The Empty Sack

elf awake. She was in no doubt as to the motive of her tears; she was sorry for hav

ng given to the one man, her nerves shuddered at the other. The explanation she used to give, that the lividness of the scar on his forehead frightened her, was no longer tenable, since the mark tended to fade out. The other infirmity, his limp, was

, his selfishness, his cruelty. She loved his system of starving her out, his habit of keeping her i

f. He had used words that scared, that shocked her. Polygamous

steps. For the inadvertence she blamed herself the more, since, throughout the winter, she had never once lost sight of it. Whenever he had proposed to her, the advantages of marrying so much money had been offset by her terror at his "pawing her abo

she had cried, as she tor

had been reas

nie darling-not yet

own the steps, so that he had some ado to keep up with her.... E

ly at the bank, of Fred Inglis, of Mrs. Inglis, of Dolly, Addie, and Sadie Inglis, which made everyone feel that a great actor was being lost to the stage; but on top of these exhibitions he would fall into spells of profound reverie. The father had been apathetic, but he was always apathetic now; the mother, on the ot

amily traditions assumed it to be. As a tolerably diligent reader of the personal items in the papers, Jennie had more than once read of divorce

he coffee before anyone came down. Thus it happened that she saw the postman crossing the street with a letter in his hand. Though letters were not rare in the family, they were rare enough to m

her surmise. It was not unfriendly, but neither was it cordial. It took the guarded tone, she thought, of a woman who meant to see her face to face before being willing

's and mother's material cares, Teddy's advancement at the bank, and brilliant careers for Gussie and Gladys in New York social life. Jennie co

t orchestra. To see herself with a limousine at her command, and the family established in a modest villa somewhere near Marillo Park, if not quite within it, enabled her m

illo, touching his cap and asking if he spoke to Miss Follett. He touched his cap again when he closed the door on her, and the car to

lawns, terraces, fountains, tennis courts, dogs, horses, and motor cars were as silver in the building of the Temple of Jerusalem-nothing accounted of. Jennie had seen high life as lived by the motion-picture heroine, but she had not believed that e

h as Elijah, having come by the chariot of fire to another plane of life, must have known what to do when required to get out

as she put it to herself, the only human touch in the first stages of her welcome. Thenceforward, during all the forty or fifty minutes

er welcome, for as soon as she enter

's really too bad to bring you so far-only, it seemed t

aces. Beauty, dignity, poise, white hair dressed to perfection, and clothes such as Jennie had never seen off the stage-and rarely on it-were all subordinated to a hearty, kindly, womanly greeting before which they sank out of sight. O

side, they walked slowly up the strip of red

locals. For the last three or four years we only have a parlor car on what they call the 'husbands

. Collingham knew the difference between chea

out to the flagged pavement. Even here, Mrs. Collingham didn't pause, but, leading the way to the end of it

men talk about intimate things, don't you think? They make such mountains of molehills. It's just as when you

therefore high up in the peerage of the United States, could have the same feelings as herself seemed the

t of doors, yet sheltered from noisome insects like their o

ill bring it presently. Where will you sit? I think you'll like that chair. There! What about a cushion? Oh, I'm sure you don't need it at your age, but, still, one likes

ittle table on wheels, and on it Jennie noticed, in a general way, every magnificent detail-the silver tray, the silver kettle, the silver teapot, the silver tongs, the silver spoons. "And all of them solid," she said to h

ad to do to grasp the details of another woman's personality. You took them all in at a glance, as if you brought seven or eight senses

had they known how their features would go down through the ages. Take Dorotea Nachtigal, for instance, the original of Holbein's 'Meyer Madonna' in Darmstadt-the most wonderful of all the Madonnas, I always say-and how queer I sup

r own-"English with frills on it," was the way she put it to herself. From the intonation, she was able to frame her answer in

umps?" Having flung out answers at random, Jennie leaned forward to take her cup, while the kindly voice ran on: "Jus

ades of brown and some of the deeper

ly hair! It isn't auburn; it isn't coppery; it isn't red. It's-what is it? Oh, I see! It's amber-it's the extraordinary shade Romney gets into som

uld, only that her syllables ran in

gs like the spire of the Sainte Chapelle, only built of steel. You've got the steel look-all slender and unbendable. It's curious that-the way women look like the ages in which they're born. You've only to go through a portrait collection to see that it's so. Take the Stuart women, for instance-the

her heart that the next day would see her going

hing I don't like from his description is that he's got you in a Greek dress and attitude, and I t

day after to-morrow; I

ok this with a ple

ed a few seconds, a smile on her lips, and then said, wit

could onl

him-in w

ink he loo

of the ground, Jennie was like a gi

s-in a wa

ngham laug

the back of a silver spoon. That's the trouble with Bob-he's so unformed. You must have noticed it. I suppose it's the war; and yet I don't kno

response to this, Jennie waited for more. I

That's why I asked you to come down. Mr. Collingham and I f

repeat feebly, "Th

yed the spirit lamp. "All the same, that doesn't excuse him. Even a fellow who isn't half grown should have more sense than to make love to every girl he spends an hour with. One of these days, some girl will c

hostess, by keeping her eyes on the spirit lamp, didn't notice this

and-you won't mind, will you?-of course we've drawn our conclusions.

, with the point-blank helplessness

we've seen we've seen, and we couldn't help it. But, of course,

Jennie cried, more as q

d when everything pointed that way and Hubert talked of you so much-" She kept this line of reasoning suspended while once more she shifted her g

the effect that she had ne

it's we older people who run up oftenest against that; but if Mr. Collingham and

fact that a good thing was coming her way; but all she could manage

? I told my husband that, if he'd leave us alone together, I shouldn't be-and, after all, I am." She lea

ent a reply the voice kept up

ung, my dear. I know what it is to be in love. You're coloring, but

She hadn't meant to admit how much in lov

ve Hubert,

s,

ou told Bob you c

of the rea

ied flowers, they've lost their scent and color. Mr. Collingham and I are very fond of Hubert, and, of course, he doesn't make enough to marry on as things are now. He has a little something, I

Mrs. Col

I know Hubert and what he wants, and so my husband and I thought that

t you c

rich, but when they have enough-and when they know as we do what struggle is-and there's been anyone whom they admire as we admire you, after all you've done f

red as one transfixed. She sat erect; bu

only, and had arranged with her husband for a maximum. The maximum was all the same to her so long as she saved Bob. Having given Jennie credit for seein

she could not see the spending limitations. It meant all of which the family had need and that she herself had ever coveted

'd better say ten at once, and end the discussion. My husband's willing to make it ten, but I don't think he'd give more. Our son is very dear to us"-the rea

and dollars! The sum was fabulous! It would have meant all cares lifted

e your money. I wish I could. My

ss' sake, child,

ause-I'm married