Margaret fixed her eyes upon it. Annie quickly placed the hand which wore it under the other. Then she spoke, since Margaret did not, and she said exactly the wrong thing. The being forced continually into the wrong, often has the effect of making one quite innocently take the first step in that direction even if no force be used. "I hear that the last meeting of the Zenith Club was unusually interesting," said little Annie Eustace, and she could have said nothing more hapless to Margaret Edes in her present mood. Quite inadvertently, she herself became the irritant party. Margaret actually flushed. "I failed to see anything interesting whatever about it, myself," said she tartly. Annie offended again. "I heard that Mrs. Sarah Joy Snyder's address was really very remarkable," said she. "It was simply a very stupid effort to be funny," returned Margaret. "Sometimes women will laugh because they are expected to, and they did that afternoon. Everything was simply cut and dried. It always is at Mrs. George B. Slade's. I never knew a woman so absolutely destitute of originality." Annie looked helplessly at Margaret. She could say no more unless she contradicted. Margaret continued. She felt that she could no longer conceal her own annoyance, and she was glad of this adoring audience of one. "I had planned something myself for the next meeting, something which has never been done," said she, "something new, and stimulating." "Oh, how lovely!" cried Annie. "But of course, like all really clever plans for the real good and progress of a club like ours, something has to come up to prevent," said Margaret. "Oh, what?" "Well, I had planned to have Lydia Greenway, you know she is really a great artist, come to the next meeting and give dramatic recitations." "Oh, would she?" gasped Annie Eustace. "Of course, it would have meant a large pecuniary outlay," said Margaret, "but I was prepared, quite prepared, to make some sacrifices for the good of the club, but, why, you must have read it in the papers, Annie." Annie looked guiltily ignorant. "I really do not see how you contrive to exist without keeping more in touch with the current events," said Margaret. Annie looked meekly culpable, although she was not. Her aunts did not approve of newspapers, as containing so much information, so much cheap information concerning the evil in the world, especially for a young person like Annie, and she was not allowed to read them, although she sometimes did so surreptitiously. "It was in all the papers," continued Margaret, with her censorious air. "Lydia Greenway was obliged to leave unexpectedly and go to the Riveria. They fear tuberculosis. She sailed last Saturday."