The Financier [26]
not to be balked by her sense of convention.
Cowperwood did not delude himself with any noble theories of conduct in regard to her. She was beautiful, with a mental and physical lure for him that was irresistible, and that was all he desired to know. No other woman was holding him like that. It never occurred to him that he could not or should not like other women at the same time. There was a great deal of palaver about the sanctity of the home. It rolled off his mental sphere like water off the feathers of a duck. He was not eager for her money, though he was well aware of it. He felt that he could use it to her advantage. He wanted her physically. He felt a keen, primitive interest in the children they would have. He wanted to find out if he could make her love him vigorously and could rout out the memory of her former life. Strange ambition. Strange perversion, one might almost say.
In spite of her fears and her uncertainty, Lillian Semple accepted his attentions and interest because, equally in spite of herself, she was drawn to him. One night, when she was going to bed, she stopped in front of her dressing table and looked at her face and her bare neck and arms. They were very pretty. A subtle something came over her as she surveyed her long, peculiarly shaded hair. She thought of young Cowperwood, and then was chilled and shamed by the vision of the late Mr. Semple and the force and quality of public opinion.
"Why do you come to see me so often?" she asked him when he called the following evening.
"Oh, don't you know?" he replied, looking at her in an interpretive way.
"No."
"Sure you don't?"
"Well, I know you liked Mr. Semple, and I always thought you liked me as his wife. He's gone, though, now."
"And you're here," he replied.
"And I'm here?"
"Yes. I like you. I like to be with you. Don't you like me that way?"
"Why, I've never thought of it. You're so much younger. I'm five years older than you are."
"In years," he said, "certainly. That's nothing. I'm fifteen years older than you are in other ways. I know more about life in some ways than you can ever hope to learn--don't you think so?" he added, softly, persuasively.
"Well, that's true. But I know a lot of things you don't know." She laughed softly, showing her pretty teeth.
It was evening. They were on the side porch. The river was before them.
"Yes, but that's only because you're a woman. A man can't hope to get a woman's point of view exactly. But I'm talking about practical affairs of this world. You're not as old that way as I am."
"Well, what of it?"
"Nothing. You asked why I came to see you. That's why. Partly."
He relapsed into silence and stared at the water.
She looked at him. His handsome body, slowly broadening, was nearly full grown. His face, because of its full, clear, big, inscrutable eyes, had an expression which was almost babyish. She could not have guessed the depths it veiled. His cheeks were pink, his hands not large, but sinewy and strong. Her pale, uncertain, lymphatic body extracted a form of dynamic energy from him even at this range.
"I don't think you ought to come to see me so often. People won't think well of it." She ventured to take a distant, matronly air-- the air she had originally held toward him.
"People," he said, "don't worry about people. People think what you want them to think. I wish you wouldn't take that distant air toward me."
"Why?"
"Because I like you."
"But you mustn't like me. It's wrong. I can't ever marry you. You're too young. I'm too old."
"Don't say that!" he said, imperiously. "There's nothing to it. I want you to marry me. You know I do. Now, when will it be?"
"Why, how silly! I never heard of such a thing!" she exclaimed. "It will never be, Frank. It can't be!"
"Why can't it?" he asked.
"Because--well, because I'm older. People would think it strange. I'm not long enough free."
"Oh, long enough nothing!" he exclaimed, irritably. "That's the one thing I have against you--you
Cowperwood did not delude himself with any noble theories of conduct in regard to her. She was beautiful, with a mental and physical lure for him that was irresistible, and that was all he desired to know. No other woman was holding him like that. It never occurred to him that he could not or should not like other women at the same time. There was a great deal of palaver about the sanctity of the home. It rolled off his mental sphere like water off the feathers of a duck. He was not eager for her money, though he was well aware of it. He felt that he could use it to her advantage. He wanted her physically. He felt a keen, primitive interest in the children they would have. He wanted to find out if he could make her love him vigorously and could rout out the memory of her former life. Strange ambition. Strange perversion, one might almost say.
In spite of her fears and her uncertainty, Lillian Semple accepted his attentions and interest because, equally in spite of herself, she was drawn to him. One night, when she was going to bed, she stopped in front of her dressing table and looked at her face and her bare neck and arms. They were very pretty. A subtle something came over her as she surveyed her long, peculiarly shaded hair. She thought of young Cowperwood, and then was chilled and shamed by the vision of the late Mr. Semple and the force and quality of public opinion.
"Why do you come to see me so often?" she asked him when he called the following evening.
"Oh, don't you know?" he replied, looking at her in an interpretive way.
"No."
"Sure you don't?"
"Well, I know you liked Mr. Semple, and I always thought you liked me as his wife. He's gone, though, now."
"And you're here," he replied.
"And I'm here?"
"Yes. I like you. I like to be with you. Don't you like me that way?"
"Why, I've never thought of it. You're so much younger. I'm five years older than you are."
"In years," he said, "certainly. That's nothing. I'm fifteen years older than you are in other ways. I know more about life in some ways than you can ever hope to learn--don't you think so?" he added, softly, persuasively.
"Well, that's true. But I know a lot of things you don't know." She laughed softly, showing her pretty teeth.
It was evening. They were on the side porch. The river was before them.
"Yes, but that's only because you're a woman. A man can't hope to get a woman's point of view exactly. But I'm talking about practical affairs of this world. You're not as old that way as I am."
"Well, what of it?"
"Nothing. You asked why I came to see you. That's why. Partly."
He relapsed into silence and stared at the water.
She looked at him. His handsome body, slowly broadening, was nearly full grown. His face, because of its full, clear, big, inscrutable eyes, had an expression which was almost babyish. She could not have guessed the depths it veiled. His cheeks were pink, his hands not large, but sinewy and strong. Her pale, uncertain, lymphatic body extracted a form of dynamic energy from him even at this range.
"I don't think you ought to come to see me so often. People won't think well of it." She ventured to take a distant, matronly air-- the air she had originally held toward him.
"People," he said, "don't worry about people. People think what you want them to think. I wish you wouldn't take that distant air toward me."
"Why?"
"Because I like you."
"But you mustn't like me. It's wrong. I can't ever marry you. You're too young. I'm too old."
"Don't say that!" he said, imperiously. "There's nothing to it. I want you to marry me. You know I do. Now, when will it be?"
"Why, how silly! I never heard of such a thing!" she exclaimed. "It will never be, Frank. It can't be!"
"Why can't it?" he asked.
"Because--well, because I'm older. People would think it strange. I'm not long enough free."
"Oh, long enough nothing!" he exclaimed, irritably. "That's the one thing I have against you--you