I have thought over this a great deal, and I beleive that now I understand.  Mother was unjustly putting the blame for everything on this School, and mother had chosen the School.  My father had not been much impressed by the catalogue.  “Too much dancing room and not enough tennis courts,” he had said.  This, of course, is my father’s opinion.  Not mine.

The real reason, then, for mother’s silence was that she disliked confessing that she made a mistake in her choice of a School.

I ate very little Luncheon and my only comfort was my seed pearls.  I was wearing them, for fear the door-bell would ring, and a Letter or flowers would arrive from H. In that case I felt quite sure that someone, in a frenzy, would burn the Pearls also.

The afternoon was terrable.  It rained solid sheets, and Patrick, the butler, gave notice three hours after he had recieved his Xmas presents, on account of not being let off for early mass.

But my father’s punch is famous, and people came, and stood around and buzzed, and told me I had grown and was almost a young lady.  And Tommy Gray got out of his cradle and came to call on me, and coughed all the time, with a whoop.  He developed the whooping cough later.  He had on his first long trousers, and a pair of lavender Socks and a Tie to match.  He said they were not exactly the same shade, but he did not think it would be noticed.  Hateful child!

At half past five, when the place was jamed, I happened to look up.  Carter Brooks was in the hall, and behind him was H. He had seen me before I saw him, and he had a sort of sickley grin, meant to denote joy.  I was talking to our Bishop at the time, and he was asking me what sort of services we had in the school chapel.

I meant to say “non-sectarian,” but in my surprize and horror I regret to say that I said, “vegetarian.”  Carter Brooks came over to me like a cat to a saucer of milk, and pulled me off into a corner.

“It’s all right,” he said.  “I ’phoned mama, and she said to bring him.  He’s known as Grosvenor here, of course.  They’ll never suspect a thing.  Now, do I get a small `thank you’?”

“I won’t see him.”

“Now look here, Bab,” he protested, “you two have got to make this thing up You are a pair of Idiots, quarreling over nothing.  Poor old Hal is all broken up.  He’s sensative.  You’ve got to remember how sensative he is.”

“Go, away” I cried, in broken tones.  “Go away, and take him with you.”

“Not until he had spoken to your Father,” he observed, setting his jaw.  “He’s here for that, and you know it.  You can’t play fast and loose with a man, you know.”

“Don’t you dare to let him speak to father!”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s between you to, of course,” he said.  “It’s not up to me.  Tell him yourself, if you’ve changed your mind.  I don’t intend,” he went on, impressively, “to have any share in ruining his life.”