“There may be some changes to make, and I don’t want him to be held up getting your suit done. You might need it in a hurry. There is liable to be a change in the weather any time now. Also, you will have to decide on the fur for your collar, you know. Really, I think, dear, that it is smarter to have fur on your collar this year, don’t you? It’s a bit more feminine, and I don’t want you to look as if you were in uniform, not all the time, anyway. You’re too young to affect that style.”

“Yes, I like the fur, Mother. It’s certainly more comfortable in the fall before it’s time to put on a whole fur coat. But there isn’t any special hurry about it, is there? I thought you wanted to see those gloves that were advertised in the paper this morning, and they might be all gone if we don’t go to Hayden’s first.”

“That’s true, too, but after all, there are always gloves of one kind or another. I think we ought to get this fitting out of the way at once. You see, Victor telephoned after you went down to the car to say he would meet us at Hayden’s for lunch at noon. We must get there soon after twelve so we could go to lunch together.”

“Oh!” said Lisle, a kind of blank dismay in her voice. “I thought this was going to be a shopping excursion. Why did he have to barge in? I do hate to have to select things with somebody standing around watching, criticizing, trying to advise. It always upsets my judgment and I take anything, whether I like it or not. Victor always thinks he knows it all and insists that I do as he suggests.”

Her mother looked at her in surprise.

“Why, my dear! I didn’t know you felt that way. He asked if he might come, and I supposed, of course, that it would be the thing you would want, especially since he may receive his commission as an officer any day now and will probably soon be called away. I couldn’t say no, he seemed so eager about it. I didn’t think you would want to be rude to him.”

“Of course not, Mother. I just thought it would be so nice to have the whole day to ourselves and not have to hurry. But it’s quite all right. Of course you were right to tell him to come.”

Her mother gave her a quick look, noted her troubled face—the slight frown on the girl’s soft brows, the disappointed set of the sweet lips—and then her tone changed.

“Lisle, have you and Victor been having a—difference of opinion? Not a quarrel, of course. I am sure you would not descend to anything as unladylike as that, but has something come between you? I noticed you have not been going out with him every time he’s asked you.” She watched her daughter’s face while she waited for an answer.

“Why, no, Mother, not exactly a difference of opinion,” said Lisle, “but he has been sort of disappointing lately. I suppose maybe he’s just growing up, but he was a lot nicer the way he used to be.”

“Why, my dear!” said her mother. “I had no idea you felt that way. What has he done? What happened?”

“Oh, nothing, Mother! Nothing really happened. He just seems so determined that he is going to order my life for me.”

“But—my child! In what way?”

“Well, for one thing, he doesn’t like my college. He says I need to get away from home, that I’m living in a very narrow environment, and I didn’t like that! I don’t think he has any right to criticize the way you and Father are bringing me up. He keeps saying I have no mind of my own. And I do! I like my college, and I don’t want to go to any other. I refuse to go to any highbrow college, just to be able to say I’ve been there.