“Don't you be too sure of that, my dear; you don't understand yet what a woman feels and knows. You think she only sees and thinks what she is told. The conceit of men is most amusing about this. Evelyn is deeper than you think. The discrimination of that child sometimes positively frightens me--how she sees into things. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if she actually knew her father and mother!” “Then she beats me,” said Mavick, with another laugh, “and I've been at it a long time. Carmen, just for fun, tell me a little about your early life.” “Well”--there was a Madonna-like smile on her lips, and she put out the toe of her slender foot and appeared to study it for a moment--“I was intended to be a nun.” “Spanish or French?” “Just a plain nun. But mamma would not hear of it. Mamma was just a bit worldly.” “I never should have suspected it,” said Mavick, with equal gravity. “But how did you live in those early days, way back there?” “Oh!” and Carmen looked up with the most innocent, open-eyed expression, “we lived on our income.” “Naturally. We all try to do that.” The tone in Mavick's voice showed that he gave it up. “But, of course,” and Carmen was lively again, “it's much nicer to have a big income that's certain than a small one that is uncertain.” “It would seem so.” “Ah, deary me, it's such a world! Don't you think, dear, that we have had enough domestic notoriety for one year?” “Quite. It would do for several.” “And we will put it off a year?” “Arrange as you like.” And Mavick stretched up his arms, half yawned, and took up another cigar. “It will be such a relief to McDonald. She insisted it was too soon.” And Carmen whirled out of her chair, went behind her husband, lifted with her delicate fingers a lock of grayish hair on his forehead, deposited the lightest kiss there--“Nobody in the world knows how good you are except me,” and was gone. And the rich man, who had gained everything he wanted in life except happiness, lighted his cigar and sought refuge in a tale of modern life, that was, however, too much like his own history to be consoling.