"I mean that I've ever known with a woman," she said soothingly.
"But, my dear!" he exclaimed, "what can you be thinking of? You can't make a friend of my secretary!"
"If she is a lady?"
"But she isn't. They don't go anywhere, these Hamiltons!"
"They are a cultured New England family, Daniel, and if they don't go into society here, it is probably because they don't want to. I'm sure I can't imagine why they should want to. I don't mean, dear," she quickly added, not at all sincerely, "to cast any reflection upon your New Munich society; I'm speaking of society in general. It is rather unsatisfactory, isn't it? I wouldn't give up the friendship I'm going to have with Miss Hamilton for all the rest of New Munich society, I assure you."
"But you must give it up! Why, my dear, the Hamiltons are renters!"
"'Renters?'"
"Yes, renters!"
"What are 'renters?'"
"You know what I mean—they don't own the house they live in, they rent it."