She listened with lowered eyes and a silent attention as if she were weighing every word.
"Yes," she said, "I shall like them all. I feel sure—or almost."
Then she asked suddenly, "Does Rhoda Polly sing? Can she play?"
"In a way," I answered lamely enough; "she has had the usual lessons before she went to college, but her voice has never been trained."
"Is she very clever?"
"Yes, at driving nails, hanging pictures, laying down carpets, and getting a house ready—I never saw anyone to match her."
"But I mean—she is very learned—will she look down upon me who have to step carefully among abysses of ignorance?"
"Alida," I said earnestly, "she is likely to spoil you far more than is good for you. The others will do so also, but you will find that Rhoda Polly will win your heart more than all of us put together."
"I do not think so," said Alida composedly.
And then, struck by the astonishment in my face, she continued, "I shall not like her if you praise her so much!"