"I shall never marry, Valentia."
Valentia stared at her in silence.
"What is your idea, darling? Why, you won't be eighteen till June. You can't be sure you'll never want to marry!"
"Well, I don't care for Van Buren."
"I thought you liked him so much?"
"Well, he seems all right at first. But I simply couldn't stand him always about."
"Couldn't you? Poor pet! But he mightn't be always about."
"Well, I couldn't stand his marked attention. Valentia, I hate marked attention."
"Do you, really? Who'd have thought it?"
"Well—and he'd always be so considerate and so thoughtful and so respectful!"