“I’m glad you didn’t let me do it. I’ll not do it. I’ll take up the struggle again. Indeed, I had already thought of one thing I could do, but I—I—in fact, Doctor, I thought you might not like it.”
“What was it?”
“It was teaching in the public schools. They’re in the hands of the military government, I am told. Are they not?”
“Yes.”
“Still,” said Mary, speaking rapidly, “I say I’ll keep up the”—
But the Doctor lifted his hand.
“No, no. There’s to be no more struggle.”
“No?” Mary tried to look pleasantly incredulous.
“No; and you’re not going to be put upon anybody’s bounty, either. No. What I was going to say about this little girl here was this,—her name is Alice, is it?”
“Yes.”