“Possibly. By the way, Kate has grown so wary now that she only gives the man to whom she happens to be engaged presents which she can use after she breaks with him; never pipes and—”
“Oh, by the way, I know how her last engagement came to be broken in so many pieces that it could never be mended,” said the girl with the dimple in her chin.
“Do tell us all about it; we are all so intimate with Kate that we wouldn’t dare to tell anybody, because it would seem that we were betraying a confidence,” said the girl with the classic profile.
“Well, when she was engaged to Mr. Yaleblue, she gave him a lovely meerchaum pipe, which of course came back with her other presents when the engagement was broken. By the next Christmas she was engaged to Dan, and it seemed such a waste to let it lie in the case, and she gave it to him, telling him a pretty little story of how she bought it when she was in Paris, and kept it hanging in her den ready for Prince Charming when he appeared. You wouldn’t think a little thing like that would have broken the engagement, would you?”
“Why, of course not,” said the girl with the eyeglasses, “how on earth did—”
“Oh, he just asked how it came that it was so strong of tobacco!”
“Dear me, girls,” said the president, “I am afraid that we really must adjourn, though there is still a great deal more to say on both sides of the discussion. But I have just remembered that I have invited a whole party of you to dinner, and neglected to mention the fact to the cook!”