The Swing of the Pendulum by Adriana Spadoni

The third week in August, Dr. Mary returned. She came without warning, so that, late in the afternoon, when Jean came rushing in to start dinner, she stopped, staring at the figure upon the couch with surprise so intense that it deprived her of motion.

"Sunstroke, Jean? " Mary threw back the two braids of white hair, drew the hideous blue dressing gown closer and put on her slippers.

"Mary!"

"The same. Come in and sit down, won't you?"

Jean smiled and managed to get her arms about Mary and hug her.

"Well, that's more like it. " Mary paddled back to her couch and Jean dropped beside her. "My, but it's good to be home again."

"We've missed you," Jean ventured and when she heard the ease of her own tone, a little courage came back. "Now, begin at the beginning and tell me the whole thing."

To her relief, Mary did. Jean listened with a fixed smile of understanding, made the expected comments, laughed in the right places, and waited for the one long and two short rings that meant Gregory. While Mary disposed in scathing terms of all English Social Betterment work, Jean wondered whether she had seen the fruit and vegetables that must be waiting on the dumb-waiter and how to explain them. As far as Mary knew, Gregory had dropped from their lives. And any moment, it would come, the one long and two short, and she would have to say something.

"I tell you, Jean, I thought there was no brand of human left alive, who could make me despair of the race. But a middle class Englishman does. He's insulated, absolutely insulated in his own righteousness. He would rather -- -- "

There it was, the one long and two short.

"Good Heavens! Jean, are you giving a party? I saw a whole box of things on the waiter."

"No. It's only Gregory. I stumbled into him accidentally one day and, now the family's in Maine, he comes to dinner sometimes."

"Well, I'll be darned. What was the matter with him? Did you ever find out?"

"Never asked him," Jean remarked from the door. "I forgot all about it, myself. I don't believe he ever thought it needed any."

"A regular homefest! Run along and open the door. I won't bother to change my things."

Jean opened the door, but before Gregory could take her in his arms, she stepped back with a warning look.

"You're much too early! I haven't even begun to get dinner. " She motioned to the living-room. "Mary," her lips formed.

"Hell! " Gregory almost said it aloud.

"Well, go into the other room and wait as patiently as you can," she whispered.

Jean went into the kitchen. The table was strewn with the things for dinner just as Mary had dumped them out. Jean's eyes filled with tears. "I won't let it end, I won't, I won't. " In the other room she heard Gregory's well-feigned surprise and Mary's laugh.