"Every day. Let's drop it. Shall we?"
"All right, my dear—"
And they said good-night ...
In the meantime, in the house, Edith had tried to scrimp and save, but it was very difficult. Her children had so many needs, they were all growing up so fast. Each month brought fresh demands on her purse, and the fund from the sale of her belongings had been used up long ago. Her sole resource was the modest allowance her father gave her for running the house, and she had not asked him for more. She had put off trouble from month to month. But one evening early in March, when he gave her the regular monthly check, she said hesitatingly:
"I'm very sorry, father dear, but I'm afraid we'll need more money this month." He glanced up from his paper:
"What's the matter?" She gave him a forced little smile, and her father noticed the gray in her hair.
"Oh, nothing in particular. Goodness knows I've tried to keep down expenses, but—well, we're a pretty large household, you know—"
"Yes," said Roger kindly, "I know. Are the month's bills in?"
"Yes."