“I won’t stop to explain,” she said, “but from now on I won’t stay in the same house with her ...  I’m going to move this afternoon, down to Penton’s house” (meaning the little cottage but a few steps from my tent)....  Ruth rose to intercede ...  “Don’t Ruth, don’t!  I want to be let alone.”  And Hildreth hurried away.

“What in the world could be the matter with Hildreth?” I asked of Ruth.  Darrie had also departed, to the big house, to rub her blouse quickly, so that no stain would remain.

“Hildreth’s capricious,” answered Ruth, “but the plain explanation is downright jealousy.”

“Jealousy?”

“Yes ... even though Hildreth no longer loves Penton, she’s jealous of him ... the fact is, Hildreth doesn’t know what she wants.”

“But Darrie—­Darrie is her friend?”

“Of course ... and remains her friend.  Darrie doesn’t want Penton.  She only pities him.”

I quoted the line about pity being akin to love ... “they do a lot of strolling together.”

“Yes.  But there’s nothing between them ... not even a kiss ... of that I’m certain.  Darrie is as cool as a cucumber ... and Penton is as shy with women as—­you are!”

I smiled to myself.  If Ruth had seen us that preceding afternoon!

“Of course the fault could not all be on Hildreth’s side.”

“No, they’re both a couple of ninnies ... but there’s this to be said for Penton, he’s trying to get something done for the betterment of humanity ... while Hildreth’s only a parasite.”

“And Darrie—­how about her?  What does she do but loaf around in a more conventional manner, talking about her social prestige, the dress of one of her ancestresses in the Boston Museum, her aristocratic affiliations ... how many and how faithful those negro servants of hers are, down South ... between the two, Hildreth has the livest brain, and puts on less.”

“Take care!  You’ll be falling in love with Penton Baxter’s wife yet!”

Our talk was halted by Darrie’s re-appearance.  Hildreth came furtively back, too, from the little cottage, like a guilty child.  She apologized to Darrie, and her apology was accepted, and, in a few minutes we were talking ahead as gaily as before....

We rehearsed Hildreth in her part as Titania ... for that was the part she was to play in The Mid-Summer Night’s Dream, that the Actors’ Guild of the colony was to put on in their outdoor theatre, a week from that afternoon ...  Hildreth insisted on dressing for the part ... in her green, skin tights ... letting her black hair flow free ... wearing even her diadem, as fairy queen.  She had a good, musical voice ... a way of speaking with startled shyness that was engaging.

But Hildreth stuck to her original intention of moving to the cottage.  She had Mrs. Jones move her things for her.

As I sat in the library of the big house reading Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, I overheard Darrie telling Ruth in the bathroom that Hildreth would not have insisted on donning her tights, if she had not been proud of her symmetrical legs, and had not wanted to show them off to me.