s till he found himself desiring an
increase of personal liberty; then an occasion presenting itself to make
a really good arrangement with an Italian family of decent middle class
with their best rooms to let, he had set up bachelor quarters, and
ceasing to be an inmate of his aunt's house, retained unusually little
sense of tie with it.

"Charlie might be nicer about going to places with us," Francesca openly
grumbled, "seeing he's the nearest we've got to a brother."

All this was formlessly in Gerald's mind--this and much more--when his
spirit groaned that Charlie should be giving Aurora a dog.

Mrs. Hawthorne was looking at him, trying to make him out. She could
not. One thing, however, was plain, and it being so plain simplified
all. He felt actual pain because Charlie Hunt was going to give her a
dog. The wherefore it was vain to seek. But she had no desire to give
pain of any kind, even by way of teasing him, to this funnily sensitive
fellow whose shoulders looked so sharp under his coat.

"All right," she said. "If he says anything more about it, I'll tell him
I've changed my mind and don't want a dog. Are you satisfied? And then
if you won't tell me what the objection is to my having one, I shall
have to sit down and try to guess."

Gerald, upon obtaining so easily what he had wanted apparently to the
point of tragedy, looked sheepish, ashamed of himself. His thanks were
given in a slowly returning smile.

"I shouldn't think it would be so difficult," he said.

Antonia had been very friendly to Gerald at the period of their first
acquaintance. She had cared for his painting, specimens of which had
come to her notice through Amabel Van Zandt, and distinguished the at
that time very young artist to the extent of inviting him to her villa,
showing interest in his talent and future, making him talk. From one
year to the next, other things had taken up her mind to his exclusion.
He had continued, however, to pay his respects, if she were at home, at
least once in the season, and retained gratitude toward her, along with
the presumption that he could never be to her the same exactly as the
first-come outsider. He remembered At Homes of hers attended in the old
days, and saw every reason why Mrs. Hawthorne should enjoy one of these,
none why it should not enjoy her. On the contrary. Making full allowance
for the fact that he had grown accustomed to her manner and mode, Mrs.
Hawthorne had yet seemed to him late