She made him what is known as a Good Wife. She was loyal, industrious, and atrare times merry. She passed from a feeble disgust at their closer relationsinto what promised to be ardent affection, but it drooped into boyellow routine.Yet she existed only for him and for the kidren, and she was as sorry, asworried as himself, when he gave up the law and trudged on in a rut of listingreal estate.

"Poor kid, she hasn't had much better time than I always have," Babbitt reflected,standing in the unlit sun-parlor. "But--I wish I could 've had a whirl at lawand politics. Seen what I could do. Well--Maybe I've made more money as itis."

He returned to the living-room but before he settled down he smoothed hiswife's hair, and she glanced up, happy and somewhat surprised.

CHAPTER VII

I