man, without turning his eyes, dropped one hand on the dog's head,
caressing the silky ears.

Some sentimentalist had once said that no man who cared for animals
could be wholly bad. Inexperience inclined her to believe it. Then too,
she had that inclination for overlooking offences committed against
precept, which appears to be one of those edifying human traits peculiar
to neither sex and common to both. Besides, her knowledge of such
matters was as vague as her mind was healthy and body wholesome. Men who
dined incautiously were not remarkable for their rarity; the actress
habit, being incomprehensible to her, meant nothing; and she said,
innocently: "What men like you can find attractive in a common woman I
do not understand; there are plenty of pretty women of your own sort.
The actress cult is beyond my comprehension; I only know it is generally
condoned. But it is not for such things that we drop men, Mr. Siward.
You know that, of course."

"For what do you drop men?"

"For falsehood, deception, any dishonesty."

"And you don't drop a man when you read in the papers that one of the
two best clubs in town has expelled him?"

She gave him a troubled glance; and, naively: "But you are still a
member of the other, are you not?" Then hardening: "It was common!
common!--thoroughly disgraceful and incomprehensible!"--and with every
word uttered insensibly warming in her heart toward him whom she was
chastening; "it was not even bad--it was worse than being simply bad; it
was stupid!"