his
customary greeting, a hearty handshake; Robert, Louise, Amy, Imogene,
concertedly, though without any verbal understanding, agreed to ignore
the one real issue. But the feeling of estrangement was there, and it
persisted. Hereafter his visits to Cincinnati were as few and far
between as he could possibly make them.

CHAPTER XXXV

In the meantime Jennie had been going through a moral crisis of her
own. For the first time in her life, aside from the family attitude,
which had afflicted her greatly, she realized what the world thought
of her. She was bad--she knew that. She had yielded on two
occasions to the force of circumstances which might have been fought
out differently. If only she had had more courage! If she did not
always have this haunting sense of fear! If she could only make up her
mind to do the right thing! Lester would never marry her. Why should
he? She loved him, but she could leave him, and it would be better for
him. Probably her father would live with her if she went back to
Cleveland. He would honor her for at last taking a decent stand. Yet
the thought of leaving Lester was a terrible one to her--he had
been so good. As for her father, she was not sure whether he would
receive her or not.

After the tragic visit of Louise she began to think of saving a
little money, laying it aside as best she could from her allowance.
Lester was generous and she had been able to send home regularly
fifteen dollars a week to maintain the family--as much as they
had lived on before, without any help from the outside. She spent
twenty dollars to maintain the table, for Lester required the best of
everything--fruits, meats, desserts, liquors, and what not. The
rent was fifty-five dollars, with clothes and extras a varying sum.
Lester gave her fifty dollars a week, but somehow it had all gone. She
thought how she might economize but this seemed wrong.

Better go without taking anything, if she were going, was the
thought that came to her. It was the only decent thing to do.

She thought over this week after week, after the advent of Louise,
trying to nerve herself to the point where she could speak or act.
Lester was consistently generous and kind, but she felt at times that
he himself might wish it. He was thoughtful, abstracted. Since the
scene with Louise it seemed to her that he had been a little
different. If she could only say to him that she was not satisfied
with the way she was living, and the