erself in untrammeled freedom--in other words,
marry Archie. But she was really afraid of Miss Comstock, and also
doubtful of what her guardian, the trust company, might do to her. For
the present she was content, or nearly so, with what she had, and was
not thinking much about marriage. Her lover must be satisfied with
stolen moments and secret meetings in public places, with an occasional
kiss.

Marriage was really the only solution, and Archie knew it. If Adelle had
not been possessed of such a very large golden spoon, the whole affair
might have resulted differently and more disastrously. But her fortune
both endangered and protected her. For Archie was no worse and no better
than many a young man of his antecedents and condition. It is, perhaps,
to be doubted if he would have contented himself indefinitely with
innocent love-making, if the girl had not been so far removed from him
in estate.... He meant to marry Adelle when he could, which meant as
soon as it would be safe for her to marry. That might not be for another
two years, until she was mistress of herself in law and of her fortune.

Shortly after their return to Paris, the "home" at Neuilly was closed
for the summer and the family went to Etretat to occupy a villa that
Adelle had leased previous to her infatuation. There seemed no way of
escaping Etretat without betraying her real reasons. She said something
about staying on in Paris through June to work in the studio, but Pussy
firmly closed the house and shipped the servants to Adelle's villa. If
she only had not chosen Etretat, she wailed to Archie, but some nearer
Normandy watering-place from which she might have motored up to Paris on
one excuse or another and thus had glimpses of her lover! He must come
to Etretat. But Archie was again without funds, living on the bounty of
a hospitable fellow-countryman. After a fortnight of loneliness beside
the sea, Adelle invented an elaborate pretext to return to Paris, but
Miss Comstock insisted on accompanying her and stuck so closely to her
side during three hot days that there was no chance for a sight of
Archie. At last Adelle was sulkily dragged back to Etretat. Then she
asked Miss Baxter to visit her and induced that good-natured young woman
to send Archie a sufficient sum of money, as coming from an admirer of
his art, to enable him to take up his residence in the neighborhood.
Miss Baxter demurred over "giving him such a head," but finally was
persuade