mean to give up Kensington Square and the studio, and to
take Djenan-el-Maqui for five years?" said Mrs. Mansfield to Charmian on
a spring evening, as they sat together in the former's little library on
the first floor of the house in Berkeley Square.

"Yes, my only mother, if--there's always an 'if' in our poor lives,
isn't there?"

"If?" said her mother gently.

"If you will occasionally brave the Gulf of Lyons and come to us in the
winter. In the summer we shall generally come back to you."

Mrs. Mansfield looked into the fire for a moment. Caroline lay before it
in mild contentment, unchanged, unaffected by the results of America.
Enough for her if a pleasant warmth from the burning logs played
agreeably about her lemon-colored body, enough for her if the meal of
dog biscuit soaked in milk was set before her at the appointed time. She
sighed now, but not because she heard discussion of Djenan-el-Maqui. Her
delicate noise was elicited by the point of her mistress's shoe, which
at this moment pressed her side softly, moving her loose skin to and
fro.

"The Gulf of Lyons couldn't keep me from coming," Mrs. Mansfield said at
last. "Yes, I daresay I shall see you in that Arab house, Charmian.
Claude wishes to go there again?"

"It is Claude who has decided the whole thing."

Charmian's voice held a new sound. Mrs. Mansfield looked closely at her
daughter.

"You see, Madre, he and I--well, I think we have earned our retreat.
We--we did stand up to the failure. We went to the first night of
Jacques Sennier's new opera and helped, as everyone in an audience can
help, to seal its triumph. I--I went round to Madame Sennier's box with
Claude--Adelaide Shiffney and Armand Gillier were in it!--and
congratulated her. Madre, we faced the music."

Her voice quivered slightly. Mrs. Mansfield impulsively took her child's
hands and held them.

"We faced the music. Claude is strong. I never knew what he was before.
Without that tremendous failure I never should have known him. He helped
me. I didn't know one human being could help another as Claude helped me
after the failure of the opera. Even Mr. Crayford admired him. He said
to me the last day, when we were going to start for the ship: 'Well,
little lady, you've married the biggest failure we've brought over here
in my time, but you have married a man!' And I said--I said--"

"Yes, my only child?"

"'I believe that's all a woman wants.'"

"Is it?"

Mrs. Mansfield