"Yes. She lost a year. They couldn't afford— But now she's going to finish her course."
"Good Lord!"
"I beg your pardon."
"There's no reason why she shouldn't go back to school?"
"Reason why—? No."
A light broke, or rather a darkness spread, over the young man's face, wiping out the grace, stamping it fiercely with detestation of him who had dared think insulting thoughts of Almira. But the old man was smiling and rubbing his parchment hands.
"Tempest in a teacup! Come and have breakfast," he said, walking to the table; "everything's getting cold."
But Ethan put the letter of the clerkly hand into his breast-pocket, and went towering out of the room.
Aaron Tallmadge chuckled genially as he rang for hot buckwheat cakes.