Joe dropped on the sofa, all of a piece. His legs and arms jerked restlessly. There was no guard on his sharp face, and the successive emotions flickered there, and gave place to each other, as inconsistently as in the face of a wild being. He looked at her savagely and cravenly. He snarled; and his whole face became suffused with a dark delight. “You——!” said Joe thickly. “I’ll pay you out for this!” Jewel turned around. Her broad face creased into wrinkles. She laughed richly in her throat. “You come here!” said Joe. “You come here!” she said coolly. “You don’t own me!” “I’ll show you!” She awaited him massively. He did not go to her in a straight line, but veered; and his shoulders writhed. His darting eyes could not meet her steady, laughing ones. His eyes were perfectly irresponsible. Deep, fixed lines of pain and bliss were etched about his grinning lips. “By God! One of these days I’ll kill you!” he muttered, enraptured. She laughed from her capacious breast. “You talk so big!” * * * * * Raising himself on his elbow, Joe felt around on the bed for the cigarettes. “Just the same,” he said in an aggrieved voice, “I don’t see why you’ve got to have anybody but me.” “Yeah,” she said, “sit here twiddling my thumbs, eh? till you happen to feel like coming round.” “I haven’t got anybody but you.” “So _you_ say. How do I know whether you have or not? It’s nothing to me either way. . . . You’ve got a wife.” “Aah! I don’t trouble her no more. It’s better that way. As long as I did, we used to scrap. . . . She never meant anything in particular to me. Too high-toned.” “You got plenty other interests,” said Jewel. “Men are my amusement. They come here, and talk about their wives. I listen, and thank my God I’m no man’s wife. I’m a luxury to them, see? And you bet they have to mind themselves around me.” “Just the same . . .” grumbled Joe. “What’s the matter with you? You never bothered about it before. Only to-night you happened to. . . .” “Who was he?” “I shan’t tell you. He don’t cut no ice, anyhow.” “Well, I admit I don’t like to have my bed warmed for me.” “Find another bed, then. There’s no use grousing about it, and you know it. I mean to live as I please.” “Aah!” he grumbled, “a person would think it was nothing at all to have Joe Kaplan in your bed.” “Aah!” she retorted, “your money’s no good to you _there_!” She chuckled at her own joke, and the bed shook. Joe, laughing too, tumbled her roughly. “Your wife must be a funny one,” she said presently. “She’s all right!” said Joe, carelessly. “I did a damn good day’s work when I copped her. Year by year she gets handsomer. There ain’t a woman in New York can wear diamonds like her. She gives my house the style of a King’s palace.” “But never to quarrel with you?”