“I know now,” Miss Summers said miserably.  “But all the other girls--this year’s debutantes—­were there, and I had to guess at most of the names, and I chanced it!  Fool that I was!” she interrupted herself bitterly.  “Well, the next day, while I was in the office, my telephone rang.  It was Thursday, and I had my Sunday page to do, and I was just rushing, and I had a bad cold,—­I’ve got it yet.  So I just said, ‘What is it?’ rather sharply, you know, and a voice said, in a businesslike sort of way, ’How did you happen to put Miss Carolyn Seymour’s name on Miss Emily Saunders’ lunch list?’ I never dreamed that it was Miss Saunders; how should I?  She didn’t say ‘I’ or ‘me’ or anything—­just that.  So I said, ’Well, is it a matter of international importance?’”

“Ouch!” said Susan, wincing, and shaking a doubtful head.

“I know, it was awful!” the other girl agreed eagerly.  “But—­” her anxious eyes searched Susan’s face.  “Well; so the next day Mr. Brice called me into the office, and showed me a letter from Miss Ella Saunders, saying—­” and Miss Summers began to cry again.  “And I can’t tell Mamma!” she sobbed.  “My brother’s been so ill, and I was so proud of my position!”

“Do you mean they—­fired you?” Susan asked, all sympathy.

“He said he’d have to!” gulped Miss Summers, with a long sniff.  “He said that Saunders and Babcock advertise so much with them, and that, if she wasn’t appeased somehow—­”

“Well, now, I’ll tell you,” said Susan, ringing for tea, “I’ll wait until Miss Saunders is in a good mood, and then I’ll do the very best I can for you.  You know, a thing like that seems small, but it’s just the sort of thing that is really important,” she pursued, consolingly.  She had quite cheered her caller before the tea-cups were emptied, but she was anything but hopeful of her mission herself.

And Ella justified her misgivings when the topic was tactfully opened the next day.

“I’m sorry for the little thing,” said Ella, briskly, “but she certainly oughtn’t to have that position if she doesn’t know better than that!  Carolyn Seymour in this house—­I never heard of such a thing!  I was denying it all the next day at the club and it’s extremely unpleasant.  Besides,” added Ella, reddening, “she was extremely impertinent about it when I telephoned—–­”

“Duchess, she didn’t dream it was you!  She only said that she didn’t know it was so important—–­” Susan pleaded.

“Well,” interrupted Miss Saunders, in a satisfied and final tone, “next time perhaps she will know who it is, and whether it is important or not!  Sue, while you’re there at the desk,” she added, “will you write to Mrs. Bergess, Mrs. Gerald Florence Bergess, and tell her that I looked at the frames at Gump’s for her prizes, and they’re lovely, from fourteen up, and that I had him put three or four aside—–­”