"he'll come home."

"Come home, eh?" said the lawyer, with a shrewd look. "He knows your
intentions, of course?"

"He ought to!" said Emeline with spirit, and she began again: "I don't
think there's a person in the world could say that I'm not a good wife,
Mr. Knowles! I never so much as looked at another man--I swear to God I
never did! And there's no other man in the case. If I can have my
dolling little girl, and just live quiet, with a few friends near me,
that's all I ask! If Mr. Page had his way, I'd never put foot out of
doors; but mind you, _he'd_ be off with the boys every night. And that
means drink, you know--"

"Well, well," the young lawyer said soothingly, "I guess you've been
treated pretty mean, all right."

Emeline went home to find--somewhat to her embarrassment--that George
had come in, and was in his happiest mood, and playing with Julia. Julia
had somehow lost her babyish beauty now; she was thin and lanky, four
teeth were missing, and even her glorious mop of hair seemed what her
mother called "slinky."

"I landed the Fox order right over Colton's head!" said George.

Emeline said: "I wish to the Lord you'd quit opening that window,
leaving the wind blow through here like a cave!"

"Well, the place smelled like a Jap's room!" George retorted, instantly
aggressive.