dark and dangerous
man--one of whom Chicago would be well rid.

Chapter XXXII

A Supper Party

Since the days in which Aileen had been left more or less lonely by
Cowperwood, however, no two individuals had been more faithful in their
attentions than Taylor Lord and Kent McKibben. Both were fond of her
in a general way, finding her interesting physically and
temperamentally; but, being beholden to the magnate for many favors,
they were exceedingly circumspect in their attitude toward her,
particularly during those early years in which they knew that
Cowperwood was intensely devoted to her. Later they were not so
careful.

It was during this latter period that Aileen came gradually, through
the agency of these two men, to share in a form of mid-world life that
was not utterly dull. In every large city there is a kind of social
half world, where artists and the more adventurous of the socially
unconventional and restless meet for an exchange of things which cannot
be counted mere social form and civility. It is the age-old world of
Bohemia. Hither resort those "accidentals" of fancy that make the
stage, the drawing-room, and all the schools of artistic endeavor
interesting or peculiar. In a number of studios in Chicago such as
those of Lane Cross and Rhees Crier, such little circles were to be
found. Rhees Crier, for instance, a purely parlor artist, with all the
airs, conventions, and social adaptability of the tribe, had quite a
following. Here and to several other places by turns Taylor Lord and
Kent McKibben conducted Aileen, both asking and obtaining permission to
be civil to her when Cowperwood was away.

Among the friends of these two at this time was a certain Polk Lynde,
an interesting society figure, whose father owned an immense reaper
works, and whose time was spent in idling, racing, gambling,
socializing--anything, in short, that it came into his head to do. He
was tall, dark, athletic, straight, muscular, with a small dark
mustache, dark, black-brown eyes, kinky black hair, and a fine, almost
military carriage--which he clothed always to the best advantage. A
clever philanderer, it was quite his pride that he did not boast of his
conquests. One look at him, however, by the initiated, and the story
was told. Aileen first saw him on a visit to the studio of Rhees
Grier. Being introduced to him very casually on this occasion, she was
nevertheless clearly conscious that she was encou