She was out in the world now, in a fair way to be independent.

And she insisted on worldly values, on appearance, on manners, on position, which Miriam would fain have ignored.
Both girls liked to be upstairs, out of the way, when Paul came.

They preferred to come running down, open the stair-foot door, and see him watching, expectant of them.

Miriam stood painfully pulling over her head a rosary he had given her.

It caught in the fine mesh of her hair.
But at last she had it on, and the red-brown wooden beads looked well against her cool brown neck.