"How tired you look, Cass," said Veronica, slipping in quietly. "What are you talking about? Has Fanny been tormenting you?"
"Of course," she answered. "But if am not mistaken, you will be tormented by others besides me."
"Go out!" said Veronica. "Leave us, pale pest."
"You may want me here yet."
"What does she mean, Cass?"
I hesitated.
"Tell me," she said, in her imperative, gentle voice. "What is there that I cannot know?"
"Now she is what you call high-toned, isn't it?" inquired Fanny.
Veronica threw her book at her.
"The truth is, ladies, that your father, the principal man in Surrey, is not worth a dollar. What do you think of it? And how will you come off the high horse?" And Fanny drummed on the table energetically.