quietly, her eyes down-drooped. “No, it was last week!”
“Oh!” said Joan. “A week ago!
Only
a week ago!”
Gloria felt that she had stood all that she could stand. She suddenly lifted up her head with some of the old arrogance with which she had always been able to subdue enemies, and looking at her cousin with a lovely smile, she said, “Oh, there are some darling little new kittens down behind the barn. Wouldn’t you like to come around and look at them? They are the darlingest things!”
“No, thanks,” said Joan with a look of disgust. “I can’t bear cats, either new or old. They give me the shivers.”
“We came over, Gloria,” said her aunt, ignoring the interlude, “to suggest that perhaps you would like to come over and spend a few days with us while your father is away. How long is he going to be gone?”
Gloria barely suppressed an exclamation of distress at this suggestion, but she managed an icy little smile. “Oh, that’s sweet of you,” she said, controlling a shiver of dislike, “but I think I’ll just stay here where Father left me.”
“But it doesn’t look right for you not to come to us for part of the time,” urged the aunt severely with a tilt of offense to her chin and nose. “The whole countryside will think it’s strange.”
“Why bother?” said Gloria. “It doesn’t matter so much what people think.”
“It certainly does!” said Joan with a toss of her head. “We have to live here, you know.”
“I’m sorry,” said Gloria, sobering thoughtfully. “It hadn’t occurred to me that the countryside had anything to do with it. But in this case, I guess you’ll just have to explain that I’m staying here where Father can call me on the telephone at any time. He expects me to stay here. He calls me up every day sometime.”
“He calls you on the long-distance telephone
every day!”
exclaimed the two in unison.
“But isn’t that terribly expensive?” asked the aunt severely.
“Why, I really don’t know,” said Gloria. “I never thought of it in that way. But anyhow, Dad does it, and he expects me to be here! Thank you for your kindness, and I do appreciate your thinking of me, but at present I’m staying right here. And after all, it’s in a sense my own home. Dad owns this house, you know!”
A quick, startled look passed between the mother and daughter.
“No, I didn’t know that!” said the mother. “I understood it passed out of the family years ago. I don’t see why your father should have any more right to it than the rest of the children.”
Gloria looked at them, puzzled.
“Why, Dad bought it back again several years ago. Didn’t you know that?”
“No, I didn’t know it,” said her aunt, as if she thought it an extremely doubtful statement.
Gloria looked at her in despair. She didn’t seem to be getting anywhere with any kind of a conversation. She turned to her cousin and took a fresh start. “Did you have a pleasant week in your school?” she asked courteously.
“Pleasant? Teaching school? Well, no, I should say not! I don’t teach school exactly for pleasure!”
Gloria laughed. “Well, I should think it would be interesting at least,” she said, determined to make this girl unbend from her stiffness. “I think children are darling!”
“Hm! Well, I
don’t
. I think they are little devils!” said Joan. “If you don’t believe it, come and visit us someday.”
“I’d love to,” said Gloria. “Could I?”
The other girl’s face hardened.
“You wouldn’t like it,” she said sourly, “and you wouldn’t find out just visiting anyway. They’d be on their good behavior. They always are when there are visitors. You’d have to be a teacher and sit there day in and day out, keeping those thirty wild young ones in order and beating a little knowledge into their heads whether your feet ached and your back ached and your head ached or not. Whether the children were impudent and stupid and full of
“Oh!” said Joan. “A week ago!
Only
a week ago!”
Gloria felt that she had stood all that she could stand. She suddenly lifted up her head with some of the old arrogance with which she had always been able to subdue enemies, and looking at her cousin with a lovely smile, she said, “Oh, there are some darling little new kittens down behind the barn. Wouldn’t you like to come around and look at them? They are the darlingest things!”
“No, thanks,” said Joan with a look of disgust. “I can’t bear cats, either new or old. They give me the shivers.”
“We came over, Gloria,” said her aunt, ignoring the interlude, “to suggest that perhaps you would like to come over and spend a few days with us while your father is away. How long is he going to be gone?”
Gloria barely suppressed an exclamation of distress at this suggestion, but she managed an icy little smile. “Oh, that’s sweet of you,” she said, controlling a shiver of dislike, “but I think I’ll just stay here where Father left me.”
“But it doesn’t look right for you not to come to us for part of the time,” urged the aunt severely with a tilt of offense to her chin and nose. “The whole countryside will think it’s strange.”
“Why bother?” said Gloria. “It doesn’t matter so much what people think.”
“It certainly does!” said Joan with a toss of her head. “We have to live here, you know.”
“I’m sorry,” said Gloria, sobering thoughtfully. “It hadn’t occurred to me that the countryside had anything to do with it. But in this case, I guess you’ll just have to explain that I’m staying here where Father can call me on the telephone at any time. He expects me to stay here. He calls me up every day sometime.”
“He calls you on the long-distance telephone
every day!”
exclaimed the two in unison.
“But isn’t that terribly expensive?” asked the aunt severely.
“Why, I really don’t know,” said Gloria. “I never thought of it in that way. But anyhow, Dad does it, and he expects me to be here! Thank you for your kindness, and I do appreciate your thinking of me, but at present I’m staying right here. And after all, it’s in a sense my own home. Dad owns this house, you know!”
A quick, startled look passed between the mother and daughter.
“No, I didn’t know that!” said the mother. “I understood it passed out of the family years ago. I don’t see why your father should have any more right to it than the rest of the children.”
Gloria looked at them, puzzled.
“Why, Dad bought it back again several years ago. Didn’t you know that?”
“No, I didn’t know it,” said her aunt, as if she thought it an extremely doubtful statement.
Gloria looked at her in despair. She didn’t seem to be getting anywhere with any kind of a conversation. She turned to her cousin and took a fresh start. “Did you have a pleasant week in your school?” she asked courteously.
“Pleasant? Teaching school? Well, no, I should say not! I don’t teach school exactly for pleasure!”
Gloria laughed. “Well, I should think it would be interesting at least,” she said, determined to make this girl unbend from her stiffness. “I think children are darling!”
“Hm! Well, I
don’t
. I think they are little devils!” said Joan. “If you don’t believe it, come and visit us someday.”
“I’d love to,” said Gloria. “Could I?”
The other girl’s face hardened.
“You wouldn’t like it,” she said sourly, “and you wouldn’t find out just visiting anyway. They’d be on their good behavior. They always are when there are visitors. You’d have to be a teacher and sit there day in and day out, keeping those thirty wild young ones in order and beating a little knowledge into their heads whether your feet ached and your back ached and your head ached or not. Whether the children were impudent and stupid and full of
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