Page:Leah Reed--Brenda's summer at Rockley.djvu/58

44 her jealousy of Julia. In fact, she was willing to pity Brenda and sympathize with her a little, thinking in that  way to make herself more important. While there was nothing resembling a quarrel between the girls, the unfriendliness reached its height at the time of a Bazaar,  given by “The Four,” for the benefit of the Rosas, a  family of poor Portuguese in whom the girls had become  interested. Although Julia had realized that she was left out when “The Four” were most deeply engaged in making their plans for the Bazaar, she showed no resentment. On the contrary, she did her part in helping when the Bazaar actually came off, and a little later, when Brenda  got herself into difficulties, by a very foolish act, she came  nobly to the rescue of her cousin. For this Brenda had been duly grateful, and the relation between the two girls  was now most cousinly and cordial. Yet in the space of a few months a complete change of disposition is hardly to  be looked for in even the best intentioned girl of fifteen. Brenda, therefore, although she now was fond of Julia, for some time was likely to be wilful, headstrong, and  more or less selfish.

It was certainly the old Brenda who sat at the table at dinner that evening of Nora’s arrival with a frown,—a decided frown on her pretty face.

“I must say that I can’t see the least reason why we should n’t go over to Nahant to-morrow.”

“Brenda,” responded her mother, “I did not say that you could n’t go, but merely that you couldn’t drive  over.”