fford all the
extravagances I care to indulge in."

"Then, David, you ought to buy yourself a new fall suit," said Frances,
"and you need more neckties. I shall get some for you."

All women want to buy men's neckties for them. I was not afraid,
feeling sure that Frances would show unquestionable taste. How she would
care for a man she loved!

A taxi rattled us up to Mrs. Milliken's door, and the room opposite mine
was resplendent in new paper, and the carpet much renovated, and the
piano had been rubbed over with something that gave the ancient mahogany
a fine polish. Frances left Baby Paul with Eulalie and came into my den.

"It's so good to be back, Dave," she asserted. "This room is all
saturated with the atmosphere of you and even the typewriter looks like
an old friend. And here's your dirty old calabash and just the same
disorder on your desk and the week's washing on the bed. I'm glad
Eulalie's sister has been attending to it. Oh! It's fine to be home
again!"

So she went back to her room, and I lit the calabash. I had been afraid
that, after the country, this top floor would look very dismal and be
depressing to her. But she was looking positively joyful. A minute later
Frieda invaded the premises, for I had warned her of our arrival. She
shrieked with admiration at the sight of the baby and commented at
length on the color of Frances's cheeks. Eulalie joined in the cackling,
and happiness reigned. We celebrated the evening at Camus.

After this the leaves soon began to drop in the big square, and I
ordered the new suit and invested in a few bonds, like a bloated
millionaire, and put them in a little safe at the bank, which could only
be penetrated after running the gauntlet of a half a dozen uniformed and
suspicious guardians, before whom I felt like an equivocal character.

Frances returned to Richetti and came back the first time with a glowing
account of all that he had said. It appeared that she had hardly lost
anything and had gained in depth of breathing and power of expression.
The technique--ah! _Per Bacco!_ She was a natural born singer! She had
little need to learn! The voice was in her like those things in
Pandora's box and only demanded to fly out. Her singing was the _bel
canto_. Three months more of practice was all that was needed. After the
first of the year she would sing in the great concert of his pupils. It
would be an event! People would discover her again. The cornucopia of
Abunda