Without the slightest premonition of what his next question was to bring
out, and only putting it to keep the talk going, Vincent challenged her,
"Why don't you bring your own, then?" He kept down with difficulty the
exclamation which he inwardly added, "If you only knew what a relief it
is to see you for once, without that intrusive, tiresome bunch of
children!"

"Why, sometimes I do," she answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "But I
just had a telegram from my husband saying that he is able to get home a
little sooner than he thought, and will be here early tomorrow morning.
And the children voted to go to bed early so they could be up bright
and early to see him."

Vincent continued looking down on her blankly for an instant, after she
had finished this reasonable explanation. He was startled by the wave of
anger which spurted up over him like flame.

He heard Mr. Welles make some suitable comment, "How nice." He himself
said, "Oh really," in a neutral tone, and turned away.

* * * * *

For a moment he saw nothing of what was before him, and then realized
that he had moved next to Frank Warner, who was standing by Nelly
Powers, and asking her to dance with him again. She was shaking her
head, and looking about the room uneasily. Vincent felt a gust of anger
again. "Oh, go _to_ it, Frank!" he said, in a low fierce tone. "Take her
out again, as often as you like. Why shouldn't you?"

Nelly gave him one of her enigmatic looks, deep and inscrutable,
shrugged her shoulders, put her hand on Frank's arm, and walked off with
him.

"They're the handsomest couple in the room," said Vincent, at random to
a farmer near him, who looked at him astonished by the heat of his
accent. And then, seeing that Nelly's husband was in possible earshot,
Vincent raised his voice recklessly. "They're the handsomest couple in
the room," he repeated resentfully. "They ought always to dance
together."

If 'Gene heard, he did not show it, the granite impassivity of his harsh
face unmoved.

Vincent went on towards the door, his nerves a little relieved by this
outburst. He would go out and have another cigarette, he thought, and
then take his old man-child home to bed. What were they doing in this
absurd place?

The music began to skirl again as he stepped out and closed the door
behind him.

He drew in deeply the fresh night-air, and looking upward saw that the
clouds had broken away and that the stars we