Mr. Clark was the family lawyer, who was to act as Susan's guardian and business agent for the next three years, and who had already made himself tiresome to her, by trying to instill into her mind some ideas of system and economy in expenditure.
"Overdrawn!" cried Bell. "You extravagant girl! What have you been doing?"
"I don't really know," laughed Susan. "I never keep accounts. I let poor Madame Delancy have a thousand; that was one thing. She 'll pay me in the spring; and those riding parties were awfully dear. Mr. Clark says I must n't pay for my friends horses any more but I don't think it is any of his business. Lots of the girls I want to have go can't go any other way; their fathers can't afford it."
"You 're a dear generous soul," said Bell, admiringly.
"No I 'm not," said Susan. "There is n't any generosity in my sending Sally Sanford a horse, when I want her in my party, and know she can't come any other way. It 's to please myself I do it."
"Well, I think it 's generous for all that," said Bell, "and anybody in the world would say so."
"Anybody in the world will say anything," replied Susan, satirically; "there is one thing I made up my mind about long ago, and that is, never to mind what the world says, either for or against a thing or a person."
