Olive Higgins Prouty

“ Chadwick Booth reached over and patted her hand, "being married doesn't make me any less fond of you, Becky. Did you think it might?"
She quivered at his touch, and raised her eyes to him, full of hope. Then bravely and simply she asked him:
"Are you unhappily married?"
He laughed softly outloud at the concern in her voice.
"Oh, don't waste any of your sweet sympathy on me, Becky. I'm no more unhappily married than the majority. In fact, sometimes I think I'm more fortunate than most. Virginia's such a good sport." ”

“ Then in a voice she hardly recognized as her own she asked again, to be sure she was not mistaken, "So—so you are not unhappily married at all?"
"Becky," replied Chadwick Booth, "there are not many Robert-and-Elizabeth-Browning marriages in the world. You'll find that out for yourself, some day, poor girl, I suppose. It's in friendships, comradeships, such as ours where you'll find most of what you call happiness. For we meet for no other reason than for happiness' sake. ”

“ Reba had not passed twice around the dancing-space with Chadwick Booth before she began scheming how she could escape. The more ashamed she felt, the more necessary it seemed to run and hide herself somewhere. She must get away. She must get away from this man and place as soon as possible. She could not dance with him again. She could not ride back to Boston beside him in the closed car. ”