At first it meant only that they went to the fortnightly dinner at
the club, and danced, on alternate Saturday nights. Nancy danced
exquisitely, even after her ten busy and tiring years, and Bert
was always proud of her when he saw her dancing. The dances broke
up very late; the Bradleys were reproached for going home at two
o'clock. They both usually felt a little tired and jaded the next
day, and not quite so ready to tramp with the children, or
superintend brush fires or snow-shovelling as had once been their
happy fashion.
But they were fresh and eager at four o'clock when Marlborough
Gardens came in for tea by the fire, or when the telephone
summoned them to some other fireside for tea. It rarely was tea;
Nancy wondered that even the women did not care for tea. They
sometimes drank it, and crunched cinnamon toast, after card
parties, but on Saturdays and Sundays, when men were in the group,
stronger drinks were the fashion, cocktails and highballs, or a
bowl of punch. The Bradleys were charming people, Marlborough
Gardens decided warm-heartedly; they had watched the pretty new-
comer and her splashing, sturdy children, all through the first
quiet summer--the children indeed, were all good friends already.
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