Part 23 (1/2)

When therefore Nora said that she had considered Belle's clothes of the present winter the ugliest she had seen, she touched a tender cord. In the first place Belle had had a strong dislike for the coat and hat which her mother and grandmother had selected for her, and in the second place she thought that she had improved the appearance of her costume as a whole by entirely altering the style of her winter hat. For she had twisted the front to the back, had added a deep blue bow to the tr.i.m.m.i.n.g, and she believed that altogether she had accomplished wonders.

At Nora's speech the tears came to her eyes, and the heedless Brenda, who was not herself always careful of the feelings broke forth indignantly,

”I do think, Nora, that you might be careful what you say; you know that Belle dresses as well as she can, and I think that she always looks well. I wish that I could trim hats.”

”Oh, Brenda, it is a good thing that you can't, for if you could you never would have a thing to wear; you can do fancy work, but you haven't a thing finished yet for the Bazaar.”

While Nora was talking Belle had been folding up her work, and in a moment more she was putting on her hat and coat.

”You are not going now?” cried Brenda. ”Oh, don't go; you're not mad at Nora, are you?”

”Oh, no,” answered Belle with the air of injured innocence. ”Oh, no, but I think that I ought to be going. I did not mean to stay the whole afternoon.”

”Oh, don't go,” urged Edith; ”if you'll wait half an hour I will go with you, but I must finish this piece of drawn work.”

But Belle continued to put on her outer wraps, and in a few minutes had bidden the others good-bye. As a matter of fact Belle was deeply offended, and she knew that if she had stayed much longer with her friends she would have been driven to express herself strongly. Now a general quarrel was a thing to be dreaded, and she knew that it would be unwise to risk it. Belle was certainly a sensible girl, and what she now did was really the best thing under the circ.u.mstances.

Left to themselves the three other girls let their tongues move very freely. It was something new for the rather loquacious Belle to go off without a word, as if in some way she had been vanquished. It was the very best thing that she could have done for herself.

”Really, Nora, I don't see how you could speak in that way to Belle. I am sure that she feels very badly,” began Edith.

”Well, she is awfully conceited about her clothes, and sometimes she does look so queer.”

”But you shouldn't say so to her face----”

”Better to her face than behind her back.”

”I don't know,” rejoined Edith, ”there are some things that it is just as well not to say at all. Belle has a right to wear whatever kind of hats she likes.”

”Oh, Edith,” responded Nora, ”you are altogether too fair. I am tired of having Belle find fault with every one else as if she were just perfect herself. For my own part, I----”

”Well, Nora,” said Brenda, ”you ought not to say anything to Belle when she is in my house. I happen to know that she is very sensitive about her clothes. In the first place her mother will never let her have what she wants----”

”No, it's her grandmother,” interrupted Edith. ”She really does have a hard time, and it isn't fair to criticise her.”

”No,” added Brenda, ”it is not.”

”Well, Brenda,” said Nora, ”you ought not to say anything. You make Belle awfully mad sometimes by what you say. I heard you telling her the other day that you should think that she'd just hate that winter coat that she has been wearing, the fur is so very unbecoming, and you asked her why she didn't have a chinchilla collar and m.u.f.f. She won't quarrel with you, because there are so many little things that you can do for her.”

”There, there,” cried Edith who saw that neither Brenda nor Nora was in an amiable frame of mind. ”Don't let us bicker. Any one would think that we were all enemies instead of the inseparable four.”

”Oh, Edith, we can't all be as amiable as you,” responded Nora. ”But really I am a little sorry that I offended Belle, for I know that she has a rather hard time at home, but I do wish that she would not put on such superior airs, and I do wish that she would not wear her hats hind side before. Sometimes I almost hate to go out with her.”

”Why, Nora, I never heard of such a thing. I did not know that you attached the least importance to appearances. Besides I thought that you always wanted to make every one comfortable in her feelings. It seems strange that you should have been so awfully thoughtless towards Belle.”

”I dare say that you are perfectly correct,” responded Nora; ”you usually are, Edith Blair. And I haven't a doubt that I shall go down on my knees to-morrow at recess, and apologize to Belle and to every one else whom I have ever offended. But I say that we have had enough of this exchange of compliments for to-day. Let us put up our work, and talk about something else. Why, see here, Belle has left her centrepiece behind her.”

”Oh, give it to me,” cried Brenda; ”I will put it away,” and she took it from Nora's hands.

”We shouldn't have had this fuss, should we,” said Edith, ”if Julia had been working with us?”