her at once, to-day. An enormous
reluctance to enter her house again possessed him. The mere act had the
aspect of an acknowledgment of her continued potency, her influence over
him. He put it off as long as possible, and it was past five when he
finally walked slowly toward her door.

She was in; and he saw, on the hall stand, a silk hat and overcoat cut
in an extreme of current fashion. The servant preceded him above, toward
the room usual for casual gatherings; and he heard a sudden low murmur,
expostulation, follow the announcement of his name. Essie Scofield
appeared at the top of the stairs. "Come up," she said in a hesitating,
sullen voice. He mounted without reply. As he had expected Daniel Culser
was present, and rose to greet him negligently, from a lounging attitude
on the sofa. His coat, cut back to the knees, was relentlessly tapered,
the collar enormously rolled and revered, and a white Marseilles
waistcoat bore black spots as large as a Bolivian half dollar; while a
black scarf, it was called the Du Casses, fell in an avalanche of
ruffles. He moved toward the door, fitting his coat carefully about his
slim waist, "I'm away, Essie," he proclaimed.

"When will you come again, Daniel?" she asked with an oppressive
humility. She gazed at Jasper Penny with a momentary delay; then, with
an utter disregard of his presence, laid her hands on the younger man's
shoulders. "Soon," she begged. Obviously ill at ease he abruptly
released himself. "I don't care," she cried defiantly; "I'll tell the
whole world you are the sweetest man in it. Jasper's nothing to me nor I
to him. And I'm not afraid of him, of what he might threaten, either.
Stay, Daniel, and you'll see. I will look out for us, Dan."

Her unexpected frankness was inevitably followed by an awkward silence.
Daniel Culser finally cursed below his breath, avoiding Jasper's cold
inquiring gaze. "I'm glad I said it," Essie proceeded; "now he knows how
things are." She went up again to the younger, and laid a clinging arm
about his shoulders. "I'm mad about you, Daniel, you know it; there's
nothing I wouldn't do for you, give you if I could. Isn't he beautiful?"
she fatulously demanded of Jasper Penny.

"You are making a fool of yourself and me," the subject of her adulation
roughly declared. He removed her arm so forcibly that the scarlet print
of his fingers was visible on her soft, dead white skin. "Probably you
have gone and spoiled everything. And remembe