she handed to her husband one afternoon his return from the mills she sat behind the tea table in the draw l ing room now at last transformed not into mrs s vision of something lovely in seize but into a warm yet sober setting for books for scattered for deep chairs and shaded lamps in pleasant to other raised his eyes from the letter thinking as he did so how well her bright head with its flame like play of fitted into the background she had made for il still of external details he was beginning to feel a vague well being of the eye wherever her touch had passed well we must do it he said simply oh must we she murmured holding out his cup he smiled at her note of unnatural woman new york � do you really dislike it so much she tried to bring a tone of consent into her voice i shall be very glad to be with again � and that of course she reflected is the reason why mr wants us � if it is it s a good reason but how much shall you be with us af ik tree if i o m the fruit of the tree if you say so i ll arrange to get away for a month or two oh no i don t want that she said with a smile that a little but why should not come here if mr is cut off from his usual amusements i m afraid that would only make him more lonely yes i suppose so she put aside her cup resting her elbows on her knees and her chin on her clasped hands in the attitude habitual to her in moments of inward debate rose and seated himself on the sofa beside her dear what is it he said drawing her hands down so that she had to turn her face to his nothing i don t know a superstition i ve been so happy here is our happiness too to be she smiled and answered by another question you don t mind doing it then hesitated shall i tell you i feel that it s a sort of ring of it may buy off the jealous gods a faint shrinking from some suggestion seemed to press her closer to him then you feel they are jealous she breathed in a half laugh i pity them if they re not yes she agreed to his tone i only had a fancy that they might overlook such a dull place as the fruit of the tree drew her to him isn t it on the contrary the ash heaps that the rag there was no it she was growing afraid of her happiness her husband s of the ring expressed her fear she seemed to herself to carry a jewel on her breast � something that out for human envy and divine pursuit she had preposterous longing to dress plainly and y subdue her voice and gestures to try to slip through fe unnoticed yet all the while she knew that her jewel ould shoot its rays through every disguise and from le depths of ancient instincts came the hope was right � that by sacrificing their precious to mr s convenience they might still the gods once pledged to her new task as usual it with it was pleasant even among joys to see her husband again frankly by mr to see bloom into at their coming and to mr exclaim in a confidential aside to his son in law it s wonderful the that wife of yours bout her the element of was the only one in which it could draw breath and to those who him in it he was prodigal of delicate the experiment in short was a complete and even s necessary weeks at rd had the merit of giving a finer to his brief the fruit of the tree of all this was thinking as she drove down fifth avenue one january afternoon to meet her husband at the grand central station she had tamed her happiness at last the quality of fear had left it and it in her heart like some wild creature subdued to human ways and as her inward bliss became more and more a quiet habit of the mind the longing to help and minister returned absorbing her more deeply in her husband s work she dismissed the carriage at the station and when his train had arrived they emerged together into the cold winter twilight and turned up avenue these walks home from the station gave them a little more time to themselves than if they had driven and there was always so much to tell on both sides this time the news was all good the work at was and on s side there was a more cheerful report of mr s health and � best of all � his promise to give them for the summer and were both anxious that the child should spend more time at that her young associations should begin to gather about and in the fact that the suggestion had come from mr himself while she and were still planning how to lead him up to it they reached the house while this triumph was still engaging them and in the doorway turned to her with a smile and of course � dear man � he believes the idea is all his there s nothing you can t make people believe you little i don t think there is she boasted falling gaily the of the tree i into his tone and then as the door opened and she entered the hall her eyes fell on a blotted envelope which lay among the letters on the table the parlour maid proffered it with a word of explanation a gentleman left it for you madam he asked to see you 