“It goes beautifully with my shade of hair, doesn’t it,” Rosa prattled. “And I adore that tone of blue. Oh, Nan, you can have everything else, but I’m so glad Betty thought to get this for me! I’m going to love her for it. Maybe I have been mean, as you say, Nan, and maybe Betty does love me, after all.” And thereat the cape became the property of Rosa, while poor, disappointed Nancy applauded.
If ever a girl’s heart can suddenly turn to ice and then try to choke her, that seemed to be what was happening just then to Nancy.
That cape! That precious, adorable cape, that she had always secretly dreamed of and that she could have made such wonderful use of! It was to her like a picture from her first fairy book.
Her mother or even Miss Manners (the loving “Manny” who was away off this summer) could have made dresses, pretty under things, and perhaps any of the other lovely articles, but a peach-blow cape, trimmed with white fur, seemed beyond the reach forever of poor Nancy.
“Don’t you love it?” persisted Rosa, flirting around the glorious blue wings, like a great live bird.
“Yes, I do,” said Nancy, too truthfully.
“I’m sorry now that we didn’t plan to go down to the hotel to-night. I can’t rest until I show this off. Not that I haven’t a pretty party cape, for I have. Have you one, Nancy?”
“No, not yet,” faltered Nancy. “I’ve never needed one.”
“Then, you can have my red one. It will look stunning on you with your dark hair. It’s called love-apple, that’s tomato red, you know,” explained Rosa, still flirting with the lovely new mantle.
“Oh, thank you, Rosa, but I really don’t go to parties yet, you know,” replied Nancy. She never cared for red in coats or capes, especially tomato red.