Jim regarded her so long without speaking that she flushed under his scrutiny. “There’s no use trying to deceive me, Lucy. Your looks tell that you’ve been through something serious.” “There’s no use in trying anything, Jim.” Her tone was new to him. “Lucy!” he exclaimed. “You know that I----” John and Nannie came in and Jim stopped speaking. “You can serve dinner now, Katy,” Mrs. Merwent called as she left the kitchen. The family were soon seated at the table. “You’re quite a stranger, Mr. Sprague,” Nannie began. “Yes, Mrs. Merwent,” said Jim stiffly. “We have spoken of you so often. Haven’t we, Lucy?” Mrs. Merwent turned to her daughter. Jim interrupted before Lucy could reply. “Business is very engrossing, Mrs. Merwent. We have new competition. A lady architect has rented offices in the same building with us.” “You must mean the lady architect is very engrossing, Mr. Sprague,” smiled Nannie. “You seem to have quite forgotten poor Lucy and me--though of course I don’t count.” “The lady architect is designing small houses too rapidly to leave either herself or me time for personal interests,” responded Jim. “Well, I think she might be better employed than in trying to compete with men in business,” declared Nannie vigorously. “I don’t believe in women earning their own living. The woman’s place is in the home.” “Why, more than the man’s?” Jim questioned. John answered for her. “Because she’s not fitted by nature to compete with men.” “Our new competitor has gotten four contracts this month right under our nose.” Jim smiled slightly. “That’s only because she’s a sort of novelty. It won’t last.” There was no lightness in John’s manner. “Well, according to Layard’s she’s been at it for six years, and made enough in a small place to enable her to break into big-city practice, just as we did.” “A woman can’t attend to her home and her children and be in business,” persisted John. “This one’s got neither, being unmarried, and there are thousands of others in the same fix.” Jim warmed to his subject. “If a man wants money and success, he’s free to get out and go after them, and I fail to see why a woman hasn’t the same right. I don’t see why she lowers herself any more than by living on charity.” “Like me and Lucy,” put in Mrs. Merwent quickly. “I don’t mean every woman,” said Jim. “You know what I mean, Lucy. You and I have discussed it a dozen times. What’s the use of insisting a woman’s place is in the home whether she has any home or not, or whether she and her children have enough to make them comfortable or not?” Lucy did not answer. “Woman’s place is in the home because she has the babies and man doesn’t,” John asserted again. “I don’t see that she has them any more than the man does,” retorted Jim. “You don’t? Well, I don’t think you’d find many women to agree with you!” John’s tone was finely sarcastic.