sing me
in a motherly tone as though she had suddenly attained twice my years.
"You will find another woman more worthy of you--I know you will. And
when you come to Harlansburg you must bring her to see us. We shall be
such good friends."

To Harlansburg? The whole story was clear in my mind. I remembered
the Egyptian picture, the pyramids, the camels, and young Marshall's
warning. And I had been so blind that a moment since I was saying that
if another man had wrought this changed mind in Gladys Todd he must be
a superlatively wonderful man. After all, the superlatively wonderful
man was ex-Judge Bundy. Now the blow to my pride was fairly crushing.
It did seem that I had a few natural qualities which should have
weighed in the scales against such a rival. But if I had youth, he had
wealth; if I had promise, he had the same promise of youth fulfilled in
giant nail works; if I offered a vine-clad cottage on a bit of green,
he could give the big gray-stone house with many turrets, the lawn with
the marble lions and perfect terraces sloping down to the ornate fence.
The very absurdity of the situation saved me from regret.

Gladys Todd was looking at me with narrowed eyes. I think she expected
some outburst of emotion. Perhaps she felt sorry for the pain that she
had caused me. But as I looked at her and remembered the past, as I
thought of the judge, the house, and the marble lions, even my wounded
pride was forgotten. I checked the smile which was threading my lips.
I took my conge as a man should, gravely, with head bowed under the
crushing blow, with eyes downcast as though they would never again look
up into the joyous sunlight. I turned and left the room.

By the rule, I should have looked back, hesitated, and gone on. But my
mind was filled with the fear of meeting Doctor Todd or Mrs. Todd, or
worse, Judge Bundy. How to treat Judge Bundy, did I meet him, was not
clear--whether to pass him with a haughty stare, or to stop and
congratulate him, or even thank him. Discreetly I followed the dark
windings of the hall and left the hotel by a private entrance. In the
street I looked up into the sunshine. I was free. I could not
dissemble with myself any longer, and I turned to the avenue with a
quick and joyous step. A new life had opened to me and I was stepping
into it unburdened, and with a prize to fight for. In those few
moments Gladys Todd had gone into the past. She was hardly more than a
s