hard-earned position; a man must be extremely careful or he would
find himself forced to hard choice between keeping on with a woman
he wished to be rid of and paying out a large part of his income
in alimony. It seemed far-fetched to think of these things in
connection with such a woman as Margaret. He certainly never could
grow tired of her, and her looks were of the sort that had staying
power. Nor was she in the least likely to be so ungrateful as to
wish to be rid of him and hold him up for alimony. Still--
wouldn't it have been seemingly just as absurd to consider in
advance such sordid matters in connection with any one of a dozen
couples among his friends whose matrimonial enterprises had gone
smash? It was said that nowadays girls went to the altar thinking
that if the husbands they were taking proved unsatisfactory they
would soon be free again, the better off by the title of Mrs. and
a good stiff alimony and some invaluable experience. "I must keep
my head," thought he. "I must consider how I'd feel after the
fatal cards were out."

"Yes, you were quite eager for me to marry him," persisted she.
She was watching his face out of the corner of her eye.

"I admit it," said he huskily. "But we've both changed since
then."

"Changed?" said she, perhaps a shade too encouragingly.

He felt the hook tickling his gills and darted off warily.
"Changed toward him, I mean. Changed in our estimate of his
availability as a husband for you." He rose; the situation was
becoming highly perilous. "I must speak to your mother and fly.