"Well, I certainly wouldn't until I got into better shape nervously than you are now." "Mother wants me to go away with her and I don't dare. I know it would do me good but I don't dare, Alice." Winnie half sobbed. "Don't dare? What rot! Why shouldn't you dare?" "Laurie will hate me if I go off with Mother! It doesn't matter how sick I am, he will hate me!" "Winnie, you're talking the most unmitigated nonsense." "I'm not, Alice. You don't know. He can't forgive me for wanting to be kind to Mother." "I haven't noticed any signs of unforgiveness on his part. I admit he acted like a fool on Sunday but I suppose he can't be blamed. Your father's not the easiest person in the world to get on with, himself." "I know, but you don't understand. Sometimes I think Laurie hates me for being sick. He don't love me any more! I know he don't." "Laurence hate you for being sick! Good God!" Then Alice added, "You shouldn't talk this way before May, Winnie." Winnie had her eyes shut. She made a gesture away with her hands. "Go out, May." May moved into a shadow by the door, but she did not go out. "I can't bear being sick. It m-m-makes me so old. Papa Farley--that time Papa Farley--that woman. They had a child, M-m-mother told me. Oh, do you suppose Laurence will do like that?" "Like what?" Alice's voice was sharp--almost threatening--with distrust. Winnie kept her eyes shut and wrung her hands. "I thought you knew all about it, Alice." "About what?" "Don't act as though you couldn't forgive me! That woman out West--and--and your father started to get a divorce and gave it up. I'm so afraid Laurence won't love me any more!" Alice knew that her parents had had some trouble. It was the year she was away at school. She had heard fragments--allusions. Now she felt strange. She wanted to hear more but could not--not from Winnie's lips. Alice's coarsely fine face burnt bronze with shame. Her sad eyes of thick brown searched Winnie's evasive features distrustfully. "You mustn't talk about this, Winnie," Alice said. "In the first place it has nothing to do with Laurence. You know as well as I do that Laurence cares for nobody but you and never will. I don't believe he feels hard toward you because you want to see your mother." "Now you're angry with me?" "I'm not. I'm going upstairs to wash and brush. You cut out this morbid nonsense, Winnie." Alice smiled a hard, kind, dismissing smile, and turned away, walking briskly out with her firm, awkward stride. May edged out of the shadow and came nearer her mother. It was half dark in the room. Winnie sniffed, oblivious to May. May came and stood very near. She reached over and passed a hesitant hand along the arm of her mother's chair. Winnie started. May drew back and stood teetering on one foot, her face alternately dark and smiling. "Oh, May, I t-told you to go out."