The little and big girls who wrote their exercises at her side did not deliberately enlighten her, but she learned from them in vague ways that it was not New York which was the centre of the earth, but Paris, or Berlin, Madrid, London, or Rome.
Paris and London were perhaps more calmly positive of themselves than other capitals, and were a little inclined to smile at the lack of seriousness in other claims.

But one strange fact was more predominant than any other, and this was that New York was not counted as a civilised centre at all; it had no particular existence.

Nobody expressed this rudely; in fact, it did not acquire the form of actual statement at any time.

It was merely revealed by amiable and ingenuous unconsciousness of the circumstance that such a part of the world expected to be regarded or referred to at all.

Betty began early to realise that as her companions did not talk of Timbuctoo or Zanzibar, so they did not talk of New York.