Nan laughed. “First best, Miss Dolores, second best, her clothes, third best, dear old Mr. St. Nick. I think I put him first, myself, and of course I am dying to see the trousseau.”
“And not Miss Dolores? You’re very peculiar, I must say.” Mary Lee was up in arms.
“Of course I want to see her. You must be stupid to think I don’t, but Mr. St. Nick is a little bit dearer and the clothes are more of a novelty, so there you are.”
Mary Lee walked off with her nose in the air. “Very well,” she remarked as she went out, “I shall go the minute I am ready, and if you prefer to come later, I shall not object.”
Nan laughed provokingly, but went on with brisk preparations as soon as the door closed after Mary Lee. She wanted to go early quite as much as her sister, but Mary Lee was always such a precise and unhurried person it was but seldom that one had a chance to tease her and the opportunity was too good to lose. She made such haste and Mary Lee was so long at the telephone that when she came back Nan was all ready. “Oh,” exclaimed the latter, “I was just about to go. I thought perhaps you had changed your mind. Suppose I start on since you’ll not be dressed for at least half an hour.”
“Nan Corner, if you go without me I’ll never forgive you. I think you are just horrid.”
“But you were going without me all right, all right.”
“That’s quite another thing.”
“Can’t seem to see it, but rather than ruffle your feathers any more I’ll go to mother and Aunt Helen and you can stop by for me when you’ve done prinking.”
So saying she left Mary Lee to herself and it is needless to say that if it were within Mary Lee to hurry she did it on this occasion. In consequence in considerably less than half an hour the two were leaving the hotel for Mr. Pinckney’s home. They had been in New York often enough to know the way fairly well.