She drew her hand away and let it rest on her lap. “Nonsense! You’ve succeeded because you’ve worked hard, and because you’ve had the courage of your convictions.”
“Oh!” In the dim light she could not see the change of expression in his face.
“And I suppose you’ve had a little ability, too,” she conceded, with a smile.
For a moment they sat in silence.
“Helen!” he said.
“Well?”
“Sometimes I feel as if I hadn’t a shred of character left, as if I couldn’t stand this political life any longer, with its insincerities, its intrigues, its indecencies. Now, these people here to-night—what do they care about us? Nothing. They come here, and they eat and drink and dance, and then they go away and blacken my character.”
She turned quickly, with astonishment in her face. “Why, Douglas!”
“I shouldn’t talk like this, dear, especially at this time, when you have so much on your mind.” He took her hand again and held it tightly. “Helen, do you ever wonder if it’s worth while—all this?”
“This display, do you mean?”