or no. And it's time you had some real object in
life--time you settled down to regard your life seriously. I love you
just the way you are, dear, but for your own sake you must learn to
think for yourself and not act so much upon impulse. I couldn't bear
to go off without you, and stay a whole year, maybe--but if you should
go, not knowing just what it was going to be like, and then be
disappointed--you see, dear, you might come to blaming poor Kate."

"Why, I wouldn't do anything of the kind! Even if it did turn out to
be something I didn't care for, it would be so much better than
staying here with you gone, that I don't see how I could mind very
much. You know, Kate, I'm just crazy about the country. I'd like to
sleep right outside! And I think a log cabin is the dearest way to
live--don't you? And we'd hike, wouldn't we?--up to the lake and all
around. I've got enough money to buy a gun, and if there's any hunting
around there, we'll hunt! Kate, down in my heart I'm sick of massaging
old ladies' double chins and kidding them into thinking they look
young! And anyway," she added straightforwardly, "I don't suppose I'll
be at the Martha much longer. They're going to let a lot of us girls
out, and I'm almost sure to be one of them. There's enough of the
older girls to do all the work there is now, till the tourist season
begins again in the fall. I couldn't get in anywhere else, this time
of the year, so I'd just about have to go out to one of the beaches
and get a little tent house or something with some of the girls, and
fool around until something opened up in the fall. And even if you
live in your bathing suit all day, Kate, you just can't get by without
spending a little money."

"Well, of course, you'd stay with me if I were here. I wouldn't hear
to anything else. And even--why don't you come on out anyway, till we
get ready to start? We could plan so much better. And don't you think,
Marion, it would be much better for you if you didn't wait for the
Martha to let you go but gave them notice instead?"

"Quit before I'm invited to leave? I believe I'd better do that, Kate.
It won't be half bad to spring it on the girls that I'm going up in
the mountains for the summer. I'll talk about that lake till--say, I'm
just wild to start. How soon do you think it will be? Fred will have
to teach me how to trout-fish--or whatever you call it. Only think of
stepping out of our log cabin and catching trout, just any time y