"Daisy has a rival, newly appeared," she said. "She must do her best."
"There cannot be rivalry, mamma, where there is no competition," I said.
"Cannot there?" said mamma. "You never told us, Daisy, of your successes in the North."
I do not think I flushed at all in answer to this remark; the blood seemed to me to go all to my heart.
"Who has been Daisy's trumpeter?" papa asked.
"There is a friend of hers here," mamma said, slowly sipping her coffee. I do not know how I sat at the table; things seemed to swim in a maze before my eyes; then mamma went on, - "What have you done with your victim, Daisy?"
"Mamma," I said, "I do not at all know of whom you are speaking."
"Left him for dead, I suppose," she said. "He has met with a good Samaritan, I understand, who carried oil and wine."
Papa's eye met mine for a moment.
"Felicia," he said, "you are speaking very unintelligibly. I beg you will use clearer language, for all our sakes."