to appear faintly amused.

Very seriously he looked up at her. "It would help--even at this late
day--if you would get a divorce."

She gasped; whether she had been prepared for it or not she was
manifestly unprepared for the simple way he said it. For a moment she
stared at him. Then she laughed. "You are a most amazing young man!" she
said quiveringly.

As he did not speak, but only looked at her in that simple direct way,
she went on, with rising feeling, "You come here, to _me_, into my
house, proposing that--in order to make things easier for your sister in
living with my husband--I get a divorce!"

He did not flinch. "It might do more than make things easier for my
sister," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?" she demanded sharply.

"It might make things easier for you."

"And what do you mean by _that_?" she asked in that quick sharp way.

"It might make things easier," he said, "just to feel that, even at this
late day, you've done the decent thing."

She stood up. "Do you know, young man, that you've said things to me
that are outrageous to have said?" She was trembling so it seemed hard
to speak. "I've let you go on just because I was stupified by your
presumption--staggered, and rather amused at your childish audacity. But
you've gone a little too far! How _dare_ you talk to me like this?" she
demanded with passion.

He had moved toward the door. He looked at her, then looked away. His
control was all broken down now. "I'm sorry to have it end like this,"
he muttered.

She laughed a little, but she was shaken with the sobs she was plainly
making a big effort to hold back. "I'm so sorry," he said with such real
feeling that the tears brimmed from her eyes.

He stood there awkwardly. Somehow her house seemed very lonely,
comfortless. And now that her composure was broken down, the way she
looked made him very sorry for her.

"I don't want you to think," he said gently, "that I don't see how bad
it has been for you."

She tried to laugh. "You don't think your sister was very--fair to me,
do you?" she asked chokingly, looking at him in a way more appealing
than aggressive.

"I suppose not," he said. "No, I suppose not." He stood there
considering that. "But I guess," he went on diffidently, "I don't just
know myself--but it seems there come times when being fair gets sort
of--lost sight of."

The tears were running down her face and she was not trying to check
them.

He stood there anothe