"I wish you would not use such horrid, vulgar words, Alice," said Elma. "You know you are really breaking the rules of the Tug-of-war. We are requested not to make use of slang." "I forgot," said Alice. "But if it comes to that," she continued, "I believe I shall have to leave the society if I can never express my feelings with regard to Kitty Malone." "But do you really dislike her as much as ever?" asked Elma, who, shabby and mean as she was, in her poor little soul could scarcely bring herself to run down generous Kitty just then. "Dislike her!" cried Alice. "I hate her--there! I suppose that's flat and plain enough." "It certainly is." "But you don't mean to say--it is impossible, Elma--that you see anything to like in her?" "Well, of course," answered Elma--who wished to propitiate Alice, for her nature was to be all things to all men--"I can see at a glance that she is not your style; she has not got your cleverness and refinement, dear Alice." "Oh, bother!" cried Alice. But all the same she was pleased, and when Elma tucked her small hand inside of her arm Alice did not shake her off. "Any one can see that," continued Elma Lewis; "but I don't think she is quite so bad as you paint her, Alice." Alice's private opinion of Elma was that she was a little toad, and she now managed to extricate herself from the smaller girl's clasp. "I shall never like her," she said. "There is no good in your praising her to me. If you mean to be her friend you must do so from a double motive." "How uncharitable of you!" cried Elma, coloring crimson as she spoke. "Oh, I can guess it very well, my dear," pursued Alice. "But for you she would not be a member of the Tug-of-war. What would have been a delightful society, a pleasure to the best girls at Middleton School, will be nothing whatever but a ridiculous farce, a scene of high comedy, something contemptible, now that Kitty Malone has joined it. But for you she would never have been asked to join. Why did you do it, Elma?" "For no reason in particular," answered Elma. "That is certainly not true, and you know it." "I cannot think why you speak to me in that tone," said Elma. "What have I done to you that you should think so badly of me?" "Oh, I don't think badly of you, Elma, not specially; but I have always seen that whatever you did, you did with a reason. In your own way you are clever, you are extremely worldly wise. There are certain people who would commend you; but you are not like the rest of us. You are not like Gwin for instance, nor like Bessie, nor like me. Yes, I will frankly say so, I am better than you, Elma. I have not got your double motives for everything. You are only a girl now; I don't know what you will be when you are a woman!"