s
as we plod along our college way. I like it better than the Colonial,
which lacks the air this place has. Besides, the Sans monopolize it so
that I had rather come here."

"Why did the Sans turn from Baretti's to the Colonial?" Lucy asked
tersely. Her analytic mind had not for an instant lost sight of Vera's
earlier remark concerning the proprietor. "What happened?"

"Oh, it took a large number of straws to break the camel's back. When it
broke----"

"Bing!" obligingly supplied Jerry. "I can picture the wrath of an
outraged Baretti."

"He was wrathful more than once before he said a word. The Sans used to
be awfully noisy when they dined or lunched here. Guiseppe did not like
that. They used to reserve tables by telephone, then, when they reached
here for dinner, they would claim he had not reserved the tables they
had asked for. That was a trick of Leslie Cairns. She would tell him
that he ought not charge extra for the tables as he had not complied
with her order properly. There were all sorts of little points like that
which the Sans used to argue with him. They used to tease him purposely
to see him get angry. When he is very angry he says not a word. He
clenches his hands and his face turns fiery red. His eyes snap and he
looks as though he would like to turn inside out. He half opens his
mouth, then turns on his heel and scuttles off.

"One evening in February," Vera continued, "Leila and I came here for
dinner. One of the sophs had a birthday and she was giving a dinner to
eighteen of her classmates. Remember, Leila? They had those three tables
over there." Vera nodded toward the opposite side of the room. "The room
was quite well filled, when in came Leslie Cairns, Joan Myers and
Natalie Weyman with three girls who had come from a prep. school to
spend a week-end with Joan. There wasn't a single table at which they
all could sit. Instead of calling Guiseppe, Leslie Cairns walked
straight to the soph who was giving the dinner, and claimed she had
taken a table which Joan had reserved by telephone. The soph should
simply have stayed away upon her dignity and called Signor Baretti. She
was indignant, naturally, and began to argue the matter with Miss
Cairns. They both grew furious and talked so loudly you could hear them
all over the room. Natalie Weyman undertook to champion Leslie, and
Leslie told her to shut her mouth and mind her own affairs. She is _so_
uncouth when she loses her temper. Honestly, a re