"Only fair. Day's been underfoot most of the time. Why?" "How'd you like a picnic?" "I would not!" I said decisively. "I hate cold food and motoring in a procession until you choke with dust--and Day getting jealous and disagreeable and wanting to get home early." "Poor little girl!" said Ferd, and patted my hand in a friendly way. Ferd was a good scout always; we got along together pretty well and sat together at dinners whenever we could. He never made love to me or anything like that, but he understood me thoroughly, which Day never took the trouble to do. It is absurd, now that it's all over, to have the others saying he was my affinity or anything of the sort. I never cared for him. "I didn't mean the usual sort of picnic," Ferd said. "How has it got its pretty hair fixed to-day? Rather nice, lady-love; but why do you hide your pretty ears?" Lady-love was only a nickname. "So I won't be able to hear Day bragging about his golf score. What sort of a picnic?" "It's a peach of an idea!" Ferd said. "It came to me out of a clear sky. Every picnic we've ever had has been a failure--because why? Because they were husband-and-wife picnics. There's no trouble about a picnic where nobody's married, is there?" "Humph! What's the peach of an idea? To get divorces?" "Certainly not! Have husbands and wives--only somebody else's husband or somebody else's wife. You and I--do you see?--and Annette and Tom; Jane Henderson and Emerson Riley; Catherine Fredericks and that fellow who's visiting the Moores. How about it?" "Day would have a convulsion, Ferd." "Good gracious, Fanny!" he said. "Haven't you any imagination? What has Day got to do with it? You wouldn't tell him, of course!" Well, that was different. I was rather scared when I got to thinking of it, but it sounded amusing and different. One way and another I see such a lot of Day. He's always around unless there's a golf tournament somewhere else. "It's moonlight," Ferd said. "The only thing, of course, is to get off. I can stay over at the club or go on a motor trip. It's easy enough for the fellows; but the girls will have to work out something." So we sat and thought. Day came in from the links just then and stopped by my chair. "Great afternoon!" he said, mopping his face. "Y'ought to hear what I did to Robson, Fan--I drove off my watch and never touched it. Then he tried it with his. Couldn't even find the case!" "Go away, Day," I said. "I'm thinking." "Ferd doesn't seem to interfere with your thinking." "He's negative and doesn't count," I explained. "You're positive." That put him in a good humour again and he went off for a shower. I turned to Ferd. "I believe I've got it," I said--"I'll have a fight with Day the morning of the picnic and I'll not be there when he gets home. I've done it before. Then, when I do go home, he'll be so glad to see me he'll not ask any questions. He'll think I've been off sulking." "Good girl!" said Ferd.