Chapter I: Front Matter

CONCERNING BELINDA

BOOKS BY

ELEANOR HOYT BRAINERD

"CONCERNING BELINDA"

"NANCY'S COUNTRY CHRISTMAS AND OTHER STORIES"

"THE MISDEMEANORS OF NANCY"

CONCERNING
BELINDA

BY
ELEANOR HOYT BRAINERD

ILLUSTRATED BY

HARRISON FISHER
AND
KATHARINE N. RICHARDSON

NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
1905

Copyright, 1904, 1905, by
The Curtis Publishing Company

Copyright, 1905, by
Doubleday, Page & Company
Published, September, 1905

_All rights reserved,
including that of translation into foreign languages,
including the Scandinavian._

AN APOLOGY

To all principals of New York boarding-schools, the author of these sketches offers humble apologies for having approached those excellent institutions chiefly from their humorous side.

That the city boarding-school has its earnest and serious phases, its charming and sensible pupils, no rational mortal could deny; but each finishing school has, also, its Amelias, and their youthful absurdities offer tempting material to the writer of tales.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Belinda and the Twelve 3

II. The Musical Romance of Amelia 27

III. The Elopement of Evangeline Marie 43

IV. A Wolf in the Fold 59

V. The Black Sheep's Christmas 81

VI. The Blighted Being 99

VII. The Passing of an Affinity 117

VIII. The Queer Little Thing 135

IX. A Continuous Performance 157

X. Adelina and the Drama 177

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

"A gay, dimpling girl and a stalwart, handsome man were whirling
down Fifth Avenue" _Frontispiece_

FACING PAGE

"Amelia touched her guitar with a white, pudgy hand" 32

"For a few mornings past Belinda had noticed something
unusual about the morning expedition" 36

"'It's scandalous, madam'" 38

"... curled his mustache airily, and allowed his glance to
rove boldly over the display of youthful femininity" 46

"'I heard him say, "Grand Central, and hurry"'" 50

"'Your game's up, and you don't marry an heiress this trip'" 54

"The girls on the bed drew their knees up to their chins" 102

"They offered her caramels with fervent sympathy" 106

"'A dark man is coming into your life'" 120

"... wasted her substance in riotous buying of photographs" 124

"Cynthia quite forgot to go back to the French class" 126

Concerning Belinda