“H’m!” Martin commented.

“If any one mentioned Cherry’s name in connection with George,” Alix said, firmly, “that was a perfectly malicious slander—­”

“Sewall’s wasn’t mentioned!” Martin said, hastily.

“Whose name was mentioned, then?” Alix pursued, hotly.

“Well, nobody’s name was mentioned.”  Martin took a great many creased and rubbed papers from his vest pockets, and shifted them over.  Finally, with a fat, deliberate hand he selected one, and put the others away.

“This is from my mother,” he said.  “My aunt, Mrs. North—­”

“We saw her here, a week or two ago!” Alix said as he paused.

“Well, she was in Portland, and saw the folks,” said Martin.  “And my mother writes me this—­” And after a few seconds of searching, he read from the letter:  “Bessie North saw Cherry and Mrs. Joyce in Mill Valley, and if I was you I would not let Cherry stay away too long.  A wife’s place is with her husband, especially when she is as pretty as Cherry, and if Bessie is right, somebody else thinks she is pretty, too, and you know it doesn’t take much to start people talking.  It isn’t like she had a couple of children to keep her busy.  Why don’t you bring her up here and leave her with Papa and me while you look over the Mexican proposition?”

“That’s all of that,” said Martin, folding the letter.  He eyed Alix keenly.  “Well, what do you think?” he asked, triumphantly.

“I think that’s a mean, wicked thing to say!” she said, indignantly.  “No, Martin,” she said, silencing him, as he would have interrupted her, “I know she is beautiful and young, and I know—­because she’s told me—­that you and she feel that your marriage is a mistake, but if you think—­”

“Oh, she said that, did she?”

“Don’t use that tone!” Alix commanded him quickly.  “She didn’t blame you or herself, except in that she didn’t listen to my father, who thought she was too young to marry any one!  But if you want to lose her, Martin,” Alix said, with heat, “just let her suspect all this petty suspicion and scandal!  Cherry’s proud—­”

“Now, look here,” he said, with his air of assurance, “I’m proud, too.  And if I don’t choose to stand before the world as a divorced man—­”

“Nobody’s talking of divorce!” Alix hushed him.  “But no woman would stand having other women spy and suspect—­”

“How about this Sewall!” he muttered.  “By George, she had something on her mind when she met me to-day.  She was fussed, all right, and it wasn’t all the surprise of seeing me, either.  First she wanted to telephone you—­then she fussed over your message—­”

“Cherry gets fluttered very easily!” Alix reminded him.

“Well, she was fussed all right this morning.  She said not to mention it to Alix, because she had promised that it should go on time.  I thought maybe she meant that you wanted her to go herself; no, she said, a note would do—­”