Alice laughed.
“Can’t you see the difference?” said Nora impatiently. “‘Proud’ means ‘Don’t be such a fool as to imagine that I’m thinking of you!’—‘Vain’ means ‘I wonder dreadfully what you’re thinking of me?’”
“Well then, Connie is both proud and vain,” said Alice with decision.
“I don’t mean she doesn’t know she’s rich, and good-looking and run after,” said Nora, beginning to flounder. “But half the time, anyway, she forgets it.”
“Except when she is talking to men,” said Alice vindictively, to which Mrs. Hooper added with her little obstinate air—
“Any girl who likes admiration as much as Connie does must be vain. Of course, I don’t blame her.”
“Likes admiration? Hm,” said Nora, still chewing at her twig. “Yes, I suppose she does. But she’s good at snubbing, too.” And she threw a glance at her sister. She was thinking of a small evening party the night before, at which, it seemed to her, Connie had several times snubbed Herbert Pryce rather severely. Alice said nothing. She knew what Nora meant. But that Connie should despise what she had filched away only made things worse.
Mrs. Hooper sighed again—loudly.
“The point is—is she carrying on with that man, Mr. Falloden?”
Nora looked up indignantly. Her mother’s vulgarity tormented her.