stern manners. A little later, more subtly, they
expressed their admiration to her, and she was greatly pleased.

Marietta, who had arrived late that afternoon, had not made her
appearance yet. She was in the one available studio bedroom making her
toilet. Angela, in spite of her fine raiment, was busy superintending
the cooking, for although through the janitor she had managed to
negotiate the loan of a girl to serve, she could not get anyone to cook.
A soup, a fish, a chicken and a salad, were the order of procedure.
Marietta finally appeared, ravishing in pink silk. Both Smite and
MacHugh sat up and Marietta proceeded to bewitch them. Marietta knew no
order or distinctions in men. They were all slaves to her--victims to be
stuck on the spit of her beauty and broiled in their amorous
uncertainties at her leisure. In after years Eugene learned to speak of
Marietta's smile as "the dagger." The moment she appeared smiling he
would say, "Ah, we have it out again, have we? Who gets the blade this
evening? Poor victim!"

Being her brother-in-law now, he was free to slip his arm about her
waist and she took this family connection as license to kiss him. There
was something about Eugene which held her always. During these very
first days she gratified her desire to be in his arms, but always with a
sense of reserve which kept him in check. She wondered secretly how much
he liked her.

Smite and MacHugh, when she appeared, both rose to do her service.
MacHugh offered her his chair by the fire. Smite bestirred himself in an
aimless fashion.

"I've just had such a dandy week up at West Point," began Marietta
cheerfully, "dancing, seeing dress parades, walking with the soldier
boys."

"I warn you two, here and now," began Eugene, who had already learned to
tease Marietta, "that you're not safe. This woman here is dangerous. As
artists in good standing you had better look out for yourselves."

"Oh, Eugene, how you talk," laughed Marietta, her teeth showing
effectively. "Mr. Smite, I leave it to you. Isn't that a mean way to
introduce a sister-in-law? I'm here for just a few days too, and have so
little time. I think it cruel!"

"It's a shame!" said Smite, who was plainly a willing victim. "You ought
to have another kind of brother-in-law. If you had some people I know
now--"

"It's an outrage," commented MacHugh. "There's one thing though. You may
not require so very much time."

"Now I think that's ungallant," Mariett