Eileen was surprised and her face showed it; and she was also relieved. That too her face showed.
“I always knew,” she said lightly, “that I had a little sister with a remarkably level head and good common sense. I am glad that you recognize the awful inflation of prices during the war period, and how I have had to skimp and scheme and save in order to make ends meet and to keep us going on Papa’s meager income.”
All Linda’s good resolutions vanished. She was under strong nervous tension. It irritated her to have Eileen constantly referring to their monetary affairs as if they were practically paupers, as if their father’s life had been a financial failure, as if he had not been able to realize from achievements recognized around the world a comfortable living for two women.
“Oh, good Lord!” she said shortly. “Bluff the rest of the world like a professional, Eileen, but why try it with me? You’re right about my having common sense. I’ll admit that I am using it now. I will be of age in a few days, and then we’ll take John Gilman and go to the Consolidated Bank, and if it suits your convenience to be absent for four or five days at that period, I’ll take John Gilman and we’ll go together.”
Eileen was amazed. The receding colour in her cheeks left the rouge on them a ghastly, garish thing.
“Well, I won’t do anything of the sort,” she said hotly, “and neither will John Gilman.”
“Unfortunately for you,” answered Linda, “John Gilman is my guardian, not yours. He’ll be forced to do what the law says he must, and what common decency tells him he must, no matter what his personal feelings are; and I might as well tell you that your absence has done you no good. You’d far better have come home, as you agreed to, and gone over the books and made me a decent allowance, because in your absence John came here to ask me where you were, and I know that he was anxious.”
“He came here!” cried Eileen.
“Why, yes,” said Linda. “Was it anything unusual? Hasn’t he been coming here ever since I can remember? Evidently you didn’t keep him as well posted this time as you usually do. He came here and asked for me.”
“And I suppose,” said Eileen, an ugly red beginning to rush into her white cheeks, “that you took pains to make things uncomfortable for me.”