“You never hear of him now?” said Rosa.
“Never. Everyone doesn’t get Lucy’s luck, you know, and when things go wrong one must put up with second-best.”
“I am to have neither first or second,” said Rosa.
“Well, there’s a good deal of third in the world, and one gets on with it.”
“The long and the short of it is,” said Rosa, as she stood up to go, “that that’s my wish, but I can’t turn the world upside down to get it, and I can live without it, as I’ve done before. Why, I almost forgot it till things went wrong with Violante. Anyhow, I must take care of her.”
Beatrice Grey, spite of her easy life, had not found the world accommodate itself so exactly to her wishes as to be surprised at the necessity for submission, but she was struck by Rosa’s last words, and said: “You’re the best girl I know, Rosa.”
“I mustn’t go to many plays if you are to hold that opinion long,” replied Rosa, as she went away.
“Did you enjoy yourself, Rosina mia?” said Violante, sleepily.
“Yes, my darling,” said Rosa, “so much so that next time you must come and look after me.”
Violante gave a little sleepy laugh at this absurd notion, as her sister, wakeful with excitement, lay down by her side.