The next morning had brought Ted’s pleasant, penitent note, explaining his defection and expressing the hope that they might meet again soon, signed hers “devotedly.”  Poor Madeline!  The cup of her regret was very bitter to the taste as she read that letter of Ted Holiday’s.

Something of her misery and self-abasement crept into the letter to Ted, together with a passionate remorse for having doubted him and her even more vehement regret for having gone out with Willis Hubbard.  The whole complex story of her emotional reactions was of course not written down for Ted’s eyes; but he read quite enough to permit him to guess more than he cared to know.  Hubbard was evidently something of a rotter.  Maybe he was a bit of a rotter himself.  If he hadn’t taken the girl out joy riding himself she wouldn’t have gone with the other two nights later.  That was plain to be seen with half an eye and Ted Holiday was man enough to look at the fact straight and unblinking for a moment.

Well!  He should worry.  It wasn’t his fault if Madeline had been fool enough to go out with Hubbard, when she knew what kind of a chap he was.  He wasn’t her keeper.  He didn’t see why she had to ask him to forgive her.  It was none of his business.  And he wished she hadn’t begged so earnestly and humbly that he would see her again soon.  He didn’t want to see her.  Yet, down underneath, Ted Holiday had an uneasy feeling he ought to want it, ought to try to make up to her in some way for something which was somehow his fault, even though he did disclaim the responsibility.

Two days later came another letter even more disturbing.  It seemed Madeline was going to Holyoke again soon to visit her Cousin Emma and wanted Ted to join her.  She was “dying” to see him.  He could stay at Cousin Emma’s, but maybe he wouldn’t like that because there was a raft of children always under foot and Fred, Emma’s husband, was a dreadful “ordinary” person who smoked a smelly pipe and sat round in his shirt sleeves.  But if he would come and stay at a hotel they could have a wonderful time.  She did want to see him so much.  Besides, Willis pestered her all the time and said if she went away he would come down in his car every night to see her.  So if Ted didn’t want her to run around with Willis as he said in his last letter he had better come himself.  She didn’t like Willis the way she did Ted, though.  Some ways she hated him and she wished awfully she hadn’t ever had anything to do with him.  And finally she liked Ted better than anybody in the world, and would he please, please come to Holyoke, because she wanted him to so very, very much?

And then the postscript.  “The cut is going to leave a scar, I am most sure.  I don’t care.  I like it.  It makes me think of you and what a wonderful time we had together that night.”