“I can’t blame you,” said Ann, and Ronald looked at her with some approval in his deep eyes. “He was kind and pleasant, but did not make what you would call a hit, Maury, with our Western boys and girls.”
“Conceit is Beano’s middle name,” said Maurice, laughing.
The next affair at the LeRoy house for Mrs. Sterling’s benefit was a reception, one of those “pink teas,” according to Maurice, who said that he would carefully keep out of the way. It was a day-time “at home,” so planned for the benefit of the older folks who might not care to come to an evening gathering, and only the adult friends were invited. Ann was in the room one morning when she heard her grandmother and Mrs. Tyson discussing the list.
“You aren’t going to invite her, Mother, are you?” asked Mrs. Tyson, pointing to a name. “She is the worst gossip in six towns!”
“That is the reason I am inviting her,” calmly said Grandmother, to Ann’s great amusement. “She will talk anyhow, and is a great deal more likely to be friendly if we invite her. She has a somewhat privileged position, in spite of her terrible tongue.” Then Grandmother noticed that Ann was listening, and turned smiling eyes upon her. “Let this lady be a warning, Ann, not an example. And remember what the epistle of James says about the tongue, ‘a restless evil’ and ‘full of deadly poison!’”
“I can not see any necessity for inviting her, Mother,” repeated Mrs. Tyson. “It only gives her a better opportunity to talk. She is no friend of Elizabeth’s; why should we have her?”
“Why all this discussion, Sue? You well know that I have always included her in any general gathering like this. She would be offended, and then the vials of her wrath would descend indeed!”
“Do you want Suzanne and me to dress up and be around, or may we stay away?”