Norman bounced off the divan, as if someone had exploded a bomb under him. "Oh, no," he said. "We’re very much obliged to you. But Nina and I never go out in society,"—as Oliver looked a bit taken aback, Norman went on to explain. "You see our marriage was—well—picturesque. I’ve forgotten the date, but you can find the details in the files of any of our newspapers. Fortunately, my wife has no social ambitions, so we don’t have to risk embarrassing people who are kind enough to invite us." Oliver had regained his poise. "Being a stranger to the city," he said, "I am of course ignorant of the matter to which you refer but"—he gracefully took Nina’s hand—"I am quite sure that Mrs. Benson would honor any society. However if it would expose you to any embarrassment, I cannot, of course, insist." Nina’s attitude to Oliver after he was gone was amusing. She had evidently been impressed with his grandeur. But when Norman jokingly accused her of having fallen in love with him, she shuddered. "No," she said with real but ludicrous solemnity—"I wouldn’t like to be his wife." Marie, who had had to undergo the ordeal of sitting on his knee, remarked that he did not know how to play. But in spite of the dislike she had taken to him Nina made me tell in detail everything about the dinner party. It had, I am sure, been a great success from Mrs. Drake’s point of view. There had been two Wall Street millionaires at the table, a great lawyer, a congressman and an ambassador. Because French came to me easily I had to entertain the latter’s wife. The food and the wine had been exquisite. Socially a success, but humanly a barren affair. I made my duty call on Mrs. Drake and would never have gone near them again, if it had not been for a letter I received from Oliver about a month later. He asked me to come for lunch to talk over a scheme he was working out for penal reform. It interested me immensely to see him and his wife working together. He began with a sonorous peroration. The reason the church was losing influence was that it did not take sufficient interest in social problems. He was developing this idea at some length when Mrs. Drake coughed. "The idea is familiar," she said. "Yes, my dear." Coming, as he did, to the direction of one of New York’s most influential churches, a congregation which included many people of great wealth, many people of great influence in the world of business and politics.... Mrs. Blake coughed. "I’m sure Cousin Arnold knows about the church." "Yes, my dear. I was about to say...."