JOE had been to Boston. He had tried to persuade Evelyn to come with him, for she had been nervous and depressed, hiding from him, when he tried to help her, behind magazines, behind quick determined talk of outside things. He thought, if we could get away together and just be silly. "Do come, Evelyn! Don't you remember what fun we had there the time we bought cherries and rode in the swan boats?" But she had said "Boston!" in the same tone with which she said "Westlake!" and added that she couldn't leave Hope. No, she couldn't leave her with Joe's mother, or Charlotte. And there was a new black Matilda who would be too lonely. And at last she had cried, "Oh, Joe, don't fuss so!" and had run upstairs and slammed the door of Hope's room after her. But she wept when she kissed him good-by, and told him to hurry home.
He managed to get back a day earlier than he had expected. He had not telegraphed, for he wanted to surprise her. He took one of O'Leary's taxis, stopping at Clark's for some flowers. A strange young lady waited on him condescendingly, making him feel shy. He watched her disentangle the heap of dawn-colored roses with wet dark leaves, while the feeling of Evelyn surged through him.
