely be impressed by her appearance of prosperity.
+
+"I had heard of your marriage, and of your husband's election. I
+congratulate you. You are living in Benham, I believe, far from this
+hurly-burly?"
+
+"Yes, a little bird told me the other day that a no less distinguished
+person than Dr. Page had been seen in Benham twice during the last three
+months. Of course a Governor's wife is supposed to know everything which
+goes on, and for certain reasons I was very much interested to hear this
+bit of news. I am a very discreet woman, doctor. It shall go no
+further."
+
+The physician's broad brow contracted slightly, but his habitual
+self-control concealed completely the inclination to strangle his
+bright-eyed, over-dressed inquisitor. He was the last man to shirk the
+vicissitudes of playful speech, and he preferred this mood of Selma's to
+her solemn style, although his privacy was invaded.
+
+"I should have remembered," he said, "that there is nothing in the world
+which Mrs. Lyons does not know by intuition."
+
+"Including the management of a hospital, Dr. Page. Perhaps you don't
+know that I am the managing trustee of a large hospital?"
+
+"Yes, I was informed of that in Benham. I should scarcely venture to
+tell you what my little bird said. It was an old fogy of a bird, with a
+partiality for thorough investigation and scientific methods, and a
+thorough distrust of the results of off-hand inspiration in the
+treatment of disease."
+
+"I dare say. But we are succeeding splendidly. The next time you come to
+Benham you must come to see me, and I will take you over our hospital. I
+don't despair yet of converting you to our side, just as you evidently
+don't despair of inducing a certain lady some day to change her mind. I,
+for one, think that she is more fitted by nature to be a wife than a
+college president, so I shall await with interest more news from my
+little bird." Selma felt that she was talking to greater advantage than
+almost ever before. Her last remark banished every trace of a smile from
+her adversary's face, and he stood regarding her with a preternatural
+gravity, which should have been appalling, but which she welcomed as a
+sign of serious feeling on his part. She felt, too, that at last she had
+got the better of the ironical doctor in repartee, and that he was
+taking his leave tongue-tied. In truth, he was so angry that he did not
+trust himself to speak. He simply glared and departed.
+
+"Poor fellow," she said, by way of explanation to Lyons, "I suppose his
+emotion got the better of him, because he has loved her so long. That
+was the Dr. Page who has been crazy for years to marry Pauline
+Littleton. When he was young he married a woman of doubtful character,
+who ran away from him. I used to think that Pauline was right in
+refusing to sacrifice her life for his sake. But he has been very
+constant, and I doubt if she has originality enough to keep her position
+as president of Wetmore long. He belongs to the old school of medicine.
+It was he who took care of Wilbur when he died. I fancy that case may
+have taught him not to mistrust truth merely because it isn't labelled.
+But I bear him no malice, because I know he meant to do his best. They
+are just suited for each other, and I shall be on his side after this."
+
+The interest of this episode served to restore somewhat Selma's
+serenity, but she kept her attention fixed on the table where the
+Williamses were sitting, observing with a sense of injury their gay
+behavior. To all appearances, Flossy was as light-hearted and volatile
+as ever. Her attire was in the height of fashion. Had adversity taught
+her nothing? Had the buffet of Providence failed utterly to sober her
+frivolous spirit? It seemed to Selma that there could be no other
+conclusion, and though she and Lyons had finished dinner, she was unable
+to take her eyes off the culprits, or to cease to wonder how it was
+possible for people with nothing to continue to live as though they had
+everything. Her moral nature was stirred to resentment, and she sat
+spell-bound, seeking in vain for a point of consolation.
+
+Meantime Lyons, like a good American, had sent for an evening paper, and
+was deep in its perusal. A startled ejaculation from him aroused Selma
+from her nightmare. Her husband was saying to her across the table:
+
+"My dear, Senator Calkins is dead." He spoke in a solemn, excited
+whisper.
+
+"Our Senator Calkins?"
+
+"Yes. This is the despatch from Washington: 'United States Senator
+Calkins dropped dead suddenly in the lobby of the Senate chamber, at ten
+o'clock this morning, while talking with friends. His age was 52. The
+cause of his death was heart-failure. His decease has cast a gloom over
+the Capital, and the Senate adjourned promptly out of respect to the
+memory of the departed statesman.'"
+
+"What a dreadful thing!" Selma murmured.
+
+"The ways of Providence are inscrutable," said Lyons. "No one could have
+foreseen this public calamity." He poured out a glass of ice-water and
+drank it feverishly.
+
+"It's fortunate we have everything arranged to return to-morrow, for of
+course you will be needed at home."
+
+"Yes. Waiter, bring me a telegram."
+
+"What are you going to do?"
+
+"Communicate to Mrs. Calkins our sympathy on account of the death of her
+distinguished husband."
+
+"That will be nice," said Selma. She sat for some moments in silence
+observing her husband, and spell-bound by the splendid possibility which
+presented itself. She knew that Lyons's gravity and agitation were not
+wholly due to the shock of the catastrophe. He, like herself, must be
+conscious that he might become the dead Senator's successor. He poured
+out and drained another goblet of ice-water. Twice he drew himself up
+slightly and looked around the room, with the expression habitual to him
+when about to deliver a public address. Selma's veins were tingling with
+excitement. Providence had interfered in her behalf again. As the wife
+of a United States Senator, everything would be within her grasp.
+
+"James," she said, "we are the last persons in the world to fail in
+respect to the illustrious dead, but--of course you ought to have
+Senator Calkins's place."
+
+Lyons looked at his wife, and his large lips trembled. "If the people of
+my State, Selma, feel that I am the most suitable man for the vacant
+senatorship, I shall be proud to serve them."
+
+Selma nodded appreciatively. She was glad that her husband should
+approach the situation with a solemn sense of responsibility.
+
+"They are sure to feel that," she said. "It seems to me that you are
+practically certain of the party nomination, and your party has a clear
+majority of both branches of the Legislature."
+
+Lyons glanced furtively about him before he spoke. "I don't see at the
+moment, Selma, how they can defeat me."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+The body of Senator Calkins was laid to rest with appropriate ceremonies
+in the soil of his native State, and his virtues as a statesman and
+citizen were celebrated in the pulpit and in the public prints. On the
+day following the funeral the contest for his place began in dead
+earnest. There had been some quiet canvassing by the several candidates
+while the remains were being transported from Washington, but public
+utterance was stayed until the last rites were over. Then it transpired
+that there were four candidates in the field; a Congressman, an
+ex-Governor, a silver-tongued orator named Stringer, who was a member of
+the upper branch of the State Legislature and who claimed to be a true
+defender of popular rights, and Hon. James O. Lyons. Newspaper comment
+concerning the candidacy of these aspirants early promulgated the
+doctrine that Governor Lyons was entitled to the place if he desired it.
+More than one party organ claimed that his brilliant services had given
+him a reputation beyond the limit of mere political prestige, and that
+he had become a veritable favorite son of the State. By the end of a
+fortnight the ex-Governor had withdrawn in favor of Lyons; while the
+following of the Congressman was recognized to be inconsiderable, and
+that he was holding out in order to obtain terms. Only the
+silver-tongued orator, Stringer, remained. On him the opposition within
+the party had decided to unite their forces. To all appearances they
+were in a decided minority. There was no hope that the Republican
+members of the Legislature would join them, for it seemed scarcely good
+politics to rally to the support of a citizen whose statesmanship had
+not been tested in preference to the Governor of the State. It was
+conceded by all but the immediate followers of Stringer that Lyons would
+receive the majority vote of either house, and be triumphantly elected
+on the first joint ballot.
+
+And yet the opposition to the Governor, though numerically small, was
+genuine. Stringer was, as he described himself, a man of the plain
+people. That is he was a lawyer with a denunciating voice, a keen mind,
+and a comprehensive grasp on language, who was still an attorney for
+plaintiffs, and whose ability had not yet been recognized by
+corporations or conservative souls. He was where Lyons had been ten
+years before, but he had neither the urbanity, conciliatory tendencies,
+nor dignified, solid physical properties of the Governor. He was pleased
+to refer to himself as a tribune of the people, and his thin, nervous
+figure, clad in a long frock-coat, with a yawning collar and black whisp
+tie, his fiery utterance and relentless zeal, bore out the character. He
+looked hungry, and his words suggested that he was in earnest, carrying
+conviction to some of his colleagues in the Legislature. The election at
+which Lyons had been chosen chief magistrate had brought into this State
+government a sprinkling of socialistic spirits, as they were called, who
+applauded vigorously the thinly veiled allusions which Stringer made in
+debate to the lukewarm democracy of some of the party leaders. When he
+spoke with stern contempt of those who played fast and loose with sacred
+principles--who were staunch friends of the humblest citizens on the
+public platform, and behind their backs grew slyly rich on the revenues
+of wealthy corporations, everyone knew that he was baiting the Governor.
+These diatribes were stigmatized as in wretched taste, but the
+politicians of both parties could not help being amused. They admitted
+behind their hands that the taunt was not altogether groundless, and
+that Lyons certainly was on extremely pleasant terms with prosperity for
+an out and out champion of popular rights. Nevertheless the leading
+party newspapers termed Stringer a demagogue, and accused him of
+endeavoring to foment discord in the ranks of the Democracy by
+questioning the loyalty of a man who had led them to notable victory
+twice in the last three years. He was invited to step down, and to
+season his aspirations until he could present a more significant public
+record. What had he done that entitled him to the senatorship? He had
+gifts undeniably, but he was young and could wait. This was a taking
+argument with the legislators, many of whom had grown gray in the party
+service, and Lyons's managers felt confident that the support accorded
+to this tribune of the people would dwindle to very small proportions
+when the time came to count noses.
+
+Suddenly there loomed into sight on the political horizon, and came
+bearing down on Lyons under full sail, Elton's bill for the
+consolidation of the gas companies. The Benham _Sentinel_ had not been
+one of the promoters of Lyons's senatorial canvass, but it had not
+espoused the cause of any of his competitors, and latterly had referred
+in acquiescent terms to his election as a foregone conclusion. He had
+not happened to run across Elton during these intervening weeks, and
+preferred not to encounter him. He cherished an ostrich-like hope that
+Elton was in no haste regarding the bill, and that consequently it might
+not pass the legislature until after his election as Senator. If he were
+to come in contact with Elton, the meeting might jog the busy magnate's
+memory. It was a barren hope. Immediately after the _Sentinel_ announced
+that Governor Lyons was practically sure to be the next United States
+Senator, the gas bill was reported favorably by the committee which had
+it in charge, and was advanced rapidly in the House. Debate on its
+provisions developed that it was not to have entirely plain sailing,
+though the majority recorded in its favor on the first and second
+readings was large. It was not at first regarded as a party measure. Its
+supporters included most of the Republicans and more than half of the
+Democrats. Yet the opposition to it proceeded from the wing of the
+Democracy with which Stringer was affiliated. Elton's interest in the
+bill was well understood, and the work of pledging members in advance,
+irrespective of party, had been so thoroughly done, that but for the
+exigencies of the senatorial contest it would probably have slipped
+through without notice as a harmless measure. As it was, the opposition
+to it in the lower branch was brief and seemed unimportant. The bill
+passed the House of Representatives by a nearly two-thirds vote and went
+promptly to the Senate calendar. Then suddenly it became obvious to
+Lyons not merely that Elton was bent on securing its passage while the
+present Governor was in office, but that his rival, Stringer, had
+conceived the cruel scheme of putting him in the position, by a hue and
+cry against monopoly and corporate interests, where his election to the
+senatorship would be imperilled if he did not veto the measure. By a
+caustic speech in the Senate Stringer drew public attention to the
+skilfully concealed iniquities of the proposed franchise, and public
+attention thus aroused began to bristle. Newspapers here and there
+throughout the state put forth edicts that this Legislature had been
+chosen to protect popular principles, and that here was an opportunity
+for the Democratic party to fulfil its pledges and serve the people.
+Stringer and his associates were uttering in the Senate burning words
+against the audacious menace of what they termed the franchise octopus.
+Did the people realize that this bill to combine gas companies, which
+looked so innocent on its face, was a gigantic scheme to wheedle them
+out of a valuable franchise for nothing? Did they understand that they
+were deliberately putting their necks in the grip of a monster whose
+tentacles would squeeze and suck their life-blood for its own
+enrichment? Stringer hammered away with fierce and reiterated invective.
+He had no hope of defeating the bill, but he confidently believed that
+he was putting his adversary, the Governor, in a hole. It had been
+noised about the lobbies by the friends of the measure earlier in the
+session that the Governor was all right and could be counted on.
+Stringer reasoned that Lyons was committed to the bill; that, if he
+signed it, his opponents might prevent his election as Senator on the
+plea that he had catered to corporate interests; that if he vetoed it,
+he would lose the support of powerful friends who might seek to revenge
+themselves by uniting on his opponent. Stringer recognized that he was
+playing a desperate game, but it was his only chance. One thing was
+evident already: As a result of the exposure in the Senate, considerable
+public hostility to the bill was manifesting itself. Petitions for its
+defeat were in circulation, and several Senators who had been supposed
+to be friendly to its passage veered round in deference to the views of
+their constituents. Its defeat had almost become a party measure. A
+majority of the Democrats in the Senate were claimed to be against it.
+Nevertheless there was no delay on the part of those in charge in
+pushing it to final action. They had counted noses, and their margin of
+support had been so liberal they could afford to lose a few deserters.
+After a fierce debate the bill was passed to be engrossed by a majority
+of eleven. The Democrats in the Senate were just evenly divided on the
+ballot.
+
+What would the Governor do? This was the question on everyone's lips.
+Would he sign or veto the bill? Public opinion as represented by the
+newspapers was prompt to point out his duty. The verdict of a leading
+party organ was that, in view of all the circumstances, Governor Lyons
+could scarcely do otherwise than refuse to give his official sanction to
+a measure which threatened to increase the burdens of the plain people.
+The words "in view of all the circumstances" appeared to be an euphemism
+for "in view of his ambition to become United States Senator." Several
+journals declared unequivocally that it would become the duty of the
+party to withdraw its support from Governor Lyons in case he allowed
+this undemocratic measure to become law. On the other hand, certain
+party organs questioned the justice of the outcry against the bill,
+arguing that the merits of the case had been carefully examined in the
+Legislature and that there was no occasion for the Governor to disturb
+the result of its action. On the day after the bill was sent to the
+chief magistrate, an editorial appeared in the Benham _Sentinel_
+presenting an exhaustive analysis of its provisions, and pointing out
+that, though the petitioners might under certain contingencies reap a
+reasonable profit, the public could not fail in that event to secure a
+lower price for gas and more effective service. This article was quoted
+extensively throughout the State, and was ridiculed or extolled
+according to the sympathies of the critics. Lyons received a marked copy
+of the _Sentinel_ on the morning when it appeared. He recognized the
+argument as that which he had accepted at the time he promised to sign
+the bill if he were elected Governor. In the course of the same day a
+letter sent by messenger was handed to him in the executive chamber. It
+contained simply two lines in pencil in Elton's handwriting--"It
+continues to be of vital importance to my affairs that the pending bill
+should receive your signature." That was obviously a polite reminder of
+their agreement; an intimation that the circumstances had not altered,
+and that it was incumbent on him to perform his part of their compact.
+Obviously, too, Horace Elton took for granted that a reminder was
+enough, and that he would keep his word. He had promised to sign the
+bill. He had given his word of honor to do so, and Elton was relying on
+his good faith.
+
+The situation had become suddenly oppressive and disheartening. Just
+when his prospects seemed assured this unfortunate obstacle had appeared
+in his path, and threatened to confound his political career. He must
+sign the bill. And if he signed it, in all probability he would lose the
+senatorship. His enemies would claim that the party could not afford to
+stultify itself by the choice of a candidate who favored monopolies. He
+had given his promise, the word of a man of honor, and a business man.
+What escape was there from the predicament? If he vetoed the bill, would
+he not be a liar and a poltroon? If he signed it, the senatorship would
+slip through his fingers. The thought occurred to him to send for Elton
+and throw himself on his mercy, but he shrank from such an interview.
+Elton was a business man, and a promise was a promise. He had enjoyed
+the consideration for his promise; his notes were secure and the
+hypothecated bonds had been redeemed. He was on his feet and Governor,
+thanks to Elton's interposition, and now he was called on to do his
+part--to pay the fiddler. He must sign the bill.
+
+Lyons had five days in which to consider the matter. At the end of that
+time if he neither signed nor vetoed the bill, it would become law
+without his signature. He was at bay, and the time for deliberation was
+short. An incubus of disappointment weighed upon his soul and clouded
+his brow. His round, smooth face looked grieved. It seemed cruel to him
+that such an untoward piece of fortune should confront him just at the
+moment when this great reward for his political services was within his
+grasp and his opportunities for eminent public usefulness assured. He
+brooded over his quandary in silence for twenty-four hours. On the
+second day he concluded to speak of the matter to Selma. He knew that
+she kept a general run of public affairs. Not infrequently she had asked
+him questions concerning measures before the Legislature, and he was
+pleasantly aware that she was ambitious to be regarded as a politician.
+But up to this time there had been no room for question as to what his
+action as Governor should be in respect to any measure. It had happened,
+despite his attitude of mental comradeship with his wife, that he had
+hitherto concealed from her his most secret transactions. He had left
+her in the dark in regard to his true dealings with Williams & Van
+Horne; he had told her nothing as to his straitened circumstances, the
+compact by which he had been made Governor, and his relief at the hands
+of Elton from threatened financial ruin. Reluctance, born of the theory
+in his soul that these were accidents in his life, not typical
+happenings, had sealed his lips. He was going to confide in her now not
+because he expected that Selma's view of this emergency would differ
+from his own, but in order that she might learn before he acted that he
+was under an imperative obligation to sign the bill. While he was
+sitting at home in the evening with the topic trembling on his tongue,
+Selma made his confession easy by saying, "I have taken for granted that
+you will veto the gas bill."
+
+Selma had indeed so assumed. In the early stages of the bill she had
+been ignorant of its existence. During the last fortnight, since the
+controversy had reached an acute phase and public sentiment had been
+aroused against its passage, she had been hoping that it would pass so
+that Lyons might have the glory of returning it to the Legislature
+without his signature. She had reasoned that he would be certain to veto
+the measure, for the bill was clearly in the interest of monopoly, and
+though her nerves were all on edge with excitement over the impending
+election of a Senator, she had not interfered because she took for
+granted that it was unnecessary. Even when Lyons, after reading the
+article in the _Sentinel_, had dropped the remark that the measure was
+really harmless and the outcry against it unwarranted, she had supposed
+that he was merely seeking to be magnanimous. She had forgotten this
+speech until it was recalled by Lyons's obvious state of worry during
+the last few days. She had noticed this at first without special
+concern, believing it due to the malicious insinuations of Stringer. Now
+that the bill was before him for signature there could be no question as
+to his action. Nevertheless her heart had suddenly been assailed by a
+horrible doubt, and straightway her sense of duty as a wife and of duty
+to herself had sought assurance in a crucial inquiry.
+
+"I was going to speak to you about that this evening. I wish to tell you
+the reasons which oblige me to sign the bill," he answered. Lyons's
+manner was subdued and limp. Even his phraseology had been stripped of
+its stateliness.
+
+"Sign the bill?" gasped Selma. "If you sign it, you will lose the
+senatorship." She spoke like a prophetess, and her steely eyes snapped.
+
+"That is liable to be the consequence I know. I will explain to you,
+Selma. You will see that I am bound in honor and cannot help myself."
+
+"In honor? You are bound in honor to your party--bound in honor to me to
+veto it."
+
+"Wait a minute, Selma. You must hear my reasons. Before I was nominated
+for Governor I gave Horace Elton my word, man to man, that I would sign
+this gas bill. It is his bill. I promised, if I were elected Governor,
+not to veto it. At the time, I--I was financially embarrassed. I did not
+tell you because I was unwilling to distress you, but--er--my affairs in
+New York were in disorder, and I had notes here coming due. Nothing was
+said about money matters between Elton and me until he had agreed to
+support me as Governor. Then he offered to help me, and I accepted his
+aid. Don't you see that I cannot help myself? That I must sign the
+bill?"
+
+Selma had listened in amazement. "It's a trap," she murmured. "Horace
+Elton has led you into a trap." The thought that Elton's politeness to
+her was a blind, and that she had been made sport of, took precedence in
+her resentment even of the annoyance caused her by her husband's deceit.
+
+"Why did you conceal all this from me?" she asked, tragically.
+
+"I should not have done so, perhaps."
+
+"If you had told me, this difficulty never would have arisen. Pshaw! It
+is not a real difficulty. Surely you must throw Elton over. Surely you
+must veto the bill."
+
+"Throw him over," stammered Lyons. "You don't understand, Selma. I gave
+my word as a business man. I am under great obligations to him." He told
+briefly the details of the transaction; even the hypothecation of the
+Parsons bonds. For once in his life he made a clean breast of his
+bosom's perilous stuff. He was ready to bear the consequences of his
+plight rather than be false to his man's standard of honor, and yet his
+wife's opposition had fascinated as well as startled him. He set forth
+his case--the case which meant his political checkmate, then waited.
+Selma had risen and stood with folded arms gazing into distance with the
+far away look by which she was wont to subdue mountains.
+
+"Have you finished?" she asked. "What you are proposing to do is to
+sacrifice your life--and my life, James Lyons, for the sake of
+a--er--fetish. Horace Elton, under the pretence of friendship for us,
+has taken advantage of your necessities to extract from you a promise to
+support an evil scheme--a bill to defraud the plain American people of
+their rights--the people whose interests you swore to protect when you
+took the oath as Governor. Is a promise between man and man, as you call
+it, more sacred than everlasting truth itself? More binding than the tie
+of principle and political good faith? Will you refuse to veto a bill
+which you know is a blow at liberty in order to keep a technical
+business compact with an over-reaching capitalist, who has no sympathy
+with our ideas? I am disappointed in you, James. I thought you could see
+clearer than that."
+
+Lyons sighed. "I examined the bill at the time with some care, and did
+not think it inimical to the best public interest; but had I foreseen
+the objections which would be raised against it, I admit that I never
+would have agreed to sign it."
+
+"Precisely. You were taken in." She meant in her heart that they had
+both been taken in. "This is not a case of commercial give and take--of
+purchase and sale of stocks or merchandise. The eternal verities are
+concerned. You owe it to your country to break your word. The triumph of
+American principles is paramount to your obligation to Elton. Whom will
+this gas bill benefit but the promoters? Your view, James, is the
+old-fashioned view. Just as I said to you the other day that Dr. Page is
+old-fashioned in his views of medicine, so it seems to me, if you will
+forgive my saying so, you are, in this instance, behind the times. And
+you are not usually behind the times. It has been one of the joyous
+features of my marriage with you that you have not lacked American
+initiative and independence of conventions. I wish you had confided in
+me. You were forced to give that promise by your financial distress.
+Will you let an old-fashioned theory of private honor make you a traitor
+to our party cause and to the sovereign people of our country?"
+
+Lyons bowed his head between his hands. "You make me see that there are
+two sides to the question, Selma. It is true that I was not myself when
+Elton got my promise to sign the bill. My mind had been on the rack for
+weeks, and I was unfit to form a correct estimate of a complicated
+public measure. But a promise is a promise."
+
+"What can he do if you break it? He will not kill you."
+
+"He will not kill me, no; but he will despise me." Lyons reflected, as
+he spoke, that Elton would be unable to injure him financially. He
+would, be able to pay his notes when they became due, thanks to the
+improvement in business affairs which had set in since the beginning of
+the year.
+
+"And your party--the American people will despise you if you sign the
+bill. Whose contempt do you fear the most?"
+
+"I see--I see," he murmured. "I cannot deny there is much force in your
+argument, dear. I fear there can be no doubt that if I let the bill
+become law, public clamor will oblige the party to throw me over and
+take up Stringer or some dark horse. That means a serious setback to my
+political progress; means perhaps my political ruin."
+
+"Your political suicide, James. And there is another side to it,"
+continued Selma, pathetically. "My side. I wish you to think of that. I
+wish you to realize that, if you yield to this false notion of honor,
+you will interfere with the development of my life no less than your
+own. As you know, I think, I became your wife because I felt that as a
+public woman working, at your side in behalf of the high purposes in
+which we had a common sympathy, I should be a greater power for good
+than if I pursued alone my career as a writer and on the lecture
+platform. Until to-day I have felt sure that I had made no mistake--that
+we had made no mistake. Without disrespect to the dead, I may say that
+for the first time in my life marriage has meant to me what it should
+mean, and has tended to bring out the best which is in me. I have grown;
+I have developed; I have been recognized. We have both made progress.
+Only a few days ago I was rejoicing to think that when you became a
+United States Senator, there would be a noble field for my abilities as
+well as yours. We are called to high office, called to battle for great
+principles and to lead the nation to worthy things. And now, in a moment
+of mental blindness, you are threatening to spoil all. For my sake, if
+not for your own, James, be convinced that you do not see clearly. Do
+not snatch the cup of happiness from my lips just as at last it is full.
+Give me the chance to live my own life as I wish to live it."
+
+There was a brief silence. Lyons rose and let fall his hand on the table
+with impressive emphasis. His mobile face was working with emotion; his
+eyes were filled with tears. "I will veto the bill," he said,
+grandiloquently. "The claims of private honor must give way to the
+general welfare, and the demands of civilization. You have convinced me,
+Selma--my wife. My point of view was old-fashioned. Superior ethics
+permit no other solution of the problem. Superior ethics," he repeated,
+as though the phrase gave him comfort, "would not justify a statesman in
+sacrificing his party and his own powers--aye, and his political
+conscience--in order to keep a private compact. I shall veto the bill."
+
+"Thank God for that," she murmured.
+
+Lyons stepped forward and put his arm around her. "You shall live your
+own life as you desire, Selma. No act of mine shall spoil it."
+
+"Superior ethics taught you by your wife! Your poor, wise wife in whom
+you would not confide!" She tapped him playfully on his fat cheek.
+"Naughty boy!"
+
+"There are moments when a man sees through a glass, darkly," he
+answered, kissing her again. "This is a solemn decision for us, Selma.
+Heaven has willed that you should save me from my own errors, and my own
+blindness."
+
+"We shall be very happy, James. You will be chosen Senator, and all will
+be as it should be. The clouds on my horizon are one by one passing
+away, and justice is prevailing at last. What do you suppose I heard
+to-day? Pauline Littleton is to marry Dr. Page. Mrs. Earle told me so.
+Pauline has written to the trustees that after the first of next January
+she will cease to serve as president of Wetmore; that by that time the
+college will be running smoothly, so that a successor can take up the
+work. There is a chance now that the trustees will choose a genuine
+educator for the place--some woman of spontaneous impulses and a large
+outlook on life. Pauline's place is by the domestic hearth. She could
+never have much influence on progress."
+
+"I do not know her very well," said Lyons. "But I know this, Selma, you
+would be just the woman for the place if you were not my wife. You would
+make an ideal president of a college for progressive women."
+
+"I am suited for the work, and I think I am progressive," she admitted.
+"But that, of course, is out of the question for me as a married woman
+and the wife of a United States Senator. But I am glad, James, to have
+you appreciate my strong points."
+
+On the following day Lyons vetoed the gas bill. His message to the
+Legislature described it as a measure which disposed of a valuable
+franchise for nothing, and which would create a monopoly detrimental to
+the rights of the public. This action met with much public approval. One
+newspaper expressed well the feeling of the community by declaring that
+the Governor had faced the issue squarely and shown the courage of his
+well-known convictions. The Benham _Sentinel_ was practically mute. It
+stated merely in a short editorial that it was disappointed in Governor
+Lyons, and that he had played into the hands of the demagogues and the
+sentimentalists. It suggested to the Legislature to show commendable
+independence by passing the bill over his veto. But this was obviously a
+vain hope.
+
+The vote in the House against the veto not merely fell short of the
+requisite two-thirds, but was less than a plurality, showing that the
+action of the chief magistrate had reversed the sentiment of the
+Legislature. The force of Stringer's opposition was practically killed
+by the Governor's course. He had staked everything on the chance that
+Lyons would see fit to sign the bill. When the party caucus for the
+choice of a candidate for Senator was held a few days later, his
+followers recognized the hopelessness of his ambition and prevailed on
+him to withdraw his name from consideration. Lyons was elected Senator
+of the United States by a party vote by the two branches of the
+Legislature assembled in solemn conclave. Apparently Elton had realized
+that opposition was useless, and that he must bide his time for revenge.
+Booming cannon celebrated the result of the proceedings, and Selma,
+waiting at home on the River Drive, received a telegram from the capital
+announcing the glad news. Her husband was United States Senator, and the
+future stretched before her big with promise. She had battled with life,
+she had suffered, she had held fast to her principles, and at last she
+was rewarded.
+
+Lyons returned to Benham by the afternoon train, and a salute of one
+hundred guns greeted him on his arrival. He walked from the station like
+any private citizen. Frequent cheers attended his progress to his house.
+In the evening the shops and public buildings were illuminated, and the
+James O. Lyons Cadets, who considered themselves partly responsible for
+his rapid promotion, led a congratulatory crowd to the River Drive. The
+Senator-elect, in response to the music of a serenade, stepped out on
+the balcony. Selma waited behind the window curtain until the enthusiasm
+had subsided; then she glided forth and showed herself at his elbow. A
+fresh round of cheers for the Senator's wife followed. It was a glorious
+night. The moon shone brightly. The street was thronged by the populace,
+and glittered with the torches of the cadets. Lyons stood bareheaded.
+His large, round, smooth face glistened, and the moonbeams, bathing his
+chin beard, gave him the effect of a patriarch, or of one inspired. He
+raised his hand to induce silence, then stood for a moment, as was his
+habit before speaking, with an expression as though he were struggling
+with emotion or busy in silent prayer.
+
+"Fellow citizens of Benham," he began, slowly, "compatriots of the
+sovereign State which has done me to-day so great an honor, I thank you
+for this precious greeting. You are my constituents and my brothers. I
+accept from your hands this great trust of office, knowing that I am but
+your representative, knowing that my mission is to bear constant witness
+to the love of liberty, the love of progress, the love of truth which
+are enshrined in the hearts of the great American people. Your past has
+been ever glorious; your future looms big with destiny. Still leaning on
+the God of our fathers, to whom our patriot sires have ever turned, and
+whose favors to our beloved country are seen in your broad prairies tall
+with fruitful grain, and your mighty engines of commerce, I take up the
+work which you have given me to do, pledged to remain a democrat of the
+democrats, an American of the Americans."
+
+Selma heard the words of this peroration with a sense of ecstasy. She
+felt that he was speaking for them both, and that he was expressing the
+yearning intention of her soul to attempt and perform great things. She
+stood gazing straight before her with her far away, seraph look, as
+though she were penetrating the future even into Paradise.
+
+
+
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