But she, Laura, had passed her youth in a
transition period; the pleasures neither of memory nor of hope had
been hers--except such memories as came of duty well performed, and
such hopes as had no root in anything earthly or corruptible.
Graciella was not in a reflective mood, and took up the burden of the
conversation where her grandmother had dropped it. Her thoughts were
not of the past, but of the future. She asked many eager questions of
New York. Was it true that ladies at the Waldorf-Astoria always went
to dinner in low-cut bodices with short sleeves, and was evening dress
always required at the theatre? Did the old Knickerbocker families
recognise the Vanderbilts? Were the Rockefellers anything at all
socially? Did he know Ward McAllister, at that period the Beau Brummel
of the metropolitan smart set? Was Fifth Avenue losing its
pre-eminence? On what days of the week was the Art Museum free to the
public? What was the fare to New York, and the best quarter of the
city in which to inquire for a quiet, select boarding house where a
Southern lady of refinement and good family might stay at a reasonable
price, and meet some nice people? And would he recommend stenography
or magazine work, and which did he consider preferable, as a career
which such a young lady might follow without injury to her social
standing?
The colonel, with some amusement, answered these artless inquiries as
best he could; they came as a refreshing foil to the sweet but
melancholy memories of the past.
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