ce."

"Why purple?" asked Eveley curiously.

"Do you mean clothed in purple and fine linen?"

"If you mean blood, it is blue," said Kitty. "Blue-blooded princes.
Whoever heard of a purple-blooded prince?"

"What did you mean anyhow, Nolan?" asked Eileen.

Driven into a corner, Nolan hesitated. He had said purple on the spur of
the moment, chiefly because it sounded derogatory and went well with
prince.

"What I really mean," he began in a dispassionate legislative voice,
"what I really mean is--purple in the face. You know, purple, splotchy
skin, caused by eating too much rich food, drinking too much strong wine,
playing cards and dancing and flirting."

"Does flirting make you purple?" gasped Miriam. "It does not show on Lem
yet." And then she subsided quickly, hoping they had not noticed.

"Why, Nolan, I have danced for weeks and weeks at a stretch, evenings, I
mean, when the service men were here," said Kitty, "and I am not purple
yet."

"Oh, rats," said Nolan. Then he brightened. "You have never seen a
prince, so of course you do not understand. Wait till you see one. Then a
purple prince will mean something in your young life."

"I should not like to marry a purple creature," said Eveley, wrinkling
her nose distastefully. "I am too pink. And my blue eyes would clash with
a purple husband, too. But maybe the dukes and lords are a different
shade," she finished hopefully.

Nolan turned his back, and lit a cigarette.

"Yes, you may smoke, Nolan, by all means. I always like my guests to be
comfortable."

"What is your advice then, Nolan? You are so scornful about our
suggestions," said Eileen quietly.

"I know what Nolan would like," said Kitty spitefully. "He would advise
Eveley to give him the money and make him her executor and appoint him
her guardian. That would suit him to a T."

"My poor infant, Eveley can not use an executor and a guardian at the
same time. One comes in early youth, or old age, the other after death.
An executor--" he began, clearing his throat as for a prolonged technical
explanation.

Kitty plunged her fingers into her ears. "You stop that right now, Nolan
Inglish. We came here to advise Eveley, not for you to practise on. If
you begin that I shall go straight home--no, I mean I shall go out on the
steps and wait for the ice-cream."

"What do you advise, Nolan?" persisted Eileen.

"Well, my personal advice is, and I strongly urge it, and plead it, and
it will make me v