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Reade, Charles, 1814-1884

"A Woman-Hater"

Observing
several twinkles in his eyes, she got up hastily and said she really must
go and dry her gown.
"Yes," said Miss Maitland; "come into my room, dear."
Fanny complied, with rather a rueful face, not doubting that the public
"dear" was to get it rather hot in private.
Her uneasiness was not lessened when the old maid said to her, grimly,
"Now, sit you down there, and never mind your dress."
However, it came rather mildly, after all. "Fanny, you are not a bad
girl, and you have shown you were sorry; so I am not going to be hard on
you: only you must be a good girl now, and help me to undo the mischief,
and then I will forgive you."
"Aunt," said Fanny, piteously, "I am older than she is, and I know I have
done rather wrong, and I won't do it any more; but pray, pray, don't ask
me to be unkind to her to-day; it is brooch-day."
Miss Maitland only stared at this obscure announcement: so Fanny had to
explain that Zoe and she had tiffed, and made it up, and Zoe had given
her a brooch. Hereupon she went for it, and both ladies forgot the topic
they were on, and every other, to examine the brooch.
"Aunt," says Fanny, handling the brooch, and eyeing it, "you were a poor
girl, like me, before grandpapa left you the money, and you know it is
just as well to have a tiff now and then with a rich one, because, when
you kiss and make it up, you always get some reconciliation-thing or
other.


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