They were fear-fully pleased to see her. They had heard such _reams_ about her from Nan. It was so charming for Nan to have girl friends. Nan was _devoted_ to girls. It was such _sport_ to be staying with Nan. They had been simply _dying_ to live in town. My dear, they had not a _rag_ to wear! Nobody wore decent clothes in Germany. Frumps, my dear, per-fect frumps! They were on their own allowance. Was Betty on her own allowance? Lucky girl! It was simply _agonising_ to have to buy _everything_ you needed on a quarter's allowance. They had lain awake for _hours_ considering the problem. They were in _despair_! Nan had given them each a dress for Christmas. Nan was an _angel_! They wanted Nan to give a dance for them while they were in town. Betty's heart leapt, but Mrs Vanburgh shook her head, and said-- "Sorry, but Nan can't! Mother wouldn't like it, as you have only just left school, and are not properly out yet." "Well, I shall _leak_ out, then! I am not going to wait another year, if I know it. There's a dance coming on at home in February, and I'm going to it, or my name is not Christabel Rendell. I'm going to buy a dress and all the _et-ceteras_, and then mother won't have the _heart_ to say No. Nan, if you won't give us a dance, what _are_ you going to do? You can't be so mean as to provide _no_ evening jollification!" "My dear, remembah! You were a girl yourself!" echoed Agatha, in deep- toned remonstrance, and then they began rattling out a list of suggestions. "Tableaux--" "Progressive games--" "Dinner-party. No old fogies! We will choose the guests." "Music and conversation. You do the music, and we'll converse." "General frolic, and supper to finish up. If it develops into a dance, so much the better! It's not coming out to dance on a carpet." "Really, Nan, it's piteous to think how _stodgy_ you have grown! Married sisters are a delusion. We used to imagine coming to stay, and doing whatever we liked, and eating all sorts of indigestible things that we mayn't have at home. But now Maud can think of nothing but that baby, and you are so prim--too fearfully prim for words." "Prim!" shouted Mrs Vanburgh. There is really no other word to express the outraged indignation of her tone. To hear her, one might have supposed it the greatest insult in the world to be accused of primness of demeanour. "You dare to sit there and call me names in my own house! If I am prim, you had better go home and leave me. I wouldn't stay any longer, if I'm prim. I'm sorry I asked you, if I'm prim. If I'm prim, I wonder why you ever wanted to come. Prim, indeed! If it's prim to know what is correct and what is not, it's a pity you are not prim too! If I'm prim, I won't give any party at all. You had better sit round the fire and knit stockings, and I'll read aloud _The Old Helmet_, as I'm so prim." Christabel raised her hands to her ears in affected distraction.