"Is that true, or is it just—?
"No; it's true. I could have had better jobs. They offered two or three times to make me a salesman; you may remember that I knew a good deal about rugs already—; but I preferred to stay where I am."
"For what reason?"
"I hardly know that I can tell you, unless it was to—to—"
"To find your soul?"
"Possibly."
"And have you found it?"
"I've found—something. I'm not sure whether it's my soul or not."
All this was said within the space of perhaps two minutes, during which I watched Mrs. Averill and Mrs. Mountney, toward whom Mildred turned her back, putting their head together on a whispered conversation. That it was about me I could have gathered from their glances; but a little crow on the part of Mrs. Mountney left me no doubt about it.
"Jasper Soames! Why, that's the name—"