ast picture he was to have of her. For
he knew now that he was not going back; at least not to take up their
life together. He supposed he should have to see her once, to talk
things over, settle something for their future. He had been sincere in
saying that he bore her no ill-will; only he could never go back into
that slough again. If he did, he knew he would inevitably be drawn
under, slipping downward from concession to concession....

The noises of a hot summer night in the port of Genoa would have kept
the most care-free from slumber; but though Nick lay awake he did
not notice them, for the tumult in his brain was more deafening. Dawn
brought a negative relief, and out of sheer weariness he dropped into a
heavy sleep. When he woke it was nearly noon, and from his window he saw
the well-known outline of the Ibis standing up dark against the glitter
of the harbour. He had no fear of meeting her owners, who had doubtless
long since landed and betaken themselves to cooler and more fashionable
regions: oddly enough, the fact seemed to accentuate his loneliness, his
sense of having no one on earth to turn to. He dressed, and wandered out
disconsolately to pick up a cup of coffee in some shady corner.

As he drank his coffee his thoughts gradually cleared. It became
obvious to him that he had behaved like a madman or a petulant child--he
preferred to think it was like a madman. If he and Susy were to separate
there was no reason why it should not be done decently and quietly, as
such transactions were habitually managed among people of their kind.
It seemed grotesque to introduce melodrama into their little world
of unruffled Sybarites, and he felt inclined, now, to smile at the
incongruity of his gesture.... But suddenly his eyes filled with tears.
The future without Susy was unbearable, inconceivable. Why, after all,
should they separate? At the question, her soft face seemed close
to his, and that slight lift of the upper lip that made her smile so
exquisite. Well-he would go back. But not with any presence of going to
talk things over, come to an agreement, wind up their joint life like
a business association. No--if he went back he would go without
conditions, for good, forever....

Only, what about the future? What about the not far-distant day when
the wedding cheques would have been spent, and Granny's pearls sold,
and nothing left except unconcealed and unconditional dependence on rich
friends, the role of th