"I do, too! A whole good afternoon! And the worst of it was," said Mary, eyeing her with a sort of speculative archness, "I stayed after everybody was gone just to talk to Charles Garrott, whom you dislike so much! Still," she added, with a fading of archness, "I had something to tell him for his own good, at least." Cousin Mary's changes of expression were lost upon Angela. "Mr. Garrott! Was he at the lunch party?" "He gave it--didn't I say? It was just a little _bon voyage_ party for Donald--and Helen Carson! Donald's leaving to-morrow for Wyoming, you know, to be gone a month--" "No--you hadn't told me.... Who else was at the lunch, Cousin Mary?" "Oh, just those I've mentioned, and Fanny for chaperon, and Talbott Maxon." Angela, naturally, felt more lonely and out of things than ever. In fact, she felt blankly depressed. Mr. Garrott's luncheon had included exactly her coterie, only she herself being omitted. "Why do you say I dislike Mr. Garrott, Cousin Mary? Of course I like him very much. You know I told you long ago he was much the most attractive man I've met here." "Well, but I thought you must have changed your opinion, when you told me the other day that his ideals were so low." "Why, of course I didn't _mean_ it, Cousin Mary! I thought you knew I was angry when I spoke." The two cousins regarded each other, in the dark little hall by the hatstand. Angela felt her position to be annoying. But she explained with that complete lack of embarrassment characteristic only of women conscious of rectitude:-- "I can't tell you _all_ about it, even now. But what happened was that Mr. Garrott and I had a terrible misunderstanding, and at first I put all the blame on him, and was awfully mad with him, I admit. But since then, the more I've thought of it, the more I've seen that I was very unjust to him--in what I thought and said, too. He really has much more cause to be mad with me--now--than I have with him." "Well, I'm glad to hear it. Don't quarrel--that's my motto," said the stormy Miss Wing. "And Mr. Garrott thinks you are charming!--I know, for he told me so. Well--" "Yes--that's what has changed my feeling about it all, you see. Cousin Mary--when you see him again, you might just say--" "My dear, I never see Mr. Garrott!" said Mary, rather hastily. "Why, you've just seen him!" "The first time for a week, and probably the last time for a month. He's going down to his mother's in the country on Saturday, to stay over Christmas and New Year's. Angela, I must _run_!"