can
never wear a dress to show her neck. People would think she had gone
out of her mind."

Rose laughed. "I have some low-neck gowns," said she, "but I can't
wear them, either. Maybe that is fortunate for me, my neck is so
thin."

"You will wear them in other places," said Lucy. "You won't stay here
all your days. You will have plenty of chances to wear your low-neck
gowns." She spoke again in her unnaturally high voice. She turned
towards her closet to get her dress.

"Lucy!" said Mrs. Ayres.

"Well, it is the truth," said Lucy. "Don't preach, mother. If you
were a girl, and somebody told you your neck was pretty, and you knew
other girls had chances to wear low-neck dresses, you wouldn't be
above feeling it a little."

"My neck was as pretty as yours when I was a girl, and I never wore a
low-neck dress in my life," said Mrs. Ayres.

"Oh, well, you got married when you were eighteen," said Lucy. There
was something almost coarse in her remark. Rose felt herself flush.
She was sophisticated, and had seen the world, although she had been
closely if not lovingly guarded; but she shrank from some things as
though she had never come from under a country mother's wing in her
life.

Lucy got a pale-blue muslin gown from the closet and slipped it over
her shoulders. Then she stood for her mother to fasten it in the
back. Lucy was lovely in this cloud of blue, with edgings of lace on
the ruffles and knots of black velvet. She fastened her black velvet
girdle, and turned herself sidewise with a charming feminine motion,
to get the effect of her slender waist between the curves of her
small hips and bust. Again she looked pleased.

"You are dear in that blue gown," said Rose.

Lucy smiled. Then she scowled as suddenly. She could see Rose over
her shoulder in the glass. "It is awful countrified," said she. "Look
at the sleeves and look at yours. Where was yours made?"

"My dressmaker in New York made it," faltered Rose. She felt guilty
because her gown was undeniably in better style.

"There's no use trying to have anything in East Westland," said Lucy.

While she was fastening a little gold brooch at her throat, Rose
again tried to change the subject. "That candy of yours looked
perfectly delicious," said she. "You must teach me how you make it."

Mrs. Ayres went dead white in a moment. She looked at Lucy with a
look of horror which the girl did not meet. She went on fastening her
brooch. "Did you like it?" sh