“Truly. It began during war time. She couldn’t take the things I was doing seriously. Well, some of them weren’t too serious, but somebody had to do the cheering up! And now that the mess is all over she thinks we still ought to be long-faced. I won’t! I think we’re in for a good time. It isn’t going to help any of the poor boys who got theirs to be gloomy now.”
“How do you know?” asked Dick, teasingly, lighting his cigarette.
Fliss leaned on two unwrinkled elbows and looked at him. “Look here, Dick, if you’d been killed over there——”
“Instead of hanging around on this side nearly killing myself.”
“Poor Dick! It was rotten luck. But it wasn’t your fault they wouldn’t send you over. Or maybe it was; you were too useful on this side. But listen! If you had gone over and been killed do you think your soul would still be hanging around glooming because a few people were trying to amuse themselves? You would not!”
“I would not!” grinned Dick cheerfully.
“That’s what I told Cecily once. Cecily is in grave danger of getting too serious. With all those babies——”
“Don’t over-count, now.”
“Oh, Dick!” said Fliss, patting his hand ever so lightly with her slim glove. “Come on and play once in a while! You really mustn’t drop us, Dick, even if I am frivolous. For Matthew’s sake you ought to stand by. He considers you and Cecily the high spots in our whole list of friends.”