urse I don't quite mean that. But I do feel that you'd be
rather worth while if you'd stop philandering and discover your
soul.

"I am a bit homesick, and I haven't any home. If Dad hadn't married
a second time, I believe he would still love me a bit. But his wife
doesn't. And so here I am--and as restless as ever--seeking
something--always seeking.

"And now, once more, don't break the heart of the new little girl.
I don't need to warn you not to break your own. You are the
greatest example of the truth of 'he who loves and runs away will
live to love another day.' Oh, Georgie-Porgie, will you ever love
any woman enough to rise with her to the heights?

"Perhaps there aren't any heights for you or me. But I should like
to think there were. Different hilltops, of course, so that we
could wave across. We shall never climb together, Georgie. Perhaps
we are too much alike to help each other up the hills. We need
stronger props.

"Tell me about Flora. Is she really ill? If she is, I'll come. But
I'd rather not.

"I hope you won't read this aloud to Oscar. You might, you know,
and it wouldn't do. He would hate to believe that he'd be happier
buying things at a delicatessen, and he wouldn't believe it. But
it's true, just as it is true that you would be happy shining
boots and making love to the maids like a character in Dickens.

"Come on up, and we'll motor to Boston on Sunday afternoon and
we'll go to Trinity; I want somebody to be good with me, Georgie,
and there are so many of the other kind.

"Ever wistfully,
"Madge."

George knew that he ought to go, but he was not ready yet to run away.
He was having the time of his life, and as for Becky, he would teach her
how to play the game.

IV

Aunt Claudia was away for three weeks.

"I wish she would come home," young Paine said one morning to his
mother.

"Why?" Caroline Paine was at her desk with her mind on the dinner. "Why,
Randy?"

"Oh, Dalton's going there a lot."

Mrs. Paine headed her list with gumbo soup. "Do you think he goes to see
Becky?"

"Does a duck swim? Of course he goes there to see her, and he's turning
her head."

"He is enough to turn any woman's head. He has nice eyes." Mrs. Paine
left the topic as negligible, and turned to more important things.

"Randy, would you mind picking a few pods of