"
"No, they weren't!" said Ella. "I was in the drawing-room —
and they didn't look like a windmill a bit. They looked queer,
but pretty."
"Queer, but pretty!" repeated Nora.
"Yes, they did," said Ella. "And you laughed when you were Red
Riding-hood, Nora Dinwiddie."
"I didn't laugh a bit!"
"It is no matter if you did laugh, Nora," said Daisy; — "you
got grave again, and the picture was very nice."
"I didn't laugh!" said Nora; "and if I did, everybody else
did. I don't think the pictures I saw were at all like
pictures — they were just like a parcel of people dressed-up."
Some gay paper mottoes made a diversion and stopped the little
mouths for a time; and then the people went away.
"Well, Daisy," said Mrs. Gary, — "how do you like this new
entertainment?"
"The pictures? I think they were very pretty, aunt Gary."
"How happened it that somebody else wore my diamonds?" said
her mother, — "and not you. I thought you were to be dressed
for Queen Esther?"
"Yes, mamma, so I was at first; and then it was thought best —
"
"Not by me," said Preston. "It was no doing of mine. Daisy was
to have been Esther, and she herself declared off — backed out
of it, and left me to do as best I could.
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