years--not for running the house, but for her personal use. Clothes,
charities, hobbies, like the Little Theater she brought Nita here to
organize--"

"I wouldn't say she spends a great deal of it on dress," Dundee
interrupted with a grin.

"Lois doesn't give a hang how she looks or what anyone thinks of
her--which is probably one reason she is the best-loved woman in our
crowd," Penny retorted loyally. "The Miles' money is really Flora's,
and she has the reputation of being one of the shrewdest business
'men' in town. When she married Tracey nearly eight years ago, he was
just a salesman in her father's business--the biggest dairy in the
state ... 'Cloverblossom' butter, cream, milk and cheese, you
know.... Well, when Flora married Tracey, her father retired and let
Tracey run the business for Flora, and he's still managing it, but Flora
is the real head.... Now, let's see.... Oh, yes, the Drakes!... Johnny
is vice president of the Hamilton National Bank, as you know, and owns
a big block of the stock. Carolyn has no money of her own, except what
Johnny gives her, and I rather think he isn't any too generous--"

"They don't get along very well together, do they?"

"N-no!" Penny agreed reluctantly. "You see, Johnny Drake was simply not
cut out for love and marriage. He's a born ascetic, would have been a
monk two or three centuries ago, but he cares as much for Carolyn as he
could for any woman.... The Hammond boys have some inherited money, and
Clive has made a big financial success of architecture.... That leaves
only Janet and Polly, doesn't it?... Polly's an orphan and has barrels
of money, and will have barrels more when her aunt, with whom she lives,
dies and leaves her the fortune she has always promised her."

"And Janet Raymond?"

"Janet's father is pretty rich--owns a big wire-fence factory, but Janet
has only a reasonable allowance," Penny answered. "As for me--I'm _very_
rich: I get thirty-five whole dollars a week, to support myself and
Mother on."

Dundee remained thoughtfully silent for a long minute. Then: "All you
girls are alumnae of Forsyte-on-the-Hudson, and Nita Selim came here
immediately after she had directed a Forsyte play.... Tell me,
Penny--was any of the Hamilton girls ever in disgrace while in the
Forsyte School?"

Penny's face flamed. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but so far as I know
there was never anything of the sort. Of course we all graduated
different years, except Karen a