135


THE    COMMON   LAW


And  all  the  while  she  giggled  with  Rita  in  a  most
sharaelcss  and  undignified  fashion,  went  about  hatless,
with  hair  blowing  and  sleeves  rolled  up ;  decorated  a
donation  party  at  the  local  minister's  and  flirted  with
him  till  his  gold-rimmcd  eye-glasses  protruded ;  behav-id


A  smartly  Jri.'ss<.>d  and  very  conCJent  drummer.'


like  a  thouglitful  and  considerate  angel  to  the  old,  un-
interesting and  infirm ;  romped  like  a  young  goddess
with  the  adoring  children  of  the  boarders,  and  was
fiercely  detested  by  the  crocheting  spinsters  rocking
in  acidulated  rows  on  the  piazza.
The  table  was  meagre  and  awful  and  pruneful ;  but
136


THE    COMMON   LAW


she  ate  with  an  appetite  tliat  amazed  Rita,  whose  so-
phisticated palate  was  grossly  insulted  thrice  daily.
"  How  on  earth  you  can  contrive  to  eat  that  hash,"
she  said,  resentfulh',  "  I  don't  understand.  When  my
Maillard's  give  out  I'll  quietly  starve  in  a  daisy  field
somewhere."

"  Close  your  eyes  and  pretend  j'ou  and  Sam  are
dining  at  the  Knickerbocker,"  suggested  Valerie,  cheer-
fuUj'.  "  That's  what  I  do  when  the  food  doesn't  appeal
to  me."

"With   whom   do   you   pretend  you    are   dining.^"

"  Sometimes  with  Louis  Neville,  sometimes  with  Que-
ricla,"  she  said,  frankly.  "  It  helps  the  hash  wonder-
fully. Try  it,  dear.  Close  your  eyas  and  visualise  some
agreeable  man,  and  the  food  isn't  so  very  awful."

Rita  laughed :  "  I'm  not  as  fond  of  men  as  that."

"  Aren't  you?  I  am.  I  do  like  an  agreeable  man,
and  I  don't  mind  saying  so."

"  I've  observed  that,"  said  Rita,  still  lauffhing.
