ch
caused him to divorce her. He says that these experiences have
convinced him that--"

"The second Mrs. Siddall," interrupted Mildred, "is she still alive?"

Harding hesitated. "Yes," he said reluctantly.

"Is she--poor?" asked Mildred.

"I should prefer not to--"

"Did the general forbid you to tell me?"

"On the contrary, he instructed me-- But I'd rather not talk about it,
Mrs. Siddall."

"Is she poor?" repeated Mildred.

"Yes."

"What became of her?"

A long pause. Then Harding said: "She was a poor girl when the
general married her. After the divorce she lived for a while with the
man. But he had nothing. They separated. She tried various kinds of
work--and other things. Since she lost her looks-- She writes from
time to time, asking for money."

"Which she never gets?" said Mildred.

"Which she never gets," said Harding. "Lately she was cashier or head
waitress in a cheap restaurant in St. Louis."

After a long silence Mildred said: "I understand. I understand." She
drew a long breath. "I shall understand better as time goes on, but I
understand fairly well now."

"I need not tell you, Mrs. Siddall," said Harding in his gentle,
tranquil way, "that the general is the kindest and most generous of
men, but he has his own methods--as who has not?"

Mildred had forgotten that he was there--not a difficult matter, when
he had in its perfection the secretarial manner of complete
self-effacement. Said she reflectively, like one puzzling out a
difficult problem:

"He buys a woman, as he buys a dog or a horse. He does not give his
dog, his horse, pocket-money. Why should he give his woman
pocket-money?"

"Will it help matters, Mrs. Siddall, to go to the other extreme and do
him a grave injustice?"

She did not hear. At the picture presented to her mind by her own
thoughts she gave a short satirical laugh. "How stupid of me not to
have understood from the outset," said she. "Why, I've often heard of
this very thing."

"It is more and more the custom among men of large property, I
believe," said Harding. "Perhaps, Mrs. Siddall, you would not blame
them if you were in their position. The rich men who are
careless--they ruin everybody about them, I assure you. I've seen it
again and again."

But the young wife was absorbed in her own thoughts. Harding, feeling
her mood, did not interrupt. After a while she said:

"I must ask you some questions. These jewels the general ha