"My mother doesn't let me play with servants," said Janet with a little haughty air.
Bubbles looked much crestfallen, but immediately retired when Eleanor said: "You needn't stay, Bubbles."
"Now, what shall we play?" said Eleanor, left alone with her guest and intent upon pleasing her.
"We'll pretend we are countesses or duchesses or something. No I choose to be a duchess, and you can be a countess. I'm company and I must be the finest lady. Duchesses are more important than countesses."
Eleanor didn't think this was very polite, but she yielded, and, furthermore, gave up her best doll to her guest. "My best doll is bigger than this," Janet remarked, "and she has a real gold chain to wear around her neck. Haven't you more than one silk dress for yours? All my dolls' dresses are silk. I think a duchess's child ought to be dressed in silk. I will have to pretend her clothes are much finer than they really are."
They played quite happily for a time, although Eleanor did not quite like the giving up of all her choicest things to her visitor, but she had been taught that her guests must always have the best of everything and she made no objections. It was toward the latter part of the afternoon that Janet suddenly exclaimed: "Oh, where is my pearl ring? It's gone."
"Really?" said Eleanor.
"Yes, I believe that servant girl, you call Bubbles, has stolen it."
"Oh, no, she couldn't have done that," Eleanor protested, quite shocked. "Not if you had it on when you came in here, and besides she wouldn't do such a thing."
"I don't know about that; anyhow, I had it on when I left home."