"The W.'s coming."

"No, of course not."

"Really?"

"Really." Then she admitted that she was a little
worried on Mrs. Wilcox's account; she implied that Mrs.
Wilcox might reach backward into deep feelings, and be
pained by things that never touched the other members of
that clan. "I shan't mind if Paul points at our house and
says, 'There lives the girl who tried to catch me.' But she might."

"If even that worries you, we could arrange something.
There's no reason we should be near people who displease us
or whom we displease, thanks to our money. We might even go
away for a little."

"Well, I am going away. Frieda's just asked me to
Stettin, and I shan't be back till after the New Year. Will
that do? Or must I fly the country altogether? Really,
Meg, what has come over you to make such a fuss?"

"Oh, I'm getting an old maid, I suppose. I thought I
minded nothing, but really I--I should be bored if you fell
in love with the same man twice and"--she cleared her
throat--"you did go red, you know, when Aunt Juley attacked
you this morning. I shouldn't have referred to it otherwise."

But Helen's laugh rang true, as she raised a soapy hand