238
FLAMING
YOUTH
“Separated. No; I don’t mean Fred and Con,” she amended, laughing at the dismay in his face. “Dad and the Brownings. Fred’s sticking to business and to Con; they’ve got a cottage over beyond the Club; addition in June, not to the cottage, to the family. Pat’s running Holiday Knoll like a veteran, though just now she’s in Boston. She’ll be sunk in desolation when she finds you’ve been here and she’s missed you.” “Perhaps Ill be back again when she returns,” he said carelessly, but his words belied his inward resolution so to arrange his schedule that he would run no risk of the peace-destroying encounter. As a minor determination, he decided to accept Dee’s invitation for the night, since jt involved no danger of seeing Pat. “Yes; Pat’s quite doing her job,” continued Dee.
“It’s
good for her to have the responsibility. But she’s still a queer, restless, morbid kid. You saw a lot of her at one time, Cary. I always thought you had a steadying influence on her. What’s the matter with Pat, do you think?” ““The fever of the age, perhaps.” “Oh, we’ve all got that. But Pat’s temperature is particularly high. She rushes from one whirl te another, playing Billy-old-hell with Mark Denby one week, and Emslie Selfridge another, and,Selden Thorpe, a third, and what does she get out of it? Not even excitement, or else she’s a little liar. She’s beaten it now because she says she’s bored to suicide with this place.” ‘And you yourself, Dee? How is it with you?” “Oh, I’ve everything I want,” she said restlessly. “Everything should include happiness; I’m glad.” “What's that? Don’t know—yeh.” Her voice was hard. “Please stop looking at me like a solemn owl, as if
