While she was brushing her teeth that night Flip thought more about Erna. It somehow had never occurred to her that anyone could really love the school. She herself was learning not to hate it, and was beginning to have fun, and to lose some of the dreadful shyness that had tormented her; but she hadn't even thought of really loving school so that she would be miserable whenever she had to leave. She felt a sense of warm companionship with Erna, now that each had witnessed and tried to comfort the other's unhappiness. When she got back to the room Erna was already in bed, rubbing mentholatum on her chapped hands; Gloria was combing the snarls out of her hair; and Jackie was wrapping a towel around her hot water bottle. "Hi, Pill," Jackie greeted her. "We've been wondering something." Flip hardly noticed any more whether they called her 'Flip' or 'Pill.' When Jackie said 'Pill' it sounded like an affectionate nick-name, not a term of contempt, and only Esmée continued to use it in a derogatory manner. "What have you been wondering?" she asked. "Well, you've been seeing Percy every Sunday for a while now. Have you learned anything about her private life?" "Jackie has a crush on Percy, Jackie has a crush on Percy," Gloria droned. "If you want to call it that," Jackie said. "I admire her more than anybody in the world except my mother and I'm not ashamed of it." "Needn't get huffy, ducky." Gloria threw her comb down in disgust and tried to get her snarls out with her fingers. "I must need a new perm. My hair's just awful. It's the way Black and Midnight washes it with that beastly old soap. I'm just as curious about Percy as you are. Where do you suppose _Mr._ Percy is? Come on, Pill. You must have found out something." "I haven't," Flip said. "Not a thing. Nobody's ever said anything about her husband." She thought of Denise, but said nothing. "Couldn't you ask?" Gloria rubbed a camphor stick over her lips as though it were lipstick. "Good heavens, no!" Flip cried, aghast. "Of course she couldn't ask," Jackie exclaimed. "What are you thinking of, Glo?" "Well, I'd ask if I wanted to know." "Oh, yes you would!" "Well, I would!" "Well, maybe _you_ would," Erna said, "but Flip wouldn't, and neither would I." This would have crushed Flip, but Gloria merely took her nail scissors out of the manicure box her mother's Emile had sent her for her birthday, and started to clip her toe nails. "Sometimes when Percy thinks no one is looking at her she gets the saddest look in her eyes." Jackie said, "It's as if she hurt deep inside." "Maybe her husband died on her wedding night and she's mourned for him ever since," Erna suggested. "Gee, I wish I could put nail polish on my toe nails," Gloria sighed, "but Black and Midnight would spot it somehow ... maybe he was killed in the war." "Switzerland wasn't in the war, dopey," Erna said. "Well, maybe he was French or something, dopey," Gloria retorted. "Or maybe he ran away and left her."