"Was her mother a nice person, too, mamma?" Violet asked, interested.
"I did not know her mother very well," said Mrs. Earle. "She was Jaquelina Ardell, a young French girl whom Claude Meredith married while he was abroad. She did not live but a few months after they returned here. When her little girl was born she died."
"And Mr. Meredith soon after," said the student; "I remember it myself. I was a lad of five years at the time."
"Yes, he died of a fever," said Mrs. Earle, with a sigh, quickly suppressed.
"Did he leave no money for his daughter?" inquired Violet.
"No—he spent the few thousands his farmer-father bequeathed him upon his education and his art-studies abroad. So Lina is dependent upon her uncle's charity."
"A cold charity it is too," said Violet, thinking of cold, hard Mrs. Meredith.
"Charlie Meredith is not purposely unkind," Mrs. Earle said, quickly, "but he is thoughtless and careless, and his wife rules him. Still, for the sake of his feelings, I should not like to slight Claude's daughter."
"I do hope she will make a respectable appearance so that no one will be able to laugh at her," said Violet. "It was on my mind to offer to lend her a party-dress, but I decided that she would not have accepted it."
"I am glad you did not," her mother said promptly. "I think Lina is proud in her way. She would have been hurt."