ess crept into
his daughter's voice. And looking at her grimly out of the corner of his
eye, he saw that she looked down on him, far, far down from heights above.

"Yes," he thought, "this is modern." Then he grew angry all at once. "No,"
he added, "this is wrong! You can't fool me, young woman, you know it as
well as I do myself! You're not going to carry this off with an air--not
with your father! No, by George!"

And he would grow abrupt and stern. But days would pass and in spite of
himself into their talks would creep a natural friendly tone. Again he
found himself friends with her--friends as though nothing whatever had
happened! Could it be that a woman who had so sinned could go right on?
Here was Laura, serenely unconscious of guilt, and smiling into her future,
dreaming still of happiness, quite plainly sure of it, in fact! With a
curious dismayed relief Roger would scowl at this daughter of his--a
radiant enigma in his quiet sober house.

But Edith was not at all perplexed. When she learned from Deborah that
there was soon to be a divorce, she came at once to her father. Her face
was like a thundercloud.

"A nice example for my children!" she indignantly exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, my dear. But what can I do?"

"You can make her go back to her husband, can't you?"

"No, I can't," he flatly replied.

"Then I'd better try it myself!"

"You'll do no such thing!" he retorted. "I've gone clear to the bottom of
this--and I say you're to leave her alone!"

"Very well," she answered. And she did leave her sister alone, so severely
that Laura soon avoided being home for lunch or dinner. She had taken the
room which George had occupied ever since John had been turned out, and
there she breakfasted late in bed, until Edith put a stop to it. They
barely spoke to each other now. Laura still smiled defiance.

Days passed. Christmas came at last, and despite Edith's glum resolution to
make it a happy time for the children, the happiness soon petered out.
After the tree in the morning, the day hung heavy on the house. Roger
buried himself in his study. Laura had motored off into the country with a
gay party of her friends. Or was this just a ruse, he wondered, and was
she spending the day with her lover? Well, what if she was? Could he lock
her in?

About twilight he thought he heard her return, and later from his bedroom
he heard her voice and Edith's. Both voices sounded angry, but he would not
interfere.

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