her large, well-shaped foot. She was built on a large scale, and her
foot was of no Cinderella-like proportions.

"O miss!" exclaimed Jane. "How beautiful! I was reading about Mallowe in
'Modern Society' the other day, and it said it was lovely and her
ladyship's parties were wonderful for smartness. The paragraph was about
the Marquis of Walderhurst."

"He is Lady Maria's cousin," said Emily, "and he will be there when I
am."

She was a friendly creature, and lived a life so really isolated from
any ordinary companionship that her simple little talks with Jane and
Mrs. Cupp were a pleasure to her. The Cupps were neither gossiping nor
intrusive, and she felt as if they were her friends. Once when she had
been ill for a week she remembered suddenly realising that she had no
intimates at all, and that if she died Mrs. Cupp's and Jane's would
certainly be the last faces--and the only ones--she would see. She had
cried a little the night she thought of it, but then, as she told
herself, she was feverish and weak, and it made her morbid.

"It was because of this invitation that I wanted to talk to you, Jane,"
she went on. "You see, we shall have to begin to contrive about
dresses."

"Yes, indeed, miss. It's fortunate that the summer sales are on, isn't
it? I saw some beautiful colored linens yesterday. They were so cheap,
and they do make up so smart for the country. Then you've got your new
Tussore with the blue collar and waistband. It does become you."