Barclay must not be allowed to suspect anything about the eavesdropping. In the first painful hours, Francie held on to that idea instinctively, not because she felt guilty—she didn’t—but because her head seethed with angry plans, from which she didn’t want to be dissuaded. She wasn’t angry with Aunt Lolly particularly, but Aunt Lolly was part of the whole infuriating landscape, and Francie wanted to forget about it all as soon as possible. To forget the world in which you are, it is necessary to find a new one. So Francie bided her time and made her plans. In a less hectic atmosphere she might not have been able to conceal her agitation, but Phyllis’ house was upside down, as it naturally would be after a party, and none of the people Francie had to deal with had their minds on each other or on her. They were obsessed with cleaning up and superintending the servants, and disposing of the extra china and napery that had been dug out for the occasion. Through all the hubbub of the last hour there, to add to the mix-up, Mrs.
