Afternoon tea was an effort and affectation with most of the young married women in Milhampton, in those days. It was served on low tabourettes, before open fires, in overheated and underlighted living-rooms. It was the Milhampton custom, at that time, for the hostess to dangle a perforated silver ball, filled with tea-leaves in individual cups of hot water, and to inquire, while dangling, as to the cream and lemon and sugar. When Stephen found Stella coquettishly dangling her silver ball for Alfred Munn, as he sat comfortably ensconced in one of the big Dallas arm-chairs, it was more than irritation he felt. It was disgust.

Why, the man left his teaspoon in his cup! He had the habit of drawing air through the spaces between his teeth after eating! And Stella could endure him! When he was not disguised in his riding-clothes, his coarseness was obvious in such details as shirts and waistcoats. He wore conspicuous jewelry too! On his little finger there appeared usually a huge gold ring with red, white, and blue stones on it. Occasionally he wore a gold scarf-pin representing Psyche asleep in a crescent moon. He was that sort of man. Sometimes Stephen found Alfred Munn smoking his cigarettes, handling his precious books. Sometimes he found him fondling Laurel! Laurel didn’t seem to object to it. Why should she? Stephen asked bitterly. Stella was her mother.

4

THE REASON LAUREL didn’t seem to object to Alfred Munn’s fondling her was for the sake of a marvelous watch he carried. He used to show it to her if she would come and sit in his lap. Laurel never forgot the wonders of that watch. When she grew up she thought of them whenever she thought of Alfred Munn.

It was a gold watch, big and heavy, and very thick. There was a horse’s head engraved on the back of it with a diamond eye that twinkled. His bridle was studded with tiny red stones.

Beneath the horse’s head on the inside of the back cover (which Mr. Munn had tried to pry open with his thick thumbnail) was a picture of another horse. It was a pure white horse with a lady in short skirts standing on tiptoes on his back!

Underneath the white horse, way, way, inside, next to the little gold wheels and blue screw-heads, was another picture. It was a colored picture. It was a picture of a lady with long hair. She had no clothes on at all!

5

ONE DAY (and it was the day Stephen had decided to go to New York) he had come upon Stella and Alfred Munn in the corridor of the Milhampton City Club. They had been having lunch there in the ladies’ dining room.