was the bond of our parents. I wanted
bonds tonight.

I got Malcolm's number at last. I was informed by a house-mate of
his that my brother had gone to a reunion with his people for over
the Fourth of July. His people! What a sound it had for my hungry
soul. His people! _My_ people, too, bound in loyalty by identical
traditions. I, too, would go to them for a day or two. There would
probably be a letter for me.

I went to my desk and glanced through my waiting mail. There was
nothing, absolutely nothing. I looked through the pile twice. A family
reunion and they had not notified me! I had become as detached as all
that! I glanced at Esther again. She was scratching away like mad. I
heard the drone of a hurdy-gurdy outside. I would not stay here. The
thought of a holiday in Irving Place became suddenly unendurable. I must
escape it somehow. There was a train north an hour later. My suitcase
was still packed.

"Esther," I said quietly, "I believe I'll go up to Hilton for the
holiday. I don't seem to be especially needed here."

"Mind not interrupting?" said Esther, scratching away hard. "I'm right
in the midst of an idea."

I picked up my suitcase, and stole out.

CHAPTER XXX

AGAIN LUCY NARRATES

No one was more surprised than I on the morning of the Fourth of July,
when Ruth unexpectedly arrived from New York.

We Vars were all at Edith's in Hilton, even to Tom and Elise, who had
taken a cottage on the Cape for the summer and were able to run up and
join us all for the holiday. Will and I had motored up from our
university town, and even Malcolm had put in an appearance. I had
advised Edith not to bother to write Ruth about the impromptu reunion.
I had understood that she was traveling around somewhere with her
prominent suffrage leader, Mrs. Scot-Williams. Ruth is a woman of
affairs now, and I try not to disturb her with family trivialities.
The reunion was not to be a joyful occasion anyhow. A cloud hovered
over it. We're a loyal family, and if one of us is in trouble, the
others all try to help out. Oliver was the one to be helped just at
present. The Fourth of July holiday offered an excellent opportunity
for us all to meet and talk over his problem.

Oliver has always been financially unfortunate. In fact, life has dealt
out everything in the line of blessings stingily to Oliver, except,
possibly, babies. To Oliver and Madge had been born four children. With
the last one there had settled upon