hout being pointed out as the
Gorgeous Girl's husband, the lucky young dog and so on. Neither would
he be dragged from this house to that to sit on impossible futurist
chairs while young things of thirty-nine clad in belladonna plasters
and jet sequins gathered about to tell him what perfectly wonderful
times their class in cosmic consciousness was having.

Mary Faithful was keen to have him go. She dreaded any furthering of
the personal understanding between them. When one has become master of
a heartache and thoroughly demonstrated that mastery it is not
sensible to let it verge toward a heart throb, even if one is positive
of the ability to change it back at will into the hopeless ache. It is
like unhandcuffing a prisoner and saying: "Sprint a bit, I can catch
up to you."

On the other hand, Beatrice had any number of activities to take up
her time. Her period of being a romantic parasite--the world called it
a sweet bride--was ended. She was now bent on becoming as mad and
ruthless a butterfly as there ever was, and to the accomplishment of
her aim she did not purpose to stint herself in any way. She still
drew her own allowance from her father and accepted extra checks for
extra things necessary for her welfare and popularity.

More than once Steve counted the monthly expenditures, with the same
result--Beatrice was living on her father's income quite as much as on
his own. Her position was not unlike that of people who say to their
prosperous neighbours possessing a motor car: "We'll furnish the lunch
and the gasolene, and you take us to the picnic grounds!" Constantine
still owned the figurative motor car, or the substantial end of
Beatrice's expenses, while Steve furnished the lunch and the gasolene,
trying to delude himself that he was supporting his wife. Beatrice's
clothes were beyond his income, for he was not yet a millionaire.
Neither could he afford the affairs which she gave, with favours of
jewellery; nor the trips here and there in private cars.

Furnishing the lunch and gasolene and perhaps a possible tire or so
does not give one the sense of ownership that having the motor car
gives; nor was it Steve's notion of being the possessor of a home. He
spoke to Beatrice about it, only to be kissed affectionately and
scolded prettily by way of answer; or else to have those eternal
omnipresent tears reproach him for being cross "when papa wants me to
have things and he has no one else in the world to spen