e.
Only, she wished that she had saved it as a souvenir of mingled
happiness and sorrow.

Apart from this matter of the ring, Cicily had no remorse. She regretted
the course of action thrust on her by malign fate, but her conscience
was clear of reproach. Perhaps, in some subtle, unconfessed recess of
her heart, she nourished a hope that ultimately joy would return to her
life. But her openly expressed conviction to herself was that she was
done with the life of love. Yet, a curious personal ambition urged her
on to make good the declaration to her husband that she would save him
in spite of himself. To this end, she bent all her energies. As she
reflected on the circumstances under which she had so ignominiously
failed, she decided that she must have recourse again to the means by
which she had so nearly attained success in her plans for her husband's
welfare, only to fail miserably on account of the obstinacy of the
Civitas Society. So, she sought out the women whom she had unhappily
offered as candidates to the club, and set herself with all the art that
was in her to win back their favor. She was sure that by alliance with
them she could mold circumstance to her will, and ultimately triumph
gloriously over the erring man who had flouted her ambition to help in a
business struggle.

Cicily made a full confession of her marital disaster to Mrs. Delancy,
who by turns scolded and cried over the wilful girl. The old lady
disapproved strongly of her niece's conduct, which was without any
excuse whatsoever according to her own notions of conventional
requirements. But, since she loved this child whom she had mothered, she
forgave her, and by degrees came to feel a certain sympathy for her,
which reacted mildly in her own attitude toward her husband.... It was
on one of her visits to her aunt that Cicily encountered Mr. Delancy,
who was already aware of the unfortunate position of affairs, and now
felt himself called on to protest. He expressed himself with some
severity, and concluded with a hope that she was not determined to
persevere in her folly.

"I was never more determined in my whole life, Uncle Jim," was the
emphatic answer.

Mr. Delancy resisted a temptation to snatch up one of the teacups from
the exquisite Sevres service over which his wife and his niece were
sitting, and to hurl it into the fireplace, for the sake of relieving
his choler. He refrained from any overt act, however, by a great effort
of wil