"You hadn't," declared Alison, and her companion broke in again.
"She is quite right. You were not here yesterday. It was partly to satisfy her curiosity that Harry drove round to see."
Thorne fancied that Alison was not exactly pleased with this statement, but she made no attempt to contradict it.
"What strikes me most," she said, "is the fact that you look as if you had never been away."
"That," returned Thorne, "is the impression I wished to give people. Now that I've had my frolic, I want to forget it. It's a natural desire. On the whole, I'm sorry you took the trouble to ascertain that I've just come back."
"The question is, what have you been doing while you were absent?" asked Mrs. Farquhar severely.
"Selling things most of the time. It's another example of what you can do if you try. I'd given up half a case of tarnished mirrors as quite unsalable, and somehow or other I got rid of every one of them."
"Anything else?"
"Well," replied Thorne with a thoughtful air, "I had a rather pleasant ride. In fact, I feel so braced up by the whole trip that I expect I shall be able to go on steadily for another few months, at least."
"And then?" Alison inquired.