ittleton looked at his wife with a glance of loving distress. "You
wouldn't really care a button. I know you wouldn't, Selma," he said,
stoutly.

"Of course not, if it were necessary," she answered. "Only I don't wish
to do so unless it is necessary. I am not controverting your decision
about the stocks, though I think your imagination, as you say, is to
blame. I would rather cut my right hand off than persuade you to act
contrary to your conscience. But it _is_ inconvenient, Wilbur, you must
admit, to give up the things we have become accustomed to."

"We shall be able to keep the horse. I am certain of that."

"I wish you to see my side of it. Say that you do," she said, with
shrill intensity.

"It is because I do see it that I am troubled, Selma. For myself I am no
happier now than I was when we lived more simply. I can't believe that
you will really find it a hardship to deny yourself such extravagances
as our theatre party last week. Being a man," he added, after a pause,
"I suppose I may not appreciate how important and seductive some of
these social observances appear to a woman, and heaven knows my chief
wish in life is to do everything in my power to make you happy. You must
be aware of that, dearest. I delight to work hard for your sake. But it
seems almost ludicrous to be talking of social interests to you, of all
women. Why, at the time we were married, I feared that you would cut
yourself off from reasonable pleasures on account of your dislike of
everything frivolous. I remember I encouraged you not to take too
ascetic a view of such things. So I am bound to believe that your side
is my side--that we both will find true happiness in not attempting to
compete with people whose tastes are not our tastes, and whose aims are
not our aims."

"Then you think I have deteriorated," she said, with a superior smile.

"I think of you as the most conscientious woman I ever met. It was only
natural that you should be spurred by our neighbors, the Williamses, to
make a better showing socially before the world. I have been glad to see
you emulous up to a certain point. You must realize though, that we
cannot keep pace with them, even if we so desire. Already they are in
the public eye. He appears to have made considerable money, and his
views on the stock-market are given prominence by the press. He and his
wife are beginning to be recognized by people who were ignorant of their
existence four years ago. You told m