Which prevoyance had been coped with successfully by Nina,
who, noticing it, at first took merely a perverse pleasure in foiling
Mrs. Orchil; but afterward, as the affair became noticeable, animated by
the instinct of the truly clever opportunist, she gave Gerald every
fighting chance. Whatever came of it--and, no doubt, the Orchils had
more ambitious views for Gladys--it was well to have Gerald mentioned in
such a fashionable episode, whether anything came of it or not.
Gerald, in the early days of his affair with Gladys, and before even it
had assumed the proportions of an affair, had shyly come to Selwyn, not
for confession but with the crafty purpose of introducing her name into
the conversation so that he might have the luxury of talking about her
to somebody who would neither quiz him nor suspect him.
Selwyn, of course, ultimately suspected him; but as he never quizzed
him, Gerald continued his elaborate system of subterfuges to make her
personality and doings a topic for him to expand upon and Selwyn to
listen to.
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