Young Writers Society

The play was as good as the plays at the theatre usually were. Harmony enjoyed it immensely, and Melody would have, if she had not been feeling such fury and hate. How dare he address her at all? He wasn't fit even to come to London. If he had to come to England, he should have stayed in Devonshire, where he belonged. Her thoughts involuntarily traveled back to the reason she hated him, but she crushed them and tried to focus.

After the play, Melody and Harmony decided to go on a few errands---taking Melody's pearls to the cleaners, buying a new pair of boots for Harmony, and getting a new bonnet for both of them. They traveled down Main Street at a quick pace, looking in all the shops to decide where to go for what.

"Melody," Harmony said suddenly, as they exited the jeweler's, "It was all over the theatre to-day the shocking rudeness of you to Mr. Kay." "You mean my shocking rudeness to Mr. Kay was all over the theatre to-day. Watch your fragments, dear."

"Well, yes, that too."

"Was it indeed? Do you think we should go here or to our lady friend the milliner's for our bonnets?"

"Yes, it was. You had no right to be so rude to him, especially on the first meeting."

"Had I not?" Melody's tone was the most vicious Harmony had ever heard in that musical voice.

"Well--- well no. I thought you were the proper lady in all these matters."

"I usually am. Mrs. Matin would be very pleased to see us, I daresay, but it is a farther walk and you are so brown!"

"Usually?"

"Yes, usually. But this morning I had a reason for my alleged incivility. I suppose you can't possibly get any browner; let's go to Mrs. Matin's millinery."

"A reason?"

"Yes. Come on, don't just stand there! We have to be home at three, remember, and we are in shameful need of new bonnets. You always leave yours in the most dreadful places so that it cannot be cleaned and mine is fading. What are you gaping at?"

Harmony sighed. "Nothing, just your total lack of attention to matters of manners when you are so firm in them usually."

Melody smiled. "He was the first offender, my dear, and it was a very stinging offence."

"He was not either the first offender! Janet said he was very polite to you."

"Yes, yes, polite, he was always polite," she muttered quickly, half to herself. "Politeness in a man does not symbolize good character, Margot."

"But you know him so little, how can you be sure of his character?"

"Oh, yes, a very little indeed. A mere twenty-five year acquaintance, my dear, very trivial."

Harmony opened her mouth in astonishment to ask a question, but just then they walked into the milliner's, and after the milliner's Melody was talking so fast about very proper nothing whatsoevers that Harmony had no time to get a word in edgewise.

"My dear," Melody said after they bought Harmony's boots, "We still have three quarters of an hour left. Would you like to visit St. Paul's? You have always so liked to see it."

"Yes, I would like that, but where---"

"It's just across the street from where our carriage is. Come on. Do you know, St. Paul's was built---" She started to chatter incoherently about the old Cathedral, when it was built, why, who, etc. Harmony paid no attention, and desperately longed to interrupt her, though she knew it would merit a severe reproof and no answer to her question.

They reached the City in five minutes, and St. Paul's in ten, which left them half an hour to enjoy it. They wandered about, looking at everything they could lay their eyes on. In the sanctuary, they knelt in prayer for a moment.

"Margot," Melody suddenly addressed Harmony, "I think I left my fan in the carriage, and it is monstrously hot in here. Be a dear and fetch it?" Harmony agreed and left her quickly. Melody sat there brooding for a minute. She had seen a puppet show across the street, and she knew Harmony would not be back for a while.

Suddenly, she heard a low voice, not her sister's, that made her start in shock, and her muscles tense all over.

"Melody?"