aking
himself perfectly at home, in a kind of offhand manner, which had in
it so much of condescension that I was disgusted, and when sure Nellie
would not see me I made at him a wry face, thereby feeling greatly
relieved!

After managing to let mother know how expensive his family was, how
much he paid yearly for wines and cigars, and how much Adaline's
education and piano had cost, he arose to go, saying to his daughter,
"Come, puss, take off those--ahem--those habiliments, and let's be
off!"

Nellie obeyed, and just before she was ready to start she asked, when
I would come and spend the day with her.

I looked at mother, mother looked at Mr. Gilbert, Mr. Gilbert looked
at me, and after surveying me from head to foot said, spitting between
every other word, "Ye-es ye-es, we've come to live in the country, and
I suppose" (here he spit three successive times), "and I suppose we
may as well be on friendly terms as any other; so, madam" (turning to
mother), "I am willing to have your little daughter visit us
ocasionally." Then adding that "he would extend the same invitation to
her were it not that his wife was an invalid and saw no company," he
departed.

One morning, several days afterward, a servant brought to our house a
neat little note from Mrs. Gilbert, asking mother to let me spend the
day with Nellie. After some consultation between mother and grandma,
it was decided that I might go, and in less than an hour I was dressed
and on the road, my hair braided so tightly in my neck that the little
red bumps of flesh set up here and there, like currants on a brown
earthen platter.

Nellie did not wait to receive me formally, but came running down the
road, telling me that Robin had made a swing in the barn, and that we
would play there most all day, as her mother was sick, and Adaline,
who occupied two-thirds of the house, wouldn't let us come near her.
This Adaline was to me a very formidable personage. Hitherto I had
only caught glimpses of her, as with long skirts and waving plumes she
sometimes dashed past our house on horseback, and it was with great
trepidation that I now followed Nellie into the parlor, where she told
me her sister was.

"Adaline, this is my little friend," said she; and Adaline replied:

"How do you do, little friend?"

My cheeks tingled, and for the first time raising my eyes I found
myself face to face with the haughty belle. She was very tall and
queenlike in her figure, and thou