It must be confessed that the mothers of the future leaders of San
Francisco society, and the bearers of what were to be her proudest names,
were mostly "hearses." Their husbands were the forceful, able men of the
city, but they themselves were conventional as only conventional women can
be when goaded into it by a general free-and-easy, unconventional
atmosphere. That was their only method of showing disapproval. The effect
was worthy but dull. It was a pity, for among them were many intelligent,
charming women who needed only a different atmosphere, to expand. The
Keiths never saw them, and gained their ideas of them only from the
merciless raillery of the "live Mollies."

All this implied more or less entertaining, and entertaining was expensive.
The Boyle house was expensive for that matter; and about everything else,
save Chinese servants, and, temporarily, whatever the latest clipper ship
had glutted the market with. Keith had brought with him a fair sum of money
with which to make his start; but under this constant drainage, it dwindled
to what was for those times a comparatively small sum. Clients did not
come. There were more men practising law than all the other professions. In
spite of wide acquaintance and an attractive popular personality, Keith had
not as yet made a start. He did not worry--that was not his nature--but he
began to realize that he must do one of two things: either make some money,
somehow, or give up his present mode of living. The latter course was
unthinkable!




XIX