"I believe you've hit upon the whole duty of women, darling. It's what they are here for. A selfish woman always seems more off the lines than a selfish man. But selfishness is ugly everywhere. You can't always see it in yourself, but when you do you had better get rid of it as quickly as possible."
"You're not selfish."
"Most men are. I don't think I'm much different from other fellows. But I like you to think I am."
"You know, Daddy, I've been thinking lately that it's rather like what you said just now—you mustn't grab at things, and it may not be altogether good for you to be able to get everything you want. By far the nicest of the girls you sent me to Paris to consort with is Nora O'Brien, whom I told you about. Her people are very hard up, and one of her aunts is educating her. The others are all rich—at least their people are—and the richest are the horridest, except Katie Brown, whose father is a millionaire; and she laughs at it, and would be just as happy if he were poor. I think we are all so nice because we really love each other, and that's the best of all the things we have at home; though it's very jolly having a beautiful house and lots of friends too."
"Yes, it's love that makes the world go round, wherever you find it. It gives you a reason for enjoying yourself too. At least it does when you've a young woman of nearly eighteen, soon to be launched on the world. I hope you'll enjoy yourself, darling, when it comes to the time for you to go out and about."
"I shall like best being at home with you, Daddy."
"Well, you'll be at home a lot too, I hope. But you must have your fling, and see what the world is like all round."
"I think I shall like it, you know. Caroline did, though she got tired of it afterwards."
"I don't think it was so much that she got tired of it as that she found something else she liked better to put in its place. Oh, I'm happy about Caroline and B both. And about you too, darling. And about Bunting, who is growing into a very good sort of man. In fact I've nothing to grouse about at all, except that I can't have the last five and twenty years all over again. Now I think it's time to be getting down to our happy valley."