"Oh, but you never cared about being a belle. Adeline says
everybody knows you are engaged, and it is no matter what you do
or say. But Adeline says, to be a belle, you must laugh and talk
all the time, whether you feel like it or not; and she thinks you
need not be particular what you talk about, only you must be all
the time lively. The young men won't dance with you, or hand you
in to supper, unless you entertain them. Adeline says she is too
high-spirited to sit by, moping; and so am I, too, I'm sure!"

"But Jane, you are so very pretty, there is no danger of your
being overlooked."

"No, indeed, you are mistaken," said Jane, with perfect naivete.
"I was at two or three small parties, you know, in New York,
while I was staying with Mrs. Stanley, this spring; well, I
missed more than half the quadrilles, while those fat Miss
Grants, and the Howard girls, were dancing all the evening.
Adeline says it is all because I was not lively. They don't think
anything of you unless you are all the time talking, and
laughing, and moving about; and it does tire me so--I'm almost
sick of it already. I'm sure I shall never be able to be lively
at Charleston, in warm weather. I shan't be a belle, Elinor, I'm
afraid!" said the young beauty, with something like a sigh.

"Poor Jane!" said Elinor, laughing, though she really felt
provoked with Adeline for giving her cousin such notions; Jane
looked half worn-out with the evening's exertions. "And I
believed, all the time, that you were in such good spirits!
Charlie and I were looking at you with surprise; we thought Mr.
Van Horne, and John Bernard must be telling you something very