ble, she was so gently right! It took him an hour to
make his escape, with nothing settled and everything horribly settled.
In a barren freedom of icy Northern wind he sighed, "Thank God that's
over! Poor Tanis, poor darling decent Tanis! But it is over. Absolute!
I'm free!"

CHAPTER XXXII

I

HIS wife was up when he came in. "Did you have a good time?" she
sniffed.

"I did not. I had a rotten time! Anything else I got to explain?"

"George, how can you speak like--Oh, I don't know what's come over you!"

"Good Lord, there's nothing come over me! Why do you look for trouble
all the time?" He was warning himself, "Careful! Stop being so
disagreeable. Course she feels it, being left alone here all evening."
But he forgot his warning as she went on:

"Why do you go out and see all sorts of strange people? I suppose you'll
say you've been to another committee-meeting this evening!"

"Nope. I've been calling on a woman. We sat by the fire and kidded each
other and had a whale of a good time, if you want to know!"

"Well--From the way you say it, I suppose it's my fault you went there!
I probably sent you!"

"You did!"

"Well, upon my word--"

"You hate 'strange people' as you call 'em. If you had your way, I'd be
as much of an old stick-in-the-mud as Howard Littlefield. You never want
to have anybody with any git to 'em at the house; you want a bunch of
old stiffs that sit around and gas about the weather. You're doing
your level best to make me old. Well, let me tell you, I'm not going to
have--"

Overwhelmed she bent to his unprecedented tirade, and in answer she
mourned:

"Oh, dearest, I don't think that's true. I don't mean to make you old,
I know. Perhaps you're partly right. Perhaps I am slow about getting
acquainted with new people. But when you think of all the dear good
times we have, and the supper-parties and the movies and all--"

With true masculine wiles he not only convinced himself that she had
injured him but, by the loudness of his voice and the brutality of his
attack, he convinced her also, and presently he had her apologizing for
his having spent the evening with Tanis. He went up to bed well pleased,
not only the master but the martyr of the household. For a distasteful
moment after he had lain down he wondered if he had been altogether
just. "Ought to be ashamed, bullying her. Maybe there is her side to
things. Maybe she hasn't had such a bloomin' hectic time herself. But I
d