Chapter I: Front Matter

_The_

COMMON LAW

Works of Robert W. Chambers

The Common Law
The Adventures of a Modest Man
Ailsa Paige
The Danger Mark
Special Messenger
The Firing Line
The Younger Set
The Fighting Chance
Some Ladies in Haste
The Tree of Heaven
The Tracer of Lost Persons
A Young Man in a Hurry
Lorraine
Maids of Paradise
Ashes of Empire
The Red Republic
Outsiders
The Green Mouse
Iole
The Reckoning
The Maid-at-Arms
Cardigan
The Haunts of Men
The Mystery of Choice
The Cambric Mask
The Maker of Moons
The King in Yellow
In Search of the Unknown
The Conspirators
A King and a Few Dukes
In the Quarter

For Children

Garden-Land
Forest-Land
River-Land
Mountain-Land
Orchard-Land
Outdoor-Land
Hide and Seek in Forest-Land

_The_

COMMON LAW

BY

ROBERT W. CHAMBERS

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY

CHARLES DANA GIBSON

NEW YORK AND LONDON D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 1911

]

TO CHARLES DANA GIBSON

A FRIEND OF MANY YEARS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

"She sat at the piano, running her fingers lightly over the keyboard" _Frontispiece_

"There was a long, brisk, decisive ring at the door" 3

"'Now, Miss West,' he said decisively" 13

"'I know perfectly well that this isn't right,'she said" 31

"'What's the matter with it, then?'" 40

"For a long while she sat, her cheek resting on one palm, looking fixedly into space" 65

"Neville stood stock-still before the canvas" 81

"When he first tried to ring her up the wire was busy" 83

"'Kelly, dear, are you unhappy?'" 90

"He picked up a bit of white chalk ... and traced on the floor the outline of her shoes" 93

"'I _will_ call you a god if I like!'" 96

"'If she's as much of a winner as all that,' began Cameron with decision, 'I want to meet her immediately--'" 109

"'Come on, Alice, if you're going to scrub before luncheon'" 116

"'I know it is _you_. Is it?' 125

"A smartly dressed and very confident drummer" 136

"Valerie sat cross-legged on the grass ... scribbling away" 145

"'How well you look!' He exclaimed" 149

"Querida had laughed ... and returned compliment for compliment" 175

"'Me lord, the taxi waits!'" 179

Mazie Gray 183

"And the last rose dropped from her hand" 188-189

"'How perfectly horrid you can be!'she exclaimed" 199

"She began by balancing her check book" 224

"He stood before it, searching in it for any hint of that elusive and mysterious _something_" 229

"'I shall have need of friends,' she said half to herself" 245

'"Don't do it, Valerie!'" 247

"Ogilvy stood looking sentimentally at the two young girls" 249

"Valerie's lips trembled on the edge of a smile as she bent lower over her sewing" 286

"She and Rita dined with him once or twice" 293

"Tall, transparently pale, negative in character" 297

"Her poise, her unconsciousness, the winning simplicity of her manner were noticed everywhere" 307

"'Where do you keep those pretty models, Louis?' he demanded" 315

"'Your--profession--must be an exceedingly interesting one,' said Lily" 326

"It was a large, thick, dark book, and weighed nearly four pounds" 338

The Countess d'Enver 347

"'May I sit here with you until she arrives? I am Stephanie Swift'" 355

"'John, you don't look very well,' said Valerie" 359

"'It is very beautiful, Louis,' said his mother, with a smile of pride" 387

"'You are not happy, Louis'" 390

"'What have you been saying to your mother?' he asked" 404

"'If you'll place a lump of sugar on my nose, and say "when," I'll perform'" 409

"And what happier company for her than her thoughts--what tenderer companionship than her memories?" 413

"She prowled around the library, luxuriously, dipping into inviting volumes" 415

"'Miss West!' he exclaimed. 'How on earth did you ever find your way into my woods?'" 417

"'Dearest,' he whispered, putting his arm around her, 'you must come with us'" 427

"'Well, Louis, what do you know about this?'" 430

"The parrot greeted her, flapping his brilliant wings and shrieking from his perch" 449

"'And they--the majority of them--are, after all, just men'" 453

"His thoughts were mostly centred on Valerie" 458

"Ogilvy ... began a lively fencing bout with an imaginary adversary" 479

"Then Rita came silently on sandalled feet to stand behind him and look at what he had done" 483

"'You'd better understand, Kelly, that Rita Tevis is as well born as I am'" 491

"She knelt down beside the bed and ... said whatever prayer she had in mind" 507

"She was longer over her hair ... gathering it and bringing it under discipline" 510

"'Yes,' she said, 'it is really great'" 521

"'I am scared blue. That's why I'm holding on to your hand so desperately'" 531

THE COMMON LAW