When Viny happened to be the one to admit callers, she seemed to think it incumbent upon her to take a seat in the parlor with them and exert herself for their entertainment. Mildred speedily undertook to disabuse her of this impression, but the girl haughtily informed her that "she had as good a right in the parlor as anybody else." "But I wouldn't go into it to visit with anybody that didn't come to see me," said Mildred, with a determined effort to keep down her rising anger. "Well, I guess they're about as likely to want to see me as any o' the rest; and if they don't they'd ought to. So there!" "But you have your work to attend to." "The work can wait. And the rest o' you's got plenty to do too." The only remedy was to keep Viny busy in the kitchen while some of the family watched the doors into the streets and admitted visitors. Even this stratagem sometimes failed and they could only console themselves that the visitors understood the situation. "Ain't you goin' to call on the Keiths?" asked Gotobed Lightcap at the dinner table one day about the middle of the week. "Who? me?" queried his mother; then pushing away her empty plate, and resting her elbow on the table, her chin in her hand, while she looked reflectively off into vacancy. "Well, I s'pose a body'd ought to be neighborly, and I'm as willin' to do my part as the next one; but there's always a sight of work to do at home; and then I feel kinder backward 'bout callin' on 'em; they live so fine, you know; Viny Apple says they use real silver spoons and eat off real chaney every day; an' that's more'n we can do when we have company." "Well, old woman, I guess the victuals don't taste no better for bein' eat off them things," responded her husband, cheerfully, passing his empty cup. "Maybe. And they don't have no tea nor coffee for dinner, Viny says. I think it's real stingy." "P'raps they don't want it," remarked Gotobed. "Don't you b'lieve no such thing!" exclaimed Rhoda Jane, scornfully, "'tain't fashionable; and they'd ruther be fashionable than comfortable. Viny says they're awful stuck up; wouldn't let her come to the table or into the parlor if they could help themselves. "But I don't keer, I'm not afeard on 'em, if mother is; and I'm goin' over there this afternoon; if it's only to let 'em see that I feel myself as good as they be any day; and I'll tell 'em so too, if they don't treat me right." "Pshaw, Rhoda Jane, how you talk!" said her mother. "Well, I'm spunky, mother; that's a fact; and I ain't a bit ashamed of it nuther." "Don't you go if you can't behave yourself," said Gotobed, leaving the table and the room. Mrs. Keith had gathered her children about her in the parlor, it being the shadiest and coolest apartment in the house in the afternoon. She, herself, Aunt Wealthy and the little girls were sewing, while Rupert kept the little boys quiet and interested with the making of a kite, and Mildred read aloud from Mrs. Sherwood's "Roxobelle."