entirely different family from me."

"Well," said Maizie after a time, "she's not suffering, thank you."

"Have you any brothers and sisters?" pursued Suzanna in an interested
though rather aloof tone.

"Oh, yes," said Maizie, trying hard to fill her rôle satisfactorily. "We
have a very large family, and once we had twins."

Suzanna looked her pity. "I'm so glad," she said, "that I'm an Only
Child. This morning I was very joyous when I had whipped cream and
oatmeal."

"You just had syrup, Suzanna Procter!" cried Maizie.

Suzanna cast a scathing look at her sister: "I had whipped cream!" she
cried, "because I am an Only Child!" Then falling into her natural tone:
"If you forget again, Maizie, I can't even be a friend of yours." She
continued after a pause, reassuming her Only-Child voice, "That's why I
wear this beautiful satin dress and diamond bracelets and shining
buckles on my shoes."

Now Maizie saw only Suzanna's lawn dress, rather worn Sunday shoes with
patent leather tips; she saw Suzanna's bare arms.

"Maybe you'd like, really, to wear a white satin dress and bracelets and
buckles, but you know you haven't got them, don't you, Suzanna?" she
asked.