NeitherdoIthinkitcouldbesaidthataslightdeafness，whichmightimpartanembarrassingpublicitytoanystatement——thereverseofourgeneralfeeling——thatmightbeconfidedbyanyonetoherprivateear，wasasufficientreason；foritwaspointedoutthatshealwaysunderstoodeverythingthatTomSparrelltoldherinhisordinarytoneofvoice。Briefly，itwasverypossiblethatDelaware——theyoungestMissPiper——didnotlikeus。YetitwasfondlybelievedbyusthattheothersistersfailedtoshowthatindifferencetoourexistenceshownbyMissDelaware，althoughtheheartburnings，misunderstandings，jealousies，hopesandfears，andfinallythechivalrousresignationwithwhichweatlastacceptedthelongforegoneconclusionthattheywerenotforus，andfarbeyondourreach，isnotapartofthisveraciouschronicle。
EnoughthatnoneoftheflirtationsofhereldersistersaffectedorweresharedbytheyoungestMissPiper。Shemovedinthisheart-breakingatmospherewithsublimeindifference，treatinghersisters\'affairswithwhatweconsideredranksimplicityorappallingfrankness。Theirfewadmirerswhowereweakenoughtoattempttogainhermediationorconfidencehadreasontoregretit。
\"It\'snokindo\'usegivin\'megoodies，\"shesaidtoahelplesssuitorofLouisianaPiper\'swhohadofferedtobringhersomesweets，\"forIain\'tgotnoinfluencewithLu，andifIdon\'tgive\'emuptoherwhenshehearsofit，she\'llnagmeandhateyoulikepizen。Unless，\"sheaddedthoughtfully，\"itwaswintergreenlozenges；Lucan\'tstandthem，oranybodywhoeatsthemwithinamile。\"Itisneedlesstoaddthatthemiserableman，thusputuponhisgallantry，wasobligedinhonortoprovideDelwiththewintergreenlozengesthatkepthimindisfavorandatadistance。
Unfortunately，too，anypredilectionorpityforanyparticularsuitorofhersister\'swasattendedbyevenmoredisastrousconsequences。Itwasreportedthatwhileactingas\"gooseberry\"——aroleusuallyassignedtoher——betweenVirginiaPiperandanexceptionallytimidyoungsurveyor，duringaramblesheconceivedararesentimentofhumanitytowardstheunhappyman。Afteronceortwicelingeringbehindintheostentatiouspickingofawaysideflower，or\"runningonahead\"tolookatamountainview，withoutanyapparenteffectontheshyandspeechlessyouth，shedecoyedhimasidewhilehereldersisterrambledindifferentlyandsomewhatscornfullyon。TheyoungestMissPiperleapedupontherailofafence，andwiththestalkofathimbleberryinhermouthswunghersmallfeettoandfroandsurveyedhimdispassionately。
\"Yedon\'tseemtobeketchin\'on？\"shesaidtentatively。