quiet man who said these extremely ferocious things, and thought: 'I
should like to paint that fellow.'

Herr Paul twirled his wine-glass in his fingers. "There are family
ties," he said, "there is society, there is decency; a wife should be
with her husband. B---will do quite right. He must go after her; she
will not perhaps come back at first; he will follow her; she will begin
to think, 'I am helpless--I am ridiculous!' A woman is soon beaten. They
will return. She is once more with her husband--Society will forgive, it
will be all right."

"By Jove, Paul," growled Mr. Treffry, "wonderful power of argument!"

"A wife is a wife," pursued Herr Paul; "a man has a right to her
society."

"What do you say to that, sir?" asked Dawney.

Mr. Treffry tugged at his beard: "Make a woman live with you, if she
don't want to? I call it low."

"But, my dear," exclaimed Herr Paul, "how should you know? You have not
been married."

"No, thank the Lord!" Mr. Treffry replied.

"But looking at the question broadly, sir," said Dawney; "if a husband
always lets his wife do as she likes, how would the thing work out? What
becomes of the marriage tie?"