"To break your heart, Sandy," the mother supplied, all tender
solicitude.

"It's not so much a question of my heart," Sandy answered
composedly, "as it is a question of his entire life. It's so
unnecessary and senseless!"

"And you can sit there calmly discussing it!" Mrs. Salisbury said,
thoroughly out of temper with the entire scheme of things mundane.
"Upon my word, I never saw or heard anything like it!" she observed.
"I wonder that you don't quietly tell Owen that you care for him--
but it's too dreadful to joke about! I give you up!"

And she rose from her chair, and went quickly out of the room, every
line in her erect little figure expressing exasperation and
inflexibility. Sandy, smiling sleepily, reopened an interrupted
novel. But she stared over the open page into space for a few
moments, and finally spoke:

"Upon my word, I don't know that that's at all a bad idea!" an
interrupted novel. But she stared over the open page into space for
a few moments, and finally spoke:

"Upon my word, I don't know that that's at all a bad idea!"




CHAPTER V