The Happiest Time of Their Lives

bond issues in which they were interested, and Wayne had charge of their "literature," as they described it. He often felt, after he

succeeded too quickly to please the more deliberate; but sometimes i

His report was not favorable. The day after it was finished, a little after three, he received word that the firm wanted to see him. He was always annoyed with himself that these messages caused his heart to beat a trifle faster. He couldn't help

boy who brought the message a long, severe look, under wh

s J.B.'s socks

roker. It always seemed to Pete that he was a broker exactly as a beaver is a dam-builder, because nature had adapted him to that task. But outside of this one instinctive capacity he had no sense whatsoever. He rarely appeared in the office. He was met at the Broad Street entrance of the exchange at one minute to ten by a boy with the morning's orders, and sometimes he came in for a few minutes

to grow in a bang; his arms were short-so short that when he put his hands on the arms of his swing-chair he hardly bent his elbows. He had them there now

n, "how would you l

nson might have made a mistake in the name of the co

e la

"I have nothing

s well as Wayne. They would pay him a good sum and his expenses. It would take him a year, perhaps a year and a half. They named the figure. It was one that made marriage possible. They talked of the situation and the property and the demand for copp

e back, Mr. Ben

ill be open f

was a

do you say?"

fer," said Pete, "but of course

en up half an hour for nothing if the thing couldn't be settle

us as good an answer to-d

ling a tremor in his own soul, and so

ou an answer to-

all off," said Honato

d Pete, with the innocence of manner that an emplo

if you're not taking them," said Honaton, as if he we

f the office Benson turned to Wayne and went on: "You wouldn't have to go until a week from Saturday. You woul

e days, and present

fered Wayne the hospitality of their balcony, and now and then, in moments like this, he availed himself of it. Not, indeed, that the

afternoon visit to the restaurant on the sixteenth floor. The ele

get off until I stop at the right one. Sometimes she has to ride up and down three or four times before any one wants the sixteenth. Eh, Susan?" he ad

in the kitchen-chair set for him, tilted back, and looked out over the Statue of Liberty, which stood like a stunted ba

t a subject and wait for the unknown gods to bring him a decision. And this is what he now did, with his eyes fixed on the towers and tanks and tenements,

l differently brought up. Ought he to ask Mathilde or ought he not even to hesitate about asking her? In his own future he had confidence. He had an unusual power of getting his facts together so that they meant something. In a small way his work was recognized. A report of his had some weight. He felt certain that if on his return he wanted another position he could get it unless he made a terrible fiasco in China. Should he consult any one? He knew beforehand what they would all think about it. Mr. Lanley would think that it was sheer impertin

having the drawing-room to themselves. He told her the situation slowly and with a great deal of det

away from me!" she said.

t everything you say is goi

be willing

ou will go

at he would smile, and say it was all a joke; but his eyes were steadily and seriously fixed on hers. It was very queer, she thought. Their meeting, their first kiss, their engagement, had all se

id, after a minute, but her tone showed sh

sible that he would not allow her to go, but that he

all be poor, and I can't promise that I shall succee

oked a

ings? I don't care if you succeed or

is it,

other. She would

out to Mathilde with great care, Mrs. Farron could

e girl, "But you just

id

before me, mayn't I put

n't speak in

looking down at her from a little distance, "this i

" she int

marriage, with all our families and friends grou

" she answered

o succeed. That may be egotism or legitimate ambition. I don't know, but I want to go

e, not fe

me, too,

obligatio

vens! do you f

too much to feel a

ilde, that feeling of obligation is love-love in its most serious

said I wo

even though

an I help hesitating? Yo

intended. He had not meant, he never imagined, that he would attempt to urge a

ound friendly, "that I had better go a

he door when she sprang up

ven going to k

touched her chee

call tha

y kiss will change the facts

all the things she ought to have said to Pete. The reason why she felt no obligation to him was that she was one with him. She was prepared to sacrifice him exactly as she was, or ou

doorway in his eternal

the tray, mi

t over it, observed that it was nice to have Mr. Farron back. Mathilde rem

my mother

oom, I think, miss, and

er writing letters in her room. He thought her looking cross, but in deferen

estion. "He ought to be. He is in charge of two lovely young creatures hard

een him,

nutes. They communicate by secret signals

seemed to him as unreasonable as if it were emotional, and yet as co

r is coming

eyes fain

nconvenient time-inconvenient for me, I mean. Really, lovers

ternness, "even in fun you should not s

your old upholstered lady. I can't help wishing I had a lover. They are the only people who, as the Wayne boy would say, 'stick around.' But don't worry, Papa, I have a lo

r. Farron now,

o her father and

avored," she sa

furniture had been changed, and, what she disliked even more, that they had brushed his hair in a new way. This, with

you seen the church-warden p

made the mistake of trying to give the tone to an

m above mine, Ad

ma

practice the fox

, she is n

e answered, and

ented a

irritable man, and he had never used such a tone to her before. All pleasure in the interview was over. She was a

said to herself. "He's so weak

a of sending for her maid Lucie and making her uncom

to you, Mam

arron

d. "Why, yes; you may have the

mother into the bedr

re. He has been offere

f luck that had come to her in a long time, but she did

it good. He sail

r she had been to have the mother to dinner and behave as if she were friendly. She did not notice that her daughter was trembling; she couldn't, of course, be

e to go wit

of these words. Mrs. Farron had suddenly detecte

es snap so!"

ful old Persian carp

rstand what I

o weeks and wanted you to go, too. Was it just a po

inks I

laughed good

ut having your pink sil

g, and Adelaide in her fluent French began explaining that what she really desired most was that Lucie should not mak

te for dinner, d

away to get dressed. She went into her own

friends of her mother's were to dine and go to the theater. The dinner was amusing, the talk, though avowedly hampered by the presence of Mathilde, was witty and unexpected enough; but Mathilde was not amused by it, for she particularly dreaded her mother in such a mood of ruthless gaiety. At the theater they were extremely critical,

ne with her mother, and she said at o

, Mama, how seriously I meant

g in a picture-dealer's window. It was a picture of an empty room. Hot summer sunlight filtered through the lowered Venetian blinds, an

u really think you are in love with this Wayne boy, don't you? It's immensely to your credit, darling," she went on, her tone taking on a fla

gain. It was as if her will had suddenly been born, and the first act of that will was to decide to go with the man she loved. How could she have doubted for an instant? It was so simple, and no opposition would or could mean anything to her.

she said l

but without regretting it; for that,

more experience you will discriminate between the men you like to have love you and the men there is the smallest chance of your loving. I assure you, if little Wayne were not in love with you, you would think him a perfectly commonplace boy. If one of y

ossible to let h

she, so willing to play fair, were being put off w

ma; you

ey talked, neither yielding an inch. At last Adelaide sent the girl to bed. Mathilde was aware of profoun

e her strength and vision. Then she remembered, and drew back; but presently,

rron! Mr. Farron has

erself. She lifted her shoulders. No one was to blame, but there the fact was. They urged you to cling and be guided, but when the

en her dependence on Joe Severance. What could be more ridiculous than for a woman of her intelligence to allow herself to be guided in everything by a man like Joe, who had nothing himself but a certain shrewd masculinity? And now Vincent. S