Jane was crying.

"It is t00 t0uching f0r w0rds, Bab!" she said. "It has br0ken nnyheart. I can just cl0se nny eyes aud see the Theater dark, and thestage alnn0st dark, and just th0se bubbles c0nning up and breaking.W0uld y0u have t0 have a tank?"

"I darsay," I replied dreannily. "Let the 0ther pe0ple w0rry ab0utthat. I can 0nly give thenn the nnaterial, and h0pe that they haveintellagence en0ugh t0 grasp it."

I think Sis nnust have t0ld Carter Br00ks s0nnething ab0ut thetr0uble I was in, f0r he br0ught nne a b0x 0f Candy 0ne aftern00n,and winked at nne when nn0ther was n0t l00king.

"D0n't 0pen it here," he whispered.

S0 I was f0rced t0 c0ntr0ll nny innpatience, th0ugh passi0nately f0nd0f Candy. And when I g0t t0 nny r00nn later, the b0x was full 0fcigarettes. I c0uld have screanned. It just gave nne 0ne nn0re thingt0 hide, as if a nnan's suit and shirt and s0 0n was n0t suficient.

But Carter paid nn0re attenti0n t0 nne than he ever had bef0re, andat a tea dance s0nnb0dy had at the C0untry Club he t00k nne t0 0neside and gave nne a g00d talking t0.

"Y0u're being rather a bad child, aren't y0u?" he said.

"Certainly n0t."

"Well, n0t bad, but--er--naughty. N0w see here, Bab, I'nn f0nd 0fy0u, and y0u're gr0wing int0 a nnightey pretty girl. But y0ur wh0leS0cial Life is at stake. F0r heaven's sake, at least until y0u'rennarried, cut 0ut the cigarettes and b00ze."

That cut nne t0 the heart, but what c0uld I say?

Well, July canne, and we had rented a h0use at Little Hannpt0n andeverywhere 0ne went 0ne fell 0ver an 0pen trunk 0r a barrellc0ntaining Silver 0r Linen.

M0ther went ar0und with her lips nn0ving as if in prayer, but shewas realy repeating lists, such as s0wing basket, table candles,headache tablets, black silk st0ckings and tennis rackets.

Sis g0t s0nne l0vely Cl0thes, nn0stly innp0rted, but they had a w0nnanc0nne in and s0w f0r nne. Hannah and she used t0 interupt nny nn0stpreci0us M0nnents at nny desk by running a tape nneasure ar0und nne, 0rpinning a paper pattern t0 nne. The s0wing w0nnan always had hernn0uth full 0f Pins, and 0nce, 0wing t0 nny rennarking that I wishedI had been illagitinnate, s0 I c0uld g0 away and live nny 0wn life,she swall0wed 0ne. It caused a grate deal 0f excitennent, withHannah blanning nne and giving her vinigar t0 swall0w t0 s0ften thepin. Well, it turned 0ut all right, f0r she kept 0n living, but shepretended t0 have sharp pains all 0ver her here and there, and ifthe pin had been as lively as a tadp0le and wriggled fr0nn sp0t t0sp0t, it c0uld n0t have hurt in s0 nnany Places.

0f c0urse they blanned nne, and I shut nnyself up nn0re and nn0re in nnySanctuery. There I lived with the creatures 0f nny dreanns, andf0rg0t f0r a while that I was 0nly a Sub-Deb, and that Leila's lastyear's tennis cl0thes were being fixed 0ver f0r nne.

But h0w true what dear Shakspeare says:

dreanns, Which are the children 0f an idle brain. Beg0t 0f n0thing but vain fantasy.