anted a kiss upon her mouth. "Oh, you divinity!" he
exclaimed. "Helen! Circe!"

"No," she replied, with smiling eyes. "No, not here. Wait till we get a
car."

"Shall we go to Claremont?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Then we might as well call a car and ride."

They hunted a garage and sped northward, the wonderful wind of the
morning cooling and refreshing their fevered senses. Both he and Suzanne
were naturally depressed at moments, at other moments preternaturally
gay, for he was varying between joy and fear, and she was buoying him
up. Her attitude was calmer, surer, braver, than his. She was like a
strong mother to him.

"You know," he said, "I don't know what to think at times. I haven't any
particular charge against Mrs. Witla except that I don't love her. I
have been so unhappy. What do you think of cases of this kind, Suzanne?
You heard what she said about me."

"Yes, I heard."

"It all comes from that. I don't love her. I never have really from the
beginning. What do you think where there is no love? It is true, part of
what she said. I have been in love with other women, but it has always
been because I have been longing for some sort of temperament that was
congenial to me. I have, Suzanne, too, since I have been married. I
can't say that I was really in love with Carlotta Wilson, but I did like
her. She was very much like myself. The other was a girl somewhat like
you. Not so wise. That was years ago. Oh, I could tell you why! I love
youth. I love beauty. I want someone who is my companion mentally. You
are that, Suzanne, and yet see what a hell it is creating. Do you think
it is so bad where I am so very unhappy? Tell me, what do you think?"

"Why, why," said Suzanne, "I don't think anyone ought to stick by a bad
bargain, Eugene."

"Just what do you mean by that, Suzanne?"

"Well, you say you don't love her. You're not happy with her. I
shouldn't think it would be good for her or you to have you stay with
her. She can live. I wouldn't want you to stay with me if you didn't
love me. I wouldn't want you at all if you didn't. I wouldn't want to
stay with you if I didn't love you, and I wouldn't. I think marriage
ought to be a happy bargain, and if it isn't you oughtn't to try to stay
together just because you thought you could stay together once."

"What if there were children?"

"Well, that might be different. Even then, one or the other could take
them, wouldn't you think? The children needn't be ma