ne.

"Oh, about three miles south of here. We could almost walk there."

He looked down the long hot beach, but changed his mind.

"I don't mind this," said Suzanne. "It's so very bad that it's good, you
know. I like to see how these people enjoy themselves."

"But it is _so_ bad," argued Eugene. "I wish I had your live, healthy
attitude toward things. Still we won't go if you don't want to."

Suzanne paused, thinking. Should she run away with him? The others would
be looking for them. No doubt they were already wondering where they had
gone. Still it didn't make so much difference. Her mother trusted her
with Eugene. They could go.

"Well," she said finally, "I don't care. Let's."

"What will the others think?" he said doubtfully.

"Oh, they won't mind," she said. "When they're ready, they'll call the
car. They know that I am with you. They know that I can get the car when
I want it. Mama won't mind."

Eugene led the way back to a train which ran to Hugenot, their
destination. He was beside himself with the idea of a day all alone with
Suzanne. He did not stay to consider or give ear to a thought concerning
Angela at home or how Mrs. Dale would view it. Nothing would come of it.
It was not an outrageous adventure. They took the train south, and in a
little while were in another world, on the veranda of a hotel that
overlooked the sea. There were numerous autos of idlers like themselves
in a court before the hotel. There was a great grassy lawn with swings
covered by striped awnings of red and blue and green, and beyond that a
pier with many little white launches anchored near. The sea was as
smooth as glass and great steamers rode in the distance trailing lovely
plumes of smoke. The sun was blazing hot, brilliant, but here on the
cool porch waiters were serving pleasure lovers with food and drink. A
quartette of negroes were singing. Suzanne and Eugene seated themselves
in rockers at first to view the perfect day and later went down and sat
in a swing. Unthinkingly, without words, these two were gradually
gravitating toward each other under some spell which had no relationship
to everyday life. Suzanne looked at him in the double seated swing where
they sat facing each other and they smiled or jested aimlessly, voicing
nothing of all the upward welling deep that was stirring within.

"Was there ever such a day?" said Eugene finally, and in a voice that
was filled with extreme yearning. "See that steamer out t