seemed about to make a comment, but the bell rang for
card-playing to begin and Mrs. Emery hurried to her table.

Lydia had meant to ask her mother's sympathy about another matter that
for the time was occupying her own thoughts, but there was no other
opportunity for further speech between them during the card party--Mrs.
Emery devoting herself with her usual competent energy to playing a good
game. She played much better bridge than did either of her daughters.
She liked cards, liked to excel and always found easy to accomplish what
seemed to her worth doing. Marietta also felt that to avoid being
"queer" and "different" one had to play a good hand, but, as she herself
confessed, it made her "sick" to give up to it the necessary time and
thought. As for Lydia, she got rid of her cards as fast as possible, as
if with the deluded hope that when they were all played, she might find
time for something else. On the afternoon in question her game was more
unscientific than usual. Criticism was deterred from articulate
expression by the common feeling in regard to her, assiduously fostered
by Flora Burgess' continuous references to her in _Society Notes_ as
the coming social ruler of Endbury's smart set. There was as yet, to be
sure, no visible indication whatever of such a capacity on Lydia's part,
but the printed word--particularly Miss Burgess' printed word--was not
to be doubted. Madeleine Hollister, however (now soon to be Madeleine
Lowdor), was no respecter of personages, past or future. At the
appearance of an especially unexpected and disappointing card from her
sister-in-law's hand, she pounced upon her with: "Lydia, what _are_ you
thinking about?"

"My washwoman's grandson," burst out Lydia, laying down her cards with a
careless negligence, so that everyone could see the contents of her
hand. "Oh, Madeleine! I'm so worried about her, and I wish you'd--"

She got no further. Madeleine's shriek of good-natured laughter cut her
short like a blow in the face. The other ladies were laughing, too.

"Oh, Lydia! You are the most original, unexpected piece in the world!"
cried her sister-in-law. "You'll be the death of me!" She appealed to
the other players at their table: "Did you ever hear anything come out
funnier?"

To the players at the next tables, who were looking with vague,
reflected smiles at this burst of merriment, she called: "Oh, it's too
killing! Lydia Hollister just played a trump on a trick her partner