ogether," said Lucy, "but almost. This time
we are really going."

We had turned into Lovers' Lane, outward-bound, the ponies walking.

"John will have to be in New York for many days about this Russian
contract, and he doesn't want to take the long trip back. So we're all
going together."

"I shan't stay here very long after you've gone."

"No, you mustn't."

"We'll have lots of nice parties in New York."

"John says he's going to sell our house here, or rent it, or get rid of
it somehow."

"Why?"

"Because he's been so unhappy in it. He says unless his whole mind is
made over we'll never come to Aiken again."

She drew a long breath, and her eyes roved among the great pine trees
on either side of the road as if she wished to impress them forever
upon her memory.

"I love it all so much," she said simply.

"I'm so sorry," I said; "and it means that I won't ever be coming back
for more than a minute. And I love it, too."

"We're to spend the summer in Stamford to be near the works.
_Stamford_!"

"You'll find lots of people to like, and bully sailing and swimming."

"And bully spells of white-hot, damp weather, and bully big mosquitoes."

"It ought to be cheap."

"Very cheap."

Then we both laughed. Then we were silent.

"Tell me," I said, "how is the great compromise working?"

"I don't know. I told him how I'd made up my mind to stick by the
ship, so that there wouldn't be any scandal, or anything to break up
his home, or hurt the children, and how I was going to be better about
money, and he said, 'Very well, Lucy, we'll try it for a while, but I
don't think compromises are much good.' He wants me to do all I'm
trying to do, and be his wife too. I thought he'd--Oh, I thought he'd
be pleased and grateful--instead of that he tries to be cold to me, and
is very sharp and stern."

"It takes time to settle down to any new modus vivendi."

"Well," she cried, "I'm not doing it because I want to, am I? I'm only
doing it for his sake. I'm doing every blessed thing I _can_ to save
the situation; and if there are things I simply _can't_ do--why he
ought to be generous and understand. Oh, I know it isn't going to
work! And all the time when he isn't being cold and stern, he--he's
trying to make me love him again, and come back to him. And right in
the middle of that he'll fly into a rage, and say that I ought to be
_compelled_ to behave like a rational human being."

"But he wouldn't com