a second wife. Another was a young artist sketching in the vicinity.
A third was an officer from West Point who knew Mr. Vosburgh.
There were also callers from the neighborhood during the evening.
Mrs. Vosburgh made her appearance early, and was almost as skilful
a hostess as her daughter. But few of the guests remained long.
They had merely come to enjoy a pleasant half-hour or more under
circumstances eminently agreeable, and would then drive on and pay
one or two visits in the vicinity. That was the way in which nearly
all Marian's "friendships" began.

The little parlor resounded with animated talk, laughter, and music,
that was at the same time as refined as informal. Mrs. Vosburgh
would seat herself at the piano, that a new dancing-step or a new
song might be tried. The gentlemen were at liberty to light their
cigars and form groups among themselves, so free from stiffness
was Marian's little salon. Brief time elapsed, however, without a
word to each, in her merry, girlish voice, for she had the instincts
of a successful hostess, and a good-natured sense of honor, which
made her feel that each guest was entitled to attention. She was
not much given to satire, and the young men soon learned that she
would say more briery things to their faces than behind their backs.
It was also discovered that ill-natured remarks about callers who
had just departed were not tolerated,--that within certain limits
she was loyal to her friends, and that, she was too high-minded to
speak unhandsomely of one whom she had just greeted cordially. If
she did not like a man she speedily froze him out of the ranks of
her acquaintance; but for such action there was not often occasion,
since she and her mother had a broad, easy tolerance of those
generally accepted by society. Even such as left her parlor finally
with wounds for which there was no rapid healing knew that no one