"To bargain for you, darling; not for myself."
She nodded, accepting his explanation, able to put herself in his place. Beholding the situation from his point of view, panoramically, she tried, in turn, to see the same situation from the point of view of her father. She exclaimed softly:
"Gracious!"
The expression upon her face puzzled James. Men, even the cleverest, can follow women's bodies easier than their thoughts.
"Try to be sensible about this," he murmured.
"It's so exciting. Don't you see that this is a test of father, a wonderful test!"
"Of what?"
"Of his love for me, of his love for mother."
"Eh?"
"Don't be dense, Jim! Mother has accused father of not caring much for us; but, if he risks ruin for our sake, he does care."