"Pete, dearest, of course it is! But--" and Alix looked doubtfully
from one to the other--"but divorce is a hateful thing!" she
added, shaking her head, "it--it never seems to me justifiable!"

"Divorce is an institution," Peter said. "You may not like it any
more than you like prisons or mad-houses; it has its uses."

"People get divorces every day!" Cherry added. "Isn't divorce
better than living along in marriage--without love?"

"Oh, love!" Alix said, scornfully. "Love is just another name for
passion and selfishness and laziness, half the time!"

"You can say that, because yours is one of the happy marriages,"
Cherry said. "It might be very different--if Peter weren't Peter!"

As she said his name she sent him her trusting smile, her blue
eyes shone with affection, and the exquisite curve of her mouth
deepened. Peter smiled back, and looked away in a little
confusion.

"I can't imagine the circumstances under which I shouldn't love
you and Peter!" Alix summarized it, triumphantly.

"And Martin?" Peter asked.

"Ah, well, I didn't marry Martin!" his wife reminded him quickly.
"I didn't promise to love and honour Martin in sickness and
health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse--by George!"
Alix interrupted herself, in her boyish way, "those are terrific