"I don't know that I've ever heard anything very exact about the thing at
all," he said. "The whole subject is hateful to me. I regard marriage
as sacred, and when, which God forbid, it proves unsacred, it is horrible
to think of these formalities. This is a Christian country; we are all
flesh and blood. What is this slime, Paramor?"

With this outburst he sank again into the chair, and leaned his head on
his hand. And oddly, instead of smiling, Mr. Paramor looked at him with
haunting eyes.

"Two unhappy persons must not seem to agree to be parted," he said. "One
must be believed to desire to keep hold of the other, and must pose as an
injured person. There must be evidence of misconduct, and in this case
of cruelty or of desertion. The evidence must be impartial. This is the
law."

Gregory said without looking up:

"But why?"

Mr. Paramor took his violets out of the water, and put them to his nose.

"How do you mean--why?"

"I mean, why this underhand, roundabout way?"

Mr. Paramor's face changed with startling speed from its haunting look
back to his smile.

"Well," he said, "for the preservation of morality. What do you
suppose?"

"Do you call it moral so to imprison people that you drive them to sin in
order to free themselves?"

Mr. Paramor obliterated the face on his blotting-pad.

"Where's your sense of humour?" he said.

"I see no joke, Paramor."

Mr. Paramor leaned forward.

"My dear friend," he said earnestly, "I don't say for a minute that our
system doesn't cause a great deal of quite unnecessary suffering; I don't
say that it doesn't need reform. Most lawyers and almost any thinking
man will tell you that it does. But that's a wide question which doesn't
help us here. We'll manage your business for you, if it can be done.
You've made a bad start, that's all. The first thing is for us to write
to Mrs. Bellew, and ask her to come and see us. We shall have to get
Bellew watched."

Gregory said:

"That's detestable. Can't it be done without that?"

Mr. Paramor bit his forefinger.

"Not safe," he said. "But don't bother; we'll see to all that."

Gregory rose and went to the window. He said suddenly:

"I can't bear this underhand work."

Mr. Paramor smiled.

"Every honest man," he said, "feels as you do. But, you see, we must
think of the law."

Gregory burst out again:

"Can no one get a divorce, then, without making beasts or spies of
themselves?"

Mr. Par