complainingly at her daughter.
Nevertheless Bella was no more abashed that she was
irritated by this. On the contrary she knew her mother and
knew that she was fond of her; also that she was intrigued
by her physical charm as well as her assured local social
success as much as was her father, who considered her
perfection itself and could be swayed by her least, as well
as her much practised, smile.
“Not old enough, not old enough,” commented Bella
reproachfully. “Will you listen? I’ll be eighteen in July. I’d like
to know when you and Papa are going to think I’m old
enough to go anywhere without you both. Wherever you
two go, I have to go, and wherever I want to go, you two
have to go, too.”
“Bella,” censured her mother. Then after a moment’s
silence, in which her daughter stood there impatiently, she
added, “Of course, what else would you have us do? When
you are twenty-one or two, if you are not married by then, it
will be time enough to think of going off by yourself. But at
your age, you shouldn’t be thinking of any such thing.” Bella
cocked her pretty head, for at the moment the side door
downstairs was thrown open, and Gilbert Griffiths, the only
son of this family and who very much in face and build, if
not in manner or lack of force, resembled Clyde, his
western cousin, entered and ascended.
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223
He was at this time a vigorous, self-centered and vain youth
of twenty-three who, in contrast with his two sisters,
seemed much sterner and far more practical. Also, probably
much more intelligent and aggressive in a business way—a
field in which neither of the two girls took the slightest
interest. He was brisk in manner and impatient. He
considered that his social position was perfectly secure, and
was utterly scornful of anything but commercial success.
Yet despite this he was really deeply interested in the
movements of the local society, of which he considered
himself and his family the most important part. Always
conscious of the dignity and social standing of his family in
this community, he regulated his action and speech
accordingly. Ordinarily he struck the passing observer as
rather sharp and arrogant, neither as youthful or as playful
as his years might have warranted. Still he was young,
attractive and interesting. He had a sharp, if not brilliant,
tongue in his head—a gift at times for making crisp and
cynical remarks. On account of his family and position he
was considered also the most desirable of all the young
eligible bachelors in Lycurgus. Nevertheless he was so
much interested in himself that he scarcely found room in
his cosmos for a keen and really intelligent understanding
of anyone else.
Hearing him ascend from below and enter his room, which
was at the rear of the house next to hers, Bella at once left
her mother’s room, and coming to the door, called: “Oh, Gil,
can I come in?”
“Sure.” He was whistling briskly and already, in view of
some entertainment somewhere, preparing to change to
evening clothes.
“Where are you going?”
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224
“Nowhere, for dinner. To the Wynants afterwards.”
“Oh, Constance to be sure.”
“No, not Constance, to be sure. Where do you get that
stuff?”
“As though I didn’t know.”
“Lay off. Is that what you came in here for?”
“No, that isn’t what I came in here for. What do you think?
The Finchleys are going to build a place up at Twelfth Lake
next summer, right on the lake, next to the Phants, and Mr.
Finchley’s going to buy Stuart a thirty-foot launch and build
a boathouse with a sun-parlor right over the water to hold it.
Won’t that be swell, huh?”
“Don’t say ‘swell.’ And don’t say ‘huh.’ Can’t you learn to cut
out the slang? You talk like a factory girl. Is that all they
teach you over at that school?”
“Listen to who’s talking about cutting out slang. How about
yourself? You set a fine example around here, I notice.”
“Well, I’m five years older than you are. Besides I’m a man.
You don’t notice Myra using any of that stuff.”
“Oh, Myra. But don’t let’s talk about that. Only think of that
new house they’re going to build and the fine time they’re
going to have up there next summer. Don’t you wish we
could move up there, too? We could if we wanted to—if
Papa and Mamma would agree to it.”
“Oh, I don’t know that it would be so wonderful,” replied her
brother, who was really very much interested just the same.
“There are other places besides Twelfth Lake.”
“Who said there weren’t? But not for the people that we
know around here. Where else do the best people from
Albany and Utica go but there now, I’d like to know. It’s
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225
going to become a regular center, Sondra says, with all the
finest houses along the west shore. Just the same, the
Cranstons, the Lamberts, and the Harriets are going to
move up there pretty soon, too,” Bella added most definitely
and defiantly. “That won’t leave so many out at Greenwood
Lake, nor the very best people, either, even if the Anthonys
and Nicholsons do stay here.”
“Who says the Cranstons are going up there?” asked
Gilbert, now very much interested.
“Why, Sondra!”
“Who told her?”
“Bertine.”
“Gee, they’re getting gayer and gayer,” commented her
brother oddly and a little enviously. “Pretty soon Lycurgus’ll
be too small to hold ’em.” He jerked at a bow tie he was
attempting to center and grimaced oddly as his tight
neckband pinched him slightly.
For although Gilbert had recently entered into the collar and
shirt industry with his father as general supervisor of
manufacturing, and with every prospect of managing and
controlling the entire business eventually, still he was
jealous of young Grant Cranston, a youth of his own age,
very appealing and attractive physically, who was really
more daring with and more attractive to the girls of the
younger set. Cranston seemed to be satisfied that it was
possible to combine a certain amount of social pleasure
with working for his father with which Gilbert did not agree.
In fact, young Griffiths would have preferred, had it been
possible, so to charge young Cranston with looseness, only
thus far the latter had managed to keep himself well within
the bounds of sobriety. And the Cranston Wickwire
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226
Company was plainly forging ahead as one of the leading
industries of Lycurgus.
“Well,” he added, after a moment, “they’re spreading out
faster than I would if I had their business. They’re not the
richest people in the world, either.” Just the same he was
thinking that, unlike himself and his parents, the Cranstons
were really more daring if not socially more avid of life. He
envied them.
“And what’s more,” added Bella interestedly, “the Finchleys
are to have a dance floor over the boathouse. And Sondra
says that Stuart was hoping that you would come up there
and spend a lot of time this summer.”
“Oh, did he?” replied Gilbert, a little enviously and
sarcastically. “You mean he said he was hoping you would
come up and spend a lot of time. I’ll be working this
summer.”
“He didn’t say anything of the kind, smarty. Besides it
wouldn’t hurt us any if we did go up there. There’s nothing
much out at Greenwood any more that I can see. A lot of
old hen parties.”
“Is that so? Mother would like to hear that.”
“And you’ll tell her, of course.”
“Oh, no, I won’t either. But I don’t think we’re going to follow
the Finchleys or the Cranstons up to Twelfth Lake just yet,
either. You can go up there if you want, if Dad’ll let you.
“Just then the lower door clicked again, and Bella, forgetting
her quarrel with her brother, ran down to greet her father.
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Chapter 2
THE head of the Lycurgus branch of the Griffiths, as
contrasted with the father of the Kansas City family, was
most arresting. Unlike his shorter and more confused
brother of the Door of Hope, whom he had not even seen
for thirty years, he was a little above the average in height,
very well-knit, although comparatively slender, shrewd of
eye, and incisive both as to manner and speech. Long used
to contending for himself, and having come by effort as well
as results to know that he was above the average in
acumen and commercial ability, he was inclined at times to
be a bit intolerant of those who were not. He was not
ungenerous or unpleasant in manner, but always striving to
maintain a calm and judicial air. And he told himself by way
of excuse for his mannerisms that he was merely accepting
himself at the value that others placed upon him and all