eeded rest had been gravely discussed by the other two
partners more than once during the year; but the mere suggestion of it
put him into such a tantrum that they let it drop, trusting to a
redistribution of the work of the office to lighten somewhat Penn's
burden. So all the fashionable divorcees--hitherto Bentnor's
specialty--were turned over to the junior partner, as a slight means
of professional diversion.

But he threw himself into the cases of his clients, male and female,
with the same old unsparing fervor, and Flagg and Bentnor--the latter
was Penn's brother-in-law--raised their eyebrows and shook their heads
behind his back.

What first drew Robert's attention to his wife's secret was the sudden
inexplicable condoning of his own small negligences and ignorances,
which had once been brought to book. So accustomed does the happily
married husband of the day become to certain domestic requisitions
that the withdrawal of them is apt to arouse his suspicions at once.

These jealous doubts, later on, ran the whole gamut from the postman
to the rector of Mrs. Penn's church, but at first all Robert feared
was that she had become indifferent to him. That, after five happy
years, she should be sweetly serene when he suddenly remembered that
he had bought tickets for the theater, just as they had settled down
after dinner for a quiet evening, Mrs. Penn looking prettily domestic
in a lilac tea gown! Nothing but the established repugnance of a
self-made man to wasting four dollars, even to save his pride, made
him uncover his delinquency--and he held his breath till the storm
should pass. But no storm followed his confession. Instead of which,
she sprang to her feet, laughing:

"Oh, I'm wild to see that play! It has a deep, ethical purpose. Can
you give me six minutes to scratch off this gown and bundle myself
into another?"

It was so unusual, and she made such a delightful picture standing in
the doorway, that he felt that the occasion deserved recognition.

"You may have twelve minutes to dress in, Helen. I'll call a cab."

"Oh, Rob, how lovely!" and off she flew.

After a moment spent in the happy digestion of this delightful
antenuptial way of exculpating a really outrageous masculine default,
it slowly dawned upon him, as he arose and emptied the ash tray into
the library fire, that it was most unusual, extraordinary, startling!
There was a time when she would have made a scene, and either they
would have