Carmella Commands
each dish was brought on, and imitated with a success that surprised her. Secretly she was terrified, but outwardly she gave no evidence of her fears. Mrs. Barrington had purposely ordered a simple luncheon, and was deliberate in serving herself from the dishes that Hammond presented. She was determined that Carmella should have no cause to think of this affair as “high hat.”
The two children studied Carmella closely. It was evident that their mother had told them something about the guest that stirred their curiosity. Margaret chatted freely, asking Kate, which was the only name for Carmella that she knew, whether she swam and rode and played basketball, and what dancing school did she go to and did she paddle a canoe and didn’t she hate piano practice, and didn’t she hate bedtime stories by radio and didn’t she simply adore Tom Mix.
With perfect frankness Carmella furnished negatives to most of the flood of questions. John, two years older, said little. But occasionally he and his sister exchanged glances, as when Carmella admitted that she had no dancing teacher. He wondered why his mother’s guest could show so little embarrassment at having none of his sister’s major accomplishments.
Presently, seeing that she was being catechized, it amused Carmella to say:
“No, I don’t do practically a thing. All I do is go to school, see a movie when I can, and help dad on his real estate.”
[83]
