She was within her moral
rights, and he must be careful to keep within his. But he went away
bewildered and discomfited. Selma would have liked to dismiss the
subject and keep him longer. She would have been glad to branch off on
to other ethical topics and discuss them. She was satisfied with the
result of the interview, for she had vindicated her position and spiked
Lewis's last gun.
So, indeed, it proved. Mr. Glynn sent for Babcock and told him the naked
truth, that his wife's love for him was dead and reconciliation
impossible. He properly refrained from expressing the doubt lurking in
his own mind as to whether Selma had ever loved her husband. Thus
convinced of the hopelessness of his predicament, Babcock agreed to Mr.
Lyons's suggestion not to contest the legal proceedings. The lawyer had
been diligent, and the necessary evidence--the testimony of the
woman--was secure. She was ready to carry her revenge to the end,
hoping, perhaps, that the victim of it would return to her when he had
lost his wife. Accordingly, a few weeks later, Selma was granted a
divorce nisi and the right to resume her maiden name. She had decided,
however, to retain the badge of marriage as a decorous social prefix,
and to call herself Mrs.
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