Carl stood indecisively at the gate, then opened it and entered. As he greeted her a mantle of constraint like a pall fell upon them both.
“Come inside—it’s rather chilly out here,” she remarked.
He followed her into the parlour and sat silent while she adjusted the shades and switched on the light.
“Well, you’re back again even if I did have to shanghai you,” she laughed. The forced pleasantry and the laugh both fell rather flat, she felt.
“Why did you make me come in?” he demanded, sullenly.
“Make you come in?” she laughed again.
“Don’t try to be coy, Mimi, or evade my question,” Carl almost angrily charged. “You told me to stay away from you—”
She evaded the challenge.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about you lately,” she sought to change the subject.
“What of it? And