y," said Mrs. Yorba. "We will always
stand in together."

The conversation flowed on. Other personalities were discussed, the
difficulty of getting servants to stay in the country, where there was
such a dearth of "me gentleman frien'," the appearance of the various
gardens, and the atrocious amount of water they consumed.

"I wish to goodness the water-works on top wouldn't shut off for eight
months in the year," exclaimed Mrs. Washington. "Whenever I want
something in summer that costs a pile, Teddy groans and tells me that
his water bill is four hundred dollars a month." And Mrs. Washington,
whose elderly and doting husband had never refused to grant her most
exorbitant whim, sighed profoundly.

Magdalena did not find the conversation very interesting, nor was she
called upon to contribute to it. Nevertheless, she received every day
with her mother and went with her to return the calls. At the end of the
summer she loathed the small talk and its art, but felt that she was
improving. Her manner was certainly easier. She had decided not to
emulate Mrs. Washington's vernacular, but she attempted to copy her ease
and graciousness of manner. In time she learned to unbend a little, to
acquire a certain gentle dignity in place of her natural haughty
stiffness, and to utter the phrases that are necessary to keep
conversation going; but her reticence never left her for a moment, her
eyes looked beyond the people in whom she strove to be interested, and
few noticed or cared whether or not she was present. But at the end of
the summer she was full of hope; society might not interest her, but the
pride which was her chief characteristic commanded that she should hold
a triumphant place among her peers.

She had told neither of her parents of the books Colonel Belmont had
given her, knowing that the result would be a violent scene and an
interdiction. At this stage of her development she had no defined ideas
of right and wrong. Upon such occasions as she had followed the dictates
of her conscience, the consequences had been extremely unpleasant, and
in one instance hideous. She was indolent and secretive by nature, and
she slipped along comfortably and did not bother her head with problems.

XI

The Yorbas returned to town on the first of November. It was decided
that Magdalena should continue her studies, but the rainy days and
winter evenings gave her long hours for her books. She found, to her
delight, that her