. Heart of the sunset . e memory of her as she had once been swept overhim, bringing a renewed appreciation of her charms. Hisrecent dissipation had told upon him as heavily as a siegeof sickness, and this evening he was in that fatuous,sentimental mood which comes with no fault to find with himself, and feeling merelya selfish desire to make more pleasant his life at Las Pal-mas, he undertook to bend Alaire to his will. All right; dont lets try to argue it, he laughed,with what he considered an admirable show of magnanim-ity. I hate arguments, anyhow; Id much rather havea
. Heart of the sunset . e memory of her as she had once been swept overhim, bringing a renewed appreciation of her charms. Hisrecent dissipation had told upon him as heavily as a siegeof sickness, and this evening he was in that fatuous,sentimental mood which comes with no fault to find with himself, and feeling merelya selfish desire to make more pleasant his life at Las Pal-mas, he undertook to bend Alaire to his will. All right; dont lets try to argue it, he laughed,with what he considered an admirable show of magnanim-ity. I hate arguments, anyhow; Id much rather havea good-night kiss. But when he stooped over her Alaire held him off andturned her head. No! she said. You havent kissed me for— I dont wish to kiss you. Dont be silly, he insisted. This suggestion ofphysical resistance excited his love of conquest and awokesomething like the mood of a lover—such a lover as aman like Ed could be. For a moment he felt as if Alairewere some other woman than his wife, a woman who re- 252. its all over, and has been for a long time, were going TO END IT THE CRASH fused and yet half expected to be overcome; thereforehe laughed self-consciously and repeated, Come now, Iwant a kiss. Alaire thrust him back strongly, and he saw that herface had whitened. Oddly enough, her stubbornnessangered him out of all reason, and he began a harsh remon-strance. But he halted when she cried: Wait! I must tell you something, Ed. Its all overand has been for a long time. Were going to end it. End it? We cant go on living together. Why should we? So? Divorce? Is that it? Alaire nodded. Well, Ill be damned! Ed was dumfounded. Isntthis rather sudden? he managed to inquire. Oh no. Youve suggested it more than once. I thought you didnt believe in divorces—couldntstomach em? Whats happened? I have changed my mind. Humph! People dont change their minds in aminute, he cried, angrily. Is there some other man? Now Ed Austin had no faintest idea that his wife wouldanswer in
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