The trouble began at the time Earl Brady’s car passed the Divers¹’ car stopped on the road — Abe’s account melted impersonally² into the thronged³ night — Violet McKisco was telling Mrs. Abrams something she had found out about the Divers — she had gone upstairs in their house and she had come upon something there which had made a great impression on her. But Tommy is a watch-dog about the Divers. As a matter of fact she is inspiring and formidable — but it’s a mutual⁴ thing, and the fact of The Divers together is more important to their friends than many of them realize. Of course it’s done at a certain sacrifice — sometimes they seem just rather charming figures in a ballet, and worth just the attention you give a ballet, but it’s more than that — you’d have to know the story. Anyhow Tommy is one of those men that Dick’s passed along to Nicole and when Mrs. McKisco kept hinting at her story, he called them on it. He said:

“Mrs. McKisco, please don’t talk further about Mrs. Diver.”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” she objected.

“I think it’s better to leave them out.”

“Are they so sacred?”

“Leave them out. Talk about something else.”

He was sitting on one of the two little seats beside Campion. Campion told me the story.

“Well, you’re pretty high-handed,” Violet came back.

You know how conversations are in cars late at night, some people murmuring and some not caring, giving up after the party, or bored or asleep. Well, none of them knew just what happened until the car stopped and Barban cried in a voice that shook everybody, a voice for cavalry⁵.

“Do you want to step out here — we’re only a mile from the hotel and you can walk it or I’ll drag you there. YOU’VE GOT TO SHUT UP AND SHUT YOUR WIFE UP!”

“You’re a bully,” said McKisco. “You know you’re stronger muscularly than I am. But I’m not afraid of you — what they ought to have is the code duello —”

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