d when a
person has to grab for someone else as well as herself it keeps them
moving."

"You're a crude and impossible little fool."

Without warning Trudy's hand shot out, and on Gay's cheek rested a red
mark for the greater part of the evening.

A half hour later he was trying to apologize, having bucked himself up
to it with brandy, in order to borrow enough money to play pool with
that same evening.

CHAPTER X

After Gay left, Trudy put on her things and trudged over to Mary's
house. Gay had driven off in the car and she was glad he had. Like
Steve the day of the funeral, she did not wish to drive but to have
the nervous outlet of walking.

Trudy was seldom angry. But when she found Mary in the old library,
the same true-blue, good-looking thing with just a little coldness of
manner as Trudy tried to enthuse over her, Trudy felt ashamed. And she
was angry far more often than she was ashamed.

"Where is Luke?" she asked, taking off her things and lying down
wearily on the sofa. "Oh, Mary mine, you don't know how good it is to
be here again, to be able to talk--really talk to someone."

"Luke is at basketball----" Mary began, stopping as she discovered
that Trudy was in tears. "Why, what is it?" as Trudy sobbed the harsh,
long sobs of a tormented and frail mind.

"You ought to hate me--selfish, insincere hypocrite--cheat--liar. Oh,
I hate myself! I hate him, and Bea, and all of them! They aren't worth
your blessed little finger. Mary, Mary, please stay quite contrary and
never change. Never get to be a Gorgeous Girl, will you? ... Nerves, I
suppose; and I haven't had the right things to eat." She sat up and
began smoothing her injured flounces.

"You're so thin, and there are funny lilac shadows under your eyes.
You can't live on nerve energy forever. And I know your delicatessen
suppers or else the rich orgies to which you are invited--not enough
sleep--and always that eternal upstage pose!"

"Gay wears on me; he is growing strong, with never an ache or pain. I
never used to have them but I'm all unnerved and weak. He hates me,
Mary. Yes, he does." She began a detailed recital of woes.

"Why not leave him?" Mary asked as there came a pause.

"Without any one else to marry?" Trudy's eyes were wide open in
surprise.

"Must you have someone waiting to pay your board bill?"

"I couldn't go to work again."

"I thought you worked rather hard right now."

"That's different. I'm working to have