Lucullus."

Clive said: "By that you mean she's all right, don't you? You'd better
mean it anyway!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes, that's so. I know her sister. She's a charming girl. All of them
are all right. You understand, don't you?"

"I understand numerous things. One of 'em's Catharine Greensleeve. And
she's some plum, believe _me_!"

"That's all right, too, so stop talking about it!" retorted Clive
sharply.

"Sure it's all right. Don't worry, just because you know her sister,
will you?"

Clive shrugged. Reeve was in a troublesome mood, and he left him and
went home feeling vaguely irritated and even less inclined than ever
to see Athalie; which state of mind perplexed and irritated him still
further.

* * * * *

He went to one or two dances during the week--a thing he had not done
lately. Then he went to several more; also to a number of debutante
theatre parties and to several suppers. He rather liked being with his
own sort again; the comfortable sense of home-coming, of
conventionalism, of a pleasant social security, appealed to him after
several months' irresponsible straying from familiar paths. And he
began to go about the sheep-walks and enjoy it, slipping back rather
easily into accustomed places and relations with men and women who
belonged in a world never entered, never seen by Athalie Greensleeve,
and of the existence of which she was aware only through the daily
papers.

He wrote to her now and then. Always she answered his letter the
following day.

About the end of April he wrote:

"DEAR ATHALIE,

"About everything seems to conspire to keep me from seeing
you; business--in a measure,--social duties; and, to tell the
truth, a mistaken but strenuous opposition on my mother's
part.

"She doesn't know you, and refuses to. But she knows me,
and ought to infer everything delightful in the girl who has
become my friend. Because she knows that I don't, and never
did affect the other sort.

[Illustration: "He rather liked being with his own sort again."]

"Every day, recently, she has asked me whether I have seen
you. To avoid unpleasant discussions I haven't gone to see
you. But I am going to as soon as this unreasonable alarm
concerning us blows over.

"It seems very deplorable to me that two young people cannot
enjoy an absolutely honest friendship unsuspected and
undisturbed.

"I miss you a lot. Is