She nor him won't have anything to do with
common folks in this town. And it'll be worse NOW."
This was quite untrue, of course, for Lulie and Nelson were extremely
friendly with all except the Blounts, Marietta Hoag, and a few more of
their kind. The solid, substantial people in the village liked them,
just as they liked and respected Martha Phipps. These people took pains
to congratulate young Howard and to whisper a hope to Lulie that her
father's unreasonable opposition to the former might be lessened by the
news of his advancement.
Primmie, returning home with the sensation, was disappointed to find it
no sensation at all. Lulie had told both Miss Phipps and Galusha shortly
after Nelson told her. She had told her father also, but he had not
expressed gratification. Instead, the interview between them had ended
unpleasantly.
"The first thing he did," said Lulie, when telling the story to her
confidants at the Phipps' home, "was to ask me how I knew about it. I
told him that Nelson told me."
Martha lifted her brows. "My!" she exclaimed. "You did?"
"Yes, I did. I don't know why exactly. Somehow I felt just then as if I
didn't care."
"And what did he say?"
"He didn't say as much as I thought he would. He turned and stared at
me under those big eyebrows of his, and then he said: 'When did you see
him?' I said, 'Yesterday.
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