CHAPTER X

galCollege,OlivehadbeenengagedtoWillDesmond,lawyerinembryo.WillDesmondhaddiedandOlivehadmournedforhimproperlyfortwoyears.Whenshewastwenty-threeshehadahecticaffairwithDonaldJackson.ButAuntandUncleWellingtondisapprovedofthatandintheendOlivedutifullygavehimup.NobodyintheStirlingclan—whateveroutsidersmightsay—hintedthatshedidsobecauseDonaldhimselfwascoolingoff.Howeverthatmightbe,Olive’sthirdventuremetwitheverybody’sapproval.CecilPricewascleverandhandsomeand“oneofthePortLawrencePrices.”Olivehadbeenengagedtohimforthreeyears.Hehadjustgraduatedincivilengineeringandtheyweretobemarriedassoonashelandedacontract.Olive’shopechestwasfulltooverflowingwithexquisitethingsandOlivehadalreadyconfidedtoValancywhatherwedding-dresswastobe.Ivorysilkdrapedwithlace,whitesatincourttrain,linedwithpalegreengeorgette,heirloomveilofBrusselslace.Valancyknewalso—thoughOlivehadnottoldher—thatthebridesmaidswereselectedandthatshewasnotamongthem. Valancyhad,afterafashion,alwaysbeenOlive’sconfidante—perhapsbecauseshewastheonlygirlintheconnectionwhocouldnotboreOlivewithreturnconfidences.OlivealwaystoldValancyallthedetailsofherloveaffairs,fromthedayswhenthelittleboysinschoolusedto“persecute”herwithloveletters.Valancycouldnotcomfortherselfbythinkingtheseaffairsmythical.Olivereallyhadthem.Manymenhadgonemadoverherbesidesthethreefortunateones. “Idon’tknowwhatthepooridiotsseeinme,thatdrivesthemtomakesuchdoubleidiotsofthemselves,”Olivewaswonttosay.Valancywouldhavelikedtosay,“Idon’teither,”buttruthanddiplomacybothrestrainedher.Shedidknow,perfectlywell.OliveStirlingwasoneofthegirlsaboutwhommendogomadjustasindubitablyasshe,Valancy,wasoneofthegirlsatwhomnomaneverlookedtwice. “Andyet,”thoughtValancy,summingherupwithanewandmercilessconclusiveness,“she’slikeadewlessmorning.There’ssomethinglacking.”