k, in a low eager voice she said, "I'm not going to talk much of
myself. It won't do any good--I'm sure it won't. I love you, Joe, and
I can see you still love me. We need each other. And if we can just be
sensible now--and you can only believe in me--"

"God knows I want to, Ethel!" His tone was low, but so sharp and tense
that she drew suddenly closer. He turned from her and sank into a
chair, with his hands for a moment pressed to his eyes. "I'm sick of
this--I'm not myself. Maybe I acted like a fool. . . . Some of that
stuff from Fanny Carr doesn't hold together--it's too thin." He looked
up at her. "But some of it does. And what you'll have to clear up now
is why you never let me know."

"The reason I didn't," she answered quickly, "goes way back into the
past. And it's not only about you and me--it's about--about somebody
else." She stopped and her throat contracted. She set her teeth. "We
must talk about Amy for a while."

There! At last she had brought it out! And she had seen her husband
flinch. For a moment both were silent.

"Why!" he asked. She swallowed hard.

"Because we never have before. We've--gone two years without speaking
her name. I had no idea how bad that might be." She broke off, for her
voice was trembling so. "I don't know how much you've learned in that
time--about Amy, I mean--but I've learned a lot, and--I think I'd better
tell you. I must, you see, or you won't understand what I've been doing
lately. I couldn't have explained before, without speaking of her--and
I didn't do that. But I should have, Joe, and I will now--if only
you'll be patient and let me do the talking."

"Well!"

"Some of it goes so very far back." She leaned forward with a queer
little smile: "Amy was good to me when I came--and I had always
worshipped her--I thought she was nearly everything. She made me feel
how she--loved you, Joe--she had ambition, urged you on. But--oh, I've
got to try to be clear. What kind of ambition was it, Joe! What did
you have before you met her? How did you used to look at your work!
You were coming up to do big things--but you married her and your work
all changed. You threw over ideals to make money for her. And when
your partner tried to hold you, Amy tried to break up the firm. Didn't
she? Don't you remember?" She waited, but he did not speak. "How hard
it is for him," she thought, "to admit a thing against her. This won't
be easy." But she felt a little thrill of pride in him.