"You don't dislike me, do you?" he asked.
"No. But I think we would better keep sentiment out of the matter, don't you? It is, after all, a business arrangement, of so much for so much."
"I thought maybe you were hurt because I did not protest some affection for you."
"Oh, not at all."
"I'm afraid I've done it very badly."
"No, on the whole, I think you've done it very well. The main thing is that we should both understand perfectly. My contention is that I understand it better than you do."
"I understand that you do not think much of me or the idea," he said impatiently.
"On the contrary, I think highly of both. I only suggest that you ought to know more about my ideas and ambitions."
"I'll take them on faith, Jane, if you will take me so."
She hesitated a moment; her heart was suffocating her. Here was her chance, here was the open road to experience, possibly romance. Should she enter? Dared she risk so much on one throw? Christiansen's words came to her: "Come, child, let's be about your living."