I’ve met his father. Mr. Eliot’s voice had taken on the rich tones of judgment. The man is a fool, and probably not honorable on top of it.

But this is his son. Mrs. Eliot had sounded weak.

The son takes the look from the father, Mr. Eliot said. He has the same look about him.

It was the most preposterous thing Lilian had ever heard.

2 • A friend advises

2 • A friend advises

THAT AFTERNOON she went to tea at Dolly Cushing’s. Lilian’s best friend had always been Jane Olney, stern Jane who had the kindest heart she knew, but Jane was in Florida with her family. Besides, Jane was not as interested in boys as Lilian had lately become and so Dolly Cushing’s company was more satisfactory.

Dolly Cushing liked nothing better than to flirt. She was the sort of girl who said just what was on her mind whether it offended someone or not. As a young girl Dolly had once locked Lilian in a closet with Dolly’s brother Ted who liked Lilian, leaving the two young people silent and mortified staring at the white strip of light while Dolly laughed and stamped out in the hall. Dolly Cushing got away with a lot on account of her looks. She had developed more quickly than the other girls and grew to be like a statue, everything about her larger: great shoulders, mammoth head, wide mouth. It was as if the extra bit which had gone into her physique left that much less for her brain. She maintained a steely positive outlook, remembering only pleasant things, striking the matches for her cigarettes with an optimistic air. She wore her shiny black hair with a clean white part down the middle.

Lilian told her about Walter Vail, trying for the offhand, and Dolly immediately sniffed the intrigue. Her eyes shone.

All right, Dolly said, and resettled herself against the cushions. First things first: he’s going away.

Lilian nodded. I wanted to say something to him about —

God no! cried Dolly. You must never let a boy know how you feel. Dolly Cushing was delighted to advise Lilian. Being unofficially engaged to Freddie Vernon, she saw herself as an experienced older woman.

It was familiar to be given advice. Her mother had plenty of it. Always look happy. Always be clean. Don’t cross your legs. Thank the host and hostess. Stand up when a grownup enters and leaves a room. Make your own bed. Don’t talk back. Don’t argue with your brother. Ask to be excused from the table. Never raise your voice. Be punctual. Don’t frown.