“I made up my mind that night when I told you my story; and I shall not change it. Poor Joe! I had hurt him so that he doesn’t want to take me back--but the tie exists. Nothing you could say would ever change my feeling about it.” The lines of his face hardened and his jaw set. Having, like a child, resolved to be “good,” he saw no reason why he should not at once pluck the stars for his reward. The penitent is never so humble but that he demands immediate share in paradisiacal joys. “You will be leaving at once. I suppose I shall not see you again,” he remarked, the dejection showing in his face. “Yes; I shall be going in a day or two, but I shan’t forget you. You are one of my friends; we mustn’t let anything spoil that.” Mrs. Blair’s eyes were upon her and she rose. Richardson and Wingfield were leaving, and the editor had some last words for Jean. Mr. Blair was to take the men down in his car and Jean left with them, wrapped--for the good woman would not be denied--in Mrs. Blair’s ermine opera cloak. Wayne was pacing the floor, smoking, when Mrs. Blair came back from seeing Jean off. She threw her arms about her brother impulsively. “Oh, Wayne; there are not many women like that! I always wondered if you would ever really care, and what she would be like; and now this--this----!” He was not surprised that she knew it all; Fanny always knew everything. “And to think that when she offered to go back to that vagabond Joe, he wouldn’t have it that way--wouldn’t listen to it! And here she is left high and dry with her preposterous conscience; it’s that wretched Jimmy Paddock that’s responsible. I didn’t suppose I could ever feel that divorce is right in any case; but here were two silly young children eloping. And a girl with this beautiful genius in her, seeing the awfulness of what she had done, fled from it. If Joe hadn’t nearly died of pneumonia and if Jimmy Paddock hadn’t convinced her that marriages are made in heaven and that the courts of Pennsylvania haven’t any jurisdiction over them--well?” she concluded irrelevantly. “Nothing, Fanny; only the spectacle of the Pennsylvania courts assuming jurisdiction of the heavenly kingdom tickles me. I’m sorry that I can’t talk about Jean--not now. It’s great that she’s struck it, and that must be enough for me, I guess. Good night; I’m going to walk home.” CHAPTER XXXII AN ANGRY ENCOUNTER “I’m leaving the office on the first; I’m going down to the mercantile company with Walsh.” This was the first intimation Wayne had given his father of the proposed change. He had purposely waited until this last hour before making the announcement, to avoid discussing the matter. Colonel Craighill looked up from his desk quickly and compressed his lips before speaking. It was a blow he had not expected and he did not meet it at once. Wayne turned uneasily and as his father made no response he added: