The Common Law

usy arranging matters, in view

bills and paying the remainder-a financial operation which did not require much time, but to which she applied herself with al

sessed nothing except the clothes she wore, she had always kept them in perfect condition. And now that her popularity in business gave her a bank b

ery week she made an inventory of her few but pretty garments, added or subtracted from her

the porcelain perching pole on which her parrot sat all day in the bathroom window making limited observations in French, Spanish, and English, and splitting red peppers and dried watermelon seeds with

cular reason, however, because the great change would not affect her quarters or her living in them. Nor cou

yche fountain ordered by Penrhyn Cardemon. She had demanded from Neville acquiescence in her perfect freedom of action,

se any self-respect in giving myself to you-but there would not be one shred of it left to c

personal, private, and financial affairs-better that I do not tell you about mine.

when a girl is very much in love. I would no more open my personal and private archives in all their petty dis

e began by balanci

rmination to make her say she would marry him-and when, beaten, chagrined, baffled, h

fledged. It's squab-logic, I tell you, Valerie;

ntil I explain them away. You must come to me in your perplexity, Louis, and give me a chance to remind you of the basic and proven proposition that a girl is born into this world as free as any man, and as responsible to herself and to others; and that her ti

larly when he had asked her whether she expected to overturn, with the squab-logic of t

. But it was the instinct of wild creatures that surveyed and laid out the present highways of our reasoning civilisation. And

onsid

ly one way left-t

longed telephone conversation at daybreak. But it all ended with a ring at his door-bell, a girl in furs all flecked with snow, springing swiftly into his studio; a moment's hesitation-then the girl and her furs in his a

lessness-the first confused sensation that hers was the stronger nature,

g, so sweet, so shy and silent in the imminence of passion when her con

mbering what he already stood for in the world, where he stood, how he had arrived by the rigid road of self-denial; how he had

, following nobody-battled steadily along the upward path unti

aw on the other side was an endless vista leading into infinity. But the path was guarded; Love stood sentinel there. And that was what he saw ahead of him now, and he knew that he might pass on if Love willed it-and that he would never care to pas

already begun, but

vived, exquisitely virile; and the new canvas on which he beg

ped fluency, never had the fresh splendour of his hues and tones approached so closely to convincing hi

e the calm judgment of the intoxicated opportunist at the steering wheel of a racing motor. And a rac

g to many, was an elusive quality born of a sympathy for human suffering-an indefinable and delicate bo

sadness. Had Querida ever suffered? Was it in that olive-skinned, soft-voiced young man to suffer?-a man apparently all grace an

n Querida's work that still remained absent in his. He felt its absence but he could not define what it was that was absent, could not discover t

searching in it for any hint of th

confronted him. Yet that restless pain-and the intense emotion of their awakening-all the doubts, all the anxieties-the wonder and happiness and sadness in the imminence of that strange future impending

his mysterious babble about occult quality and humanity and sympathy. If José Querid

ida's work which made that work great; and that it was not in his own

turning with a shrug from his amazing canvas and pulling t

ching in it for any hint of that elusive

r amounting to stupidity-an uncertainty-a na?ve, groping sort of br

it that surprised his own technical a

kes-in that clumsy groping for values, in the painstaking reticence, the joyless and mathematical establishment o

g by the microbe of the precious! I'll be talkin

persisted. Nor could he account for the perfectly unwelcome and involuntary idea that there was,

ll examining it. He usually came about tea time

ous voice, "what in hell and the na

le, shortly-"like

said John, seriously, "but

what isn't in me. And this is the result. When a man decides he ha

, isn't it?" deman

finding any resemblance,

rubbed his big

id, "what is so ba

every

mething about it that's-d

ohn, and fix yo

bad-that there's something terribly so

ng in: "I say, you would-be funny fellows!-come over and tell Kelly Neville t

ynically as Ogilvy and Annan joined Burleso

d Annan, after a moment's

the pockets of his painting jac

an. "Or is it a masterpie

omething new-work out some serious idea. No, I d

my feminine clients, otherwise I'd starve. Kelly, you haven't made Valerie pretty enough. That's the trouble. Besides,

growled Burleson; "did you ever se

e have really ever noticed her. That's Valerie's face and figure all right; and it's more-it reflects what is going on inside he

uch bally stuff?" dema

, but Ogilvy

mouth and its delicate sensitive decision with a hint of puritanical primness in the upper lip-and the full, sensuous under lip mocking the upper and giving the lie to the child's eyes which are still wide with the wonder of men and things. And there's something of an adolescent's mystery

g incredulously at the canvas aro

ing honest and solid about it,

suggested Og

son. "What in hell has a hen

st, solid, but totally unacquainted with

s as anybody!"

s anybody of our anachronistic era," said Ogilvy, soothi

, John," said Neville, concoct

added Sam, as Valerie and Rita Tevis entered the

o her portrait. "We know all about you now; Sam was the professor who l

lle's greeting, letting her gloved hand linger in h

ast year," said Neville, vexed. "He pretends

"Have you discovered anyth

acter yet," said Sam with an impudent gr

Come

when she took him by the

at did

contritely; "will no

wer

utifully decorative but i

swer me

ons before facts were properly assimilated. In other words I intimated that you were afflicted with incurabl

fully escaping his charge and taking refuge behind

," observed Neville, threate

g out the table; that's an exceedingly nice bo

ess in Neville's studio, even among those who had bee

noticed it. For the world is sharp-eyed, and its attitude is alway

iously as she took her

Neville; but could

ends. For Ogilvy never allowed himself to make any mistake concerning the informality and freedom of Valerie West in her intimacies with men of his k

be, lately, something a little different in the attitudes of these two tow

vy; some masculine curiosity, too. Looking fro

achy dream with whom you

l, she asked me for y

ing about?" demand

t Mazie," said Sam, pl

razy you and she beca

scowl was so hearty and unfeigned that a glimpse of his visage sent Annan into fits of laughter. To relieve which he r

y contortions, Ha

to stir you up! He's g

mutually i

Ogilvy that he made up his mind there wasn't anything in it. But the ne

-" nodding her head toward Ogilvy and Annan. And to Neville carele

trifle more colour in her cheeks; but what preoccupied Rita was in her eyes-a fleeting glimpse

emed pleasantly unconscious of her inspection; then

us kinds, but she only smiled absently at that worthy man. Sam Ogilvy and Harry Annan attempted to goad her into one of those lively exchanges of banter in which Rita was entirely capable of taking care of herself. But her smile was spiritless and non-combative; and fi

ical food for thought when the door-bell rang and Nevil

outstretched-"this is exceedingly good of you, Que

owed to Valerie and to Rita, bowed to

cuse for the pleasure lost in seeing you-" he nodded to the others-"an

made the end of his little speech terminate as a

tea in Kelly's studio. And you may

ks and placed his

he young man evaded the ponderously impending dispute with suave skill, and his gentle smile lingered longer on Valerie than on anybody else. Several times, with an adroit carelessness that seemed to be purposeless, he contrived to draw

art modestly; and at intervals his handsome eyes wandered abou

e of teeth under his crisp black beard-"that compositio

on. Only Rita saw the girl's breath quicken for an instant-saw the scarcely perceptible quiver of Neville's mouth where the smile twitched at his lip for its liberty to tell the whole w

alerie's portrait; he turned sharply in

assing Valerie, felt the slightest contact as

stood before it in silence, biting at his vivid under

alf-finished work something that disturbed him; and that he was not going to

and Querida

hat Querida was discovering it-without a pleasure-but with a sensitive clairvoyance which was already warning him of a new banner in the

n that the unexpressed hostility of Querida's silence was the truest tribute ever paid him-t

ion with her hand and a taunting word directed at Ogilvy,

d Neville, caught hi

pale fingers-"I adore your gayer vein-your colour, clarity-the glamour of splendour that you alone can cast over such works as

to examine Neville's treasures; the tea table was deserted for a while

er cup of tea, Valerie?

." She set abo

some time," he said in th

't require

ly a matter of bus

ol surprise. "You know perfectly

imes busy-pour

is after

you no longer drop

yes,

new year began…. Will

d with undisturbed c

me, to go with me to many, many places. And, it appeared, t

You know I lik

here was more of sentiment in your response, V

, candidly. "I was silly with you-and very i

choose but

such things," s

speak that

m; but she saw no answering smile in his face, and little co

to look at me like that," she began u

lp it-rem

member except my pardon

r showing that

or your losi

utely frank wi

of man a girl can not be frank with. We imp

and particularly

m. You said the same. But you misunderstood me. What was there in that silly conversation

was in lov

!" she sai

ch your hands-k

ath! Had you better recall that night, José? I was generous a

me my lov

hat love is," she

u, Val

, looking fixedly at the c

something of terror in it, for she looked up, startled, to meet h

me this way? Have you any right to assume this attitude-merely

over the new collection of mezzotints, and at her glance Neville raised

head away, and Valerie saw tha

have been such excellent friends. You have been just as nice as you could be, so gay and inconsequential, so witty

r is lik

exclaimed, i

again, but she was not sure that he

n relief-"you re

She looked at him, still uncerta

to his face; he reached over for a cigare

sonable child I brooded over it and-" he shrugged, "it s

ver knew you had a tem

othing, s

ushed, "I knew you were impulsive-

you," he said, lightly; "and

erstood that sentiment could be a perfectly meaningless and harmless thing-merely

have need of friends,' sh

still l

of course-if

riends, Valerie? And all this ill

? I do like you, and I a

he inhaled a deep breath from h

ll your friendship for

have need of friends," she said half to herself, and looked across at Neville wit

too, lifted his head a

Then very

ing alone th

N

to-morrow e

raid no

ot dining alo

r the p

s

But his smile seemed now so genuine that i

appiness, Valerie?

t for me always-as I do f

d the colour in her face pers

"I do not believe you c

an idea into that cy

what love can really mean. Only he who understands it-and who has suffered th

ncerning love, José?"

: "'Don't do

be, too, some day. A good sch

hoolmaster?

asure in her coquetry and animation, she still a

a tiny cigarette balanced

child, I'm dining with the unspeakable John again. It's a horrid hab

id; "I'm dining

ll-that's one way of regarding the pleasure of h

't mean it

from her cigarett

t home this ev

… rathe

te to s

n, anyway. And if I'm a little la

usiness women, anyway, and eleven is too late for w

thing impor

to

e his adieux to his host and the others. When he had gone Rita, sta

do it,

ed the girl in

in l

ood looking sentimentally

ie la

ean with

N

at do yo

th you if you will let me…. I'll do anything for you, dear. Only listen to me before it's too late; keep your self-control; keep your mind clear on this one thing, that love is of no use to us-no good to us. And if you think you suspe

ood looking sentimentall

with an Oriental smirk and an ornamental dirk, and a tendency to shirk when the

explain to me the rather lively young lady I met

soul! Jewel of my turban! D

ably did the

ery charming young lady all about that somewhat conspicuous vision from a local t

. But as she nodded adieu to Valerie, the latter saw