"Darling," she said, "I'm not trying to be disagreeable; I only want us all to keep up."
"I know it, ducky. I guess you're right. I'll cut out that rough stuff if you like."
Athalie said: "It's only too easy to let down when you're thrown with careless and uneducated people as we are. I have to struggle against it all the while. For,
somehow I seem to know that a girl who keeps up her grammar keeps up her self-respect, too. If you slouch mentally you slouch physically. And then it's not so difficult to slouch morally."
Doris laughed: "You funny thing! You certainly have educated yourself a lot since school,—you use such dandy English."
"I read good English."
"I know you do. I can't. If somebody would only write a rattling story in good English!—but I've got to have the story first of all or I can't read it. All those branch-library books you lug in are too slow for me. If it wasn't for hearing you talk every day I'd be talking like the rest of the chorus at the Egyptian Garden;—'Sa-ay, ain't you done with my make-up box? Yaas, you did swipe it! I seen you. Who's a liar? All right, if you want to mix it—'"
"Don't!" pleaded Athalie. "Oh, Doris, I don't see why you can't find some other business—"
Doris began to strut about the kitchenette.
"Please don't! It makes me actually ill!"