flippantness

Updated: June 27, 2025

When people try to "act exactly as usual," they generally end in acting quite the opposite; and Billy was no exception to the rule. Hence her attempted cheerfulness became flippantness, and her laughter giggles that rang too frequently to be quite sincere though from Aunt Hannah it all elicited only an affectionate smile at "the dear child's high spirits."

Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter - Miss Billy's Decision