LITMIR.BIZ

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said Kenneth, gently but absently — oh, so absently. He really didn’t care a bit whether she were tired or not, she thought.

      “Kenneth,” she ventured timidly, “you don’t think this war will matter much to us in Canada, do you?”

      “Matter? Of course it will matter to the lucky fellows who will be able to take a hand. I won’t — thanks to this confounded ankle. Rotten luck, I call it.”

      “I don’t see why we should fight England’s battles,” cried Rilla. “She’s quite able to fight them herself.”

      “That isn’t the point. We are part of the British Empire. It’s a family affair. We’ve got to stand by each other. The worst of it is, it will be over before I can be of any use.”

      “Do you mean that you would really volunteer to go if it wasn’t for your ankle? asked Rilla incredulously.

      “Sure I would. You see they’ll go by thousands. Jem’ll be off, I’ll bet a cent — Walter won’t be strong enough yet, I suppose. And Jerry Meredith — he’ll go! And I was worrying about being out of football this year!”

      Rilla was too startled to say anything. Jem — and Jerry! Nonsense! Why father and Mr. Meredith wouldn’t allow it. They weren’t through college. Oh, why hadn’t Jack Elliott kept his horrid news to himself?

      Mark Warren came up and asked her to dance. Rilla went, knowing Kenneth didn’t care whether she went or stayed. An hour ago on the sandshore he had been looking at her as if she were the only being of any importance in the world. And now she was nobody. His thoughts were full of this Great Game which was to be played out on bloodstained fields with empires for stakes — a Game in which womenkind could have no part. Women, thought Rilla miserably, just had to sit and cry at home. But all this was foolishness. Kenneth couldn’t go — he admitted that himself — and Walter couldn’t — thank goodness for that — and Jem and Jerry would have more sense. She wouldn’t worry — she would enjoy herself. But how awkward Mark Warren was! How he bungled his steps! Why, for mercy’s sake, did boys try to dance who didn’t know the first thing about dancing; and who had feet as big as boats? There, he had bumped her into somebody! She would never dance with him again!

      She danced with others, though the zest was gone out of the performance and she had begun to realize that her slippers hurt her badly. Kenneth seemed to have gone — at least nothing was to be seen of him. Her first party was spoiled, though it had seemed so beautiful at one time. Her head ached — her toes burned. And worse was yet to come. She had gone down with some over-harbour friends to the rock-shore where they all lingered as dance after dance went on above them. It was cool and pleasant and they were tired. Rilla sat silent, taking no part in the gay conversation. She was glad when someone called down that the over-harbour boats were leaving. A laughing scramble up the lighthouse rock followed. A few couples still whirled about in the pavilion but the crowd had thinned out. Rilla looked about her for the Glen group. She could not see one of them. She ran into the lighthouse. Still, no sign of anybody. In dismay she ran to the rock steps, down which the over-harbour guests were hurrying. She could see the boats below — where was Jem’s — where was Joe’s?

      “Why, Rilla Blythe, I thought you’d be gone home long ago,” said Mary Vance, who was waving her scarf at a boat skimming up the channel, skippered by Miller Douglas.

      “Where are the rest?” gasped Rilla.

      “Why, they’re gone — Jem went an hour ago — Una had a headache. And the rest went with Joe about fifteen minutes ago. See — they’re just going around Birch Point. I didn’t go because it’s getting rough and I knew I’d be seasick. I don’t mind walking home from here. It’s only a mile and a half. I s’posed you’d gone. Where were you?”

      “Down on the rocks with Jem and Mollie Crawford. Oh, why didn’t they look for me?”

      “They did — but you couldn’t be found. Then they concluded you must have gone in the other boat. Don’t worry. You can stay all night with me and we’ll ‘phone up to Ingleside where you are.”

      Rilla realized that there was nothing else to do. Her lips trembled and tears came into her eyes. She blinked savagely — she would not let Mary Vance see her crying. But to be forgotten like this! To think nobody had thought it worth while to make sure where she was — not even Walter. Then she had a sudden dismayed recollection.

      “My shoes,” she exclaimed. “I left them in the boat.”

      “Well, I never,” said Mary. “You’re the most thoughtless kid I ever saw. You’ll have to ask Hazel Lewison to lend you a pair of shoes.”

      “I won’t.” cried Rilla, who didn’t like the said Hazel. “I’ll go barefoot first.”

      Mary shrugged her shoulders.

      “Just as you like. Pride must suffer pain. It’ll teach you to be more careful. Well, let’s hike.”

      Accordingly they hiked. But to “hike” along a deep-rutted, pebbly lane in frail, silver-hued slippers with high French heels, is not an exhilarating performance. Rilla managed to limp and totter along until they reached the harbour road; but she could go no farther in those detestable slippers. She took them and her dear silk stockings off and started barefoot. That was not pleasant either; her feet were very tender and the pebbles and ruts of the road hurt them. Her blistered heels smarted. But physical pain was almost forgotten in the sting of humiliation. This was a nice predicament! If Kenneth Ford could see her now, limping along like a little girl with a stone bruise! Oh, what a horrid way for her lovely party to end! She just had to cry — it was too terrible. Nobody cared for her — nobody bothered about her at all. Well, if she caught cold from walking home barefoot on a dew-wet road and went into a decline perhaps they would be sorry. She furtively wiped her tears away with her scarf — handkerchiefs seemed to have vanished like shoes! — but she could not help sniffling. Worse and worse!

      “You’ve got a cold, I see,” said Mary. “You ought to have known you would, sitting down in the wind on those rocks. Your mother won’t let you go out again in a hurry I can tell you. It’s certainly been something of a party. The Lewisons know how to do things, I’ll say that for them, though Hazel Lewison is no choice of mine. My, how black she looked when she saw you dancing with Ken Ford. And so did that little hussy of an Ethel Reese. What a flirt he is!”

      “I don’t think he’s a flirt,” said Rilla as defiantly as two desperate sniffs would let her.

      “You’ll know more about men when you’re as old as I am,” said Mary patronizingly. “Mind you, it doesn’t do to believe all they tell you. Don’t let Ken Ford think that all he has to do to get you on a string is to drop his handkerchief. Have more spirit than that, child.”

      To be thus hectored and patronized by Mary Vance was unendurable! And it was unendurable to walk on stony roads with blistered heels and bare feet! And it was unendurable to be crying and have no handkerchief and not to be able to stop crying!

      “I’m not thinking” — sniff—”about Kenneth” — sniff—”Ford” — two sniffs—”at all,” cried tortured Rilla.

      “There’s no need to fly off the handle, child. You ought to be willing to take advice from older people. I saw how you slipped over to the sands with Ken and stayed there ever so long with him. Your mother wouldn’t like it if she knew.”

      “I’ll tell my mother all about it — and Miss Oliver — and Walter,” Rilla gasped between sniffs. “You sat for hours with Miller Douglas on that lobster trap, Mary Vance! What would Mrs. Elliott say to that if she knew?”

      “Oh, I’m not going to quarrel with you,” said Mary, suddenly retreating to high and lofty ground. “All I say is, you should wait until you’re grownup before you do things like that.”

      Rilla gave up trying to hide the fact that she was crying. Everything was spoiled — even that beautiful, dreamy, romantic, moonlit hour with Kenneth on the sands was vulgarized

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