y if you tried. He is mad about you. We can all
see that, and I knew it before he did himself. It's only--really--that
I'm afraid you'll be bored to death with so much shop if you don't set
up one for yourself."
"Oh, I never intend to be bored again as long as I live." Mary
Zattiany was a very shrewd woman and she determined on a bold stroke.
Her suspicion lingered but had lost its edge. Gora Dwight was deep and
subtle but there was no doubt that she was honorable. "I shall tell
you something," she said, "but you must give me your word that you will
not betray me--not even to Lee."
Miss Dwight's mind, not her body, gave a slight stir of uneasiness.
But she answered warmly: "Of course I promise."
"Very well, then. It is this. I shall never return to America. I
sail in a fortnight. Lee follows soon after, and we shall be married
in Austria."
"But--but--his play!" Miss Dwight was too startled to act. "He must
be here for rehearsals. Some one has said that plays are not written,
they're rewritten, and it's pretty close to the truth."
"I shall consent to his returning in time for rehearsals. Prolonged
honeymoons are indiscreet. It is better to divide them into a series.
I fancy the series might hold out indefinitely if adroitly spaced.
Moreover, being a modern myself, I like new methods. And he will be
too busy to miss me. I shall be equally busy in Vienna."
"But will he consent? Lee? He's not used to having his plans made for
him. He's about the most dominating male I know."
"I feel sure he will when the time comes. It is woman's peculiar gift,
you know, to convince the dominating male that he wants what she wants."
Gora laughed. But she also could turn mental somersaults. "I think it
a splendid arrangement. Then we should not lose Lee altogether, for we
really are devoted to him. He is an adorable creature for all his
absurdities. But I can't endure the thought of losing you."
"You must pay me a long visit in Vienna. Many visits. I can assure
you that you will find material there, under my guidance, for a really
great novel."
Gora's eyes sparkled. She was all artist at once. "I should like
that! How kind of you. And what a setting!"
"Yes, Austria is the most interesting country in Europe, and the most
beautiful to look at--and describe."
"It will be heavenly." Gora made up her mind at once that she would
waste no more ingenuity to stop this marriage. Its modernity
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