"Alice, I don't understand you. Why do you do this?"
"Because I must. She and the Captain are going East on a visit, and Ben wants to give them a 'jolly send-off,' as he calls it. Besides, I like the girl."
Lee mused in silence for a few moments. "I guess you're right. Of course I'll come. Who else will?"
"Several of Ben's new friends and the Cregos—"
"Not the missus?"
"Yes; she comes because she's consumed with curiosity. Oh, it really promises to be smart!"
Congdon came in just in time to hear these words, "Who promises to be smart—Mrs. Haney?"
The women laughed. "Another person going about with a mind full of Mrs. Haney."
"Well, why not? I just passed her on the street in her new dog-cart, and she was ripping good to look at. Say, that girl is too swift for this town. You people better keep close to her if you want to know what's doing in gowns and cloaks. Did you ever see such development in your life? Say, girls, I always believed in clothes. But, my eyes! I didn't think cotton and wool and leather could make such a change. Who is putting her on?"
"The cart is a new development," said Alice. "I hope it wasn't yellow?"