_Hattie._—“_I_ don’t think it seems so long. I do wish, Nettie, you had taken geometry this term. You’ve no idea how nice it is.” _Nettie._—“Thank you. Algebra is quite enough to drive me distracted. You are one of the strong-minded, you know. You just cram a few of your sines and cosines into my head, along with the surds and reciprocals already there, if you want to see a raving, incomprehensible ‘idgeot,’ as you call it.” _Hattie._—“I _never_ pronounced it so in my life. _You_ are the one to mispronounce words, and to make mistakes too. Why, you’ve just been talking of sines and cosines of geometry. Those are terms of trigonometry. Don’t you know it?” _Nettie._—“No; and what is more, I don’t care. If I had my way, I’d just burn all the algebras in the college.” _Carrie._—“I’m glad you haven’t your way, then. I think algebra perfectly splendid.” _Hattie._—“I like algebra too, but geometry is more interesting. I think it perfectly lovely.” _Nettie._—“I don’t believe either of you. Mathematics are a horrid bore anyway.” _Hattie._—“_Mathematics are!_ O shade of Goold Brown!” _Nettie._—“Well, that ought to be correct. You wouldn’t say the ‘scissors is,’ would you?” _Hattie._—“I would if I wanted to, _carissima mia_.” _Carrie._—“You never call me _Carissima_, Hattie.” _Hattie._—“You see, you are Carrie in the positive, not _cara_, so you can’t be _carissima_ in the superlative. Why don’t you laugh at my pun, you owls?” _Nettie._—“You don’t give time enough. I was just bringing my powerful mind to a focus on the punning point when you interrupted.” _Carrie._—“I was thinking of the dear, kind, old Signore Pozzese.” _Hattie._—“Mercy! Spare the adjectives. I had no idea you were so in love with that precious Italian professor; but you need not set your cap for him. He has no eyes but for one, and that is Signorina Clara. Everybody can see he’s lost his heart to her.” _Carrie._—“I can’t endure that Clara Forest. She puts on such airs of dignity and general superiority. Why, here she comes! I hope she didn’t hear me.” Clara approached, reading aloud, but in a low monotone, from a little book. She did not notice the trio until close upon them. They greeted her kindly; and Carrie, who a moment before could not “endure” her, was specially sweet in her manner. But we should not be too severe upon Carrie’s hypocrisy. Most of us have been guilty of the same inconsistency in one or another form. These were all nice girls, aye, and bright girls too, naturally, despite their opinions upon algebra and geometry. When we consider the paucity of conditions for high culture that young women may command, we should wonder, not that they are so frivolous, but that they so often rise above the petty ambitions of fashionable life.