and Ricks had first ruined them, and were on no account to be
mentioned by Rosalie to her father or mother.

The reason for this secrecy was never explained to Rosalie and
the secrecy oppressed Rosalie. It took not only the form of being
a thing she was not able to tell to her mother, and Rosalie was in
the habit of telling everything she did to her mother, but it took
also the form of mysterious and vaguely alarming perils during the
walks. An immense watchfulness was kept up against chance encounters
with people. One of the party would often cry, "Look! Who's this?"
and the young men would separate from the girls and appear as if
they were walking by themselves. Sometimes they would break right
away and run off and not be met again. Very often Rosalie would be
sent on ahead to a turning and told to come back at once if anybody
was to be seen and then would be examined as to who the person
was. Sometimes she was posted to keep watch while the girls and
the young men slipped off somewhere, over a gate or into a barn.
She got to know by sometimes rushing in with warnings that Flora
and Hilda on these occasions smoked the young men's cigarettes.
Then when they got home, they would rush up to their room and wash
their teeth and put scent on themselves. And invariably when the
young men took their leave at the end of a walk there would be long
and close whisperings in which were always to be heard the words,
"Well, say you were--" or "Look here, we'll say we were--" and
generally, "Go away, Rosalie. There's nothing for you to listen
to."

It all had the effect of making Rosalie feel unhappy and rather
frightened. She sometimes asked, "Why mustn't I say anything to
mother?" She was always told, and only told, "Because father doesn't