Mr. Craig frowned. “Certainly you’re not ashamed of your background!”
“Oh, no, sir! The only life I remember is life at Mercyville. I could never be ashamed of living there!”
“Then I guess we don’t need to talk about it any more, son,” Mr. Craig said.
“Thank you, Mr. Craig,” Bert said. “I’m glad what I said made you sort of angry. A lot of people don’t ... don’t really understand.”
After dinner, Doris and Bert played together in the parlor. Mr. and Mrs. Craig sat hand in hand on the porch swing listening to the strains of a Haydn sonata.
“It seems to me that I’ve been giving advice to a lot of young men today,” Mr. Craig commented dryly. “Ralph, about to step into matrimony, and Bert, about to hurl himself into his first romance....”
“Then Bert is really interested in Doris?” Mrs. Craig asked.
Mr. Craig chuckled a little. “So he tells me.”
Mrs. Craig grinned. “He certainly is a forthright young man. I like him.”
“Yes, so do I. Well, I hope our young friends will profit by what I had to offer in the way of advice. I never felt less qualified in my life.”