"I mean, she preferred him to me. I don't blame her. He had more to offer."
"What had that to do with it?"
"Everything. He's a British nobleman. I'm only an ordinary American. He's got the entree of the best London circles. I've only the entree of the best New York."
"That's a very unkind thing to say of Marjorie. I've known her since she was a baby. She has her faults. But heartless calculation is not one of them."
Mr. Fontaine's indignation did not sound convincing. Like Claude, he knew that Marjorie would not hesitate to sacrifice her feelings to her social ambitions.
"I don't say it's a fault," protested Claude. "She had the right to change her mind. For women, the business side of marriage is the most important side, since marriage establishes them in life positions. I find it perfectly natural, therefore, that they should knock themselves down to the highest bidder."
This was a sentiment he had adopted, with his own modifications, from Robert Lloyd.
"Don't be cynical, my boy," said Mr. Fontaine. "Business is business, but family life is quite another thing."
"I agree with you, father," said Claude, pacifically. "As I said before, I don't blame Marjorie. And I'm not too proud to be her second choice."
"That's the way to talk. Second choice, like second thought, is often the sounder."