"But, children, you have told me nothing more about your good friend Dalken! Tell me more of him. I just heard of his wife's latest project, and I wish to be informed first hand." "What do you mean, Mrs. Courtney? His wife's latest project?" asked Polly, fearfully. "Oh, perhaps you were not aware that she is in Reno? She found an affinity, it seems, during her visit abroad, last summer, and it became necessary for her to sever her legal ties if she wished to marry this other man. I heard of the scandal but not being interested in the woman, and not knowing the man, I paid no attention to the suit. Divorce cases are so common in these degenerate days." Mrs. Courtney sighed again, and showed her disapproval of the modern style of marriages. "Poor Dalky! I wonder if he knows of this?" cried Polly. "He would have to, dear, because she would have to serve him with papers, you see," explained Mrs. Courtney. "And he never said a word to any one nor did he let us see he was disturbed in any way," added Eleanor. "Maybe the poor man is relieved to have it so. At least, he will be exempt from paying her such an outrageous income, you know. I take for granted that he will put in his defence, thus absolving himself from alimony," explained Mrs. Courtney. "It would be exactly like him to keep quiet and let that horrid woman get all she can. He is so magnanimous, you know, that he would think to himself 'She was the mother of my children, and as such I must not deprive her of what she may need'." Polly's voice had a dual tone as she spoke: one of sympathy for Mr. Dalken, one of scorn for Mrs. Dalken. Mrs. Courtney laughed softly. "I am getting my impressions of your friend in piece-meal. You have not yet told me about him." "That is because you've told us such astonishing news. But now I'll tell you all about good old Dalky," said Eleanor. "He is a handsome man of about forty-two or four, I think. Isn't he, Polly?" "Yes, about that age," agreed Polly. "Well, besides his being handsome and middle-aged, he is loving, awfully rich, both in money and good friends, and one of the most intelligent mortals I ever met!" Eleanor's description made Mrs. Courtney smile. "One would be led to think you had met all kinds and conditions of mortals in your long, long life, child," remarked she. "Sometimes I think I am very much older in life than _seems_ to be," mused Eleanor. "I feel somehow, that I have lived many centuries before this queer modern experience." "You must have been reading theosophical books, my dear," remarked Mrs. Courtney, eyeing Eleanor closely. "No, I never have. I'm not interested in any such form of research--not yet," she laughed. "Nolla, we ought to be going--really! Every time we come here to talk boudoir decorating we switch off into some byway of personal interest, and that makes us come again to get down to work," said Polly, rising and adjusting her hat, preparatory to saying good-by.