Page "belles_lettres" Paragraph 530

It must be granted that the flouting of convention, no matter how well intentioned one may be, is sure to lead to trouble, or at least to the discomfort that goes with social disapproval.

Even so, many of the things that happened to Wright and Olgivanna seem inordinately severe.

Their afflictions centered on one maddening difficulty: Miriam held up the divorce proceedings that she herself had asked for.

Reporters began to trail Miriam everywhere, and to encourage her to make appalling statements about Wright and his doings.

Flocks of writs, attachments, and unpleasant legal papers of every sort began to fly through the air.

The distracted Miriam would agree to a settlement through her legal representative, then change her mind and make another attack on Wright as a person.

At last her lawyer, Arthur D. Cloud, gave up the case because she turned down three successive settlements he arranged.

Cloud made an interesting statement in parting from his client: `` I wanted to be a lawyer, and Mrs. Wright wanted me to be an avenging angel.

So I got out.

Mrs. Wright is without funds.

The first thing to do is get her some money by a temporary but definite adjustment pending a final disposition of the case.

But every time I suggested this to her, Mrs. Wright turned it down and demanded that I go out and punish Mr. Wright.

I am an attorney, not an instrument of vengeance ''.

Miriam Noel disregarded the free advice of her departing counselor, and appointed a heavy-faced young man named Harold Jackson to take his place.