The friendship of these two girls dated from this little scene in the apple-room.
Eweretta genuinely liked Minnie, and Minnie, with a young girl’s fresh enthusiasm, adored Miss Le Breton.
After the guests had departed that afternoon, Minnie said to her mother: “I know what made Miss Le Breton ‘queer in her head’ for a time. She had an unfortunate love affair, but you must not mention it.”
“Drat love affairs!” exclaimed Mrs. Pickett. “Don’t you get having any till you are old enough to know what you are about!”
CHAPTER XXVII
A HALF-CONFIDENCE
About this time Annie Barrimore began to be anxious about the health of Phyllis. Phyllis was piqued; she lost her appetite; moreover, she had grown distinctly snappish, when she chose to talk at all. She was more often mopish.
Dan had departed for the vine-clad cottage in Dulwich Village. Colonel Lane still remained with his friend, who had “picked up” a little.
After vain and abortive questionings of Phyllis, Mrs. Barrimore wrote a rather distressed letter to the girl’s father, to which she received a characteristic reply:
“My dear Friend,—
“Do not worry about Phyllis’s health. All you see is nothing physical. The symptoms are those of another love affair. Who is the man this time? Surely not Mr. Webster?”