Barnes stopped short in front of his companion, his face flushing.
"What a horrible story!" he said, with emphasis.
"Yes, poor Madeleine has never got over it."
"Of course Mrs. Verrier herself had nothing to do with the talk about divorce?"
Something in his tone roused a combative instinct in his companion. She, too, coloured, and drew herself up.
"Why shouldn't she? She was miserable. The marriage had been a great mistake."
"And you allow divorce for that?" said the man, wondering. "Oh, of course I know every State is different, and some States are worse than others. But, somehow, I never came across a case like that--first hand--before."
He walked on slowly beside his companion, who held herself a little stiffly.
"I don't know why you should talk in that way," she said at last, breaking out in a kind of resentment, "as though all our American views are wrong! Each nation arranges these things for itself. You have the laws that suit you; you must allow us those that suit us."
Barnes paused again, his face expressing a still more complete astonishment.
"But--but you are so young!" he said, evidently finding a difficulty in putting his impressions. "I beg your pardon--I ought not to talk about it at all. But it was so odd that----"
"That I knew anything about Mrs. Verrier's affairs?" said Miss Floyd, with a rather uncomfortable laugh. "Well, you see, American girls are not like English ones. We don't pretend not to know what everybody knows."
"Of course," said Roger hurriedly; "but you wouldn't think it a fair and square thing to do?"
"Why, to marry a man, and then talk of divorcing him because people didn't invite you to their parties."
"She was very unhappy," said Daphne stubbornly.
"Well, by Jove!" cried the young man, "she doesn't look very happy now!"
"No," Miss Floyd admitted. "No. There are many people who think she'll never get over it."
"Well, I give it up." The Apollo shrugged his handsome shoulders. "You say it was she who proposed to divorce him?--yet when the wretched man removes himself, then she breaks her heart!"
"Naturally she didn't mean him to do it in that way," said the girl, with impatience. "Of course you misunderstood me entirely!--_entirely!_" she added with an emphasis which suited with her heightened colour and evidently ruffled feelings.