“Did you have to study hard?” “Not too hard. Have you seen where we studied?” She took Fliss through the study halls, through the garden, down to the refectory and the winter playroom. “It’s so different,” was Fliss’s comment. “Of course I liked the old High, and I had a corking time there. And I suppose it was pretty dull here with no boys, but it did make--ladies of you all.” “Perhaps it didn’t make us very wise.” “No, I know a lot more than you do about ways to get what I want. I think I know more about handling men than you do. But then you seem to get them without handling.” That struck Cecily as a bit coarse and Fliss knew it. So she acknowledged it. “That sounds rather coarse, doesn’t it? But most things outside of this enclosure are a bit coarse, I think.” “They needn’t be,” said Cecily. “I wonder. I wonder if most people aren’t a little too coarse grained to like a place like this.” They were talking of the convent, but Cecily felt an implied criticism of herself. “Most people prefer High Schools, you think.” “Most people are the High School type now--talk a lot and pretty freely. Wasn’t it funny to see how shocked the nun got at Madeline? And Madeline wasn’t saying a circumstance to most of what you hear. Most people are a little broad and most women pretty used to having men around, knowing a lot of them easily and being friendly and a bit flirtatious.” Was she warning her, thought Cecily? Her pride rose against such a warning. “Yet there are men who don’t like that sort of women,” she answered, a faint edge of hauteur in her voice. Then to make up for that remark she asked Fliss if she couldn’t come home for dinner. “We’ve a temporary supply of servants and plenty of dinner. Can’t you telephone Matthew?” “We’ll stop for him,” said Fliss, “if you can drive home with me. Are you in your own car?” “No, mother dropped me here; my own car’s laid up.” That was glorious for Fliss. This time it was her car that took Cecily home. It was a Fliss-like car--lean and low and yellow-brown. They piled into it and went down town, people turning to watch them, Fliss skimming through the streets, letting other drivers save her life and get out of her way because she was a pretty woman in a handsome car. Matthew seemed delighted. Cecily was struck by the fact that he looked younger, laughed more easily, was not quite so inclined to heaviness in conversation. They dropped Madeline at her house and went on to surprise Dick and please him too. Cecily had telephoned Ellen, who had a ready half-familiar smile for Fliss. Fliss returned it a bit quizzically. She even dared, while Cecily was busy with the baby, to slip out into the pantry where Ellen was working. “How’s your ma?” asked Ellen promptly. “Fine. I dropped in on her last week just after I’d made her buy some new window curtains and found her tying them all up with loops of blue ribbon. She and dad are attending movie serials.”