ve in the past
and they expect us to live in the past with them. You were a good son to
her, Hughie. That's why you make such a wonderful husband. Too good,
maybe. You've spoiled us both, and now we both want all of you."

Hugo was silent a moment. He was not a quick-thinking man. "A husband
belongs to his wife," he said then, simply. "He's his mother's son by
accident of birth. But he's his wife's husband by choice, and
deliberately."

But she laughed again at that. "It isn't as easy as that, sweetheart. If
it was there'd be no jokes in the funny papers. My poor boy! And just
now, too, when you're so worried about business."

"Business'll be all right, Lil. Trade'll open up next winter. It's got
to. We've kept going on the Japanese and English stuff. But if the
French and Austrian factories start running we'll have a whirlwind year.
If it hadn't been for you this last year I don't know how I'd have stood
the strain. No importing, and the business just keeping its head above
water. But you were right, honey. We've weathered the worst of it now."

"I'm glad you didn't tell Mother about it. She'd have worried herself
sick. If she had known we both put every cent we had into the
business--"

"We'll get it back ten times over. You'll see."

The sound of footsteps. "I wonder where she went. She oughtn't to be out
alone. I'm kind of worried about her, Hugo. Don't you think you'd
better--"

Ma Mandle opened the front door and then slammed it, ostentatiously, as
though she had just come in.

"That you, Ma?" called Hugo.

He turned on the hall light. She stood there, blinking, a bent, pathetic
little figure. Her eyes were averted. "Are you all right, Ma? We began
to worry about you."

"I'm all right. I'm going to bed."

He made a clumsy, masculine pretence at heartiness. "Lil and I are going
over to the drug store for a soda, it's so hot. Come on along, Ma."

Lil joined him in the doorway of the bedroom. Her eyes were red-rimmed
behind the powder that she had hastily dabbed on, but she smiled
bravely.

"Come on, Mother," she said. "It'll cool you off."

But Ma Mandle shook her head. "I'm better off at home. You run along,
you two."

That was all. But the two standing there caught something in her tone.
Something new, something gentle, something wise.

She went on down the hall to her room. She took off her clothes, and
hung them away, neatly. But once in her nightgown she did not get into
bed. She sat there