Page:The Novels and Tales of Henry James, Volume 2 (New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1907).djvu/142

THE AMERICAN New York," said Tristram. Girls are bullied or coaxed or bribed, or all three together, into marrying, for money, horrible cads. There's no end of that always going on in Fifth Avenue, and other bad things besides. The Morals of Murray Hill! Some one ought to show them up."

"I don't believe it!"—Newman took it very gravely. "I don't see how, in America, such cases can ever have occurred; for the simple reason that the men themselves would be the first to make them impossible. The American man sometimes takes advantage—I've known him to. But he doesn't take advantage of women."

"Listen to the voice of the spread eagle!" cried Tristram.

"The spread eagle should use his wings," said his wife. "He should fly to the rescue of the woman of whom advantage is being taken!"

"To her rescue—?" Newman seemed to wonder.

"Pounce down, seize her in your talons and carry her off. Marry her yourself."

Newman, for some moments, answered nothing; but presently, "I guess she has heard enough of marrying," he said. "The kindest way to treat her would be to care for her and yet never speak of it. But that sort of thing's infamous," he added. "It's none of my business, but it makes me feel kind of swindled to hear of it."

He heard of it, however, more than once afterwards. Mrs. Tristram again saw Madame de Cintré and again found her looking very very sad. But on these occasions there had been no tears; the intense 112