For Lena did not know that women of this type are the most protected creatures on the face of the earth. The knowledge of good is given them, but not the knowledge of evil. So she told them all about herself, which was what they seemed to want to hear, and when they went away Madeline said: "I wonder if there are many such born to blush unseen. What an exquisite little tragedy she is!" And Mrs. Lenox answered: "U--u--m! Well, I've asked her, haven't I? I think the microbe of Dick's impulsiveness must have got into me." Lena stood back in the shadow of the room to watch her departing guests. Then she ran up stairs with light steps, ruffling her plumes like a cocky little lady-wren as she went back to the dreariness where Mrs. Quincy sat rocking her inevitable creaking chair. "Well!" asked her mother after a pause, a pause just long enough, the daughter knew, to fill her with irritable curiosity. "Well," Lena answered smartly, "and what do you think? They came to call, if you please, because Mr. Percival asked them to; and they were sweet as honey. And Mrs. Lenox asked me to spend a whole week at her country place." "For the land sake!" "I guess," Lena went on with complacence, "Mr. Percival must have said something pretty nice." Her mother stared at her speechless, and it was such an unusual thing for Mrs. Quincy to be struck dumb that Lena was correspondingly elated as she rattled on. "Such dresses! I'd give anything to have such clothes and wear them with that kind of an every-day, don't-care air. My, but Mrs. Lenox is a stunner! But the Lenoxes are just rolling in money; and they say Mr. Lenox hadn't a red cent when she married him and gave him his start. It's lucky I have another check coming from the _Star_. I'll need more things than ever it will buy to go out there. I must begin to get ready right away." The mention of expenditure brought Mrs. Quincy back to her normal state of mind, and she resumed her rocking. Lena's means and extremes in shopping were her standard grievance. "I might know that 'ud be the next thing. Of course you'll be spending every penny you can rake and scrape on clothes, so's to look fine for your new fine friends. It's no matter about me. I can go without a decent rag to my back, so long as you've got feathers and flummery." "Well, I earned the money. I don't see why I shouldn't spend it. I'm not robbing you," said Lena sulkily. "You might contribute a mite to your own board." "I'll save you my board for a week," snapped the girl. Mrs. Quincy changed her tack. "And leave me shut up in town," she resumed. "I should think you'd think twice, Lena, before you went off gallivantin' and left your poor old mother here alone. Nobody seems to think I need any pleasure." "I'll write and ask Mrs. Lenox if she won't take you instead of me."