"And then?"
"Then he decided that I meant a man big enough to wrestle." Gloria laughed and then looked thoughtful.
"What's so funny—and not so funny now?"
"I just realized that I like men!"
"But Bertram?"
"Darned if it isn't the first time I've ever resented being pawed," said Gloria in a matter-of-fact tone, as if it were her hair-do rather than her virtue that was the subject of discussion. "So I grabbed a hand, hung the arm over my shoulder with the inside upward, and hip-tossed the big oaf over the railing into that silly little fish pond."
"Gloria!" exploded her mother.
"Poor Bertram!" exclaimed his mother.
Scholar Ross sighed. "These things often go awry at first. Bertram shouldn't have taken a double dose of his medication. And I'd guess that Gloria hasn't been meticulous about hers, either. Now—"
He was interrupted by the arrival of Bertram Harrison, who looked as if he'd just waded home across a mud flat at low tide. He stepped toward Gloria purposefully; the girl crouched in a judo position and said, "Want some more? Come and get it!"