"Who else did you see?" said Mrs. Van Arsdel, who liked this topic of conversation better than the dangers of the church.
"Oh, well, the Davenports were there, and the Livingstones, and of course Polly Elmore, with her tribe, looking like birds of Paradise. The amount of time and money and thought that family gives to dress is enormous! John Davenport stopped and spoke to me coming out of church. He says, 'Seems to me, Mrs. Wouvermans, your young ladies have deserted us; you mustn't suffer them to stray from the fold,' says he. I saw he had his eye on our pew when he first came into church."
"I think, Maria, you really are quite absurd in your suspicions about that man," said Mrs. Van Arsdel. "I don't think there's anything in it."
"Well, just wait now and see. I know more about it than you do. If only Alice manages her cards right, she can get that man."
"Alice will never manage cards for any purpose. She is too proud for that. She hasn't a bit of policy."
"And there was that Jim Fellows waiting on her home. I met him this morning, just as I turned the corner."
"Well, Alice tries to exert a good influence over Jim, and has got him to teach in Mr. St. John's Sunday-school."
"Fiddlesticks! What does he care for Sunday-school?"
"Well, the girls all say that he does nicely. He has more influence over that class of boys than anybody else would."