She could suggest in a nebulous, blundering way things that would be good for them to do.
Most of all at present their thoughts centered upon Chicago society, the new house, which by now had been contracted for, and what it would do to facilitate their introduction and standing.
Never did a woman’s life look more rosy, Aileen thought.
It was almost too good to be true.
Her Frank was so handsome, so loving, so generous.
There was not a small idea about him.
What if he did stray from her at times?
He remained faithful to her spiritually, and she knew as yet of no single instance in which he had failed her.
She little knew, as much as she knew, how blandly he could lie and protest in these matters.
But he was fond of her just the same, and he really had not strayed to any extent.
By now also, Cowperwood had invested about one hundred thousand dollars in his gas-company speculations, and he was jubilant over his prospects; the franchises were good for twenty years. By that time he would be nearly sixty, and he would probably have bought, combined with, or sold out to the older companies at a great profit.
The future of Chicago was all in his favor.
He decided to invest as much as thirty thousand dollars in pictures, if he could find the right ones, and to have Aileen’s portrait painted while she was still so beautiful.
This matter of art was again beginning to interest him immensely.
Addison had four or five good pictures—a Rousseau, a Greuze, a Wouverman, and one Lawrence—picked up Heaven knows where.
A hotel-man by the name of Collard, a dry-goods and real-estate merchant, was said to have a very striking collection.
Addison had told him of one Davis Trask, a hardware prince, who was now collecting.
There were many homes, he knew where art was beginning to be assembled.
He must begin, too.
Cowperwood, once the franchises had been secured, had installed Sippens in his own office, giving him charge for the time being.
Small rented offices and clerks were maintained in the region where practical plant-building was going on.
All sorts of suits to enjoin, annul, and restrain had been begun by the various old companies, but McKibben, Stimson, and old General Van Sickle were fighting these with Trojan vigor and complacency.
It was a pleasant scene.
Still no one knew very much of Cowperwood’s entrance into Chicago as yet.
He was a very minor figure.
His name had not even appeared in connection with this work.
Other men were being celebrated daily, a little to his envy.
When would he begin to shine?
Soon, now, surely.
So off they went in June, comfortable, rich, gay, in the best of health and spirits, intent upon enjoying to the full their first holiday abroad.
It was a wonderful trip.
Addison was good enough to telegraph flowers to New York for Mrs. Cowperwood to be delivered on shipboard. McKibben sent books of travel.
Cowperwood, uncertain whether anybody would send flowers, ordered them himself—two amazing baskets, which with Addison’s made three—and these, with attached cards, awaited them in the lobby of the main deck.
Several at the captain’s table took pains to seek out the Cowperwoods.
They were invited to join several card-parties and to attend informal concerts.
It was a rough passage, however, and Aileen was sick.
It was hard to make herself look just nice enough, and so she kept to her room.
She was very haughty, distant to all but a few, and to these careful of her conversation.
She felt herself coming to be a very important person.
Before leaving she had almost exhausted the resources of the Donovan establishment in Chicago.
Lingerie, boudoir costumes, walking-costumes, riding-costumes, evening-costumes she possessed in plenty.
She had a jewel-bag hidden away about her person containing all of thirty thousand dollars’ worth of jewels.
Her shoes, stockings, hats, and accessories in general were innumerable.
Because of all this Cowperwood was rather proud of her.
She had such a capacity for life.
His first wife had been pale and rather anemic, while Aileen was fairly bursting with sheer physical vitality.
She hummed and jested and primped and posed.
There are some souls that just are, without previous revision or introspection.
The earth with all its long past was a mere suggestion to Aileen, dimly visualized if at all.
She may have heard that there were once dinosaurs and flying reptiles, but if so it made no deep impression on her.