Did you have a nice time at Riverside?"
Eileen slammed down the brush and turned almost a distorted face
to Linda. She had temper to vent. In the hour's reflection
previous to Linda's coming, she realized that she had reached the
limit with Katy. If she antagonized her by word or look, she
would go to John Gilman, and Eileen dared not risk what she would
say.
"No, I did not have a lovely time," she said. "I furnished the
men for the party and I expected to have a grand time, but the
first thing we did was to run into that inflated egotist calling
herself Mary Louise Whiting, and like a fool, Janie Brunson
introduced her to Peter Morrison. I had paired him with Janie on
purpose to keep my eye on him."
Linda tried hard but she could not suppress a chuckle: "Of
course you would!" she murmured softly.
Eileen turned her back. That had been her first confidence to
Linda. She was so aggrieved at that moment that she could have
told unanswering walls her tribulations. It would have been
better if she had done so. She might have been able to construe
silence as sympathy. Linda's laughter she knew exactly how to
interpret. "Served you right," was what it meant.
"I hadn't the least notion you would take an interest in anything
concerning me," she said. "People can talk all they please about
Mary Louise Whiting being a perfect lady but she is a perfect
beast. I have met her repeatedly and she has always ignored me,
and yesterday she singled out for her special attention the most
desirable man in my party--"
"'Most desirable,'" breathed Linda.
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