o has cost her parents an
enormous amount of money, to get--nowhere!"

"Why, Lady Babbie!" Julie protested. "It's not like you to talk so!"

Barbara patted the hand that had been laid upon her knee, and laughed.

"And the moral of that is, Ju," she said, "if you have children, don't
spoil them! You've had horribly hard times, but they've given you some
sense. As for Jim, he's an exception. It's a miracle he wasn't
ruined--but he wasn't!" And she gathered up her towels and brushes to go
back into her room. "But I needn't tell you that, Julie!" said she.

"Ah, well, Jim!" Julia conceded, smiling.

Jim had no faults, of course. Yet the five-months wife sighed
unconsciously as she went back to her room. Jim had qualities that had
now and then caused a faint little cloud to drift across Julia's life,
but that sheer loyalty had kept her from defining, even in her inmost
heart. Now this talk with Barbara had suddenly seemed to make them
clear. Jim was--spoiled was too harsh a word. But Jim wanted his own
way, in little things and big--all the time. The world just now for Jim
held only Julia. What she wanted he wanted, and, at any cost, he would
have. If her gown was not right for the special occasion, she should
have a new gown; if the motor car was out of order, telephone for
another; if the steward assured them that there was not another table in
the dining-room--tip him, tip everybody, make a scene, but see that the
"Reserved" card comes off somebody's table, and that the Studdifords are
seated there in triumph.

At first Julia had only laughed at her lord's masterful progress. It was
very funny to her to see how quickly his money and his determination won
him his way. A great deal of money was wasted, of course, but then, this
was their honeymoon, and some day they would settle down and spend
rationally. Jim, like all rich men, had an absolute faith in the power
of gold. The hall maid must come in and hook Mrs. Studdiford's gown; oh,
and would she be here at, say, one o'clock, when Mrs. Studdiford came
home? She went off at twelve, eh? Well, what was it worth to her to stay
on to-night, until one? Good. And by the way, Mrs. Studdiford had torn a
lace gown and wanted it to-morrow; could the maid mend it and press it?
She didn't think so? Well, come, there must be somebody who would rush
it through for Mrs. Studdiford? Ah, that was fine, thank you very much,
that would do very nicely. Or perhaps it was a question of the