Annie could see a vision of those two little Joy girls getting about in the remnants of her ghastly muslin, and she shuddered, although with relief.

“You had better wear your cross barred white muslin afternoons now,” said Aunt Harriet, and Annie smiled for that was a pretty dress.  She smiled still more when Aunt Jane said that now as the cross-barred white was to be worn every day, another dress must be bought, and she mentioned China silk—­something which Annie had always longed to own—­and blue, dull blue,—­a colour which she loved.

Just before she went to bed, Annie stood in the front doorway looking out at the lovely moonlight and the wonderful shadows which transformed the village street, like the wings of angels, and she heard voices and laughter from the Edes’ house opposite.  Then Margaret began singing in her shrill piercing voice from which she had hoped much, but which had failed to please, even at the Zenith Club.

Annie adored Margaret, but she shrank before her singing voice.  If she had only known what was passing through the mind of the singer after she went to bed that night, she would have shuddered more, for Margaret Edes was planning a possible coup before which Annie, in spite of a little latent daring of her own, would have been aghast.

Chapter V

The next morning Margaret announced herself as feeling so much better that she thought she would go to New York.  She had several errands, she said, and the day was beautiful and the little change would do her good.  She would take the train with her husband, but a different ferry, as she wished to go up town.  Wilbur acquiesced readily.  “It is a mighty fine morning, and you need to get out,” he said.  Poor Wilbur at this time felt guiltily culpable that he did not own a motor car in which his Margaret might take the air.  He had tried to see his way clear toward buying one, but in spite of a certain improvidence, the whole nature of the man was intrinsically honest.  He always ended his conference with himself concerning the motor by saying that he could not possibly keep it running, even if he were to manage the first cost, and pay regularly his other bills.  He, however, felt it to be a shame to himself that it was so, and experienced a thrill of positive pain of covetousness, not for himself, but for his Margaret, when one of the luxurious things whirled past him in Fairbridge.  He, it was true, kept a very smart little carriage and horse, but that was not as much as Margaret should have.  Every time Margaret seemed a little dull, or complained of headache, as she had done lately, he thought miserably of that motor car, which was her right.  Therefore when she planned any little trip like that of to-day, he was immeasurably pleased.  At the same time he regarded her with a slightly bewildered expression, for in some subtle fashion, her face as she propounded the trifling plan, looked odd to him,