ol
she had been putting on frightful airs, and was just perfectly,
dreadfully horrid to all the girls except the Annsleys and the
Delafields and a few others of those nobs on Sunset Hill. Madeline
seemed to forget she'd ever known half her old chums. And Mrs. Oliver
gave Bridge parties in the afternoon now, and didn't ask half the
people she used to ask. And it was all on account of Mrs. Jarvis. She
had just come back from the Old Country, and the Olivers were making a
terrible fuss about her. They said she intended to spend the winter in
California, and Madeline was working to get taken with her. And the
Olivers had given a great big reception last week for Madeline's coming
out, and such airs Beth never saw, and Mrs. Jarvis was there dressed
like a queen. And she, Estella, had asked Madeline if she wasn't going
to ask Beth Gordon to her party, seeing she'd been called for Mrs.
Jarvis, and Madeline just tossed her head and said, "Oh, Aunt Jarvis
never thinks about her now." And Horace was there; it was down in the
ice-cream parlor where Frank Harper had taken her--really, he was
getting perfectly awful he called so often--and Horace spoke up and
said he bet his Aunt Jarvis would just like jolly well to see Beth, and
he'd a good mind to drive out and fetch her in; and Madeline looked
crosser than ever. And so now, here was Estella's plan. She was just
going to show Madeline Oliver, see if she wasn't! She was going to
"come out," and mamma was going to give a reception--one far bigger and
grander than the Olivers' had been, too. And they were going to ask
Mrs. Jarvis, of course, and Mrs. Oliver daren't refuse because papa had
a hold on Mr. O. in business, and the whole family would just have to
come. And darling Beth was to come, too--with Mrs. Coulson, and wear
her white dress and the blue bows in her hair, and Mrs. Jarvis would
see her, and be certain sure to love her. She couldn't help it. And
between them they'd spite that nasty Madeline, see if they wouldn't.
Horace himself had said he knew his aunt would like to see Beth. He
told her that, going home one evening from choir practice. Horace had
done that twice, and Frank Harper and Will Drummond were both just wild
about it. But of course there was nothing at all between her and
Horace, and if Beth minded the tiniest bit she'd never speak to him
again as long as she lived, etc., etc.

The letter went on in this strain for many more pages. Elizabet