At the end of August Alice returned from Newport
for a couple of days, having some shopping to do before she joined
the Prentices at their camp in the Adirondacks.
Society had here a new way of enjoying itself. People built
themselves elaborate palaces in the wilderness, and lived in a
fantastic kind of rusticity, with every luxury of civilisation
included. For this life one needed an entirely separate wardrobe,
with doeskin hunting-boots and mountain-climbing skirts--all very
picturesque and expensive. It reminded Montague of a jest that he
had heard about Mrs. Vivie Patton, whose husband had complained of
the expensiveness of her costumes, and requested her to wear simpler
dresses. "Very well," she said, "I will get a lot of simple dresses
immediately."
Alice spent one evening at home, and she took her cousin into her
confidence. "I've an idea, Allan, that Harry Curtiss is going to ask
me to marry him. I thought it was right to tell you about it."
"I've had a suspicion of it," said Montague, smiling.
"Harry has a feeling you don't like him," said the girl.
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