e believed she knew so much of
life--the plain fact was that Maggie was in a state bordering on funk.

This invitation from Miss Sherwood was an ordeal she had never counted
on. She had watched the fine ladies at the millinery shop and while
selling cigarettes at the Ritzmore, when she had been modeling her
manners, and had believed herself just as fine a lady as they. But that
had been in the abstract. Now she was face to face with a situation that
was painfully concrete--a real test: she had to place herself into close
contrast with, and under the close observation of, a real lady, and in
that lady's own home. And in all her life she had not once been in a
fine home! In fine hotels, yes--but fine hotels were the common
refuge of butcher, baker, floor-walker, thief, swell, and each had
approximately the same attention; and all she now felt she had really
learned were a few such matters as the use of table silver and finger
bowls.

It came to her that Barney, in his moment of doubt, had spoken more
soundly than he had imagined when he had said that it was easier to fool
a man about a woman than it was to fool a woman. How tragically true
that was! While trying to learn to be a lady by working in smart shops,
she had learned that the occasional man who had ventured in after
woman's gear was hopelessly ignorant and bought whatever was skillfully
thrust upon him, but that it was impossible to slip an inferior or
unsuitable or out-dated article over on the woman who really knew.

And Miss Sherwood was the kind of woman who really knew! Who knew
everything. Could she possibly, possibly pass herself off on Miss
Sherwood as the genuine article?...

Could Larry have foreseen the very real misery--for any doubt of her
own qualities, any fear of her ability to carry herself well in any
situation, are among the most acute of a proud woman's miseries--which
for some twenty-four hours was brought upon Maggie by the well-meant
intrigue of which he was pulling the hidden strings, he might, because
of his love for Maggie, have discarded his design even while he was
creating it, and have sought a measure pregnant with less distress. But
perhaps it was just as well that Larry did not know. Perhaps, even, it
was just as well that he did not know what his grandmother knew.

Maggie's pride would not let her evade the risk; and her instinct
for self-preservation dictated that she should reduce the risk to its
minimum. So she wrote her a