, wedded to
somebody either quite ordinary, or even actually stupid, say: "I'd take
my wife's judgment before anyone's," or "My wife sees more clearly for a
man than anyone I know." She had known painters and sculptors submit
their works to the criticism of women totally ignorant in the arts,
simply because those women had had the faultless taste to marry them. If
such women exercised so strong an influence over their men, what should
hers be over Claude? For she had been well educated, was trained in
music, had always moved in intellectual and artistic sets, and was
certainly not stupid. Indeed, now that the main stream of her life was
divided from her mother's, she often felt as if she were decidedly
clever. Susan Fleet, long ago, had roused up her will. Since that day
she had never let it sleep. And her success in marrying Claude had made
her rely on her will, rely on herself. She was a girl who could "carry
things through," a girl who could make of life a success. As a young
married woman she showed more of assurance than she had showed as an
unmarried girl. There was more of decision in her expression and her way
of being. She was resolved to impress the world, of course for her
husband's sake.

Life in the house in Kensington had to be arranged for Claude with
every elaborate precaution. That must be the first move in the campaign
secretly planned out by Charmian, and now about to be carried through.

On the morning after the house-warming, when a late breakfast was
finished, but while they were still at the breakfast-table in the long
and narrow dining-room, which looked out on the quiet square, Charmian
said to her husband:

"I've been speaking to the servants, Claude. I've told them about being
very quiet to-day."

He pushed his tea-cup a little away from him.

"Why?" he asked. "I mean why specially to-day?"

"Because of your composing. Alice is a good girl, but she is a little
inclined to be noisy sometimes. I've spoken to her seriously about it."

Alice was the parlor-maid. Charmian would have preferred to have a man
to answer the door, but she had sacrificed to economy, or thought she
had done so, by engaging a woman. As Claude said nothing, Charmian
continued:

"And another thing! I've told them all that you're never to be disturbed
when you're in your own room, that they're never to come to you with
notes, or the post, never to call you to the telephone. I want you to
feel that once you are insid