"Well," said Maizie after a time, "she's not suffering, thank you."
"Have you any brothers and sisters?" pursued Suzanna in an interested though rather aloof tone.
"Oh, yes," said Maizie, trying hard to fill her rôle satisfactorily. "We have a very large family, and once we had twins."
Suzanna looked her pity. "I'm so glad," she said, "that I'm an Only Child. This morning I was very joyous when I had whipped cream and oatmeal."
"You just had syrup, Suzanna Procter!" cried Maizie.
Suzanna cast a scathing look at her sister: "I had whipped cream!" she cried, "because I am an Only Child!" Then falling into her natural tone: "If you forget again, Maizie, I can't even be a friend of yours." She continued after a pause, reassuming her Only-Child voice, "That's why I wear this beautiful satin dress and diamond bracelets and shining buckles on my shoes."
Now Maizie saw only Suzanna's lawn dress, rather worn Sunday shoes with patent leather tips; she saw Suzanna's bare arms.
"Maybe you'd like, really, to wear a white satin dress and bracelets and buckles, but you know you haven't got them, don't you, Suzanna?" she asked.
Suzanna did not answer, plainly ignoring Maizie's conciliatory tone, and so finding the silence continuing unbroken, Maizie changed the subject.
"Will you play school with me this afternoon, Suzanna?"