Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: HAPPINESS The curtain discloses a comfortably furnished room of a modern apartment-house. The furniture is neither elaborate nor tawdry. The hangings and pictures are in good taste, yet without the personal note of selection being apparent. The effect is that of affluence without enthusiasm. An owner of beautiful things with the sense of beauty lacking in the owner. Mrs. Chrystal-pole, a charming young widow of twenty-seven, is lying in a window-seat, fast asleep; the sun streaming in on her naturally clear complexion and genuinely blonde hair. The face is quite at rest, the features relaxed, the breathing slight. She is evidently in a light, dreamless sleep. Fritz Scowcroft, a burly, genial, hearty man of fifty- five, is standing with his back to the mantelpiece, good- naturedly waiting for her to wake. He is whistling a tune under his breath. After a few seconds he looks at his watch, smiles, turns round and adjusts his hair and tie in the mirror, then walks quietly over to the door, opens it and is about to pass out when Mrs. Pole stretches lazily and yawns heartily. SCOWCROFT [Turns in doorway.] Awake, "Mouse-y"? MRS. CHRYSTAL-POLE [Looks at him languidly.] Yes, father — for a minute. [Closes her eyes and settles herself back to sleep again.] SCOWCROFT [Closes door, goes to Mrs. Pole and beams down at her. He gently tugs at the point of her shoe. Once again Mrs. Pole opens her eyes and looks at him smiling down at her good-naturedly.] Make it five minutes, will ye? MRS. CHRYSTAL-POLE [Looks at Scowcroft steadily; she gradually straightens up; the lassitude slowly disappears.] SCOWCROFT Wide awake? MRS. CHRYSTAL-POL.E Oh, yes; I suppose so: for the rest of the evening. What is it? SCOWCROFT Dropped in to see ye. Told the maid n...