She may not have been engaged to any of them; she was just enough among the other girls to get talked about--and one of the reasons I felt a little inclined to be nice to her was that they seemed to be rather edging her out of the circle.

It wasn't long before I saw they were right, though.

I happened to mention I was going to give a dance and she pretended to take it as a matter of course that I meant to invite her brother--at least, I thought she pretended; she may have really believed it.

At any rate, I had to send him a card; but I didn't intend to be let in for that sort of thing again, of course.

She's what you said, 'pushing'; though I'm awfully sorry you said it." "Why shouldn't I have said it, my dear ?" "Of course I didn't say 'shouldn't.'" Mildred explained, gravely.