nd her sober eyes went again and again
to her husband's face.

"Oh, no!" she would say to herself, watching him, "you can't do that,
George! You can't change about like a weathercock, and expect me to
change, too, and forget everything that went before! You've chosen to
dig the gulf between us--I'm not like Mamma, I'm not a child--my
dignity and my rights can't be ignored in this fashion!"

No, the matter involved more than Mamma now. George should be punished;
he should have his scare. Things must be all cleared up, explained,
made right between them. A few weeks of absence, a little realization
of what he had done would start their marriage off again on a new
footing.

She kissed her mother affectionately at the door, gave the new relative
a cordial clasp with both hands.

"We'll let you know in a week or two where we are," said Mamma, all
girlish confusion and happiness. "You have my suit-case, Rich'? That's
right, dea'. Good-by, you nice things!"

"Good-by, darling!" Mary said. She walked back into the empty library,
seated herself in a great chair, and waited for George.

The front door slammed. George reappeared, chuckling, and rubbing his
hands together. He walked over to a window, held back the heavy
curtain, and watched the departing carriage out of sight.

"There they go!" he said. "Carter and your mother--married, by Jove!
Well, Mary, this is about the best day's work for me that's come along
for some time. Carter was speaking in the carriage only an hour ago
about the possibility of our handling the New Nassau Bridge contract
together. I don't know why not." George mused a moment, smilingly.

"I thought you had an utter contempt for him as a business man," Mary
said stingingly--involuntarily, too, for she had not meant to be
diverted from her original plan of a mere dignified farewell.

"Never for him," George said promptly. "I don't like some of his
people. Burns, his chief construction engineer, for instance. But I've
the greatest respect for him! And your mother!" said George, laughing
again. "And how pretty she looked, too! Well, sir, they walked in on me
this afternoon. I never was so surprised in my life! You know, Mary,"
said George, taking his own big leather chair, stretching his legs out
luxuriously, and eying the tip of a cigar critically, "you know that
your mother is an extremely fascinating woman! You'll see now how
she'll blossom out, with a home of her own again--he's got a big hous