tte's prospects were freely discussed.

"I expected that Mr. Luzerne would have been here this evening, but he
sent an apology in which he declined to come."

"Did you invite Annette?" said Miss Croker.

"No, I did not. I got enough of her when I lived next door to her."

"Well that accounts for Mr. Luzerne's absence. They remind me of the
Siamese twins; if you see one, you see the other."

"How did she get in with him?"

"She met him at Mrs. Lasette's party, and he seemed so taken up with her
that for a while he had neither eyes nor ears for any one else."

"That girl, as quiet as she looks, is just as deep as the sea."

"It is not that she's so deep, but we are so shallow. Miss Booker and
Miss Croker were sitting near Annette and not noticing her, and we girls
were having a good time in the corner to ourselves, and Annette was
looking so lonely and embarrassed I think Mr. Luzerne just took pity on
her and took especial pains to entertain her. I just think we stepped
our feet into it by slighting Annette, and of course, as soon as we saw
him paying attention to her, we wouldn't change and begin to make much
of her."

"I don't know what he sees in Annette with her big nose and plain face."

"My father," said Laura Lasette, "says that Annette is a credit to her
race and my mother is just delighted because Mr. Luzerne is attracted
to her, but, girls, had we not better be careful how we talk about her?
People might say that we are jealous of her and we know that we are
taught that jealousy is as cruel as the grave."

"We don't see anything to be jealous about her. She is neither pretty
nor stylish."

"But my mother says she is a remarkable girl," persisted Laura.

"Your mother," said Mrs. Larkins, "always had funny notions about
Annette, and saw in her what nobody else did."

"Well, for my part, I hope it will be a match."

"It is easy enough for you to say so, Laura. You think it is a sure
thing between you and Charley Cooper, but don't be too sure; there's
many a slip between the cup and the lip."

There was a flush on Laura's cheek as she replied, "If there are a
thousand slips between the cup and the lip and Charlie and I should
never marry, let me tell you that I would almost as soon court another's
husband as a girl's affianced lover. I can better afford to be an old
maid than to do a dishonorable thing."

"Well, Laura, you are a chip off the old block; just like your mother,
always ready to take