better worth looking at. She was not given to envy, but she was aware of thinking that there was something slightly wrong with a world where Mrs. Conway had pearls and she had not. Antonia insisted on her putting them around her neck.
"It's much safer--you can't drop them in the sand--Cousin Cora always does--that's Miss Wellington; she's no relation, but she likes us to call her cousin--she wants us to call her aunt, but mother says, 'Wait till she is.'"
"Oh," said Pearl, conscious of a distinct pang, "is she going to be?"
Antonia gave one of her head shakes.
"Mother says, 'Say not the struggle nought availeth.' Older people make a lot of fun of their best friends, don't they?"
"Would you like her for an aunt?" said Pearl.
"Yes and no," Antonia replied. "I think the wedding would be fun, and I think I'd be a bridesmaid or something; but as a family we prefer to keep Uncle Anthony to ourselves. Mother says if he marries Cora we wouldn't lose him as much as if he married a stranger. There was a Russian actress one year, with red, hair; I didn't think her a bit pretty. She used to send mother flowers and seats for her plays. They were all pretty sad though. Then there was another time--she was married this time, but mother said----"