cleverness at French, had raised her spirits, and she enjoyed herself as
she had never done in her life before, feeling that she could afford to
do without Phyllis' good opinion, and taking more and more pleasure in
showing how little she cared to have it.

After this the days that remained of her visit passed pleasantly enough.
Hetty contrived to turn her lessons into a sort of burlesque, and to
impose a good deal on Miss Davis, who was not a humorous, but indeed a
most matter-of-fact person. Every day Phyllis grew more and more
disgusted with their visitor, who interrupted the even course of their
studies and "made fools," as she considered, of Miss Davis and Nell. She
thought Hetty's pretentiousness became greater and greater as her first
slight shyness wore away and she grew perfectly familiar with every one
in the house. Phyllis was sufficiently generous to refrain from
complaining of Hetty to her mother or father, but she privately found
fault with Nell for encouraging her too much.

"You laugh at her so absurdly that she grows more impudent every day,"
she said; "she could not dare to give herself such airs only for you."

"But, Phyllis dear, I can't help laughing at her, and indeed I think you
make her proud by being so hard upon her; she is not so proud with me."

"She is ridiculous," said Phyllis; "such pretension in a girl of her age
is utterly absurd. Besides, it is so vulgar. Well-born people are not
always trying to force their importance on you as she does; if I did not
try to keep her down a little she would be quite unbearable."

"Perhaps if you did not try to keep her down so much she would not set
herself up so much," persisted Nell.