pleasure in exciting the wonder of her listeners by recounting the good
action or good fortune of her neighbors or the reverse.

And so, after having dropped her riding-skirt, and given that and her
bonnet to Marian to carry up-stairs, and seated herself in the chair
that Edith offered her at the table, she said, sipping her coffee, and
glancing between the white curtains and the green vines of the open
window out upon the bay:

"You have the sweetest place, and the finest sea view here, my dear Mrs.
Shields; but that is not what I was a-going to say. I was going to tell
you that I hadn't hearn from you so long, that I thought I must take an
early ride this morning, and spend the day with you. And I thought you'd
like to hear about your old partner at the dancing-school, young Mr.
Thurston Willcoxen, a-coming back--la, yes! to be sure! we had almost
all of us forgotten him, leastwise I had. And then, Miss Marian," she
said, as our blooming girl returned to her place at the table, "I just
thought I would bring over that muslin for the collars and caps you were
so good as to say you'd make for me."

"Yes, I am glad you brought them, Miss Nancy," said Marian, in her
cheerful tone, as she helped herself to another roll.

"I hope you are not busy now, my dear."

"Oh, I'm always busy, thank Heaven! but that makes no difference, Miss
Nancy; I shall find time to do your work this week and next."

"I am sure it is very good of you, Miss Marian, to sew for me for
nothing; when--"