Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-15
Must
the
Woman
Al,uays
Pay?

For another, admiration Of her means
passing disloyalty to his wife, whose
nntithesis she Is. Yet I believe Mrs.
Crayne's salon is crowded night after
night. She offers them just enough ex.
element to make them forget the lack
OF excitement at home"
" Excitement !" echoed Nadia, rest.
'cssy. Dear Lady Gloucester. 1 don't
mean to be rude. but really, people who
fall back on excitement nowadays to
keep each other interested. Home life
isn't as dull as 1t used to be; there's
companionship-"
II have spent a lot of money in my
time interrupted Lady Gloucester.
and l have every intention of spend.
ing a lot more. And most Of It, my
dear. has gone in being a companion
to my husband. can see you don't
quite believe me. You think I've
bought recklessly. you think you can
you can. May ! tell you why?"
Nadia made a little movement of pro.
test, but Lady Gloucester appeared not
"You understand wilfred thoroughly.
dear child. You have been a worker
yourself. and you respond to the work
forces In him and respect them. Prob
ably. you hope to work with him. not
In the old way, but on a hundred new
points, any one Of which will make
typing his reports and letters seem
mere drudgery. And yet, II you per.
sist In tearing your way out into the
open, as you have put 1t, you will find
the avenues of real co. operation closed
left.
MY dear, have you pictured to your.
self exactly what your lives would be
without all the hopes and plans you
have built upon money? Oh, l know il
sounds crude, but after all, you know
what poverty is. You haven't always
| thought In terms of cars and country
houses. Look nt this place--look ut
yourself-and admit that it's money
that has made them possible"
Money Is Necessary
In spite Of herself Nadia looked. The
room in which they sat was beautiful
with the mellow beauty Of carved oak
and lustrous velvets and leather stamped
with gold. Opposite her long Vcne-
tian mirror cleaned and she saw her.
| self sitting gracefully. easily, in a won.
derful old chair that six months ago
would have struck her dumb with ad-
miration. Her eyes followed the lines
OF her summer frOck, miracle of costly
simplicity. She drew deep breath and
felt her silken garments caress her as
II all her life she had worn nothing of
coarser texture.
when I married" Lady Doucester
went on steadily. II was immensely
ambitious for my husband. He was
to me that together we could carve u
splendid destiny out of life. l won't
describe the first years to you--the bit
ter establishment of them. My hus.
band was all had thought and more ;
| was ready to help him till dropped |:
but We simply never had a chance. We
were wretchedly poor, Nadia. The
| Doucesters had always been poor; there
was no money in the family; and I saw
that without it We could do nothing"
An unwilling interest had crept into
Nadia's eyes.
But somehow you got your chance"
she said.
"Only because somehow--never mind
how-we got money"
There was q brooding watchfulncs in
the low spoken words. Nadia listened
more closely.
"It is Of those first lean years that
| am thinking. You say that you in
tend to repay every penny that Mr..
Jarroman has given you. DO you real. Z.
izc what that will mean? AIOllentravc
and were poor-Wilfred. if he is to
make full restitution on your behalf.
| will be bankrupt. Mollentrave and
practiced a thousand dreary little econ
omies in order to reach our g0al-you
two will ,economize uselessly. for the
goal will have vanished. No member of
Parliament may be a bankrupt. You
know, th0t a,,,.o1vc I hoyn M Ir,bt
that Wilfred would work his way back
to solvepcy, but his courage would have
gone. The struggle to provide a small
margin beyond the bare necessities
would absorb him; in sense think
1t would break him."
Nadia stumbled to her feet, and max.
ing her way to the long window, stood
gazing out. Lady Doucester's voice
pursued her remorselessly.
"Wilfred is as clever as his father.
in some ways cleverer; you are more
beautiful than l was in my youth, and
your generation is kinder to you than
mine was to me, for It gives you free
dom. vividness. as it were, that is in
itself an enormous weapon. l agree
with all my heart that things have
changed since my day, and every time
invest in new complexion l do 1t In
nowadays people can struggle back to
prosperity from the bottom Of the lad
der. / agree that often the really brill
liant man is discovered and pitchforked
out of Obscurity into the full glare of
public recognition. But all this Is not
what you and Wilfred p!anned-all this
is not companionship.
Nadia curved bare arm against the
window frame and bent her head against
it.
Lady Gloucester rose. She made no
movement to approach. but force that
was akin to cruelty leapcd from her
mind to that of the girl who listened.
"These strokes OF fortune, coming to
the man alone. bring no companion
ship. They may take the woman's
breath away. but they leave her lonely.
II Wilfred, plunged into bankruptcy as
he must be, were helped to free him
self, helped, ] mean, through the in
fuence and the money Of other people,
he might still make good. But It would
not have been through you 1t would
have been in spite Of you."
"But / am not building our happi-
ness on Wilfrcd's gratitude to me! !
admit I shall spoil everything for bit,
! | maintain that ] cannot do other
wise. If Wilfrcd afterward is helped to
make good. as you call 1t. by some
third person. that won't destroy our
love for each other. II he has to go
without second chance ami be just
one of crowd, that won't destroy love,
either"
! q