od
reason Minola's ruthless scorn of all shams and prearranged
affectations.

Mary was a little puzzled about the art fixtures, if such an expression
may be used, of the room--the framed engravings, which belonged to the
owner of the house and were let with the lodgings, of which they were
understood to count among the special attractions. She had a strong
conviction that her brother would not admire them--would think meanly of
them, and say so; and although Minola herself now and then made fun of
them, yet it did not by any means follow that she should be pleased to
hear them disparaged by a stranger. About the wall paper she was also a
little timorous, not feeling sure as to the expression which its study
might call into her brother's critical eye. She could not, however,
remove the engravings, and doing anything with the paper was still more
completely out of the question. There was nothing for it, therefore, but
to hope that his poetry and his audience would so engross the poet as to
deprive his eyes of perception for cheap art and ill-disciplined colors.

There was to be tea, delightfully served in dainty little cups, and Mary
could already form in her mind an idea of the graceful figure which
Minola would make as she offered her hospitality to the poet. An alarm,
however, began to possess her as the day went on, about the possibility
of Minola not being home in time for the reception of the strangers. In
order that she might have the place quite to herself to carry out her
little schemes of decoration, the artful poetess had persuaded Minola
not to give up her usual walk in the park, and now suppose Minola forgot
the hour, or lost her way, or was late from any cause, and had not time
to make any change in her walking dress, or actually did not come in
until long after the visitors had arrived! What on earth was she, Mary,
to do with them?

This alarm, however, proved unfounded. Minola came back in very good
time, looking healthy and bright, with some raindrops on her hair, and
putting away with good-humored contempt all suggestions about an
elaborate change of dress. Miss Blanchet would have liked her leader to
array herself in some sort of way that should suggest a queen of beauty,
or princess of culture, or other such imposing creature. At all events
she would have liked trailing skirts and much perfume. She only sighed
when Minola persisted in showing herself in very quiet costume.

The rattle of a hansom c