Robert Kimberly

The conversation drifted and Alice, withinrange of both tables, caught snatches of the talkat each. She presently heard Lottie Nelsonspeaking petulantly, and as if repeating a question toKimberly. "What do men most like, Robert?" Alicecould not see Kimberly's face, but sheunderstood its expression so well that she could imaginethe brows either luminously raised if Kimberlywere interested, or patiently flat if he were not.

"You ought to know," she heard Kimberlyanswer. "You have been very successful inpleasing them."

"And failed where I have most wanted to succeed.Oh, no. I am asking you. What do they like?"

The answer halted. "I can't tell you. To me,of course, few men seem worth pleasing."

"What should you do to please a man, if youwere a woman?"

"Nonsense."

"I'm asking purely out of curiosity," persistedLottie. "I have failed. I realize it and I shallnever try again. But at the end-I'd like to know."

"You probably would not agree with me,"answered Kimberly after a silence, "most womenwould not. Perhaps it would fail with mostmen-but as I say, most men wouldn't interest me, anyway. If I had it to try, I would appeal to aman's highest nature."

"What is his highest nature?"

"Whatever his best instincts are,"

"And then?"

"That's all."

"Oh, nonsense!"

"No, it isn't nonsense. Only I am not good atanalyzing. If I once caught a man in that wayI should know I had him fast forever. There isabsolutely no use in flinging your meretemptations at him. Keep those quietly in thebackground. He will go after them fast enough whenyou have made sure of him on the higher plane.If you are compelled to display your temptationsat the start, the case is hopeless. You havesurrendered your advantage of the high appeal.Trust him to think about the other side of it, Lottie.You can't suggest to him anything he doesn't know, and perhaps-I'm not sure-he prefers to turnto that side when he thinks you are not looking.The difficulty is," he concluded, speaking slowly,"even if you get him from the lower side, he won'tstay hooked. You know how a salmon strikes ata fly? All human experience shows that a manhooked from the side of his lower instincts, willsooner or later shake the bait."

"It must be something even to have him on thehook for a while, Robert."

"But you don't agree with me."

"No."

"No doubt, I'm wrong. And it isn't, Isuppose, of much consequence whether the men staycaught or not. I look at it, probably, with abusiness instinct. When I do anything, I want itto stay done forever. When I make a deal orfasten a point I want it to stay fastened for alltime. That is my nature. Now, that may notbe a woman's nature. You shouldn't have askedme, don't you see, because we 'begin' differently."

"I fancy that's it, Robert. We 'begin' differently."

"Try another seer-there is De Castro. Hereis Mrs. MacBirney. Mrs. MacBirney," Kimberlymoved so he could command Alice's attention,"Mrs. Nelson is trying to find out what a manlikes in a woman. I haven't been able to tellher-"

"It isn't that at all," smiled Lottie, wearily."Mr. Kimberly can tell. He won't."

Kimberly appealed to Alice. "It is a greatmistake not to trust your oracle when he is doing hisbest-don't you think so, Mrs. MacBirney?"

"I suppose an oracle is consulted on hisreputation-and it is on his reputation that his clientsshould rely," suggested Alice.

"Anyway," declared Lottie, rising, "I amgoing to try another."

Kimberly turned his chair as she walked awayso that he could speak to Alice. "Giving advice isnot my forte. Whenever I attempt it I disappointsomebody; and this time I had a difficultsubject. Mrs. Nelson wants to know what men likein women. A much more interesting subjectwould be, what women like in men. I shouldsuppose, in my blundering way, that sincerity wouldcome before everything else, Mrs. MacBirney.What do you think?"

"Sincerity ought to be of value."

"But there is a great deal else, you imply."

"Necessarily, I should think."

"As, for instance?"

"Unselfishness among other things," said Alice.

He objected frankly to her suggestion. "I don'tknow about unselfishness. I have my doubtsabout unselfishness. Are you sure?"

"Most ideals include it, I believe."

"I don't know that I have any ideals-abstractideals, that is. Though I once took quite aninterest in the Catholic Church."

"An academic interest."

"No, no; a real and concrete interest. I admireit greatly. I tried once to look into its claims.What in part discouraged me was the unpleasantthings Catholics themselves told me about their church."

"They must have been bad Catholics."

"I don't know enough about them to discriminatebetween the good and the bad. What, bythe way," he asked bluntly, "are you-a goodCatholic or a bad one?"

She was taken for an instant aback; then sheregarded him with an expression he did not oftensee in her eyes. "I am a bad one, I am ashamedto say."

"Then these I speak of must have been goodones," he remarked at once, "because they werenot in the least like you."

If he thought he had perplexed her he was soonundeceived. "There are varying degrees even ofbadness," she returned steadily. "I hope I shallnever fall low enough to speak slightingly of myfaith."

"I don't understand," he persisted, musing,"why you should fall at all. Now, if I were aCatholic I should be a good one."

"Suppose you become one."

He disregarded her irony. "I may sometime.To be perfectly frank, what I found most lackingwhen I looked into the question was somesufficient inducement. Of what use? I askedmyself. If by following Christianity and itsprecepts a man could make himself anything morethan he is-prolong his years, or recall his youth.If he could achieve the Titanic, raise himself tothe power of a demigod!" Kimberly's eyes shonewide at the thought, then they closed to acontrasting torpor. "Will religion do this for anyone? I think not. But fancy what that wouldmean; never to grow old, never to fall ill, neverto long for without possessing!" A disdainfulpride was manifest in every word of his utterance, but he spoke with the easy-mannered good-naturethat was his characteristic.

"A man that follows the dreams of religion,"he resumed but with lessening assurance, for Alicemaintained a silence almost contemptuous and hebegan to feel it, "is he not subject to the samefailures, the same pains, the same misfortunes thatwe are subject to? Even as the rest of us, he mustgrow old and fail and die."

"Some men, of course," she suggested withscant patience, "should have a differentdispensation from the average mortal."

Kimberly squirmed dissentingly. "I don't likethat phrase, 'the average mortal.' It has avillainously hackneyed sound, don't you think? No, for my part I should be willing to let everybody inon the greater, the splendid dispensation."

"You might be sorry if you did."

"You mean, there are men that should die-somethat should die early?"

"There are many reasons why it might not work."

He stopped. "That is true-it might not work,if universally applied. It would do betterrestricted to a few of us. But no matter; since wecan't have it at all, we must do the best we can.And the way to beat the game as it must beplayed in this world at present," he continuedwith contained energy, "is to fight for what wewant and defend it when won, against all comers.Won't you wish me success in such an effort,Alice?"