still several hours to dispose of before the de ms the fruit of the tree of the midnight train and if she did not return hours and dates no longer existed for her it would be easier � infinitely easier � not to go back to take up her life with would under any circumstances be painful enough to take it up under the of her pledge to mr seemed more than human courage could face as she approached the square she had almost reached the conclusion that such a temporary renewal was beyond her strength � beyond what any standard of duty the question of an alternative hardly troubled her she would simply go on living and find an escape in work and material hardship it would not be hard for so a person to slip back into the obscure mass of humanity she paused a moment on the edge of the square vaguely seeking a direction for her feet that might permit the working of her thoughts to go on and as she stood there her eyes fell on the bench near the corner of twenty sixth street where she had sat with on the day of his flight from l he too had dreamed of escaping from problems into the clear air of hard work and simple duties and she remembered with which she had turned him back the cases of course were not identical since he had been flying in anger and wounded pride from a situation for which he was in no wise to blame j t i the fruit of the tree yet if even at such a moment she had insisted on charity and forbearance how could she now show less than she had of him if you go away for a time surely it ought to be in such a way that your going does not seem to cast any reflection on that was how she had put it to him and how with the mere change of a name she must now for reasons as put it to herself it was just as much a part of the course she had planned to return to her husband now and take up their daily life together as it would later on be her duty to drop out of that life when her doing so could no longer involve him in the penalty to be paid she stood a little while looking at the bench on which they had sat and gi thanks in her heart for the past strength which was now helping to build up her failing courage such a business are our best yet so faithfully does each weak upward impulse reach back a hand to the next s explanation of her to mr was not wholly to her husband she did not conceal from him that the scene had been painful but she gave him to understand as briefly as possible that mr after his first movement of distress had seemed able to make for the pressure under which she had acted and tliat he the fruit of the tree had at any rate ven no sign of intending la let her confession make any change in the relation between the if she did not � as afterward recalled � put all this into words she contrived to convey it in her in her allusions above all in her recovered composure she had the of one who has gone through a severe of strength but come out of it in complete control of the situation there was something slightly unnatural in this prompt solution of so complicated a difficulty and it had the effect of making ask himself what to produce such a result must have been the of her communication to mr if the latter bad any disposition to be cruel or even unjust s would have rushed instantly to his wife s defence but the fact that there was apparently to be no call on them left his reason free to compare and with the final result thai the more he pondered on his father in law s attitude the less intelligible it became a few days after s return he was called to new york on business and before leaving he told her that he should of course take the opportunity of a talk with mr she received the statement with the gentle composure from which she had not departed since her return from town and he added as if to provoke her to the fruit of the tree a clearer expression of feeling i shall not be satisfied of till i see for myself just how he feels � just how at bottom this has affected him � since my own future relation to him will as i have already told you depend entirely on his treatment of you she met this without any sign of disturbance his treatment of me was very kind she said but would it not on your part she continued hesitatingly be kinder not to touch on the subject so soon again the line deepened between his brows touch on it i sha n t rest till i ve gone to the bottom of it till then you must understand he up with decision i fed myself only on here at yes � i understand she assented and as he bent over to kiss her for a impenetrable barrier seemed to lie between their lips it was s turn to await with a passionate anxiety her husband s home coming and when on the third day he reappeared her dearly acquired self control gave way to a tremulous eagerness this was after all the turning point in their lives thing depended on how mr had played up to his cue had kept to his side of their bond s face showed signs of when feeling once broke out in him it had full play the fruit of the tree and 