"I don't understand it at all. In my days girls went wherever it
pleased people to ask them, without this farce of bursting out in all
their new fine clothes at some public place. I don't mean but what
the gentry took their daughters to York, or Matlock, or Bath, to
give them a taste of gay society when they were growing up; and the
quality went up to London, and their young ladies were presented to
Queen Charlotte, and went to a birthday ball, perhaps. But for us
little Hollingford people--why, we knew every child amongst us from
the day of its birth; and many a girl of twelve or fourteen have I
seen go out to a card-party, and sit quiet at her work, and know how
to behave as well as any lady there. There was no talk of 'coming
out' in those days for any one under the daughter of a Squire."
"After Easter, Molly and I shall know how to behave at a card-party,
but not before," said Cynthia, demurely.
"You're always fond of your quips and your cranks, my dear," said
Miss Browning, "and I wouldn't quite answer for your behaviour: you
sometimes let your spirits carry you away. But I'm quite sure Molly
will be a little lady as she always is, and always was, and I have
known her from a babe."
Mrs. Gibson took up arms on behalf of her own daughter, or, rather,
she took up arms against Molly's praises.
"I don't think you would have called Molly a lady the other day,
Miss Browning, if you had found her where I did: sitting up in a
cherry-tree, six feet from the ground at least, I do assure you."
"Oh! but that wasn't pretty," said Miss Browning, shaking her head at
Molly. "I thought you'd left off those tom-boy ways."
"She wants the refinement which good society gives in several ways,"
said Mrs. Gibson, returning to the attack on poor Molly. "She's very
apt to come upstairs two steps at a time."
"Only two, Molly!" said Cynthia. "Why, to-day I found I could manage
four of these broad shallow steps."
"My dear child, what are you saying?"
"Only confessing that I, like Molly, want the refinements which good
society gives; therefore, please do let us go to Miss Brownings'
this evening. I will pledge myself for Molly that she shan't sit in
a cherry-tree; and Molly shall see that I don't go upstairs in an
unladylike way. I will go upstairs as meekly as if I were a come-out
young lady, and had been to the Easter ball."
So it was agreed that they should go. If Mr. Osborne Hamley had been
named as one of the probable visitors, there would have been none of
this difficulty about the affair.