“Yes, yes! What does this mean?” said Cicely with great eagerness.
“Well, I know you will be faithful and not repeat it to any one; but I don’t love Maggie Howland.”
“Oh, Neta!”
“And,” continued Aneta, “you; as my cousins, I most earnestly hope, will not make her your special friend at Aylmer House.” 64
“But we have done so already, Neta. Oh, Neta darling! you are mistaken in her.”
“I say nothing whatever against her,” said Aneta, “except that personally I do not care for her. I should be very glad if I found that I had misjudged her.”
“Then why don’t you want us to be friends with her? We are friends with her.”
“I cannot control you, darlings. When you come to school you will see a variety of girls, and most of them—indeed, all of them—nice, I think.”
“Then why shouldn’t we like poor Maggie?”
“You do like her, it seems, already.”