Robbie's feeling was so bitter, he said, that it
would be best if Alice saw nothing of her for a while. He had a long
talk with Alice, and explained the situation. The girl was utterly
dumbfounded, for she was deeply grateful to Mrs. Robbie, and fond of
her as well; and she could not believe that a friend could be so
cruelly unjust to her.
The upshot of the whole situation was a very painful episode. A few
days later Alice met Mrs. Robbie at a reception; and she took the
lady aside, and tried to tell her how distressed and helpless she
was. And the result was that Mrs. Robbie flew into a passion and
railed at her, declaring in the presence of several people that she
had sponged upon her and abused her hospitality! And so poor Alice
came home, weeping and half hysterical.
All of which, of course, was like oil upon a fire; the heavens were
lighted up with the conflagration. The next development was a
paragraph in Society's scandal-sheet--telling with infinite gusto
how a certain ultra-fashionable matron had taken up a family of
stranded waifs from a far State, and introduced them into the best
circles, and even gone so far as to give a magnificent dance in
their honour; and how the discovery had been made that the head of
the family had been secretly preparing an attack upon their business
interests; and of the tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth which
had followed--and the violent quarrel in a public place.
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