I'll be back."
She went away, remaining in her room as long as she reasonably could, and Lester and Letty fell to discussing old times in earnest.
He recounted as much of his experiences as he deemed wise, and Letty brought the history of her life up to date.
"Now that you're safely married, Lester," she said daringly, "I'll confess to you that you were the one man I always wanted to have propose to me—and you never did."
"Maybe I never dared," he said, gazing into her superb black eyes, and thinking that perhaps she might know that he was not married.
He felt that she had grown more beautiful in every way. She seemed to him now to be an ideal society figure-perfection itself—gracious, natural, witty, the type of woman who mixes and mingles well, meeting each new-comer upon the plane best suited to him or her.
"Yes, you thought!
I know what you thought.
Your real thought just left the table."
"Tut, tut, my dear. Not so fast.
You don't know what I thought."
"Anyhow, I allow you some credit.
She's charming."
"Jennie has her good points," he replied simply.
"And are you happy?"
"Oh, fairly so.
Yes, I suppose I'm happy—as happy as any one can be who sees life as it is.
You know I'm not troubled with many illusions."
"Not any, I think, kind sir, if I know you."
"Very likely, not any, Letty; but sometimes I wish I had a few.
I think I would be happier."
"And I, too, Lester.
Really, I look on my life as a kind of failure, you know, in spite of the fact that I'm almost as rich as Croesus—not quite. I think he had some more than I have."
"What talk from you—you, with your beauty and talent, and money—good heavens!"
"And what can I do with it?
Travel, talk, shoo away silly fortune-hunters.
Oh, dear, sometimes I get so tired!"
Letty looked at Lester.
In spite of Jennie, the old feeling came back.
Why should she have been cheated of him?
They were as comfortable together as old married people, or young lovers.
Jennie had had no better claim.
She looked at him, and her eyes fairly spoke.
He smiled a little sadly.
"Here comes my wife," he said.
"We'll have to brace up and talk of other things.
You'll find her interesting—really."
"Yes, I know," she replied, and turned on Jennie a radiant smile.
Jennie felt a faint sense of misgiving.
She thought vaguely that this might be one of Lester's old flames.
This was the kind of woman he should have chosen—not her.
She was suited to his station in life, and he would have been as happy—perhaps happier.
Was he beginning to realize it?
Then she put away the uncomfortable thought; pretty soon she would be getting jealous, and that would be contemptible.
Mrs. Gerald continued to be most agreeable in her attitude toward the Kanes.
She invited them the next day to join her on a drive through Rotten Row. There was a dinner later at Claridge's, and then she was compelled to keep some engagement which was taking her to Paris.
She bade them both an affectionate farewell, and hoped that they would soon meet again.
She was envious, in a sad way, of Jennie's good fortune.
Lester had lost none of his charm for her.
If anything, he seemed nicer, more considerate, more wholesome.