Halcyone came up to the scratch, although a fierce pain tightened her
heart afresh.
"Yes," she said, "I suppose no one was surprised to read of the
engagement in the papers to-day. I can imagine that a man requires a
great deal of money to support the position in the government which Mr.
Derringham has, and no doubt Mrs. Cricklander is glad to give it to
him--he is so clever and great." And not a muscle of her face quivered
as she spoke.
"If it does hurt--my goodness! she is game!" Cora thought, and aloud she
went on, "Cecilia isn't a bad sort--a shocking snob, as all of us are
who are not the real thing and want to be--like your own common pushers
over here. We used to laugh at her awfully when she first came from
Pittsburgh and tried to cut in before she married my cousin. Poor old
Vin! He was crazy about her." Then she went on reflectively, as Halcyone
did not answer. "We often think you English people are so odd--the way
you can't distinguish between us! You receive, with open arms, the most
impossible people if they are rich, that we at home would not touch with
a barge pole, and you say: 'Oh, they are just American,' as if we were
all the same! And then we are so awfully clever as a nation that in a
year or two these dreadful vulgarians, as we would call them in New
York, have picked up all _your_ outside polish, and pass as _our_ best!
It makes lots of the really nice old gentle-folk at home perfectly
mad--but I can't help admiring the spirit.
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