The Avalanche

d wondered if his wife's had been one of them. After all, she had been born in this city of odd and

ed even transiently between himself and his wife during the first year and a half of their marriage. They had been uncommonly happy; they were happy yet ... the difference

ce and ask her not to ran up staggering bills in the fashionable shops; which she visited daily, as much for the pleasure of the informal e

esentment whatever, merely an eager desire to please him. She even went directly down to the Palace Hotel a

y had lived in a suite of the old family villa on one of the hills of Rouen, Madame Delano paying her brother for their lodging, and dressing herself and Hélène with the aid of a half paralyzed seamstress with a fier

s. All she noticed was that her clothes were smarter than Cousin Marthe's, who had a real dressmaker, and was subject to fits of jealous

er into the fascinating secrets of personal economies, teach her how to portion out her qu

ion in San Francisco, and the allowance was very generous. His old steward, Mannings, ran the household, although as he went through the form of laying the bills b

her. "But San Francisco has not recovered yet, and it is impossible to say

e bills, and it was obvious that her haughty chauffeur was paid on schedule time, until, seized with

ed to feel the chafing of her new harness, although she did squander the sum she had reserved for three months mere pocket money upon a hat; which was sent to the house by her wily milliner on the first day of the second quarter. She confessed this with tears, and her husband, who thought her feminine passion for hats adorable, dried her tears and took her to the op

isit. Therefore, this maddening but intangible barrier had nothing to do with a change of habit that had not caused an hour of tears and sulks. Hélène had a quick temper but a gay and sweet disposition, normally high spirits, little apparent selfi

s that drifted through the Golden Gate and settled down into the deep hollows of the Marin hills; moving gently but restlessly even there,

one so far as to give voice passionately to the dogma that no two mortals had the right to be as happy as they were; then laughed apologetically and "guessed" that the old Puritan spirit of her father's people was coming to life in her Gallic little soul; then, with another change of mood, added defiantly that it was time Ame