"Oh," exclaimed the girl indignantly, "what a fall from its old estate! To think of our playhouse being turned into a saloon! Do you remember the dance it was christened with? I was allowed to go, and you made me perfectly happy by waltzing with me once."
"Humph!" returned the other. "And now it is a great question whether you would make me perfectly happy by waltzing with me once."
"Oh, Jack," Mildred laughed out now, "don't be cross. Don't grudge a girl her 'little brief authority.' My observation of life has taught me that her queenship is brief enough. She blossoms out of awkward childhood into an attractive womanhood, and then after a little space yields up her sweet liberty to some lord of creation whom she has to pacify and wait on ever afterward. Moral: Let her keep her authority as long as possible."
"You seem to have been rather unfortunate in your married masculine acquaintance," returned Van Tassel drily.
A sudden thought sent the color flying to Mildred's face, and her customary complacent poise was shaken.
"There was one exception," she said, so timidly and meekly that her companion was struck by the change; but she had not the courage to be more specific, and there was no need. Jack understood her.
When the four reached home they found Miss Berry in the sitting-room reading by the light of a lamp.
Blitzen was sitting on a rug, and did not, as usual, run to meet them. On a chair reposed a bird-cage with some white stuff in it.
"What is this, Aunt Love?" asked Clover. "Have you some new pets?"
"I've got one," returned Miss Berry, smiling placidly. "I'll give you all three guesses. It's a World's Fair souvenir."