"'She never dreamed of owning them, though,' said Roxana.
"'Yes, she did!'
"Well, it resulted in Roxana's carrying off my foolish purchase and coming back with her sensible one.
"I can smile at it now, but at the time it was a real tragedy to me. Mother never suspected my disappointment. We were all so used to accepting Roxana's opinions as laws that to rebel against them would lay oneself open to the charge of treason.
"Well, the next day I went to Clementina's. She came running down to the front gate to meet me.
"'Happy birthday,' I faltered, thrusting the little package into her hands.
"'Why, Edna,' she said, but I hurried away, not daring to wait to see her open it.
"That was apparently the end of our friendship.
"When we met again, Clementina treated me very coolly; I was terribly cut up but I did not blame her. I knew it would have been better taste not to have given her anything, but it was too late then.
"For several days we kept apart.