“I have brought her up to respect my judgment,” said Edna.
“I wonder what will become of her,” said I, reflectively, “when she hasn’t you at her elbow to tell her what to do.... But why a marquis? Why not a duke?”
She smiled, blushed a little. “The only duke we could have got—and he was a nice young fellow—but he was in love with an English girl of wealth—and he wanted too much to change to an American. Is that frank enough to suit you?”
“If you’d only keep to that key,” said I.
“He wanted double the American dowry that he was willing to take with an English girl.”
“His being in love with another girl might have made it unpleasant for Margot,” I suggested.
“That wouldn’t have amounted to anything,” replied she. “Over here the right sort of people bring up their children as I brought up Margot—to give their hearts where their hands should go. They are not shallow and selfish. They think of the family dignity and honor before they think of their personal feelings.”
“That’s interesting—and new—at least to me,” said I.
“You have been judging these things without knowing, Godfrey,” said she. “You have attacked me for narrowness, when in fact you were the narrow one.”
“Yes? What next?” said I.