The Road to Understanding

her husband in the morning mail that first day of November, until she noticed

hen. But I didn't think there'd be such a lot of them. Still, I've had things at all those places. Well, anyway, he'll be glad to pay

, even to herself. And she still wore a determinedly cheerful face when her husband came home to dinner that night. She went into the kitchen as he began to open his mail-she was

hese bills?" He was in the kitchen now, holding o

potato salad

don't-don't l

his mean? What a

st bills, I suppose.

t mean to say that you do know about

ip began

don't look like tha

you think of me?-spring

I-I thought y

ke

ey all the time. And you'd have to p-pay 'em

he exploded, pointing a shaking finger at a series of items on the uppermost bill

I-I-" And the

! Helen, Helen, d

d you called me a h-hotel, and said you a-abom

he bills to the floor, and caught the sob-s

theart, don't, please don't," he begged. "Why, girlie, all the bills in C

er they went into the dining-room. Helen carried the potato salad (which Burke declared he was really hungry for

with an "I'll-be-patient-if-it-kills-me" air went over the

retty little book she must put down on one side the money received. On the other, the money spent. She was a dear, good little wife, and he loved her 'most to death; but he couldn't let her run up bills when

re she would love to keep the pretty little book, an

y well in theory

ught her book to her husband, and spre

amounting to eight dollars received. On the other

what you spent it for," corre

hy

an see-er-what th

difference

hen-er-balance up and see if your cash comes right. See, like this," he cried, taking a l

ch

ar

fare

er

en

ars

er

down like that, then add 'em up and subtract it from wha

nted Helen dubiously, as she

us when she presented her boo

it this way," she an

y n

ays I ought to have one dollar and forty-five cents; and I h

ave an indulgent laugh. "You didn'

borrowed fifty cents of Mrs. Jones. I didn't put

rrowed money-o

Helen, hotly. "I had to have some eggs, and I didn't have a cent

e fr

emonstrated. "Of course you'll pay her back; but

d to have some eggs

d, anyhow, we'll see that you have some money now," he cried gayly, plunging his hands into his pockets, and pulling out all the bills and change h

sive dimes; and in the ensuing frolic the tiresome account-book w

se muddle than ever, according to Helen; and, for her part, she would rather never b

ight Helen did not pr

e? I've got what I've got, and I've spent what I've spent. So what's the difference?" And Burke, after a feeble remonstrance, gave it up as a bad job. Incidentally it

ght that Burke came home

e Hancock House. He's co

s Gle

angible something in her husband's voice that Helen di

with a slight frown. Burke Denby was always forgetting that Helen knew nothing of his friends or of himself until less th

old i

little more, come to think of it. But you never think

o well?" Her voice

ll like him, too. You can't he

e's a

oney enough, anyway, and he got interested in scientific research-antiquarian, mostly, though

plate, and a dark blue china teapot, homely as a hedge fence, I thought, but she doted o

e la

doctor's estimation. The doctor goes back to prehistoric times for his pl

the Mayflo

ome thousan

the Mayflower was bad enough. But

has a fine collection of

like soap, all cut into with pointed little marks-what

the arch?ological business in the first place, and put him out of conceit with doctoring. He goes a lot now, sometimes independently, sometimes in the interest of some society. He does in a scientific way what dad and I ha

-that is-he knows-

ur sweetest smile. I want him to see why I married you," he challenged banteringly. "I want him to see what a treasure I've got. And say, dearie, do you sup

the young housekeeper. "Don't

know it-" He pa

urse I could get things I was

back in

-that is, I'm 'most sure Gleason does

eat it, then. We'll have all t

Hele

t," she promised gayly. "Do you suppose I'm going to have one of your swell

husband feverishly, trying to ward off a repetiti

that some swell friends of his from Elm Hill had come in their carriage to call; and again quite often when together o

d on Dale Street at a salary of sixty dollars a month. Besides, to many, Dale Street and the sixty dollars, with the contributory element

and even welcomed them, in a way; for he wanted Helen to know his friends, and to like them-better than she liked Mrs. Jones. He did not care for Mrs. Jones. She talked too loud, and used too much sl

how the doctor would like Helen-not how Helen would like the doctor. The change was s

ack to the doctor's well-known fastidiousness of taste, he could think of little else. He did hope Gleason would not think he had selected those horrors! Of course he had already explained-a little-about his father's disapproval of the marriage, and the resulting cutting-off of his allowance; but even that w

e of the evening. Not until he had seen Gleason that afternoon had he realized how sorely he had missed his father's companionship all these past weeks. Not until he had found himself bubbling over with the things he wanted to talk abo

the shocked and shamed hus

ly that she was not interested in, and did not k

feet and hastened to press the button that would

l, and asked who it was," remonstrated Helen, hurrying in

guess coming if you think I'm going to hold Doc Gleason off at the end of a 'Wh

es it," maintained Helen. "We have to, else

just as a tall, smooth-shaven man with kind eyes a

tending a cordial hand, that yet trembled

us she said the next thing that came into her head. "And I hope you're p

e in the dism

till with that same grave smile, an

he finished, with a cordial heartiness so nicely balanced that even Burke Denby's sensitive aler

urke's still apprehensive watchfulness could detect in his friend's fac

muscles. "As if I didn't know that every last gimcrack in this misera

realizing her deficiencies as a hostess, she tried to remedy it by talking very loud and very fast about anything that came into her mind, reveling especially in minute details concerning their

show off." From one to the other she looke

e fell in love with me, don't you?" To Burke it s

to wrest the ball of conversation from Helen's bungling fingers, he yet felt obliged to laugh in apparent approval at her wild throws. Nor was he unaware of the sorry figure he thus made of himself. Having long since given up all hope of the anticipated chat with his friend, his one aim now was to get the visit over, and the doctor out of the house as soon as possib

ne the doctor r

r the last half-hour the doctor had been wondering just ho

in't late," pr

ke-though Burke had prom

to me-" The doctor let a

rgled Helen. "You're coming t

not usually retract their wives' invitations with a terrified "For Heaven's sake, no!"-at least, not in the

Mrs. Denby. My stay is to be very short. But I'm glad to hav

into the doctor's eyes a moment later, could find aught i

ent the doct

, openly- Helen never tr

ly, but not very distinctly (owing to the

e 'swell' that you can use?" interrupted her husband, seizing the

and shrugged

t's so expressive, so much more swell-there, you see," she laughed, with another shrug; "it jus

"grand" only one deg

e mar

N

did you s

don't know. Thirt

short about? Don't you like it that I like him

course." Burke got to his feet and to

e look of indolent satisfaction was gone

t I nice to him? Didn't I talk to him, and just lay myse

r if you think I'd have that man come here to dinner, or come here ever again to hear you- Oh,

to her feet.

as ashamed of

come; nonse

u w

rse I w

t was the

; nothin

uff you was talking about. Then I thought how 'shamed you'd be of me, and I just made up my mind I would talk and show him it wasn't a-a little fool that you'd married; and I s'posed I was doing what you wanted me to. But I see now I wasn't. I wasn't fine enou

served ever so slightly to dam the flood of Helen's tears. That, for the moment, was the only thing worth living for. The storm passed at last, as storms must; but it was still a teary little wife th

What would he himself say? What could he

urke would not fi

e about him no air of apology or appeal. By his every act and word he would show that he was not in need of sympathy, and that he should resent comment. He migh

nt to sl

deed high, and for the first two minutes he was painfully guarded and self-conscious in his bearing. But under the unstudied naturalness

on; also a tiny Babylonian tablet of great value. In both of them Burke was much interested. In t

silence. "He writes me he's got a new tablet himself; a very old one. He thinks he's mad

iscovering things," grinn

ye; but under the microscope it's wonderful. And- But, never min

ead. "Er-no. On second thoughts I-I can't to-night," he corrected. In its resolute emphasis his v

eye upon him. "Er-that is," he amended in his turn, "unless you-you are willing to let me come very infor

htly worried the doctor, who was wondering whether it were the relaxation of relief or despair. The doctor was not sure yet that he had righ

now insufferably angry that he should regard it as a martyrdom at all. Also he knew within himself that there seemed, for the moment, nothin

onian tablets in the world could balance