Honor’s voice was so peculiar that Victoria glanced at her sharply, but it was too dark in the room for her to see her face very clearly.
“Yes, Mr. Madison; but I don’t see how you happened to guess it so quickly.”
“Chiefly because there is no one else whom Aunt Sophia could possibly mean. There isn’t another man in the neighborhood.”
“But, Honor, have you noticed anything? Do you think that Katherine—well, that she cares for him? Of course he likes her, he couldn’t help liking her, but—oh, I don’t know! It doesn’t seem a bit nice to talk about Katherine this way, and I wish Aunt Sophia hadn’t said anything. I told her that probably they were just good friends, and she said that was almost impossible. Don’t you think that is a most ridiculous idea, Honor?”
“Very ridiculous, and I agree with you that it isn’t very nice to talk about it. I know lots of girls do, and we should be considered very old-fashioned and peculiar not to want to. We are different from most girls, and I think we feel differently about those things. So don’t let us say any more, Vic, unless Katherine wants to speak about it herself.”
“And there is nothing for us to do?”
“No,” said Honor, very quietly, “there is nothing for us to do.” And then, very much to the surprise of Victoria, she hid her face in the pillow.
“Why, are you so sleepy, Honor?” asked the younger sister. “You don’t look so. What is the matter?”
“No, I’m not really sleepy, but—but I think we have talked long enough, Vicky dear! If you don’t mind, I would rather not say any more.”
“But I haven’t been here more than fifteen minutes, Honor, and there is something else that I thought of telling you.”