"And of Perry! I should hope not!" Her gesture was one of amused
indifference. "Jealousy is the darling virtue of the savage, and I may
not be a saint, but at least I'm civilized. Give me food and a warm fire
and clothes to my back, and I'm quite content to let the passions go."

"Even love?" he asked, still smiling.

She shrugged her shoulders--gracefully as few women can. "Love among the
rest--I don't care--why should I? Make me comfortable."

An impulse which was hardly more than a consuming interest in
humanity--in the varied phenomena of life--caused him to draw quickly
nearer.

"You say that because you've 'arrived,'" he declared. "You've 'arrived'
in love as your friend has in literature. The probationary stage after
all is the only one worth while, and you've gone too far beyond it."

"I've gone too far beyond everything," she protested, laughing. "I'm a
graduate of the world. Now Laura--"

The name recalled his thoughts and he repeated it while she paused.
"Laura--it has a jolly sound--and upon my word I haven't seen a woman in
years who has had so much to say to me before I've met her. Do you know,
I already like her--I like her smooth black hair, without any of your
fussy undulations; I like her strong earnest look and the strength in
her brow and chin; I even like the way she dresses--"

Gerty's laugh pealed out, and he broke off with a movement of