262
XXXVII. "A Man has a Right to His Own Thoughts." 268
XXXVIII. About Nothing Particular. 277
XXXIX. "How do you do, Aunt Catherine?" 283
XL. Alcides. 292
XLI. Sir Harry Bides his Time. 299
XLII. "Come, now, I call that Hard." 307
XLIII. "I will write no such Letter." 315
XLIV. Mr. Mayne orders a Basin of Gruel. 321
XLV. An Uninvited Guest. 328
XLVI. A New Invasion of the Goths. 336
XLVII. "It was so Good of You to ask me Here." 343
XLVIII. Mrs. Sparsit's Poodle. 349
XLIX. Mattie in a New Character. 356
L. Phillis's Favorite Month. 362
NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS
CHAPTER I.
FIVE-O'CLOCK TEA.
Five-o'clock tea was a great institution in Oldfield.
It was a form of refreshment to which the female inhabitants of that
delightful place were strongly addicted. In vain did Dr. Weatherby,
the great authority in all that concerned the health of the
neighborhood, lift up his voice against the mild feminine
dram-drinking of these modern days, denouncing it in no measured
terms: the ladies of Oldfield listened incredulously, and, softly
quoting Cowper's lines as to the "cup that cheers and not inebriates,"
still presided over their dainty little tea-tables, and vied with one
another in the beauty of their china and the flavor of their
highly-scented Pekoe.
In spite of Dr. Weatherby's sneers and innuendoes, a great deal of
valuable time was spent in lingering in one or another of the pleasant
drawing-rooms of the place. As the magic hour approached, people
dropped in casually. The elder ladies sipped their tea and gossiped
softly; the younger ones, if it were summer-time, strolled out through
the open windows into the garden. Most of the houses had
tennis-grounds, and it was quite an understood thing that a game
should be played before they separated.
With some few exceptions, the inhabitants of Oldfield were wealthy
people. Handsome houses standing in their own grounds were dotted here
and there among the lanes and country roads. Some of the big houses
belonged to very big people indeed; but these were aristocrats who
only lived in their country houses a few months in the year, and whose
presence added more to the dignity than to the hilarity of the
neighborhood.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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