"Do you think so?"
"You are all alike. Let me tell you something; don't get sick. If you are, hide it as much as possible. Men do not like sick women."
"I'll end this fading business as soon as possible. It is late.
Good-night, dad."
I examined my face as soon as he closed the door. There was a change. Not the change from health to disease, but an expression lurking there—a reflection of some unrevealed secret.
The next morning was passed with Alice and the children. He was pleased with her prettiness and sprightliness, and his gentle manner and disposition pleased her. She asked him to let me spend another year in Rosville; but he said that I must return to Surrey, and that he never would allow me to leave home again.
"She will marry."
"Not early."
"Never, I believe," I said.
"It will be as well."
"Yes," she replied; "if you leave her a fortune, or teach her some trade, that will give her some importance in the world."