"'I wouldn't, though,' said she. 'Jack may get another sort of wife. He needn't look to have me. I hope I'll be able to look higher than that, anyway.'"
By which it may be perceived that Miss Sophy was not exact in her report of what had occurred, and that the story had gained in size.
"I'm sorry to hear that Jessie is such a little goose," Mrs. Groates replied, outwardly cool, inwardly burning. "Whether or no Jack ever wants to marry her, I'm sure of one thing, and that is that she'll never find a truer or better husband than my Jack would be. But he needn't be in a hurry. There's plenty of girls to be had."
"And plenty of young men, too, for the matter of that!" Miss Sophy retorted. "If Jessie likes to look higher, there's no particular reason why she shouldn't, I suppose. As for Jack choosing, everybody's known for a long while past that he's been wanting Jessie. But it don't seem likely that he'll get her."
[CHAPTER XV]
ENGAGED
MRS. GROATES went home, feeling very sorrowful; and that evening she noted afresh Jack's troubled look, and knew with certainty that the change in Jessie was weighing upon him. He sat and read quietly, hardly opening his lips, and when some one happened to mention Jessie there was no response from him. Later on, when Mr. Groates was gone out, and the younger ones had disappeared, she found herself alone with Jack, and took the opportunity to say,—
"I saw Jessie to-day."
"Did you, mother? Jessie hardly ever comes here now."
"No, I know she don't. I thought maybe you and she had had a bit of a quarrel."