第2章

Shedashedoutoftheroom，andcouldneverbeinducedtosayawordfurtheraboutthematter。Shewouldindeedhavefounditimpossibletoexpressherintenseantipathyandsenseofimpendingcalamity。Shehadnotthephrasestomakeherselfcleareventoherself，andafterallwhatcontrollingeffortcanoneproducewhenoneisonlyeightyearsold？

CHAPTERII

ALACKOFPERCEPTION

MercantileasAmericanswereproclaimedtobe，theopinionofSirNigelAnstrutherswasthattheywere，onsomepoints，singularlyunbusinesslike。Intheperfectlyobviousandsimplematterofthesettlementofhisdaughter’sfortune，hehadfeltthatReubenVanderpoelwasobtusetothepointofidiocy。

Heseemedtohavenoneoftheordinarypointsofview。

NaturallytherewastoAnstruthers’mindbutonepointofviewtotake。Amanofbirthandrank，heargued，doesnotcareeracrosstheAtlantictomarryaNewYorkmillionaire’sdaughterunlessheanticipatesderivingsomeadvantagefromthealliance。Suchaman——beingofAnstruthers’type——wouldnothavemarriedarichwomaneveninhisowncountrywithoutmakingsurethatadvantagesweretoaccruetohimselfasaresultoftheunion。"InEngland，"tousehisownwords，"therewasnononsenseaboutit。"Women’sfortunesaswellasthemselvesbelongedtotheirhusbands，andamanwhowasmasterinhisownhousecouldmakehiswifedoashechose。

Hehadseengirlswithmoneymanagedverysatisfactorilybyfellowswhoheldatightrein，andwerenotmovedbytears，anddidnotallowtalkingtorelations。Ifhehadbeendesirousofmarryingandcouldhaveaffordedtotakeapennilesswife，therewerehundredsofportionlessgirlsreadytothankGodforadecentchancetosettlethemselvesforlife，andoneneednotstiroutofone’snativelandtofindthem。

ButSirNigelhadnotintheleastdesiredtosaddlehimselfwithadomesticencumbrance，infactnothingwouldhaveinducedhimtoconsiderthestepifhehadnotbeendrivenhardbycircumstances。Hisfortuneshadreachedastagewheremoneymustbeforthcomingsomehow——fromsomewhere。

Heandhismotherhadbeenlivingfromhandtomouth，sotospeak，foryears，andtheyhadalsobeenobligedtokeepupappearances，whichissometimesembitteringeventopersonsofamiabletempers。LadyAnstruthers，itistrue，hadlivedinthecountryinasniggardlyamanneraspossible。Shehadnarrowedherexistencetoabsoluteprivation，presentingatthesametimeastern，boldfronttothepersonswhosawher，totheinsufficientstaffofservants，tothevillagetothevicarandhiswife，andthefewfar—distantneighbourswhoperhapsonceayeardrovemilestocallorleaveacard。Shewasanoldwomansufficientlyunattractivetofindnodifficultyinthewayoflimitingheracquaintances。Theunprepossessingwardrobeshehadgatheredinthepassingyearswasremadeagainandagainbythevillagedressmaker。Sheworedingyoldsilkgownsandappallingbonnets，andmantlesdrippingwithrustyfringesandbuglebeads，butthesemitigatednotintheleasttheunflinchingarroganceofherbearing，orthesimple，intolerantrudenesswhichsheconsideredproperandbecominginpersonslikeherself。Shedidnotofcourseallowthatthereexistedmanypersonslikeherself。

Thatsocietyrejoicedinthisfactwasbutthestampofitsinferiorityandfolly。WhileshepinchedherselfandharriedherfewhirelingsatStornhamitwasnecessaryforSirNigeltoshowhimselfintownandpresentasdecentanappearanceaspossible。Hisvanitywasfartooarroganttoallowofhispermittinghimselftodropoutoftheworldtowhichhecouldnotaffordtobelong。Thatheshouldhavebeenforgottenorignoredwouldhavebeenintolerabletohim。Forafewyearshewasinvitedtodineatgoodhouses，andgotshootingandhuntingaspartofthehospitalityofhisacquaintances。

Butamanwhocannotaffordtoreturnhospitalitieswillfindthatheneednotexpecttoavailhimselfofthoseofhisacquaintancestotheendofhiscareerunlessheisanextremelyengagingperson。SirNigelAnstrutherswasnotanengagingperson。Henevergaveathoughttothecomfortorinterestofanyotherhumanbeingthanhimself。Hewasalsodominatedbythekindofnastytemperwhichsorevealsitselfwhenletloosethatitsownercannotcontrolitevenwhenitwouldbedistinctlytohisadvantagetodoso。

Findingthathehadnothingtogiveinreturnforwhathetookasifitwerehisright，societygraduallybegantoceasetoretainanylivelyrecollectionofhisexistence。Thetrades—

peoplehehadbornehimselfloftilytowardsawakenedtothefactthathewasthekindofmanitwasatoncesafeandwisetodun，andthereforeproceededtomakehislifeaburdentohim。Athisclubshehadneverbeenamembersurroundedandrejoicedoverwhenhemadehisappearance。Thetimecamewhenhebegantofancythathewasratheredgedawayfrom，andheendeavouredtosustainhisdignitybybeingsulkyandmakingcausticspeecheswhenhewasapproached。DrivenoccasionallydowntoStornhambyactualpressureofcircumstances，hefoundtheoutlooktheremoreembitteringstill。

LadyAnstrutherslaidthebarenessofthelandbeforehimwithoutanyefforttopalliateunpleasantness。Ifhechosetostalkaboutandlookglum，shecouldsitstillandcallhisattentiontorevoltingtruthswhichhecouldnotdeny。Shecouldpointouttohimthathehadnomoney，andthattenantswouldnotstayinhouseswhichweretumblingtopieces，andworklandwhichhadbeenstarved。Shecouldtellhimjusthowlongatimehadelapsedsincewageshadbeenpaidandaccountsclearedoff。Andshehadanengaging，unbiassedwayofseemingtodrivethesemaddeningdetailshomebythemeremannerofherstatement。

"Youmakethewholethingasdamneddisagreeableasyoucan，"Nigelwouldsnarl。

"Imerelystatefacts，"shewouldreplywithacridserenity。

Amanwhocannotkeepuphisestate，payhistailorortherentofhislodgingsintown，isinastraitwhichmaydrivehimtodesperation。SirNigelAnstruthersborrowedsomemoney，wenttoNewYorkandmadehissuittonicelittlesillyRosalieVanderpoel。

Butthewholethingwasunexpectedlydisappointingandsurroundedbyirritatingcircumstances。Hefoundhimselffacetofacewithastateofaffairssuchashehadnotcontemplated。

InEnglandwhenamanmarried，certainpracticalmatterscouldbeinquiredintoandarrangedbysolicitors，theamountoftheprospectivebride’sfortune，theallowancesandsettlementstobemade，thepositionofthebridegroomwithregardtopecuniarymatters。Toputitsimply，amanfoundoutwherehestoodandwhathewastogain。But，atfirsttohissardonicentertainmentandlatertohisdisgustedannoyance，SirNigelgraduallydiscoveredthatinthematterofmarriage，Americanshadaningenuoustendencytobelieveinthesentimentalfeelingsofthepartiesconcerned。

Thegeneralimpressionseemedtobethatamanmarriedpurelyforlove，andthatdelicacywouldmakeitimpossibleforhimtoaskquestionsastowhathisbride’sparentswereinapositiontohandovertohimasasortofindemnityforthelossofhisbachelorfreedom。AnstruthersbegantodiscoverthisfactbeforehehadbeenmanyweeksinNewYork。

Hereachedtherealisationofitsexistencebyprocessesofexclusionandinclusion，byhearingcasualremarkspeopleletdrop，byaskingroundaboutandcarefulquestions，byleadingbothmenandwomentotheinnocentexpoundingofcertainpointsofview。Millionaires，itappeared，didnotexpecttomakeallowancestomenwhomarriedtheirdaughters；youngwomen，ittranspired，didnotintheleastrealisethatamanshouldbeliberallyendowedinpaymentforassumingthedutiesofahusband。Ifrichfathersmadeallowances，theymadethemtotheirdaughtersthemselves，whodisposedofthemastheypleased。Inthiscase，ofcourse，SirNigelprivatelyarguedwithfineacumen，itbecamethehusband’sbusinesstoseethatwhathiswifepleasedshouldbewhatmostagreeablycoincidedwithhisownviewsandconveniences。

Hismostilluminatingexperiencehadbeenthehearingofsomemen，hard—headed，richstockbrokerswithavulgarsenseofhumour，enjoyingthemselvesquiteuproariouslyonenightataclub，overastoryoneofthemwasrelatingofanunsatisfactoryGermanson—in—lawwhohaddemandedanincome。Hewasamanofsmalltitle，whohadmarriedthenarrator’sdaughter，andaftersomemonthsspentinhisfather—

in—law’shouse，hadfeltitbutproperthathisfinancialpositionshouldbeputonapracticalfooting。

"Hebroughtherbackafterthebridaltourtomakeusavisit，"saidthestoryteller，asharp—featuredmanwithaquaintwrymouth，whichseemedtoexpressaperpetual，repressedappreciationofpassingevents。"Ihadnothingtosayagainstthat，becausewewereallgladtoseeherhomeandhermotherhadbeenmissingher。ButweekspassedandmonthspassedandtherewasnomentionmadeofthemgoingovertosettleintheSloshwe’dheardsomuchof，andintimeitcameoutthattheSloshthing"——Anstruthersrealisedwithgallinhissoulthatthe"brute，"ashecalledhim，meant"Schloss，"andthathismispronunciationwasatonceamatterofhumourandderision——"wasn’thisatall。Itwashiselderbrother’s。Thewholelotofthemwerecountsandnotoneofthemseemedtoownadime。TheSloshcounthadn’tmorethantwenty—fivecentsandhewasn’tthekindtodealanyofitouttohisfamily。SoLily’scountwouldhavetogoclerkinginadrygoodsstore，ifhepromisedtosupporthimself。Buthedidn’tproposetodoit。Hethoughthe’dgotontoasoftthing。

Ofcoursewe’reaneasy—goinglotandweshouldhavestoodhimifhe’dbeenanicefellow。Buthewasn’t。Lily’smotherusedtofindhercryinginherbedroomanditcameoutbydegreesthatitwasbecauseAdolfhadbeenquarrellingwithherandsayingsneeringthingsaboutherfamily。Whenhermothertalkedtohimhewasinsulting。ThenbillsbegantocomeinandLilywasexpectedtogetmetopaythem。Andtheywerenotthekindofbillsadecentfellowcallsonanothermantopay。ButIdiditfiveorsixtimestomakeiteasyforher。Ididn’ttellherthattheygaveanolderchapthanhimselfsidelightsonthesituation。Butthatdidn’tworkwell。

HethoughtIdiditbecauseIhadto，andhebegantofeelfreeandeasyaboutit，anddidn’ttrytocoveruphistrackssomuchwhenhesentinanewlot。HewasalwaysworkingLily。Hebegantoconsiderhimselfmasterofthehouse。

Heintimatedthataprivatecarriageoughttobekeptforthem。Hesaiditwasbeggarlythatheshouldhavetoconsidertherestofthefamilywhenhewantedtogoout。WhenIgotontothesituation，Ibegantoenjoyit。Ilethimspreadhimselfforawhilejusttoseewhathewoulddo。GoodLord！

Icouldn’thavebelievedthatanyfellowcouldhavethoughtanyotherfellowcouldbesuchafoolashethoughtIwas。

HewentperfectlycrazyafteramonthorsoandorderedmeaboutandpatronisedmeasifIwasabootblackhemeanttoteachsomethingto。SoatlastIhadatalkwithLilyandtoldherIwasgoingtoputanendtoit。Ofcourseshecriedandwashalffrightenedtodeath，butbythattimehehadill—

usedhersothatsheonlywantedtogetridofhim。SoIsentforhimandhadatalkwithhiminmyoffice。Iledhimontosayingallhehadonhismind。HeexplainedtomewhatacondescensionitwasforamanlikehimselftomarryagirllikeLily。Hemadeadignified，touchingpictureofallthedisadvantagesofsuchanallianceandalltheadvantagestheyoughttobringinexchangetothemanwhoboreupunderthem。Irubbedmyheadandlookedworriedeverynowandthenandclearedmythroatapologeticallyjusttowarmhimup。Icantellyouthatfellowfelthappy，downrighthappywhenhesawhowhumblyIlistenedtohim。Hepositivelyswelledupwithhopeandcomfort。HethoughtIwasgoingtoturnoutwell，realwell。IwasgoingtopayupjustasavulgarNewYorkfather—in—lawoughttodo，andthankGodfortheblessedprivilege。Why，hewasrealeloquentabouthisbloodandhisancestorsandthehoary—headedSlosh。Sowhenhe’dfinished，Iclearedmythroatinanervous，ingratiatingkindofwayagainandIaskedhimkindofanxiouslywhathethoughtwouldbetheproperthingforabase—bornNewYorkmillionairetodounderthecircumstances——whathewouldapproveofhimself。"

SirNigelwasdisgustedtoseethenarratortwisthismouthintoasweet，shrewd，repressedgrinevenasheexpectoratedintothenearestreceptacle。Thegrinwasgreetedbyashoutoflaughterfromhiscompanions。

"Whatdidhesay，Stebbins？"someonecried。

"Hesaid，"explainedMr。Stebbinsdeliberately，"hesaidthatanallowancewastheproperthing。Hesaidthatamanofhisrankmusthaveresources，andthatitwasn’tdignifiedforhimtohavetoaskhiswifeorhiswife’sfatherformoneywhenhewantedit。Hesaidanallowancewaswhathefelthehadarighttoexpect。Andthenhetwistedhismoustacheandsaid，`whatproposition’didImake——whatwouldI

allowhim？"

Thestoryteller’shearersevidentlyknewhimwell。Theirlaughterwaslouderthanbefore。

"Let’sheartherest，Joe！Let’shearit！"

"Well，"repliedMr。Stebbinsalmostthoughtfully，"I

justgotupandsaid，`Well，itwon’ttakelongformetoanswerthat。I’vealwaysbeenfondofmychildren，andLilyisrathermypet。She’salwayshadeverythingshewanted，andshealwaysshall。She’sagoodgirlandshedeservesit。

I’llallowyou————"Thesignificantdeliberationofhisdrawlcouldscarcelybedescribed。"I’llallowyoujustfiveminutestogetoutofthisroom，beforeIkickyouout，andifIkickyououtoftheroom，I’llkickyoudownthestairs，andifIkickyoudownthestairs，IshallhavegotmybloodcomfortablywarmedupandI’llkickyoudownthestreetandroundtheblockanddowntoHoboken，becauseyou’regoingtotakethesteamerthereandgobacktotheplaceyoucamefrom，totheSloshthingorwhateveryoucallit。Wehaven’tadamnedbitofuseforyouhere。’Andbelieveitornot，gentlemen————"

lookingroundwiththewry—mouthedsmile，"hetookthatpassageandbackhewent。AndLily’slivingwithhermotherandImeantoholdontoher。"

SirNigelgotupandlefttheclubwhenthestorywasfinished。HetookalongwalkdownBroadway，gnawinghislipandholdinghisheadintheair。Heusedblasphemouslanguageatintervalsinalowvoice。Someofitwasaddressedtohisfateandsomeofittothevulgarmercantilecoarsenessandobtusenessofotherpeople。

"Theydon’tknowwhattheyaretalkingof，"hesaid。

"Itisunheardof。Whatdotheyexpect？Ineverthoughtofthis。Damnit！I’mlikearatinatrap。"

Itwasplainenoughthathecouldnotarrangehisfortuneashehadanticipatedwhenhedecidedtobegintomakelovetolittlepinkandwhite，doll—facedRosyVanderpoel。Ifhebegantodemandmonetaryadvantagesinhisdealingwithhisfuturewife’speopleintheirsettlementofherfortune，hemightarousesuspicionandinquiry。Hedidnotwantinquiryeitherinconnectionwithhisownmeansorhispastmannerofliving。Peoplewhohatedhimwouldbesuretocropupwithstoriesofthingsbetterleftalone。Therewerealwaysmeddlingfoolsreadytointerfere。

Hiswalkwaslongandfullofsavagethinking。Onceortwiceasherealisedwhatthedisinterestednessofhissentimentswassupposedtobe，ashortlaughbrokefromhimwhichwasratherlikethesnortoftheBishopess。

"IamsupposedtobemoonstruckoverasimperingAmericanchit——moonstruck！Damn！"Butwhenhereturnedtohishotelhehadmadeuphismindandwasbeginningtolookoverthesituationinevilcoldblood。Mattersmustbesettledwithoutdelayandhewasshrewdenoughtorealisethatwithhistemperanditsvariedresourcesatimidgirlwouldnotbedifficulttomanage。HehadseenatanearlystageoftheiracquaintancethatRosywasgreatlyimpressedbythesuperiorityofhisbearing，thathecouldmakeherblushwithembarrassmentwhenheconveyedtoherthatshehadmadeamistake，thathecouldchillhermiserablywhenhechosetoassumealoftystiffness。Aman’sdomesticarmourywasfilledwithweaponsifhecouldmakeawomanfeelgauche，inexperienced，inthewrong。Whenhewassafelymarried，hecouldpavethewaytowhathefeltwastheonlypracticalandfeasibleend。

Ifhehadbeenmarryingawomanwithmorebrains，shewouldbemoredifficulttosubdue，butwithRosalieVanderpoel，processeswerenotnecessary。Ifyoushocked，bewilderedorfrightenedherwithaccusations，sulks，orsneers，herlight，innocentheadwassetinsuchawhirlthattherestwaseasy。Itwaspossible，uponthewhole，thatthethingmightnotturnoutsoinfernallyillafterall。SupposingthatithadbeenBettinawhohadbeenthemarriageableone！Appreciatingtothefullthemanyreasonsforrejoicingthatshehadnotbeen，hewalkedingloomyreflectionhome。

CHAPTERIII

YOUNGLADYANSTRUTHERS

Whenthemarriagetookplacetheeventwasaccompaniedbyaningenuouslyelateflourishoftrumpets。MissVanderpoel’sfrocksweremultitudinousandwonderful，asalsoherjewelspurchasedatTiffany’s。Shecarriedathousandtrunks——moreorless——acrosstheAtlantic。Whentheshipsteamedawayfromthedock，thewharfwaslikeaflowergardenintheblazeofbrilliantanddelicateattirewornbythebevyofrelativesandintimateswhostoodwavingtheirhandkerchiefsandlaughinglycallingoutfarewellgoodwishes。

SirNigel’smentalattitudewasnotasympatheticoradmiringoneashestoodbyhisbride’ssidelookingback。IfRosy’shalfhappy，halftearfulexcitementhadlefthertheleisuretoreflectonhisexpression，shewouldnothavefeltitencouraging。

"WhatadeuceofarowAmericansmake，"hesaidevenbeforetheywereoutofhearingofthevoices。"Itwillbeapositiveresttobeinacountrywherethewomendonotcackleandshriekwithlaughter。"

Hesaiditwiththatsimplerudenesswhichattimesprofessedtobealmostimpersonal，andwhichRosaliehadusuallytriedtobelievewastheoutcomeofakindofcoolBritishhumour。Butthistimeshestartedalittleathiswords。

"IsupposewedomakemorenoisethanEnglishpeople，"

sheadmittedasecondorsolater。"Iwonderwhy？"Andwithoutwaitingforananswer——somewhatasifshehadnotexpectedorquitewantedone——sheleanedalittlefartheroverthesidetolookback，wavinghersmall，flutteringhandkerchieftothemanystillintumultonthewharf。Shewasnotperceptiveorquickenoughtotakeoffence，torealisethattheremarkwassignificantandthatSirNigelhadalreadybegunashemeanttogoon。ItwasfarfrombeinghisintentiontoplaythepartofanAmericanhusband，whowasplainlyacreatureinwhomnoauthorityvesteditself。Americanslettheirwomensayanddoanything，andwerecapableoffetchingandcarryingforthem。Hehadseenamanrunupstairsforhiswife’swrap，cheerfully，withouttheleastapparentsensethattheservicewasthepartofafootmaniftherewasoneinthehouse，aparlourmaidiftherewasnot。SirNigelhadbeenbroughtupinthegoodEarlyVictoriandayswhen"anicelittlewomantofetchyourslippersforyou"figuredincertaincirclesasdomesticbliss。Girlswereeducatedtofetchslippersasretrieversweretrainedtogointothewateraftersticks，andterrierstobringbackballsthrownforthem。

ThenewLadyAnstruthershad，itsupervened，severalopportunitiestoobtainanewviewofherbridegroom’scharacterbeforetheirvoyageacrosstheAtlanticwasover。AtthisperiodoftheslowerandmorecumbrousweavingoftheShuttle，theworldhadnotyetawakenedeventothepossibilitiesoftheoceangreyhound。AnAtlanticvoyageattimeswascapableofofferingtoabrideandbridegroomdaysenoughtobegintoglanceintotheirfuturewithapremonitionofthewaningofthehoneymoon，atleast，andespeciallyiftheywerenotsea—proof，towishwearilythatthefirsthalfofitwereover。Rosaliewasnotweary，butshebegantobebewildered。Asshehadneverbeenaclevergirlorquicktoperceive，andhadspentherlifeamongwomen—indulgingAmericanmen，shewasnotpreparedwithanyprecedentwhichmadehersituationclear。ThefirsttimeSirNigelshowedhistempertohershesimplystaredathim，hereyeslookinglikethoseofapuzzled，questioningchild。Thenshebrokeintohernervouslittlelaugh，becauseshedidnotknowwhatelsetodo。Athissecondoutbreakherstarewasratherstartledandshedidnotlaugh。

Herfirstawakeningwastoananxiouswondermentconcerningcertainmoodsofgloom，orwhatseemedtobegloom，towhichheseemedprone。Asshelayinhersteamerchairhewouldattimesmarchstifflyupanddownthedeck，apparentlyawareofnootherexistencethanhisown，hisfeaturesexpressingacertaincloudedresentmentofwhoseveryunexplainablenessshesecretlystoodinawe。Shewasnotastuteenough，poorgirl，toleavehimalone，andwhenwithinnocentquestioningssheendeavouredtodiscoverhistrouble，thegreatestmystificationsheencounteredwasthathehadthepowertomakeherfeelthatshewasinsomewaytakingaliberty，andshowingherlackoftactandperspicuity。

"Isanythingthematter，Nigel？"sheaskedatfirst，wonderingifshewereguiltyofsillinessintryingtoslipherhandintohis。Shewassureshehadbeenwhenheansweredher。

"No，"hesaidchillingly。

"Idon’tbelieveyouarehappy，"shereturned。"Somehowyouseemso——sodifferent。"

"Ihavereasonsforbeingdepressed，"hereplied，anditwaswithastifffinalitywhichstruckanoteofwarningtoher，signifyingthatitwouldbebettertasteinhertoputanendtohersimpleefforts。

Shevaguelyfeltherselfputinthewrong，andhepreferredthatitshouldbeso。Itwasthebestformofpreparationforanymoodhemightseethatitmightpayhimtoshowherinthefuture。Hewas，infact，confrontingdisdainfullyhisposition。Hehadheronhishandsandhewasreturningtohisrelationswithnodefiniteadvantagetoexhibitastheresultofhavingmarriedher。Shehadbeensuppliedwithanincomebuthehadnocontroloverit。Itwouldnothavebeensoifhehadnotbeeninsuchstraitsthathehadbeenafraidtoriskhischancebymakingastand。Tohaveawifewithmoney，asilly，sweettemperandnowillofherown，wasofcoursebetterthantobepenniless，headoverheelsindebtandhemmedinbydifficultiesoneveryside。Hehadseenwomentrainedtogiveintoanythingratherthanbebulliedinpublic，toaccedeintheendtoanydemandratherthanenduretheshameofacertainkindofscenemadebeforeservants，andacertainkindofinsolenceusedtorelativesandguests。ThequalityhefoundmostmaddeninglyirritatinginRosaliewasherobviouslyabsoluteunconsciousnessofthefactthatitwasentirelynaturalandproperthatherresourcesshouldbeinherhusband’shands。Hehad，indeed，evenintheseearlydays，madeatentativeeffortorsointheformofasuggestivespeech；hehadgivenheropeningstogivehimanopeningtoputthingsonapracticalbasis，butshehadneverhadtheintelligencetoseewhathewasaimingat，andhehadfoundhimselfalmostflounderingungracefullyinhisremarks，whileshehadlookedathimwithoutasignofcomprehensioninhersimple，anxiousblueeyes。Thecreaturewasactuallytryingtounderstandhimandcouldnot。Thatwastheworstofit，theblankwallofherunconsciousness，herchildlikebeliefthathewasfartoograndapersonagetorequireanything。Thesewerethethingshewasthinkingoverwhenhewalkedupanddownthedeckinunamiablesolitariness。

Rosyawakenedtotheamazedconsciousnessofthefactthat，insteadofbeingpleasedwiththeluxuryandprettinessofherwardrobeandappointments，heseemedtodislikeanddisdainthem。

"YouAmericanwomenchangeyourclothestoomuchandthinktoomuchofthem，"wasoneofhisfirstamiablecriticisms。"Youspendmorethanwell—bredwomenshouldspendonmeredressesandbonnets。InNewYorkitalwaysstrikesanEnglishmanthatthewomenlookendimancheatwhatevertimeofdayyoucomeacrossthem。"

"Oh，Nigel！"criedRosywoefully。Shecouldnotthinkofanythingmoretosaythan，"Oh，Nigel！"

"Iamsorrytosayitistrue，"herepliedloftily。ThatshewasanAmericanandaNewYorkerwasbeingimpresseduponpoorlittleLadyAnstruthersinanewway——somehowasifthemerecoldstatementofthefactputafineedgeofsarcasmtoanyremark。Shewasoftooinnocentaloyaltytowishthatshewasneithertheonenortheother，butshedidwishthatNigelwasnotsoprejudicedagainsttheplacesandpeopleshecaredforsomuch。

Shewassittinginherstateroomenfoldedinadressinggowncoveredwithcascadesoflace，tiedwithknotsofembroideredribbon，andhermaid，Hannah，whoadmiredhergreatly，wasbrushingherfairlonghairwithagold—backedbrush，ornamentedwithamonogramofjewels。

IfshehadbeenaFrenchduchessofapiquanttype，oranEnglishonewithanaquilinenose，shewouldhavebeenbeyondcriticism；ifshehadbeenaplump，over—fedwoman，oranugly，ill—natured，grossone，shewouldhavelookedvulgar，butshewasalittle，thin，fairNewYorker，andthoughshewasnotbeyondcriticism——ifonedemandedhighdistinction——

shewasprettyandnicetolookat。ButNigelAnstrutherswouldnotallowthistoher。Hisowntailors’billsbeingfarinarrearsandhispocketdisgustinglyempty，thesightofheringenuoussumptuousnessandthegay，accustomedsimplenessofoutlookwithwhichsheaccepteditashernaturalright，irritatedhimandrousedhisvenom。Billswouldremainunpaidifshewaspermittedtospendhermoneyonthissortofthingwithoutanyconsiderationfortherequirementsofotherpeople。

Heinhaledtheairandmadeagestureofdistaste。

"Thissachetbusinessisratheroverpowering，"hesaid。"Itisthesortofthingawomanshouldbeparticularlydiscreetabout。"

"Oh，Nigel！"criedthepoorgirlagitatedly。"Hannah，dogoandcallthestewardtoopenthewindows。Isitreallystrong？"sheimploredasHannahwentout。"Howdreadful。It’sonlyorrisandIdidn’tknowHannahhadputitinthetrunks。"

"MydearRosalie，"withawaveofthehandtakinginbothherselfandherdressingcase，"itisalltoostrong。"

"All——wh——what？"gaspingly。

"Thewholething。Allthatlaceandloveknotarrangement，thegold—backedbrushesandscentbottleswithdiamondsandrubiesstickinginthem。"

"They——theywereweddingpresents。TheycamefromTiffany’s。Everyonethoughtthemlovely。"

"TheylookasiftheybelongedtothedressingtableofaFrenchwomanofthedemi—monde。IfeelasifIhadactuallywalkedintotheapartmentofsomenotoriousParisiansoubrette。"