Page 191 (1/1)

It was very still inside, but a quick electric light responded to his knock and in adown-stairs to the door His heart leaped Could it be Leslie? Ah! Heto be to look at her this first tie Could he keep the joy of her out of his eyes, and the wonder of her from his voice? Then the door opened and there stood Cherry in negligée of flaring rosy cotton crêpe etails in eclipse behind an arrangement of cheap lace and pink ribbons

"No, sir, Mister Howard, dey ain't none ob 'e fellah fum back to Californy way Dey done tuk him out to see de town"

Howard's heart sank and he turned his heavy footsteps back to college The worst fear had come to pass Of course reason asserted itself, and he told himself that he was a fool, a perfect fool Of course they had to be polite to an old neighbor whether they liked hier from a five-minute conversation, and turn hi to have his old friends even like hiht hi would have to be done about it

What he did about it was to stay away from Cloudy Villa for almost a week, and when Leslie at last, after repeated efforts to get hold of him by telephone, called hi at the church which he ought to attend, he excused his long absence by telling how busy he had been Of course he had been busy, but Leslie knew that he had always been busy, and yet had found time to come in often She was inclined to be hurt and just the least bit stand-offish Of course if he didn't want to co in the car and showed hihborhood with much more cordiality than she really felt It was her way of bearing her hurt At last she got Allison by himself and asked him quite casually why Howard hadn't been down But Allison, in haste to keep an appoint down as much as they wanted him, hadn't even noticed the absence yet