Manslaughter

								

"She had two prison reformers there to-day--old women with pear-shaped
faces, and I had a perfectly horrid morning in town trying to get some
rags to put on my back, and--Nell, will you tell me why you recommended
Lurline to me? I never saw such atrocious clothes."
"I didn't recommend her," answered Nellie, unstampeded by the attack. "I
told you that pale, pearl-like chorus girl dressed there, and your
latent desire to dress like a chorus girl----"
"Oh, Lydia doesn't want to dress like a chorus girl!"
"Thank you, Bobby."
"She wants to dress like the savages in Aïda."
"In mauve maillots and chains?"
"In tiger skins and beads, and crouch through the jungle."
"I was so sulky I didn't give a cent to prison reform. Do you think
prisons ought to be made too comfortable? I don't want to be cruel,
but----"
"Well, it's something, my dear, that you don't want to be."
"You mean I am? That's what Benny says. But I'm not. Is this ten cents a
point?"
Eleanor, who like many intellectuals found her excitement in fields
where chance was eliminated, protested that ten cents a point was too
high, but her objections were swept away by Lydia.
"Oh, no, Eleanor; play for beans if you want; but if you are going to
gamble at all----"
Tim Andrews interrupted.
"My dear Lydia," he said, "I feel it only right to tell you that the
Anti-Lydia Club was being organized when you arrived. Its membership
consists of all those you have bullied, and its object is to oppose you
in all small matters."
"Whether I'm right or not, Tim?"
"Everybody's worst when they're right," murmured Eleanor.
"We decided before you came that we all wished to play five cents a
point," Tim continued firmly.
"All right," said Lydia briskly. "Only you know it bores me, and it
bores Bobby, too, doesn't it, Bobby?"
"Not particularly," replied Dorset; "but I know if it bores you none of
us will have a pleasant time."
Lydia smiled.
"Is that an insult or a tribute?"
Bobby smiled back at her.
"I think it's an insult, but you rather like it."
Half an hour later they were playing for ten cents a point.

CHAPTER II

Lydia had offered to drop Bobby at the railroad station on her way home,
although she had to go a few miles out of her way to do it. He was going
back to town. It was dark by the time they started. She liked the
feeling of having him there tucked in beside her while she absolutely
controlled his destiny for the next half hour. She liked even to take
risks with his life, more precious to her at least for the time than any
other, in the hope that he would protest, but he never did. He
understood his Lydia.
After a few minutes she observed, "I suppose you know Eleanor has a new
young man."
"Intensely interesting, or absolutely worth while?" he asked.
"Both, according to her. She's bringing him out at the Piers' this
evening. She was just asking me to be nice to him."