erhaps.

Then others--always others! That was how it was in New York.

Ethel gave a queer little laugh--which at once she pretended had been
caused by something Sally's husband had said. And she listened to him
attentively now. "There's so much time for everything! I'm only
twenty-five!" she thought. She turned to the painter on her right, and
was soon talking rapidly.

The moments seemed to fly away. Now they had left the men to smoke.
But soon the men had followed them, and every one was smoking, and Ethel
was trying a cigarette. The talk ran on, about this and that. But over
on her side of the room, Sally had led the conversation back to Joe's
old student days, to the Beaux Arts and life in the Quarter. Ethel
heard snatches from time to time, and she kept throwing vigilant glances
over at her husband's face. He seemed to be responding, with a
hungriness that thrilled his wife. Again he would fall silent, with an
anxious gleam in his eyes. "He's wondering if he's too old!" she
thought, and she crossed the room and joined them.

Sally was cleverly drawing him out about some of those early plans of
his. And though awkward at first, he was warming up. In the room the
hubbub died away. "They're listening to Joe!" thought Ethel. Joe kept
talking on and on. Every few moments some one would break in to ask him
something, or to raise a little laugh. Ethel tingled with pride in him,
and with hope for the success of her scheming.

Now the crucial time arrived. For one by one the guests had gone, till
only she and Joe and Nourse remained with Sally and her husband. The
moment for springing the great idea had come at last. Nourse was to do
the talking. That had been arranged ahead, at a meeting of Nourse and
the two wives. But all at once in a panic now, Ethel knew that Nourse
would bungle it. Why had she entrusted so much to this man? Had he
ever shown tact in his whole life? And why so soon? Oh, it had been
rash! The evening had passed so gorgeously. Why not have waited and
had other evenings to pave the way and make it sure! She tried to
signal to Nourse to stop him, but he could or would not hear! Now he
was getting ready to speak.

"Well," he said, rising and turning on Ethel a curious smile, "I guess
it's time I was going home."

She stared at him in blank relief. So he had some sense about things,
after all.

"But look here, Bill," said her husband, "before you go, let's give
these scheming women of ours to und