"What have we that is so important that you haven't got ?" she asked.
"Quantities of things." Elfrida hesitated, not absolutely sure of the wisdom of her example.

Then she ventured it.
"The picturesqueness of society--your duchesses and your women in the green-grocers' shops." It was not wise, she saw instantly.
"Really?
It is so difficult to understand that duchesses are interesting--out of novels; and the green-grocers' wives are a good deal alike, too, aren't they ?" "It's the contrast; you see our duchesses were green-grocers' wives the day before yesterday, and our green-grocers' wives subscribe to the magazines.

It's all mixed up, and there are no high lights anywhere.

You move before us in a sort of panoramic pageant," Elfrida went on, determined to redeem her point, "with your Queen and Empress of India--she ought to be riding on an elephant, oughtn't she ?--in front, and all your princes and nobles with their swords drawn to protect her.

Then your Upper Classes and your Upper Middle Classes walking stiffly two and two; and then your Lower Middle Classes with large families, dropping their h's; and then your hideous people from the slums.