“Oh, you women! Now, I call it an awfully plucky thing to break away and strike out a line for herself.”
“Oh, so do I,” said Helen, with a sigh of unexpected meekness. “It’s like bicycling—a splendid prerogative of youth. All that I’m trying to impress upon you is that while it lasts, it’s absorbing. And much gratitude I get!”
“Oh, I’m grateful. Only—”
“What?”
“You’re clever, and you laugh at everything, until it’s a bit hard to find out what you mean. I wonder why you say all this?”
“For old acquaintance sake,” she said quickly and kindly. “When things become serious I’m not such a bad sort.”
“And you’ll really be on my side?”
“Of course I will. Let me see the menu, and don’t cheer up so preposterously. What I want you to realise is that nothing, no one, can be of any use just now. I don’t expect you to believe me, and you’ll probably rush in and blunder the whole affair; I only warn you that if you’re wise you’ll give your young woman time to trip along cheerfully on her career, and to find out for herself that it isn’t all she expected. And I’m afraid, I’m very much afraid, this may cost you more lime trees.”
“I don’t care a hang what it costs!”
“You mustn’t use bad words, or I shall have your mother down on me.”