If Only etc.

and that he realised the fact that you cannot fashion a Dresden vase out of earthenwar

depths of her shallow little mind that she fell far short of what his wife should be. But as time went on she grew less solicitous about pleasing him. His standard was an almost impossible one to the very second-rate little

toe all the time trying to reach up to his standard. I'm sick of it. If he loved me well enough to marry me, the sa

but Saidie was not the person to give it. Privately she considered her sister a fool to have put up with this ridiculous nonsense of her husband's as l

actical, sensible person, which Bella was quite ready to admit she herself was very far from being; so now, when Saidie spoke in a

ically examining her features in the glass. "What did you marry him for, I should like to know? You mig

anything." The young wife felt a

ll regret it to the last day of your life. Who is he, anyway? I guess our family's as good, if we knew anything about them, which we don't, worse luck. Just you give him back his own sauce, Bella, and next time he finds fault with you, laugh in his face and tell him he has got to put up with what he

a doubtful song and displayed her finely turned limbs in a style that

lly cared for them, even in his bachelor days, and now he would have cut his rig

lla was not liked as much as her handsome, clever husband, and he began to be painfully alive to the fact that she could not have been received in certain houses whose doors would have been gradually opened to him. In a social sense his wife was a failure,

She was still the same winsome girl he had made his own; large-hearted, gentle and affectionate, but-and he sighed impa

scant opportunity for pleasure-seeking. Lines traced themselves upon his brow and lurked at the corners of hi

ontinued to make her home with her), she found her husband, a good deal to her surprise, seated in the drawing-room, gay with flowers and cro

not an honest moral tone and was not therefore, John Chetwyn

read this?

of Saidie's. Is

to hurl the volume under th

a fl

do that? I wa

s to prove what I have so often told you, that your sister is not a p

attered condition. "I should have supposed that as a married woma

se you have a husband, my child? D

d it and give you

such thing. I fo

e for myself." Her cheeks were scar

ill

el

d life that she had defied him, and h

dered to do this and that. I'm perfectly well able to act for myself and I intend to do so now and always. I'm sick of your eternal fau

Bella had been spending the evening with her own people, and jumped at once to the conclus

her vehemence, was slowly unbuttoning her gloves, hav

me beg of you to think twice before accepting that of others, sinc

that-you mean

her own ends to serv

him plainly enough that he had been right in his conjecture, and had to thank hi

se, but you must let your sister fully understand that she will not be welcome. Something surely is due to me as your husband, and that there is no

, I

espect my wishe

w," she spok

rself and Jack; and yet she felt that it would be unwise and undignified if she were to give in and refuse Saidie admi

people away," she said at last, sullenly. "

an expression on his face which his wife had learned to know and dread. "I forbid you to ask your si

the floor and the next mome

hat was worst in her nature roused by Jack's resolution. "Saidie is quite right

ffect, namely, that of making life anything

her husband and she flounced about the room and tossed her head and hummed music-hall ditties (which she h

her to stronger measures, and yet he was very loth to stir up strife between them, and leant towards the hope that this spirit of

pon her sister to stick to her guns and on no account to yield an

ter, Dr. Chetwynd ran into the arms of an old f

ve you dropped from?" he exclaime

lf? is more to the purpose. N

etwynd

nts for a good deal of my time, and as a matter of fact I have but

prett

ay I am. Uphill work,

e are you

nd hes

ome home with me now, if you have nothing bette

alked on s

dined? I a

I have this momen

he lock and ushered his friend upstai

act in the house at all, he rang the bell and questioned the maid as to when

I don't. My mistress nev

y long," remarked the doctor philo

ou, Jack, if she allows you to

an, although I like to preserve the customs of the civilised world all the same, to a certain extent.

" Gus Meynell looked

perhaps she is not quite lik

nt of ease in his host's manner, and in hi

rries to please himsel

tinued Jack Chetwynd, with warmth. "I'm not only

thing a woman can have. I hate the bride manufactured out of the schoolgirl. The oppres

r opened with a loud bang and a woman's noisy laugh could be heard as a pelter of high-heeled shoes came alon

You are home b

roduce you to an old friend

ed a litt

. "My sister, Miss Saidie Blackall; daresay you have seen her from the front before." Then, lookin

ut to extend his hand and mutter something to the effect that he had not

not one of us-not in th

responded Ch

r it. The wear and tear of the 'alls

dividual a shade more of a cockney than

ld he, dear?" addressing Saidie, who was maliciously enjoying the effect th

ublic' with a hold-established trade and me and the missis cosy-like in the pr

take their leave, Bella?" asked Ch

pon him without deigning to

eing you perform the other night,

shame the old gentleman: a female as fat as my wife ought

her hand. "It's a new departure, I grant; but I've had a good many co

furry animals would have astonished you. Struck the line, sir, out of her own 'ed! 'I'm going, Samuel,' she said, 'to supply a want.' 'You!' I says. 'Me!' says she; 't

down? We will have some s

Miss Blackall, flinging herself in an attitu

onier and produced gla

ging for the servant," sh

g out of her sister's glass he could contain himself no longer. "I never saw you touch spirits

saw me do, Jack, which I am capable of, all the same." Whe

right, dear! I'm not one t

rried man, si

its and looked scrutinisingly into

lor, and likely

n't know nothing jollier than courting time. Su

old girl,"

s, he hadn't risen, neither. We used to walk 'ome that lovin' up Drury Lane, and Doss, he would say, 'fish, Tilda,' and I would say, 'if you could fancy a bit, Sam.' And in he would pop for two penny slic

o John Chetwynd, and he approach

ate-are these pe

have had supper,

pect my friend

of mind. Mrs. Doss, somebody interrupted you; you were talking about a kindred soul and an attic. Mone

could stand

must really apologise, but Mr. Meynell and

not obtuse. Seeing she and her husband

ut face; we mu

ave some supper befor

toddling, thanks. Are yo

is the joint property of Dr. John Chetwynd and his wife, I reckon I

ck means by behaving so inhospi

slight offered him, had tucked his wife's a

ts to you, Mrs. Chetwynd, but we k

er husband. "And you call you

ne!" whispered Chetwynd in distress, "you

you have insul

ien

What did you marry me for if yo

ry the whole v

ncture Mey

k in again at the club." And Chetwynd did not press him to st

y enjoyable evening, Me

low, what ou

made such a marriage as mine. I should have pitied th

twynd went slowly, sorrowfu

raced me enough to-ni

, in inviting a couple of old friends into o

back upon her. "I am addressi

alking to me in that tone of vo

Have you no self-respect whatever, and no

s at the Band Box! Everything was charming. You laughed then at what you now call "vulgar," and you thought it good fun, and you would have taken the property man to your heart if I had told you he w

a, Be

is you, not I, who have brought disgrace upon us by introducing a stranger here and mortifying and h

Why are you so altered? Why will you not listen to me and take my advice as

in his voice, but Bella w

your cheap gentility and Brummagem pretensions; sick to death of hearing that nothing I have been used to is "proper." If my world is a second rate one, show me a better. Why don't you introduce me

dreamily. The whole thing was such a sh

u mean," he said at last. "God knows if

u have really done is to get what you want and leave me to pay the cost. Once your wife, there was an end of the matter so far as you were concerned, and to marry you was to complete my destiny! I was to sit all day long staring at the four walls, and if I happened to feel lonely, take a look at my marriage certificate to cheer myself up! well-" she drew a long brea

t dumb and voiceless, his face buried in his hands, and he did not even look up when, with the air

Saidie, admiringly; but to her surprise Bella flung

t-an ungrateful beast; and I have said what

m your word now," said Saidi

ck to the stage; but I did not say I would stop there, and I shan

cried Saidie disdainfu