mother grouped about the baby's bassinet would
say,--"An ideal young pair--has he much talent?"

This winter when she grew stronger Milly saw more of people than before.
She had two very capable servants and her little household ran smoothly,
though its cost made severe inroads on the "hoard." People she knew
drifted through Paris and were glad to lunch or dine in the little
Neuilly house. Sally Norton, who was now Mrs. Willie Ashforth, having
finally secured the elderly bachelor, was one of the first to come.
Sally laughed over the small house, over Milly's baby, over Milly as a
mother. She seemed determined to consider Milly as an irresponsible joke
in everything she did, but she was good-natured and lively as always,
and absorbed in her own plans. The Ashforths were building at Highland
Forest, a fashionable suburb outside of Chicago. Vivie had had a
"desperate affair" with a divorced man, etc., etc. Then the Gilberts
turned up unexpectedly one day, gracious and forgiving to Milly, and
apparently very much bored with themselves in Paris. Milly gave them a
nice little dinner, to which she had the smartest people she knew, which
was her way of "getting even" with Nettie for the snubs. Others came
more frequently as the spring influx of Americans arrived. Occasionally
Jack complained of the time these idle wanderers consumed, especially of
the precious afternoons lost when they came for luncheon and stayed
until tea. Milly thought it selfish of him to object to "her one
pleasure," now that "she was tied up in the house." Perhaps he felt so
too, for he said no more, and remained at the school to work when there
was likely to be company at the Neuilly house. On the whole he was
amiably indulgent with his wife, according to the best American
tradition.... So with friends, new and old, the second year of their
foreign life drew on towards summer. The baby flourished, and all was
well. They began to talk of summer plans.

A cheap place in the country was imperative, for by this time their
"hoard" had shrunk to a mite in three figures, and unless Big Brother,
who had been doing well in Big Business by all accounts, should remember
to send over additional funds as he had promised, they must return to
America in the autumn. Jack seemed loath to remind Big Brother of their
needs as Milly wanted him to do. Yet he must have more time: he was not
yet ready to get a living out of his pictures. He had not done enough
work, he said.