n felt like a little wood-bird shut up in a gilded cage.
Nevertheless, she was much impressed by the luxuries all about her,
enjoyed them, wished she owned them, and wondered why the Shaws were not
a happier family. She was not wise enough to know where the trouble lay;
she did not attempt to say which of the two lives was the right one; she
only knew which she liked best, and supposed it was merely another of
her "old-fashioned" ways.

Fanny's friends did not interest her much; she was rather afraid of
them, they seemed so much older and wiser than herself, even those
younger in years. They talked about things of which she knew nothing and
when Fanny tried to explain, she did n't find them interesting; indeed,
some of them rather shocked and puzzled her; so the girls let her alone,
being civil when they met, but evidently feeling that she was too "odd"
to belong to their set. Then she turned to Maud for companionship, for
her own little sister was excellent company, and Polly loved her dearly.
But Miss Maud was much absorbed in her own affairs, for she belonged
to a "set" also; and these mites of five and six had their "musicals,"
their parties, receptions, and promenades, as well as their elders; and,
the chief idea of their little lives seemed to be to ape the fashionable
follies they should have been too innocent to understand. Maud had her
tiny card-case, and paid calls, "like mamma and Fan"; her box of dainty
gloves, her jewel-drawer, her crimping-pins, as fine and fanciful a
wardrobe as a Paris doll, and a French maid to dress her. Polly could
n't get on with her at first, for Maud did n't seem like a child, and
often corrected Polly in her conversation and manners, though little
mademoiselle's own were anything but perfect. Now and then, when Maud
felt poorly, or had a "fwactious" turn, for she had "nerves" as well as
mamma, she would go to Polly to "be amoosed," for her gentle ways and
kind forbearance soothed the little fine lady better than anything else.
Polly enjoyed these times, and told stories, played games, or went
out walking, just as Maud liked, slowly and surely winning the child's
heart, and relieving the whole house of the young tyrant who ruled it.

Tom soon got over staring at Polly, and at first did not take much
notice of her, for, in his opinion, "girls did n't amount to much,
anyway"; and, considering, the style of girl he knew most about, Polly
quite agreed with him. He occasionally refreshe