"I hate having mine touched by anyone," said I.
"Well, perhaps I should hate it too, if mine were curly and about six inches thick, and came down to my knees; I should be afraid of being pulled to pieces. There! That's heavenly. Well, now I can begin. You know, Baby, this isn't a quite new idea about your going to America. Mrs. Ess Kay did say something on the subject when she was staying here before."
"Oh, yes, when she was going away she said how much she would like to have either of us visit her. Is that all?"
"It's something, isn't it? Enough to make a handle of, when a handle's needed."
"But why is a handle needed?"
"I'm going to tell you the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Mother had a letter from Sir Gilbert Mantell this morning."
"Oh, that big, splashy crest was his, then. It looked like him, now I come to think of it. Nobody but a brand-new knight, with piles and piles of money, would need one more than half the size."
"Don't sneer at his money, my good child. We want it badly enough in this family."
"Not his."
"Yes, we do. And I see a reasonable prospect of our getting it, if you'll go to the States with Mrs. Ess Kay."