however. He managed in very short order to convince her that it is a very
ignorant mother who permits her daughter to marry a man without means.
They hadn't been married three years when his wife had learned her lesson.
It was too late to get rid of Roger, and by that time I was happily
married to a girl who was quite as rich as I, and could afford to do as
she pleased. So, you see, Anne's grandmother had to leave me out of the
case, even though Roger would have been perfectly delighted to have given
her sufficient grounds for divorce. I think you knew Anne's grandmother,
Braden?" He paused for an answer, a sly, appraising look in his eyes.
Receiving no response except a slight nod of the head, he chuckled softly
and went on with the history.

"Poor soul, she's gone to her reward. Now we come to Anne's mother. She
was an only child,—and one was quite enough, I assure you. No mother ever
had greater difficulty in satisfactorily placing a daughter than had Mrs.
Blair. There was an army of young but not very dependable gentlemen who
would have married her like a flash, notwithstanding her own poverty, had
it not been for the fact that Mrs. Blair was so thoroughly educated by
this time that she couldn't even contemplate a mistake in her
calculations. She had had ample proof that love doesn't keep the wolf from
the door, nor does it draw five per cent, as some other bonds do. She
brought Constance up in what is now considered to be the most approved
fashion in high society. The chap who had nothing but health and ambition
and honour and brains to offer, in addition to that unprofitable thing
called love, was a viper in Mrs. Blair's estimation. He was very properly
and promptly stamped upon by the fond mother and doubtless was very glad
to crawl off into the high grass, out of danger. He—"

"What has all this got to do with your present behaviour?" demanded Braden
harshly. "Speaking of vipers," he added, by way of comment.