The Happiest Time of Their Lives

lse of kindness. She had gone to quiet a small, gnawing anxiety that had been with her all the day

of his spirit; but her heart, more egotistical, had stoutly insisted that the cause must lie in her. Did he love her less? Was she losing her charm for him? Were five year

was jealous. A woman couldn't, as Adelaide sometimes had occasion to say to herself, keep men from making love to her; she did not always want to. Farron could be relentless, and she was not without a certain contempt

had never appeared to feel the insult; only as time went on, had grown more and more ready, as her interest became more and more lackadaisical, to pour out the troubles and, much more rarely, the joys of his day. One of the things she secretly admired most about Farron was his independence of her in such matters. No half-contemptuous question would elicit confidence from him,

o her own conduct for some explanation of the chilly litt

droom. He was lying on the sofa; he had taken off his coat, and his arms were clasped under his head; he was smoking a long cigar. To find him

smooth, brown skin and thick, fine hair, which clung closely to his broad, rather massive head. He was clean shaven, so that, as Adelaid

dropping on her knees beside him, she laid her head agains

ff this

ogether and looking into the glass over her mistress's shoulder, and it was held in place with shining pins and hair-pins. She lifted her head, sank b

een in so

sofa,-"but Pringle told me Mathilde had a visitor, and I

oung

n nowadays, alert and a little too much at his ease,

de's visitor; for at this instant, perceiving that his wife had disengaged her

nd it seemed to her he s

him away

hat is it?"

is w

ything

ween

to make definite statements about impressions of

"but I feel it, the way a rheumatic feel

e was going to speak when a knock came at the door

dressing-table, repinned her hat, and caught up the little stray

e down, too

for his coat, and as he p

n is seeing a

thilde alone. They both struck me as sorry when I left them; they were running down

rs together her heart felt lighter, though the long, black, shiny pin stuck harmlessly into the upholster

ndfather, was making a gentle fuss over him, a process which consist

ce. He wore excellent gray clothes of the same shade as his hair, and ou

lumbia College he began to doubt whether the profession of being an aristocrat in a democracy was a man's job. At no time in his life did he deny the value of birth and breeding; but he came to regard them

e Lanleys'. Mr. Lanley decided that he must go to work, though he abandoned his traditions no further than to study law. His ancestors, like many of the aristocrats of the early days, had allowed their opinions of fashion to influence too much their selection of real estate. All through the late seventies, while his bro

which he had been counsel. After fifteen years he had retired from this, too, and had become, what he insisted nature had always intended him to be, a gentlem

the sort of thing a gentleman could or could not do for a living. But on the subject of what a lady might do he still held fixed and unalterable notions; nor did he ever find it tiresome to hear his own daughter expound the axioms of this subject with a finality he

fundamentals as that a lady never wears imitation lace on her underclothes, and the past of the verb to "eat" is pronounced to rhyme with "bet." She spoke French and German fluently, and could read Italian. He considered her a perfectly educated woman. She knew nothing of busine

nd nodded-a real New Yor

tell you, Adel

the cup of tea she was making for him, making in just the way he

her hear it than rea

talk as if you had

d up at her brightly. "No; but I thin

sessive widow from Baltimore whose long and regular visits to Mr. Lanley had once occasi

not flurried by

writes me, I'm glad to sa

ream of the winter season was usually the

did not n

," he went on thoughtfully, "I shouldn't

e?" said h

expressed a wish to come and be my housekeeper. Perhaps matrimony was not intended.

owly and painfully crimson. How did one tell? It was a qu

s, sir," said Wayne, very distinctly. He an

ou came to announce to us, thou

anley. "The fact is,

ga

at a happy memory. "It's the long, low build of the car. It looks so power

y miles an hour

ve let her out a little. All of a sudden one of these mounted fellows jumped o

Mr. Lanley named him-named him slig

you off,

vey to him in a prolonged look that if he would wait only five minutes all would be well, that her grandfather never paid long visits; but the door closed behind him. She became immediately overwhelmed by the fear, which had an element of desire in it, too, that her family would fall to discussing him, would question her as to how long she had known him, and why she liked him, and what they talked about, and whether she had been expecting a visit, sitting there in her best dress. Then slowly she took in the fact t

om. She rose, patted her grandfather on the shoulder, and prepared to escape

aimed. "Hands ar

, black eyes, and surpri

This was quite untrue, but every

e room Mr. Lan

it when the Blackwell family still lived there. But I shouldn't care to wear stripes-except for the pleasure of tel

ll it be very difficult, Vincent, getting papa off?" She wanted it to be difficult, she wanted him to give

n is in love w

Those ch

ked up his ears

sex Waynes, I hope. Vulgar people. They always were; began life

ne," said Adelaide. "I never saw or

end to let your daughter become engaged to a

languid, one of her meth

ngagement inevitable. My child is not absolutely repellent, you know, and a good many young men come to the house." Then suddenly r

pression,"

ad been thin

t this was one of his sister Alberta's favorite openings, he changed

ter inter

used to let them come early in t

been a regular custom, but he knew it would be

is attentive to a

t least not what I should have ca

s not long, my dear

lde's

Papa, that I don't desire an

the last button of his coat; "but you may have noticed that

is wife and smiled, but smiled withou

ut I do so hate to be scolded ab

nything els

atter of fact, I bring Mathilde up particularly well, quite unlike these wild young women I see everywhere else. She tells me everything, and I

on him to-morrow. Do you k

is last. Oh, yes-Wayne. I'll as

bedroom door

is the name of y

e Mathilde answered that she w

he girl's part did not bear out his theory; but she saw that he did not admit it, that he clung