"You must consult your aunt," he said in a changed voice. She noticed with a pang how old and careworn he looked.
"Kate," he called, as just then he heard his wife's step in the hall, "come here."
"What do you wish, Lawrence?" and there was a soft frou frou of silken draperies as Mrs. Hildreth's dress swept over the carpet.
"Evadne wishes to become a nurse."
"Are you crazy?" There was a steely glitter in Mrs. Hildreth's eyes, and her tone fell cold and measured through the room.
"She says not," said the Judge with a feeble smile.
"Why should you think so, Aunt Kate?" asked Evadne gently. "Look how the world honors Florence Nightingale, and think how many splendid women have followed her example."
"To earn your own living by the labor of your hands. A Hildreth!"
"All the people who amount to anything in the world have to work, Aunt
Kate. There is nothing degrading in it."
"Just try it and you will soon find out your mistake. If you do this thing you will be ostracized by the world. People make a great talk about the dignity of labor, but a girl who works has no footing in polite society."