had happened that would put it out, not even Una.

As the hour of the visit of the Habbertons approached, I found myself
a prey to some misgivings. It was not difficult for me to imagine that
the frank nature of Jerry's visits to Una might have given the girl a
false notion of the state of Jerry's mind, for it was like the boy to
have told her of Marcia's mellifluous contrition which, as I knew, was
no more genuine than any other of her carefully planned emotional
crises. I did not know what Marcia thought of Una's approaching visit
or whether Jerry had even told her of it, but I had no fancy to see
Una Habberton again placed in a false position. A visit to Miss Gore
made one morning when Jerry was in town at the office showed me that
even if Marcia knew of Una's approaching visit, she had not told Miss
Gore of it and also revealed the unpleasant fact of Channing Lloyd's
presence in the neighborhood, a guest of the Carews and at the very
moment of my visit a companion of Marcia in a daylong drive up to Big
Westkill Mountain. This was the way she was keeping her promise to
give Lloyd up! What a little liar she was!

Of course, having learned wisdom, I said nothing to Miss Gore, but
passed a very profitable morning in her society after which she
invited me to stay for lunch. I can assure you that after Jerry's glum
looks, Miss Gore's amiable conversation and warm hospitality were balm
to my wounded spirit. I had no desire to discuss her intangible
relative or she, I presume, the unfortunate Jerry, both of us having
washed our hands of the entire affair. She was a prudent person, Miss
Gore, and though full of the milk of human kindness, not disposed to
waste it where it would do no good. I left with the promise to call
upon her another morning and read to her a paper I had written for a
philosophical magazine upon the "The Identical Character of Thought
and Being."

Jack Ballard arrived upon the morning of the appointed day in his own
machine, and since Jerry and his other guests were not expected until
evening, we had a long afternoon of it together. We took a tramp
across the country, and while Jack listened with great interest to my
disclosures, I poured out my heart to him, omitting nothing, not even,
to salve my self-esteem, my unfortunate experience in eavesdropping.
I don't really know why I should have expected his sympathy, but he
only laughed, laughed so much and so long that the tears ran down his
cheeks and