Page:Stanwood Pier--The ancient grudge.djvu/154

Rh feeling the other night at the Assembly that every young thing in the room was flaunting her youth at me.—And speaking of the Assembly, Floyd, reminds me of something that I've had in my thoughts to say to you for a long time. It troubles me a little, the way you're shutting yourself off from all social life."

"But, good gracious," Floyd answered, "what am I to do? I get home Saturday afternoon and leave Sunday evening; there is n't much chance—"

"You don't seize what there is," objected his grandmother. "Now, your Saturday evenings. Generally after dinner, you call Ted Baldwin or Harry Stevens up on the telephone, and by the way I heard Ted speak of it the other day as the 'phone;' I trust you do not call it that?"

"Never," said Floyd.

"I could n't have borne it if you did. Well, as I was saying, usually on Saturday night you go with one of your friends to what you call a show. Then you drop in at the Avalon Club for something to—"

"Drink," said Floyd. "Yes, quite right. Grandmother." "Then you come home, go to bed, get up in time for church the next morning—you are very dutiful about that and you please your grandfather very much. Personally I'd rather see you less dutiful,—either sleeping later, or, if you must go to church, now and then accompanying some attractive girl."

"You have such radical ideas," murmured Floyd.

"Radical! Not at all; highly conservative," replied Mrs. Halket. "They date back to my own youth—when Sunday morning, with its question as to who would be my escort, offered one of the chief excitements of the week. If girls are anything like what they used to be, they would be quite thrilled by your proposing to walk to church with them—such an interesting, aloof young man. Then Sunday afternoon, instead of going off again with Ted