particular day, "there she is--near the dress-goods counter. She
always carries that lorgnette in just that way."

Aileen turned and examined critically a tall, dark, slender woman
of the high world of the West, very remote, disdainful, superior.

"You don't know her?" questioned Aileen, curiously, surveying her
at leisure.

"No," replied Mrs. Huddlestone, defensively. "They live on the
North Side, and the different sets don't mingle so much."

As a matter of fact, it was just the glory of the principal families
that they were above this arbitrary division of "sides," and could
pick their associates from all three divisions.

"Oh!" observed Aileen, nonchalantly. She was secretly irritated
to think that Mrs. Huddlestone should find it necessary to point
out Mrs. Merrill to her as a superior person.

"You know, she darkens her eyebrows a little, I think," suggested
Mrs. Huddlestone, studying her enviously. "Her husband, they say,
isn't the most faithful person in the world. There's another
woman, a Mrs. Gladdens, that lives very close to them that he's
very much interested in."

"Oh!" said Aileen, cautiously. After her own Philadelphia experience
she had decided to be on her guard and not indulge in too much
gossip. Arrows of this particular kind could so readily fly in
her direction.