le checked dresses. The
hats go in the square affair, and the shoes in the steamer trunk.
Thirty-eight pairs, I believe. Just enough for a week-end. Then in that
bulgy-topped trunk----"

But Peyton ain't listenin'. He's just standin' there, with a dazed,
stunned look in his eyes like he'd just been missed by an express train.
But his lips are movin'. I got the idea. He was doin' mental
arithmetic--twenty-five times ninety-three. And he was gettin' a picture
of a thousand dollar income lyin' flat on its back.

When he comes to be asks me faint when he can get back to town. No, he
won't stay for dinner. "Thank you," says he, "but I couldn't. I'm too
much upset. I fear that I--I've made a dreadful mistake, Torchy."

"About Lucy Lee?" says I. "Don't worry. All you've done is come near
contributin' another silver frame to her collection. You just happened
to find a free field, that's all. Otherwise it would have been a case
where you'd stood in line."

Course Peyton don't believe a word of it. He still thinks he's had a
desperate affair. He don't know whether he's safe yet or not. All he can
see is rows and rows of figures assaultin' that poor little expense book
of his. I expect he thinks he's entitled to wear a wound stripe over his
heart.

Yesterday we had a bread-and-butter note from Lucy Lee mostly telling
what a whale of a time she was havin' up at Lenox.

"Anything about Peyton?" I asks.

"Why, no," says Vee. "But she says the dear captain is----"

"I know," says I. "Simp-ly wonderful."

CHAPTER XII

TORCHY MEETS ELLERY BEAN

Course, I was sayin' it mostly to kid Vee along. I expect I'm nearly as
strong for this suburban life stuff as she is, but whenever she gets a
bit gushy about it, which she's apt to such nights as we've been havin'
recent, with the moon full and the summer strikin' its first stride, I'm
apt to let on that I feel different.

You see, she'd towed me out on the back terrace to smell how sweet the
honeysuckle was and watch the moon sail up over the tall locust trees
beyond the vegetable garden.

"Isn't it a perfectly gorgeous night, Torchy?" says she. "And doesn't
everything look so calm and peaceful out here?"

"May look that way," says I, "but you never can tell. I like the country
in the daytime all right, but at night, especially these moony
ones,--Well, I don't know as I'll ever get used to 'em."

"How absurd, Torchy!" says Vee.

"Makes things look so kind of spooky,