ith Clive Reinhard, with whom
she discussed his last story and his "ideas about women." For the rest
it was a torpid and sensual Sunday with much to eat and drink,--very
much like the Sunday of some thousands of rich Americans all over the
land. Most of the guests returned to the city on an evening train, bored
and unconsciously glad to get back into their respective ruts.

All but Milly! She had enjoyed herself quite genuinely, and with her
quick social perceptions had gathered a great deal from the visit, much
of which she imparted to her drowsing husband on the train. She mapped
out for his duller masculine apprehension the social hierarchy of
_Bunker's_. Mrs. Bunker patronized Mrs. Billman, invited her to her best
dinners and to her opera box, because she was striking in looks and had
made a place for herself in "interesting circles" in the great city and
was more or less talked about. "Hazel is jealous of her," Milly averred.
Nevertheless the junior editor's wife accepted Mrs. Billman's patronage
and invitations to Mrs. Bunker's opera box when it was given on off
nights or matinees to the chief editor's wife, and in turn she was
inclined to patronize Mrs. Bragdon by sending her tickets to improving
lectures and concerts.

Hazel Fredericks, in her quiet and self-effacing manner, had
aspirations, Milly suspected. She could not compete either with Mrs.
Howard Bunker or Mrs. Montgomery Billman, of course, but she aspired to
the Serious and the Distinguished, instead of the Rich or the merely
Artistic. She went in for "movements" of all sorts and was a member of
various leagues, and associations, and committees. Occasionally her name
got into public print. Just at present she was in the "woman movement,"
about which she talked to Milly a good deal. That promised to be the
most important of all her "movements."

Indeed, as Milly saw, all these women "went in" for something. They
tried to conduct their lives and their husbands' lives on lines of
definite accomplishment, and she was decidedly "old-fashioned" in living
hers from day to day for what it offered of amusement or ennui. She was
rather proud of the fact that she had never deliberately "gone in" for
anything in her life except Love.

Nevertheless, she found the flutter of women's ambitions exciting and
liked to observe the indirect working of their wills even in the man's
game....

"Mrs. Billman is too obvious, don't you think Jack?" she said to her
husband.