“Oh, I’m fed up with myself. I never realized, till I lived day-in-day-out with you, how much I’d been missing. Give me a book to read, Laur.” “In the morning.” Laura smiled at her and got up, edging away from her bed. “Now.” “It’s too late, Marcie. You won’t read anything now.” “I want to tell Burr I read a book.” “I’ll give you something later,” Laura said. It sounded strangely insinuating, the way she said it. She scared herself. She ducked into her bed as into a safe harbor, and hid her body under the blankets. With a sigh Marcie turned the light out. After a moment’s silence she whispered, “Laur? Will you talk to me after this? Really talk to me? Tell me things?” “I’ll try,” Laura murmured, frowning in the dark. She lay in bed daydreaming for hours, seeing the first signs in Marcie of an influence she had been unaware of. Where would it lead? What doors would it open? Would it lead them both to bitterness? Or mutual ecstasy? * * * * * In the morning Laura was very matter-of-fact. She almost ignored Marcie. She made her work for her attention and it delighted her that Marcie was willing to work for it. Instinctively Laura knew she had to play hard to get, and she liked to play that way for once. At breakfast, after a few false starts, Marcie blurted, “I’ll be late tonight.” She put her paper down and faced Laura. Laura looked up slowly. “Date with Burr?” she said. “No. Mr. Marquardt is having some out-of-town guests for dinner downtown. He asked some of us to go. I told him I would.” “Have fun,” Laura said, and looked back at the front page. “Ha! Some drunken idiot of a reporter’ll probably pester me to death.” “A reporter?” Laura looked up again suddenly. “Oh, I don’t know.” Marcie saw Laura’s interest and it sparked her own. “A journalist, or something. It’s a convention—professional fraternity, I guess.” “What fraternity? What’s it called?” “Ummm.” Marcie bit her lip and concentrated. “It’s Greek. Let’s see. Something the matter?” “No. Is it Chi Delta—” “—Sigma. That’s it, I remember. How did you know? Now something _is_ the matter, Laura!” Laura had gone very pale. She swallowed convulsively. “I just remembered, I was supposed to run an errand for Dr. Hollingsworth. I’d better get going.” She got up suddenly and went into the bedroom for her jacket. Marcie stood up and followed her. “You didn’t finish your breakfast, Laur,” she said, concerned, a line of worry in her forehead. “I’m not hungry. I’ll see you tonight,” she said, and turned quickly to almost run out. Marcie came after her, bewildered. “Laura, you don’t make sense,” she said. “What’s the matter with you?” But Laura was running down the stairs to the elevator. Marcie turned and went back into the kitchen and drank her coffee standing, gazing perplexed at Laura’s plate. Chapter Ten