"Not a thing to criticise," cried Aunt Frank, entering just then and catching the last word. "Everybody so interested in Nelly! Bake, if you'd only come earlier, I'd have been perfectly satisfied." They say that Uncle Timothy can never be coaxed home to one of his wife's receptions, but he answered with great solemnity, as he loomed up behind the little woman:-- "I am privileged to be here, even at the eleventh hour. I could not wholly deny myself the sight of so much youth and bloom." "Don't be hypocritical, Judge," said the General reprovingly. "You're too big and honest to achieve graceful deceit. But before I go--I've seats for the Opera Monday night in Mother's box. Miss Winship must come, and--" her glance deliberated briefly--"and Milly." Milly cried, "How delightful, Meg!" But my tongue tripped and my cheeks flamed as I tried to say that I had never seen an opera and to thank my new friend. Little she heeded my lack of words. Gazing at me once again as she had upon first seeing me, she exclaimed:-- "You great, glorious creature! They sha'n't hive you in a schoolroom; you must come out and show yourself; why, you'll set New York in a furore!" I think she's splendid. No sooner was she gone than I was summoned to the reception-room, and Cadge rushed to meet me. She looked much smarter than Kitty, with her black hair curled and her keen eyes shining with excitement. "All over but the shouting?" she asked. "Meant to get here in season to see you knock 'em in the Old Kent Road, but woman proposes, Big Tom disposes. Shall I turn in a paragraph? Just--did you have music? What's your dress--in the Sunday society slush, of course, not the daily; 'fraid the _Star_ won't take over a stick--. Greek a little bit? M-m-m--not modistic exactly, but--but--." Her abrupt sentences grew slower, paused, dropped to an awestruck whisper, as she looked upon me. She added in her gravest manner: "Say, you're the loveliest ever happened! The--very--limit!" But awe and Cadge could not long live together. In a moment her mouth took a comically benevolent quirk. "And 'among those present'--" she asked; "who was that leaving just as I got here?" "Mrs. Robert Van Dam, schoolmate of my cousins. But you're not writing me up, Cadge?" Cadge whistled. "Van Dam! How calmly the giddy child says it! Does your youngest cousin make mud pies with duchesses? Say, she comes pretty near being one of the '400.' But I'm off; a grist of copy to grind--talk of raving beauties, you'll be the only one that won't rave!" Of course Cadge wouldn't have talked just like that before the others, if she had come earlier. At bedtime Milly and Ethel ran to my room to talk things over, and my Aunt came to shoo them off to bed, but she stayed and talked, too; and I've no business to be writing at this shocking time of night, except, of course I couldn't sleep and so I might as well. "Everybody thinks you resemble your cousins," Aunt said; "and really there _is_ a family likeness."