Later we find out that this is impossible; perhaps we find it out too late; some of us never find it out at all.
In spite of his shame about the Leightons, Beaton had no present intention of looking them up or sending Mrs.Horn their address.

As a matter of fact, he never did send it; but he happened to meet Mr.
Wetmore and his wife at the restaurant where he dined, and he got it of the painter for himself.

He did not ask him how Miss Leighton was getting on; but Wetmore launched out, with Alma for a tacit text, on the futility of women generally going in for art.

"Even when they have talent they've got too much against them.

Where a girl doesn't seem very strong, like Miss Leighton, no amount of chic is going to help." His wife disputed him on behalf of her sex, as women always do.
"No, Dolly," he persisted; "she'd better be home milking the cows and leading the horse to water." "Do you think she'd better be up till two in the morning at balls and going all day to receptions and luncheons ?" "Oh, guess it isn't a question of that, even if she weren't drawing.