do let us try to be better now. I'm ashamed
of my rudeness to them. And I'm going to be very, very good to Kathleen
and not do one single thing to make her unhappy or even to bother Mr.
Tappan.... And, oh, Scott! my silks and laces! my darling clothes! All
is coming true! Do you hear? And, Scott! Naida and Duane are back and
I'm dying to see them. Duane is twenty-three, think of it!"

She seized him and spun him around.

"If you don't hug me and tell me you're fond of me, I shall go mad. Tell
me you're fond of me, Scott! You do love me, don't you?"

He kissed his sister with preoccupied toleration: "Whew!" he said, "your
breath reeks of cologne!

"As for me," he added, half sullenly, "I'm going to have a few things I
want, now.... And do a few things, too."

But what these things were he did not specify. Nor did Geraldine have
time to speculate, so occupied was she now with preparations for the
wonderful winter which was to come true at last--which was already
beginning to come true with exciting visits to that magic country of
brilliant show-windows which, like an enchanted city by itself, sparkles
from Madison Square to the Plaza between Fourth Avenue and Broadway.

* * * * *

Into this sparkling metropolitan zone she hastened with Kathleen; all
day long, week after week, she flitted from shop to shop, never
satisfied, always eager to see, to explore. Yet two things Kathleen
noticed: Geraldine seemed perfectly happy and contented to view the
glitter of vanity fair without thought of acquiring its treasures for
herself; and, when reminded that she was there to buy, she appeared to
be utterly ignorant of the value of money, though a childhood without it
was supposed to have taught her its rarity and preciousness.

The girl's personal tastes were expensive; she could linger in ecstasy
all the morning over piles of wonderful furs without envy, without even
thinking of them for herself; but when Kathleen mentioned the reason of
their shopping, Geraldine always indicated sables as her choice, any
single piece of which would have required half her yearly allowance to
pay for.

And she was for ever wishing to present things to Kathleen; silks that
were chosen, model gowns that they examined together, laces, velvets,
jewels, always her first thought seemed to be that Kathleen should have
what they both enjoyed looking at so ardently; and many a laughing
contest they had as to whether he