What woman's Christian principles are adequate to support her under such trials? Nothing ever impressed Aunt Maria with such a sense of the evils of worldliness as Polly Elmore's career. She was fond of speaking of her familiarly as "Polly;" and recalling the time when she was only a factory-girl. According to Aunt Maria, such grasping, unscrupulous devotion to things seen and temporal, had never been known in anybody as in the case of Polly. Aunt Maria, of course, did not consider herself as worldly. Nobody ever does. You do not, I presume, my dear madam. When your minister preaches about worldly people, your mind immediately reverts to the Joneses and the Simpsons round the corner, and you rather wonder how they take it. In the same manner Aunt Maria's eyes were always being rolled up, and she was always in a shocked state at something these dreadful, worldly, dressy Elmores were doing. But still they went on from conquering to conquer. Mrs. Elmore was a dashing leader of fashion--spoke French like a book--was credibly reported to have skated with the Emperor at the Bois de Boulogne--and, in short, there was no saying what feathers she didn't wear in her cap. The Van Arsdels no sooner did a thing than the Elmores did more. The Van Arsdels had a house in Fifth Avenue; the Elmores set up a French chateau on the Park. The Van Arsdels piqued themselves on _recherché_ society. The Elmores made it a point to court all the _literati_ and distinguished people. Hence, rising young men were of great value as ornaments to the _salons_ of the respective houses--if they had brought with them a name in the literary world, so much the more was their value--it was important to attach them to _our salon_, lest they should go to swell the triumphs of the enemy. The crowning, culminating triumph of the Elmores was the engagement, just declared, of Maria, the eldest daughter, to young Rivington, of Rivington Manor, concerning which Aunt Maria and Mrs. Van Arsdel were greatly moved. The engagement was declared, and brilliant wedding preparations on foot that should eclipse all former New York grandeurs; and what luminary was there in the Van Arsdel horizon to draw attention to that quarter? "Positively, Ellen," said Aunt Maria, "the engagement between Eva and Wat Sydney _must come out_. It provokes me to see the absurd and indelicate airs the Elmores gives themselves about this Rivington match. It's really in shocking taste. I'm sure _I_ don't envy them Sam Rivington. There are shocking stories told about him. They say he is a perfect _roué_--has been taken home by the police night after night. How Polly, with all her worldliness, can make such an utter sacrifice of her daughter is what _I_ can't see. Now Sydney everybody knows is a strictly correct man. Ellen, this thing ought to come out." "But, dear me, Maria, Eva is such a strange child. She won't admit that there is any engagement."