“Well, Henry?” said she, with a look of interrogation.
“Well!” said he, rather shortly.
“Come in to lunch!”
“No, thank you, I can’t. I’ve lost too much time here already.”
“Then it’s not all settled?” said Edith, despondingly.
“No! not at all. It never will be settled, if the ‘it’ is what I conjecture you mean. That will never be, Edith, so give up thinking about it.”
“But it would be so nice for us all,” pleaded Edith. “I should always feel comfortable about the children, if I had Margaret settled down near to me. As it is, I am always afraid of her going off to Cadiz.”
“I will try, when I marry, to look out for a young lady who has a knowledge of the management of children. That is all I can do. Miss Hale will not have me. And I shall not ask her.”
“Then what have you been talking about?”
“A thousand things you would not understand: Investments, and leases, and value of land.”