"A little girl should be a little lady," she said, "and a small boy
should surely be a little gentleman."

Then Reginald spoke.

Looking straight into Arabella's eyes, he said:

"I guess I'm a gentleman, so I'll 'pol'gize; if I was just a boy I
_wouldn't_, though." Arabella was fully equal to a reply.

"I'm as much a lady as you are a gentleman, so I'll say I oughtn't to
have laughed, but I _won't_ say I'm sorry."

It was late afternoon, and Flossie, on the piazza, waved her hand to her
playmates as they ran down the walk to the gate.

They had played delightful games, they had talked of the fine party
which they would soon enjoy, they had guessed and guessed what sort of
party it was to be, and Dorothy, who knew all about it, had laughed
merrily because their countless guesses were nowhere near right.

"I wish playmates didn't ever have to go home," said Flossie, as she ran
into the house.

There was no one in the hall save the baby, who sat in her carriage. The
maid had just brought her in from a long ride, and had left her for a
moment while she chatted with the butler and the cook. Flossie loved the
baby, and she ran to the carriage to kiss the sunny little face that
smiled at her.