way," rang false. Pauline had been divorced, a few years ago, and
the only thing Cherry disliked in her friend was her cold and
resentful references to her first husband.

No, she couldn't be a divorced woman. It was all spoiled, the
innocent past and the future; there was no way out! She gave up
the attempt at a letter, and began to annoy Martin with talk of a
visit home again.

"You were there six months ago!" Martin reminded her.

"Eight months ago, Mart."

"What you want to go for?"

"Oh, just--just--" Cherry's irrepressible tears angered herself
almost as much as they did Martin. "I think they'd like me to!"
she faltered.

"Go if you want to!" he said, but she knew she could not go on
that word.

"That's it," she said at last to herself, in one of her solitary
hours. "I'm married, and this is marriage. For the rest of my life
it'll be Mart and I--Mart and I--in everything! For richer for
poorer, for better for worse-that's marriage. He doesn't beat me,
and we have enough money, and perhaps there are a lot of other
women worse off than I am. But it's--it's funny."