Now as this gray barège was one of Annie’s two best dresses, and which she was accustomed to think quite full dress, she hesitated, and said, with some surprise,
“My gray barège for the morning?”
“Yes, it will do very well,” continued Kate, supposing her hesitation proceeded from diffidence as to its being too plain. “The simpler a breakfast-dress the better; and gray is always a good unnoticeable color.”
Annie almost gasped. If she was to begin with her barège for breakfast, what should she do for dinner. But Kate proceeded with,
“Take the sleeves out of your book-muslin, Annie, and that will do for dinner. You are always safe in white, and I suppose they will supply us with Camelias from the green-house for our heads.”
“Book-muslins, short sleeves, and Camelia’s for dinner.” Annie’s heart beat high between expectation and fear. She almost wished the visit over, and yet would not have given it up for the world.
Monday morning arrived, and an hour’s drive brought them to Woodlawn. And as they drove up through the beautiful avenues of elms, and stopped before a very large, handsome house, which commanded a beautiful lawn, Annie felt that the place quite equalled her expectations.
Mrs. Hauton received them with great politeness, made a slight apology for her “lazy girls,” who were not yet down, and showed them into the breakfast-room before the young ladies made their appearance.
They came gliding in presently, looking very elegant and high-bred, dressed in the finest white lawn negligées, with the prettiest little thread-lace caps on their heads; their whole toilet exquisitely fine, simple, and recherché, so that poor Annie felt at once the value and consolation of the expression, “unnoticeable,” that Kate had applied to her barège, and which had rather astonished her at the time.
They did not seem to feel called upon to apologize for their not being ready to receive their guests, but only found it “very warm,” asked at what time they left the city, and were quite shocked at the early hour they mentioned, and thought it “must have been very disagreeable,” and it was evident from their manner that they would not have risen so early to come and see them.