"Now hang them up in the hall," she ordered.

Without another word he picked up the things and left the room.
Directly he was gone, Fanny took a key from under a vase, opened
another drawer in the sideboard and put the money in it. Then she
hastily locked the drawer and replaced the key. No sooner was this
done than Jimmie reappeared. He was puffing a cheap cigar and judging
by his expression the flavor was not all that it might be. After a few
moments, and while Fanny was laying the cloth, he threw it away with
an exclamation of disgust:

"It's no good! I can't get used to these damned cheap things. I
suppose I'd be satisfied with 'em if I'd never smoked _real_
cigars! But to be educated up to Villa de Villas and then drop to
them--punkerinos--"

Fanny looked round, saw the cigar on the floor and then looked at him:

"Jimmie," she said, "pick that up and let it die outside."

He obeyed her without a word. Opening the window he picked up the
offending weed and threw it out.

"Ha! ha!" he laughed bitterly. "In three months to parachute from
first-class cafes to carrying home-made lunches; to go from threes for
a half to twos for a nickel; instead of having plenty of money in
pocket to be without even a cent! I tell you, Fanny, the way we're
living now is--hell!"

Flopping down on a chair near the table, he presented an abject
picture of utter despondency. If Fanny had been in better humor she
would have laughed at him, but in her present mood his complaints only
irritated her the more. Stopping in her work, she turned on him. Her
face was flushed; her eyes flashed fire. At last the moment had come
to give it to him:

"Don't you think I know it better than you do?" she cried. "I used to
be able to pay twenty-five or thirty dollars for a hat, now when I
want one I'll have to trim it myself; I could have a taxi once in a
while, now I'm lucky if I can take a car; a seat in the orchestra at
the matinees was none too good for me, now I think it is great to go
to the moving pictures; I used to have a nine-room apartment at a
Hundred and Fortieth street, now I've got a five-room flat at a
Hundred and Seventy-sixth! My 'friends' don't come to see me because
it's too far uptown. I used to have a servant to do my work and a
woman come in to do my washing, now I have to do the work and the
cooking and the washing into the bargain. Don't talk to me about your
cigars, and your lunches, and your pocket money! Only a woman