“You laugh at her so absurdly that she grows more impudent every day,” she said; “she could not dare to give herself such airs only for you.”

“But, Phyllis dear, I can’t help laughing at her, and indeed I think you make her proud by being so hard upon her; she is not so proud with me.”

“She is ridiculous,” said Phyllis; “such pretension in a girl of her age is utterly absurd.  Besides, it is so vulgar.  Well-born people are not always trying to force their importance on you as she does; if I did not try to keep her down a little she would be quite unbearable.”

“Perhaps if you did not try to keep her down so much she would not set herself up so much,” persisted Nell.

“I am older and wiser than you,” said Phyllis coldly.

“Yes, I know you are,” said Nell regretfully.

“And I ought to be a better judge of people’s conduct.  I am not going to complain of her to father or mother; but as she will be coming here again, I suppose, we ought to try to manage her a little ourselves.”

Nell did not dare to say any more to Phyllis, but ran away as soon as she could get an opportunity, to play with Hetty and laugh admiringly at all her droll remarks.

One more triumph Hetty enjoyed before her visit to Wavertree came to an end.  On a certain evening there was a dinner-party at the Hall, and some one who had been expected to sing and amuse the company failed to appear.  After dinner Mrs. Rushton fancied that the party had grown very dull, and a brilliant idea for entertaining the guests occurred to her.  She left the drawing-room and went upstairs to where the little girls were preparing for bed.

“Come, Hetty,” she said, “I want you to make yourself agreeable.  Every one is going to sleep down-stairs and carriages will not arrive till eleven.  I have rung for Polly to dress you.  Phyllis and Nell can come down also if they please.”

The Enderby girls concluded from this speech that their mother had sent for them, and in a short time Mrs. Rushton returned to the drawing-room, accompanied by the three children.

Mrs. Enderby looked exceedingly surprised and not quite pleased, but Mrs. Rushton said,

“I have provided some amusement for your people.  Hetty will make them laugh.”

Hetty was flushed and trembling with excitement, and at a signal from her adopted mother she stepped into the middle of the room and began her entertainment; Mrs. Rushton having walked about among the guests beforehand, telling them that the child was going to give them some sketches of character, the result of her own observations.

Hetty began with a conversation between a mincing and lackadaisical young lady and a bouncing one who talked noisily; and she changed her attitudes, her accent, the expressions of her face in such droll ways, and altogether contrasted the two characters so well, that a round of applause and laughter greeted and encouraged her.  Then followed a ridiculous scene between a cross old lady and an amiable old gentleman in a hotel; and so on.  Every odd character Hetty had ever met was reproduced for the amusement of the company.