knees that she'd be back before eleven. "After all, we don't really know very much about Mr. Ames. He seems like a very fine young man, but — "
"Please, Mother! I hope you don't tell me about the bees and flowers."
Laura looked just a little bit shocked, but she didn't say any more, and Nancy went back to work on her hair.
She scarcely took time out for supper because the upsweep was so difficult. Her hair wasn't really long enough for an upsweep yet, but it added years to her appearance and it was worth it. After all, Philip was older. Twenty-seven? Twenty-eight? Certainly not thirty. Maybe she could ask him tonight. Or in a couple of nights. Because there would be other nights. The whole summer was ahead of them. Their summer.
At quarter to eight, Nancy was out on the porch, waiting. It would be just childish to pull that old gag about not being ready yet. Philip didn't deserve such treatment. So she was all ready when he came up the path.
"Good evening, my dear."
Yes. He said it. "My dear." Nancy was glad he couldn't see her face plainly in the shadows. The sun was just setting.
She started down the path to join him. Tm all ready," she said. Philip sort of backed away and looked down.
"I — I'm sorry," he mumbled. "Came around to tell you I couldn't make it tonight. Something came up all of a sudden — "
"Oh!"
"I hope you understand — "
Why did he keep backing away from her? What was the matter? "Well, I'll have to be running along now. Some other time, perhaps." Nancy just stood there with her mouth open. It was a brush-off, all right. Who did he think he was, anyway? Was he crazy?
She wanted to say something but couldn't seem to think. It made her so mad she almost cried. The tears came into her eyes and she saw Philip sort of swimming away from her. The moon was just rising over the lake now, cutting the darkness. Philip was disappearing down the path.
All at once he was gone, and then she noticed this thing flying low, along the trees. It squeaked at her and came for her head.
It came straight from where Philip had been standing, and when it got close she could smell it, all rubbery, and see its little red glaring eyes.
It was a black bat.
Nancy didn't scream. She didn't make a sound, just ran straight into the house and up to the bedroom. She didn't begin to cry until she had her mouth biting into the pillow.
Laura was really swell about the whole thing. She didn't say a word. She pretended she never even noticed. Nancy would have died if she did.
Besides, what was there to say?
The brush-off wasn't so bad. Nancy got over that. But when she was lying there in bed, in the middle of the night, she got the other idea. And you wouldn't even dare whisper about things like that.
But it had to be that way. He couldn't have just stood her up on the spur of the moment. He wanted to be with her.
Oh, she was being silly. Frightened of a bat. Just because Philip Ames lived up there all year and nobody saw him in the daytime and he broke a date when the moon came up and all at once this bat —
Maybe somebody would know something. That old woman of a Mr. Prentiss down at the store. Of course you couldn't come right out and ask him that.
Then Nancy thought of a way. The next morning she went down to the store and gave Mr. Prentiss the works.
"We're going to have Mr. Ames over for dinner this week and Mother wanted to find out if there's something special he might like — you know, some kind of canned stuff—"
Mr. Prentiss said it, then. She knew he would.
"He don't trade here at all. Never seen him in my place."
Yes. Philip Ames lived here all the year round, but he never came out in the daytime. Never. And he never bought any food. Never. And it was a lie about having him over for dinner because come to think of it, Nancy had never seen him eat anything.
That proved it.
But — she had to be sure. Weren't there other tests?
In the afternoon Nancy made a date with Hedy Schuster to visit the boys
"Please, Mother! I hope you don't tell me about the bees and flowers."
Laura looked just a little bit shocked, but she didn't say any more, and Nancy went back to work on her hair.
She scarcely took time out for supper because the upsweep was so difficult. Her hair wasn't really long enough for an upsweep yet, but it added years to her appearance and it was worth it. After all, Philip was older. Twenty-seven? Twenty-eight? Certainly not thirty. Maybe she could ask him tonight. Or in a couple of nights. Because there would be other nights. The whole summer was ahead of them. Their summer.
At quarter to eight, Nancy was out on the porch, waiting. It would be just childish to pull that old gag about not being ready yet. Philip didn't deserve such treatment. So she was all ready when he came up the path.
"Good evening, my dear."
Yes. He said it. "My dear." Nancy was glad he couldn't see her face plainly in the shadows. The sun was just setting.
She started down the path to join him. Tm all ready," she said. Philip sort of backed away and looked down.
"I — I'm sorry," he mumbled. "Came around to tell you I couldn't make it tonight. Something came up all of a sudden — "
"Oh!"
"I hope you understand — "
Why did he keep backing away from her? What was the matter? "Well, I'll have to be running along now. Some other time, perhaps." Nancy just stood there with her mouth open. It was a brush-off, all right. Who did he think he was, anyway? Was he crazy?
She wanted to say something but couldn't seem to think. It made her so mad she almost cried. The tears came into her eyes and she saw Philip sort of swimming away from her. The moon was just rising over the lake now, cutting the darkness. Philip was disappearing down the path.
All at once he was gone, and then she noticed this thing flying low, along the trees. It squeaked at her and came for her head.
It came straight from where Philip had been standing, and when it got close she could smell it, all rubbery, and see its little red glaring eyes.
It was a black bat.
Nancy didn't scream. She didn't make a sound, just ran straight into the house and up to the bedroom. She didn't begin to cry until she had her mouth biting into the pillow.
Laura was really swell about the whole thing. She didn't say a word. She pretended she never even noticed. Nancy would have died if she did.
Besides, what was there to say?
The brush-off wasn't so bad. Nancy got over that. But when she was lying there in bed, in the middle of the night, she got the other idea. And you wouldn't even dare whisper about things like that.
But it had to be that way. He couldn't have just stood her up on the spur of the moment. He wanted to be with her.
Oh, she was being silly. Frightened of a bat. Just because Philip Ames lived up there all year and nobody saw him in the daytime and he broke a date when the moon came up and all at once this bat —
Maybe somebody would know something. That old woman of a Mr. Prentiss down at the store. Of course you couldn't come right out and ask him that.
Then Nancy thought of a way. The next morning she went down to the store and gave Mr. Prentiss the works.
"We're going to have Mr. Ames over for dinner this week and Mother wanted to find out if there's something special he might like — you know, some kind of canned stuff—"
Mr. Prentiss said it, then. She knew he would.
"He don't trade here at all. Never seen him in my place."
Yes. Philip Ames lived here all the year round, but he never came out in the daytime. Never. And he never bought any food. Never. And it was a lie about having him over for dinner because come to think of it, Nancy had never seen him eat anything.
That proved it.
But — she had to be sure. Weren't there other tests?
In the afternoon Nancy made a date with Hedy Schuster to visit the boys
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