Grace Draper’s attitude toward me puzzled me also.  She preserved always the cool but courteous manner one would use to the most casual acquaintance, yet she did not hesitate to avail herself of every possible opportunity to come to the house.  Then, two or three times during the latter part of the summer, I found that she had managed to join outings of ours.  Whether this state of affairs was due to Dicky’s wishes or her own subtle planning I could not determine.

I struggled hard with myself to treat the girl with friendliness, but found it impossible.  My manner toward her held as much reserve as was compatible with formal courtesy.  Of course, this did not please Dicky.

Dicky was also developing an unusual sense of punctuality.  I always had thought him quite irresponsible concerning the keeping of his appointments, and he never had any set time for arriving at his studio.  But he suddenly announced one morning that he must catch the 8:21 train every morning without fail.

“The next one gets in too late,” he said, “and I have a tremendous amount of work on hand.”

The explanation was plausible enough, but there was something about it that did not ring true.  However, the solution of his sudden solicitude for punctuality did not come to me until Mrs. Hoch, one of my neighbors, called with her daughter, Celie, and enlightened me.

“We just heard something we thought you ought to know,” Celie began primly, “so Ma and I hurried right over, so as to put you on your guard.”

“Yes,” sighed Mrs. Hoch, rocking vigorously as she spoke, “everybody knows I’m no gossip.  I believe if you can’t say nothing good about nobody, you should keep your mouth shut, but I says to Celie as soon as I heard this, ‘Celie,’ says I, ’it’s our duty to tell that poor thing what we know.’”

I started to speak, to stop whatever revelation she wished to make, but I might as well have attempted to stem a torrent with a leaf bridge.

“We’ve heard things for a long time,” Mrs. Hoch went on, “but we didn’t want to say nothin’, ’specially as you seemed such friends, her runnin’ here and all.  But we noticed she hain’t been comin’ lately, and then our Willie, he hears things a lot over at the station, and he says it’s common talk over there that your husband and that Draper girl are planning to elope.  They take the same train every morning together, come home on the same one at night, and they are as friendly as anything.”

“Mrs. Hoch,” I snapped out, “if I had known what you were going to say, I would not have allowed you to speak.  Your words are an insult to my husband and myself.  You will please to remember never to say anything like this to me again.”

Mrs. Hoch rose to her feet, her face an unbecoming brick red.  Her daughter’s black eyes snapped with anger.

“Come, Celie,” the elder woman said, “I don’t stay nowhere to be insulted, when all I’ve tried to do is give a little friendly warning to a neighbor.”