e with George. He himself had a good place in a factory, and would
live there a little while. He returned her a moderate sum that he had
saved--one hundred and fifteen dollars--with the word that
he would not need it.

Jennie did not understand, but as the others did not write, she was
not sure but what it might be all right--her father was so
determined. But by degrees, however, a sense of what it really must
mean overtook her--a sense of something wrong, and she worried,
hesitating between leaving Lester and going to see about her father,
whether she left him or not. Would he come with her? Not here
certainly. If she were married, yes, possibly. If she were
alone--probably. Yet if she did not get some work which paid well
they would have a difficult time. It was the same old problem. What
could she do? Nevertheless, she decided to act. If she could get five
or six dollars a week they could live. This hundred and fifteen
dollars which Gerhardt had saved would tide them over the worst
difficulties perhaps.

CHAPTER XXXVI

The trouble with Jennie's plan was that it did not definitely take
into consideration Lester's attitude. He did care for her in an
elemental way, but he was hedged about by the ideas of the
conventional world in which he had been reared. To say that he loved
her well enough to take her for better or worse--to legalize her
anomalous position and to face the world bravely with the fact that he
had chosen a wife who suited him--was perhaps going a little too
far, but he did really care for her, and he was not in a mood, at this
particular time, to contemplate parting with her for good.

Lester was getting along to that time of life when his ideas of
womanhood were fixed and not subject to change. Thus far, on his own
plane and within the circle of his own associates, he had met no one
who appealed to him as did Jennie. She was gentle, intelligent,
gracious, a handmaiden to his every need; and he had taught her the
little customs of polite society, until she was as agreeable a
companion as he cared to have. He was comfortable, he was
satisfied--why seek further?

But Jennie's restlessness increased day by day. She tried writing
out her views, and started a half dozen letters before she finally
worded one which seemed, partially at least, to express her feelings.
It was a long letter for her, and it ran as follows:

"Lester dear, When you get this I won't be here, and I want you
not to thin