of the rich feminine tradition of housewifery; it was not for
her to darn her husband's hose, to set exquisite patches in thinning
table linen, to gather flowers for jars and vases. Julia never saw Jim's
clothing except when he was wearing it, the table linen was Ellie's
affair, and Lizzie had the entire lower floor bright and fragrant with
fresh flowers before Jim and Julia came down to breakfast. Young Mrs.
Studdiford found herself readily assuming the society woman's dry, brief
mannerisms. Jim used to grin sometimes when he heard her at the
telephone:

"Oh, that would be charming, Mrs. Babcock," Julia would say, "if you'll
let me run away at three, for I must positively keep an appointment with
Carroll at three, if I'm to have my gown for dear Mrs. Morton's bal
masque Friday night. And if I'm just a tiny bit late you won't be cross?
For we all do German at twelve now, you know, and it _will_ run over the
hour! Oh, you're very sweet! Oh, no, Mrs. Talcott spoke to me about it,
but we can't--we're both _so_ sorry, but this week seems to be just
_full_--no, she said that, but I told her that next week was just as bad,
so she's to let me know about the week after. Oh, I know she is. And I
_did_ want to give her a little tea, but there doesn't seem to be a
_moment_! I think perhaps I'll ask Mrs. Castle to let us dine with her
some other time, and give Betty a little dinner Monday--"

And so on and on, in the quick harassed voice of one who must meet
obligations.

"You're a great social success, Ju," Jim said, smiling, one morning.

Julia made a little grimace over her letters.

"Oh, come off, now!" her husband railed good-naturedly. "You know you
love it. You know you like to dress up and trot about with me and be
admired!"

"I like to trot about with you," Julia conceded, sighing in spite of her
smile. "But I get very tired of dinners. Some other woman gets you, and
some other woman's husband gets me, and we say such _flat_ things, about
motor cars, or the theatre--nothing friendly or intimate or
interesting!"

"Wait until you know them all better, Ju. Besides, you couldn't get
intimate at a dinner, very well. Besides"--Jim defended the institutions
of his class--"you didn't look very gay when young Jo Coutts seemed
inclined to get very friendly at dinner the other night!"

"Jo Coutts was drunk," Julia asserted briefly. "As they very often are,"
she added severely. "Not raging drunk, but just silly, or sentimenta