ust have been passing a few days at one of the other hotels, and gone
away.

Godolphin arrived in the sunniest good-humor, as if he had never had any
thought of relinquishing the play, and he professed himself delighted
with the changes Maxwell had made in the love-business. He said the
character of Salome had the true proportion to all the rest now; and
Maxwell understood that he would not be jealous of the actress who
played the part, or feel her a dangerous rival in the public favor. He
approved of the transposition of the speeches that Maxwell had made, or
at least he no longer openly coveted them for Haxard.

What was more important to Maxwell was that Louise seemed finally
contented with the part, too, and said that now, no matter what
Godolphin wanted, she would never let it be touched again. "I am glad
you have got that 'impassioned' rubbish out. I never thought that was in
character with Salome."

The artistic consciousness of Maxwell, which caught all the fine
reluctances and all the delicate feminine preferences of his wife, was
like a subtle web woven around him, and took everything, without his
willing it, from within him as well as from without, and held it
inexorably for future use. He knew the source of the impassioned rubbish
which had displeased his wife; and he had felt while he was employing it
that he was working in a commoner material than the rest of Salome's
character; but he had experimented with it in the hope that she might
not notice it. The fact that she had instantly noticed it, and had
generalized the dislike which she only betrayed at last, after she had
punished him sufficiently, remained in the meshes of the net he wore
about his mind, as something of value, which he could employ to
exquisite effect if he could once find a scheme fit for it.

In the meantime it would be hard to say whether Godolphin continued more
a sorrow or a joy to Maxwell, who was by no means always of the same
mind about him. He told his wife sometimes, when she was pitying him,
that it was a good discipline for him to work with such a man, for it
taught him a great deal about himself, if it did not teach him much
else. He said that it tamed his overweening pride to find that there was
artistic ability employing itself with literature which was so unlike
literary ability. Godolphin conceived perfectly of the literary
intention in the fine passages of the play, and enjoyed their beauty,
but he did not value them