Olive Higgins Prouty

“ In her way, Reba was quite as much of a novelty to Chadwick Booth as he to her. For after their first dinner-party alone, he discovered that she was as genuinely fresh a bit of femininity as he had ever run across. Most of the women of his acquaintance were so terribly used-to-everything, and worldly-wise. To those of his own social circle the pleasures of dining-out, and of brilliant ballrooms, were old and drained pleasures. To those outside his social circle, with whom he sometimes sought to amuse himself, the joys of restaurants and dance-halls appeared equally tasteless. ”

“ Surely what Katherine's cousin did as a matter of course, Reba could rest assured was all right, for her to do.
Besides, she wanted to go—she wanted to go with all her heart—as much as Katherine wanted to go to France, she guessed. New Englanders were always denying themselves pleasure. This was her great opportunity for crawling under the edge of the curtain onto a corner of that stage which she had so yearningly gazed upon ever since she was a young girl at the summer-hotels. ”

“ Whatever peculiar pleasure she herself felt, in dancing with him, she was sure was not shared in the same way by him—a man of his sophistication, who according to his own statement had danced himself stale two winters ago. They were friends, that was all. She was glad that she had gotten away from the narrow Ridgefield idea that a man and a girl couldn't be friends without being lovers. ”