to see that actress. He's been mad about her for
months."

"I don't believe it."

"Oh, wake up," Nina said impatiently. "The world isn't made up of
good, kind, virtuous people. It's rotten. And men are all alike. Dick
Livingstone and Les and all the rest--tarred with the same stick. As
long as there are women like this Carlysle creature they'll fall for
them. And you and I can sit at home and chew our nails and plan to keep
them by us. And we can't do it."

In spite of herself a little question of doubt crept that day into
Elizabeth's mind. She had always known that they had not told her all
the truth; that the benevolent conspiracy to protect Dick extended even
to her. But she had never thought that it might include a woman. Once
there, the very humility of her love for Dick was an element in favor of
the idea. She had never been good enough, or wise or clever enough, for
him. She was too small and unimportant to be really vital.

Dismissing the thought did no good. It came back. But because she was
a healthy-minded and practical person she took the one course she could
think of, and put the question that night to her father, when he came
back from seeing David.

David had sent for him early in the evening. All day he had thought
over the situation between Dick and Elizabeth, with growing pain and
uneasiness. He had not spoken of it to Lucy, or to Harrison Miller; he
knew that they would not understand, and that Lucy would suffer. She was
bewildered enough by Dick's departure.

At noon he had insisted on getting up and being helped into his
trousers. So clad he felt more of a man and better able to cope with
things, although his satisfaction in them was somewhat modified by the
knowledge of two safety-pins at the sides, to take up their superfluous
girth at the waistband.

But even the sense of being clothed as a man again did not make it
easier to say to Walter Wheeler what must be said.

Walter took the news of Dick's return with a visible brightening. It was
as though, out of the wreckage of his middle years, he saw that there
was now some salvage, but he was grave and inarticulate over it, wrung
David's hand and only said:

"Thank God for it, David." And after a pause: "Was he all right? He
remembered everything?"

But something strange in the situation began to obtrude itself into his
mind. Dick had come back twenty-four hours ago. Last night. And all this
time--

"Where is he now?"

"He's not he