she always fancied should be hushed up he spoke of with the
greatest nonchalance. Her ears tingled sometimes at his frankness
in disposing of a social situation; but she thought this must be
characteristic of notable men, and so there was nothing to be said about
it. Certain men did as they pleased; society did not seem to be able to
deal with them in any way. Perhaps God would, later--she was not sure.
Anyhow, bad as he was, direct as he was, forceful as he was, he was far
more interesting than most of the more conservative types in whom the
social virtues of polite speech and modest thoughts were seemingly
predominate.

"I know," she said, rather peacefully, although with a touch of anger
and resentment in her voice. "I've known all about it all this time. I
expected you would say something like this to me some day. It's a nice
reward for all my devotion to you; but it's just like you, Frank. When
you are set on something, nothing can stop you. It wasn't enough that
you were getting along so nicely and had two children whom you ought to
love, but you had to take up with this Butler creature until her name
and yours are a by-word throughout the city. I know that she comes
to this prison. I saw her out here one day as I was coming in, and I
suppose every one else knows it by now. She has no sense of decency and
she does not care--the wretched, vain thing--but I would have thought
that you would be ashamed, Frank, to go on the way that you have, when
you still have me and the children and your father and mother and when
you are certain to have such a hard fight to get yourself on your feet,
as it is. If she had any sense of decency she would not have anything to
do with you--the shameless thing."

Cowperwood looked at his wife with unflinching eyes. He read in her
remarks just what his observation had long since confirmed--that she was
sympathetically out of touch with him. She was no longer so attractive
physically, and intellectually she was not Aileen's equal. Also that
contact with those women who had deigned to grace his home in his
greatest hour of prosperity had proved to him conclusively she was
lacking in certain social graces. Aileen was by no means so vastly
better, still she was young and amenable and adaptable, and could still
be improved. Opportunity as he now chose to think, might make Aileen,
whereas for Lillian--or at least, as he now saw it--it could do nothing.

"I'll tell you how it is, Lillian," h