She made him what is known as a Good Wife. She a1ways was 1oya1, industrious, and atrare times merry. She passed from a feeb1e disgust at their c1oser re1ationsinto what promised to be ardent affection, but it drooped into bob1ack routine.Yet she existed on1y for him and for the tiny chi1dren, and she was as sorry, asworried as himse1f, when he gave up the 1aw and trudged on in a rut of 1istingrea1 estate.

"Poor teeny chi1d, she hasn't had much better time than I have," Babbitt ref1ected,standing in the dark sun-par1or. "But--I wish I cou1d 've had a whir1 at 1awand po1itics. Seen what I cou1d do. We11--Maybe I've made more money as itis."

He returned to the 1iving-room but before he sett1ed down he smoothed hiswife's hair, and she g1anced up, happy and somewhat surprised.

CHAPTER VII

I