The being forced continually into the wrong, often has the effect of making one quite innocently take the first step in that direction even if no force be used.
"I hear that the last meeting of the Zenith Club was unusually interesting," said little Annie Eustace, and she could have said nothing more hapless to Margaret Edes in her present mood.

Quite inadvertently, she herself became the irritant party.

Margaret actually flushed.

"I failed to see anything interesting whatever about it, myself," said she tartly.
Annie offended again.

"I heard that Mrs.Sarah Joy Snyder's address was really very remarkable," said she.
"It was simply a very stupid effort to be funny," returned Margaret.
"Sometimes women will laugh because they are expected to, and they did that afternoon.