h him. I thought he was asking me again
to marry him, and I was not asleep last night, thinking it over. I
came here to tell him that I would not. Does that satisfy you?"

"Satisfy?" cried Jennie. "I hope no other woman lives in the kind of
Hell I do."

"It's always the way," said Kate, "when people will insist on getting
out of their class. You would have gotten ten times more from life as
the wife of a village merchant, or a farmer, than you have as the wife
of a rich man. Since you're married to him, and there are children,
there's nothing for you to do but finish your job as best you can.
Rest your head easy about me. I wouldn't touch John Jardine married to
you; I wouldn't touch him with a ten-foot pole, divorced from you. Get
that clear in your head, and do please go!"

Kate turned again to the water, but when she was sure Jennie was far
away she sat down suddenly and asked of the lake: "Well, wouldn't that
freeze you?"

CHAPTER XXIV

POLLY TRIES HER WINGS

FINALLY Kate wandered back to the hotel and went to their room to learn
if Nancy Ellen was there. She was and seemed very much perturbed. The
first thing she did was to hand Kate a big white envelope, which she
opened and found to be a few lines from John Jardine, explaining that
he had been unexpectedly called away on some very important business.
He reiterated his delight in having seen her, and hoped for the same
pleasure at no very distant date. Kate read it and tossed it on the
dresser. As she did so, she saw a telegram, lying opened among Nancy
Ellen's toilet articles, and thought with pleasure that Robert was
coming. She glanced at her sister for confirmation, and saw that she
was staring from the window as if she were in doubt about something.
Kate thought probably she was still upset about John Jardine, and that
might as well be gotten over, so she said: "That note was not
delivered promptly. It is from John Jardine. I should have had it
before I left. He was called away on important business and wrote to
let me know he would not be able to keep his appointment; but without
his knowledge, he had a representative on the spot."

Nancy Ellen seemed interested so Kate proceeded: "You couldn't guess
in a thousand years. I'll have to tell you spang! It was his wife."

"His wife!" cried Nancy Ellen. "But you said--"

"So I did," said Kate. "And so he did. Since the wife loomed on the
horizon, I remembered that he said no