Kathryn replied without turning around, “He is a Wall Street financier.” High sounding surely, but meaning nothing to the listener.
“Oh, don’t mind, Belle.” Anne was searching through the box to find a candy of the kind she liked best. “There’s one thing about her, and that is, you can count on her not to squeal. She’s dropped out of this thing because—well, because, you know, it isn’t honest. Some girls are queer that way, they’d rather be honest than wear silk stockings.” Anne was again admiring her silk-covered ankles.
She did not see the scornful turn to Kathryn’s thin lips. “I did not consider myself dishonest, Miss Petersen,” she said coldly.
Anne laughed. “Gracious guns, Kathy! Don’t put on any high and mighty airs with me. I don’t care how many compositions of your cousin’s you copy, but I repeat, Belle is right, it isn’t considered honest.”
“I didn’t say that story was original by me,” Kathryn retorted. “I wrote in the upper left hand corner, as Miss Torrence has requested. ‘This is an original story written by Kathryn Von Wellering. This story was original by my cousin and the handwriting was mine.’”
Anne sat up and opened her yellowish eyes wide, as though in surprise.
“Say, Kathryn, are you trying to convince yourself, or me, that black is white? ’Tisn’t necessary at all, as I stated before. It is black, clear through, you and I know it, just as well as Belle knew it, only we aren’t worrying about it. For Pat’s sake forget it, and proceed with the meeting. I came here (though I’m supposed to be practicing), because I understood that you had something important to say. If you have, spiel along, for I’ve got to be down in the music room in five minutes. That’s when Miss King looks in to see if I’m on duty. Luckily for me Esther Dorset wanted to practice half an hour longer, but the time’s most up.”
Kathryn regarded the speaker through half-closed eyes as was her custom. “I suppose you call that honest.”
“Me? Not at all! I knew if that piano was silent, Miss King would be down there in two minutes to see why I wasn’t practicing, but with Esther running scales as she is, I’ll get the credit, don’t you see, old dear? Hurry on now, what is it you wanted to say?”
Kathryn had seated herself but instead of speaking she looked into the fire. At length she said, “When people aren’t honest, you can’t be sure that you can trust them.” Then with a sudden quick glance, “You and I aren’t sure we can trust each other, are we?”