But again Washington knew that the British and French losses at the
Somme had been frightful; that the amount of lost territory regained was
negligible as against the territory still held; that the food problem
in the British Islands was acute; that the submarine sinkings were
colossal. Our peace was at a fearful cost.

And on the edge of this volcano America played.

When Graham Spencer left the mill that Tuesday afternoon, it was to
visit Marion Hayden. He was rather bored now at the prospect. He would
have preferred going to the Club to play billiards, which was his custom
of a late afternoon. He drove rather more slowly than was his custom,
and so missed Marion's invitation to get there before the crowd.

Three cars before the house showed that she already had callers, and
indeed when the parlor-maid opened the door a burst of laughter greeted
him. The Hayden house was a general rendezvous. There were usually,
by seven o'clock, whiskey-and-soda glasses and tea-cups on most of the
furniture, and half-smoked cigarets on everything that would hold them,
including the piano.

Marion herself met him in the hall, and led him past the drawing-room
door.

"There are people in every room who want to be left alone," she
volunteered. "I kept the library as long as I could. We can sit on the
stairs, if you like."

Which they proceeded to do, quite amiably. From various open doors came
subdued voices. The air was pungent with tobacco smoke permeated with a
faint scent of late afternoon highballs.