“There, Ronald,” said Oscar, “don’t begin to talk a fortnight beforehand about what you will wear to the examination—that sounds a little too much like the girls. I overheard some of the girls, to-day, talking about the exhibition; and they didn’t have a word to say about the lessons, or performances, or anything of that sort—it was all dress, dress, dress. One was going to wear white muslin, and another pink, and one was going to do her hair up in this way, and another in that way, and so on to the end of the chapter. I wonder if the girls ever talk about anything besides dress, and looks, and such things.”
“I think they do,” replied Jessie. “I suppose I’ve been among the girls at least as much as you have, to-day, and I don’t remember hearing a word about dress or personal looks.”
“Then you were very fortunate,” said Oscar. “I heard enough about those subjects, at any rate. One girl said she’d give anything in the world, if her hair would only curl; another had got some beautiful new lace to trim her dress; and another didn’t intend to wear any jewelry, at the examination, but was going to trim herself up with buds and flowers, instead. One might have supposed, from the way they talked, that we were to have a grand examination of dresses, and nothing else.”
“And Mr. Paul Pry was sneaking around, listening to it all, was he?” inquired Kate.
“No, I didn’t have to listen, for I couldn’t help hearing,” replied Oscar. “But I didn’t say who they were, and if you wont expose them, Kate, I wont.”
“Oh, I care nothing about your exposing us,” retorted Kate; “I was only thinking how you had exposed yourself. I suppose I was one of the party he refers to. Abby Leonard happened to come along, and you know she’s always talking about dress, and she began to tell what she was going to wear exhibition day. So the others joined in for a few minutes, and that was the origin of all this fuss about ‘dress, dress, dress.’”
This retort, which was uttered in a somewhat bitter tone, surprised Oscar very much, for Kate was one of the best-natured of girls, and he had never before heard her speak in this way. He had evidently touched her in a tender spot, and he began to think he had committed a serious offence. So he stammered out the best apology he could think of, saying that he only spoke of the matter good-naturedly, and meant no offence to any one. Ronald and Otis, seeing how the battle was going, now came gallantly to the rescue of Oscar, and volunteered their testimony to his side of the case. The girls, they said, were all the time talking about dress—they noticed it every day.
“Well, supposing we do talk rather more about dress than we ought to,” said Kate, “I think you are a pretty set of folks to rebuke us for it. There’s Oscar—there isn’t a boy or young man in the academy that is so particular about dress as he is; and Otis can never go within forty feet of a looking-glass, without stopping to smooth his hair; and as to Ronald, if he hadn’t just showed what’s running in his head, nobody would have thought of talking about dress.”
Ronald and Otis both attempted to reply to this speech at once, but Mrs. Page stopped them, and then said:
“This debate is getting to be a little too spicy, and I think it had better be brought to a close. In my opinion, both sides are partly right, and both are partly wrong. I have no doubt that many of the girls think and talk a great deal too much of what they shall wear, and how they shall look. It is a great fault, look at it in what light you will. There is nothing so becoming in woman or girl as simplicity and neatness in dress. It is a barbarous taste that is fond of extravagant and gaudy apparel, or showy jewelry. And then, this taste is not only bad in itself, but it leads to a great many evils. A woman who has it soon becomes frivolous and vain; she overlooks honest merit, in plain attire; she is jealous and envious of those who make more show than she does; she becomes extravagant and reckless, and perhaps drives her father or husband into bankruptcy, that she may have the means to gratify her selfish taste. It is all wrong, from beginning to end. But then it was hardly fair in Oscar to intimate that all the girls are given to this folly. I believe there are some who think and talk of other things besides dress.”