“Yes; here they are,” returned Ethel, taking them from her pocket and handing them to her cousin.
“And why did you not bring them to me at once when you got home?”
“Aunt Augusta has kept me busy ever since.”
“You are not in her room now, are you?” queried Arabella sarcastically.
“No, but I have just come from it, and I really forgot all about the purchases for you, Arabella.”
“Well let me advise you not to forget so readily another time,” was the haughty rejoinder, and Arabella hurried away; but Ethel heard her remark to Minnie and Olive as she went into the room across the hall, “That girl isn’t worth her salt, and papa doing everything for her—feeding, clothing, and educating her. Really it would be a fine thing for him and us if she’d show spirit enough to go off and earn a living for herself.”
“She’s too young,” said Olive, “papa wouldn’t think of letting her do it; and after all she is quite useful to us—doing many a little job of mending and fixing that we wouldn’t care to do for ourselves.”
“Well, yes, she does; but if she were not here we’d do them ourselves and papa would be saved that much needless expense.”
“Needless?”
“Yes; for she is now old enough to earn her own living. There’s many a younger girl than she doing that.”