"Miriam, Miriam!" exclaimed Mrs. Nesbit, "I am shocked to hear you say
such things. Because the girl is poor she is not necessarily common.
Your grandfather was a poor man, too. He started his career as a
machinist. You would never have had the money and position you have now
if he had not become an inventor. Is it possible you would try to keep
some one else from rising in life, when your own family struggled with
poverty years ago?"

Miriam was silenced for a moment. She had seldom heard her mother speak
so forcibly; but Mrs. Nesbit had seen, with growing misgivings, the
innate snobbishness in her daughter's character, and for a long time she
had been looking for an opportunity like the one that now presented
itself.

David had risen during Miriam's contemptuous speech, and had turned very
white; which was always a signal that his slow wrath had been kindled at
last; but since he was a child he had had such admirable control of his
feelings that it had often been remarked by older people. Miriam,
however, knew the sign and resorted again to tears to draw attention to
her own sufferings.

"You and mother have turned against me," she cried. "Mother, you have
always loved David best, anyhow."

"Nonsense!" replied David. "You are a willful, selfish girl, jealous
because a poor girl is getting ahead of you in your classes and because
you are not included in the house party. Do you think Mrs. Gray would
ask you to join those four nice girls in her house after that Miss Leece
business? If you had learned to be polite and agreeable you would never
have gotten into this state now." Having delivered himself of his
opinion, and spent his rage, David walked out of the room and quietly
closed the door after him.

"You see what you have done, Miriam," exclaimed Mrs. Nesbit. "You have
made your brother angry. I have seldom seen him like that before, not
since the stable man beat his dog. But don't cry, my child. It's all
over now," and Mrs. Nesbit drew her daughter to her and stroked her hot
forehead. "Why don't you give a house party, too?" she added after a
moment's thought. "Would it give you any pleasure or help to heal your
hurt feelings?"

"O mother!" exclaimed Miriam, looking up quickly. "I believe I _will_
invite four girls and boys to spend Christmas week with me. Wouldn't it
be fun?"

And it was in this manner that a plan for an opposition house party
sprang into existence; although the son of the house had jo