remarkably educated young women."

"What's the use of it?" said the practical daughter of an American
college. "They can't ever meet any men, but just a husband--"

"They can read for themselves, can't they? And talk to each other.
And--well, what do you girls do with your education anyway? You
don't lug anything very heavy about the golf course and the ball
room."

"Who wants us to? But we do bring something to committees and clubs
and--and welfare work," Miss Jeffries maintained stoutly. "And we
are always into arguments at dinners. While these girls, they can't
dine out, they haven't anybody but themselves to argue with, and it
doesn't matter a straw politically what they think--they can't even
change the customs that their great, great, great grandfathers
imposed.

"If I were one of these girls," she declared positively, "I wouldn't
bother about Kant and chemistry and history--I'd stuff myself full
of sweetmeats and loll around on a divan and not care what happened
outside. Or else I'd be miserable."

"Perhaps they are miserable."

"They ought to fight. Think, _think_," said Jinny dramatically, "of
marrying some man you've never seen--the way that lovely girl is
doing. Suppose she doesn't like him? Suppose he's dull and cranky
and mean and greedy? Suppose he bores her? Suppose she actually
hates him? Why, Jack, it's horrible! And yet she submits--she
_submits_ to it--"

"Suppose she has to submit, that she hasn't a soul on earth to help
her? How would you fight, I wonder--"

"Well, you don't need to shout about it! That woman's looking
now--that one with the green turban and the stuffed-date eyes."

Nervously Jinny glanced around.

"It's a fearful lark," she murmured, "but I don't believe I'd ever
have had the nerve if I'd realized.... What do you suppose they
would _do_, Jack, if they found you out?... Those big blacks look
so--so uncivilized."

Her eyes rested upon the huge eunuch at the far entrance of the
salon, a huge hideous fellow, with red fez, baggy blouse and
trousers, and a knife handle sticking piratically from a sash.

"He has on English oxfords," said Ryder lightly. "That's a saving
something. But they aren't going to find out..... I have an idea we
ought to make our getaway now, and that we had better not go
together. You go first and then I'll stroll along, and whisk off
these duds in some quiet corner.... I have to meet a man to-night,
but I'll probably see you to-morrow. And _don'