“Is she going to visit the Parchers all summer?” Mr. Baxter insisted. “She already has, almost,” said Mrs. Baxter. “Look at that boy!” the father grumbled. “Mooning along with those other moon-calves--can’t even let her go to church alone! I wonder how many weeks of time, counting it out in hours, he’s wasted that way this summer?” “Oh, I don’t know! You see, he never goes there in the evening now.” “What of that? He’s there all day, isn’t he? What do they find to talk about? That’s the mystery to me! Day after day, hours after hours--My soul! What do they _say_?” Mrs. Baxter laughed indulgently. “People are always wondering that about the other ages. Poor Willie! I think that a great deal of the time their conversation would be probably about as general as it is now. You see Willie and Joe Bullitt are walking one on each side of Miss Pratt, and Johnnie Watson has to walk behind with May Parcher. Joe and Johnnie are there about as much as Willie is, and of course it’s often his turn to be nice to May Parcher. He hasn’t many chances to be tête-à-tête with Miss Pratt.” “Well, she ought to go home. I want that boy to get back into his senses. He’s awful!” “I think she is going soon,” said Mrs. Baxter. “The Parchers are to have a dance for her Friday night, and I understand there’s a floor to be laid in the yard and great things. It’s a farewell party.” “That’s one mercy, anyhow!” “And if you wonder what they say,” she resumed, “why, probably they’re all talking about the party. And when Willie _is_ alone with her--well, what does anybody say?” Mrs. Baxter interrupted herself to laugh. “Jane, for instance--she’s always fascinated by that darkey, Genesis, when he’s at work here in the yard, and they have long, long talks; I’ve seen them from the window. What on earth do you suppose they talk about? That’s where Jane is now. She knew I told Genesis I’d give him something if he’d come and freeze the ice-cream for us to-day, and when we got here she heard the freezer and hopped right around there. If you went out to the back porch you’d find them talking steadily--but what on earth about I couldn’t guess to save my life!” And yet nothing could have been simpler: as a matter of fact, Jane and Genesis were talking about society. That is to say, their discourse was not sociologic; rather it was of the frivolous and elegant. Watteau prevailed with them over John Stuart Mill--in a word, they spoke of the beau monde.