ble her any more than she can help. If she's
unlucky enough to have the squally little things, she keeps away from
them."

Even as she spoke, Lena realized that her acid voice was a mistake, but
she said to herself that she was tired of acting, and it did not make
any difference what Dick thought now. She was his wife.

"Perhaps you don't know the whole, Lena," Dick answered. "I happen to
have seen Mrs. Lenox when she was devoting herself to a sick baby, and
Madeline has told me of the kind of personal care she gives."

"The more fool she, when she can get some one else to do it for her,"
said Lena, with feminine change of front.

"Is that the way you feel about children?" asked Dick soberly.

"I suppose they are necessary evils," said Lena with a smart laugh. "But
I'd rather they'd be necessary to other women than to me."

"Well, perhaps that's a natural feeling, when we're young and like to be
irresponsible; but I fancy, dear, that things look pretty different as
we get along and are willing to pay the price for our happinesses--to
pay for love with service and self-sacrifice. As for me, I pray that you
and I may not some day be childless old folks."

Lena glanced at him sidewise as they walked, and his somber face showed
her that her mistake went deeper than she had suspected.

"I'm sorry I was cross," she said with pretty contrition, but her
prettiness and contrition did not have their usual exhilarating effect
on Dick. Lena even turned and laid her hand softly on his arm. Still he
did not look at her.

"I wasn't hurt by your crossness, dear," he said gently.

* * * * *

Among those to open hospitable doors to the bride and groom was Mr.
Early. His house adjoined theirs, and only a hedge separated the two
gardens, old-fashioned, with comfortable seats under wide trees on the
Percival place, elaborately Italian on Mr. Early's domain, but spacious
both, for St. Etienne had the advantage of doing most of its growth
after rapid transit was invented, and had therefore never cribbed and
cabined its population into solid blocks of brick and mortar, but had
given everybody elbow-room, so that its residence district looked much
like the suburbs of older cities.

So Dick and Lena went to dine with Mr. Early, and the bride had the
thrilling delight of sitting between her world-famous host and an
equally illustrious scholar, who had his head with him, extra size, and
was pl