Transcriber's Notes: Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=. Small uppercase have been replaced with regular uppercase. Blank pages have been eliminated. Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the original. THE THREE LOVERS FRANK SWINNERTON BY FRANK SWINNERTON THE THREE LOVERS COQUETTE SEPTEMBER SHOPS AND HOUSES NOCTURNE THE CHASTE WIFE ON THE STAIRCASE THE HAPPY FAMILY THE CASEMENT THE YOUNG IDEA THE MERRY HEART GEORGE GISSING _A Critical Study_ R. L. STEVENSON _A Critical Study_ THE THREE LOVERS BY FRANK SWINNERTON AUTHOR OF "COQUETTE," "SEPTEMBER," "SHOPS AND HOUSES," "NOCTURNE," ETC. NEW YORK GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY [Illustration] THE THREE LOVERS. II PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CONTENTS PART ONE CHAPTER PAGE ONE: THE STUDIO 9 TWO: NEW FRIENDS 22 THREE: PATRICIA 44 FOUR: THE REACTION 64 FIVE: EDGAR MOVES 77 SIX: EVENING WITH HARRY 90 SEVEN: SECOND EVENING 107 EIGHT: A DAY IN PATRICIA'S LIFE 124 NINE: MISCHIEF 148 PART TWO TEN: EDGAR HEARS A WISEACRE 163 ELEVEN: CHANGE 178 TWELVE: ENCOUNTER 191 THIRTEEN: THE SIBYL 210 FOURTEEN: ANOTHER DAY 222 FIFTEEN: CONTRAST 238 SIXTEEN: PLAYING WITH FIRE 256 SEVENTEEN: THE VISITOR 272 EIGHTEEN: BLANCHE 286 NINETEEN: NIGHT CALL 296 TWENTY: BABIES 314 PART ONE THE THREE LOVERS CHAPTER ONE: THE STUDIO i