It was on a Saturday afternoon, and Juliet Adams, who had come down from college to spend Sunday with her family (Juliet goes to a girl's big college now), had dropped over to see me. I was sitting by the west window sewing on some things of my own, for of course all Dr. Maynard's work I was careful to do in private. Ruth was upstairs getting dressed to go out to a party with one of her numerous boy-friends. Suddenly, with her hair down her back, and dressed only in her white petticoat and dressing-sack, she appeared in the doorway. "Got a thimble?" she asked. "I want to baste in a ruching," and without asking leave she grabbed my work-bag that was on the couch. It was open and she caught hold of it in such a way that the contents all went tumbling out on the floor. A dozen new socks done up in balls, on which I had been working initials, rolled out in all directions. The red monogram stared me in the face. "I'll pick them up," I said hurriedly, but Ruth was too quick for me and she pounced upon them before I could stop her. Very little of importance escapes Ruth. "W. F. M.!" she exclaimed. "Who's that? W. F. M.! As I live, on _every_ one of them! Who's W. F. M.?" She unrolled one pair. "Men's socks too," she said, holding them up to plain view. "W. F. M.!" Then suddenly she broke into hilarious laughter. "I have it!" she burst out, waving the socks over her head and triumphantly dancing around the room. "William Ford Maynard! W. F. M. William Ford Maynard!" "Stop, Ruth!" I cried, my old anger beginning to surge up in me. "_Stop_, I tell you!" But Ruth was deaf to me. She simply kept on tearing around the room like a wild Indian. "How do you do, Mrs. Maynard," she shouted at me in silly school-girl fashion, and amidst her mad laughter sang out, full of derision, "Juliet, let me introduce Mrs. William Ford Maynard!" I was standing up in a minute and was at Ruth with all my might and main. I was firing mad. "Ruth Chenery Vars," I cried, "stop, _stop_, STOP!" and then suddenly there was Alec standing quietly in the doorway in his overcoat and hat. Ruth and I went out like flames. There was a dead silence for an instant, then Alec asked quietly: "What does this mean?" Ruth answered him. "I tipped over Lucy's work-bag and all these men's socks fell out. Every one of them is marked with Dr. Maynard's initials, and Lucy got mad because I made fun of her." "Will's initials, Lucy?" asked Alec perplexed. "Yes, W. F. M.," went on Ruth delightedly. "See?" She gave the socks to Alec. "Nobody is W. F. M. in this town, but William Ford Maynard," she finished and sat down on the piano-stool in a satisfied way, as if she had cleared _herself_ of any blame, and now was ready for some fun. I think it was here that Juliet got up and slipped out of the room. Anyhow I know she wasn't there during the whole interview. "Well, Lucy?" said Alec, looking at me.