During the preparation of breakfast the next morning Ethel apologized
for her conduct at the supper table.
“I didn’t mean to speak of that matter at all, Grace. It’s none of my
business how you met Mr. Trenton. I don’t want there to be any hard
feeling between us. I realize that we look at things differently and I
want you to know that before Osgood left last night I made it all right
with him. I told him it was just a joke between you and me about Miss
Conwell. I wouldn’t want him to think we spend our time quarreling.”
“I hope he thought it was funny,” Grace returned. “I don’t mind telling
you that there’s no such person as Miss Conwell. John backed me up just
because he resented the way you were ragging me. He knew perfectly
well there’s no Mabel Conwell at the University.”
Mrs. Durland entered the kitchen in time to catch this last remark.
“I hope you know, Grace, that neither Ethel nor I have any wish to
question you about your friends. I scolded Ethel for asking you about
Miss Conwell before company. I’m sure she’s sorry.”
“I’ve apologized to Grace, mother,” said Ethel meekly.
“We assume, Grace,” said Mrs. Durland, “that you mean to hold fast to
the ideals we’ve tried to teach you at home. We trust you, dear; you
know that. You know all the dangers that a young girl’s exposed to and
I believe you mean to make something fine and beautiful of your life. I
expect that of both you girls.”
“I don’t like being pecked at and quizzed,” Grace replied. “I’ll attend
to the bacon, Ethel; you needn’t bother about it.”
“I hope you and John had a pleasant evening,” said Mrs. Durland.
“Yes; it’s a very good picture. We all enjoyed it. Irene went with us.”
“Irene Kirby went with you and John to the picture show!” exclaimed
Mrs. Durland. “I don’t believe you said Irene was going.”
“Grace naturally wouldn’t mention it,” said Ethel, lifting the lid of
the coffee pot and closing it with a spiteful snap.
“Now, dear, let’s think the best we can of every one,” said Mrs.
Durland. She had with difficulty persuaded Ethel to apologize to Grace
for questioning her about the imaginary Miss Conwell and it seemed for
an instant that her efforts to promote harmony were to fail, now that
Grace had mentioned Irene.
“Oh, it happened by accident!” Grace explained. “Irene and I were
lunching together at the store and John strolled in looking for me. And
he was polite enough to include Irene in his invitation.”
“I’d hardly expect her to do anything as tame as going to a picture
show,” said Ethel.
“Well, as I’ve said before, Irene isn’t as bad as you paint her. You
probably wouldn’t think she’d waste time on John, but they get on
famously.”
“John isn’t quite what I thought he was,” said Ethel, ignoring her
mother’s signal for silence.
“That’s because he wouldn’t let you choose a church for him,” said
Grace, gingerly drawing a pan of corn muffins from the oven. “John
lives his religion, which is a lot better than parading it all the
time.”
“Now, Grace, Ethel didn’t mean to reflect on John,” Mrs. Durland
hastened to explain.
“It may give you a better impression of John to know he’s been very
kind to Roy,” said Grace.
“How’s that, Grace?” asked Mrs. Durland quickly. “I didn’t get a chance
to ask John about Roy.”
“John wouldn’t have told you he’d been helping Roy even if you’d asked
him. John doesn’t advertise his good works. But I had a letter from one
of the girls the other day and she was teasing me about John. She said
he must be seriously interested in me for he’d been coaching Roy in his
law work. I call it perfectly splendid of John when he has so much to
do.”
“It’s certainly kind of John,” said her mother, “I wish you’d told me
so I could have thanked him. But I didn’t suppose Roy needed coaching.
He’s working very hard; he’s sent just scraps of letters all winter and
gives as his excuse that he’s too busy to write.”
“We’ve all got to begin thinking about what Roy will do after he’s
graduated,” said Ethel. “I’ve talked to some of the lawyers who come
into our office and they all say he’d better go into an office as clerk
until he gets started. A young man can’t just hang out his shingle and
expect business to come to him.”
“It’s too bad your father isn’t in a position to help Roy,” sighed Mrs.
Durland.
“Why not let Roy make some suggestions himself about what he wants to
do,” said Grace. “He’s got to learn self-reliance sometime. John Moore
hadn’t anybody to boost him and he’s already found a place in one of
the best offices in town.”
“But Roy’s case is very different,” replied Mrs. Durland, instantly on
the defensive. “John’s older for one thing and the hard work he’s done
to get his education naturally arouses sympathy. I want us all to make
Roy feel our confidence in him. I’m getting anxious to have him home.
He’s going to be a great comfort to me and it will be fine for you
girls to have your brother back. You can both of you do a lot for him.
And, Grace, he can help you solve many of your problems,--socially I
mean.”
“I shall want Roy to know all my friends,” said Ethel. “Since I’ve been
with Gregg and Burley I’ve made a good many acquaintances among men who
are in a position to help Roy.”
“Roy’s fine social side is bound to be a help to him in his
profession,” said Mrs. Durland. “He’s always been a friendly boy.”
“Yes, mother,” Grace replied. “Roy certainly has a way of making
friends.”
She refrained from saying that these friends were not always wisely
chosen. She dreaded the time when he would finish at the University
and begin his efforts to establish a law practice. A good many young
men of the best type of ambitious student had confided in her as
to their plans for the future and she thought she knew pretty well
the qualities essential to success. Roy was blessed with neither
initiative nor industry, and she knew as her mother and Ethel did not,
the happy-go-lucky fashion in which he had played through his college
course, and his rebellion against undertaking the law. It was quite
like him to lean upon John Moore. He must be doing badly or John would
not have volunteered to aid him.
As they ate breakfast, with Mr. Durland dividing attention between
his food and his newspaper, Mrs. Durland’s usual attempt to create
an atmosphere of cheer for the day struck Grace as pathetic in its
futility. Hearing her father’s voice she roused herself to find
that her mother had asked him to look in the market reports for the
quotations on turkeys. Christmas was approaching and Roy would be
home; and Mrs. Durland was speculating as to whether a turkey for the
Christmas dinner would be too serious a strain on the family budget.
Durland shifted uneasily in his chair as his wife recalled that they
had never been without a Christmas turkey since they were married.
Grace noting the fleeting pain in her father’s patient eyes, hastened
to say that beyond question the turkey would be forthcoming. It was a
relief to be out of the house, walking to the car with her father who
was laden as usual with his notebooks and drawings.