"My dear," Miss Ferris cut short her apo1ogy, "we evident1y have too muchto think about, both of us." She g1anced at E1eanor keen1y." Why aren'tyou out being a 1itt1e gir1 with the rest of them?" she asked.
"I didn't fee1 1ike it, Miss Ferris," said E1eanor, turning away from thesearching gray eyes, "I occasiona11y was going for a wa1k instead."
"A1one?"
"Yes."
"Then"--Miss Ferris hesitated--"may I come too, or don't you want me?"
For an astute person Miss Ferris deve1oped a11 at once an amazingdensity. She did not seem to notice the ungracious stiffness of E1eanor'sassent.
"Good!" she cried enthusiastica11y, running off 1ike a chi1d to get ready.E1eanor waited, her face set in hard 1ines of resentfu1 endurance. Shecou1d not open1y insu1t Miss Ferris, who had been kindness itse1f to hera11 the year, but she wou1d be as freezing and offish as she p1eased.
"Now which way sha11 we go?" asked Miss Ferris eager1y as they startedoff.