“Well, how goes the book?” I asked.

“I haven’t done much to it just lately,” she answered, in a low voice. “I—it’s—I don’t quite know what to do with it.”

“I thought you’d settled?”

“So I had, but—oh, don’t let’s talk about it, Mr. Wynne!”

But a moment later she went on talking about it.

“I don’t know why I should make it end happily,” she said. “I’m sure life isn’t always happy, is it?”

“Certainly not,” I answered. “You mean your man might stick to the shallow girl after all?”

“Yes,” I just heard her whisper.

“And be miserable afterwards?” I pursued.

“I don’t know,” said Miss Liston. “Perhaps he wouldn’t.”