"Come in, my dear; you see, my dear, I have not had time yet to change clothes, but I'll be ready in a few minutes.
"Sit down, my dear; why are you so late? I thought you would come sooner."
Adèle thought: "What a state the house would have been in, if I had arrived an hour earlier."
Mrs. Soher began to dust a secretaire, talking all the while to her niece. "Amelia will soon be down; she ran upstairs when she heard you knock at the door; she does not like for anyone to see her when she is not properly dressed, but I don't care, not when it is you, at any rate."
"A pretty compliment," thought the visitor.
When they were all assembled round the table partaking of their tea, Adèle tried over and over again to lead the conversation into a pleasant channel, but all to no purpose. The inmates of the "Prenoms" had to be taught to converse properly before they could do so. Mrs. Soher began to babble in her ordinary way. Her daughter supported her foolish statements. Adèle made no remark. Her aunt noticed this, and after a most scornful remark about Mrs. B.'s character, she said to her niece: "Don't you think so?"
Although considerably annoyed, Adèle had not so far made any remark, but she was now directly appealed to. She spoke: "I do not know," she said. She noticed the two women smiling and exchanging glances.
Said Mrs. Soher sarcastically: "I thought you knew Mrs. B."
"Yes," answered her niece, "I know her, but I am continually detecting faults in my temper which have to be overcome; and I find that I have quite enough to do to look after myself without bothering about others."
If ever you saw two people looking six ways for Sunday, it was Mrs. Soher and her daughter.