Billy-boy?" she whispered.

"I was thinking about Jake Lauer, and wondering how he was making it
go," Bill answered. "I was also picturing to myself how some of these
worthy citizens would mess things up if they had to follow in his
steps. Hang it, I don't know but we'd be better off if we were pegging
away for a foothold somewhere, like old Jake."

"If we had to do that," she argued, "I suppose we would, and manage to
get along. But since we don't have to, why wish for it? Money makes
things pleasanter."

"If money meant that we would be compelled to lead the sort of
existence most of these people do," he retorted, "I'd take measures to
be broke as soon as possible. What the deuce is there to it? The
women get up in the morning, spend the forenoon fixing themselves up to
take in some innocuous gabblefest after luncheon. Then they get into
their war paint for dinner, and after dinner rush madly off to some
other festive stunt. Swell rags and a giddy round. If it were just
fun, it would be all right. But it's the serious business of life with
them. And the men are in the same boat. All of 'em collectively don't
amount to a pinch of snuff. This thing that they call business is
mostly gambling with what somebody else has sweated to produce.
They're a soft-handed, soft-bodied lot of incompetent egotists, if you
ask me. Any of 'em would lick your boots in a genteel sort of way if
there was money in it; and they'd just as cheerfully chisel their best
friend out of his last dollar, if it could be done in a business way.
They haven't even the saving grace of physical hardihood."

"You're awful!" Hazel commented.

Bill snorted again.

"To-morrow, you advise our hostess that we're traveling," he
instructed. "When we come back we'll make headquarters at a hotel
until we locate a place of our own--if you are sure you want to winter
here."

Her mind was quite made up to spend the winter there, and she frankly
said so--provided he had no other choice. They had to winter
somewhere. They had set out to spend a few months in pleasant
idleness. They could well afford that. And, unless he had other plans
definitely formed, was not Granville as good as any place? Was it not
better, seeing that they did know some one there? It was big enough to
afford practically all the advantages of any city.

"Oh, yes, I suppose so. All right; we'll winter here," Bill
acquiesced. "That's settled."

And, as was his habit