“What could he say!” Irene exclaimed disdainfully. “He wanted to see me of course; said he could explain everything, but I said good-bye very sweetly and hung up on him. I’d like to see him explain a thing like that! I suppose he thought he’d send me a box of candy and everything would be lovely. I’m a good deal of a fool, my dear, but hardly to that extent.”
“I shouldn’t just pick you out to try putting anything over on.”
“They’re all alike!” Irene resumed, ignoring Grace’s tribute to her perspicacity. “Men expect women to take everything. Poor Tommy! If he doesn’t stop drinking he’s going to die real quick one of these days. I guess he didn’t like my lecturing him so much. You know I was interested in all his plans—he’s no end ambitious and he used to invite my little hints and suggestions; not that I really know about machinery or finance, but I suppose I have got a business head.”
“You certainly have, Irene. You’ll have a big business of your own some day or a wonderful position in New York. You could easily swing our department now.”
“I suppose I might, but I’ve almost decided to get married. Oh, don’t jump! I mean when I see a good chance. Now that I’m done with Tommy the idea doesn’t seem so bad. Perhaps,” she added, “perhaps we’re not fair to marriage! There may be something in it after all.”
“There are still people who think so,” said Grace, impelled to laughter by Irene’s gravity.
“Oh, I suppose we’ve got to recognize it! How’s Ward these days? Still roaming the world?”
“In New York the last I heard of him, and terribly busy.”
“Do you know, there’s something pathetic about Ward Trenton,” said Irene. “There’s something away back in his mind that he tries to hide even from himself! You know what I mean? It’s his wife, I suppose. I saw her picture in a magazine not so long ago and meant to show it to you. She’s not at all the frump you’d expect from her being an author and lecturer, but quite handsome and smartly got up. It’s certainly queer that a woman like that who has scads of money and a real man for a husband won’t stay at her own fireside, but has to trot around showing herself off. And Ward’s fascinating; those quiet self-contained men are always fascinating. And they certainly keep you guessing as to what they think. Take poor Tommy; once he’s away from business he’s got to be amused. But Ward’s different. That man does a lot of solid thinking even when he’s out to play.”
“He’s kind, he’s awfully kind,” Grace murmured.