inute I'm free from my beast of a husband!"

"And your husband will keep his suit quiet, you said, if you agree not to
fight him."

"Yes."

Deborah rose abruptly.

"Then will you stay right here to-night, and leave this matter to me?" she
asked.

"What do _you_ mean to do?"

"See your husband."

"What for? When?"

"To-night, if I can. I want to be sure."

Laura looked for the moment nonplussed.

"And what of my wishes?" she inquired.

"_Your_ wishes," said Deborah steadily. "You want a divorce, don't you--so
do I. And you want it quiet--and so do I. I want it so hard that I want to
make sure." Deborah's tone was kinder now, and she came over close to her
sister. "Look here, Laura, if I've been hard, forgive me--please--and let
me help. I'm not so narrow as you think. I've been through a good deal of
this before--downtown, I mean, with girls in my school. They come to me, we
have long talks. Maybe I _am_ a nun--as you say--but I'm one with a
confessional. Not for sins," she added, as Laura looked up angrily. "Sins
don't interest me very much. But troubles do. And heaven knows that
marriage is one," she said with a curious bitterness. "And when it has
failed and there's no love left--as in your case--I'm for divorce. Only--"
her wide sensitive lips quivered just a little, "I'm sorry it had to come
like this. But I love you, dear, and I want to help, I want to see you
safely through. And while I'm doing it, if we can, I want to keep dad out
of it--at least until it's settled." She paused a moment. "So if you agree,
I'll go to your husband. I want to be sure, absolutely, just what we can
count on. And until I come back, stay here in my room. You don't want to
talk to father and Edith--"

"Most certainly not!" Laura muttered.

"Good. Then stay here until I return. I'll send you up some supper."

"I don't want any, thank you."

Laura went and threw herself on the bed, while her sister finished
dressing.

"It's decent of you, Deborah." Her voice was muffled and relaxed. "I wasn't
fair," she added. "I'm sorry for some of the things I said."

"About me and marriage?" Deborah looked at herself in the glass in a
peculiar searching way. A slight spasm crossed her features. "I'm not sure
but that you were right. At times I feel far from certain," she said. Laura
lifted her head from the pillow, watched her sister a moment, dropped back.

"Don't let this affect _you_, Deborah."

"Oh, don't worry, dearie." And