She thought Ethel had hardly treated the Dennings fairly.

Everyone was wondering they had not met him.

Of course, she knew they were not aristocrats and she supposed Ethel was ashamed of them, but, for her part, she thought they were as good as most people, and if it came to money, they could put down dollar for dollar with any multi-millionaire in America, or England either, for that matter.
When the reproach took this tone there seemed to be only one thing for Ethel to say or to do; but that one thing was exactly what she did not say or do.

She took up Mrs.Denning's reproach and complained that "her relative and friend had been purposely and definitely ignored.

Dora had told her plainly she did not wish to make Mr.Mostyn's acquaintance; and, in accord with this feeling, no one in the Denning family had called on Mr.Mostyn, or shown him the least courtesy.