"I think Higgins is an awfully nice name," she confided to Mrs. Humphrey. "I read a book, that is, mother read it to me, and it had a Higgins in it and I liked him a lot. I always thought I'd like to talk to a Higgins.
"Does yours talk again?" she added as she saw no sign of conversation in the straight shoulder before her.
Mrs. Humphrey's lip twitched. How explain to eager little Mary Jane that Higgins was so dignified everyone had to be careful of his feelings? Higgins was the most dignified of all the story-book Higginses ever invented! So she merely said, "I think he's rather busy driving just now, and we want to have a careful driver, don't we dear?" And then, in an effort to change the subject she added, "Isn't that a lovely garden?"
But Mary Jane wasn't that easily diverted and Higgins was very much on her mind—as Mrs. Humphrey was to discover later.
FUN ON THE BEACH
The drive down the south shore was very beautiful; the girls both enjoyed the glimpses they saw of Quincy, Hingham and Neponset—the quaint old-fashioned houses, so different from anything they had ever seen before, the lovely gardens and the view of the bay and various inlets that they caught from time to time. The road was good and the powerful car dashed along under the wide spreading trees that edged the roads. The girls were much refreshed by this sort of entertainment.
But Mary Jane was disappointed by one thing—it wasn't really windy enough to need a veil. And she did want to wear one. As they neared the ocean though, they felt a stronger breeze, a breeze that came gustily through the open windows of the limousine, and she felt justified in using the veil she had carried over her arm. It wasn't particularly easy to adjust a veil two yards long while they were driving so rapidly, and Alice had to help her sister, for Mary Jane insisted in putting it entirely over her hat and tying it under her chin.
Mrs. Merrill and Mrs. Humphrey were busy talking and didn't notice what Mary Jane was doing till the veil was almost fixed. Then Mrs. Humphrey noticed it, and was all regret for coming this route.
"My dear!" she exclaimed to Mrs. Merrill, "I didn't know your little girl was so delicate! We should never have come this way! We could just as well have driven west and then she wouldn't have felt this awful wind from the ocean! Why, it's just too bad! We'll have Higgins turn around at once! I should have asked you, only your little girl looked so strong and I thought she and her sister might like to go in bathing at the beach. Such a dear little thing to watch and put the veil on herself at the first breath! My nephew's children are so careless—they never will wrap up as—"
There seemed no hope of the good lady ever stopping, so Mrs. Merrill interrupted to say, "Don't be a bit concerned, Mrs. Humphrey, Mary Jane is not delicate—in fact she is very strong and vigorous. But she did want to wear a veil and pretend to be grown-up, and she has taken advantage of the first breeze to think she must put it on."