Alice Adams

the art of seeming to have an escort or partner when there is none. The practitioner must imply, merely by expression and attitude, that the supposed companion has left her for only a few moments, that she herself has sent him upon an errand; and, if possible, the minds of observers must be directed toward a conclusion that this errand of her devising is an amusing one;

In Alice's eyes, Mildred had been blessed enough; something ought to be left over, by this time, for another girl.

I suppose she thinks I ought to be glad enough she asked Walter!"

Of course papa and mama just barely know Mildred Palmer,

They did not need to; they did not need to get their mothers to make old dresses over; they did not need to hunt violets in the rain.

Never mind," said Alice, huskily. "I've got 'em and I AM going to have a good time to-night!"

there were moments when he seemed to be composed of recognizable fragments of young men she knew—a smile she had liked, from one; the figure of another, the hair of

he thinks because they've given him a hundred dollars more every two years he's quite a prosperous man! And he thinks that because his children cost him more than he and I cost our parents he gives them—enough!

'Extravagant!' You haven't one tenth of what the other girls you go with have.

well, what I mean, Alice, it's kind of funny to have your mother think it's mostly just—mostly just a failure, so to speak."