before somebody's car was at the door to pick up Miss Salisbury, who
departed in a whirl of laughter and a flutter of bright veils, to be
gone, sometimes, for the entire day.

She had gone in just this way on the morning of the dinner, and her
mother, who had quite a full program of her own for the morning, had
had breakfast in bed. Mrs. Salisbury came downstairs at about ten
o'clock to find the dining-room airing after a sweeping; curtains
pinned back, small articles covered with a dust cloth, chairs at all
angles. She went on to the kitchen, where Justine was beating
mayonnaise.

"Don't forget chopped ice for the shaker, the last thing," Mrs.
Salisbury said, adding, with a little self-conscious rush, "And, oh,
by the way, Justine, I see that Miss Alexandra has gone off again,
without touching the living room. Yesterday I straightened it a
little bit, but I have two club meetings this morning, and I'm
afraid I must fly. If--if she comes in for lunch, will you remind
her of it?"

"Will she be back for lunch? I thought she said she would not,"
Justine said, in honest surprise.

"No; come to think of it, she won't," her mother admitted, a little
flatly. "She put her room and her brothers' room in order," she
added inconsequently.

Justine did not answer, and Mrs. Salisbury went slowly out of the
kitchen, annoyance rising in her heart. It was all very well for
Sandy to help out about the house, but this inflexible idea of