Pretty Violet, grown taller and even more stylish than of old, flushed and looked annoyed.
"Lina is not in our set," she said, "and she is too poor to get a party dress; of course she could not come without one."
"She had the prettiest dress at the party last year," said Walter, warmly.
"That is all you know about it," said Violet, laughingly. "It was her mother's wedding-dress. She had not a decent thing of her own."
"She can wear her mother's dress again," said Mrs. Earle and her son simultaneously, and Mrs. Earle added almost pleadingly: "Do let her come, Violet, she is so young and pretty, and would enjoy it so much."
"And she has so few pleasures," said Walter, with commendable forethought for such a giddy young man.
"Oh, she can come—certainly," Violet answered coldly. "Only I thought she would not care to come unless she could appear as others do. Last year she was quite ignorant, she did not know anything about society. But now that she has spent a year at boarding-school, she knows, of course, that a shabby-looking girl is next to nobody. Invite her if you like, I only wished to spare her feelings."
"I think we should spare her feelings better by asking than by leaving her out," replied gentle Mrs. Earle.
So the orphan girl was asked, and Mr. Meredith came again and brought her as before. And Violet was mistaken this time, for Jaquelina had really something to wear.