rried a half portion, bankrupt
snob. As Trudy dashed into the Faithful living room, kissing Mary and
her mother and shaking a finger at Luke, Mary thought what a splendid
imitation she was of Beatrice returning from her honeymoon.

"As pretty as a picture," Mrs. Faithful declared, quite chirked up by
the bridal atmosphere. "How do you do it, Trudy? And why didn't you
write us something besides postals? They always seem like printed
handbills to me."

"Especially mine," Luke protested. "One of Sing Sing with the line: 'I
am thinking of you.'"

Trudy giggled. "I didn't have a minute and I bought postals in flocks.
Oh, I adore New York! I'm wild to live there. I nearly passed away in
New England, but of course we had to stay as long as they would have
us."

She looked at herself in a mirror, conscious of Mary's amused
expression. She wore a painfully bright blue tailored suit--she had
made the skirt herself and hunted up a Harlem tailor to do the
jacket--round-toed, white leather shoes stitched with bright blue,
white silk stockings, an aviatrix cap of blue suede, and a white fox
fur purchased at half price at a fire sale.

"I haven't any new jewellery except my wedding ring," she mourned. "I
expected Gay's sister to give me one of her mother's diamond
earrings--I think she might have. They are lovely stones--but she
never made a move that way--she's horrid. As soon as I can afford to
be independent I shall cut her, for she did her best to politely ask
us to leave."

"You were there several weeks, weren't you?" Mary ventured.

"Yes--I grew tame. I learned a lot from her--I was pretty crude in
some ways." Which was true. Trudy was quite as well-bred looking, at
first glance, as the Gorgeous Girl. "It is always better to get your
experience where the neighbours aren't watching. I didn't lose a
minute. If I never did an honest day's work for Steve O'Valley I
worked like a steam engine learning how to be a real lady, the sort
Gay tried to marry but couldn't!"

"As if you weren't a little lady at all times," Mrs. Faithful added.

"Of course we are stony broke but Gay's brother-in-law just had to
loan us some money in order to have us go. They gave us fifty dollars
for a wedding present. Well, it was better than nothing. Gay has
talked to a lot of concert managers and he's going to have some
wonderful attractions next season. People have never taken Gaylord
seriously; he really has had to discover himself, and he is-